Mat 3:7-10; Your Fruit Reveals Your Origin.

Class Outline:

Wednesday December 20, 2023

 

MAT 3:7-10

But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, "You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 "Therefore bear fruit in keeping with repentance; 9 and do not suppose that you can say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham for our father'; for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children to Abraham. 10 "The axe is already laid at the root of the trees; therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

 

Hereditary right is a human phenomenon and not particular to Israel. It is easy for fallen mankind to believe that they are superior by birth.

 

Each person will be judged according to their deeds: unbeliever, and believer.

 

REV 20:12

the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds.

 

2CO 5:10

We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.

 

The same thinking of hereditary prowess existed in the hearts of the Jews who believed that genetic link to Abraham was the means of deliverance.

JOH 8:31-32

So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, "If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free."

 

A key word is “continue.” It is meno, the word meaning abide.

 

The result is that you will become a disciple of Christ - an attentive student of faith who follows Him.

 

The disciple is the only one who bears much fruit.

JOH 15:8

“My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.”

 

Jesus elaborates further, repeatedly pressing on two issues, loving Him and keeping His commandments.

 

It is clear in the Scripture that believers can be carnal or spiritual.

 

JOH 15:6

“If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned.”

 

JER 17:5-8

Thus says the Lord,

"Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind

And makes flesh his strength,

And whose heart turns away from the Lord.

6 "For he will be like a bush in the desert

And will not see when prosperity comes,

But will live in stony wastes in the wilderness,

A land of salt without inhabitant.

7 "Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord

And whose trust is the Lord.

8 "For he will be like a tree planted by the water,

That extends its roots by a stream

And will not fear when the heat comes;

But its leaves will be green,

And it will not be anxious in a year of drought

Nor cease to yield fruit.

 

PSA 1:2-3

But his delight is in the law of the Lord,

And in His law he meditates day and night.

3 He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water,

Which yields its fruit in its season

 

JOH 8:31-38

So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, "If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free."

 

Truth = Jesus.

 

33 They answered Him, "We are Abraham's descendants and have never yet been enslaved to anyone; how is it that You say, 'You will become free'?"

 

34 Jesus answered them, "Truly, truly [His authority], I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin. 35 "The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son does remain forever. 36 "So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed [freedom can only be a gift from heaven and Christ is the only one with authority to give it]. 37 "I know that you are Abraham's descendants; yet you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you. 38 "I speak the things which I have seen with My Father; therefore you also do the things which you heard from your father."

 

All are born into this world slaves to sin - trees with bad fruit.

Your father is established by your traits.

 

JOH 8:39-47

They answered and said to Him, "Abraham is our father." [We don’t need the freedom you are offering] Jesus said to them, "If you are Abraham's children, do the deeds of Abraham. 40 "But as it is, you are seeking to kill Me, a man who has told you the truth, which I heard from God; this Abraham did not do. 41 "You are doing the deeds of your father." They said to Him, "We were not born of fornication; we have one Father: God." 42 Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and have come from God, for I have not even come on My own initiative, but He sent Me. 43 "Why do you not understand what I am saying? It is because you cannot hear My word. 44 "You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies. 45 "But because I speak the truth, you do not believe Me. 46 "Which one of you convicts Me of sin? If I speak truth, why do you not believe Me? 47 "He who is of God hears the words of God; for this reason you do not hear them, because you are not of God."

 

Born again believers love the Father and the Son and do their will.

You must accept this.

 

Born again believers are forgiven, made new humanity, given new hearts, indwelt by the Holy Spirit.

 

JOH 8:48-59

The Jews answered and said to Him, "Do we not say rightly that You are a Samaritan and have a demon?" 49 Jesus answered, "I do not have a demon; but I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me. 50 "But I do not seek My glory; there is One who seeks and judges. 51 "Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he will never see death." 52 The Jews said to Him, "Now we know that You have a demon. Abraham died, and the prophets also; and You say, 'If anyone keeps My word, he will never taste of death.' 53 "Surely You are not greater than our father Abraham, who died? The prophets died too; whom do You make Yourself out to be?" 54 Jesus answered, "If I glorify Myself, My glory is nothing; it is My Father who glorifies Me, of whom you say, 'He is our God'; 55 and you have not come to know Him, but I know Him; and if I say that I do not know Him, I will be a liar like you, but I do know Him and keep His word.  56 "Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad." 57 So the Jews said to Him, "You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?" 58 Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am." 59 Therefore they picked up stones to throw at Him, but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple.

 

There is one who seeks and judges - the Father. “Anyone who keeps My word he will never see death.” What an amazing statement. Good fruit and bad fruit are life and death situations.

 

The claim that one has life due to from whom they were born is only words. To claim life for any other reason than you have died and your life is now the resurrection of Christ is a lie.

 

JOH 10:10

I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.

 

ROM 6:3-4

Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? 4 Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.

 

God cuts down the trees that do not bear fruit. All have repenting to do. All have gone astray. But the wonderful hope in us is the very real faith that turning to God in faith in every area of our lives is going to result in deep and real changes that result in changes of behavior and divine fruit. God is going to do this by His power. He is waiting for you to allow Him by believing His truth, and the truth will set you free.