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This study may be freely posted on other bbs' and distributed to others provided this leader remains with the study text at all times. Matthew 7:15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. 16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? 17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. 19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. 20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. We want to study the symbol of thorns and thistles. Thorns cover all of those weeds which have sharp needles. Thistles are those which grab hold and hang on to you. We want to study them so we can tell the difference between the fruit of a true preacher and the fruit of a false preacher. This scriptural passage is dealing with thorns pertaining to the inward man. Jesus lets us know, in verse 15, that the false prophets come in sheep's clothing. Since true preachers are sheep and are in sheep's clothing, and false preachers put on sheep's clothing, it is hard to determine, by looking on the outward aspect of a preacher's life, who is a false preacher and who is a true preacher. He goes on to say, "...but inwardly they are ravening wolves." This "inward" has to do with the production of fruit. Let me show you how that can be so. A small apple tree, which has just come into production, can bear apples just as large and good as a big apple tree. If the big apple tree has not been cared for, it may not produce fruit as good as the small tree. Some large apple trees cannot produce fruit at all, because they are full of disease. The kind of fruit produced is the result of what is on the inside. Verse 16 reads, "Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?" He is showing us that the produced fruit is either grapes and figs or thorns and thistles. We determine who is a true preacher by what he produces. If he produces something that is nourishing, grapes and figs, he is a true preacher. If he produces thorns and thistles, he is a false preacher. The thorn symbol is used in the thought of the inward and the outward man. Most people think that Paul's thorn in the flesh was just one thing. Paul said in II Corinthians 12:7, "And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure." He tells us what his thorn is in verse 10, "Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong." He is showing that these are the things which made him weak, so he could be strong in Christ. If God had allowed Paul to go without struggles, he would have become exalted in himself. He would have forgotten that he was depending upon the Lord. Therefore, the Lord showed him that he needed this thorn in the flesh. There is a difference in the thorn spoken of in Matthew 7 and the thorn spoken of here in verse 7. The thorn in Matthew 7 is a reference to the inward, spiritual man. It is possible for the lost person to have a thorn in the flesh and a thorn in his spirit. However, Paul has a thorn in the flesh, but he does not have one in the spirit. A lost person always has a thorn in the spirit, but he might not have a thorn in the flesh. A Christian can only have a thorn in the flesh. Almost every Christian living in this day and time has a thorn in the flesh. Why? For the same reason that Paul had one, "...lest I should be exalted above measure" (verse 7). What is going to happen if a child of God begins to feel that he can make it on his own? The Lord is going to give him a thorn in the flesh. God will pour out oppositions, infirmities, persecutions, etc. The more he becomes lifted up in himself, the more thorns he will have poured out upon him. When you think of thorns, you think of the possibility of hurt and pain, and a waster of soil, choking out fruit-bearing plants (When the Bible speaks of thorns and thistles, it is not classifying everything which has stickers.). You can see why the Lord would use this symbol. There are many things in a person's life, if they are allowed to come in, which can be just like thistles and thorns. An alcoholic is fighting thorns and thistles. Many alcoholics have a battle both in the flesh and in the spirit. Because of their lost condition, their spirit wants that sin as much as their flesh wants the manifestation of that alcohol. It becomes a spiritual thorn, as well as a physical thorn. It clings and hangs on tight. When the Lord saves us, He breaks the bondage of sin. He cleans up our life, in the sense that He gives us a new heart, so we are broken loose from the bondage of the thistles and thorns in our spirit. Sometimes there are little particles in our flesh that we must remove. I have heard people say, "I am saved. I have the victory over such-and-such." They have the victory over it, but they also have little bits of it still hanging on. In the parable of the sower, Jesus mentioned the third type of ground as thorny ground, "And some [seed] fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them" (Matthew 13:7). In verse 22, He gives the interpretation of that verse, "He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful." No saved person's spirit is bound by the cares of this world or the deceitfulness of riches. However, we can be influenced in the flesh by the cares of this world to a degree greater than what we should be. There are certain things that we have to do to be able to exist in this life. He is talking about an individual who is actually taken over, grabbed and hung on to by the thorns. Eating can become a thorn. We all have to eat. We go about our daily tasks, and from time to time, we eat. However, there are people in this world who live to eat. This becomes like a thorn that binds them. Some people are bound by their job. They would rather work than go home to their family. The thorns of this life is going beyond what are necessities for this life. He said that these people were choked by their thorns. The thorns were not productive in themselves, but they were killing and destroying that which was productive. Let us look and see where these thorns originated. Genesis 3:18 states, "Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field." Because the world had become polluted by sin, God was going to allow something to exist which had not existed before. Before the fall of Adam and Eve, no weeds had ever grown on the face of this earth. Matthew 27:29 says, "And when they had plaited a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand: and they bowed the knee before him, and mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews!" When Jesus went to the cross, He had to bear the curse of the suffering caused by thorns and thistles as a part of Him taking upon himself our punishment and redeeming us through his substitutionary work. This means that the crown of thorns, symbollically speaking, was not something they just happened to put upon his head. The crown of thorns was representing that portion of the curse that Christ was bearing for you and me. Remember, this is dealing with the spiritual. We deserve death because of the spiritual thorns, but Christ bore that curse, so