New Years Tree
Notes
Transcript
Matthew 12:15-21; 33-37; John 15:4-11; Gal 5:22-23
Again, Jesus teaches us to observe the fruit of words to know the heart. This is useful in recognizing the Holy Spirit at work in Jesus… and the evil at work in religion. This is useful in recognizing the truth of our own heart. What fruit have you produced in 2024? How can you produce good fruit in 2025? Be grafted into Christ and abide in him: a new tree, a new creation… and produce the fruit of the Spirit.
Infested Christmas Tree
Infested Christmas Tree
Early this month we headed up the mountain, up to camp, to pick out a beautiful Christmas tree.
We picked one out, we even cut one down.
And then, as I wrapped up the Christmas tree… I took a real close look at the tree itself.
What I had not noticed as we cut it down, or as we carried it over to the road… and what I had forgotten this summer...
You see, over the summer we had an infestation of Tussock moths. Nasty business, cashes nasty rashes from the caterpillars just everywhere… and damaging a lot of the pine trees. Brandon and Pastor Steve-O went up and sprayed for them around the buildings.
But this tree, and every tree we looked at for the next hour, was grossly infested. Crispy little cocoons absolutely everywhere. NOT bringing that into the house. Not the ornaments we were looking for.
Drove down, bought a Christmas tree. Beautiful, but I couldn’t believe the price tag.
Now, it is no longer a Christmas tree… this week it is a New Years Tree! (We have to get our money’s worth).
And this tree, instead of being covered in desiccated cocoons of dead caterpillars, it is covered in beautiful lights and, best of all, memories of the kids each year, adding to the collection.
That’s a beautiful tree.
Recap
Recap
Jesus has been teaching us how to keep Sabbath. His Sabbath. The one He, God, made for us. A good gift and a blessing… and one that the “religious” had twisted to be a burden for the people.
Jesus teaches us True Sabbath, and he makes a purposeful point of healing on the Sabbath, doing good on the Sabbath… and the Pharisees start to plot against him.
And then, Matthew pauses to kind of underscore exactly who Jesus is. Not just his Messianic credentials, but that he is gentle, and doing good, and FULL of God’s Holy Spirit. That’s important because of how the Pharisees are about to accuse him.
Jesus’ Character
Jesus’ Character
15 Jesus, aware of this, withdrew from there. And many followed him, and he healed them all 16 and ordered them not to make him known. 17 This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah:
18 “Behold, my servant whom I have chosen,
my beloved with whom my soul is well pleased.
I will put my Spirit upon him,
and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles.
19 He will not quarrel or cry aloud,
nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets;
20 a bruised reed he will not break,
and a smoldering wick he will not quench,
until he brings justice to victory;
21 and in his name the Gentiles will hope.”
Note,
4 He will not grow faint or be discouraged
till he has established justice in the earth;
and the coastlands wait for his law.
The coastlands refer to the literal coastlands around, or reaching back to Genesis, the children of Japheth… but by extension to all Gentiles. And Matthew uses that translation here.
But there are two absolute truths here about Jesus.
How does Jesus hurt in his ministry on earth? No one. This is where “gentle Jesus” motif comes from. Is he weak? Absolutely not. But he is gentle.
The violent upheaval he brings is spiritual. The aggressive advance against the powers of darkness is not taken out on the human victims of darkness.
This is who Jesus is. Who is he hurting? No one. Not one. Guiltless.
Who is he helping? Everyone. Everyone who encounters Jesus is healed or encouraged, or challenged… but challenged to grow towards God. Or rebuked or discouraged… but rebuked and discouraged from evil.
And, this is the other notable piece from this passage: everything Jesus does is because he is filled with the Holy Spirit. Even though He is the Son… and always was, his work, his miracles, his lead, his direction, his power… all by the Spirit of God in Him.
Always in obedience to the Father.
Always by the power and leading of the Holy Spirit.
Paving the way for us, for we are filled with the same Spirit.
This is crucial for the next verses and the next few sermons. Jesus was completely and obviously blameless, and completely and obviously working by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Because the next passage is “unforgivable.” So we are going to skip it (for now).
Skipping the Unforgivable Sin
Skipping the Unforgivable Sin
I mean… that does sound like a good idea, always. Let’s just skip it.
Skipping the bit about the “unforgivable” sin… I think that verse is a “next year” kind of problem. We are going to dig in, I promise… and fear not. God is still good, Father, Son and Holy Spirit… and you can’t commit the “unforgivable sin” by accident in the meantime.
Knowing that they have accused Jesus unjustly, Jesus teaches them how to judge rightly. And it should sound familiar, for Jesus is teaching the same things again and again.
Almost straight out of the Sermon on the Mount, here he goes:
33 “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, for the tree is known by its fruit.
34 You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.
35 The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil.
This is a truth Jesus gets to again and again.
What we say stems from who we are internally, prompting a call for self-examination as we enter a new year filled with opportunities for renewal and growth in faith.
