Episode 13: Andrewes' Sermon on Matthew 3:8 Fruit Meet for Repentance

Episode 13: Fruits Meet for Repentance Matthew 3:8

 

August 26, 2025

 

Andrewes discusses how repentance is like a tree that must bear fruit – not mere leaves or appearances, but real, worthy fruits that demonstrate inner transformation.

 

SERMONS OF REPENTANCE AND FASTING

PREACHED ON ASH-WEDNESDAY

 

Prepared to be preached on Wednesday, February 10, 1624

 

Copies can be found in Lancelot Andrewes Works, Sermons, Volume One, or on The Project Canterbury Website.

 

Summary:

      Andrewes presses home John the Baptist’s command, “Bring forth fruits worthy of repentance” to escape the wrath to come (Matt.3:8,7) showing that repentance is not passive, or private, but must be embodied in acts of devotion, discipline, and mercy, offered sincerely to God, and pursued earnestly now, lest the “wrath to come” overtake us.

 

Outline:

1. The Tree of Repentance
   1. Innocence was the original tree, but fruit from that tree is no longer available after we chose the fruit of the forbidden
   2. God has mercifully grafted Repentance into the tree so that we can still bear fruit in our lives: “That if we cannot present God with the fruit of innocence at the seat of His justice, yet with the fruit of repentance we may at the throne of His grace.”
2. The Nature and Requirements of the Tree
   1. I must be Living – a living tree, not a dead log.
      1. The affections are the sap that animate repentance and bring forth fruit
      2. If affections are for things above (demonstrated by sorrow, fear, and especially anger at sin) there will be fruit, but if affections are for things below their will be no bold vitality.
   2. It must be Bearing not barren – for true repentance must show itself outwardly otherwise we are just mentally and intentionally pretending to repent.
      1. “Bosom Repentance” done between man and his conscience is not enough.
      2. True repentance is more than intentions and words.
   3. It must be Fruit-Bearing not just branch and leaf bearing – God planted it for fruit and not just for looks.
   4. It must have Worthy Fruit, not swine fodder – what is offered must be meet for God.
3. The Fruit of the Tree of Repentance
   1. It’s not simply about repentance, but the “Fruit of Repentance”
      1. Just as there is “root sin” and “fruit sin,” so a root of righteousness will bring forth the fruit of righteousness.
      2. Just as forbidden thoughts bring forth forbidden actions (cf.Jms.1:15); so repentant thoughts bring forth repentant fruit.
      3. Sin springs from spirit, flesh, and world and each is cured by its contrary.
   2. The fruit are works (where Paul says, “works worthy of repentance” John says “fruit”)
   3. The Three principal categories of fruit match the “three heads of sin”:
      1. Prayer – Correcting sins of the spirit/thought and offering the soul to God
         1. Example: Simon Magus thought the Spirit could be acquired by/for money, so Simon Peter prescribed prayer for him to be forgiven
         2. As a Fruit: ) Penitential Psalm 32:1-6 says it’s the first work of repentance; 2.)Prayer was the Penitent Publican’s first move toward God (cf.Lk.18:9-14); and 3.) it marks the repentance of countless others, for both personal sin and sins of the land.
      2. Fasting – Correcting sins of the flesh and offering the body to God
         1. Example: The King of Nineveh and his people were guilty of fleshly fornications, therefore their proper fruit was fasting.
         2. As a Fruit: 1) After his sin with Bathsheba, David fasted (2 Sam.12:16–23); 2) Ahab, King of Israel, fasted after Elijah prophesied doom because of his wickedness (1 Kings 21:27–29); and 3) The King of Ninevah fasted as a sign of repentance (3:6–7).
      3. Almsgiving – Correcting sins of the world and offering our goods to God
         1. Example: The King of Babylon was a mighty oppressor of the people, therefore the fruit he was prescribed was to “break off thine iniquity with mercy to the poor” (4:27).
         2. As a Fruit: 1) It is expressly called a fruit in Rom.15:28; 2) Solomon says “By mercy shewed, sins are forgiven” (16:6); 3) Isaiah prescribed “giving bread to the hungry” as a sign of true repentance (58:7)
   4. On Practicing the Fruits of Alms, Fasting, and Prayer
      1. They are fruit to be offered to God like the sin-offering of old.
         1. The Great Commandment is to love the God with our hearts/lev, selves/nephesh, and stuff/me’od.
         2. So, we present to God fruit from the spirit of soul, the body, and worldly goods.
      2. They are fruit with medicinal properties for us.
         1. While penal to the flesh, they deliver health to the soul and body
            • Correctives for the Past
            • Preventative for the Future
      3. Repentance without such fruit is not the Biblical Faith
         1. Paul disciplined his body (1Cor.9:27); John the Baptist was known for not eating and drinking (cf.Matt.11:18; Lk.7:33); Peter wept bitterly for sinning (cf.Matt.26:75; Lk.22:62); James encouraged weeping, morning, and despairing in order to draw near to God (cf.Jms.4:9).
         2. Many need to “repent” of their form, or idea, of “repentance” and return to the Biblical faith.
4. Is the Fruit Worthy and Lasting in Quantity and Quality
   1. Not all fruit are acceptable; they must be worthy fruit.
      1. John and Paul wouldn’t call people to do it if such things weren’t possible: “If none such be, they did ill to clog the bill with any such word [ἄξιος, axios]. But they knew well what they said; therefore such there be sure, get them where we can.”
      2. “Axios” originally described what was equivalent in weight on a scale and then extended metaphorically to describe moral, social, or spiritual worth/merit.
   2. “Worthy” does not mean equal to the offense against God (no human act can weigh against divine wrath). Compared to that our fruit would be but sour grapes (Isa.5:2) and rotten figs (cf.Jer.24:2).
   3. Nor are they “worthy” in comparison to heroics of saints (they’re examples, not standards)
   4. Rather, fruit must be:
      1. Proportionate to the sin

