Key Text:
“For no good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit, for each tree is known by it’s own fruit. For figs are not gathered from thorn bushes, nor are grapes picked from a bramble bush. The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.”
- Luke 6:43-45
Several times in scripture, we see that Christ makes a statement about Christians being known by their fruit. As much as we try to avoid it, the Bible talks a lot about how and what we do. We have a hard time skirting the limits on simple behavior modification versus promoting genuine longing for Christ. We are often challenged with how to uphold goals of sanctity while not promoting a works-based doctrine on salvation.
Salvation - By Grace, Through Faith, In Christ
Salvation is a “free gift of God, not received from works, so that none should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9). We have to first remember that salvation is by grace, through faith, in Christ. Grace is received through the cross in that Christ paid our penalty. We were given mercy we didn’t deserve. Faith is the channel that is used to receive that grace. And Christ is the substance of our faith, the cornerstone of the aqueduct that channels grace into our lives.
We have two analogies here; one is the image of a grace coming from heaven through the channel of our faith, built up in Christ, and connecting to our hearts. We also see Christ as the vine and ourselves as the branches, remaining connected to Christ so that we can bear fruit. The fruit comes from the vine, not the branch. In our lives as Christians, we are to bear fruit. But, we have to understand that the branch cannot bear fruit without being connected to the vine.
What do these two concepts have in common? Connectedness to Christ. I receive saving grace only because of my faith in Christ. I must be connected to that grace by the channel of faith in Jesus. I can only bear fruit if I am connected to Christ. I do not have salvation, and I cannot bear fruit, if I am not connected to Jesus Christ.
When we understand this truth, we are faced with a logical conclusion that should challenge us in our thinking, our behavior, and our outlook. If salvation only comes through connectedness to Christ, then salvation cannot be present without fruits. If I say I’m saved, I say I’m connected to Christ. If I say I’m connected to Christ, I must bear fruit. I cannot claim Christ, and yet lack his fruit.
Sanctification - “Predestined to conformity” “he who began a good work”
“For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.” Romans 8:29
“being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 1:6
“the one who calls you is faithful, and he will surely do it.” 1 Thessalonians 5:24
One of the greatest things about connected to Christ, is that Christ will work in us to conform us to himself through the Holy Spirit. Paul told the Philippians that “it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose” (Philippians 2:13). The Christian life is one that has been called to holiness. But that charge, that duty, doesn’t rest solely on our shoulders. When God said, “be holy for I am holy” in Leviticus, he said this knowing that he was sending his Son to us to make us holy. When we read that we are a chosen people, set apart, we can trust that Christ in us sets us apart by lives marked with holiness. Lives that bear good fruit.
What is the connection between sanctification and bearing fruit? Look at Galatians 5:19-26. You see there a list of the Fruits of the Spirit that we are to bear. And don’t forget that this list is not all-inclusive. There are other good fruits mentioned throughout the Bible. But what I find interesting, and worth looking at, is that the fruits are listed as an alternative to works in our flesh. We are told the works of the flesh first. We are presented with the sinful attitudes of our flesh, before being given the alternative to bear good fruit. Bearing good fruit is another way of walking in holiness because those fruits oppose the flesh, and the flesh represents our sin-nature. We cannot be holy without good fruit. Likewise, we cannot bear good fruit and not walk in holiness.
Obligation vs Joyful Duty
Where does our duty come from? If Christ does it, if connectedness to him causes me to walk in holiness and to bear good fruit, what is my responsibility? Where is my obligation?
These questions are good. That can operate as a sort of test or evaluation for our spiritual state.
“Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you - unless, of course, you fail the test?” 2 Corinthians 13:5
Self-Test - “Examine yourself to see that you are in the faith”
Personally, a great test for me, a great gage is, “how do I view what I’m doing?” Do I see it as an obligation or a joyful duty?
If I see bearing fruits, being obedient to scripture, studying God’s word, treating others well, discipling those around me, honor God in big and small things as an obligation, then I am operating under a work-salvation mentality. I am trying to earn my salvation and I am not recognizing or appreciated the truth of God’s word or the beauty of Christ’s work.
