A Tree Is Known by It's Fruit, Part 2

Background. I know the last two weeks we've been walking through

Jesus talking about the strong man, but I want to come back and just circle back to that just for a second because it is important to see that the where Jesus is going to remember two weeks ago, we talked about how you look back actually, in verse 2028, I'm sorry 2029. How can someone enter a strong man's house and plunder his Goods? Unless he first Vines, the strong man we talked about how Satan has the strong man over the house, which is the Earth and he dominates. And Jesus has come as the stronger man to buying that strong man. And we saw the true king has power, and by his power has bound, the strongman plundered his treasure, and is gathering a people for himself. And then we saw last week this connection between that and blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, we talked about that. And I think, in Great Lengths. But in verse 31, we saw therefore I tell you every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people but the blast The spirit will not be forgiven. And we saw that the blast was the Holy Spirit is to willfully a tribute to Satan the spirits work we saw this with the street that the Pharisees were doing, they were looking at Jesus healing a blunt or a healing, a blind and mute, man, a demon, a demon of presstman, and calling it, the work of the devil. And again, we saw. It's at there's a tributing, Satan's work to the spirits activity. Then you see also a 32, whoever speaks a word against the son of man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the holy spirit will not be forgiven. Either in this age or in the east side, we saw a second wife, that blasphemy the holy spirit is characterized by a malicious persistent and unrepentant are, you can bring the truth, nor a simple denial of it. But in a contradiction of it, that goes against goes, contrary to the conviction of the mind to the illumination of the conscience and even to the verdict of the heart. Thank you may not send man, willfully, maliciously and intentionally attributes. Was clearly recognizes the work of God to the influence and operation of Satan. And then finally we saw it as often exemplified by those who are intentionally and pasta sized, okay? So those who have turned away, departed from the face. And it is unpardonable not because it's guilt transcends, the merits of Christ or because the center is beyond the renewing power of the holy spirit's. But those who committed, the sin will have a pronounced hatred to God, I'm a find attitude toward him and all that is divine Delight in ridiculing, slandering that, which is holy and an absolute unconcerned, respecting, the welfare of their soul and the future life. Now, that's a lot of quoting to just say, Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit can be a really confusing topic. We talked about this last week of people saying. Yeah, I was kind of tired of this way. I was taught it that way. So if you have any questions about it I do want to just tell you again, please come to me. We can talk about it. I was loved to explaining got to where we can for clarity in that way. But today's text is really important because it kind of, launches out of that, I've noticed verse 33, where it starts, Jesus kind of turns, and he starts the show us more clearly, not just about blasphemy of the holy spirit that that's connected. He actually starts to show us. How do we know how do we really know where people are at? And he says, either make the tree good and it's fruit. Good, or make the tree Bandits fruit bad for the tree is known by its fruit.

