Determined by Your Fruit
Matthew 7:16-21
7:16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?
7:17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.
7:18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit; neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
7:19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
7:20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
7:21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
John 15:1,2
15:1 I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.
15:2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.
You shall know them by their fruits. What a powerful statement that truly is. In all of our dealings with man, this is the guiding principle by which we can judge character and see into the window of the heart, mind and soul of every man. By looking at the fruit that is brought forth from the life of an individual, we can truly see whether they are rooted and grounded in the True Vine, Jesus Christ, or connected to the wrong vine.
In the 15th verse of Matthew chapter 7, Jesus warns us that there will come into our midst, ravenous wolves, hungry and hunting for those who are weak in the faith and susceptible to every wind of doctrine. Whether we survive their attacks, or fall prey to their onslaught will be determined by our ability to recognize their wolf spirit when they come around.
It is a fool hardy Christian who will trust everyone, including every preacher, who comes into the church. It is a wise Christian who will “try the spirits to see whether they are of God or not”.
The kind of spirit that we portray and the fruits that we bear will be totally dependent upon our source. From that source we get our attitudes and disposition.
Jesus said that we getting our behavior from either one of two sources:
John 8:42-44
8:42 Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me.
8:43 Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word.
8:44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.
So then we come to the problem of the matter. How can we know those among us who are prowling wolves and those who are lambs in God’s pasture?
The answer is very plain and simple. We have to become fruit inspectors. We have to look at the things that are brought forth from the life of an individual to determine whether they are connected to the True Vine or to the Root of Bitterness, the devil
himself.
Understand this, the Scripture says in no uncertain terms that he that is connected to the True Vine will bring forth fruit that shows forth the condition of the repentant heart that loves Jesus because that person has the love of Jesus within and is striving to become more like Jesus everyday.
You won’t have to worry about that one who truly loves Jesus becoming a backbiter, a gossiper, a trouble-maker, or a thorn in the side of the church body. That one who loves Jesus is too busy being about the Father’s business. They’re listening to the voice of God; they are following the leading of the Holy Spirit; they don’t have time or the disposition to cause problems for anybody else. They’re focused on getting the ministry of the Lord in operation. They are concerned about the church, their community and lost souls. They are consumed with the work that Jesus has called them to do and don’t have time to sit and think of ways to get even with those who hurt them. They don’t have time to plan and scheme on how to have their own way. They don’t have time to think of things to complain about.
If there is something that needs repairing; if there is a situation that needs correcting; if they have differences with other Christians, they won’t stew over it and fire up a spirit of contention and division, they will bend their knees before the Lord, asking God for wisdom and for direction in what should be done so that no one is hurt in the process.
If there is work to be done, they won’t sit over in the corner hiding from it. They will jump in with both feet and put all of their energy and ability to work to get the work done. I am convinced that lazy, uninspired people are not connected to the True Vine. While I know that everyone deserves and must have a time of rest after the work in done, I don’t believe that God ever called one person to be a “couch potato”. There is always too much to done for anyone to sit around doing nothing.
Luke 2:49, “And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father’s business?”
John 9:4, "I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work."
Those are the words of Jesus. How do I know? Because they are printed in red in my Bible! Jesus is the True Vine. Those who are connected to the True Vine must live upon the same source, principles and life of the Vine. If Jesus had to be doing the Father’s business and had no time to lie around but had to be working while it is day, what makes us think that we can do any less? Are you connected to the True Vine? We will all know whether you are or not by the attitude you have toward the Word of the Lord.
I can only believe that those who are totally self-centered; who live their lives day-to-day only to get the things and brings pleasure to themselves; without ever giving of their time and talents to the work of Jesus Christ; are not connected to the True Vine.
Either they have allowed the cares of life to cut off their branch from the Vine or they’re connected to the wrong vine........... I’m also convinced that we’re always connected to either one or the other. Listen to me again of John 15:1,2.
15:1 I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.
15:2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.
The Father in Heaven is constantly trimming and working with the branches of the True Vine. These branches are you and I, if we love Jesus. We’re not a finished work but a work in progress. We’ll never be perfect but we’ll be growing in grace and in the knowledge of the True Vine every day.
The second verse tells us that the Father will remove every branch that doesn’t bring forth fruit. He will also purge, or purify and sanctify, those branches that are bearing fruit so that they can be even more productive.
Have you felt the pruning shears of the Father lately? Have you felt him cutting away a rotten attitude here, a festered temper there, a sore head here, a lame excuse there, a swollen head here, or a sour disposition there?
Just think of it this way, the ministry for the Lord that you are doing now is producing some fruit. The Father is just getting rid of the parts of us that hinder our own growth into useful and productive branches. He’s getting rid of every hindrance................... Little by little, line upon line, precept upon precept, or as Paul said it in 2 Corinthians 3:18, "But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord."..... If we’re connected to the True Vine Jesus Christ, we will be growing,.... we will be changing,...... and we will be in the process of becoming more like Christ.
