A tree and its fruit
Matthew 7:15-20
Introduction-
Both writers Luke and Matthew talk about judging others and bearing fruit for the kingdom of God.
They both thought it important to show how it would affect believers. It seems that we are not to judge others. That it is impossible to be fruit inspectors for other people’s lives.
Truth is- we are expected to do both and do it correctly. The Lord gives us guidelines on how that is to be done and what motives we should be doing it.
2 part message this morning and we will look at them individually.
I. God tells us not to judge others.
He tells us not to judge others by our standards, and by our ways.
He tells us if we get this wrong that we will be judged, condemned, by the same measure that we dish it out to others.
II. He tells us as Christians, we should bear fruit (All of us)
He tells us that trees should bear fruit, that as Christians we should bear good fruit.
He tells us that “Not everyone who says to me Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only who does the will of the Father who is in heaven.” (Mt. 7:21)
That is some deep stuff right off the bat this morning! Let’s try to look at that a piece at a time.
The Unitarian Church believes that everyone goes to heaven. No matter what you believe or how you act that all will end up in heaven. They are called Universalist.
Jesus says “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life and only a few find it.”
All roads do not lead to God.
All roads do not lead to heaven!
According to Jesus there is a right way and a wrong way in your spiritual life.
Your way will lead to destruction
Jesus way leads to eternal life.
That is not popular today. But it is the truth of God from His Word.
Heaven was not designed for everyone. (Let me explain)
It is only for those that accept Jesus Christ as Lord.
Only for those that love Jesus.
You don’t love Jesus here; you will not be serving Him in heaven.
You cannot stand corporate worship (church) what makes you think that you will fit into heaven where the worship will be for eternity.
You cannot get along with the body of Christ once a week, what makes you think you can do it forever!
God Word tells us not to judge each other by our standards, but God word also tells us that we should not be taken in by false prophets and wolves wearing sheep’s clothing that will deceive us and cause us to stumble.
The only way that we can do that is by looking at their lives and making sure they line up with God’s word or we don’t follow them.
I. How do we/ or don’t we judge others
We have all heard of someone saying- Don’t judge me! You don’t know me! You have not been where I’ve been!
Heard that from many from this community!
The Lord tells us to love people the opposite way the world loves.
We have to have different habits than others that don’t know Christ.
Show kindness to people who hate us.
How do we do that?
That if we are looking at our own lives, we won’t be judging others.
That if we get the plank out of our eye, we can help someone else get the speck out of theirs.
Illustration-
A small town prosecuting attorney called his first witness to the stand in a trial. Elderly women. He approached her and asked. Mrs. Jones, do you know me? She responded, why yes, I do know you, Mr. Williams. I’ve known you since you were a young boy. And frankly, you’ve been a disappointment to me. You lie, you cheat on your wife, you manipulate people and talk about them behind their backs. You think you’re a rising big shot when you haven’t the brains to realize you will never amount to anything more than a two-bit paper pusher. Yes, I know you. The lawyer was stunned. Not knowing what else to do, he pointed across the room and asked, Mrs. Williams, do you know the defense attorney? She replied, yes, I do. I’ve known Mr. Bradley since he was a youngster, too. I used to baby sit him for his parents. And, he too, has been a real disappointment to me. He’s lazy, bigoted, and he has a drinking problem. The man can’t build a normal relationship with anyone, and his law practice is one of the shoddiest in the entire state. Yes, I know him. At this point, the judge rapped the courtroom to silence and called both counselors to the bench. In a very quiet voice, he said , if either of you asks her if she knows me, you’ll be jailed for contempt!
Stronger faith brings less judgment, less critical spirit.
When we worry about ourselves and our walk, we will correct our faults before we condemn others.
When we have a clear vision (plank gone) we will do things the Lord wants from us.
Yes, He tells us not to judge, according to our standards, one against another, because judging, being critical, of someone is a heart issue.
Are you judging others and your own life is not in order
He (Jesus) says that you will be judged by the same measure you give to someone else. For some that is going to be tough!
None of us when we are put against Christ have arrived.
We all fall short of the glory of God, it is a reminder how far all of us still have to come.
Our heart is a indicator of where we are at. (You know that)
Do we love that person enough that we are not condemning but wanting to put that person back on the right path, or critical and condemning?
Point them back to Jesus and not exalt self. The measuring stick is not self, it is God’s Word.
