Fruit in Its Season

The Sincere Preacher

Psalm 1:3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
Galatians 6:9 And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.

A long time ago, there was a sincere man who believed he had what it took to be a great preacher. And it so happened that he settled in a small town with only one church, becoming its pastor.

But even after years of preaching and no matter how much he studied, fasted, or prayed, he gained no converts. No one in his church repented, nor did they turn to God, even though it was the only church in town. This was in spite of the fact that he had attended one of the finest schools of the age, renowned for producing great preachers.

In great despair, he prayed to God with all the zeal he could muster: “Oh dear Lord, it is clear that I cannot preach a good sermon. Please tell me what to preach, or send me a good sermon, or better still, an angel from heaven.”

Immediately, to his astonishment, an angel appeared before him. “Greetings. I am the Angel of Truth and Sincerity, sent to you straight from the throne of heaven. Oh preacher, what would you ask of me?”

Naturally, the preacher was shocked. His knees gave way, and while on the floor he thought to himself: “All the great sermons of the world, all the great sermons of history — they are mine for the asking!”

Trembling, he said to the angel: “Oh great angel, I am not deserving of such an honor. I am but a lowly preacher who has shamefully seen no success. I humbly request a sermon that will melt the hearts of the people in my church, so that they may repent and come to God.”

The angel replied: “All the sermons that have ever been preached, or that ever will be preached, have been entrusted to me.” And he gave the man a scroll containing a sermon best suited for his church.

The preacher thanked the angel and blessed him in the name of the Lord. That Sunday, the preacher was aflame with passion. He preached with all his strength.

But afterward, no one repented. No one came forward, no one forsook their sins, nor did they cry out to God for mercy. In fact, their hearts grew colder. Seeing this, and knowing the angel was near, the preacher called out: “Dear angel, what happened? Did I preach the sermon correctly?”

The angel appeared and said: “Dear preacher, you preached the sermon well — even better than its author, St. Bart. In his day, everyone who heard this sermon repented in dust and ashes, turned from their vices, and gave their lives to the Christ of God.”

The preacher thought to himself: “Who is this St. Bart? Perhaps this is the problem. They have never heard of him. No wonder no one repented.”

So he said to the angel: “Oh dear angel, won’t you please find me a sermon from a better‑known saint?”

Reluctantly, the angel gave him another scroll, saying: “This great sermon was given by St. Cephas. It bore even greater fruit than St. Bart’s, for not only did the people repent and give their lives to God, but they became righteous saints, preachers, and even martyrs, loving our Lord dearly.”

So that Sunday, the preacher delivered his finest sermon yet, though it was not his own. But again, no one seemed impressed.

No one came forward. No one repented. No one even remarked favorably on his words.

Despondent, the preacher cried out once more: “Apparently, this St. Cephas was not good enough. Dear angel, please find me a sermon by an even greater saint.”

The stern angel warned: “Oh preacher, I have given you two great sermons by holy men of God, and yet you ask for another? Do you not understand what you have been given?”

The preacher pleaded: “Oh please, dear angel, these sermons bore no fruit. There were no converts, no one repented…”

“Silence!” roared the angel. “Those two sermons were among the greatest ever given to mankind!”

The preacher wept: “Oh dear angel, please do not be angry with me. Please have mercy and hear me this one last time. May I receive a greater sermon by a better‑known saint? And I shall ask you for no more.”

The angel replied: “You know not what you ask. What man has ever been given three great sermons in this manner? Nevertheless, I will have mercy. Take this sermon, written by a holy saint of God.”

The preacher bowed low and said: “Very well, great angel! Thank you so much! And praise be to God for His mercy.”

The preacher took the sermon and practiced it day and night.

By that Sunday, he was exhausted, yet prepared. It is said that on that day he delivered one of the greatest sermons known to mankind. And yet, at the end of that sermon, no one came forward. No one repented, and no one gave their lives to God, for their hearts had grown cold against the Lord.

In great despair, the preacher cried out: “Oh Lord, You have given me three great sermons. I did my best to preach them, and yet they bore no fruit. I know that I shall not receive another, but could You please send Your holy angel to tell me what I did wrong? Did I emphasize the wrong points? Could my demeanor have been better? Was it something simple, something I overlooked?”

The angel of the Lord was waiting for his prayer and answered: “You were given three great sermons, and you presented them well. Yet you lacked one thing: you did not listen to what those sermons had to say.” Upon saying this, the angel disappeared in a column of fire.

Then the preacher fell to the floor and lay there thinking. He had been so concerned with preaching, so focused on delivering the right sermon, that he had not realized — if he would not listen to the sermons himself, why would anyone else?

And the words of Proverbs 16:2–3, Isaiah 6:5, Isaiah 64:6 rang in his ears like the first day he heard them. And the words of Matthew 25:30 and Romans 3:12 tugged mightily at his heart.

And so he repented in dust and ashes. He reread the sermons and wept, realizing that each one was meant for him as well.

