MATT.12:33 "CHRISTMAS TREE CHRISTIANS"
A) A tree is known to be corrupt or good not by its leaves, but by its fruit!
* Notice what Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount in Matt.7:17-20 "Even so every ......."
* The truth given here is that we judge a man by the words he speaks and the works he does!
B) We cannot say that a man is in the league with Satan if his works are righteous!
* If he is one of Satan’s workers, his works will be unrighteous!
* Sweet and bitter water do not proceed from the same fountain, and righteous works cannot
proceed from an evil heart! * Background of the text .......
C) The Pharisees had just accused Jesus of casting out demons by Beelzebub, the prince ...
* Certainly it was a good thing to deliver a man from blindness and dumbness!
* No one could deny that the miracle performed on the man was indeed good and wonderful,
but they accused Jesus of being corrupt!
D) If He had performed a righteous deed, He could not be corrupt in His heart!
* If the tree is good, the fruit is good ... If the tree is corrupt, the fruit is corrupt!
* So He said, "Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and
his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit."
E) Christ was making a demand! * "Decide! Make Christ either good or bad!"
* "Quit swaying with the wind ... Judge Me to be good and My fruit good, or else judge Me to
be corrupt and My fruit corrupt!"
* "I am either good, that is, I am who I say I am, the Messiah, the Savior of the world,"
* "Or else I am bad, a deceiver and a liar, out to lead people away from God!"
* "Who am I? Judge, decide, for I am known by My works even as a tree is known by ... fruits!"
F) Christ was saying that "you are either with Me or you are against Me!"
* "There is no middle ground, so quit playing the hypocrite and being half hearted with me!"
* So, with all this in mind, I want to talk to you about being a "Christmas Tree Christian!"
* There are several things that I want to compare a Christian to with the Christmas Tree.
* There are some things that a Christmas Tree has in common with the Christian!
(1) THEY ARE GROUNDED! * On Martin Camp Rd. a Christmas Tree farm ... In the ground!
* They have their roots growing in the ground and they are standing firm!
A) Christians are also grounded! * Col.2:7 "Rooted and built up in ... and stablished in ..."
* One reason why some Christians are wishy-washy is because they don’t get grounded!
* They are in and out, up and down, and they are so undependable!
B) Turn to Eph.3:17-19 * Paul says Christians are "Rooted and grounded in love!"
* It makes no difference how much knowledge or wisdom we may have concerning the things
of God, if we don’t demonstrate love, we are worthless to the cause of Christ!
* Paul says in 1Cor.13:1-3 "Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have ......."
C) Regardless of what we are and what we do, if we do not possess the love of God,
* And if what we do is not saturated by the love of God, then spiritually speaking, we are just
one big nothing! * There are some that really need to get rooted and grounded in love!
D) Love for lost souls! * Some of you never witness to lost souls!
* Psalm 142:4 "I looked on my right hand, and beheld, but there was no man that would know
me: refuge failed me; no man cared for my soul."
E) Love for the church! * Why is it we can’t get people to be faithful to the church services?
* Because they are not rooted and grounded in the love of God!
* If you’ll really fall in love with God, you’ll fall in love with the church!
F) Love for one another! * God’s Word commands us to "love one another."
* 1John 4:7-8 "Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and everyone that loveth is
born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love."
G) Love for God’s Word ... Love for communion with Him ... Love for the work of God!
* I want people to just fall in love with Jesus and let their lives revolve around Him!
* Col.1:23 "If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the ..."
* The word "settled" means able to stand erect, immovable!
* A Christmas Tree is grounded, and so is the Christian!
(2) THEY ARE GREEN! * The pine, fir, spruce & cedar are all members of the evergreen family!
* They stay green all the time and that represents life in them!
A) God has given life to us through His Son, Jesus Christ!
* 1John 5:10-12 "He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth
not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son."
* "And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son."
* "He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life."
B) There are some who act like they don’t have life! * Never excited about spiritual things!
* 1 Pet.1:3 "God ... hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus ......."
* 1 Pet. 2:5 "Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood ......."
* So, Christmas Trees are green, so are Christians, they have life in them!
C) Now, there are some Christmas Trees that are different colors, but they are fake!
* I’ve seen silver Christmas Trees and I’ve seen white Christmas Trees, but they’re not real!
* Some fake Christmas Trees are even green, but you can tell the difference between the real ones
and the fake ones! * Matt.7:21-23 "Not every one that saith unto me ......."
D) Real trees have oil (sap) in them to repel insects and weather!
* We’ve got the oil (Holy Ghost) in us and we can weather the storms and repel the insects or
life’s tough situations that discourage us in the way! * Through Him, we win!
(3) THEY GLOW! * Lights on the tree, and you can see it in the dark!
* 1Pet.2:9 "But ye are a chosen generation, a royal ... an holy ... a peculiar ... that ye should show
forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light."
A) The lights are on the inside of the tree! * Jesus is the Light ... and He is in us!
* A Christmas Tree wont look right with no lights! * Matt.5:16 "Let your light so shine ......."
* A Christian don’t look right with his lights out! * Have you lost your glow?
B) Something else about the lights ... They are linked up! * Look at Matt.12:34-37!
* Words tell of what’s in the heart because it’s linked up with the mouth!
* When I hear someone cursing and swearing, I assume they are not Christians!
* When a bulb is burned out in a link, it causes darkness on the whole string!
C) When your light is gone out, it causes the darkness to show in your life!
* Sometimes we have to change burned out bulbs! * So it is in our Christian life!
* If our lights have gone out, we need to go to Christ and get our bulbs changed!
(4) THEY ARE DECORATED WITH GARNISHINGS! * Different decorations .......
* Our Christian lives have also been decorated by the Father! * 1John 3:1 "Behold, what manner
of love the Father hath bestowed upon us ..." * Bestowed - to put on, to decorate.
A) So, God has decorated us with His love! * That’s how we can even love our enemies!
* Also with His peace - Rom.5:1 "Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with ......."
* He’s decorated us with hope ... Tit.2:13 "Looking for that blessed hope, and the ......."
B) He has decorated us with His righteousness! 2Cor.5:21 "For he hath made him ......."
* I’m glad that I have been clothed with the righteousness of Jesus Christ!
* Isa.64:6 "But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as ......."
(5) THERE ARE GIFTS UNDER THE TREE! * God is the first to ever give!
A) He gave the gift of Salvation! * John 3:16 "For God so loved the world ......."
* He gives the gift of forgiveness - 1John 1:9 "If we confess our sins, he is ......."
* He gives the gift of rest - Matt.11:28 "Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy ......."
B) He gives the gift of a future! * He has a place prepared for us!
* On and on I can go and tell you of the gifts that God has given to us as His children!
* We give friends and family gifts for Christmas, let’s not forget to give Jesus His gift.
* After all, Jesus is the reason for the season!
CLOSE
A) I ask you today, are you a Christmas Tree Christian?
* Are you grounded? * Are you green (lively)? * Do you glow?
* Are you decorated by the hand of God? * Are there gifts under your tree?
* What are you giving to God? * Be a Christmas Tree Christian!
