The life of the Christian has to show fruit which points to what is within our heart. Jesus warns that false teachers may look good on the outside, but underneath they are wicked like a wolf (v15). For a short time they might fool people, but over time the fruit of their evil lives will make things clear (v16).

Jesus teaches that there is a close correlation between the fruit of a life and what is the reality of that life within (v17-18). Healthy fruit comes from a healthy spiritual life within; diseased fruit comes from a diseased life within. This calls for us to look at the fruit of our lives. What do we see when we look closely and what does this fruit reveal about the state of our hearts? Can we see pride, lust, bitterness, gossip, envy, greed, selfishness and worldliness?

This is very important that we take bad fruit to the Lord and confess, because bad fruit points to a life facing judgment (v19-20). This is very sobering, but the Christian life is something we need to be serious about. All this should encourage us to flee to Christ again and again to seek His grace. A life of good fruit comes from abiding in Jesus (John 15 v4-6).