A Tree and Its Fruit

Introduction: one of my favorite movie tropes is the secret identity.

2 ways:

Kept from us

Revealed to us and kept from the others characters in the movie.

both are good but we love a good twist.

Transition to the Text: Turn with me in your Bible to Matthew 7:15-20. If you read through the Gospels you will notice something interesting. Jesus told people repeatedly not to tell anyone who who was. In Matthew 16, Jesus asked His disciples:

Matthew 16:13–15 ESV

13 Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” 14 And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”

And then of course Peter answers:

Matthew 16:16 ESV

16 Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

But then something odd in Matthew 16:20

Matthew 16:20 ESV

20 Then he strictly charged the disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ.

Why not?

He said this a lot. It’s really highlighted in Mark and is known as the Messianic secret.

Why didn’t Jesus want people to know?

Well He did actually. But anyone can claim to be the Messiah. Anyone can say, “I am He.”

Jesus was going to show them that He is the Messiah, not with words, but with POWER!

In essence, He would show them who He was by showing them the fruit.

And just like the disciples, let them come to the truth on their own.

Jesus lives the the principle that….But he warns us that for every 1 person who is true, there will be 100 who are false…so beware.

Introduce:

Big Idea: When PEOPLE show you WHO they are, BELIEVE them.

Read: Matthew 7:15-20

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.

Big Idea: When PEOPLE should you WHO they are, BELIEVE them.

1. BEWARE of False PROPHETS. (Matthew 7:15)

Explanation: Matthew 7:15

Matthew 7:15 ESV

15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.

Now on the one hand, Jesus was sending the disciples into a world that hated Him and therefore would hate them.

On the one hand you have the Scribes and the Pharisees who openly hate, discriminate against, and persecute them. But let’s be honest they aren’t the most dangerous opponents.

The most dangerous opponents are those who claim to be sympathetic to the cause of Christ, but really are wolves in sheep’s clothing.

Those who come in with their smooth words and convincingly look the part. But they use the cause of Christ to sway the flock against the true shepherd.

Illustration: We can get some of the biggest examples out of the way. Mormonism parades itself as just another Christian denomination, but goes against everything the Bible teaches us about God, Jesus, this world and even ourselves.

Paul wrote about the mormons in Galatians 1:8

Galatians 1:8 ESV

8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed.

Then you have the prosperity preachers who deceive people into sowing seeds of financial contributions with the promise that God will bless them and make them rich, when only they are the ones who get rich.

They pray on the widows and the lowly.

Jesus said that’s how the Scribes and the Pharisees were.

Mark 12:38–40 ESV

38 And in his teaching he said, “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes and like greetings in the marketplaces 39 and have the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at feasts, 40 who devour widows’ houses and for a pretense make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.”

These people are outside of the family of God and have share in Christ’s kingdom.

But what about those inside?

But they we have people who come into the Church and sow division and divisiveness.

These are perhaps more dangerous because they look the part and probably in the beginning look like a blessing from God.

But they come in and get comfortable, build relationships and start slowing causing a fuss over dumb things.

This will especially be true in the “LAST DAYS.”

Paul wrote to the young pastor named Timothy:

2 Timothy 3:1–9 ESV

1 But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. 2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, 4 treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. 6 For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions, 7 always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth. 8 Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men corrupted in mind and disqualified regarding the faith. 9 But they will not get very far, for their folly will be plain to all, as was that of those two men.

If you have been in church long enough you have met someone like this.

They write the pastor long emails on Sunday afternoon critiquing His sermon. They take over every Bible study they are in and turn it to their agenda.

They make mountains out of molehills about non essential doctrines and preferences.

Application: In other words, be discerning. Be slow to receive people into membership.

Be slow to give new people leadership roles.

Evaluate a person’s life to see if they are who they say they are.

And when they show you who they really are….and eventually, everyone’s true colors shine through….believe them.

But how will you recognize them?

2. LOOK at the FRUIT. (Matthew 7:16-18)

Explanation: Matthew 7:16-18

Matthew 7:16–18 ESV

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.

There is some danger here that needs to be expressed. We need to be careful running around acting like fruit inspectors acting like we are the ones with the discernment and the authority to decide who measures up.

Remember to first look inward. If we judged everyone by some of our standards….none of us would measure up.

Remember Matthew 7:5

Matthew 7:5 ESV

5 first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.

Ask yourself, what fruit am I producing?

You might ask, what do I measure? How do I know who I am? Whose I am? How do I know that I’m showing people that my identity is a follower of Jesus Christ?

If only there was a scripture verse that talks about the Fruit of the Spirit….

Galatians 5:22–23 ESV

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

So ask yourself….

Am I growing more loving?

more joyful?

more peaceful?

More patient?

More kind?

more good?

more faithful Jesus?

more gentle?

more self-controlled?

Or…..

am I growing more hateful?

more miserable?

more prone to strife and ready for a fight?

more impatient?

more mean spirited?

more bad?

more unfaithful to Jesus’ mission?

more harsh?

more impulsive?

To be sure, this is how we should judge and discern those who seek to be a part of our church especially in leadership positions.

And with Paul we pray…

Philippians 1:9–11 ESV

9 And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, 10 so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, 11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

But first we evaluate ourselves.

Illustration: Look at your fruit and ask…

Am I growing in the areas that Jesus calls me to grow?

Am I desiring more communion with Jesus each and ever day in the Word and in prayer?

Am I more loving and kind to those who need extra grace in my life?

Application: Now this is where we need to be discerning.

One outburst or failure or sin or one piece of rotten fruit does not disqualify you.

I have an apply tree in my back yard.

It produces a lot of delicious apples. But it also produces some pretty gross apples.

It’s still an apple tree. I just don’t have to eat the gross apples.

