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Bibleline Bibleline, here God’s word on Bibleline, here God’s truth on Bibleline. Welcome to Bibleline with Dr. Ralph Yankee Arnold, pastor of Calvary Community Church in Tampa, Florida, clearly declaring the gospel of Jesus Christ through the radio and the internet. Your regular prayers and monthly support make it possible for Bibleline to continue on the You can reach us toll-free at 1-800-576-3771. Online donations may be made by clicking on the donations link on the BibleLineMinistries.org homepage. We pray that you will enjoy our commitment to the clear gospel of Jesus Christ and that today’s message will be a blessing to you and your family.

Take your Bible and turn to the book of Matthew Chapter 3. Jesus Christ had began his ministry. John the Baptist was on the scene preaching, concerning the kingdom coming. The king was on his way. And then this statement was made here in verse 10 of Matthew chapter 3. And now also the ax is laid unto the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which bringeth not forth, good fruit is hewed down and cast into the fire. The last part of verse 12 says, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.

In other words, a statement that a day is coming where the Lord is going to cut down the trees that do not bring forth good fruit and the trees are going to be burned. The question is, what kind of a tree are you? Are you a good tree or a bad tree? Have you ever heard the statement that the Lord made in His word concerning an individual? You shall know them by their fruits. Well, take your Bible and turn to the book of Matthew in chapter 7.

These verses caused me no small stir for a long time because I didn’t understand if the Bible says that you shall know them by their fruit. Does that mean that we’re supposed to judge whether a person is a Christian or not or to tell a person who’s a Christian and those who are lost by their fruits? And I had it explained to me this refers to a person’s life that we could watch a person’s life and judge by their fruit whether they were a Christian or not.

And so many times people began to do just that. They look at so-and-so who is not living a good life and they say well that person can’t be a Christian. And then I’ve seen them judge falsely also by saying well that person goes to church and that person does all these good things that person would give you the shirt off their back. That person must be a Christian because you know we’re supposed to judge by their fruit. And of Matthew chapter 7 is the verses that are often used.

If you will look there in verse 15 of Matthew chapter 7 verse 15 says, Beware a false prophets which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. You shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns or figs of fizzle? Even so every good tree bring a fourth good fruit but a corrupt tree bring a fourth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.

Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hued down and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. And so many times these verses are used for you and I supposedly to judge whether a person is saved or lost. Is that really what this is referring to? Well we might use it for that but I think it goes a lot deeper. First of all I want you to see a a couple of things. Look here in verse 17.

Verse 17 says, even so every good tree bring a fork good fruit, but a corrupt tree bring a fourth evil fruit. So we know that we have two things mentioned here. We have a good tree and we have a bad tree. Two kinds of trees, two kinds of fruit, but something that most people don’t see is a misverse 18. Look at verse 18. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.

According to that verse, a good tree bring forth good fruit, and a good tree cannot bring forth bad fruit. Are you a good tree or a bad tree? But remember, if you say, well, I’m a good tree, if you are a good tree, then you can’t have any bad fruit. Not even one bad fruit, no bad fruit of that tree. If you’re a bad tree, you can’t bring forth any good fruit on that tree. That’s what it says. Then what’s the problem?

If I was to follow you around for one week and watch the fruit on your tree, to see what you did, what you said, where you went, all of your actions, if I was to put you under a magnifying glass and watch you for one week, At the end of that week, when I come to the conclusion, you are a good tree or are you a bad tree? But remember, a good tree cannot have any bad fruit, not one bad fruit, and that bad tree can’t have any good fruit.

It looks like it’s clear cut. You’re either a good tree or you’re a bad tree, but you can be both trees. Now, look there in verse 21. When it says, you shall know them by their fruit, and then it turns right around and seems like it contradicts the statement. Verse 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. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name?

Hey, wait a minute, prophesying in his name, that ought to be good. Then he says, and in thy name, have cast out devils. Well, that ought to be good. That’s two goods. and thy name done many wonderful work.” Well, that ought to be good. So then if I was to judge this person by their fruit, I would say, well, that must be a good tree. But look what he says in verse 23. And then, will I profess unto them, I never knew you.

