In Matthew Chapter 7, Jesus said, “When the Judgment Day comes, many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord! In your name we spoke God's message, by your name we drove out many demons and performed many miracles!’ Then I will say to them, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you wicked people!’” Jesus chose as examples the people we might think are God’s children. They were prominent people in public ministry—then, as now—who preached the Gospel, cast out demons, and performed miracles. Some people are troubled by Jesus’ remarks—which is good! We should always pay attention to what Jesus says. Today, let’s continue on this topic as we listen to additional verses from Matthew and also from Paul:

“Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. (Matt. 7:15-18)

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. (Gal. 5:22-23)

In today’s first passage, Jesus talks about false prophets. A false prophet isn’t just someone who brings a false message; a false prophet is also someone who claims to bring a message from God, but doesn’t. Jesus says to beware of these folks and then tells us how to spot the difference: look at the fruit. “So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit.” OK, so how do we identify what’s fruit? Isn’t prophesying, preaching, casting out demons and doing miracles pretty great fruit? Here’s what Paul says, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.” The ability to prophesy, the ability to cast out demons, and to preach powerfully are gifts, not fruit. Think about Christmas trees. They’re covered with beautiful lights and decorations. While Christmas trees are beautiful, they’re dead. In fact, many people use fake Christmas trees! You don't discover what kind of tree a Christmas tree is by looking at the lights and ornaments or by the presents under the tree. Christmas trees might look good for a season but they're not producing anything. You can tell the difference in a real tree and a fake one by looking at the bark, or by crushing a needle and smelling the scent. So let’s remember, to see if someone really knows Jesus, look for the character that God has been growing in them. Jesus says judge a tree by its fruit…not by its gifts!