I want to say something, very simple that sounds very like, duh, of course. But what you say, as a person and do depends on who you are again, what you say, what comes out of your mouth and how you live isn't something? We like manufacture. It actually is an overflow of who you are. You cannot make yourself anything other than what you are. That's actually FedEx. You said both humble us and deeply interested us that you cannot make yourself anything other than who you are. Have noticed the connection of what the Pharisees were doing. They were hardened and accusing. Jesus, remember what they were saying to him? It's only by baal-zebub the prince of demons that this man cast out demons. You hear them during the work of Christ. But, and they're showing in that who they are and wants to see secondly, here's our second point where we're picking up from last week. We are known by our lives. Like trees are known by their fruit. Not again this this General principle is how humans operate. It's not just how Christians operate is not just how unbelievers offering it's not just how blasphemy of the Holy Spirit Works, how all humans everywhere operate You know, when we were growing up, we grew up on the microphone, a farm and owned the farm. Maybe you were like ours. I think every Farm kind of has them but like apple trees, we always had apple trees growing up, we had apple trees beside our house. So we tended to a little bit more regularly, we'd actually would get apples off of them and eat the apples and stuff. But that we had on the farm, we had, we called them the wild apple trees, they weren't allowed at all, because we planted them. But basically, by wild, what we met, as we just didn't care about them. They produced. And what is it happening with wild wild? Apple trees. Do you plant an apple tree? And literally never tend to it ever. You get really, really junkie apples. Real simple. Complicated, Margie, or apples out for the deer, and the deer with no humans eating those apples because they're about that big around and nasty, but Deerwood, Nathan, they were old, they were rotten and even as a child, I understood the trees, needed attention. Let's just pretend for a second. My dad said to me, I want you to go out and get those apple trees, so they can know what, how would I do with apple trees up. When I go out and be like, well, you know, let me just throw some new apples on the ground apples. Would rot just like the old ones. What needs to happen with a nasty junkie tree is a new root system. They need new life brought to them, but I want to pick up enough to make sure we're really clear on Jesus's illustration, where he starts to go here. There's a chart that I find this helpful just for us to consider what it's like. So here's a tree, all of us as people as humans people made in God's image. We produce fruit. Do you have no, you have no chance of not producing fruit. The question is, what kind of fruit are you producing? Now, if you noticed that, the fruit, if you will, or the apples that you're plucking off, the tree are things like Words, their things like our actions, their things like our emotions, and it's the things that are visible outward, we we can see them. And then there's something much deeper where Jesus is going to start going here. It is. Actually there. The roots of what's at the core of who you are or things like your beliefs, their your desires are your thoughts. And I think what Jesus is good at doing here. He's not doing something very amazing because he's saying he's looking at the Pharisees in saying, look at the bad fruit that's on that tree. I can tell you the roots are, you know why? Cuz of the bad fruit. So when we look at the surrounding world, where like, man, look at the look at the terrible fruit all around us. We ought not to be like this if only they could just better fruit than life would be better. No, Jesus clarifies that dealing with an unknown person, unclean person. I'm going to show you another example in Matthew 15, Jesus clarifies. When dealing with the issue of cleanliness or unclean. It says this here and understand it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles or makes a person unclean. But what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a person, there it is. Again, what the fruit or who you are is expelled, it's spoken. Migos on. Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and is expelled, but what comes out of the mouth for seeds from the heart? And this defiles a person out of the heart? Come evil, thoughts murder, adultery, sexual, immorality, theft false, witness, slander. These are what the viola person but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile. Anyone was Jesus, is already told us, that's you will recognize them by their fruits. The question is not, if you'll produce fruit Christian or anyone unbeliever, it's what kind of fruit are you producing? What kind of fruit is coming out of you? That's what matters I want to see that. Your words are the Overflow of your heart. Notice what he will say, no, go on to say to, to the Pharisees 3033 either. Make the tree good. It's fruit. Good. Or make the tree bad and is fruit. Bad for the tree is known by its fruit. Migos on. You brood of vipers. By the way, I want to set this as well as he says this. A brood of vipers is not a kind phrase guy. We could like translate that into English, and be like, like a like a, like a nest of snakes. There's no cultural context. That would be like a brood of vipers. He must be really, really kind to them. We need to read. Jesus is talking to his enemies. It's not that we always need. Jesus is always just like floating around being like a lovely enemies. That's not how he's talking to him. He literally calls them in nest of snakes, a bag of snakes, hey, you bag of snakes. How can you speak good? When you yourself are Evil 4 out of the abundance of the heart? The mouth speaks. There it is again. He makes clear that their words, follow their hearts, they pretend to speak good while they're filled with every manner of evil. Think for a moment of the wickedness of these Pharisees, they knew that Jesus was not working with the devil, their wicked Hearts spoke. How can I, how can a person? Get good? Speak, good speech. That's an important thing to say. Notice again, what he says, you brood of serpents, how can you speak good when you are Evil 4, out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks?

Heather was one summer my brother and I had resolved that we were going to prune those trees. Okay, cool. And if you ever done this, you realize very quickly. If at real is left untended for many years it's almost impossible to fix it to reverse it. Now imagine my son, my father saying to me son, I want to have excellent apples out there. How ridiculous would it have been gives the example that go out to a tree and take good apples and try to nail on the apples. And he said that I'd like to get the tree working, right? And we walked outside and we took the best ripe fruit in the house. We walked out with a hammer and a nail