Depart for me ye that work in equity. Well, wait a minute, I thought they were good. Aren’t those good things? And if we’re supposed to judge by the outward appearance, well, then we would judge, though, must be a good person. Look, what many good things they did. says they’ve done many wonderful works and so forth. But you see, he said, I never knew you. They par for me you that work iniquity. So he was saying, you’re a bad tree.

And those things that you brought forth is bad fruit. How is a man then supposed to get to heaven? Remember this, the last part of verse 21 says, but he that dwelt the will of my Father, which is in heaven. The Lord in heaven never said that for you and I the righteous and to go to heaven that we had to cast out devils. The Lord never said that we had to do many wonderful works in order to go to heaven.

The Lord never said that we had to prophesy in His name to be righteous. He never said that. When He says, but He that doeth the will of my Father, if we want to talk about how to be righteous, that is revealed in John chapter 6 where He says, this is the will of the Father that you believe on Him whom he hath sent. Did any of them say that they had trusted Christ as their Savior? No. They were pointing to their works about what they had done.

And so even the fruit of the lips condemned them. Because the Lord never said that you are saved by your works. But now we need to go even further than this. Take your Bible and turn to Book of Matthew and chapter 12. Matthew chapter 12 and verse 33. If you or I was to judge one another, would not we come to the same conclusion? Either we are good trees or we579 trees. What kind of a tree are you? How do you see yourself?

In verse 33, he says, either make the tree good and his fruit good, or else make the tree corrupt and his fruit corrupt. For the tree is known by his fruit. He says, old generation of vipers, how can ye be an evil speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaketh. a good man out of a good treasure of the heart, bring it forth good things. And an evil man out of an evil treasure, bring it forth evil things.

You see the problem is not the fruit, the problem is the root. You see you don’t only tell what’s going to take place on that tree by its fruit. You can also tell by the root. And what he’s saying is either make the tree good and the fruit good or the tree bad and the fruit bad because what they had done in chapter 12 here is accuse Jesus Christ of bringing forth bad things, but they said he was good.

They said what he did was by the power of the devil, by the power of the yells above him. He says, wait a minute, he says, either make the tree good and the fruit good or the tree evil and the work evil. He said, how can I bring forth good things unless I am good? He says, you want to judge, then judge righteously. So the problem is not so much the fruit on the tree. That is only the manifest evidence of a root problem.

And he says that all these things come from out of the heart of man. Now take your Bible and turn to the book of Mark in chapter 7. Mark chapter 7 and look in verse 14. Jesus Christ speaking to his disciples. He said in verse 14, and when he had called all the people unto him, he said unto them, Harken unto me every one of you and understand. There is nothing from without a man that entering into him can defile him.

But the things which come out of him, those are they that defile the man. Now remember a man is made up of three parts. He is a body, a soul and a spirit. A man may drink alcohol and not defile the soul of the man, but it can be filed his body. Tobacco may ruin your body, but not touch the soul of man, because a man is a body, soul, and a spirit. The Lord says what goes into a man is not what defiles the man.

Now there’s things that can hurt you spiritually, and there’s things that can hurt you concerning your soul, your emotions, your seed of emotions. causes us to have good feelings and bad feelings. That’s our seed of emotions, our soul. And then we have a body. Now God wants our body to be healthy and He wants our soul to be happy, but He wants our spirit to be spiritual, to be holy. So yes, we have a Trinity built within us, but when He’s talking about here, He’s doing to the heart of man, the very root of man.

What is a man do what he does. And so he made this statement down in verse 18, and he said unto them, Are ye so without understanding also? Do not ye perceive that whatsoever things from without entering into the man he cannot be fallen? Because it entered not into his heart but into the belly, and go up out into the drop – purging all meats. And he said that which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man, for from within, out of the heart of man, now get this, for from within.

This is the root of man. You see, this is what determines the fruit on the tree. So we’re supposed to judge whether a man is a good tree or a bad tree by the fruit. God says that he can see deeper and he can tell because of the root of man. Now, I know there’s what he says here in verse 21, for from within, out of the heart of man, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, nasciviousness, and evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness.

