Friday, November 9, 2012

Bad Tree = Bad Fruit

Matthew 7:15-20 (NASB) “Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves.  You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they?  So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit.  A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit.  Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So then, you will know them by their fruits.
 
This passage very clearly explains how you will know false prophets: by their fruits.  Everyone prophesying in the name of the Lord isn't necessarily His.  If ever there was a time for us to study God's Word for ourselves, it's NOW.  We have become complacent and lackadaisical about what we are accepting from the pulpit.
 
We have turned mere mortals into objects of worship, fearful of questioning what they claim is God's message.  I guarantee that God's message today will not contradict God's message of yesterday because HE CANNOT CHANGE.  God is perfect now, as He was then, as He will be for all eternity.  There is a trend among our churches to offer a thinly-veiled version of Universalism to include all people without a call to repentance.
 
Packing the pews with people dead to sin without offering the life Jesus so freely gives is a farce!  We have a lot of bad fruit out there, friends.  We have motivational speakers masquerading as preachers, while people continually perish.  We have a responsibility to make sure the truth is taught and heard.  You may want to keep the peace, but when you know a teaching to be contrary to the Word of God, you must speak up.
 
Pray and ask God to open up the truth of His Word to you as you study.  Ask the Holy Spirit to give you the boldness you need to stand up to false teaching.  Once you know the truth, you can no longer sit under the bad tree.  That bad tree cannot produce good fruit, and that isn't judging anyone.  That is the truth of God's Word.

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