that we did it. Look at the fruit of that tree. How long will that last? Afternoon, maybe. Maybe the next day at best next week you can come around. My dad will be like, what are you? What are you doing? He's not a different. You didn't do anything different to the tree. I would argue that pharisaism at its core is just like that. It is a moral cleanup job, that tries to nail good apples on dead trees, okay? And I'm fearful of what, much of what passes as Christianity in 2025 looks more like pharisaism. Then not. Here's how, you know, I want to watch the Christian Life is challenging. It is very hard is a struggle. We fight against our sin, one thing that's not challenging, the Christian Life is holding a mask up and pretending to be something you're not You never here tonight. I hear this all the time. One of the biggest rebukes against Christianity out here on the campus. Literally, no exaggeration is I was tired of pretending. I was something I was not You hear that often, maybe you bought that yourself and always what I want to say is well that's not Christianity. Congratulations, you never experience. You have no clue what it is. To be a Christian. You know, why Christian is not just putting a mask in front of her face. Actually. I would go a step further to say that the putting a mask in front of your face and thinking it will do anything, does nothing. Notice what he says for. Can you speak good when you're evil, again? Hear that out of the abundance, out of the Overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks, Now can't don't be deceived, don't think of that. Jesus is saying here, make the tree good and it's fruit. Good as though they had the ability to make the tree better, he's calling them to change. The routes Rift by the core. What you see from these Pharisees are motivated by pride of Calvin says ambition and the displayed in their venom in the Slanders, which they uttered. But as that Venom was not perceived by ignorant, people tries to bring the concealed evil from as Larkin place and drags it forth to light. That is a good thing actually work for you. And I when Jesus by his grace, through his word, through the power of the Holy Spirit, begins to drag out Hypocrites out of their place. What an amazing thing. Their wicked hearts are on display, not through there, if they're what was within them, cuz you can see that. But it was actually through their words. At Frostburg, I was at campus, Pastor there for a little while at Frostburg and off from time to time out interact with drunk people. You know, you have that in a college town, you're going to be at a cookout or whatever. One, one particular took out we were at there was a friend of a friend that my friend was reaching in front of Angela examine that some that would that Saturday or Friday, or whatever it was, his friend was drunk and I knew his friend and his friend came to this, to this cookout. And we were there talking and I knew him, I will say his name, it was, it was really embarrassing for him. Not for me, it was embarrassing. For me comes up and he's talking to me and I love you, man. I love you so much man. Holding me and hugging me tried to kiss me at one point in my life as a drunk person. He's just revealing. What's on his heart. That's all that it is alcohol, at its core is just a heart revealer, that's all it is. And you know why it's really ugly cuz it's revealing it, sun, filtering, all the filters we put on her heart, And I want to see second that your words, reveal what you treasure, what's your heart? Treasures. As much as you don't want to admit. It your words reveal, what? Your heart? Treasures, your words reveal, what your hearts Treasures?

That is what Jesus goes on the side and 35. The good person out of his good treasure, brace worth good, the evil person out of his evil. Treasure brings forth, evil.

