Matthew 7:15-23

Day 59-Matthew 7:16-20 part 3

7-20-25 – continued from last week; Day 58

Two Trees – Two Fruits

Pray

Read scripture: Matthew 7:15-23

(NIV 1984) “16 By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.

REVIEW:

Last week we talked about two verses that are very relevant, parallel passages to our verses for today, Matt 7:16-20.  One from Luke and the other from Matthew 12.

The first is a parallel version of Matt 7, and is in Luke 6:43-45:

Q: Do you all know what a parallel version is?

A: A parallel version of a verse or passage of scripture is another verse or passage of scripture that is the same or nearly the same of the original verse under consideration, in terms of content or focus or topic, or discusses the same or similar event of theme of scripture. Matthew 12:33-37 and Luke 6:43-45 are both considered to be parallel passages of Matthew 7:15-20.

Luke 6:43-45 (NIV 1984)

“No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. 44 Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. 45 The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.”

(See note below on the “context” of this passage in Luke compared to the passage in Matt 7.)

Jesus’ concluding principle is, “For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.“

This principle, this basic human truth, is true for all people of all times, everywhere. 

Jesus expands the Two Trees teaching to a basic truth of human nature in a fallen world. He is teaching us who we are. And, by extension, HOW WE GET TO BE WHO WE ARE!

We are who we are by what is in our hearts! And what is in our hearts determines what we speak. 

Is your heart full of human philosophies and ideas, worldly thoughts?

Or- Do you have Jesus in your heart?

*Note: None of us Christians in this life are ever completely free of the influence of the fallen world around us. We are not yet perfect. Sanctification is an on-going process of “growing” into Christlikeness. Anyone who is in Christ is a good fruit positionally, but not always practically. We must always remember that sometimes a good apple may have an occasional worm or bug of some kind. 

This is why it is SO IMPORTANT to be careful in judging others as Jesus so able taught in Matthew 7:1-5. This is why it is so important to understand the truth of Jesus teaching that the KIND of fruit we are, depends on the KIND oftree we are part of. If we are “IN CHRIST” we are of a good tree, not a bad tree, and this is not because of anything we have done or said, but wholly and only because of Him. The fruit inherits its nature (what KIND of fruit it is), from the tree or the vine.

So then, application then is this:

Be careful what you allow into your mind and thinking, because what you are allowing into your mind and thinking, can and will eventually make it’s way into your heart. 

Be careful what you allow into your heart and what you allow your heart to believe. 

Who we really are is not an external thing, like the Pharisees thought and believed – wrongly.

Who we really are is an internal thing. 

It is a matter of the heart! 

Guard your heart well! 

Protect your heart. 

Feed your heart well. Feed your heart what is good food, the bread of life!

Ok, the next verse we mentioned at the end of class last week was Matthew 12:33-37:

“Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit. 34 You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. 35 The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. 36 But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. 37 For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.” (NIV 1984)

Notice how, in verse 33, Jesus says, “… for a tree is recognized by its fruit.”

Did you notice how He said this a little different in the SOM version than He did in the Luke version?

In the SOM version He says, “By their fruit you will recognize them.”

Notice the two words “their” and “them.” These two words, in their context, refer directly back to Matt. 7:15 and the “false prophets.”

But in the context of the version from Matthew 12:33, Jesus expands the context from “recognizing” false prophets, to “recognizing” trees. A subtle, but important difference. He is expanding the teaching from just false prophets to include all people (meaning “trees.”) Remember in the Luke 6 version, Jesus clearly said, “No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit.” Luke 6:43.

In doing this He is saying that you can identify a good tree or a bad tree based on it’s fruit. And like wise, you can not only identify trees by their fruit, but that you can identify prophets by their fruit, and even people by their fruits. 

Why is this so important?

Then we also looked at the picture below. There are many and varied teaching on the SOM passage about good trees and bad trees on the internet. NOT ALL TEACHINGS ON THE INTERNET ARE CORRECT! 

After our discussion last week, and especially what Jesus teaches us about good and bad fruit and trees, what do you now think of this picture?