He had been given three great sermons suited to him and his church: Apostle Bartholomew’s sermon on truth and the absence of guile, inspired by Christ’s words in John 1:47; Peter’s full sermon at Pentecost (Acts 2:14–41); and Christ’s sermon on the fulfillment of the Law, murder, adultery, divorce, oaths, “an eye for an eye,” love for enemies, and being perfect as our Father in Heaven is perfect (Matthew 5:17–48).

That Sunday, the congregation was shocked when they saw their weary preacher.

He stood before them and confessed: “Oh dear people of the church, please accept my resignation. For years I have delivered sermon after sermon, but I must confess that these last three were not my own. Three weeks ago, the sermon I gave was written by the Disciple and Apostle of Christ, St. Bartholomew. Two weeks ago, that sermon was written by the Disciple and Apostle of Christ, St. Peter, otherwise known as Cephas. And last week, the sermon I gave was written by the Lord Jesus Christ Himself — but I did not recognize it.

Oh, what a terrible example I have been! Please forgive me, that I may leave in peace.”

But their hearts were cold, and they refused to hear his plea. They grew angry, cast him out of the church, and demanded that he leave town.

As the preacher departed, many followed him.

When he realized they were behind him, he turned, fell to his knees, and cried out: “Why follow me? Turn to God and follow Christ Jesus! Look away, turn away from the hypocrite!”

Many of the angry townspeople came near the preacher. There was a call to keep the women and children back, lest they witness what might be done to him. The angel of God appeared above him, and the preacher fell again to the ground before the angel.

The angel spoke to him, though no one else could see or hear.

The preacher cried out to the crowd: “The angel of God is here! Surely he has come to destroy this hypocrite, and you shall witness the justice of God.”

But the crowd, seeing nothing, wondered if there was any angel at all.

The angel pointed to the public clock and said: “At the appointed hour, at the appointed time, justice will be served. You have until the clock strikes noon.”

Since the crowd could not hear the angel, the preacher repeated the angel’s decree and then declared: “My time is near. At noon I shall be struck down, and you shall all be witness.”

The people murmured among themselves, uncertain whether to believe him. As noon approached, they drew closer, and the preacher cried out: “The angel! His hand is on the hilt of the sword!”

One scoffed, “We see no angel.” Another sneered, “Surely you are still a liar.” Others shouted, “He seeks to delay what we shall do to him!” Many grew angry, and some thought the preacher mad.

The preacher, believing that the angel was there to destroy him, preached to the crowd: “The innocent and the righteous need not fear. Only the hypocrite will be destroyed. Only the truly repentant shall escape. Do you not know that God knows the heart?”

Seeing him tremble, some in the crowd began to listen. But others grew furious, and seeing that it was noon, they picked up stones, saying: “If the angel does not strike you down, surely we will.”

But as the clock began to chime, the angel drew his sword. Seeing this, the preacher cried out: “The angel — he is drawing his sword! It is aflame, it is the judgment of God!” He screamed, “May the Lord have mercy!” and fell to the ground as if dead.

Frightened, some repented and fell to the ground as well. And just in time, all those who remained standing were struck down by the angel. For years they had hardened their hearts against the Lord. They had heard the greatest sermons, and had time to repent. And yet none turned their hearts to God. But the preacher, and all whose spirits were broken, and whose hearts held true repentance, were spared.

Then the angel of God appeared so that all the townspeople could see him, and said: “Oh preacher of the Lord, does not fruit only come forth in its season?”
The angel touched the preacher, lifting him to his feet, and gave this blessing: “Surely trials and tribulations come to the faithful, but in the time to come, they will receive eternal life.”

See:
Psalm 1:3; Matthew 21:41.
Also see:
Isaiah 44:4; Jeremiah 17:8; Ezekiel 17:8; Ezekiel 19:10; Ezekiel 47:12; Revelation 22:2.

And to the townspeople the angel declared: “If it were not for this preacher, surely only he himself would have survived this day. Yet because of your contrite hearts, mercy has been extended also to you.”

What We Can Learn From This

First, if you have not guessed it yet, the “angel” was the Apostle Bartholomew. This is based on John 1:47, where Jesus sees Nathanael (traditionally identified with Bartholomew) and says: “Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!”

Second, notice the verses that the preacher had heard before but had not truly listened to. After his repentance, these truths were suddenly brought to his remembrance:
Proverbs 16:2–3 — the danger of trusting one’s own perception and committing one’s works to the Lord.
Isaiah 6:5 — Isaiah’s own recognition of his unworthiness in the presence of God.
Isaiah 64:6 — human righteousness contrasted with God’s holiness.

Third, consider the reason for the preacher’s repentance:
Matthew 25:30 — the warning against being cast out because of unfaithfulness.
Romans 3:12 — the universal need for righteousness before God.

The preacher did not repent because he had failed to find a powerful enough sermon. He repented because he finally understood that the sermons were speaking to him as much as they were speaking through him.

• Key Truths
• The work of God must never replace devotion to God.
• God’s Word must be received, not merely heard.
• The condition of the heart determines whether God’s Word bears fruit.
• Repentance must begin with the one proclaiming the message.
• God gives the increase, and fruit appears in His appointed time.