Produce Fruit Consistent with Repentance – Matthew 3:8

John the Baptist had two elements to his preaching: repent and the kingdom of heaven was near. Because the kingdom of heaven was near people needed to repent. John committed his life to preparing the way for Jesus to come as the Messiah. People traveled from nearby regions to be baptized by John to prepare their hearts for the coming Messiah. 

Not all people were eager to repent. The religious leaders did not see a need for repentance. 

John told the religious leaders to, “produce fruit consistent with repentance.” (Matthew 3:8) These religious leaders reduced religion down to a list of regulations and rules and failed to cultivate the relationship needed with God. Everything was about keeping the standard of holiness instead of submitting to the lordship of God. Salvation was based off of their works not based on their faith. John points out their flaw and exhorts them to “produce fruit consistent with repentance.”

What is fruit that is consistent with repentance? Spiritual fruit is cultivated when we spend time with God. Psalm 1:2-3 says that a wise man is one who meditates on the word day and night. Through mediation on the word they will become like a fruitful tree planted by water. Galatians 5:22-23 says that the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control. The only way to produce fruit is to spend time with the Holy Spirit. Repentance is more than feeling remorse of sorrow for one’s sin – it is the act of recognizing that sin is again God and turning away from that sin to take hold of Jesus. Repenting leads us to plant our lives in the fertile soil of Jesus’ grace and redemption. Spiritual fruit cannot be manufactured it can only be cultivated. 

The spiritual leaders of the day spent time going through the motions to manufacture holiness and missed Jesus. John saw through their hypocrisy and knew that if they were truly spending time with God then the Spirit would produce spiritual fruit. 

Live It: 

• Do you see a need for repentance in your life? Is there an area that you need to turn away from? 
• Are you trying to manufacture spiritual growth instead of cooperating with the Holy Spirit? 
• Is there a spiritual discipline you need to implement this week to set your focus on Jesus? 

Christ Chronological: Matthew 3:1-12; Mark 1:2-8; Luke 3:1-18; John 1:19-28 

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