“By their fruit you shall know them”

St Matthew 7:15-23
15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?
17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.
18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
21 Not everyone that saith unto Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the Will of My Father which is in heaven.
22 Many will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in they name? and in thy name have cast out devils? And in thy name done many wonderful works?
23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you; depart from Me, ye that work iniquity.
• What does the Bible mean by “fruits?” The results of Salvation, its redemption, and transforming power should produce a new creature in you that will represent the Kingdom of God inwardly and manifest outwardly through the faith of Jesus in you, His behavior, and His works through you.
• Based upon what I feel, know, and practice, can I produce and bear fruit on my own? Nope! Because we are born in sin and must be converted spiritually change the sin nature and its bondage and entrapments through our flesh and its Will.
• The fruit the Word of God is referring to is the spiritual works, deeds, actions, and thoughts in the Word of God that you have perceived, not received but perceived by becoming aware of or conscious of your spirituality through your senses being spiritually enlighten in your new heart.
• As a new creature in Christ your life and lifestyle are the fruit of righteousness being produced and bearing through the visible expression of the power of God working inwardly and invisibly in you (called transformation) to produce the character of Jesus in you; and your spiritual fruit as a new creature is the evidence of the Character of the power that is working and producing the fruit in you. (St Matthew 7:16).
• Your new life in Christ must exemplify (that is to represent, symbolize, personify, embody, and demonstrate) the spiritual character of Jesus being worked in you by the Spirit of God, as the evidence of the work inwardly is also exemplifying the character of the power of God that is producing the character of Jesus to your newness outwardly as well.
• The fruit that is seen outwardly should be the reflection of what your new character inwardly is bearing.
• As the visible expressions of the hidden lusts of our flesh and its works, so is the invisible power of the Holy Spirit working in those who are brought into living union with Christ, and they shall produce “the fruit of the Spirit”.
Galatians 5:22-23 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
• For example, the fruit of the Spirit is sown in you in righteousness to those who make peace will produce a harvest of righteousness.
• For example, racism and control are works of the flesh with the devil in control and these are the fruit of evil that works in and through the flesh.
St John 15:2-8
2 Every branch in Me that beareth not fruit He taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, He purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.
3 Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.
4 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in Me.
5 I am the vine, ye are the branches. He that abideth in Me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without Me ye can do nothing.
6 If any man abide not in Me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.
• Are you being purged and pruned so that you don’t see the fruit of the Spirit in you being revealed and manifested to others and even yourself?
• This is a process that begins on (in) the earth not when you get to judgment.
• For example, the way God used to use you and the power then fell but now you are withering up and it has become a comfort, a form of godliness that utilizes a familiar spirit of how it used to be.
• This is why tradition and religion, rituals, ceremonies, and annual celebrations are not the Will of God and His righteousness, and it does not produce or bear fruits of righteousness.
• Humanity traditionalizes everything and all things they do to remember what they did, how they acted, what they committed to, who moves the crowd, who “hooped” the best, etc.
• All the systems of the world are traditionalized with some form of godliness in their hearts that bears and produces evil.
• So, when the anointing is no longer in or with an event, we don’t even know it because we have become traditionalized to it, to control it and to maintain it, and to always do it that way to believe that these are the results that should be expected and feels good and right.
• In this the Spirit of the Lord has no dominion to move freely as He Wills to do.
7 If ye abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.
• This applies when you obey all the Word and not obeying the Word in suited instances, or situations, or to certain issues.
8 Herein is My Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so, shall ye be My disciples

Proverbs 11:30-31 30 The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise. 31 Behold, the righteous shall be recompensed in the earth: much more the wicked and the sinner.
• Don’t be fooled or deceived by the worldly, carnal, and natural things that many believers say that the Lord has blessed them with.
• The blessings of the Lord will NEVER violate His Word.
• For example, your life and lifestyle MUST produce and bear fruit of righteousness.
• You must spiritually grow to know the fruit of born-again believers because many fail to possess the fruit of righteousness which is a tree of life to many.
• We become a tree of life to many that we entreat and encounter. And flesh and blood will not inherit the Kingdom of God nor the things of the Kingdom.
1 Corinthians 15:49-50 49 And as we have borne the image of the earthly, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly. 50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.
• Your unsaved and lukewarm family members will not share in the things of God and His Kingdom.
• There are no exceptions! No respect of persons! Salvation is individual and personal.
Philippians 2:12-13 12 Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. 13 For it is God which worketh in you both to Will and to do of His good pleasure.
• The effects of Divine chastening by the Spirit of the Word are necessary to produce and bear the peaceable fruit of righteousness and to be partakers of His holiness. (Hebrews 12:10-11).
Hebrews 5:8 Though He were a Son, yet learned He obedience by the things which He suffered.
• Suffering for the namesake of Jesus Christ is a necessity to produce the obedience of Christ in you.
• Many believers don’t want to go through and won’t go through any processes that Salvation requires for the new creature in them (you) to be awakened to become perfected in Christ.
• As many believers do they tend to look to and at the natural man to try and discern what is spiritual in one another, when in fact the natural man can only discern natural things.
• 1 Corinthians 2:14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
• 1 Samuel 16:7 But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.

In Closing,
Psalm 1:3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
• You can only know the fruits by what you are bearing and producing in Christ which is your measured faith.
• Fruit is not grown based upon your likes and dislikes of the word or others.
• Fruit is not discerned or grown based upon feelings, opinions, comments, views, or suggestions.
• All of these are not applied to or a part of God’s processing.

Amen

Sunday, June 23, 2024, Apostle Tracey Robinson