Matthew 7:17

Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. EVEN SO EVERY GOOD TREE BRINGETH FORTH GOOD FRUIT; BUT A CORRUPT TREE BRINGETH FORTH EVIL FRUIT....

15-20 Nothing so much prevents men from entering the strait gate, and becoming true followers of Christ, as the carnal, soothing, flattering doctrines of those who oppose the truth. They may be known by the drift and effects of their doctrines. Some part of their temper and conduct is contrary to the mind of Christ. Those opinions come not from God that lead to sin....

Verse Matthew 7:17. _SO EVERY GOOD TREE_] As the _thorn_ can only produce _thorns_, not _grapes_; and the _thistle_, not _figs_, but _prickles_; so an _unregenerate heart_ will produce fruits of _degeneracy_. As we perfectly know that a _good_ tree will not produce _bad_ fruit, and the _bad_ tree will not, cannot produce _good_ fruit, so we know that the _profession_ of _godliness_, while the _life_ is _ungodly_, is imposture, hypocrisy, and deceit. A man cannot be a _saint_ and a _sinner_ at the same time. Let us remember, that as the _good tree_ means a _good heart_, and the _good fruit, a holy life,_ and that _every_ heart is naturally _vicious_; so there is none but God who can pluck up the vicious tree, create a good heart, plant, cultivate, water, and make it conti...

A CORRUPT TREE - The word “corrupt” here does not signify, as our translation would seem to indicate, that the tree “had been” good, but had become “vitiated;” but that it was a tree of a useless character, of a nature that produced nothing beneficial....

EXPOSITION MATTHEW 7:1 (2) As anxiety about the things of this life hinders us Godwards (Matthew 6:19), so does censoriousness manwards (Matthew 7:1), our Lord thus tacitly opposing two typically Jewish faults. Censoriousness—the personal danger of having it (Matthew 7:1, Matthew 7:2), its seriousness as a sign of ignorance and as a hindrance to spiritual vision (Matthew 7:3), even though there must be a r

Ver. 17 EVEN SO EVERY GOOD TREE BRINGETH FORTH GOOD FRUIT,.... As is the tree, so is its fruit; if the tree is good, it will bring forth good fruit. The tree that brings forth good fruit, is good antecedent to the fruit it produces; it is first good, and then puts forth good fruit: it is not the fruit that makes the tree good, but makes it appear to be so; but it is the goodness of the tree that makes the fruit good. As a good man does, and will do good works, but his works do not make him a good man; he is so before he performs good works, or he would never be able to do them; these make him appear to be a good man: so a good preacher, that has an experimental knowledge of the doctrines of the Gospel, will deliver out sound doctrine, who is first made so by the gifts and graces of the Spirit of God; and by searching the Scriptures, and examining his doctrines by them, he will be known a...

While we are reading, let us also be adoring at the same time, for the. words of Christ have a gracious divinity about them; they are infinite; they are omnipotent. There is a kind of life in them; a life which communicates itself to those who hear them. Our Saviour did not preach sermons: he preached texts; all his sermons are full of golden sentences, not hammered gold leaf, like those of men, but they are ingots of solid gold, and the gold of that land is good, the most fine gold; there is none like it. Thus he preaches in the seventh chapter of Matthew. Matthew 7:1. _Judge not that ye be not judged._ Set not up for critics, especially in the act of worship. Probably there. is no greater destroyer of profit in the hearing of the word than is the spirit of carping criticism. Mat

CHAPTER 7 _ 1. The Judgment of Righteousness.(Matthew 7:1 .) 2. Warning against False Prophets.(Matthew 7:15 .) 3. Warning against False Professors. (Matthew 7:21 .)_ The chapter which follows contains the last words of the great discourse of our Lord. The contents of this chapter are very instructive and form a most fitting end of the declaration of the King. The first few verses contain a warning against judging. We have in the beginning of the chapter something which is altogether different from the last section of the sixth chapter. There we saw the heir of the Kingdom in the midst of the world, how he is to trust in and depend on the Father and seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, h

EPILOGUE. Warnings and exhortations close the new Law, like the old (Exodus 23:20 ff.). MATTHEW 7:13 F. THE TWO GATES AND THE TWO WAYS (Luke 13:24). The picture is based on Jeremiah 21:8, and is frequent in Jewish and Christian writings. The way that leads to life (the word has eschatological force) involves difficulties and tribulation (_cf._ Acts 14:22). MATTHEW 7:15. FRUIT THE TEST OF PROFESSION. Lk. ...

GOOD TREE CANNOT BRING FORTH EVIL FRUIT. In these two verses the Lord points to the uniform law of nature. Every tree bears after its kind. As is the tree so is the fruit. The grape bears grapes, the fig figs, and the thistle thistles. The same principle holds good in the moral world.. good man will show forth good deeds, or will bear good fruit in his life, while. bad man will bear fruit according to his nature. If. man claims to be. teacher sent from God and lives an evil life, like Joe Smith or Brigham Young, for instance, it is evident that they have corrupt natures and are deceivers. In other words, the Savior bids us look at the life of every teacher. This applies to the preacher, the Sunday-school superintendent, and the Sunday-school teacher. Do they live good, exemplary lives? Then they are good trees....