that we might have life through him. Judges 9 tells us about the parable of the trees deciding who would be king over them. The olive tree did not want to be king, so he refused that responsibility. The fig was asked to reign over them, but he refused. They then asked the vine, and he refused. In verses 14-15, we read: "Then said all the trees unto the bramble [that word in the Hebrew is the word for thistles], Come thou, and reign over us. And the bramble said unto the trees, If in truth ye anoint me king over you, then come and put your trust in my shadow: and if not, let fire come out of the bramble, and devour the cedars of Lebanon." The bramble (thistle) was willing to accept the kingship. The curse of sin reigned in the end. Why? Because the trees would not stay there by faith and hold to their first choice. Adam and Eve had first chosen the tree of life, but they began to let down and apostasize. They began to let things take place in their lives which took them farther and farther from God. Finally, it led them to being reigned over by thorns and thistles. Someone might say, "They did not apostasize." Sure they did! When the serpent began to talk to Eve, she should have not talked to him. When the devil starts to put thoughts in your mind, do not set there and reason with him. If you set there and talk to him long enough, you will go from olive, to vine, to bramble in a hurry. In Song of Solomon 2:1, Jesus said, "I am the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valleys." He is talking about himself. In verse 2, He talks about the church, "As the lily among thorns, so is my love among the daughters." Who is his love? The church. He is comparing a lily to thorns. I do not believe the Bible could give us a clearer picture of the church than what Christ describes here. Someone might say, "Jesus is the lily of the valley." That is right, and we are the body of Christ, indwelt by the Holy Spirit. The main thing that we want to remember is that the lily is far from being a thorn. We read in Isaiah 55:12-13: "For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree: and it shall be to the Lord for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off." In this chapter, he is describing the call to come and feed upon the word of God. He is showing that when God sends His word it will not return to Him void. He will accomplish that for which He sent it. It will either save you or make you worse. In verse 12 and 13, he is not speaking literally. He is showing us what the experience of salvation will do for us. He said instead of a thorn you will have a fir tree. What is the fir tree best known for symbolically? It is known for everlasting life. Why? Because it is "ever"-green. Proverbs 26:9 says, "As a thorn goeth up into the hand of a drunkard, so is a parable in the mouth of fools." Let us compare this passage of scripture with what Jesus teaches in Matthew 7. A drunkard is an individual who cannot control his actions. If he grabs a thorn bush, he will hurt himself and anyone who is near. He said that it was the same as a parable in the mouth of fools. Spiritually speaking, the Bible shows us that a lost person is a fool. In his heart, every lost person is saying that there is no God; therefore, biblically speaking, he is a fool. A lost person cannot understand the word of God. A false preacher who tries to expound upon a parable is going to hurt himself and everyone who goes near him. Why? That parable will become like a thorn in the hand of a drunkard. Proverbs 24:30-31 tells us: "I went by the field of the slothful, and by the vineyard of the man void of understanding; And, lo, it was all grown over with thorns, and nettles had covered the face thereof, and the stone wall thereof was broken down." The vineyard is a symbol of the true church or one which has apostasized, depending on whether the vines are of the earth or heaven. God's church has a stone wall. Put together Isaiah 60:18, Ephesians 2:18-22, and I Peter 2:5-10 show the church built up of a wall of stone, which wall is salvation. However, in Proverbs 24:30, this wall is broken down. What caused the wall to break down and the nettles to cover the vineyard? In other words, what caused all this sin and curse to come in and destroy the vineyard? Being slothful and void of understanding. Again, let us apply this passage with our scripture in Matthew 7:15-18. Every pastor has a vineyard. If a pastor is slothful, the vineyard will fall apart. He will not have understanding to take care of the vineyard. What do thorns represent? They represent that which is harmful, that which hurts, that which clings, and that which destroys good soil which could be producing good fruit. No matter how well a garden is cultivated and planted, weeds will take over, if cultivation is not continued. In our individual life and collectively as a congregation, we must have the thorns weeded out. Why? Because God wants a pure vineyard. Hebrews 6:7-8 states: " For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God. But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned." It is giving us a picture of two kinds of earth. He says the one kind of earth drinks in the rain, which comes oft upon it. Isn't that a good picture of a Christian? Remember, Deuteronomy 32:1-2: "Give ear, O ye heavens, and I will speak; and hear, O earth, the words of my mouth. My doctrine shall drop as the rain, my speech shall distil as the dew, as the small rain upon the tender herb, and as the showers upon the grass." God's doctrine is like rain, symbolically speaking. A number of passages in the Bible show us that rain represents God's word. If we want to be productive, God's word should fall often upon our ground. Many people think they can go to church occasionally and they will be able to produce. However, we cannot produce unless we have rain falling often upon us. We must be productive and produce good fruit or we will be turned over to thorns and thistles. Thorns generally grow in dry ground. Look at the cactuses. They are a form of thorns. When we are lost, we are a desert, bearing thorns and thistles. When the water of life is brought into the situation, things change. That is why Isaiah 35:1 says,"...and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose." Why? Before it blossomed, it only had thorns. Once water was applied, it blossomed. What is the water? Ephesians 5:26 says, "That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word." John 7:37-39 says: "...Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)" Today, according to Romans 8:9, every child of God has the Holy Spirit and the water supply is there. The need of the hour is to get rid of the thorns. A Christian might have thorns in the flesh, but he will not have thorns in the spirit. If a spirit is a dry place, God is not there. You can know the difference between a true preacher and a false one by his fruit, which comes from the inward man. If he is producing grapes, which is a symbol of the word of God, it will fulfill and nourish you. That is a sign that he is a true preacher sent from God.