The Teaching that Bears Good Fruit

“For no good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit, for each tree is known by its own fruit. For figs are not gathered from thornbushes, nor are grapes picked from a bramble bush. The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks” (Luke 6:43-45).

Jesus continued to teach about the importance of the heart. After exhorting His disciples to love their enemies and to confront and transform hearts by living and teaching His truth, Jesus taught that the condition of the heart is revealed by the quality of the words and deeds that proceed from it. This truth was revealed in the Old Testament… “Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life” (Proverbs 4:23). Simeon had prophesied over Jesus when He was an infant, that He would be a revealer of the hearts of men and women… “Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, ‘Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed” (Luke 2:34-35). By teaching this truth in the midst of His teaching about God’s Word, Jesus shows us that as we are faithful to present God’s Word to the world, it will provoke and reveal the condition of the hearts of its hearers… “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account” (Hebrews 4:12-13). We are exhorted today to abide in and share with others the teaching that bears good fruit.

God’s Word keeps our hearts connected to Jesus Christ. Jesus wants us to be as intimately connected to Him as a branch is connected to a vine… “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). Maturing disciples discover early in their walk with Christ that abiding in Him is greatly enhanced through abiding in His Word… “Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, ‘If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples’” (John 8:31). Jesus taught that the scriptures contain all the testimony we need to know Him intimately… “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me” (John 5:39).

God’s Word keeps our hearts nourished in His truth. The Holy Spirit inspired the Psalmist to declare that God’s Word is truth… “The sum of your word is truth, and every one of your righteous rules endures forever” (Psalm 119:160). Jesus prayed that the truth of God’s Word would set true disciples apart from the world and keep us holy and available to do the work of the Lord… “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth” (John 17:17).

God’s Word keeps our hearts overflowing with His truth. Jesus taught that there is a direct connection between the mouth and the heart… “But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person” (Matthew 15:18). The Holy Spirit affirms this direct relationship between what we confess with our lips and what we believe in our heart... "If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved” (Romans 10:9-10). While people are good at hiding what they really believe in their heart, when their world is shaken by a severe crisis or trial, the words that come out of their mouth will always give them away. That’s why Jesus admonished His disciples to store up the “good treasure” of truth from God’s Word in their heart. He promised that our lives will be shaken and tried as our faith is refined on our way to heaven, but He also promised that with the Holy Spirit’s help and a heart filled with His truth, true disciples can always be identified by bearing fruit that glorifies God… “By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples” (John 15:8).

As we grow up into Christ our hearts are kept, nourished, and overflowing with God’s truth by…

The Teaching that Bears Good Fruit.