The Heart and Words: "Trees and Hearts"

Overview

Trees and Hearts: What Our Words Reveal

Both John the Baptist and Jesus used the same striking phrase—"You brood of vipers!" John said it to the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to be baptized Matthew 3:7, and Jesus said it after the Pharisees accused Him of casting out demons by Beelzebul Matthew 12:24. There is no rounding of the edges here, because the law of God acts as a mirror that reveals our sin. To soften it would be to obscure what it is meant to show us.

Jesus pressed the point with a vivid image: "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" Matthew 12:33. Our words are the fruit; the heart is the tree. "Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks" Matthew 12:34. And the warning is sobering: "On the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak" Matthew 12:36. Scripture testifies elsewhere to the damage done by sinful speech—lying lips Proverbs 12:22, the destructive mouth of the wicked Proverbs 11:11, idle talkers Titus 1:10, and the slander we are called to put away Colossians 3:8. The diagnosis is universal: we are conceived in sin Psalm 51:5, and our diseased hearts produce diseased fruit.

Yet just as the law is not softened, neither is the gospel. At the great white throne, books are opened and the dead are judged by what is written Revelation 20:12. But for those whose names are in the Book of Life, every careless word and every sin has been blotted out by the blood of Christ. Clothed in His righteousness through baptism, we stand before God not in our failure but in Jesus' perfection. God claims us in the water joined to His word of victory and says, "You are mine, and I will never let you go."

This good news shapes the daily Christian life. With David we pray, "Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips" Psalm 141:3. When a sharp word is caught before it leaves your lips, that restraint is the Spirit's sanctifying work, the fruit of a new heart given in baptism. When we fail—and we will—we return daily to our baptism in repentance, and God raises us up anew in His grace. The law speaks plainly about our sin; the gospel speaks just as plainly about our Savior. You are His, and heaven's doors stand open. That is a promise you have God's word on.

Transcript

Would you open your Bible's please with me to the 12th chapter of the gospel of Saint Matthew? 3s

If you're using a few edition you'll find in the rack in front of you or underneath you, that's on page 11 in the New Testament. 10s

Matthew the 12th chapter for our study today. 17s

Have you ever had a time when you said something that you shouldn't have said? 23s

Or a word or a group of words came out of your mouth that totally bypassed any kind of rational thinking screening? 30s

And you regret that you said them. 39s

Perhaps I should put the question in the negative. 44s

Is there anyone here who has never had that experience? 46s

And sometimes we will say things that are true, but it would be why is it just to round the edges of them a bit? 52s

Have you ever had that experience? 67s

Where it would be more effective if it could just be rounded more around the edges? 71s

How about with John the Baptist? 81s

Did he ever say anything that will maybe it might have been more effective to round the edges? 85s

We studied last week about John who is the one prophesied the fulfillment of it as the four runner to the Messiah, 98s

the four runner to the Lord Jesus, and you recall that our Lord gave him the ministry of proclaiming repentance of preparing the way of the Lord. 105s

And in the third chapter of the gospel of Matthew it says, 119s

Then the people of Jerusalem and all Judeo were going out to him, and all the region along the Jordan, 124s

and they were baptized by him and the river Jordan confessing their sins. 132s

But when he saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, 139s

You, brood of Vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 146s

Bear fruit worthy of repentance. 156s

It's the beginning of that phrase. Is it not? 162s

When John says, you brood of Vipers, would it have been more effective if John just could have rounded the edges a little bit of that? 166s

Just wound it a little bit? 190s

But here's the thing. 196s

Guess who else said that very same phrase? 200s

Guess who else? 209s

In our text, the context of Matthew the 12th chapter is Jesus has just healed the demonic. 212s

That acclaimed questions of the people is this the son of David, but the Pharisees. 220s

The Pharisees had a different response to this. 228s

Look, please, at verse 24 of chapter 12. 231s

But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, it is only by Biel's Abel, which is simply another name for Satan. 236s

It is only by Biel's Abel, the ruler of the demons, that this fellow casts out the demons. 245s

Now, ponder the logic of that for a moment. 253s

What a ludicrous statement that is. 256s

And Jesus exposes this faulty logic of theirs down into verse 26. 259s

Jesus says, if Satan casts out Satan, he's divided against himself. 268s

How then will his kingdom stand? 279s

See, doesn't make any sense to say that Jesus was operating under the power of Satan, 285s

and that's why he could cast out the demon because why would Satan ever want the demon to be cast out of anyone? 290s

