By Their Fruits You Will Know Them

Jesus takes a very ordinary thing, fruit, and makes it tell the truth about a person. The fruit image starts in a funny place, with pizza, olives, mango, pineapple, figs, dragon fruit, and the question, “what fruit best describes you?” But Matthew 7 turns that question into something much more serious. Jesus says to watch out for false prophets, because not every voice that sounds helpful is actually telling the truth.

False prophets come in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. The wolf has tells. Big eyes, big ears, teeth. Jesus says fruit works the same way. Grapes do not come from thorn bushes, figs do not come from thistles, and a rotten tree does not produce healthy fruit. What is underneath eventually comes out.

James 3 sharpens that warning by asking whether fresh water and salt water can come from the same spring. The tongue can praise God and then curse people made in God’s likeness, but that combination is not harmless. It shows that something deep down is mixed up. The good thing said in public does not stay untouched if the hidden life is rotten. A person may look good “on paper,” but the real fruit shows up in actual life.

Jesus also warns that fruitlessness is dangerous. The fig tree in Mark 11 looked alive from a distance, because it had leaves. But figs were supposed to come before the leaves, and when Jesus found nothing but leaves, the tree was exposed as deceptive. The temple worked the same way. From far away it looked full of life, prayer, activity, and holy energy, but inside Jesus found no fruit, only a den of thieves.

The “Lord, Lord” warning presses the matter even deeper. Religious words, impressive works, miracles, events, and even concern for others can still be leaves without fruit. The real question is source. Salt water cannot become fresh just because it is poured through religious language. Galatians 5 names the rotten fruit clearly: jealousy, rage, selfish ambition, factions, envy, and the like. Galatians also names the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Jesus calls for wisdom, honesty, and fruit that is real, not just fruit that looks good from a distance.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Fruit tells the truth [55:16] Jesus gives fruit as the tell that cuts through appearances. A tree may look impressive from a distance, but the fruit reveals what is actually growing inside. Discernment is not the same thing as judgmental suspicion, because Jesus warns his people to notice what is being produced. Real wisdom learns to look past leaves, labels, and religious language. [55:16]
• 2. False prophets wear soft clothing [53:27] Jesus says the danger does not always arrive looking dangerous. Sheep’s clothing can hide a wolf, which means harm may come wrapped in language that sounds gentle, helpful, or even spiritual. The test is not how safe something appears at first glance, but what kind of fruit follows it over time. The faithful listener pays attention to the tells. [53:27]
• 3. Fruitlessness is not neutral [01:01:12] Jesus does not only warn about bad fruit, but also about no fruit. The fig tree with leaves looked alive, but its emptiness made it deceptive. A life can have motion, activity, and religious shape while still being barren before God. Leaves may impress from a distance, but hunger looks for fruit. [61:12]
• 4. The source shapes the stream [58:17] James says fresh water and salt water cannot flow from the same spring. Praise and cursing coming from the same mouth reveal a deeper conflict than a bad moment. The issue is not merely behavior management, but the source from which speech and action are flowing. The Spirit’s fruit comes from a life being remade at the root. [58:17]
• 5. Religious words cannot replace obedience [01:10:56] Jesus’ “Lord, Lord” warning is frightening because the people in it have impressive spiritual resumes. Prophecy, miracles, and powerful public works still do not equal knowing Christ. The will of the Father cannot be faked by activity that sounds holy. Genuine fruit comes from a heart where Christ is truly known, not merely named.
  
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Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [31:54] - Favorite Restaurants and Local Food
• [35:10] - Mellow Mushroom and the Olive Problem
• [39:02] - Jesus’ Fruit Metaphor Begins
• [46:33] - What Fruit Describes You?
• [51:19] - Watch Out for False Prophets
• [53:27] - Wolves in Sheep’s Clothing
• [55:16] - By Their Fruit You Know Them
• [56:53] - Fresh Water and Salt Water
• [61:12] - Fruitless Trees Face Judgment
• [62:14] - Jesus and the Fig Tree
• [64:45] - The Temple With Leaves but No Fruit
• [67:09] - Looking for the Tells
• [70:56] - The Warning of “Lord, Lord”
• [73:38] - Galatians and the Spirit’s Fruit

Bible Reading

Matthew 7:15-20
“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.” [53:27] [55:16]

James 3:9-12
“With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so. Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water? Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water.” [56:53]

Mark 11:12-14
“On the following day, when they came from Bethany, he was hungry. And seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to see if he could find anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. And he said to it, 'May no one ever eat fruit from you again.' And his disciples heard it.” [01:02:14]

Matthew 7:21-23
“Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?' And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.'” [01:10:56]

Galatians 5:19-23
“Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”

Observation questions

1. In Matthew 7, what pictures does Jesus use to help people spot what is true and what is false: sheep’s clothing, wolves, trees, thornbushes, thistles, and fruit? [55:16]
2. In James 3, what two opposite things does James say can come from the same mouth, and what images does he use to show how wrong that is? [56:53]
3. In Mark 11, what made the fig tree look promising from a distance, and what did Jesus actually find when he came near it? [01:02:14]
4. In Matthew 7:21-23, what kinds of spiritual activities do people point to when they say, “Lord, Lord,” and what does Jesus say is still missing? [01:10:56]

Interpretation questions

1. Jesus says people are recognized by their fruit. What does that suggest about the difference between first impressions and a person’s actual life over time? [55:16]
2. James says blessing God and cursing people should not come from the same mouth. Why does James treat this as more than just a speech problem, but as a source problem? [58:17]
3. The fig tree had leaves but no fruit. How does that picture help explain why fruitlessness is not neutral in the Christian life? [01:01:12]
4. In Matthew 7:21-23, people use strong religious words and even point to powerful ministry experiences. What does Jesus’ response show about the difference between appearing spiritual and actually knowing him? [01:10:56]

Application questions

1. Jesus warns that harmful voices do not always look harmful. When have words, teaching, or influence sounded helpful at first but later produced confusion, pride, division, or fear? What fruit helped reveal what was really going on? [53:27]
2. A life can have leaves without fruit. Where is there a temptation to settle for appearances right now—looking busy, sounding spiritual, staying involved, or keeping up a Christian image—while avoiding the deeper work of honesty before God? [01:04:45]
3. Fresh water and salt water should not flow from the same spring. What patterns in speech most need attention right now: harshness at home, gossip, cutting humor, online reactions, quick anger, or saying faithful things in public while speaking differently in private? [56:53]
4. Galatians names both rotten fruit and the fruit of the Spirit. Which one or two pieces of fruit seem most visible in life right now? Which works of the flesh show up most easily under stress? [01:13:38]
5. Jesus says, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord.’” Is there any place where reliance has slowly shifted toward religious activity, usefulness, or reputation instead of simple obedience and knowing Christ? [01:10:56]
6. Fruit tells the truth over time. If close friends, family members, or coworkers described the fruit they regularly receive from this life, what would they say? What answer would be encouraging, and what answer would be hard to hear? [55:16]
7. Since the source shapes the stream, what would it look like this week to go after the root and not just the symptoms? What habits of prayer, repentance, confession, or asking for help might make room for the Spirit to grow real fruit? [58:17]