Matthew part 11
Discerning What is True
As we approach the end of the Sermon on the Mount, let’s consider some of the themes that have emerged in the sermon.
God welcomes the repentant into the Kingdom of Heaven regardless social status.
We see this in the initial Beatitudes as Jesus flips the script on the world’s standard for being blessed. It is not necessarily the wealthy or the powerful who may enter the kingdom. It is the poor in spirit, the mourners, the meek, and merciful. Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness will find satisfaction.
Those who have been touched by the Kingdom of Heaven will affect others.
This theme of course is in the famous ‘salt and light’ passage, but also throughout chapters 5 & 6 in which Jesus discusses how Kingdom People treat one another. Kingdom People release their anger and bitterness choosing to forgive. Kingdom People remain faithful in their relationships by keeping check their physical urges and maintaining an honest integrity. Even their enemies are blessed. This notion also leads into the third theme.
Those who have been touched by the Kingdom of Heaven maintain a consistently high level of integrity and honesty.
The faith of a Kingdom Person catalyzes genuine acts of righteousness for the sake of honoring the Lord rather than self-promotion (6:1-21). It removes worry in the face of hardships (6:25-34). It prompts a full understanding of a given situation in order to maintain healthy discernment avoiding harsh judgements (7:1-6). And, it allows the person to ask anything from God knowing whatever answer is given is the best answer (7:7-11).
The last theme comes to full light in today’s passage. Jesus has already alluded to it many times, especially in light of His ‘Do not be like the hypocrites or Gentiles’ statements. It is the theme of today’s message which simply states:
God’s people are known by the fruit of their lives.
We are going to see that ‘fruit’ means much more than simple actions, but it does not mean less than this either. True faith demonstrates itself through action. We certainly can’t put the cart before the horse saying actions will save us, but we also cannot just leave actions out of the equation altogether.
Let’s begin in Matthew 7:15-23.
How can we recognize the Truth?
“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.
“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. 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?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’
Matthew 7:15-23
Here, Jesus concludes His ethics lesson with one final truth:
Not everyone who appears to be a Christian is actually in Christ.
It is a difficult truth to swallow. In fact, Jesus shows how the false Christian can deceive either others or themselves. They deceive others by appearing Christian on the outside. They have sheep’s clothing, but they are actually wolves. These are false teachers who misuse the things of God to get what they want. Jude mentions these types of false teachers in his letter.
Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints. For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.
Jude 3-4
When we compare Jude to Jesus’ teaching, we can see why Jesus would use the metaphor of a ‘ravenous wolf’. Jude says these teachers pervert the grace of God into sensuality and deny the Master. Like hungry wolves, these teachers only care about satiating their appetites. And these teachers will always find a way to deny the true Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.
It is easy to consider cult leaders when discussing this verse. Cults are led by some charismatic guru who offers special knowledge or skill over this world. They will somehow use the name of Jesus, but they will always describe Him in some unbiblical way. Some even go so far as to claim to be Jesus Himself. These cults always end the same—the leaders are found to be immoral, lecherous, and/or greedy. The ones who are hurt the most are the avid followers they accumulate over the time of the cult.
False teachers can be identified by their acceptance and appetite for sinful behaviors.
And yet, we should also consider not ever false teacher is successful enough to garner their own cult. Some remain in actual churches causing harm in other ways. Regardless, they can still be spotted the same. They are church-goers whose only desire is to keep their own desires satisfied. They want their way, their preferences, and their appetites filled.
But these false Christians can also deceive themselves. In perhaps the most frightening passage in all of Scripture, Jesus says some of the false Christians will face Him on the day of judgement and be shocked they are not welcomed in heaven. They will cite prophecies in the Name of Jesus. They will cite exorcisms in the Name of Jesus. They will recount all their mighty works, and yet, Jesus will simply reply, “I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.”