Doesn't make any sense, and Jesus exposes it? 300s

He then starts to bore in even more on the point here. 305s

Verse 33, Jesus says, either make the tree good in its fruit good, or make the tree bad in its fruit bad. 310s

For the tree is known by its fruit. 321s

See a good tree will bear good fruit, a bad tree will bear bad fruit. 328s

Here the Pharisees were saying that Jesus was acting under the power of Satan, 335s

and that was just indicative of what was in their heart, 342s

because here's the principle that Jesus was getting after. 347s

What comes out of our lips is simply indicative of what is in the heart. 352s

And then he says it, verse 34, 363s

you brood of wipers. 369s

How can you speak good things when you are evil? 375s

For out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks its the same phrase that John the Baptist used. 381s

You brood, you brood of wipers. 391s

Of course wipers are poisonous snakes. 397s

They have found in Palestine and in the Mediterranean. 400s

In fact, in Acts 28 chapter, it says, 405s

Paul had gathered a bundle of brushwood and was putting it in the fire. 409s

When a viper driven out by the heat, fastened itself on his hand. 415s

See what they would do is they would blend into the rocks. 424s

They would blend into wood and then attack. 427s

Now if you're unfamiliar with this account in the 28th chapter of Acts, Paul is just fine here. 432s

But you see Jesus is drawing on the image that was very common in the day. 439s

And he's saying that the teaching of the Pharisees, it poisoned those around them. 445s

And then when you come to Matthew the 23rd chapter, he drops this phrase again. 453s

In fact, what you see in Matthew chapter 23, Jesus pronouncing all kinds of woes on the Pharisees and the scribes. 458s

And in Matthew chapter 23, he says, you snakes. 466s

You brood of wipers. 472s

How can you escape being sentenced to hell? 474s

See there's no rounding of the edges there. 482s

Because what Jesus is doing is revealing the law of God. 488s

And one of the functions of the law is to act as a mirror to show us our sin. 491s

There's no rounding the edges. 498s

There's no softening of the law. 501s

Because the law reveals our sinfulness. 505s

He reiterates then the point. 511s

Look at verse 35. 513s

The good person brings good things out of a good treasure and the evil person. 515s

Bring evil things out of an evil treasure. 521s

I tell you, on the day of judgment, you will have to give an account for every careless word you utter. 526s

For by your words you'll be justified and by your words you will be in that. 540s

Every single word. 555s

Scripture reveals that evil words are a plenty. 565s

In Proverbs 12 it says, lying lips are an abomination to the Lord. 571s

Proverbs 11 says, by the blessing of the upright as city is exalted, but it's overthrown by the mouth of the wicked. 577s

Titus one says, there are also many rebellious people idle talkers and deceivers. 587s

Colossians three, but now you must get rid of all such things. 595s

Anger, wrath, melists, slander in abuse of language from your mouth. 599s

Psalm 109, they beset me with words of hate and attack me without cause. 606s

Proverbs 26, for lack of wood the fire goes out and where there's no whisperer, corolling ceases and we can go on. 614s

As no grounded edges here with regard to the law because the problem is the problem is we've all got diseaseed hearts. 628s

We all have heart disease. We're born that way. 639s

Our heart disease is a reflection of the condition. 645s

We've inherited that sinful nature from our first parents Adam and Eve. 650s

We are born into sin because we're sinners, David writes, from the moment of conception the moment we are conceived, we are a sinner. 658s

We all have and then express the disease nature of our heart. 668s

The sinfulness that is manifest all birthed out of the heart like bad fruit from a bad tree. 677s

Look again, please, at verse 36. 694s

I tell you, on the day of judgment, you will have to give an account for every careless word you utter. 698s

Every word in Revelation, the 20th chapter, it gives a picture of the white throne of judgment. 722s

In their recorded in John's vision John writes this verse 12 of Revelation 20. 738s

He says, and I saw the dead, great and small standing before the throne and books were open, then it goes on to say. 746s

And the dead were judged according to their works as recorded in the books. 757s

Every single one of us, every single light, the Bible tells us that what is recorded is every word. 768s

Every careless word, all of our sin and thought and in word and indeed what we've done and what we've left undone. 789s

