The Tale of Two Trees
The Tale of Two Trees
There is a theme that runs through all of scripture that ties humanity to trees. It begins in Genesis, and runs throughout the Old and New Testament. What does this mean for you in your life, today?
Last Sunday, I had the honor of preaching at my church, Cross Points Church, in the suburbs of Kansas City. Our church is in the middle of a series on the Holy Spirit. Our pastor has talked about how the Holy Spirit is a person, and he empowers us (inwardly and for the outside world). The Holy Spirit has come to earth to comfort, encourage, and advocate for us. As followers of Jesus, it’s our job to stoke the fire within our hearts - to be filled with the Holy Spirit.
So what?
That’s the question any communicator should ask themselves about their presentation. I asked this question after reviewing all the teaching done to this point. It all is vital, but how should it change my life? What impact does it have on me?
Which led me to trees.
Trees + Humanity
The author of Genesis goes out of his way to tie together people and trees. I’ll admit, I hadn’t noticed it before. I needed help to detect the specifics. But look closely, and it’s clear.
Humans and Trees are created to produce fruit (Genesis 1).
Humans and Trees both come from the ground and are placed (planted) in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 2).
Humans and Trees both have the potential to create fruit that produces life or death (Genesis 3).
The fruit we consume is the fruit we produce (Genesis 3).
Good, Bad or No Fruit
It doesn’t end in those chapters of Genesis. Trees continue to be an important part of the story - showing up in various important events of the narrative. And it becomes clear that trees (and humanity) can produce good fruit, bad fruit, or no fruit at all.
Psalms 1 is a classic example of humanity being compared to a tree planted near a river and producing good fruit. Isaiah 5 is an example of a vineyard that produces bad fruit (grape vines being considered a tree in Biblical culture). In Luke 13, Jesus tells the parable of a fig tree that produces no fruit (which can be pointed to when Jesus encounters the barren fig tree the week of his death).
Which leads to an important question for you. What type of fruit are you producing?
Fruit of the Spirit | Fruit of Yourself
In the fifth chapter of Galatians, Paul paints a picture of two types of fruit. One is the fruit of a life lived for yourself - your sinful nature. Imagine this like the tree that produced death in Adam and Eve. The fruit is a list of sins ranging from sexual immorality to jealousy to outbursts of anger. It runs the gamut. Paul warns that it ultimately leads to death.
The other is the fruit of the Spirit - love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. This fruit is the result of consuming the Holy Spirit.
As followers of Jesus, this is our goal. Producing the fruit of the Spirit… organically.
In other words, we naturally are more loving, kind, patient, and joyful. We don’t have to artificially work those attributes up in our lives. That is not what it means to have the fruit of the Spirit. We don’t have the fruit because we work on being more loving. The fruit exists because we daily walk with the Spirit.
How do I produce the Fruit of the Spirit?
I’m glad you asked. Since you can’t work this up on your own strength, you must rely on the Spirit. Paul tells us there are three steps to seeing fruit in our lives:
Say ‘no’ to yourself.
Say ‘yes’ to Jesus.
Walk with the Spirit.
This sounds simple, but the practical walking it out is more difficult than it looks. Next week, I’ll have more practical ways of what it means to say no, yes, and walk with the Spirit. But let me pass on this hint, it’s nothing new. I’ve shared it before.
So let me end with this question:
What fruit are you producing?
Bonus Material
For a more in-depth view of this information, make sure to watch my sermon (it begins at the 35-minute mark and goes for about 40 minutes).