         1. Deadly Sin	Countering Fruit	Worthy Virtue
            Pride Greed Lust Envy Gluttony Wrath Sloth	Prayer Almsgiving Fasting Almsgiving Fasting Prayer All Three	Humility Generosity Chasity Charity Temperance Patience Diligence

      2. Serious, costly, and Persevering (not windfalls, worm-eaten, or rotten fruit)
      3. Ecclesiastically Guided/ Spiritually Directed by a Director
         1. In OT, the Priest determined appropriate sin-offering
         2. In our Gospel Reading, people asked John, “What shall we do” and received satisfactory counsel (3:10-14)
         3. In NT, Paul tells the Corinthians what is “sufficient” to restore the penitent (2:6-7), like Church canons do today.
   5. God ultimately is the One whom makes our fruit worthy – “He counts worthy those He deigns to make worthy” (1:5,11)
      1. This is not a license of slackness
      2. But consolation for sincere, diligent strivers: To the truly penitent Jesus says, “My grace is sufficient for you” (2Cor.12:9). And in that we must rest.
5. The Time Required for Repentance – Trees make fruit, not weeds, and Trees take time.
   1. Fruit do not come in a flash (like Jonah’s gourd, 4:6) but in a cultivated season.
   2. Apostolic Counsel for such a season:
      1. Intentionally “Make room” (2Cor.7:2) - “χωρέω, chōreō” – “withdraw, go aside, retire and be private, sequester ourselves” for repentance.
      2. Intentionally “Make time.” (1Cor.7:5) - “σχολάζω, scholazō” – “make a vacant, time of leisure” for fasting and prayer
   3. Make the most of every Spring’s Lenten Season as it is naturally the time when the sap starts flowing from the roots back up the branches to produce fruit.

 

Music & Sound Attributions:

Music in this episode by Blue Dot Sessions “Lost Shoe” (www.sessions.blue). Sounds used are as follows: “Beer Can Opening” recorded by Mike Koening found at (http://soundbible.com/216-Beer-Can-Opening.html) and “Pouring Drink” recorded by Mike Koenig found at (http://soundbible.com/2115-Pouring-Drink.html).