By their fruit you will recognize them. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?By their fruits you will know them. Do you gather grapes from thorns or figs from thistles?Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?By their fruits ye shall know them. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?
5 sermons cite this verse
… Let's let's let's inspect. Let's check out my tree. Matthew 7 16 says, and you will know a tree by the fruit it bears. And it's very interesting because Paul, he says, I'm going to talk like a fool. And he says in so many words, if you go up to verse number 16, he says, I'm talking like a fool. And instead of talking about his accomplishments, he talks about his scars. what's make what makes that interesting is he's saying to the church of corinth uh in so many words i got a resume with stuff that i could actually talk about can we take a second and roll through the apostle paul's resume i mean after he's knocked down on the road to damascus in acts chapter number nine he gets up and he gets right in the game because he's got purposeful faith the scripture says he spends years in arabia and damascus preparing himself for public ministry translation after he accepts jesus christ he starts attending fellowship bible academy he says i got to study to show myself approved under god a workman needed not being ashamed of the word of truth translation i just got saved now let me learn about what i just accepted let me get a handle on this thing I just got in because I didn't pull up into the kingdom, join the family of God, become a member of fellowship to be a liability. But I came to be an asset. I intend to be a big …
… Which have you traveled by? Let's turn to Matthew 7, verses 15 through 20. So I preached from this text a couple of weeks ago. In it, Jesus warns his disciples not to follow false prophets. And then he lays out the difference between a false prophet and a true prophet, the kind of people we want to follow and the kind we don't, and really points towards the kind of life that we're going to live. And he says this, they will be known by their fruit. They will be known by their fruit, by whether they produce good fruit that brings health to other people and life to other people, or they produce toxic fruit that makes people sick. I want to ask you this question. Are you producing good fruit or toxic fruit? Are the people around you blessed because of your presence in their lives? Do you invest in them? Do you care for them? Do you show them kindness? Or do they get only cruelty from you? …
… 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. Not everyone who says to Me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to me on that day, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles? And then I will declare to them, I never knew You. Depart from me, You who practice lawlessness. Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. …
… but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes or thorns or figs or thistles? What's he saying? You can't gather grapes from thorns and figs from thistles. You just can't do that. Now what he is saying is you have to learn that there is a difference between right and wrong. In the same context where our Lord says, judge not that you be not judged, he said, don't give that which is holy to dogs. Don't cast your pearls before swine. Sounds to me like you have to discriminate To find out where the dogs and the hogs are Who they are What they are The Bible clearly and plainly teaches discrimination Let me give you some verses outside of the context 1 Corinthians 2 verse 15 He that is spiritual Judgeth all things Are you spiritual? Then you're going to learn to judge all things. The word here, judge, comes from the word krino, and it has a number of different meanings. …
… but inwardly they are ravening wolves. ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns or figs of thistles? Even so, Jesus says, every good tree bringeth forth good fruit, but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, NEITHER CAN A CORRUPT TREE BRING FORTH GOOD FRUIT. EVERY TREE THAT BRINGETH NOT FORTH GOOD FRUIT IS HEWN DOWN AND CAST INTO THE FIRE. WHEREFORE BY THEIR FRUITS YE SHALL KNOW THEM. 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. MANY WILL SAY UNTO ME IN THAT DAY, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name, and in thy name have cast out devils, and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you. Depart from me, ye that work iniquity. Have you ever passed a house or been walking up to a house wanting to knock on the door and you see a sign that says, Beware the dog. …