Obedience by Faith TREES OF RIGHTEOUSNESS
That they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified. Isa. 61:3.
We are born sinners, and we sin because we are sinners. We are not sinners because we sin! One of the evidences that we are all sinners is that we all die. You can't argue with that, can you?
I was speaking about this subject one time and a university professor spoke up from the back, "Birds die! Are they sinners? Cats die. Are they sinners?" Yes, they are! And I heard a couple of sinners fighting in the woods behind my house just last night! They had four legs and fur. But what was their problem? They were self-centered. The taint of sin has permeated every level of creation. We live in a world that carries the burden of sin, and so do we.
If this is our condition, if our hearts are self-centered and if we are sinners by birth and by nature, how can we ever hope to obey? Jesus talked about it in Matthew 7:16-18: "Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit." If a good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, and a corrupt tree cannot bring forth good fruit, then how can we ever hope to obey?
There is a beautiful text on this found in Isaiah 61:3: "To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified."
So the Bible speaks of trees of righteousness that the Lord Himself plants for His own glory. This gives us hope. There is a possibility for bad trees to bring forth good fruit if the miracle of what Jesus is suggesting in these words of Scripture is a reality. Because of another tree, the tree on which Jesus offered up His life for our sins, we are given the offer of becoming trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord. And as we unite ourselves to Him, we are enabled to do the deeds of righteousness as well, and to bring forth good fruit--fruit to His glory.
That they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified. Isa. 61:3.
We are born sinners, and we sin because we are sinners. We are not sinners because we sin! One of the evidences that we are all sinners is that we all die. You can't argue with that, can you?
I was speaking about this subject one time and a university professor spoke up from the back, "Birds die! Are they sinners? Cats die. Are they sinners?" Yes, they are! And I heard a couple of sinners fighting in the woods behind my house just last night! They had four legs and fur. But what was their problem? They were self-centered. The taint of sin has permeated every level of creation. We live in a world that carries the burden of sin, and so do we.
If this is our condition, if our hearts are self-centered and if we are sinners by birth and by nature, how can we ever hope to obey? Jesus talked about it in Matthew 7:16-18: "Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit." If a good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, and a corrupt tree cannot bring forth good fruit, then how can we ever hope to obey?
There is a beautiful text on this found in Isaiah 61:3: "To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified."
So the Bible speaks of trees of righteousness that the Lord Himself plants for His own glory. This gives us hope. There is a possibility for bad trees to bring forth good fruit if the miracle of what Jesus is suggesting in these words of Scripture is a reality. Because of another tree, the tree on which Jesus offered up His life for our sins, we are given the offer of becoming trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord. And as we unite ourselves to Him, we are enabled to do the deeds of righteousness as well, and to bring forth good fruit--fruit to His glory.
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