Right next to it is a lemon tree. It does the same. But you know what they don’t do?

In the 10 years we’ve been there, that lemon tree never produces apples and that apple tree never produces lemons.

The same is true of you.

If you are in Christ, you will always produce fruit that testifies to you faith in Christ. This is because it is God who makes you grow.

John 15:1–10 ESV

1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3 Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in me, he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. 7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. 9 As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. 10 If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love.

You will occasionally produce some rotten fruit because you are human and still plagued by sin. God will prune you and it will be painful but it is for your good.

But you will never produce evil fruit.

So keep pressing on and trusting in Jesus so you will be known by your fruit.

John 13:34–35 ESV

34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. 35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

3. GOD will JUDGE the FALSE. (Matthew 7:19-20)

Explanation: Matthew 7:19-20

Matthew 7:19–20 ESV

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.

So what is our responsibility for those who prove to be false?

We remember that it is not our job to condemn them.

God will judge them.

Romans 12:19 ESV

19 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.”

We entrust them to God. We share the true Gospel with them.

We pray for them. We point them to Jesus.

We remember last week and we practice the Golden Rule on them….Do unto others as we….

But we also don’t allow them to continue to sow division in the Church.

We cast them out. We depose them if they are in leadership positions.

We clean house if necessary.

Paul writes about this to the Corinthians:

1 Corinthians 5:6–13 ESV

6 Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? 7 Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. 8 Let us therefore celebrate the festival, not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. 9 I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— 10 not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. 11 But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one. 12 For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? 13 God judges those outside. “Purge the evil person from among you.”

On the one hand, this seems harsh, but it’s actually the most loving thing that we can do for a person that is not following Jesus.

We spend so much time in churches telling people they can come to Christ as they are…and they can.

But people will grown in grace and love…and if they don’t, they put the whole flock in jeopardy.

They want us to change in order to accommodate their sinful lifestyle. They want us to change…and we are tempted because we have been told that a fruit of the spirit is niceness. That the 11th commandment is Thou shalt be nice.

We must boldly protect the flock from the ravenous wolves who seek to destroy the church.

Illustration: I think we can all name churches that have gone wayward and gotten off track.

Each one of these churches started with a goal to worship Christ and draw as many people to Jesus as possible.

But overtime, they began to drift.

A new generation of leader started to come in.

A new pastor whose resume was immaculate.

A new family or groups of family who come in with an agenda…and money.

One by one the church is encouraged and led to make one compromise after another.

And before long…the church bears no resemblance to what it once was.

It looks the part but is a whitewashed tomb.

All because of a few lemons showed up in the apple orchard and showed who they were and everyone else decided to give them the benefit of the doubt.

Now we’re not talking about secondary issues like calvinism vs. arminianism or what you think about spiritual gifts or the rapture. We’re not talking about your view on the King James Bible either.

We’re talking about major doctrinal distinctives that separate us from others.

The trinity; who Jesus is. how we are saved. That God’s Word is inerrant and authoritative over our lives and the lives of others. So what the Bible forbids, we forbid, not because we are mean spirited, but because we love God that much.

We aren’t talking about the songs we sing or the translation of the Bible that we use. We aren’t talking about the color of the carpet.

We are kinda talking about baptism, but I wouldn’t say that our Presbyterian brother’s and sisters aren’t Christians because they baptize babies. We just believe they are in error. But trust me they believe we are in error too, but that still think we are Christians.

Application: This is a hard teaching for us because we don’t like confrontation. We don’t want to seem mean.

And even when we are standing firm for the sake of Jesus and the Gospel we are gaslit into believing we are the one’s not following Jesus command to love everyone as they are…which He never said. Or their favorite statement…”well that’s just your interpretation.” As though all interpretations are valid…they aren’t.

Our interpretation is exegetical, historical, and rooted in the trust that God’s word is able to be clearly understood.

This is why we must beware….

Because they look like sheep.

They are wearing sheep’s clothing.

They appear spiritual.

They appear to have it all together.

But they are wolves.

Drive them away.

We can’t grow the church at the expense of the church’s spiritual safety.

Be discerning. Be welcoming but be discerning.

Response: Are you on the LOOKOUT for FALSE PROPHETS?

Summation: Big Idea: When PEOPLE should you WHO they are, BELIEVE them.

1. BEWARE of False PROPHETS. (Matthew 7:15)

2. LOOK at the FRUIT. (Matthew 7:16-18)

3. GOD will JUDGE the FALSE. (Matthew 7:19-20)

Closing Illustration: Let’s be honest we aren’t good at this.

First we aren’t on the lookout. We don’t practice the art of beware.

We don’t want to appear judgmental and mean.

And on the other hand, we ask, “who am I to beware of anything? Shouldn’t the church beware of me?”

Again, look at yourself first. Read your Bible. Pray.

Be in community with the church.

Greet everyone. Get to know people.

And when people show you who they are believe them.

Not one thing. But don’t ignore the mounting red flags that are showing you that this person is not who they appear to be.

And then practice Matthew 18.

Confront with gentleness and love for them; for the church; and For God.

There is nothing worse than watching a movie where the first half you are led to love a certain character. You come to identify with them. You feel compassion for their struggle.

Only for the plot to reveal that they were the villain.

One of my favorite movies in Interstellar. If you haven’t seen it, spoilers ahead.

But Matt Damon shows up halfway through and you immediately love this guy, becuase up until that point he always plays the good guy.

But he is deceitful and lies. He is willing to sacrfice humanities future to have people come and rescue Him.

And then when they show up, he tries to steal the spacecraft and kill those who came to save him.

It’s a shocking twist with an even shocking and devastating end.

There are those in this world who care nothing for the things of God but what they can use to their own advantage. We must root them out and expose them.

Let’s pray.