Fruit of the wicked.
Proverbs {10:16} '...the fruit of the wicked to sin.'
Fruit of the righteous.
{11:30} 'The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life...'
Life and death.
Fruit of the Righteous, fruit of the wicked.
One leads to life, one to death.
Jer. {17:10} I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.
The Lord God searches our hearts.
The Lord God tries the reins.
The Lord God gives every man according to his ways.
The Lord God gives every man according to the fruit of his doings.
We have choices to make.
God or no God.
The choice is straight forward.
The choice made is the difference between life and death.
Every human creature of God's will make the choice.
We will live according to that choice, our lives will be a reflection of the choice we make- daily, hourly, minutely.
Our lives are comprised by our fruits. Our fruits are wrought from our beliefs. Our beliefs will be revealed in our actions (fruits).
According to our ways we will be given of God what He deems proper.
Jer. {21:14} But I will punish you according to the fruit of your doings, saith the LORD: and I will kindle a fire in the forest thereof, and it shall devour all things round about it.
We may be punished.
Jer. {32:19} Great in counsel, and mighty in work: for thine eyes are open upon all the ways of the sons of men: to give every one according to his
ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.
The Lord sees, the Lord knows and we will reap what we sow, we will get according to our ways. Anything we receive of the Lord will be deserved whether it is punishment for wickedeness or the Tree of Life for our obedience to Him.
Hos. {10:13} Ye have plowed wickedness, ye have reaped iniquity; ye have eaten the fruit of lies: because thou didst trust in thy way, in the multitude of thy mighty men.
Do we plow wickeness?
Do we reap sin?
Do we eat the fruit of lies?
Do we trust our own ways and in the ways of those around us and not God?
What is the reward of wickedness?
Death.
Amos {6:12} '... for ye have turned judgment into gall, and the fruit of righteousness into hemlock.'
Judgment into gall-something bitter and unwelcome, something unwanted and despised.
The fruit of righteousness into hemlock- poison, deadly.
What happens when we despise judgment and consider the fruit of righteousness poison?
No good can happen, none. Yet it will be done. Many would rather turn that which is good into something seemingly bad so they no longer are accountable to the good. If you make something good bad, if you pervert something good you can placate your conscience falsely holding yourself unaccountable.
Micah {7:13} Notwithstanding the land shall be desolate because of them that dwell therein, for the fruit of their doings.
Desolate land why? Because the fruit of those in the land is evil, is wicked. Desolation is not desired by any. Desolation as a result of evil ways.
Matt. {3:8} Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance: {3:9} And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. {3:10} And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
Fruits for repentence.
Trees with rotten fruit are cut down and burned.
We need to repent of our ways and go- and sin no more. We need to grow closer to Christ, our Lord and Savior. We have to realize that anything less will mean we can't possibly have fruit meet for repentance, that any fruit we have will be rotten. Only the fruit we bring forth as a result of our lives in Christ will be acceptable.
The cutting down, the burning is all real, these aren't lies being spread to cause you to lose hope, to lose faith. These are truths being told so that you may find hope and have faith in the only one who can save you.
Matt. {7:15} Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. {7:16} Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? {7:17} Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. {7:18} A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. {7:19} Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. {7:20} Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
Known by our fruits.
What fruit do you produce? It's a valid question. It's a question we need to ask ourselves.
Is it possible for a person to seemingly produce one sort of fruit but secretly bear another? Wolves in sheep's clothing. Ultimately the fruit they bear will reveal where they stand by the grace of God, what they believe in and what they are speaking of. We are given a standard to judge all men by and that standard is God's word, God's law. 'Isaiah {8:20} To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.' When we refuse to hold up that standard of judgment we fail to even begin to recognize the fruits their works should reveal.
We liked to think that those who appear loving, kind, good-hearted, sweet and wonderful will of course have to be God's, how could such wonderful fruit come from someone if they were in fact wicked? Impossible? I don't think so. Christ even says --
Matt. {7:21} 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. {7:22} Many will say to
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? {7:23} And then will I
profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye
that work iniquity.
