by David Brenneman
“Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So then, you will know them by their fruits. “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’ “Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell—and great was its fall.”
A long time ago I was taught something about reading my Bible. That something was "when you find a therefore in your reading, go back as many verses as is necessary to find out what the therefore is there for".
Jesus used a therefore to make a point in all of His speaking that day to the people.
He wasn't speaking to be heard...as the Pharisees and Sadducees were doing every single day. He was talking to people who indeed were sheep without a shepherd. People needing guidance and direction. Us.
"Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them," think about that statement. For all of their days leading up to Jesus Himself teaching them all they heard were fruitless words. Countless days of do as I say not as I do from the Jewish leaders.
Some of what His therefore refers to you just read. I encourage you to read back further. Ask the Spirit to explain it to you in the way you learn.
To me...I understand differently than you probably do. To me...when Jesus said something about not judging...He meant do not write people off as to who is or isn't worthy of the Kingdom of God and salvation in Christ. We don't have that kind of authority. It's not up to us to decide who's worthy of Heaven and who should go to Hell.
In this very same train of thought...Jesus teaches about righteousness judging of others by the fruits. Not casting the pearls of God's wisdom before those who are only out to destroy it.
Do you seek to learn from your time in your Bible? It IS the Spirit's textbook for you. The basis of where salvation that you hopefully understood came from.
Many don't read their Bible because it involves learning what the honest truth of God's word really says about sin and His definition of it.
If they don't read then they think they'll get away with things before Jesus.
Doesn't work that way.
The Spirit can and does still bring conviction. But you must choose to recognize that.
Jesus wants doers of the Word and not just hearers only. His crowd then is the crowd now. Vast amounts of people hearing but not doing the Word of God.
That's another element of our therefore today.
Do you believe that anyone will ever get away with their definition of a good person or a good life over what God's Word says it is to be?
We're to become more like Christ. This is going to mean letting go of things that need to go. Regardless of how the world around us perceives it.
His therefore is there for us to really think about how we are really. Are we really doing the Word? Are we hoarding thoughts, actions, intentions, feelings about anything that's not ever going to grow us in Christ?
There is no joking around here.
Never once did Jesus explain sin and its consequences then say to take your time there's no hurry in repenting from it.
Our world is never going to stop trying to throw Satan's arrows at us. We may be desensitized to many of them but without the shield of faith...how do you plan to keep from being hit? Without the helmet of salvation, the breastplate of righteousness. How are you going to defend yourself from this very real very constant threat?
Satan's schemes are both soft and hard. Soft schemes are those where he has crafted a trap for you that is something you're very interested in. It may be nothing more than a perpetual distraction such as keeping a house clean just in case. It may even be a hobby or a job. It may be sports or other entertainment. Just enough to get you to wrap all your time, energy and effort into...so long as the Word of God isn't used or invoked.
Think about this particular therefore. There's more there than you probably first thought about isn't there?
Pray about what you're wrapping yourself up in that you are thinking you want in your life. Are you absolutely sure these things are honoring God?
When we walk with the Lord in the light of His Word what a glory He sheds on our way. While we do His good will He abides with us still never fear only trust and obey. Trust and obey for there's no other way to be happy in Jesus...but to trust and obey.
All NASB 1995 and NASB Scripture Excerpts used by permission. (C) Lockman Foundation.