Jesus said in our passage today, in Matthew 7:17-18, “17 Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit.“

The author of that YouTube video teaching is confusing the “quality” (the relative quality) of fruit with the “type”or “kind” of fruit. No two apples trees produce apples that are exactly the same in terms of quality, just as no two people are exactly the same. Some apples are tart. Some are sweet. Many are somewhere in between. There are many varieties of apples and there are many varieties of people. And in Christians, there are many degrees of maturity in Christ. There are many degrees of Godliness, holiness and levels of obedience. None of us are ever exactly the same. Just as no two snowflakes are famously ever exactly the same, no two apples are ever exactly the same and no two people are ever exactly the same. Sometimes we cannot see the difference, but God can. 

God does not judge us in terms of allowing us into His Kingdom, by how sweet or tart we are, or by “how good” we are, or by how good our fruit is. In other words, we are not saved by “how good” (degree of quality) we are. He judges us by whether we are in Christ or not. It is that simple. 

We are not saved by the degree of the quality (like the “bell curve”) of our fruit. Every Christian fruit is different in terms of quality. We are saved by what KIND of fruit we we are. Are we in Christ – good fruit – or are we of the world – bad fruit.

There are only TWO CAMPS.

There are only two kinds trees. There are only two kinds of prophets. And there are only two kinds of people. Saved. Or not. Good (because of Jesus!) or not.

Does that make sense? 

So, according to the whole council of the Word of God, There are only two kinds of trees; either good or bad. And there are only two kinds of people; either saved or lost, either redeemed or not, either we have been “made” good (as it says in Matthew 12:33), or we are still bad, still God’s enemies (as it says in Romans that all  people are before they get saved.)

The YouTuber mentioned above, in my opinion, represents a “humanistic” philosophy. A worldly and politically correct view, not a truly biblical view. 

He has misunderstood, or misinterpreted Scripture. 

Final note of the YouTube picture. IMHO, I think that I am closer to the rotten looking apple in the picture on the right, that I am to a nice shiny bright apple. And I suspect  other Christians may be as well, if they are honest. I know for me, God has a lot of work to do yet in me.

Any thoughts about those before we move on?

Jesus said, “Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?”

Again, what is Jesus saying here?

Q: For starters Jesus is also saying that good fruit does not come from false prophets.

Remember the Two Camps? Well, there are only two kinds of prophets: false or true. (See Jeremiah 14:14 and 23:16-22)

A prophets is either in one camp or the other. He cannot drift in and out of either camp. What he speaks, what he prophesies, is either from God or from Satan. There is no middle ground for prophets. The difference between false teachers and false prophets is that, while teachers can and do occasionally make mistakes, prophet’s are not afforded that possibility because they claim to be speaking the very words of God.(I.e., “Thus says the Lord.”)

Q: Why do you never find oranges or lemons on a grapevine, of bananas on a grapefruit tree?

A:  Because the fruit of a vine or a tree or a plant ALWAYS inherits it’s nature from the vine or the tree or the plant that it is growing on. What it is always depends on where it came from. If you plant tomato seeds in your garden, you will NEVER get green peppers. Ever. This is where Jesus’ teachings are so brilliant, but simple and rich, as is the creation that He created. Remember all this teaching about trees if metaphorical for the spiritual life. When someone is in Christ, they grow in Christlikeness. When someone is not in Christ, they don’t. 

In John 8:42-44, Jesus says this to the Jews: “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and now am here. I have not come on my own; but he sent me. Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say. You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”

This is a very telling verse and speaks very clearly of the TWO CAMPS.

What Jesus is saying is that either God in heaven, if your Father, or Satan, the devil, is your father. You are either from a good tree (Christ) or a bad tree (the devil); you are either good fruit (a Christian) of bad fruit (an enemy of God – see James 4:4, Colossians 1:21and Romans 5:10.)

The fruit inherits its nature from the tree or the vine. Fruit NEVER can decide what kind of fruit it wants to be. Never. It NEVER gets its “fruitiness” from itself. 