All these evil things come from within and defile the man. So every man is defiled because every man would be a bad tree. If every man born into this world has an old sinful nature, from which proceeds all of these evil fruits upon our tree, then God says that every tree will have to be cut down. If this is true or not there any good trees at all, because if we look upon this earth, every person that’s born has within them the seed of corruption.

That’s why we do what we do. Every one of us are capable of committing the grossest sin you have ever heard about. Because within you, you have a root that can proceed forth from you. Now you may restrain some of it because of your education because you don’t hurt somebody concerned and you have some restraints built in. When you trust Christ as you say, but you can get a few more restraints and try to constrain this thing from bringing forth these fruits upon this tree.

But the problem is still there and will always be there until the day you die. That’s why we do what we do. Look in Mark 10. Mark 10 and look in verse 17. And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running and kneel to him and asked him, good master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life? Jesus said unto him, why call us thou me good? There is none good but one that is God.

Now, if he says a good tree can only bring forth good fruit and a bad tree brings forth bad fruit, then if he says there’s only one that’s good and that’s God, then how many of us would be a bad tree? Every one of us is a bad tree and every one of us bring forth bad fruit. So if we want to try to determine whether or not we’re a good tree or a bad tree, all we have to know is we’re all human individuals with an old sinful nature and we all bring forth bad fruit.

And sometimes a child of God or even a lost person can pick the apples off the tree and Try to disguise it so that you can’t tell that they’re an apple tree But it doesn’t change the root problem. It’s still an apple tree Just because you and I say we don’t smoke different you and go with the girls who do and we stop a lot of things in our life It doesn’t change the fact that inwardly Thirdly, you and I have a root problem which proceeds forth from us.

God never changed any of that whenever you and I trusted Christ as our Savior. And then verse 18 again, why callest thou me good? There’s none good but one and that is God. What he’s also sinned, either I Christ, either I am a good tree or I am a bad tree. That’s what he was referring to in chapter 12 of Matthew. He said, either make the tree good and the fruit good or the tree bad and the fruit bad.

He said, but if you’re going to call me good, then make my fruit good. He is either God and bringing forth good fruit or he’s a man. and he’s an evil man and he’s bringing forth evil fruit. But Jesus Christ was God and he was the only one that was good. Therefore, he’s a good tree with good fruit, and all the rest of us are bad trees with bad fruit. Now God says that he’s going to cut down the bad trees and they’ll be cast into the fire.

Well, what hope do we have? That’s why the good tree came, and so much good can be accomplished. Take your Bible and turn to the book of Matthew in chapter 5. The Pharisees were the law keepers, supposedly. They thought they were so righteous, and they didn’t need a Savior. They were self-righteous in their own eyes. And the Lord was talking to a mixed multitude, and He told them, He says, now listen. that accept your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the Pharisees, you shall in no wise enter into the kingdom of heaven.

Now here is the Pharisees. These are the one who are trying to be so religious and keep all the law be so good and then Christ comes along and tells them, look, your righteousness must exceed the righteousness of these Pharisees or you can’t even go to heaven or into the kingdom. How are you going to have a righteousness that sees the best that man can do down here. It is called an imputed righteousness. A righteousness that God will give to you, not because you earned it, but because God loves you and He’ll give it to you as a free gift.

Take your Bible and turn to the book of Romans and chapter three. And look at verse nine. When the Lord, God Himself, looks upon the whole earth, He He doesn’t find any good trees.” And verse 9 says, What then are we better than they know and know wise? For we have before prove both Jews and Gentiles that they are, what’s the word? They are all understand. That means that they’ve all sinned. They’re all bad trees bringing forth bad fruit.

Then he says in verse 10, As it is written, there is none righteous, no not one. All bad trees. So when you want to get out and start inspecting, people upon planet Earth to find out who do you think to save and whose laws you cannot tell by a man’s works. Because you can take the most godliest Christian that you know and you will find bad fruit on a Christian’s life. The most godliest man you know. And so then he still has evidences of some bad fruit.

But let me show you. Here in Romans, if you notice there in verse 11, there’s none that understands, there’s none that seeks it after God. They are all going out of the way. They are together becoming profitable. And then in the last part of verse 12, there is none that doeth what? None that doeth good, no not one. There’s only one that’s good, and that’s God. So he’s the only good tree. That one good tree came into this world, and he was born.

