A verse that has always caught my attention, one that has caused my spine to tingle is found in Matthew chapter seven. 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? –Matthew 7:22.
Jesus gives us a picture of a large group of people standing before Him on Judgment Day. They thought they lived their lives for Him. They were gifted people—prophesying, casting out devils, and doing many wonderful things in the name of Jesus—they seemed like good Christians. However, in the next verse we read that Jesus will say to them that He never knew them. Jesus even tells them to depart from Him. He sends them to hell, forever.
I remember an account that reminds me of these verses. Years ago, I was working for a steel joist company. It was a normal Friday morning, we were working hard, as was required of each of us. The line boss came out and announced a meeting with the whole plant after the shift was over. We all wondered what the meeting was about. We asked around but it seemed that no one knew. After the shift, we all stood in a large circle and waited for the boss. He soon entered the room with another man. It was the manager of the whole company. Prior to these men coming in, we were all talking casually with each other, there was laughter and loud voices. The boss had a large stack of envelopes, and I heard a buzz go around about bonus checks. Everyone looked excited, except for the boss.
Then the boss started talking, “We have been watching all of you very closely over the past four weeks. We have been looking at your work ethic, how hard you try, and whether you’re on time. We have been looking at many different areas. Your supervisors will give each of you an envelope with your name on it. Do not open this letter until you are off the premises. When you do open it, you will find some instructions. For most, it will say to return to work at the normal time on Monday. But for 27 of you, it will say that you are fired. For those included in that number, we did not like what we saw during our time of evaluation, so we decided that we need to release you from your employment here.”
You could hear a pin drop. Fear was seen on every face. I remember wishing I had worked harder, been more involved. I regretted taking my job for granted. It was a terrible feeling, I had worked there for years, but did that matter?
I wasn’t fired that day, but 27 others were. They thought they had done enough. They thought they were safe since they had put in their time. But they were wrong, and now nothing could be done. It was over.
What about us? Do we gauge our walk with God based on eternity? Do we wonder what will happen on the day of judgement? How can we know?
Jesus says a few verses earlier that we will know each other by our fruits. There is much talk in the Word of God about fruit. We know what type of tree one is, by examining its fruit. When we first moved to Haiti, we didn’t know what kinds of trees were there. I remember looking up at a large tree on our property and wondering what kind it was. Then something gave it away. There were small avocados hanging from its branches. In the church today, it seems that people do not want to talk about this. But I assure you that we should talk about it before it is forever too late. Looking back, we would have loved to talk about this at the factory before that day when some of the employees were fired.
So, what is the fruit of a Christian? We know that being a good person and dressing in a certain way are not determining factors of a godly life. It is not the church we attend, the family we were born into, our culture, or the color of our skin. Many would agree that these things are not what identifies us as Christians. Some may think that the fruit of a Christian is being a good, morally upright, and loving citizen of society. There are many people who are law-abiding citizens, loving and peaceful, taking care of their own needs and the needs of others. Yet it is still possible for them to do all these good things and still go to hell.
We hear the world (and some in the church) proclaiming loudly that it’s only the heart that matters. We know they are saying this so they can excuse the lack of visible fruit. Even though their outside is bad, they want people to think that their heart is good, and that that’s all that really matters.
They are correct about the heart being important. You can’t change or fix anything simply by putting on a form when the heart is still selfish and wicked. However, they are wrong about the heart being good and the outside being bad. This is impossible. Jesus says, Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also –Matthew 23:26.
You cannot have a clean heart and a sinful appearance. However, on the flip side, you can have a clean appearance and yet still have an ungodly heart. So how do we tell? What is this fruit that Jesus is talking about?
We will talk about the fruit of the Spirit shortly, but first I would like to talk about something else that I believe defines a Christian. Something that can separate the sheep from the wolves, even if they both appear to be the same.
A desire to serve Jesus. When God converts a person’s soul, that individual is a new creature, and desires to serve God with his whole being. That person does not need to be forced to do what pleases God. There is much talk today in the church about structure and rules, however, this was not always the case. So why is this such a big issue today? Maybe there are unconverted people in the church. Perhaps people are too independent and do not want to be told what to do. You can tell a church member to dress modestly, but if their heart is not changed, you will face problems. They will try to be as worldly as they can, and still be within the ‘law’ of the church. Or they will simply refuse to do it and the church soon gives in and no longer requires their people to dress and live modestly. Should the church need to force its people to be modest? Should the church need to force its people to be Christ-like? Absolutely not. When a soul has been redeemed and transformed by the blood of Christ, that person, in return, will, because of his changed nature, live a sacrificial life for Him. We obey His commandments with grateful hearts!
For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous –1 John 5:3.
A heart that has not been made new by God’s Spirit will not passionately desire to live for God. One can religiously go to church—many unbelievers attend church services regularly. One can dress right and act right, but if their heart does not pant after the things of God, these things will have no profit. Much of what they do is to receive the praise of men, not the glory of God. It is no wonder that many churches of today are accepting drift.
