They Will Know You

Matthew 7:15-20

15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. 16 You will know them by their fruits.

Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? 17 Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.

18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Therefore by their fruits you will know them.”

Not long ago I wrote on “Do you look like a Christian to the world”. Many claim to be Christian but claiming to be and being are often very different things—a person can claim anything.

In the world we live in today, we even have men claiming to be women and women claiming to be men. A person born male cannot become pregnant and carry a child and a person born female cannot father a child. Therefore their fruit bears witness to the truth!

Have you ever known someone who claimed to be a Christian that only bore bad fruit? A contentious person who is confrontational, becoming angry when they didn’t get their way or when a sermon was preached that didn’t fit what they wanted to hear or how they thought things should be?

This happens far too often. Some will even refuse to listen and become angry because the Truth was spoken. Like the proverbial ostrich, they bury their heads in the sand out of fear of being proven wrong or having to see truth that doesn’t fit their desired model.

What we want does not dictate the Truths of the Bible! People can be taught wrong things and come to believe them, and even become passionate about those wrong things. The Bible says “the truth shall set you free”.

The Truth dispels the wrong, the lies, the deceptions, and manipulations that people have. This is why people will get angry and lash out when they have believed and even desired wrongness but are told the Truth. Their heart recognizes when Truth is told to them and this causes a battle between the Heart and Mind. In Proverbs 23 it says “so as a man thinketh in his heart so is he”.

The reference to heart here is the complete man, not an emotional state but the thoughts, personality, hopes, desires, and beliefs!

The absolute fact is, you are either a man of God or you are NOT! The Scriptures tell us one sin is not greater than another, but somehow we as fleshly vessels tend to categorize sin as lesser and greater. God does not see it that way.

A contentious person who claims to be a Christian is at best a lukewarm Christian, which is distasteful to God, and at worst they profess a salvation that never happened.

Let me explain the truth in this situation. These are not people issues or matters of personalities. These are, purely and simply, Spiritual issues!

Contentious people in the church (and I’m including small gatherings of Christians here, also) whether you call them contentious or troublemakers, or even just contrary, are in fact not serving God! So why do these folks make themselves so obviously “in your face”? There is Scripture that explains this very clearly,

Luke 12:2-3

2 For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hide, that shall not be known. 3 Therefore whatsoever ye have spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light; and that which ye have spoken in the ear in closets shall be proclaimed upon the housetops.

Remember I said this is a spiritual issue? Being a spiritual issue it is therefore a matter that will be bound by Heavenly rules.

These folks have no choice but to expose themselves, so they will be seen as what they are. A promise from God given in Luke’s writings that God will expose the dark things! Just one more Truth proven by the Word of God!

God is going to expose these things to those that are His, so they will see it and comprehend. Another Truth is that the darkness cannot stand to be exposed, this will manifest in a multitude of ways.

There may be some temporary humbleness but if there is no real change, the darkness will be exposed again and again until the person either lashes out and leaves or they become completely broken (this is a time that God’s people must rush in and comfort, love, and teach).

Sadly that brokenness seldom happens. Jeremiah 13:23 Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil.

A person who professes to be a Christian, but produces only bad fruit is a False Prophet—they profess one thing but are another. Yes, this is a harsh example of the truth but it is the Truth according to the teaching of the Word of God.

This is a matter of the heart! The whole man must change. A leopard cannot change his spots with words, it cannot say “I’m not a leopard” and can no longer be a leopard! So how can it change? The Bible says in Matthew 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

The leopard cannot change its spots, but the Lord God can give the leopard the heart of a Lamb! If that is the desire of its heart! Turn your hearts to God!

Choose you this day whom you will Serve!