The Bible says that he came and was a tender plant. This plant grew up, and his word is an incorruptible word. The Bible is the word of that tender plant. God’s word is seeds, incorruptible seeds. So if you and I will take and believe these seeds in God’s word and believe it, a tender plant will grow inside of us. Inside of that bad tree, God doesn’t change that tree. He didn’t cut down that tree yet. And yet, if you and I will believe what Jesus Christ said inside of us, we will have a new birth, a new plant, a new tree which will grow from an incorruptible seed and it will live forever.

It cannot die. This new tree that’s born within us. And as this new tree begins to grow inside of us, it will come to the place where it wants to bring forth fruit in our life. So you see, I am an individual with two trees living inside of me. I have the root of an evil tree inside of me. And then when I trusted Christ as my Savior, I have the root of a divine tree living inside of me.

And that’s why there will be times in my life where you might see some bad fruit from my bad tree and you’ll see some good fruit from my good tree because I have two natures living inside of me. You look there in verse 21 of chapter 3. But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, been witnessed by the law of the prophets. Even the righteousness of God which is by faith in Jesus Christ. On to all and upon all them that belief, or there’s no difference, for all have sin.

Alright, look up here. All have sin. That means everybody is a bad tree with bad fruit. I don’t know who you are. It doesn’t matter how long you lived. Where all bad trees with bad fruit. And someday we’re all going to be cut down. You’re not going to live forever. The key thing is, do you have within you this new tree that came because you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior? If not, you will spend eternity separated from God in hell.

Now God loves us and wants us to go to heaven. So when you and I accept Christ as our Savior, God did not cut down the tree. He didn’t take the fruit off the tree. That’s why we do not go around throughout the world trying to tell people if you want to go to heaven, pick the apples off the tree or change the way you’re living. A bad tree can’t change from being a bad tree. It can’t change itself.

So that’s why you do not tell a lost man to turn from your sins in order to be saved. He can’t do it. It’s impossible. You can’t stop acting like you. You are born that way. You have an old sinful nature and you’ll sin always. whenever you come along and somebody explains to you what God’s word says. And you understand that yes, I am a sinner and I believe Christ out on that cross and paid for my sin and I trust Jesus Christ as my Savior.

God said to you are born spiritually by the incorruptible seed. You are given a new birth. This birth is born of God. If it’s born of God, it cannot sin. If it cannot sin, it cannot die. That’s because this one comes from a good tree. And a good tree can’t bring forth bad fruit. And that’s why you’re reading the book of 1 John 3, whosesoever is born of God to not commit sin for his seed remaineth in him and he cannot sin because he’s born of God.

When you accepted Christ as your Savior, this one was born of a good tree, an incorruptible seed. That’s why it cannot sin. If it cannot sin, it cannot die. That’s why once you trust Christ’s Savior, you’re always a child of God. And that’s why you’ll go to heaven whenever you die. this one over here, the axe is going to be laid yet, and one day this one will be placed into the grave and the worms will eat it up.

And this one goes to heaven, your second birth. But you see, as a child of God, you have within you a divine nature and a sinful nature. You have within you the root of two trees living within you, and they both want to express themselves in your life. They want to bring forth fruit. And you’re the one that determines whether these limbs that you’ve got, this body, this instrument will bring forth good fruit, or whether it’ll bring forth bad fruit.

You and I are the one that determines that. But even if we bring forth the bad fruit, does it mean that we’re still don’t have a good tree living inside of us? This is your new birth that’s born of God. Take your Bible and turn to the book of Galatians in chapter 5. In the book of Galatians and chapter 5, notice what he says here in verse 16, this I say then, walk in the spirit and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.

God says if we will walk after the Lord and do what God wants us to do, you won’t bring forth the lust of the flesh means you still have them, you will always have them. That’s why a child of God can want to do the the things that are right and go to church and yet you have an old sinful nature that’s always within you. How long will this battle go on in your life until the day you leave this world?

That’s why in the book of Romans it makes the statement concerning Paul. He says, when I wanted to do that which was right, evil was present with me. He said that I wanted to do this and I wanted to do that but I couldn’t and how to perform I find none. He said, I I found out that in my flesh, that is in my flesh, well if no good thing, nothing’s good. That’s in your old birth. But whenever you step Christ you say to your now God’s child, well the new nature.