People are the same. No person in history has ever been able to choose what kind of person he will be at birth. No one can choose to be white or black or brown or yellow or green or blue. No one can choose to be born American or Chinese or German or Brazilian. No one can choose their eye color or their sex. 

No matter what a person may think they want to identify as, they can, in reality, ever and only be only what God has created them to be. Same is true for every tree or plant or animal or flower.

It is the same with our righteousness. We cannot choose at birth to NOT be sons and daughters of Adam. We are sons and daughters of Adam because we are all born of the seed is Adam and had no choice in the matter. And being born of Adam, we are born into sin and had no choice in the matter. We are all born with a sin nature, just as a apple is born with the nature and all the characteristics of an apple. We had no choice in who or what we are at birth. 

Romans says that before we became Christians, we were enemies of God. 

In and of ourselves, we are born UNRIGHTEOUS. We are born into us righteousness. We are not born with a “righteousness of God.” We are born with a “self-righteousness.”

But the BEAUTY of the Gospel is that when we become Christians, we inherit HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS! As Christians, our Righteousness has never been our own. It has always been HIS. Self-righteousness was the main problem with the Pharisees. It was Hitlers main problem. And Stalins, and Musselinis, and Japans Emperor in WW2, and Idi Amin, and every other evil dictator who every lived. 

A grape is a grape, because of the vine. And a grape in the Jewish culture of the 1st century, was considered by many to be the noblest is fruit.

 And likewise, a Christian is a Christian ONLY because of Christ, and highly loved by God.

On the contrary, bad trees are bad because of Satan and Adam and the fall, AND because of the choices we make.  Good trees are good because of Christ. 

It is only when we are born again that we can ever be transformed from a bad tree to a good tree; from a bad fruit to a good fruit. Our conversion is MIRACULOUS in many ways. 

Q: What does the fruit represent in Jesus teaching. 

A:  What a tree produces. People’s Words and Works. Both good and bad.

Christians should, by their lives, produce the fruit of the Spirit.

Galatians 5:22-23 (NIV 1984) 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control.

But, right before that famous verse is Galatians 5:19-21, which gives us a pretty thorough, but not exhaustive, list of the fruits of the flesh.

Galatians 5:19-21 (NIV 1984) 19 The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Q: What is Paul saying here in this last part? 

A: That the fruit of the sinful nature is not only bad fruit, but bad fruit from bad trees will NOT inherit the Kingdom of God. 

Q: How can you recognize these ‘false prophets?’

A: Jesus is saying, “You will know them by their fruits.” 

R. C. Sproul says”You can identify (the false prophets and teachers) them by their fruit.” (R.C. Sproul, Romans)

So, it would seem that we can, in at least some context, identify people by their fruit, and in so doing, at least in some context judge whether, by their fruit, they are of a good tree or a bad tree. 

With regards to the wise caution John gave us last week, we need to be very careful in  judging people. However, we are also told to “BEWARE!” We are to discern, to be able to identify false prophets. This means we are, to some extent pass judgement, albeit very carefully on false prophets. May I be so bold as to suggest that failing to call out a false prophets may even be, in some circumstances, equivalent to adding and abetting the enemy, enabling him to lead other people astray, with serious consequences. 

Q:  What does verse 19 mean?

19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

Interestingly, John the Baptist said pretty much the same thing as Jesus in Matt. 3:10.

He said, “The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”

Andfinally in verse 20, Jesus repeats exactly what He said in verse 16 at the beginning of this section: 

20 Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.

The YouTuber we mentioned earlier, if you were to follow his teaching, would mean, by his teaching, that some Christians would be thrown in the fire. Does that sound biblical?

NOTE: The greatest threats to the people of God, the Israelites, was not the Assyrians or the Babylonian’s or Canaanite’s, Moabites, Philistines or any other neighboring enemies. It was not ever an EXTERNAL enemy. It was always an INTERNAL enemies. It was the false prophets and teachers, couples with our own internal propensity to disobey God’s simple and clear commands, i.e., “…you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil…” Genesis 2:17 (NIV 1984)

Our greatest threats today, our greatest enemy(s) today, is the same. It is INTERNAL. 

