“So you must remain in life-union with Me, for I remain in life-union with you. For as a branch severed from the vine will not bear fruit, so your life will be fruitless unless you live your life intimately joined to Mine. “I Am the sprouting vine and you’re My branches. As you live in union with Me as your source, fruitfulness will stream from within you—but when you live separated from Me you are powerless.”
John 15:4-5 TPT
“A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit. A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. So every tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire. Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions.”
Matthew 7:17-20 NLT
“Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged. “And why worry about a speck in your brother’s eye when you have a log in your own? How can you think of saying to your brother , ‘Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your brother’s eye.”
Matthew 7:1-5
We’re all guilty of passing judgment on each other. More often than not our assessment of the individual is completely wrong. God has not called us to inspect hearts but rather be bearers of fruit for His kingdom. It is easier to pass judgment on others than to see the faults and failures in our own lives. Religion made me an inspector, knowing the truth about what I was capable of without the indwelling Holy Spirit changed the way I now view others. This verse changed my life:
“Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself.”
Galatians 6:1 NLT
I’ve learned that our Heavenly Father deals with His children differently than He does the world. He expects us to treat others in the same way as we would like to be treated. Jesus never judged or condemned a sinner, being righteous Himself, He gave others the opportunity to not only admit their faults, but also gently restored them without making them feel less than. He reserved His harshest criticism for the religious elites. We have used Matthew 7 as an excuse to be fruit inspectors. It’s not our right to judge it’s rather our opportunity to help those who are not living up to their potential to move towards a life of fruitfulness. As a matter of fact the last part of verse 20 of Matthew 7 pretty much covers why there’s no need to inspect. They self identify. We needn’t look any further than how we all live our lives.
Jesus said that because we have been forgiven our sins, we should also forgive. Matthew 7 was speaking to the religious leaders who had done nothing but lay heavy burdens of legalism on folks, while they themselves were incapable of keeping the laws they claimed to obey. Jesus said they strained out a gnat (out of their wine)but swallow a camel. (Matthew 23:24) They henpecked and scrutinized everything everyone else did with a plank in their own eyes. Jesus pointed out that religion, which is actually the works of the flesh, produces nothing but evil. But a life born of the Spirit of God produces good fruit. This was less about fruit and more about how we live our lives and the impact we’re having on others.
In order to bear good fruit or be an example to others, we have to be first and foremost connected to the Vine Christ Jesus. The One who, though in the flesh, lived a sinlessly perfect life. Consider the audience Jesus was teaching this parable to. Mostly scribes, Pharisees teachers of the law, farmers, fishermen and shepherds. They claim connectivity to God, but were, as their actions showed, barren and fruitless.The Pharisees who set themselves up as judges, were actually passing judgment on themselves. They had no connection to God or Jesus at all. Hence Jesus likens them to fruitless branches to be cut off and cast into the fire. We must be careful not to take on the role of judges, since we’re all prone to the same sins.
We’re not called to pick each other apart, we’ve been called to spur each other on to live victorious Christian lives. To love each other to life. Hebrews 10:24. Those of us who submit to the Husbandman’s pruning go on to productive fruit bearing lives. Those who are resistant to correction end up cut off. We’re so afraid of telling the truth that we sit back and watch our brothers and sisters dry up in their walk with Jesus.
Pruning is not the same as judging. Pruning is a loving way of spurring growth. The more I trim and cut my plants back, the more robust and full their growth. The more we sharpen each other the less opportunity they have to wither away. After Peter’s denial of Jesus, Jesus didn’t push him away, instead He appeared to him both privately and publicly to show the others that he was very much a part of the group. 1 Corinthians 15:5 and John 21. And prior to the denial Jesus told him he was praying for him and that after his denial and restoration that he, Peter, should strengthen or encourage the others. Luke 22:32. That’s one of the most tender moments recorded. Before Peter even sinned he was already guaranteed restoration. Wow!
So how can we stand as judges of another when we consider where He found us and the mercy He continues to demonstrate towards us? He is not coming back for a divided church but a Church bonded by our shared love for Him. The recent prayer march in September was a prime example of how separated from each other we are as a body. Two great ministries had similar events the same weekend. I said Lord, they both knew of each other’s events, why couldn’t they have coordinated their efforts? Why did they have to be literally splitting the audiences? I was watching one on television the other on my phone. Together they could’ve been a powerful force. One was quite solemn and remorseful, the other more charismatic but full of distracted people, more of an outdoor concert setting. Repentance is not entertainment- it’s brokenness before a Holy God. I’m sure both sides had good intentions but only God knows if they accomplished what they set out to do.
Unity brings the presence and power of God as we’ve read in Acts 2. If we’re attached to the same Vine we cannot help but be fruitful. We’re calling on the same Name. The Pharisees worked at separating people groups, Jesus worked at breaking dividing walls. This is not us and them, the Kingdom of God is not divided into denominations. I wrote a message earlier sharing that the early church had no other name but the Church of Jesus Christ in whatever city they were located. They saw results that we’re not seeing today. We’re attached yet detached at the same time, because of the barriers we’ve erected. Why would God call for the nation to pray in the same area on the same day yet keep them separated? We cannot bear fruit apart from Jesus, there’s no good in us, we don’t judge by denomination because we’re all supposed to be working for the same Master.
Let’s unite against the enemy that seeks to divide us. Let us bear one another’s burdens and fulfill the law of Christ which is to love one another. When we see a brother or sister drooping on the vine, let’s lift them up and spur them back to health, don’t judge or talk about them- speak with them. The only good in us is Jesus. Let’s spread Him. The body of Christ will be a force to reckon with if we lay our denominational differences aside and unite around what makes us Christians, the Blood and Name of Jesus Christ.
Father God, we are failing miserably at the very thing that should make us stand out in a lost and dying world. Unity. We are the most segregated group in the world. We bite and devour each other, denomination against denomination splitting hairs over dogmas. The Lord is ONE, Your Word is unchanging no matter what we choose to believe. Teach the under shepherds how to unite Your body, and teach us how to love each other. Jesus demonstrated true love by dying for sinners. It’s by Your grace alone that we are saved. Help us to truly become Your body united by our shared faith in Your Son’s finished work. Amen
“Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”
John 13:35 NLT
Written by permission of the Holy Spirit
W. Tennant
Comments