Matthew 7:12-14

Rachel Workman: 15 “Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves. 16 You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act. Can you pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit. 18 A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. 19 So every tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire. 20 Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions.

These are good verses. Good produces good, evil produces evil. It's not hard to distinguish between the two. The part that stands out to me is in verse 20. you can identify people by their actions. Good or evil. Our actions should always be that of good and never evil. Even our words should be used for good and not evil. Not just most of the time but all of the time. 

____________________________________________________________________________________

John Burnett:  ^{Matthew 7:12-14}

¹² “In everything, therefore, ^[i]treat people the same way you want ^[j]them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets.  Wisdom to live by. 

The Narrow and Wide Gates

¹³ “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. ¹⁴ For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.  I have heard this passage preached by some very good teachers and I find it to be disheartening.  I have seen many people who claim to be Christian being interviewed, that when asked to explain the gospel or how do you know you were born again and they look clueless.  I believe there are millions of people sitting in churches today, being taught how to live in this life, and not how to live eternal life.  It says few will find it, those who have been born again and have the Holy Spirit living in them.  Those who have repented of their sins and put their trust in Jesus Christ as the only sufficient payment for their sin.  Christ said I am the way, the truth and the life, no man comes to the father but by me.  There is only way, it is narrow, and few will find it. 

 Matthew 7:15-19

A Tree and Its Fruit

¹⁵ “Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves.  These false prophets, lead people off the narrow path mentioned above.  Turn on God TV, TBN, or Daystar and you will see them. ¹⁶ You will ^[k]know them by their fruits. ^[l]Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? ¹⁷ So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. ¹⁸ A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. ¹⁹ Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. ²⁰ So then, you will ^[m]know them by their fruits.  They use the money donated to their ministries to buy his and her matching mansions across the street from each other and serve money instead of God.  Their fall is sure and they will burn and it is sad because they missed the opportunity God gave them to teach the true gospel.

____________________________________________________________________________________

Allen Michaels:  ¹⁵ “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. 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. Kind of like the Olsteen’s, Meyer’s, and Jake’s that are all over the media today. ¹⁶ By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? ¹⁷ Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. ¹⁸ A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. ¹⁹ Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. ²⁰ Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them. 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. 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. I believe that it’s already going on today in an even greater magnitude than it has in the past. Matthew 24:24 warns us; “For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.”