Remember what Jesus said about “treasure.” Where a man’s treasure is, there his heart will be also. You can treasure worldly, temporary things like power or money… or you can treasure eternal things. Love. God and relationship with God. Souls. The things that last.
If you want to control where your heart is, treasure rightly. Treasure wisely. Treasure well.
And here is a
36 I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak,
37 for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”
For the religious, and that is who Jesus is talking to, who are looking to be justified by how “right” and “righteous” they are, this is the proverbial proof in the pudding.
Imagine this literally. Called up to the stand on the day of judgment. And here comes the script. The scroll. Every. Word. Spoken.
Not just to answer for the prepared words they said in church. The “right” words. But also for the words said in anger to their spouse. To their kids. To that faceless person on the Internet. God reads the comments.
Nobody gets “justified” by that judgment. Only condemned. Because we have all said things that we regret, even by our own standards, much less by God’s standards.
That’s for the “religious” who are supposed to be good at this. Imagine for the irreligious, who said whatever felt good or whatever led to the most pleasure for their whole life. Whatever felt “right.” They also, called to account for every word spoken. Both the words spoken on their best day when they were paying attention… and the words spoken on their worst day when they were hungry. Angry. Sad and bitter. Scared, I was just scared!
Jesus doesn’t leave a place here for excuses. Just judgment.
Now, maybe we still have this scene played out, for those of us in Christ. But Jesus stands by our side. Our words condemn us, and he steps forward and says “Oh, that one’s paid for. He’s free to go.”
Never justified by our words, but by His Word, the Word alone.
Does it then matter what we say? What we do? Can we, should we, then be careless with our words? “Sin that grace may increase?” May it never be!
In fact, we are free, supernatural free, to be righteous with our words. To help, filled with the very same Spirit of Jesus, to speak words of love, encouragement, comfort and power.
I want to be righteous… I want to live in to the Righteousness that Jesus purchased for me, created for me, gave to me. I want that, because that is the abundant life, that is Better. That is good.
And it is who and how God created me to be.
A life of love, of purpose, of peace, Shalom. A life of joy to the fullest.
New Years Tree
New Years Tree
So… what kind of a tree are you? What kind of tree do you want to be?
Infested with nasty creepy crawly business? Desiccated worms / caterpillars? Gross.
That is telling you something about your heart!
Examine your fruit this last year. Your words. Your actions.
As we embrace the New Year, we are invited to align our hearts with God's will, ensuring that our words and deeds are a testament to our faith and intentionality in living out God's purpose.
What are we looking for?
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
Does that describe your 2024? I hope you have moments, LOTS of them, that look like this. That others in your life would be putting these things down on a list when they think of you.
More and more, as you become more Christ-like… this is you.
There’s another list of fruit. Or “works” of the flesh.
This is the old you, if you are in Christ. The old habits, the old fruits, the old tree breaking out.
19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality,
20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions,
21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
Some of those are going to be easier for you to cross off. That’s cool. No orgies for me this year, I must be SUPER righteous.
That just means that isn’t my challenge! But was I a “dissenter” or “divisive?” Even if I didn’t feel like I “did it,” did that follow me like ripples, fruits of my flesh? Rivalries, anger, jealousy?
Some of these may be convicting. I don’t want any of these to be in my life, much less “fruit” or “works” of my life. I don’t want any of these for you!
Consider the Tree
Consider the Tree
As the New Year unfolds, each person is a tree with potential to bear good fruit. It might be beneficial to ponder on what our "fruit" – our actions and words – reveal about the state of our hearts. By committing this year to nurturing our spiritual growth through the transformative power of Jesus, we can hope to become thriving trees that reflect His character.
How do we do this?
The irony is, what can one do about being the “wrong type of tree?” Just try REALLY hard to be an apple tree.
Cultivate the Heart and Committing to Christ
Cultivate the Heart and Committing to Christ
Cultivating the heart is about freeing yourself up to more fully commit to Christ.
Cultivate the heart, by treasuring rightly. Something have a hold of your heart, your time, your wallet? Give generously, pray for freedom, fast… that the immediate context of Jesus’ words on treasuring because they are a powerful antidote. Spiritual disciplines to free your heart up to treasure rightly.
And as you treasure rightly, as you place your time and attention on Jesus and on the things and people He leads you to: watch your words and actions change. Watch the fruit blossom.
The answer is not to “try harder.” The answer is to answer Jesus’ first command: “Follow me.”
4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.
5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.
This is how, in real life, you become a different kind of tree. Grafted in, on the vine. You have weak roots, disconnected to God, broken at the root? No problem, Jesus has that covered. He is your connection to God, filled with His Spirit, he draws up the everlasting Living water, he gives the nutrients, the bread of life… providing you with everything you need to produce fruit.
To live in Christ. To walk in His Spirit.
May 2025 be a year of love, of joy, of peace, patience and kindness. May it bring goodness, may you show faithfulness. Gentleness and Self-control.