I say that all in point one so that we can live out part two. Bearing fruit and doing what we are called to do.
II. Bearing fruit for the kingdom of God
Let’s read that text again- now understanding how the Lord looks at judging.
Matt. 7:15-20
What are people going to find when they look at your life?
I will tell you that someone is watching your life.
Illustration-
Have you ever met someone and first impression impressed you?
You thought they would make the perfect mate. You thought they would make the perfect business partner.
But the closer you got to the person and the better you knew him or her- you discovered that he or she was not all what you expected.
That person was not as loving, sensitive, kind, or smart as your first thought.
It is possible for good behavior to hide bad qualities. (repeat)
but the longer you are around them, it is harder for them to hide.
Watch out for false prophets, wolves in sheep’s clothing and lemons pretending to be peaches.
Around them long enough, Jesus says that we will know them by their fruits.
If you have an apple tree- what fruit should you have?
If you have a pear tree- what should you have?
You don’t get grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles do you?
What does Jesus mean by telling us to look at the fruit of a person?He is telling us to look at the conduct and character, and by examining conduct and character, we can determine motive. We will see the heart.
You shall know them by their fruits. Good trees bring good fruits. Corrupt trees bring evil fruit.
“Every tree that doesn’t bring good fruit, the lord will cut down and cast into the fire, and not everyone that says lord, Lord, shall enter the kingdom of God.”
That is a powerful statement when He tells us we will know them by their fruits.
Because we are looking at others to protect ourselves from being deceived, examining the conduct and character of others to detect their motives, you can be sure that the Lord is looking at our lives the same way, and we cannot deceive the Lord. We cannot hide from Him.
John 15:1-2 (read from Bible)
I am the vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that bears not fruit he takes away, and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes that it may grow more fruit.”
The Lord wants fruit in our lives. He prunes so that we might bear much fruit.
This is plain and simple. We have to be fruit inspectors, but we have to first look at our own lives that we are bearing fruit and that we continue to be on the true vine.
He will purge, purify, and sanctify those branches that are bearing fruit so that they can be more productive.
Those on the vine will be strong.
Those off the vine will be dying and not bearing fruit.
Illustration-
This year we have a garden- yes, this city boy grows vegetables. Cucumbers, tomatoes, and beans. My job as a gardener is to keep the weeds out, water and nurture the plants, and keep critters from eating them before we do.
Our job as a believer is to stay connected to the vine. Make sure we are nurtured by the lord, and keep everything from pulling us off the vine that would cause us to die or not bear fruit.
Closing
There is not shortcut to maturity. It took years for us to grow to adulthood. It takes seasons for us as Christians to ripen and mature.
The development of Christ-like character cannot be rushed.
In America, tomatoes are usually picked green so that they don’t ripen before they are sold to the stores. Then they are sprayed with Co2 gas to turn them red instantly. They are edible, but they are no match to the flavor of a vine ripened tomatoe.
There is a movie coming out this fall called “Not a fan of Jesus.” We are going to show it here when we finish the multi-media set up. It is a movie of being a fan of Jesus or a follower of Jesus.
There is a big difference!!
A fan of Jesus Admires Jesus. He is always watching from afar. He is never committed. If something else comes up, Jesus gets the back seat. Something put more important than Jesus and His church.
But a follower of Christ does not settle for Jesus from afar, He/She is wanting to follow and be a part of Jesus everyday. They are part of the vine! They are plugged in to the life source. They are getting all the nutrients that the vine offers. They are the ones that are going to bear fruit!
Some of us struggle everyday because we are close to the vine but not connected, and if we don’t soon get connected again, we will die.
Some know exactly what I am talking about.
Words from Jeremiah 24:7-
“I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the Lord. They will be my people, and I will be their God, for they will return to me with all their heart.”
Words from Paul
“And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way; bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God
What separates us from those who know Christ, and those who talk about it?
Circumstances.
When the storms come, we will demonstrate our true character. If there is an inconsistency between the character at church and the character at home, school, or work, guess which one is the true character.
Following Christ is never a decision that should be made lightly.
You cannot almost follow Jesus.
We get to decide what we intend to do about it. Right now anyway.
Do you really want good fruit? The only way is to be on the vine.
When you examine your life this morning, what do you find? More important, what does Jesus find this morning?
Altar Call