You know, we have a real problem when you hit first 35. Because you and I we, we like to think we'll I'm the good treasure. Actually the reality is you and I every one of us or actually the bad treasure treasure that, we ourselves are that evil treasure that comes forth. Listen how God describes this in another place. Just give you an example. Jeremiah 17 says. Says the Lord person is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength whose heart turns away from the Lord. He is like a here. It is fruit language. He is like a shrub in the desert and shall not see any good come. He shall dwell in the parts places in the wilderness in uninhabited, salt land. Very simply bad hearts. Produce bad fruit, it's real simple. Jeremiah 17. Hugo's on the heart is deceitful Above All Things. Noticed that that's that's yours and mine and everyone. You knows, heart is deceitful Above All Things, desperately sick. Who can understand it? You're in this church, we believe in and a doctor and called the total depravity meaning that we as mankind, are totally depraved that, not that, we're as bad as we possibly could, but that we ourselves are dead in our sins. Jesus will talk to them. They were actually be a man who comes to Jesus and ask him a question and calls him good teacher, and notice what he says in Mark 10. Why do you call me good? No one, no one. You can like underline that your Bible. No one is good except God alone. Nobody is good by Nature. Everyone is bent toward evil. This is the bad news of the Gospel. The bad news of the Gospel is that we are bad by nature and we need to see that the bad fruit that comes forth from our mouths. It actually comes from bad roots that are deep within us. They will question Jesus in Mark 10 and ask him. What, how are we made? Good then Notice what he says in Mark 10:27 with, man, it is impossible. But not with God, for all things are possible with God. Leonard, Ravenhill used to say this. Jesus did not come into the world to make bad men good. Don't don't miss this. You can like write this in the back of your Bible. Jesus did not come to make bad men. Good. He came to make dead men live and it's there that we start to see the beauty of the Gospel. That God damn bad. Wicked people. He begins to actually take the dead heart and actually begins to change it, alter it. Make it different, make it a new creature. That produces as Jeremiah 17 says will later. Say blessed, is the man who trusts in the Lord whose trust is the Lord. He is like a tree planted by water. That sends up his roots by the stream and does not fear when heat comes for its leaves remain green and is not anxious in the year of drought for, it does not cease to bear fruit. It's your words, your words Reveal Your Heart. Your words also, thirdly, I want you to see that your words will be the evidence of your standing on the last day. Now, I do very careful in this one. This is this is the difference of life and death were talking on at this point. Your words will be the evidence of your standing on the last day notice of Jesus watch. You say go back to 3336 either. Make the tree good to make the tree band is fruit. Bad for the tree is known by its fruit. You brood of vipers bag of snakes. How can you speak good when you are Evil 4 out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks the good person out of his good treasure brings forth, good. The evil person out of his evil. Treasure brings forth evil. I tell you, here it is. I tell you on the day of judgment people will give account for. Every careless word, they speak. Don't you be careful here? Cuz that word careless though. It is, though. It can mean to, to be like not syncing, really at its core is the same concept that James uses and in James to, to describe fruitless faithless faithless words words that are filled with. Not a not not belief, but filled with unbelief, which is why James, cautions, not many of you should become teachers my brother's for, you know, that. He who teaches is judged with greater strictness.

I want to acknowledge something for a second. I want to see just for a second, how terrifying this is. If we could put for this last week just an example, put a billboard up here and put every word you uttered on that billboard in contacts. Rightly anything's. I'm ridiculous out of context. We're talking about actually in context every word, you spoke this week to yourself to your wife, to your co-workers, to your friends. It is terrifying to remember that you will give an account for your life someday and actually that that billboard at some level Jesus telling us even hear that billboard of what your words will be. The evidence of you are a evidence for you or against you on that last day, your life will be put on display and every corner of it examined. And you will be judged according to the law, the law of God will stand. And will say, look at where this one either failed or passed, we need to know. It's something that's a terrifying reality. In every minute, I think. I think it is as Christians. We need to stand. This is what it means to stand Coram. Deo is the Latin word for before the face of God, to remember that every word that you and I speak whether for good or for ill will be brought back to us, will be either the evidence or the evidence of justification will see you in a minute or condemnation.