It is a beautiful thing to see someone truly desire to live for God. They desire to seek the face of their Creator, their Savior. They live for the Kingdom, for the brotherhood. To obey God and serve Him is a necessity; it is the only thing that really matters to them. Their ‘all’ truly is on the altar. They love reading the Word and spending time alone with God. Their desires and their will have been sacrificed on the altar of their God.
People have told me that we need to give a new Christian some room. “Some room for what?” I ask. Some room for sin… for carnality? Absolutely not. Every example in the Bible says differently. Every conversion brought a tremendous change, a new creature. Many people confuse ‘grace to learn and to grow’ in the faith as an ‘excuse for sin’. The Scriptures define new Christians… As newborn babes, and commands each of us to desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: –1 Peter 2:2. So new Christians don’t need space to continue for a time in their ungodly ways, but they do need space to grow …in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man –Luke 2:52.
When someone comes declaring they have been converted, it is easy to find out. We simply go over some scriptures that explain practical, foundational doctrines like non-conformity, non-resistance, and such like. Some see it as God’s Word and soak it in. Many folks sit in astonishment as I read such verses to them—Scripture verses they have never heard before. Usually they simply believe what they just heard from God’s word, and it changes them. That is a Christian who wants to be taught, who wants to be discipled. They tend to come with a teachable attitude asking questions about that which they have read in God’s Word and don’t understand.
But what about so many others? They hear the same scriptures and they argue—they argue with the Bible and the person sharing the Scripture with them, but ultimately, they are arguing with God. They will usually admit that it’s what the Bible says but they want to know why it says that. They are not wanting to change their life for God. They want to be a Christian, yes, but they also want to live how they want. They do not desire to obey God. We can continue working with them, but it is clear: their heart pants after the things of the world and the pleasures of this life.
Picture with me a man living 1,000 years ago. He is locked in a dungeon, where everything is as black as coal. It is musty and stinks. He has been arrested for preaching the gospel. His ankles and wrists are raw and bloody from the large, heavy chains that keep him bound in the tiny cell. He’s claustrophobic, weary, and worn. His back is bloody. His aching limbs have been stretched to the breaking point. He talks to God, but God does not answer. He pleads for deliverance but hears nothing in return. He thinks back on his life, his faith. Then he wonders the dreaded thought: “God, are you there? Are you real?” Silence. His faith is being tried to the extreme. He knows that if he continues to hold to his beliefs, a fire awaits him. Why? Why die for a God that allows him to go through this agony? Why die for a God that will not speak? “My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken me?”
Now picture this man… is you.
Do we really believe in God, a God who’s not seen and often not heard? If our faith does not exist, then God will not exist when we really need Him.
God wants us to put all our faith in Him, all the time. We walk by faith, NOT by sight… even when things are going well. When we find ourselves in terrible times, God is still near, leading us and giving us courage to go on! We are used to simply trusting in Him, in His word.
For if they do these things in a green tree, what shall be done in the dry? –Luke 23:31.
God loves a heart that is turned toward Him, fully yielded, and surrendered. He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him!
Do we have the fruit of the Spirit of God? Do we act like Christians? Do we look like Christians?
I was asked to preach for a large church that I had never been to before. I went with my family and sat while the seats filled up with hundreds of people. I was amazed at how these people were dressed. There were short miniskirts and skimpy tops, much worldly fashion and style. The service began and I realized quickly that this was not a good place for my family, so I took them home and returned by myself. The rock music was still going, and the dancing was pushing my limits. After two hours it was time for the message. I stood and told the large crowd that I was the new President of America. Laughter filled the auditorium. I then asked them if they believed me. “No!” they shouted. I asked why they didn’t believe me, and they responded with different answers. One yelled, “You don’t look or dress like the president!” Another said, “You wouldn’t be here if you were the president!” Yet another said that I didn’t sound like the president. I told them that I didn’t understand. I asked how they can say that they are Christians—They don’t look like it! They don’t act like it! They don’t sound like it!—Yet everyone believes them!
It seems that we judge everything by its fruit, except for Christians. For Christians we are expected to judge by what they claim. This world thinks they can simply imagine what Jesus wants and then please Him in any way they personally choose. However, the Bible is clear: Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so 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 –Matthew 7:16-20.
The Bible says that …the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance… –Galatians 5:22-23. Are these the things that people see when they look at you and I? I know it is easy to justify not having one or more of these fruits by saying, “I’m working on it,” or “I’m praying about it.” Jesus does not say that this fruit is something that Christians should work to attain. He simply says that these are the fruits, or product, of the indwelling Spirit of God. If we pursue worldly ambitions, or if we desire to fit in with the world, we cannot expect this fruit to be evident in our lives. I believe this is the fruit of a suffering man, a person that has been giving his all, and desires to give his all to the Lamb that was slain.
Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire –Matthew 7:19.
When we give something our all, whether it’s our work, our school, or raising a family, it feels good—it is fulfilling. When we serve God with all our being, the same is true. There is a very rewarding feeling, a feeling of peace that passes all understanding.
