Wednesday 22 May 2013

Read: Matthew 7:15-21, Galatians 5:16-26

Do you ever have trouble picking good fruit in the supermarket? You can't cut a piece of fruit open in the supermarket to check if it is ripe enough, we need to figure out what is going on inside the fruit based on its outside. Every fruit has a different 'good fruit rule' for determining if it is ripe or not. For example, the skin of a ripe Hass avocado will turn brown and the fruit will be soft to the touch. When ripe, bananas go from green to yellow and begin showing black spots. By using these rules you can determine what is going on inside the fruit and whether or not it is worth eating.

 

Jesus commands us to be just as discerning and careful (if not more!) about false prophets and teachers in the church. But what are the 'good fruit rules' for teachers in the church? How do we tell which teachers are bad apples and which teachers serve up the sweet goodness of the Truth?

 

Jesus explains how to be discerning in Matthew 7:16: "By their fruit you will recognise them." In fact this is so important that Jesus repeats it again in verse 20! Jesus explains that a false teacher will always produce bad fruit whereas a good teacher will always produce good fruit. This is the 'good fruit rule' for teachers and prophets. We don't look for brown skin or squeeze them to see if they are soft, we look for the good fruit in their lives.

 

So what sort of good fruit is Jesus talking about? Verse 21 shows us: "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my father who is in heaven." Good fruit is not merely acknowledging that Jesus is Lord or crying out to Him. Good fruit is doing the will of God by obeying and honouring Him with our actions and by our character. Good fruit is about how we live. Galatians 5 shows us what this sort of life looks like.

 

Think about the Bible teachers who you benefit from in your own life. This could include those who you read, listen to or watch. Can you see good fruits in their lives? Does the way they teach the Word show the fruits of the spirit in Galatians? Can you see that they honour God in their family life, in their work life, in their speech and actions? Do you discern good teachers by their fruits?

 

Prayer:

Write down your prayer points in the space provided. Use today’s reading to help you get ideas.

Adoration:

 

Confession:

 

Thanks:

 

Supplication:

¥ Praise God that technology allows good Bible teaching to be distributed globally with ease. Pray that Jesus' followers all over the world would be discerning and wise with what teaching they consume. Pray that the true gospel would be preached boldly and faithfully all over the world and that many would come to faith in Jesus.

¥ Pray for the MOPS group which is gathering this morning. Pray that the mothers who attend from the community would be encouraged and blessed by the time and that they would hear the truth of Christ and turn to faith in Him. Pray that God would raise up carers who can serve the mothers and bless the children.

 

Discussion Questions For Families and Groups

1. What sort of bad fruit would you have to see in the life of someone before you rejected them as a false teacher?

2. What sort of good fruit would you expect to see in the life of someone who is faithfully teaching the word of God?

3. How should we maintain a humble attitude as we measure teachers by their fruits so that we don't slip into the judgment talked about in Matthew 7:1-5?