Rev. David Holwick ZK
First Baptist Church
Ledgewood, New Jersey
October 15, 1989
Matthew 12:33-37
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I. Inherent qualities.
A. Good trees, bad trees. Luke 6:43
1) You can tell by results of fruit.
B. Illustration of cut-rate trees bought at Frank's Nursery.
1) Misshapen.
2) Passed-over.
a) But cheap. Japanese maple for $1.65.
3) Will they last through the winter?
a) I have faith they are good, just abused.
b) I also have a warranty, just in case.
II. Application to people.
A. Types of people.
1) Jesus boils down to two categories - good and evil.
B. Judge people by actions, not outward appearances.
1) Human nature goes deep, to heart.
C. People can fool you by false appearances, but not for long.
1) West Virginia bar owner.
In July 1986 Mickey Davis announced his conversion to Christ.
This may not seem remarkable.
However, Mickey was the owner of the Fantasy Bar in the West
Virginia town of St. Albans.
The Fantasy Bar is a strip tease joint.
Mickey was good friends with Larry Flynt, the owner of Hustler
magazine.
When Flynt ran for President of the U.S., Mickey ran as
Vice President.
But then Mickey Davis got saved.
He painted "Jesus" over "Fantasy Girls" and turned it into a
church.
Unfortunately Mickey has backslid.
He now calls his establishment "The Pink Pussycat" and advertises
"Total nude revue and exotic entertainment."
His explanation is that the area churches failed to support him
with cold, hard cash - so Davis says 'God failed' him.
He now puts 'trying salvation' on the same level with trying
drugs, rock 'n' roll music, sex and everything else he has
experienced.
What about going to Heaven?
He says, 'I'm going to be as nice as I can be. That's got to be
good enough.'"
Mickey apparently confused an emotional experience for real
conversion.
#174
III. What is inside us eventually comes out. Luke 6:45
A. Examples of people who feed on garbage, garbage comes out.
1) Bundy. (He appeared to be the all-American boy.)
a) Addicted to pornography.
b) Addicted to murder.
B. Examples of people who strive to do good.
1) Jimmy Hull.
a) Belongs to an American Baptist church.
[since has become Episcopalian]
b) Gospel Mission for neighborhood kids.
c) Self-help project in Haiti.
1> Reads 17 chapters of Bible every day.
2> Spends time with each child.
IV. Character can be "stored up." Luke 6:45
A. Born with character traits?
1) Ancients - 4 basic personality types.
a) Astrology charts. Your personality is set by stars.
2) Pop psycho tests.
3) 16 personalities.
B. Jesus says you don't have to be limited by how you were born.
1) Change is possible.
2) Control what goes in, and you will see a difference in what
comes out.
C. Thoughts (and actions) influence our behavior.
1) Philippians 4:8.
2) Good (and bad) influences on character.
a) Literature we read.
b) People we hang around with.
c) What we watch on TV.
V. What kind of fruit is evident in our lives?
A. Religious people are prone to smugness.
B. Jesus requires change, therefore I must be changed.
1) Are we really?
C. Robert Louis Stevenson:
"All of us have thoughts that would shame Hell itself."
1) No one is completely pure. (We are not 100% apple or peach)
a) Between good and evil there is a vast swamp called
lukewarm.
2) All of us have dark areas to turn over to God.
D. We need the forgiveness of God.
VI. Dangers of holding off.
A. C.S. Lewis on how we are heading for opposite eternal destinies.
B. We need to get serious about living for him.
1) Our destinies are being shaped right now.
2) More rigid as time goes on.
a) High percentage saved when young.
b) Low when old.
Copyright © 2024 by Rev. David Holwick
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