All those things that we should have done, but we didn't. 803s

It's all recorded in our book. 807s

How can anyone then possibly stand in the scent before God? 814s

On such, but also embedded in that vision of Revelation 20. 824s

John writes this, and also another book was open. 837s

The book of light, and it goes on to say, and anyone whose name was not found in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire. 844s

In the book of life, for those that recorded in the book of life, all of the sin has been, 862s

and it's been, blotted out by blood, by the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, who bore all of our sin on the cross. 873s

All of it, thought, word, indeed, what we've done, what we've left undone, all of it, including all of the careless words. 888s

So for those in the book of life, there's nothing there with regard to sin. 896s

It's all been blotted out because of Christ's sacrifice and shedding of the blood on the cross. 904s

There's nothing there to condemn. 911s

That means every careless word, all of them, have been blotted out through the blood. 915s

And of Christ. 926s

And God looks on us as perfect and righteous, because He looks upon us, claimed in the waters of baptism, 930s

cloaked in the garment of the perfect righteousness of Christ. 948s

He doesn't see our sin, because there's no more sin in the book. 958s

It's all been blotted out and all He sees. 968s

Is the perfection of Jesus credited to us. 978s

Thought comes in the waters of baptism. 989s

This ordinary, grapevine water. 992s

This ordinary water and He puts His word of victory with it, because He wants us to know of His grace. 996s

He wants us to know that that word of victory is for us, and He washes us in that word. 1004s

He washes us and says, you're mine, and I will never let you go. 1014s

He says, I've made my decision about you, and it's a decision for all of eternity. 1021s

For the victory of the cross of Christ and the empty tomb, you have now been washed in it, and God says, my, my child. 1030s

Lie. 1045s

Lie. 1053s

God opens up for us this beauty and reality of heaven that will one day be. 1059s

And we will be hold our Lord face to face in the perfection and joy and beauty of heaven. 1069s

And He is with us in these days now, this side of heaven, and His grace continues to be manifest. 1080s

David wrote in Psalm 141, he said, set a guard over my mouth, O Lord, keep watch over the door of my lips. 1096s

That amazing, amazing prayer isn't it? 1110s

Set a guard over my mouth, O Lord, keep watch over the door of my lips. 1113s

Because you see what God does in the waters of baptism, He gives us a new heart. 1119s

It's a hard transplant. 1124s

He gives us faith, and He promises to sustain that faith. 1127s

It's a new heart that He gives. 1132s

And when those words start welling up, and they get caught before they pass through the lips there, 1136s

and you realize there that you have the desire not to say that that is the grace of God, that's part of His sanctifying work in our lives. 1147s

When those words get caught in the throat, and those lips remain closed, 1166s

instead of the flying of the arrow of the verbal assault, instead of throwing all of the rotten fruit, it relies. 1172s

That's a gift of God, and God is it where we fall short, the sight of heaven absolutely will. 1188s

Are we going to say things where we say, I should have rounded the edges on that, or I shouldn't have said it, 1201s

I should have kept my mouth closed, what did I say it? 1210s

Are we going to fall short, the sight of heaven absolutely will. 1212s

And what does God meet us with when we fall short, but He meets us with His grace, born at the cross, 1216s

and He keeps raising us up a new, as by His grace we return to our baptisms each day in repentance, 1224s

and He keeps raising us up a new, each and every day. 1235s

Heaven awaits in all of its glory and his beauty, yes, accomplished because of the work of Christ. 1243s

And God is with us all these days, this side of heaven, and His sanctifying work in us is evident. 1253s

And one day when heaven is the reality, that old Adam and old Eve and us will be gone, and in the perfection of heaven, we will proclaim and worship Him, perfectly. 1268s

John and Jesus, they both said the same phrase, you brood of Ibrows, because there's no rounding with regard to the law of God. 1298s

There's no softening of the law of God, it shows us for the sinners that we are. 1318s

But be loved, there is no rounding of the gospel. 1327s

There's no softening of the gospel. 1335s

There's no, it's maybe not as wonderful as that. 1339s

No, it is flat out wonderful of who you are in Christ Jesus, and there's no rounding or softening of the gospel. 1344s

You are His. 1358s

And He opens the doors of heaven for you. 1361s

And in these days that He gives us to walk, He is with us. 1368s

And that's a promise that you've got God's word on. 1379s