There are many examples of those who enter the doors of the church who are not connected to the True Vine. They are connected to the lying vine of their father the Devil. They’re self-proclaimed “saints of God” who walk into a church claiming to be Super Christians. While it’s entirely possible that these wolves can walk about devouring the weak, the inattentive and the unlearned in a quiet manner, most of the time it’ss true. They’re outspoken and boisterous, bragadocious and self-proclaiming of their great "spirituality" and they want everyone to know just how great they really are.
Just look around, in almost any church and almost any service and you will see those who are in one of three conditions:
1)Those whose connection to the True Vine is strong – they will be working, praising, doing whatever is needed and won’t care about recognition because they’re doing it for the Lord.
2)Those whose connection to the True Vine is weak and dying – they will come to church but they won’t be involved in any ministry. They are too busy with their own lives and the things they want to do. If they’re busy, they will want to be noticed. They’ll want to have the praise and approval of the people and God gets very little glory from their scattered and scarce fruit. Some of these are self-proclaimed “prayer warriors” and they make sure you know it. Some are convinced that their great talents are God’s gift to the world and that the whole world should be ever so thankful that they exist for certainly the church couldn’t exist without them. There are those who are convinced that they know more than any preacher or teacher could possibly know and still yet, they don’t know how to interpret what they know to help other people.
3)Then there are those who are definitely connected to the wrong vine – these “dear Christian brothers and sisters” are in the church only to see and be seen; to have their own way at all costs; don’t care much at all for any type of real ministry. They love to gossip, to backbite, to gripe, to complain, to see every fault and every negativity, and find every excuse not to get involved or be a part of anything that requires something of them.
Those in the first condition, I thank God for you all. I know that you love Jesus, you love your Pastor, you love your church, you love your fellow Christians and you love the Work of the Lord. I can see your fruit and so can everyone else who cares to examine your life.... God is continuously changing you and you’re constantly getting better. You are connected to the True Vine and it shows....... Stay close to God and allow the Holy Spirit to lead you and Heaven will be your reward.
Those in the second condition, I thank God for you also. I know that deep within your heart there is the heart of a servant for Jesus Christ. The battle that rages within you is the battle for your very soul and only you can decide the outcome. Even in all of your faults and failures, Jesus loves you. The Father is even now doing all He can to prune those bad habits and those bad attitudes from your life. If you chose to follow Christ, you will, one day, become connected completely and the fruits that you bear will be plentiful and sweet.... Hold on to the Lord and never give up. But, there’s a warning.... Unless you repent of your ways and turn back to Jesus, the Father will have no option but to cut you from the Vine and allow you to die. He will not allow you to continue in sin and failure without consequence. The consequence of sin is always death. Don’t let that happen. Get back to your first love and come to Christ with all your heart.
To those in the third condition, those connected to the wrong vine – I thank God that you are here too. You are treading on dangerous and deadly ground. Satan is gonna ultimately destroy you if you don’t change your ways and come to Christ. Come quickly! Don’t wait. Each day you stay connected to the vine of the Devil his connection grows stronger. The only power that can cut you from Satan’s vine is the power of the Cross. Jesus died for you. He don’t desire than you should perish with your father, the Devil. I know that these are strong words but your soul is too important to not tell the truth. If you haven’t been cut off from the True Vine yet, you shall be cut off soon. God will not tolerate bitterness and confusion to come from wolves in the church for long. He will cut you off and the word “Ichabod” shall be written across the door of your heart meaning that the “Spirit of the Lord has Departed”!
I am happy that you are here in church, cause at least here you can hear the truth. Jesus said in John 8:32, "And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
Do you want to be really free from the bonds of a bad attitude, a gossiping tongue, a backbiting spirit and a sinful heart? You’ve heard the truth. This message has been for you more so than anybody else. If you will heed the call of the Holy Ghost as He is calling you to an altar of repentance and acceptance of the Lord Jesus Christ, then the truth that you are hearing will make you free. Freedom from the production of rotten fruit and freedom from the bonds of Satan will be yours if you will obey God right now.
Finally, I want to ask everyone this question, “Which of these conditions are you in right now?” Are you fully connected to the True Vine and bearing the fruits of righteousness that come from a repentant heart? Are you losing your grip on Christ and feeling the Hand of the Father as He is gently pruning you and trying to make you productive? Have you lost your connection to Christ without even realizing it and now you find yourself bound to the life that Satan is dictating for you?
Thank God if you are connected, pray for a stronger and more productive connection or seek God with all you heart so that He may cut you from sin and bring new life and a more productive life.
Which of the vines are you connected to right now? Make sure it’s the True Vine and that your life is bringing good fruit for the Kingdom of God.
