Joel Quile's Blog

Ok, here are the last three parts to my sermon thougths on "The Root of the Fruit"

3. It is Significant

The Bible talks a lot about fruit. In the Old Testament Israel was referred to as a vine in Psalam 80, Isaiah 5 and Jeremiah 2.

In Matthew 3, before Jesus even speaks a word we find John the Baptist saying, “produce fruit!” and later in Matthew 7:20 we find Jesus telling his disciples that it is by their fruit that people will recognize them and that they are to recognize others.

Romans 6 talks about reaping, Ephesians 5 tells us that the darkness is a fruitless state to live in. Philippians 1:11 calls us to be filled with the fruit of righteousness but the classic passage in the Bible on Fruit is found in Galatians 5 starting in verse 22. If you have your Bibles go ahead and turn to Galatians 5:22. Let’s read it again.

4. It is Seen

The fourth fact about fruit is that it is seen. If we see a tree – we don’t know what kind of tree it is until we see the fruit. Fruit is an outside thing that can be seen. Notice I didn’t say it had to be heard. You don’t walk up to a tree and have it go “hey check me out – I’m an apple tree, I’m an apple tree aren’t I cool? No an apple tree just sits there being cool making apples.

5. It is Squeezed

Now some of you are saying, well I’ve seen trees that looked like lemon trees but they were really oranges, or orange trees that looked like grapefruit. Do you know how you can tell? Squeeze it. That is number 5 on your outline under the facts of fruit. Fruit is squeezed.
You say what does that have to do with anything? Of course fruit is squeezed. Well life has a way of squeezing us to doesn’t it?

One way of telling what kind of fruit you posses is by seeing what comes out when life starts squeezing on you. Anyone can respond gentlely to a request or to a dilima when life is smooth sailing. It takes the spirit’s filling to help you to respond gentley when the storms of life crash against you.

Let take a look at some followers of Jesus as they are getting squeezed.
We will pick up the story in upper room. Jesus has just finished washing the disciples feet and the disciples are feeling pain.