A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. (Matthew 7:18) You know this, right?
I have reviewed this Scripture here at Give Your Story many times. My Pastor’s sermon this past Sunday included some scripture from the book of Habbakuk from the old testament. I had to get honest with myself during church. I never read the book of Habakkuk. In fact, I didn’t even know the significance of the name. Habakkuk was a prophet.
Quick Habakkuk book summary – Habakkuk was a complainer and musician. He complained to Israel’s God and received divine responses. He asks God questions like, “Why do you allow the wicked to swallow up those more righteous than themselves?” When God answers, Habakkuk answers with hymns in confidence in God’s expected victory.
In our Sunday school class, we have moved onto the book of Colossians. As we were reviewing the introduction to the book, the point was made that Paul was writing from prison because he had learned from Epaphras who was also arrested and sent to prison in Rome, that the Colossians were creating false doctrine in effort to pressure them to follow Jewish law.
Let me repeat that. Paul was writing from prison to encourage new Christians to continue having faith and hope even though he himself and Epaphras were now in prison for being Christian.
Would you do it? Would you go to prison for being a Christian? Would you press on anyway? What about the fruit? Where is the fruit?
NO FRUIT?
Habakkuk 3:17-18 NIV
Though the fig tree does not bud
and there are no grapes on the vines,
though the olive crop fails
and the fields produce no food,
though there are no sheep in the pen
and no cattle in the stalls,
yet I will rejoice in the Lord,
I will be joyful in God my Savior.
The fruit is there, do you see it? In the absence of physical fruit, there is evidence of spiritual fruit.
Galatians 5:22-23 NIV
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
A beautiful tree with lush leaves and scrumptious fruit is obviously a good tree right? Well it could be a wolf in sheeps clothing.
Matthew 7:16
Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.
There 3 Types of Fruit here:
- Physical Fruit – figs, grapes, olives
- Spiritual Fruit – evidence of God working in a person’s life
- Observable Fruit – observable evidence of a person’s true nature
Habakkuk’s crops weren’t producing. His fields were empty, but his faith wasn’t. His fig tree produced no fruit, yet his life did. While the harvest had failed, the Holy Spirit was producing something far greater: joy, faith, confidence, and worship through his music in the middle of suffering. His circumstances looked barren, but his heart revealed the fruit of a life rooted in God.
YET
NO FRUIT – YET FRUIT
No figs
No grapes
No olives
No Sheep
No Cattle
Yet…
Joy.
Faith.
Trust.
Worship.
That’s fruit.
God is teaching Habakkuk to trust in God and His timing. Habakkuk recognizes this opportunity for spiritual growth given from God through his hardship. Habakkuk rejoices in the Lord.
FRUIT.