How can someone be so deluded they believe they are in Christ, and yet Jesus does not know them? I believe the root problem is they never understood what it means to be saved by grace. Paul describes salvation this way:
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
Ephesians 2:8-10
Notice when they see Jesus they recount all the ‘mighty works’ they accomplished. They are boasting about themselves. Paul says clearly salvation is accomplished by grace alone. No one may boast about their salvation because no one is able to earn their salvation. No amount of tithing earns heaven. No amount of giving to the poor, no amount of singing, nor prophesying, nor exorcisms, nor any other mighty work will ever make us entitled to heaven. It is only because of Jesus that we can ask God for salvation and heaven. If we trust in anything else, we do not know the Lord, nor does He know us.
‘Mighty works’ come into play after we surrender to Jesus. Notice, Paul says we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works. It is after we surrender to the Lord that we discover God’s design for us. Then, we can pursue the life Jesus describes in Matthew 5-7.
Trusting in the good things we do in life for heaven will keep us out of heaven.
The other part of misunderstanding grace is misunderstanding what Jesus means by bearing good fruit. After all, aren’t prophecies, exorcisms, and other mighty works ‘good’? If someone is, in general, a good person, doesn’t that mean they should be in Christ?
Not necessarily. After all, when Eve looked at the forbidden fruit in the Garden, it appeared good. It had an appealing scent, an appealing look, and it tasted good, as well. So how can we know if we are bearing good fruit?
How can we insure we are bearing good fruit?
“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”
And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.
Matthew 7:24-28
We can know whether the fruit in our lives is good by examining it under times of turmoil. This passage actually helps answer one of the age-old questions of “Why do bad things happen to good people?” Now, there are a few reasons why something bad happens, but in this case, Jesus reminds us storms of life happen because that’s the world we live in. Someone once asked a Christian weatherman about why God would allow hurricanes on the coast if He is good. The weatherman’s answer was more eloquent, but it boiled down to, “Hurricanes are a natural part of this fallen world. If someone does not want to experience one, they shouldn’t live on the coast.”
Bad things happen in this life because we live in a world that has been corrupted by sin. We understand this world is bad sometimes because deep in our soul we know this world is not as it should be. Something is terribly wrong, and that something is sin.
Jesus says that when we follow what He says, we are like the wise builder who found a solid rock to build his house. Despite the turmoil of the storms and floods, the house still stood because it had a solid foundation. But there are those who are like the foolish builder. He found a place in the sand that was closer to the water, and when the storms and floods came, his house fell ‘a great fall.’
When the storms of this life occur, where is your trust? Whose will do you follow? Are you willing to follow the Lord even when times get tough, or do you fall back on your own heart and mind?
That is difference between good fruit and corrupted fruit. Good fruit comes from trusting in the Lord. It is the type of fruit that is born from struggle. It goes far beyond merely looking good on the outside. It is deeper than surface platitudes. It stands the test of time.
When a Christian bears good fruit, it is fruit that lasts through the good, bad, and the ugly times of life.
Now, you probably already know the fruit of the Spirit Paul lists in Galatians 5.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
Galatians 5:22-23
But consider having these same fruit when the storms and floods come.
It is easy to maintain love in happy times, but what about the hard times?
It is easy to maintain joy in happy times, but what about the hard times?
It is easy to maintain peace in happy times, but what about the hard times?
It is easy to maintain patience in happy times, but what about the hard times?
It is easy to maintain kindness in happy times, but what about the hard times?
It is easy to maintain goodness in happy times, but what about the hard times?
It is easy to maintain faithfulness in happy times, but what about the hard times?
It is easy to maintain gentleness in happy times, but what about the hard times?
It is easy to maintain self-control in happy times, but what about the hard times?
Now, we are all learning to lean on Jesus in the darkest of times, but let’s consider once again this terrible passage in Matthew 7:21. What is the difference between the one who is in Christ but still learning to lean on Christ and the one who believes they are in Christ, but are not?
The difference is where they turn when the storms come. The lost person will look inside their heart, look to some expert, or simply panic. The one in Christ knows they are in Christ. They will look to their Master for what to do next. They will fulfill Proverbs 3:5-6.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.
Proverbs 3:5-6
Today, as we consider discerning the Truth, let us first consider where our trust lies. Have we placed in the only solid foundation for life, or have we found a spot in the sand?