First Reformed Presbyterian Church of Cambridge, Massachusetts

The Lord’s Day December 14, 2003 Anno Domini

Matthew 12:33-37

Heart and Mouth and Deed and Living.

  I.  Good and bad trees.
 

      A.  A tree is known by its fruit. [Luke 6:44; Jude 1:12]
      B.  Only two choices: fruit or firewood. [Matt 7:19; Matt 3:8, 10]
      C.  What kind of fruit was Jesus bearing?
      D.  The Pharisees resist the rational conclusion about Jesus and
blaspheme in their hearts.
     

  II.  Speaking your mind: fruit of the heart.
 

      A.  The treasure of the heart. [Matt 12:35; Mark 7:20]
      B.  The fruit of the lips shows the nature of the heart. [Psalm
37:30-31; Prov 10:20; Luke 11:47-48]
      C.  The principle: like produces like. [Matt 16:6, 12; Luke 12:1]
     

   III. The long term consequence of speaking .
 

      A.  The judgment by words.
      B.  Aren’t we saved by grace through faith? [Eph 2:8-9; 2Tim 1:9; Rom
10:9-10]
      C.  For every idle word men may speak... [Prov 15:4; Eph 4:29]
     

  IV.  Hunger for the fruit of the tree of life.
 

      A.  Pay attention to the principle of “like produces like”: God
teaches it to us repeatedly. [Prov 13:20; 1Cor 15:33; 2tim 2:16; Heb 12:15]
     

      B. If you are persecuted or slandered for being a
Christian, you do not need to defend yourself.  [Rom 8:33-34]
     

      C. I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in
the midst of the Paradise of God.  Revelation 2:7
     

Pastor Christian Adjemian, Dipl.Div., Ph.D.

pastor@reformedprescambridge.com phone: 617.864.3185