What's our hope here? This is really Bleak. I hope you see how Bleak this is because there are about you and you might be like, well, Pastor your pastor, you always speak kind words, no know what actually even was. It is within my own heart is a heart that's still struggling against the old man. And what you'll see is our hope is not in that we speak the perfect words and every moment our hope is that we speak the right words, not the words are perfect in every moment but the words that are true and good and right, which acknowledge Jesus as Lord. Romans 2 tells us, then he who is physically uncircumcised, but keeps the law will condemn. You have the written code and circumcision, break the law for no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, North circumcision outward and physical. Put a Jew is one inwardly and circumcision a matter of the Heart by the spirit, not by the letter. His Praises is not from God, but from man, What do should we do when we find ourselves speaking bad for not speaking badly but we find ourselves producing bad fruit cuz I can imagine the scenario maybe it's real theoretical for us but if a Christian producing bad fruit what do we do, what do we do? As a Christian, we find ourselves producing bad fruit. I am convinced one of the reasons why many churches have a right view of justification that is how we get saved, but do not have a proper view of how to live is. They disconnected the route from the fruit unfortunate. This is because they think that Jesus got us into the kingdom, but now it's up to us to grow in it. That's not true. I fully expect that you will see bad fruit in your life this week. I'll put it on the table there. There will be bad fruit. Come out of your heart this week. Why? Cuz your heart is still desperately wicked but there's one fundamental difference between the unbeliever and the believer. The unbeliever still lives with the bad Wicked. Crooked Twisted, heart with a Believer has had a fundamental reorienting. A fundamental change that became that started when they saw their sin for what it was. They returned from their sins and they trusted in the Lord Jesus alone, which is with these men, the black glass singers of the Holy Spirit are not doing. They are turning in the opposite direction. I'm convinced that money of the reasons why we have such a carnal is because we disconnected justification are right legal standing with God from how we are changed. Christian. You know how when you see the bad fruit in your life, you ought to respond. It's real complicated. You like to repent, you are to repent of it. Turn from it and trust a fresh, the Lord Jesus Christ. Salvation is not just a date somewhere. Back in 1975 salvation is for today. Salvation is for today, and it for some of you, maybe, maybe you're sitting there and thinking, you know, Daniel. I have bad food all the time, but you have more sensitive conscience than others and you see, like, Daniel I just see so much bad fruit from my life. I want to remind you of something. He says, in verse 37, for by your words, you will be justified your words in the last day, will either show your justification or show your condemnation. And for the Christian justification, isn't in the ability to produce. Good fruit, praise God. Because if it wasn't we and I, we would be done for our justification. Sits in the heavens are justification speaks a better words because we have a Christ who speaks the better word. Forgiven pardoned reconciled. These are not the fruit, the fruit that you and I produce starts with the gospel and flows out of it. We have a savior who died for spinner. And invites, Sinners to be reconciled to God. Notice when he goes on to say, I tell you on that one, the day of judgment people will give an account for every careless, word of fruitless word, they speak for by your words, you will be justified and by your words, you will be condemned. I want to see finally, your words were occasionally or your condemnation.

Those are two big words. Big words, the illogical terms justification. Simply means Are Declaration of righteousness before God what makes us righteous in the throne room of Heaven. And condemnation, simple enough is the condemnation or the condemning, this of who you are. Basically in that way. I want you to think for a second, the thief on the cross. You know. I hope you feel logical. You're sitting there thinking, you know, your words will be the evidence of your staying in the last day on the cross for a second. There's a thermal wrong theology. That wants to say the thief on the cross. You know what he should have been baptized. The really in order for him to be saved, he should have got down from the cross instead of dying there and been baptized in order to be safe. There's also a wrong view that says in order to be a Christian, you need to speak, softly words that are fruit-filled. I wonder what the thief on the cross said. When he got to heaven or what the file on him look like, you know, I wonder what it look like. I wonder if, you know, I get in the courtroom of Heaven, he's declared righteous Jesus says of him. Today, you'll be with me in Paradise, so they're in the throne room of Heaven. The file cabinet of this man was opened. What all did he have in it of as evidence. Literally, I believe

Say receive me receive me into your kingdom. That's it. Literally like a scrap of paper soap. The Manhattan Yet for the Christian, a scrap of paper, is all that's necessary because all that's written on it is what matters but for you and I as Christians who are not, who don't just die immediately. Typically we live a life that one day you will stand before God and the evidence, or the lack of will be revealed will be shown and it will tell the story of who you are. It will tell of the evidence or it will tell whether the lack thereof. Notice and Romans 10, Romans 10 and will close here. We use this all the time in Romans 10, but I'd not sure if we understand fully the text. So I make sure we understand it. They reveal. That is those people will reveal their justification on the last day for Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. There's a reason why for Moses writes about the righteousness that is based on the law that the person who does the Commandments shall live by them. But the righteousness based on faith, says, do not say in your heart who will Ascend into heaven, that is to bring the price down or who will descend into the abyss that is to bring Christ up from the dead. Really? What he's saying here for you simply is, there's no need to go to heaven, to bring Christ, back to Earth with, for what he's already come for. There's no need to go to the realm of the dead because Christ has already risen. The ESV footnote very helpful here, what God requires is not superhuman works but faith in the gospel. What God requires from you and I is not super, super human Superman works, but it's actually faith in Jesus Christ. Notice them verse 8, what he tells us, but what does it say? The word is near you in your mouth and in your heart, that is the word of faith that we Proclaim. It is because if you confess with your mouth and Boo, and that Jesus is Lord. And believe there is again in your heart, that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. You will be safe on that day. You and I Christians, all believers on, all the Earth are all Christians in every we know we pray today for Albania, we have nothing in common with people in Albania, Very little. You look at our lives. Maybe we go to is like the grocery store. That's similar. Sort of these different food. It's different everything. But you are closer to a Christian Albania, then you are to your unbelieving. Uncle, you know why? Because this reality right here, at the same condemnation fit has been liberated. We've been freed from will be the same record given to them at the last day. First time tells us for with the heart, One Believes and is declared righteous are Justified. And with the mouth one confesses and is saved. The face that God works in The Believer, by the power of the spirit reorient, and redirects, the life of the Christian. Christian does not nail good fruit on dead trees. No, no, no. We dig it up. We go down to the very core of it. That says, we need to trust Jesus alone for salvation. We need to trust Christ alone and nothing else. We can't get this backward, I would argue liberalism and every boss view Christianity, what's that tree on its head? It makes the fruits, the The Roots it makes the fruit, will your, you're not speaking the right words so you must not be a Christian which are not flip the tree on its head. We must have the root system in the right direction. This matters for us in a lot of ways. Let me give you one way. You coming to faith in Christ. When I was growing up, I came to Faith or I said the sinner's prayer. I think maybe ten thousand times. You know why? I don't know how curious this is. Just strange survey. How many of you grew up with that kind of mindset? I need to keep saying the sinner's prayer over and over and over again.

