Matthew 7: The Sermon on the Mount (39)
Pray Psalm 135.1-4.
Praise the LORD!
Praise Him, O you servants of the LORD!
You who stand in the house of the LORD,
In the courts of the house of our God,
Praise the LORD, for the LORD is good;
Sing praises to His name, for it is pleasant.
For the LORD has chosen Jacob for Himself,
Israel for His special treasure.
Sing Psalm 135.1-4.
St. Gertrude: Onward, Christian Soldiers
Praise the Savior, praise Him, for His Name is good.
Sing, for it is pleasant, to our glorious God!
All whom He has chosen and redeemed by grace,
praise His Name together, praise Him in this holy place!
Refrain v. 1
Praise the Name of Jesus, you who serve His Word!
Raise your voice and praise our good and glorious LORD!
Read Matthew 7.1-20; meditate on verses 15-20.
Meditate on “good fruit” for you today.
Prepare.
1. How is Jesus using the word fruit in these verses?
2. What does the fruit of a person’s life reveal about that person?
Meditate.
We know that teachers, pundits, academics, journalists, and writers of various sorts who have no faith in Christ, no belief in God, and no commitment to absolute truths—we know we have to keep both eyes wide open when we’re interacting with them or their writings. It’s the false prophets who are really troublesome, the ones who, in the Name of the Lord, are leading people away from Him and His Word. False prophets use all the most current religious language. But they use it to undermine Christ and His agenda, and to stoke the fires of mere self-interest in the name of religion.
False prophets minimize the Law of God, which Jesus highly commends (Matt. 5.17-19). False prophets go easy on sin, which Jesus condemned in all its forms. False prophets insist that the Gospel is all about you, but Jesus reminds us the Gospel is about the Kingdom and righteousness of God. The end of all such teachers, and all who heed them, is just (v. 19). Watch out for false prophets. Test them by the Word, by Christ, by their commitment to the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and by the fruit that issues from their teaching.
True teachers are like vines and trees that bear good fruit, the fruit of righteousness and Kingdom living. This kind of fruit comes only by following the example of Jesus—standing firm on all of God’s Word, pointing to Jesus as the end of all our learning, and insisting on lives that bear holy spiritual fruit.
Treasure Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162
Bearing good fruit doesn’t necessarily mean sharing good fruit.
It means being a prosperous tree that bears good fruit upon itself—fulfilling the Law—
for the glory and praise of God’s Kingdom and His righteousness, and for the benefit to others.
“Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,
nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful;
but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and in His law he meditates day and night.
He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season,
whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper” (Ps. 1.1-3).
“But the fruit of the Spirit is
love, joy, peace, longsuffering,
kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
gentleness, self-control.
Against such there is no law” (Gal. 5.22, 23).
“Even a child is known by his deeds, whether what he does is pure and right” (Prov. 20.11).
If even a child is known in this way, most assuredly, adults are known thusly.
“Therefore by their fruits you shall know them” (Matt. 7.20).
John the Baptist proclaimed this same message:
“Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire” (Matt. 3.10).
Jesus is reiterating John’s words of repentance, renewal, and revival—a complete turn away from sin.
We must be aware of false prophets/preachers; but we must also be aware of our own productivity.
Is our tree even blossoming? Budding? Is there potential for lush fruit to be borne upon us?
Is there the possibility of harvesters with baskets waiting to pick up what we are producing?
Are we watering and fertilizing and weeding around our roots?
Are we standing tall in the sun’s pathway?
The Son said, “I AM the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.
Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away;
and every branch that bears fruit He prunes,
that it may bear more fruit…
Abide in Me, and I in you.
As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine,
neither can you, unless you abide in Me.
I AM the vine, you are the branches,
He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit;
for without Me you can do nothing…
By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit;
so you will be My disciples…
You did not choose Me, but I chose you
and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit,
and that your fruit should remain,
that whatever you ask the Father in My Name He may give you.
These things I command you, that you love one another” (Jn. 15.1, 2, 4, 5, 8, 16, 17).
Abide in Him. Bear good fruit. Love one another. Be known for your fruit.
Then share the fruit—be witnesses (Acts 1.8)—of His saving grace.
Reflect.
1. What fruit of the Spirit are you seeing in your life of late?
2. What can keep you from bearing “good fruit”? How can you guard against that?
3. Whom will you encourage today by affirming the good work they are doing in their walk with and work for the Lord?
The tree, of course, is the soul itself—that is, the person—and the fruits are the person’s works. So a bad person cannot perform good works, nor can a good person perform bad works. Augustine (354-430), Sermon on the Mount 2.24.79
Pray Psalm 135.13-21.
Seek the Lord and His judgment in all matters. Make no room for any idols—including false teachings—that can draw you away from Him. Bless the Lord and go forth to praise Him in your life.
Sing Psalm 135.13-21.
St. Gertrude: Onward, Christian Soldiers
Evermore Your Name, O Savior, shall endure!
Your renown throughout all ages is secure.
For You have compassion, vindicating all
those who serve Your Name and on Your saving mercy call.
Refrain, v. 1
Praise the Name of Jesus, you who serve His Word!
Raise your voice and praise our good and glorious LORD!
Vain the nations serve the idols of their hands.
Mouths and ears they have but cannot understand.
Every idol vain is, lacking life or breath.
All who serve them, like them, shall be lost to lasting death.
Refrain
Bless the LORD you people, all who love the LORD!
Bless Him, you who trust His sovereign, holy Word!
Bless the LORD from Zion, Him Who in it dwells:
Praise Him! Lift your voices, all His grace and glory tell!
Refrain
T. M. and Susie Moore
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment to give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).
Other columns of interest: This week: The Read Moore podcast continues readings from our book, The Kingdom Turn. Our Crosfigell teaching letter presses ahead in a series on the state of the Church in Europe at the time of the Celtic Revival. The ReVision column looks at David as a visionary leader. Check out our other excellent writers. Click here to see all the other columns and writers available to you.
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