By Their Fruit Coloring Page
This week’s By their Fruit Coloring Page features Matthew 4:16. “You will know them by their fruits.”
In this sobering passage, Jesus warns against false prophets and false disciples. Here’s the verse in context:
Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them.
Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’
Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.
But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall. (Matthew 7:15-27)
Major take-aways from this passage include:
We need to be vigilant
Hold everything you hear up to Scripture and reject anything that goes against the truth of God’s word.
Now the Bereans were more noble-minded than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if these teachings were true. (Acts 17:11)
We need to be fruit-examiners
Almost anyone can talk the talk. The question is, do they walk the walk?
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” (Galatians 5:22)
We need to be introspective
Examine yourself, and be sure of your own salvation.
“Therefore, brothers, strive to make your calling and election sure. For if you practice these things you will never stumble, and you will receive a lavish reception into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” (2 Peter 1:10-11)
We need to be obedient
Building on the Rock means not only listening God’s Word, but living by it.
“But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.” (James 1:22)
More Bible Memory Resources
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