Transcript Exposing the Truth About Man`s Heart

Exposing the Truth About Man’s
Heart
“Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or
make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a
tree is recognized by it’s fruit. . . . For out of the
overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.”
Setting the Stage
• Jesus had criticized the Pharisees for their
unforgivable blasphemy against the Holy Spirit
– Pharisees accused Jesus of casting out demons by the
power of Satan
• Jesus began to speak about the importance of the
tongue and exposes the truth about the nature of
Man’s heart
– The mouth speaks what is in the heart
The Parable (12:33)
• “Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or
make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a
tree is recognized by its fruit.”
– Obvious maxim – a tree and its fruit correspond
• Jesus point was:
“You must make up you mind about Me and My
work. Either I am evil and do evil work, or I am
good and do good work. I cannot be evil and do
good work or be good and do evil work.”
The Personalization (12:34a)
• “You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil,
say anything good?”
• “Brood of vipers”
– “Brood” – a group of young animals that scurry
around together, i.e. newly hatched snakes
– “Viper” – general type of poisonous snake found in
Palestine
• Deadly – venom that comes from the fangs in their mouth
• Deceptive – they blend with surrounding rocks or sticks
Pharisees = Brood of Vipers
• Why did Jesus use the analogy of a “brood of
vipers” to describe the Pharisees?
• How were the Pharisees “evil”
The Principle (12:34b-35)
• “For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. The good
man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the
evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him.”
• The heart represents the character of a person
– Words reveal what the heart is like
– Words reveal what the person is like
• Can a person control his tongue, and therefore, hide his true
character?
– If yes, how?
– If not, why not?
The Punishment (12:36-37)
• “But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day
of judgment or every careless word they have spoken. For
by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you
will be condemned.”
• Men’s words are an accurate gauge of their hearts
– Words and deeds are objective, observable evidence of a
person’s spiritual condition
• Words are not the basis of salvation or condemnation but
they are reliable evidence of the reality of salvation
– We are not save by good works
– But we are saved for good works
Beware of “Careless Words”
• What are “careless words”
– “Careless” = absence of caring
– Useless, barren, unproductive, or otherwise worthless
– “Words can do great harm”
• Describe a situation in your day where you might speak
“careless words” that you may regret and may
condemn you on judgment day
• If each of us have spoken “careless words” that will
condemn us on judgment day, then how do we have
hope of getting to heaven?