Matthew 12:33-37 (NKJV) Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit. Brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things. But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgement. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.
A big ship can carry about 10,000 to 20,000 containers. Although the rudder is small as compared to the ship, it is what sets the course at sea. Likewise, though the tongue is a small part of our body, it affects our lives either positively or negatively by the words that we speak. As such, what we say will affect the destiny of our lives!
The words that we speak carry power regardless of our positions in society, but the words of those in positions of authority carry more weightage in either the natural or spiritual realm. Therefore, the words that we speak affect not only the lives of others, but also release the authority over our own lives to either the enemy or to God to act.
In the opening passage, Jesus was dealing with the scribes and Pharisees—the religious people. The problem with the religious people of His time is their focus on their outward acts and practices whereas Jesus was more concerned about their hearts and what came out of their mouths. A bad tree can never produce good fruits. Likewise, we cannot deal with our lips unless we first address the root issues, which are found in our hearts, but once we deal with the root issues, it will be easy to produce the right fruit.
What Jesus taught us in this passage is that the words that flow out of the heart—or the fruit—reveal the condition of the person. People’s words expose their attitudes, motives, and intents. Complaints, bad vibes, strife, and arguments all stem from the issues of the heart. What Jesus was effectively saying is that if our heart or inner life was right, it would produce the right kind of fruit, and turning to God for help is the only way we can address the issues of our hearts.
Sermon Series: Cell Group Campaign (Session 1)
控制好你的口，才能结出好果子
马太福音 12:33-37 你们或以为树好，果子也好；树坏，果子也坏；因为看果子就可以知道树。 毒蛇的种类！你们既是恶人，怎能说出好话来呢？因为心里所充满的，口里就说出来。 善人从他心里所存的善就发出善来；恶人从他心里所存的恶就发出恶来。 我又告诉你们，凡人所说的闲话，当审判的日子，必要句句供出来；因为要凭你的话定你为义，也要凭你的话定你有罪。
一艘大船可以装载大约1万到2万个集装箱。虽然与船相比舵是很小的，但它决定了船在海上的航向。同样，尽管舌头是我们身体的一小部分，但它会通过我们所说的话对我们的生活产生积极或消极的影响。因此，我们所说的话会影响我们生命的定向！
无论我们在社会中的地位如何，我们所说的话都带有力量，但那些权威人士所说的话在自然或属灵领域里就更有分量。因此，我们所说的话不仅影响他人的生活，而且还会将自己生命的权柄交给敌人或上帝来决定。
在经文的开端，耶稣正在与文士和法利赛人的宗教人士打交道 。耶稣那个时代的宗教人士的问题是注重外在的行为和实践，而耶稣更关心的是他们的内心和从嘴里所说出来的话。坏树永远结不出好果子。同样，除非我们先解决我们内心的根本问题，否则我们无法处理我们的口，但一旦根本问题被处理了，就很容易结出好果子。
耶稣在这段话中所教导我们的是，从内心所说出的话或果子会揭示人的状况。人们的言语暴露了他们的态度、动机和意图。抱怨、不良情绪、冲突和争论都源于内心的问题。耶稣实际上是说，如果我们的内心或内在生活是正确的，生命就会结出好果子，而求助于上帝是我们解决内心问题的唯一途径。
讲章系列：细胞小组活动 (第一部分)
Image Source: pixabay.com