What do we learn from Matt 7:16 - 20 & 24 - 27?

Question

16"You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they?

17"So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit.

18"A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit.

19"Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

20"So then, you will know them by their fruits.
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24"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.
25"And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock.

26"Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.

27"The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell--and great was its fall."

Answer 1

You will know Christ followers by their "fruits" or actions.

Someone can say they believe in Jesus, but their actions may prove otherwise.

Those who are true followers will have works that show others that they are his followers. They will display the fruits of the spirit "Love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faith, mildness and self-control." Gal. 5:22 & 23

Our faith needs to have a firm foundation to survive the temptations Satan puts before us.

1 Pet 5:8 "Keep your senses, be watchful. Your adversary, the Devil, walks about like a roaring lion, seeking to devour (someone)."

Answer 2

I would just like to say that I think you could choose better passages from the Bible to intrigue people rather than the "bear good fruit or get thrown in the fire" kind. Jesus spoke so many powerful and loving words and yet we seem to only hear the convert or die stuff. Maybe you could add your thoughts about it so I know where you are coming from.

I am not against your religion and I have a great deal of respect for Jesus. I am just saying that a little thought put into the matter may "produce good fruit".

And for what its worth, I don't think Jesus was as crazy about condemning people as some Christians may say. Passages like the one above are allegorical in nature but as soon as fire is mentioned everyone wants to think he means hell. Perhaps he is talking about happiness. Building a strong foundation helps you weather storms. Bearing good fruit means that you are bound to have goodness in your life and not be cut down by the evil around you.

Answer 3

Jesus said, "you will know them by their fruits".
Jesus was not well versed in fruit trees to talk about them. Once he went out of his way to a fig tree thinking that he was going to find some figs to eat, but it was not the season and the fig tree had no figs. Jesus got so mad at the tree that he cursed the fig tree and the poor tree dried up on the spot and died. I don't know many people who would do the same thing... so much for WWJD...! Good lesson! The next time I come up to a tree that has no fruit I swear to God, I'll curse that tree beyond recognition... BTW, building the house on the sand is a standard practice at least in the State of Florida. Jesus calls them Floridians, "fools". Of course Jesus never meant what he said. We can always help him out in our interpretation.

Mark 11:13,20-21 (NIV) Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to find out if it had any fruit. When he reached it, he found nothing but leaves, because it was not the season for figs. 20
In the morning, as they went along, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots. 21 Peter remembered and said to Jesus, "Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has withered!"

Answer 4

I learn that the Bullhorn Guy approach to evangelism turns away a lot more seekers than it brings in.

Quoting scripture won't help you achieve your goal of bringing people to Christ. Forming relationships with them will, however.

I applaud your effort because your heart is in the right place, but I suggest a different strategy. More people than ever before are turning away from organized religion in search of a better answer.

I think Christ is the answer, and only through our relationships with others can the true spirit of his love shine through.

Answer 5

No matter what I profess to be...what I produce is the evidence of what I am and what I believe.

and...

(this was my devotional with my daughter last night)
The surest ground that you can stand on is Jesus (the Rock). He will see you through hard times and not allow you to be moved or destroyed.

Answer 6

I am right and you are wrong. MY GOD IS BETTER THAN YOURS, my book is written by God and yours is a lie, and you'd better convert to my religion or your going to burn in hell after I kill you. Sound familiar? Sounds life every major religion in the world. Religion is the worst thing that happened to spirituality! Do you actually believe that the Creator only has love for a small number of his creations? That he will condemn the rest, even the children, because they worship differently than you do? Are you arrogant enough to think that only YOUR FAITH has any answers to the great mysteries?

Answer 7

These scriptures are telling us that we can see who are truly loving and obeying God by their conduct-what they say, do, think. Christians experience the same difficulties and troubles that non-Christians do, but Christians are known by others to be able to handle these situations better.

Answer 8

Either make the tree good(grace) or corrupt(law).
Making it law ends bad: Law is "both good + evil".
So then, the end already written doesn't mention it:
The GRACE of our Lord Jesus Christ with you all. Amen.

Answer 9

You can tell the goodness of someone by how they treat and care for others.

and

Base your life on you faith and reason. Have your priorities straight from the get go or everything will go **** over teakettle.

Answer 10

As the song goes...

"They will know we are Christians by our love."

Love is the greatest of Christ's commandments.