A Warning About Fruit

Intro

Moving into our current house was fun, especially when we heard we had a couple of fruit trees. We had heard that we had one plum tree and one apple tree. We had confirmation of the truth when the fruit started growing and ultimately when it had fully ripened. It was then and only then that we knew exactly what we were dealing with.

Isn’t that what we deal with in our lives with the people around us all the time.

When I was a young adult I had a terrible time when I entered the work force. I had been raised to be honest, have integrity and work hard. Naturally I went into plenty of relationships, work or otherwise, trusting people.

What happened was people’s true character came out over time. They may have put on a good show initially but eventually the truth in their character came out, and I was hurt.

I was hurt because I wanted to assume the best about them and give them the benefit of the doubt. That always seemed the descent thing to do. After all, I’d want people to do that for me. What I realized is that there are a lot of people in the world that are only looking out for themselves and will do anything to get what they want.

This is especially disheartening when it comes to leaders in the church.

How many TV evangelists have come and gone, usually by some huge moral failing. That doesn’t necessarily mean they are evil, it just means they let evil win. There is a whole different type of leader or I’d say even normal person, who is described in the passages we will cover tonight that we need to have great discernment with. Back in the day they were called false prophets. Today we might call them the same thing, or, we might call them something else. False Teachers! Even narcissists.

Wolves In Sheep’s Clothing

Matthew 7:15–20 ESV

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

Jesus just warned us of a path that leads to destruction. Now He reminds us that there are many who would try to guide us along the broad path that leads to destruction. The first step to combating these false prophets is to simply beware of them.

“Warnings against false prophets are necessarily based on the conviction that not all prophets are true, that truth can be violated, and that the gospel’s enemies usually conceal their hostility and try to pass themselves off as fellow believers.” (Carson)

2 Corinthians 11:13–15 ESV

13 For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. 14 And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. 15 So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds.

It is in the nature of these false prophets to deceive and deny their true character. Often they deceive even themselves, believing themselves to be sheep when in fact they are ravenous wolves.

“The basic fault of the false prophet is self interest.” (Barclay) It can be expressed by a desire for gain or an easy life, a desire for prestige, or the desire to advance one’s own ideas and not God’s ideas.

We guard ourselves against false prophets by taking heed to their fruits. This means paying attention to several aspects of their life and ministry.

We should pay attention to the manner of living a teacher shows. Do they show righteousness, humility and faithfulness in the way they live? Or is it self centered, self serving, and have a hidden agenda to get one’s way.

We should pay attention to the content of their teaching. Is it true fruit from God’s Word, or is it man-centered, appealing to ears that want to be tickled?

We should pay attention to the effect of their teaching. Are people growing in Jesus or merely being entertained, and eventually falling away?

This fruit that is talked about is the inevitable result of who we are. Eventually — though it may take a time for the harvest to come — the good or bad fruit is evident, revealing what sort of “tree” we are.

“Not to have good fruit is to have evil: there can be no innocent sterility in the invisible tree of the heart. He that brings forth no fruit, and he that brings forth bad fruit, are both only fit for the fire.” (Clarke)

“It is not merely the wicked, the bearer of poison berries, that will be cut down; but the neutral, the man who bears no fruit of positive virtue must also be cast into the fire.” (Spurgeon)

Romans 16:17–18 ESV

17 I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them. 18 For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive.

Earlier in the chapter Jesus warned us to judge ourselves first, to look for the beam in our own eye before turning our attention to the speck in our neighbor’s eye, therefore, before asking it of anyone else, we should first ask: “Do I bear fruit unto God’s glory?”

I Never Knew You

Matthew 7:21–23 ESV

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. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

Jesus spoke here of a proper verbal confession, where these ones called Jesus Lord. This is vital, but never enough by itself.

We must use the language of “Lord, Lord” — we cannot be saved if we do not. Though hypocrites may say it, we should not be ashamed to say it. Yet it alone is not enough.

This warning of Jesus applies to people who say “Lord, Lord,” and yet their spiritual life has nothing to do with their daily life. They go to church, perhaps fulfill some daily religious duties, yet sin against God and man just as any other might.