And now God said he wants to express himself through this body that he’s given to us. That’s why yes, we should serve the Lord. Not to get to heaven but because we’re going there. Can a Christian then bring forth in his life bad fruit? Yes, because God hasn’t cut the tree down yet. He didn’t ask you when you got saved to stop all your sins. He gave you a new birth. This new birth has a new nature and God says to bring forth new fruit.

And so if you will get so busy doing what God says to do, you won’t have time to bring forth the wrong kind of fruit. The Christian life is not a negative, it’s a positive. It’s not, well, I don’t do this and I don’t do that and I don’t do this and I don’t do that. I know, but do you do what God says to do? If you got busy doing what God says to do, you’d get so busy, you’d have to schedule it when they get into trouble.

But many of God’s people don’t do that. They play silly little games. And the Bible says that this old nature that we have, that we had covered a couple of weeks ago, it talks about it been a deceitful, wicked individual that lives within us. Now you know what you really want? What you really want is found in verse 22 and 23. But the fruit of the spirit is love, and joy, and peace, and long suffering, and gentleness, and faith, goodness, and faith, and maintenance, and self-control.

These are the things that see, this is the fruit from the good tree. Now if you trust the Christ as your Savior, then you got a good tree living inside of you. And this good tree wants to bring forth good fruit. But you’re the one that determines whether you bring forth good fruit or bad fruit. And nobody can make you do either one. That’s a decision you have to make because see, those root problems lies within an individual. As a child of God cannot you gossip, cannot you sow seed to discord, cannot you get angry and bitter and mad, cannot you even get to the place where you can kill somebody?

Yes, you can. Can a Christian commit adultery? Can a Christian get drunk? Can a Christian do all these sins? Yes, he can. Should he? No. Can he? Yes. And that’s because he’ll walk in the flesh, not in the Spirit. spirit. But if you will walk in the spirit, let me let the Holy Spirit have control of your life and you yield to Him, you’ll like the fruit that you get. But as you go through life and you don’t let yield yourself to the Lord, you’re going to bring forth the works of the flesh and you’re not going to like what you get.

Because down the road years from now you’re going to root the consequences and you’re not going to like it. That’s why it’s so important for a child of God to understand. Because I’m God’s child, I have the opportunity of bringing forth two kinds of fruit and God said in his word be not deceived, God is not mocked whatsoever a man so of that shall he also reap. You bring forth the fruit from the bad tree and God’s going to have to chase and discipline you.

You bring forth the fruit from the good tree and God won’t have to and you’ll have peace and joy and happiness and that’s what you want in your life. So you’re going to get out of your life what you deserve, what you work for, what you sowed, you want peace You want love, so love. Want joy, so joy. And that’s how you will be able to read what you sow. You sow anger, you reap anger. So hatred, you reap hatred.

So bitterness, you reap bitterness. Because those are things that will be manifested inside of you. And a man destroyed is an inside job. You’re never destroyed from the outside. Are you a new listener to Bibleline? Do you enjoy the teachings of Dr. Arnold? Well, if you’ve never contacted us before, we want to give you Dr. Arnold’s bookfilename The Gospel Driven Man. Every day we receive many emails from folks who have questions about repentance and salvation, about faith in works, and about how to share the Gospel with friends and loved ones.

This book, The Gospel Driven Man, covers all those topics, and we want all new listeners of Bibleline to receive a free copy. There’s no obligation, no donation necessary, simply call us at 1-800-576-3771 or write to us and request your free copy of the Gospel-Driven Man. Mailing address is 4811 George Road, Tampa, Florida, 33634. Again, don’t forget to include your mailing address, and God bless you and thank you for listening to Bibleline. Thanks for joining us on Bibleline. If you are in the area, we welcome you to visit us.

The address for Calvary Community Church is 4811 George Road, Tampa, Florida, 33634. And now, a closing thought from Pastor Arnold. Friend, one day it will happen. The trumpet will sound. And we will be changed. Taught up to meet the Lord in the air. So live today and every day. Believing that the Lord is coming soon, just keep looking up.