Many will say... MANY...willl say didn't I do this and that in your Name...didn't I do many wonderful works (actions-fruits). What's Jesus going to say to these many?
'I never knew you, depart from me, ye that work iniquity.'
Depart.
Workers of iniquity.
But here they are saying that they did many wonderful things in Jesus' name! They are truly believing they are doing wonderful things. So it's not the sweet, kind, loving, gentle person we couldn't imagine not being in Christ who is going to be known by Christ. We are told who have light in them, who have truth in them- 'Isaiah {8:20} To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.'
Why would God who saved His people from the Egyptians and brought them out into the wilderness to offer them a covenant, why would He do that if it was a covenant that meant nothing? Jesus never broke the covenant. Jesus proved by His life that it was possible to keep the covenant. Yes, the sacrificial, ritualistic laws were abolished because they all pointed to Christ, but God's law, the testimony didn't change. The commandments the Ark of the Covenant held were not done away with.
Yes, we have a standard to judge by, and it's a standard we have to use because if we trust our senses, our feel good, looks good, nature than we will be deceived and while we might think we are following truth we won't be and we will be among those crying out to the Lord only to hear those awful words- 'I never knew you, depart from me, ye that work iniquity.'
Matt. {12:33} Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit.
So true.
Mark {4:26} And he said, So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground; {4:27} And should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how. {4:28} For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear. {4:29} But when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come.
We have very little control over the hows and whys of things, but we know that God is in control and He does things in His order. Step by step His ways are past our comprehension. He has a reason for all that is allowed and He is watching the inhabitants of Earth very closely. Seed to the ground, earth bringing forth fruit-- the blade, the ear, the full corn, the harvest. The Lord will reap the bounty of those that love Him truly they will be the fruit He harvests.
Luke {3:9} And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: every tree therefore which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
The wicked bearing will be cut down and burned- there is no escaping it for those who refuse to love the Lord their God, their Creator, their Redeemer.
Luke {6:43} For a good tree bringeth not forth corrupt fruit; neither doth a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. {6:44} For every tree is known by his own fruit. For of thorns men do not gather figs, nor of a bramble bush gather they grapes. {6:45} A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his
mouth speaketh.
Every tree is known by his own fruit. We can't use anyone else's fruit, we all have our own whether we want to admit it or not. Each person is either a good man with good treasure or an evil man with evil treasure. God knows which is which and we can only hope and pray that our treasure is good by His grace.
People generally would rather not think about good and bad, they'd rather hold up the standard that it's by grace we are saved, that not of ourselves it is a gift of God --Eph. {2:8} For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: [it is] the gift of God: {2:9} Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Truly if anyone boasts that their goodness will save them they've got it all wrong!
On the same token if anyone boasts of their evilness and claims they are saved by grace they've got it all wrong too. If they glory in their evil ways and show no signs of repentance they will not be saved.
Ps. {51:17} The sacrifices of God [are] a broken spirit: a broken and a
contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.
Rev. {3:19} As many as I love, I
rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent
Rev. {3:3} Remember
therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast,
and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on
thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will
come upon thee
Acts {26:19} Whereupon, O king Agrippa, I was not disobedient
unto the heavenly vision: {26:20} But shewed first unto
them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the
coasts of Judaea, and [then] to the Gentiles, that they should
repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance.
Acts {3:19} Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your
sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall
come from the presence of the Lord;
Matt. {4:17} From
that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the
kingdom of heaven is at hand.
Mark {6:12} And they went out, and
preached that men should repent.
Repent.
May the Lord our God and Savior Jesus Christ bless and keep us! May we repent of our sins, may we be known of God, may we cling to our salvation in Jesus our One and Only hope! By His mercy, by His grace!
Amen.
“Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.”- Jeremiah 17:7-8
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