Actions Speak Louder than Words

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March 1, 2003 - Matthew 7:15-23

Open It

1. What do you know about vegetable gardening?

2. What kind of inner alarm (if any) alerts you to the fact that a person is a phony?

3. What is your favorite fruit?

Explore It

4. Against whom did Jesus warn us? Why? (7:15)

5. What do false prophets look like on the outside? (7:15)

6. What are false prophets like inwardly? (7:15)

7. How did Christ say we could recognize false prophets? (7:16, 20)

8. What does nature reveal about a tree and its fruit? (7:16)

9. What kind of fruit do good trees bear? Why? (7:17-18)

10. What type of produce grows on bad trees? Why? (7:17-18)

11. What happens to trees that fail to produce good fruit? (7:18)

12. Who will enter the kingdom of heaven? (7:21)

13. How will some people try to talk their way into heaven? (7:22)

14. What credentials or accomplishments will some people claim? (7:22)

15. How will Jesus respond to these impostors? (7:23)

16. What is necessary for entry into heaven? (7:23)

Get It

17. Why do we continue to sin if we have Christ in our heart and the Holy Spirit in our lives?

18. What does this passage tell us about the importance of doing good works?

19. How do good works and salvation fit together?

20. How can people be "religious" yet not follow Christ?

21. What kind of good works have you been producing lately?

22. What evidence in your life points to your relationship with Jesus?

Apply It

23. What spiritual disciplines can you use to cultivate your soul this week?

24. In what area of your life can you place more emphasis on doing good works each day this week?

NOTES

False prophets were common in Old Testament times. They prophesied only what the king and the people wanted to hear, claiming it was God's message. False teachers are just as common today. Jesus says to beware of those whose words sound religious but who are motivated by money, fame, or power. You can tell who they are because in their teaching they minimize Christ and glorify themselves.

We should evaluate teachers' words by examining their lives. Just as trees are consistent in the kind of fruit they produce, good teachers consistently exhibit good behavior and high moral character as they attempt to live out the truths of Scripture. This does not mean we should have witch hunts, throwing out church school teachers, pastors, and others who are less than perfect. Every one of us is subject to sin, and we must show the same mercy to others that we need for ourselves. When Jesus talks about bad trees, he means teachers who deliberately teach false doctrine. We must examine the teachers' motives, the direction they are taking, and the results they are seeking.

Jesus exposed those people who sounded religious but had no personal relationship with him. On "that day" (the day of judgment), only our relationship with Christ-our acceptance of him as Savior and our obedience to him-will matter. Many people think that if they are "good" people and say religious things, they will be rewarded with eternal life. In reality, faith in Christ is what will count at the judgment.

"That day" is the final day of reckoning when God will settle all accounts, judging sin and rewarding faith.

(Back to Helps Home Page)     (Sermon, March 2, 2003)
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