But, if I see doing those things as a joyful duty, something I GET to be a part of, I am honoring God and walking in obedience to his word and treasuring and savoring Christ. I need to get in the habit of thinking about my thinking to determine if my motivation is to please God or avoid hell. Paul Washer, in a sermon on salvation, once said, “Everybody wants to go to heaven. They just don’t want God to be there when they get there. The question is not do you want to go to heaven. The question is this. Do you want God? Have you stopped being a hater of God? Has Christ become precious to you? Do you desire him?” What is the motivation of your heart?
One more quote from him, “Do Christians struggle with sin? Yes. Can a Christian fall into sin? Absolutely. Can a Christian live in a continuous state of carnality all the days of his life not bearing fruit and truly be Christian? Absolutely not or every promise in the Old Testament regarding the New Testament covenant has failed and everything God said about discipline in Hebrews is a lie. A tree is known by it’s fruit.”
Evaluate the Body - “spur one another” “if you see your brother in sin”
How often do we evaluate not only our lives but our church body as a whole. How often are we attentive to one another’s spiritual state? Not as a mean for judging others or feeling better about ourselves, but of loving our brothers and sisters enough to see them walk in truth instead of in their flesh. Loving them the way Christ has commanded. Are we attentive to the fruits we bear individually and collectively?
Scripture tells us to “spur one another on towards love and good works.” It also says that if we see our brother in sin, we are to restore him gently, so as to save his soul from hell. We walk this road with each other with two motivations in our hearts. For our own lives, to seek and savor Christ - to live a life pleasing to our father. For our brothers and sisters in the faith, to see them avoid hell because we love them. How are we helping each other bear fruit by helping each other remain connected to the vine, to Christ?
Abundance of the Heart - “with your words you will be justified…”
How do you evaluate your fruit? How do you assess the state of the tree? That brings us to our principle text. “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” Our words (and responses and actions, all the ways we communicate) are evidence of what is in our hearts. Are they filled with love? Jesus said something in Matthew that I think should cause us to think more deeply than we probably do. “For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” We are told that we will have to give account to God for every word we speak. Why? Because the things that come out of us show us what is in us.
I can’t pour lemonade from a pitcher of milk. What I put in the pitcher is what will come out. What goes into my heart will be what comes out. We spoke earlier that Christ works in us to conform us to himself. We already said that God works in us to will and to do. But what about those questions we asked earlier, about obligation and duty? Not only are we called to assess and evaluate our motivations, but we are also responsible for the things we allow to enter our hearts. If I’m called to live not by bread alone but by every word of God, so that his word in me produces the fruit of a good tree, why am I going to go and put all the things that are contrary to that word in my heart too?
What I put in, will come out. If I have too much drama in my life, poor relationships, easily angered, jealous, etc etc etc, does that mean I’m filling my heart with Christ’s word or am I filling it with the things of this world and walking in my flesh? Let’s examine ourselves.
Growing up, I remember pastors, teachers, preachers using this passage as evidence in a case. You slip and say something, and someone says, “out of the abundance of the heart.” It was always an after-the-fact statement. But what if that’s not the primary purpose for this statement? What if instead of only using it as tool for evaluation, we used it as a strategy for the future?
How do you refill? - Guard your heart… Stewarding the gate of your heart
In a church I grew up in, I remember a sermon series our pastor did called “gatekeepers.” It was on stewarding the gate of your heart, your family, your home, etc. I especially liked the idea of guarding the gates of our hearts.
How are you guarding your heart? How are you attentively stewarding the doors to your heart and mind to ensure that it is filled with things that honor God? How often do we use this verse, not simply to assess our heart’s condition, but to prepare our hearts to honor God.
Are we spending time reading and meditating on God’s word? Are we careful with our movies, our shows, our music, our friends, our hobbies. Are the things you fill your heart with things that honor God and make you more like Christ?
Psalm 19:14 - words and meditation (be pleasing in your sight), Psalm 119:11 (hide in my heart, not sin against you)
I love what Psalm 19 and 119 says about our hearts and what our desire should be.
“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, oh Lord, my rock and my redeemer.” - Psalm 19:14
“I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.” Psalm 119:11
You will notice the connection between heart and words with pleasing God and abstaining from sin. Our hearts are the roots of who we are. What we fill it with will determine what type of tree we are, and whether we are living a life in pursuit of the Name that we claim.
“For no good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit, for each tree is known by it’s own fruit. For figs are not gathered from thorn bushes, nor are grapes picked from a bramble bush. The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.”
- Luke 6:43-45
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