You will know them by their fruits

Matthew 7:15-29 from the daily reading in the One Year Bible

“Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. ¹⁶ You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes, nor figs from thistles, are they? ¹⁷ So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. ¹⁸ A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. ¹⁹ Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. ²⁰ So then, you will know them by their fruits.

²¹ “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. ²² Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ ²³ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; leave Me, you who practice lawlessness.’

²⁴ “Therefore, everyone who hears these words of Mine, and acts on them, will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. ²⁵ And the rain fell and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. ²⁶ And everyone who hears these words of Mine, and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. ²⁷ And the rain fell and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell—and its collapse was great.”

²⁸ When Jesus had finished these words, the crowds were amazed at His teaching; ²⁹ for He was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.

In the natural realm there are some fruits that look similar to others. Some of these are good to eat while others are poisonous. It is important to be able to distinguish the good from the bad. The consequences of incorrect discernment can be sickness or even death. Today’s text says: “Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes, nor figs from thistles, are they? So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So then, you will know them by their fruits.”  Just as in nature the consequences of discerning fruit can be life and death, so also in the spiritual realm is it vital that we discern good fruit verses bad fruit. The consequences could be life or death.

In John 15:5-8, Jesus also says this about the fruit that those who are in Him should bear. “I am the vine, you are the branches; the one who remains in Me, and I in him bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in Me, he is thrown away like a branch and dries up; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. If you remain in Me, and My words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.”  If we are in Christ, we will bear good fruit. Jesus says that it is in the bearing of fruit that we prove we are His disciples.  Those who are apart from Christ, who speak in opposition to what He says and does, cannot bear good fruit. A lie does not become truth just because it sounds pleasing or it is retold. Those who speak and align with what is false, cannot bear good fruit. Lies perpetuate lies. In the same way, whatever foundation something is established on, by that same thing it will need to be maintained. If authority is established through manipulation, intimidation and fear, by those same things it will need to be maintained. This is the authority we see in much of the world today. By contrast, God’s authority is established in love and righteousness. We need to discern the fruit of all of those who are in authority, whether it is good or bad, whether it will bring forth life or death.

 Galatians 5:19-24 says: The deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: sexual immorality, impurity, indecent behavior, idolatry, witchcraft, hostilities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. In today’s text Jesus says: “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; leave Me, you who practice lawlessness.’”  Those who practice the deeds of the flesh, those who practice lawlessness, will not inherit the kingdom of God. They will not be known as being in Christ. James 1:22 says: Prove yourselves doers of the word, and not just hearers who deceive themselves. It is vital that we discern not only the words of people, but also their actions. The fruit of our lives is evident more in what we do than in what we say. Again, many who are in authority in the world and even in the church, know how to say things that sound pleasing, but their actions, what they do are not in line with what they say. At best they are hypocrites who have one set of rules for others and different rules for themselves. At worst their fruit is deceptive and deadly. In yesterday’s meditation in Matthew 7:1-2 Jesus said: “Do not judge, so that you will not be judged. For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you.”  It is vital that we learn not to judge other people, God alone is judge, but we must learn to discern the fruit that is evident in and from their lives.

Jesus says: “Therefore, everyone who hears these words of Mine, and acts on them, will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of Mine, and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell—and its collapse was great.”  Amen.