And what we need to realize. And here's what happens, I can tell you how it happens. You say the sinner's prayer. Lord, I believe I'm a sinner. I need a savior, I trust in Jesus. And what you do is look in the mirror and you see how Wicked you still are and then what you end up doing is like, well, I need it again. That's actually not what you need to do again, what you need to do again? If you need to not come again affresh for the first time. But come you keep coming? The Christian Life is one of bearing fruit with repentance repentance that. It's not a magical incantation that we say. We're not just like competing with the pagans that they have their magical incantations and Christians. Well we have ours we just keep saying it over and over again. No, we live by faith. And by that God reckons us righteous what, an amazing reality justification or condemnation. In the last day. I want to say something to you too. If you're an unbeliever, This is true for you as well. Just here for you. If you're not a Christian, if you're not a Christian hear you, your words will matter with the last day as well. They will actually matter more. Maybe more or less. I'm not sure but your words Will Reveal Your condemnation. If you're you're done time, you talk to people that will say something like you know, I don't need that Jesus stuff in my life, I don't need Jesus and he's not for me. I got it, I got it and you know, it's crazy. Got the last day will honor your words? I've got it. I've got it. And the judgment and the penalty for your sin will be. I got it. That is a horrifying. I want if you're if you're not a Christian here that I want to remind you of this that the Judgment in the condemnation by your words will be evidence of what's within you. What's within you will come out of you. If one Trust In Christ Alone is the righteousness, then they will receive what they have trusted and helped him earn trust in their own flesh, Their Own Strength, their own ability, their own Holiness, even Then they will receive what they trusted in. And I want to encourage us. If you're not a Christian here today, I just plead with you turn to Jesus and be saved. Turn to the Lord, Jesus Christ and receive life. Not just today, ever forever. There is coming a day while. I want to remind you, there is coming a day. You will stand before God and that for everyone for the Christian for the unchristian producer to produce a fear and trembling but figured you're not a Christian today. I want to encourage you. You was coming your way is condemnation. You're not expected to be anything other than that. I want to see finally. Here, here's the main point for the day he's gathered people. That's Jesus has gathered people now produce. Good fruit stemming from good roots that will be the evidence on the last day. I know this text for some reason his just felt like it's been very confusing for us as it as a church body. So I want to give it just a few minutes of Q&A. If there's any questions about this text, her questions that we have. I want to remind you as well as we're working through this, not many sermon time. So if you try to do mini sermon, I'm going to be like I don't know, but I do want to ask. Are there any questions about what we've been working through another connection between blasphemy of the Holy Spirit and the fruit fruit that is produced there of any questions about any of this.

The only dumb question is the unasked question. Okay, so now I'm just kidding. It's not stolen them. But you can talk to me. If you have questions and you like to talk more private, that's fine. You can talk to me individually but any questions.