APPLICATION: 

How do we apply this to our lives?

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Notes, ideas, thoughts:

The context of the following passage is just after the resurrection, but before Pentecost.

John 20:24-25 (ESV) 24 “Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.”

If we, as humans, were to judge Thomas as this point, what would our judgment render? Possibly, maybe probably, NOT SAVED, correct? At least according to his own words: “… unless….I will never believe.”

Then a week later….

John 20:26-29 (ESV) 26 “Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” 28 Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

Q: How does this passage temper our judgment?

A: We need to be very careful. 

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Note on the “context” of this passage in Luke 6:43-45 compared to the passage in Matt 7.

The word “For” here (in the NASB in Luke 6:43) connects this section (in Luke 6)

 about good and bad trees and fruit with the immediately preceding section on logs and beams and specks. 

The point is very similar to the Matt 7:16-20 version of the good/bad trees and fruit teaching their, which preceded by Matt 7:1, which says, “Do not judge,” and also goes on to talk about logs and specks in our eyes. 

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RELEVANT VERSES

Matthew 3:10 (NIV 1984) 10 The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.

Revelation 2:1-2 (NIV 1984) 1 “To the angel of the church in Ephesus write:

These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands: 2 I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false.

1 John 4:1-3 (NIV 1984) 1 Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3 but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God.

Romans 8:28 28 (ESV) And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

Romans 8:28 (NIV 1984) 28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Romans 5:10 (NIV 1984) 10 For if, when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!

“Let’s look at the parallel version of this verse in Luke 6:45:

No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. 44 Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. 45 The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.” Luke 6:43-45 (NIV 1984)

Matthew 12:33-37 (NIV 1984) “Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit. 34 You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. 35 The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. 36 But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. 37 For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”

Mark 7:20-23 (NIV 1984) : “What comes out of a man is what makes him ‘unclean.’ 21 For from within, out of men’s hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, 22 greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. 23 All these evils come from inside and make a man ‘unclean.’ ”

John 15:1-8 (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.

Matthew 19:26 (NIV 1984) 26 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

Galatians 5:22-23 (NIV 1984) 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control.

Isaiah 64:6 (NIV 1984) 6 All of us have become like one who is unclean,

and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags;

1 Timothy 4:1-2 (NIV 1984) 1 The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.2 Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron….

1 Timothy 4:6-7 (NIV 1984) 6 If you point these things out to the brothers, you will be a good minister of Christ Jesus, brought up in the truths of the faith and of the good teaching that you have followed. 7 Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives’ tales; rather, train yourself to be godly.

1 Timothy 5:24-25 (NIV 1984) 24 The sins of some men are obvious, reaching the place of judgment ahead of them; the sins of others trail behind them. 25 In the same way, good deeds are obvious, and even those that are not cannot be hidden.

1 Timothy 6:3-6 (NIV 1984) 3 If anyone teaches false doctrines and does not agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and to godly teaching, 4 he is conceited and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about words that result in envy, strife, malicious talk, evil suspicions 5 and constant friction between men of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain.

6 But godliness with contentment is great gain.

Galatians 1:6-9 (NIV 1984) 

6 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel–7 which is really no gospel at all*. Evidently some people* are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ*. 8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned! 9 As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned!

*The Gospel IS the good news of Jesus Christ. If you change the gospel, you change the person and work of Jesus. If you do that, you are preaching a gospel that dies nit, in reality exist. This is why the Mormon cult (and others) is so terrible. Mormons, in and thru their false teachings, have changed the gospel, and they have changed who Jesus is. Consequently, millions of Mormons believe in a Jesus that does not exist. Putting faith into, and trusting, a Jesus that does not exist, is a faith that cannot and will not save. That is why the NT has so many warning against false teachings, false doctrines and false prophets. The danger is real and imminent.

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Notes:

* Everything with an asterisk and is italicized and purple is my own added words and thoughts and are not part of the actual verse or quote.