Matthew 12:33-37

Matthew 12:33-37
33 “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for the tree is known by its fruit. 34 “You brood of vipers, how can you, being evil, speak what is good? For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart. 35 “The good man brings out of his good treasure what is good; and the evil man brings out of his evil treasure what is evil. 36 “But I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment. 37 “For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

We don’t like the idea of being judged.  Most of the time when people judge us in the present we become defensive.  When we think of our future judgment in heaven we become fearful.  Today’s text teaches us that our words are very important for us to evaluate in our lives because they are the objects of both our present and future judgments.  Our tongues are the hardest parts of our bodies to control.  This makes the idea of judgment even more distasteful.  The key to preparing for judgment is to focus on our hearts and allowing the Lord Jesus Christ to transform our heart through the power of the Gospel.  He is our only hope for finding relief from both present and future judgment.

OUR HEARTS ARE REVEALED IN OUR WORDS: Good trees produce good fruit and bad trees produce bad fruit.  Good hearts produce good words and evil hearts produce evil words.  The only way that people have of judging our hearts is through the actions they see and the words they hear.  Since it is much harder to control our speech than it is our actions; Jesus concentrates on the more difficult area.  Our words reveal what is in our hearts.  Our hearts have been corrupted by sin and therefore our mouths spew forth corrupt words.  The key to being able to control our words is for our hearts to be transformed.  In reality, what we desperately need in a heart transplant.  This is what Jesus offers to all of us through the Gospel.  He changes our hearts and makes us become partakers of His divine nature.  The new heart He gives us when we trust Him as our only means of salvation from sin will radically change the way we live and the things we say.  Unfortunately, the effects of sin are still present in our hearts even after our salvation.  However, those who are saved through faith in Christ are no longer enslaved to sin.  Jesus has set us free and given us a new heart.  We now have the ability to have Him rule our hearts through the power of His Spirit.  Our words reveal the progress we are experimenting in this area.

OUR WORDS WILL BE REVEALED IN HEAVEN: Since our hearts are revealed through our words, our words are what will be revealed in heaven.  When we stand before Christ in judgment our words will demonstrate exactly what happened in our hearts and to whom our hearts were surrendered.  If our words are kind, edifying and encouraging to others they demonstrate that Christ has been at work in our hearts.  When we use our words to speak evil of others, tear them down and discourage them; we reveal that our hearts are still corrupted by sin and controlled by Satan.  Our mouths should be full of praise and adoration for the Lord that flows from a heart that is full of worship.  When we blaspheme the Lord, brag about ourselves and tear others down we reveal the idolatry of our hearts.  All of these things are clearly and accurately seen by God and will be revealed when we stand before Him in heaven.  Our words will either justify us or condemn us because they reveal exactly what happened in our hearts and where our faith has been placed.  The only way to escape eternal condemnation is through faith in the Lord Jesus and what He did for us on the cross.  He has the power to forgive sin and free us from sin.  The transformation He offers will change our hearts and make a radical change in the way that we talk and the things we do.  He is our only help and our only hope.


APPLICATION: Pay close attention to the way people judge us today because it may be helpful to prepare us for Christ’s future judgment.  Allow the Lord Jesus to transform our hearts so that our Word will please God and bless others.  Evaluate our words now so we will be better prepared to stand before the Lord when He judges us.

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