Some of you may have a garden where you see the fruits of good plant producing good fruits, this happens only if the roots of the plant are nourished with good nutrients and free from pests. Similarly, Doctors say if you have a skin that’s clear of acne or any deformations that’s a good sign your inner body is healthy, your skin is the first sign to indicate how your inner being is.
Likewise in spiritual growth, if you want to grow spiritually with Christ and produce the fruits that Christ desires in us, we should self-examine our own hearts before God because everything that springs forth from our mouths comes from what is in our hearts. Jesus explains this in Matt 12:33-37
' “Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit. 'Matthew 12:33
A Quick context of when Jesus spoke on these words of Good Tree, as its relevant to understand as we learn deep from this passage. If you read Matt 12, He had mercifully cast a demon out of a blind and mute man—with the result that the man was healed and could now see and speak. Those who saw it were astonished; and asked, “Could this be the Son of David?” But the Pharisees said, “It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this fellow drives out demons.”
'All the people were astonished and said, “Could this be the Son of David?” But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, “It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this fellow drives out demons.” Matthew 12:23-24
They were persistently attributing his miracles to the power of the devil. This wasn't because they merely misunderstood Him. It was because they hated him and were not ready to accept the testimony of the Holy Spirit concerning him.
There are three things we should learn from Jesus on the Good Tree
a. Mouth and Heart Connection
b. Treasure Store
c. Empty Words
Mouth and heart connection
'You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. ' Matthew 12:34
He calls them “brood of vipers”; or as it is in the King James Version, “O generation of vipers . . .” The word translated “brood” or “generation” basically means “offspring” and this speaks both of their evil character and their evil source. But it was a carefully selected name chosen to reveal their true character.
All of this was meant to show that these Pharisees, what they said about Jesus because they were evil at heart. What came out of their mouths was simply drawn up from the “well of sin” that was in them. Thus, Jesus says, “how can you who are evil say anything good?” They could not speak anything else but evil. It was impossible for them to do otherwise; “For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.”
Jesus’s emphasis is to have a clean heart to have the words that come out of mouth that’s good, it goes back to where he says in Matt 12:33 “Make a tree good and its fruit will be good,”
Treasure Store
'A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. ' Matthew 12:35
Look at how Jesus explained this principle. He said, “'A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him . . .”
Deep in a man is a “treasure-store”—an inner “depository” . It is filled with the things that he thinks about, the things that he treasures and values, the things that he fundamentally believes, and hopes for, and loves.
If a man who is right with God and is in his favour, if he is a man who has confessed his sins and has sought the mercy of God through Jesus Christ, if he is a man empowered by the Holy Spirit and is taught of God's word, then he is a good man who has a good treasure within.
The treasure store in us speaks what inside, if you have good things inside your heart, you say good things to people, if you are filled with filth and bad things, everything comes out from your mouth will be bad.
Empty Words
'But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.” ' Matthew 12:36-37
Jesus talks here about the Judgment we will have for the Empty words we have spoken “everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken”
What is this “empty word” – it can be translated as “every careless word”. Some of the careless words we speak, some might say, “Oh; I didn't mean what I said. I was just kidding anyway. Don't take things so seriously.”
The words that we speak may mean nothing, but the action of the word is opposite to what we speak as most of this comes from the heart.
But no matter what defence or excuse we make , it will be used during the judgement day as Jesus says, “For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”
Call for Action
All the three principles taught by Jesus boils to the Inner being of how we are and what’s stored in Heart is what produces all these things out of mouth. So how can we make it clean so that what actions we do will produce good fruits from good tree.
First important thing we need to have is - Faith in Jesus that he is our Saviour and he is the only one who can wash your Sin’s (does not matter how deadly it may be), there is no salvation to us outside Jesus.
As you walk with Faith in Christ, make a regular practice of allowing God to search your hearts and get rid of all that remains of our old life, the old evil things which was accumulated from bad company / some things which can be copied from the people whom we were associated with, it can be a bad word’s you spoke or a gossip you spoke or lies you spoke or the curses you made or a dirty thoughts you had etc..
As you make regular connect with Jesus thru your daily personal prayers, confess your weakness in the area by telling him openly where you are weak and what areas you need help for God's grace and strength to help us.
As you pray, ask forgiveness to the Lord and to the other person whom you hurt or spoke, if possible, reconcile with them, it helps take away the grudge you have in your heart deep so that it does not come back later.
Let’s make sure that what we put into our hearts is what we would want to have coming out of our mouths. Paul said, “'Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. ' Ephesians 4:29
Always fill things that’s pleasing to God, if talking to a person infuriates gossip stop talking to that person,
If working with a partner who is a cheater, quit working with him and surrender to God, God will open new doors to you.
Key is to identify the sin that is there, and it can happen only if we are a close to God walking daily and asking to cleanse or heart daily.
For us to have a Good Tree, our roots must be with Christ, to have good root, we must walk with Jesus every day. Always keep in mind one- or two-days break in walking with the lord give room for devil to put a tent and corrupt your heart, don’t give room to him even for a minute. As he is a deadly poison, one drop can kill our spiritual maturity.
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