“There are those that speak like angels, live like devils; that have Jacob’s smooth tongue, but Esau’s rough hands.” (Trapp)

It is staggering that Jesus claimed He is the one that people must stand before on that final day of judgment, and He is the one rightly called Lord. This obscure teacher in a backwater part of the world claimed to be the judge of all men in that day.

By saying “in that day” Jesus drew our attention to a coming day of judgment for all men.

“What is the chief object of your life? Will you think as much of it “in that day” as you do now? Will you then count yourself wise to have so earnestly pursued it? You fancy that you can defend it now, but will you be able to defend it then, when all things of earth and time will have melted into nothingness?” (Spurgeon)

The people Jesus speaks of here had impressive spiritual accomplishments. They prophesied, cast out demons, and had done many wonders. These are wonderful things, but they meant nothing without true fellowship, true connection with Jesus.

Jesus did not seem to doubt their claims of doing the miraculous. He didn’t say, “You didn’t really prophesy or cast out demons or do miracles.” This leads us to understand that sometimes miracles are granted through pretended believers, reminding us that in the final analysis, miracles prove nothing.

Significantly, they even did these things in the name of Jesus. Yet, they never really had a relationship of love and fellowship with Jesus.

“Through my love to the souls of men, I blessed your preaching; but yourselves I could never esteem, because you were destitute of the spirit of my Gospel, unholy in your hearts, and unrighteous in your conduct.” (Clarke)

“If preaching could save a man, Judas would not have been damned. If prophesying could save a man, Balaam would not have been a castaway.” (Spurgeon)

Acts 19:11–16 ESV

11 And God was doing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, 12 so that even handkerchiefs or aprons that had touched his skin were carried away to the sick, and their diseases left them and the evil spirits came out of them. 13 Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists undertook to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “I adjure you by the Jesus whom Paul proclaims.” 14 Seven sons of a Jewish high priest named Sceva were doing this. 15 But the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?” 16 And the man in whom was the evil spirit leaped on them, mastered all of them and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.

“What a terrible word! What a dreadful separation! Depart from ME! From the very Jesus whom you have proclaimed in union with whom alone eternal life is to be found. For, united to Christ, all is heaven; separated from him, all is hell.” (Clarke)

In addition, these are not people who lost their salvation. Instead, they never truly had it (I never knew you).

In the end, there is one basis of salvation; it isn’t mere verbal confession, not “spiritual works,” but knowing Jesus and being known by Him. It is our connection to Him — by the gift of faith that He gives to us — that secures our salvation. Connected to Jesus we are secure; without connection to Him all the miracles and great works prove nothing.

So, what do we do with this? How does this play into our lives?

First you must as God if you truly belong to Him! only He knows. If you find yourself unknown to him, repents and be saved!

second, for those of us o know where we stand we have to take steps to BEWARE.

Pray and ask God to give you discernment. Be innocent as doves and wise as serpents.

look at people’s fruit

Walk in step with the Holy Spirit. Practice spiritual breathing. YHWH.

Listen for those around you who are intuitive and have the spiritual gift of discernment.

Don’t assume anything about anyone. Especially as the Day grows near about the only thing we can assume is that false teachers and false christians will be more and more numerous.

Be aware of the spiritual battle that’s going on all around you.

the spirit of God will unite believers

the spirit of anti-christ will divide

The last thing I want you to be is mislead. If you hear something that I say and question it, please dig into the scripture to see if what I’m claiming is Biblically correct. If not, call me out on it. If you can’t find it in scripture, just come ask me or someone you know to be knowledgeable of the scriptures and discuss it together.

Titus 1:15–16 ESV

To the pure, all things are pure, but to the defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure; but both their minds and their consciences are defiled. They profess to know God, but they deny him by their works. They are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good work.

I want you to be able to discern for yourselves what is of the spirit of God and what is from from the spirit of anti-christ. It may take someone more mature walking with you through some hard things to learn and come out wiser on the other side.

Beware! Look at the fruit! let’s pray.