The Overflow of the Heart -- Matthew 12:33-37; Matthew 28:16-20; Galatians 5:22-23

I was reading an article in the newspaper the other day about a debate between two people. As I read the article, it became rather apparent to me that one of the people in the debate was a mean-spirited person. I happen to know the person by reputation, but the words the person used throughout the debate led me to believe that I would not want to hang around this person.

We can tell a lot about people by the words they use and the attitude they take. It’s true in our world today; it was true in Jesus’ world, as well. It is for this reason that Jesus warned His disciples and us that we can tell false prophets from true prophets by the fruit they bear. It’s not enough to know the right words to say and even when to say them. Unless we walk the walk, then the talk doesn’t matter. That’s the lesson we find in our passages today.

Central Truth: Jesus expects us to be fruitful and fruit-filled in our walk with Him.

The fruitful Christian:

1. Has an inner strength that enables us to bear fruit (34-37)

Our passage concludes a lesson Jesus taught when the Pharisees accused Jesus of doing His miracles by the powers of the devil. Jesus’ response was to show not only the fallacy of the Pharisees’ claim but also the fallacy of their beliefs. He concludes with the reminder that we can know true believers and false prophets by the fruit we bear.

According to Jesus, the outward actions we do are a reflection of the inner person. While we may be able to hide our inner person for a time, when the guard is down, when we are truly ourselves, we cannot help but reflect who we really are by the things we do and the things we say. “For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks” (v. 34).

Look, each of us knows how to be on our guard. Almost everyone we knows how to keep their shields up to make them look good in a public forum. My dad had a business partner who had a very foul mouth. It seemed he was incapable of speaking without using a vulgarity or curse word of some kind. Yet, he liked to remind me that he was an active member of his church, even serving on a pastor search committee when he was younger. You and I both know that that man of profanity knew not to use that language when he was at church. We keep our guard up.

It’s only when we feel comfortable enough to be ourselves that we truly reveal the inner person. The cynic will express his cynicism inevitably; the racist will show her racial hatred. The Christian will reveal his or her faith in Christ. Each of us comes to a point when we cannot hide that which is within us. Jesus reminds us that it is these words that will be used as we stand before God in judgment. He’ll slip past the guarded words and remind us of the unguarded heart. We will give account for these words, for they will show our true heart.

The Spirit of God, living in us, guiding us, enables us to speak the truth of Christ. It is the Spirit living in us that shines forth when we are at our unguarded moments. Jesus reminds us that the goodness of the heart—the Spirit within—that makes us capable of speaking good words, encouraging words, spiritual words.

1. Relies on the authority and presence of Christ in bearing fruit (Matthew 28:18-20)

At one of His resurrection appearances, Jesus gave His disciples the Great Commission that we find in this passage. The idea of the Commission is that we are told to live our daily lives and, as we do so, we are also to make disciples. We are to teach them to obey everything Jesus commanded. It is important for us to remember that we cannot teach others to obey Jesus’ commands if we are not willing to obey them ourselves. The Christian faith is not a case of “Do what I say, not what I do.” Since we are called to be disciple makers, we must then also be disciples.

While the focus of the Great Commission is that we are commissioned to make disciples, we sometimes forget in this passage is Jesus’ opening and closing comments.

The first thing Jesus tells them and us is, ”All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me” (v. 18). What Jesus wants us to understand is that anything and everything that happens is only made possible by Jesus giving authority to allow it to happen. Think back to Job. Satan couldn’t touch him without God giving authority to allow it to happen. The ministry of Paul is a testimony of things Jesus allowed in order to further the Gospel and to aid in Paul’s growth as a follower of Christ.

What this means for us is that we can cope with everything that comes our way, because we know that Jesus is allowing it to happen. We are reminded of Paul’s words to the Corinthians, “God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear” (1 Corinthians 10:13b). That doesn’t mean we have to be happy with everything that comes our way. There are times we will be discouraged, worried, even afraid. But we can go forward with faith, knowing that the circumstances are temporary, but Jesus is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. His words are always true and His power is always greater than anything Satan can throw at us. The authority of Christ is our victory, our hope, our assurance.

But there is also the promise that this same authoritative Christ is always with us (v. 20b). We never face the world or Satan alone. We stand in the presence of Him who has authority over all, and we stand in the presence of Immanuel—God with us. This enables us to spiritually be fruitful and multiply, sharing our faith with the world around us. By the authority and presence of Christ, we can be fruitful.

1. Allows the Spirit to bear fruit in us (Galatians 5:22-23)

In Paul’s letter to the Galatians, Paul is writing a very strong defense against a false teaching going around the region that a true Christian is someone who not only believes in Jesus but also embraces and lives according to Mosaic Law. While every other letter from Paul begins with a word of praise and encouragement, his letter to Galatia is one that starts right off with, “What in the world are you people thinking?” Or words to that effect.

In Chapter 5, Paul is addressing the freedom we have in Christ. He says we find our freedom when we live by the Spirit. In the latter part of the chapter, Paul distinguishes between those who do not live by the Spirit and those who do. Those who live by the Spirit are described in vs. 22-23.

In these verses, Paul lists a set of virtues that are grouped under the idea of the fruit of the Spirit. Paul only refers to one fruit, but he mentions nine different aspects of it, beginning with love and joy and concluding with gentleness and self-control.

These aspects of the fruit of the Spirit all relate to each other, yet they all have distinct characteristics that distinguish them from the others. Love is the unconditional, Christ-like attitude that is not an emotion, but a way of seeing and relating to people. Joy is the ability to recognize the hand of God in all circumstances, and the ability to give thanks in all circumstances. Peace is the absence of conflict with God and the ministry of reconciliation and peacemaking we are all called to do.

Patience is the ability to wait upon the Lord, to trust in His timing and His way. It is extended to others in the way we treat them. Kindness is also found in the way we look at and treat others. It is the ability and the desire to turn the other cheek, to go the extra mile in the cause of Christ. Goodness is also generous. It is the innate ability and desire to do what is good in the eyes of the Lord and in the eyes of men. Jesus was described twice as being someone who “grew in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and man.” Jesus was in favor with others because He was a good man.

Faithfulness is also loyalty, a willingness to stand firmly beside the ones and the things we believe in. To define it negatively, faithfulness is not a fair-weather friend, but one that stands with us through thick and thin. Gentleness is the idea of not asserting one’s rights, but putting our concern for others first. Then there is self-control. Put simply, self-control is the desire to say no to our own desires and wishes in order to let God have control of our lives and do His will through us.

If we will let the fruit of the Spirit be evident in our lives, then we will be not only fruitful, we will also be fruit-filled. Then, when others look at us, they will be able to distinguish that we are the children of God.

Conclusion

I find it discouraging to hear people talk about how much they love Jesus, but then seem to ignore Him throughout the week. It annoys me to hear someone say something about Jesus in their life, then turn around and disparage others who are different from them. It is not enough to say we love Jesus; we need to show it. And one of the best ways to show that is to be fruitful and fruit-filled.

So, what kind of tree are you?