Date: 3/3/19 Session 1: Joshua and Caleb You have likely heard the idiom “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” It’s intended to be sage advice to remind ourselves not to judge others by external appearances or behaviors, but rather to look deeper within them. It sounds great, and there is some truth to it, but does this idea fully align with Scripture?

The Warning of Jesus

Consider the words of Jesus in Matthew 12:

33 “Either make the tree good and its fruit will be good, or make the tree bad and its fruit will be bad; for a tree is known by its fruit. 34 Brood of vipers! How can you speak good things when you are evil? For the mouth speaks from the overflow of the heart. 35 A good person produces good things from his storeroom of good, and an evil person produces evil things from his storeroom of evil. 36 I tell you that on the day of judgment people will have to account for every careless word they speak. 37 For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.” (Matthew 12:33-37 CSB)

Notice in this passage that Jesus didn’t tell us to ignore externals—they surely matter—but rather to understand the connection of externals and internals. What we see on the surface matters because it reveals the posture of a person’s heart. Jesus provided three examples of how externals are connected to internals:

1. Trees (v. 33). This may not be as readily apparent to many of us, but it surely would have resonated with the people of Jesus’ day who lived in an agrarian society. It would have been common sense to them that the condition of a tree—good or bad—determined the quality of its fruit. A bad tree simply cannot produce good fruit just as a good tree will not produce bad fruit. If you see a tree with bad fruit you know this to be true: the tree itself is bad.
2. Mouths (v. 34). This is where Jesus addressed the sinful religious leaders more directly. An evil person speaks evil. While that person may be able to temper his or her speech when it is needed, ultimately, what is in the heart—evil—will come out of the mouth.
3. Actions (v. 35). Similar to our words, Jesus said that our conduct is rooted in our character. A good person does good. An evil person does evil.

Pretty straight-forward, right? We need to be clear on one vital aspect of Jesus’ teaching before we move on. Notice that the externals do not make the internals, it is the other way around. This is critical to understand. The tree begins as good—then good fruit comes from it. The fruit does not define the tree. Likewise, the person’s heart is either good or evil, then good or evil words and deeds come from it. Jesus did not say that a person’s evil words and actions makes him or her evil. It is the other way around.

Viewing Our Externals through the Gospel Lens

Why is it so critical to understand this relationship between the heart and words and behavior? Because we have to look at it through the lens of the gospel. Moralism centers on changing behavior. While there is nothing wrong with being concerned about behavior the fatal flaw of moralism is that it believes that if we can change our behavior, it can change who we are. Our “good” behavior can make us a “good person.” Biblical moralism presents forth that if we obey God’s commands, we will be “good” and accepted and loved by God. Biblical moralism flies in the face of Jesus’ words! Here’s how the gospel counters biblical moralism: no amount of good works can make us good. To suggest that is to say that our works save us. And we know that is not true. Instead, what makes us good is God alone. It is trusting in Christ and being forgiven of our sin because of Christ’s substitutionary atonement and being credited with Christ’s righteousness (2 Cor. 5:21). That, and only that, makes us good. Being good is solely dependent on a change brought about by the power and declaration of God. Then, and only then, are we able to do good works as the Spirit produces them. Then, and only then, are we able to obey God, to please Him, and to glorify Him as we have been created to do. All from love and gratitude for what God has done in us, not in any sort of effort to earn His acceptance and love. This provides the needed context of Jesus’ words in Matthew 12. What He was telling us there is that our conduct reveals our true identity. So we don’t judge based on our behavior necessarily, but our behavior reveals who we truly are, which is the right basis of judgment. (If you want to see another example of Jesus connecting externals and internals, read Matthew 25:31-46.)

Back to the Israelites

As we read the account of the spies scouting the land, we have to be careful not to conclude that this was the moment when they turned on God. Yes, this was a moment of outright rebellion (God had promised to give them the land), but the sinful words of rebellion against God did not make them rebels. Rebellion was already in their hearts. This rejection of the land was the action that affirmed what was true about the people. And if we have been tracking with the story of the Exodus, we know this to be true. Time and time again the people rebelled against God. Time and time again they doubted His goodness. Time and time again they chose their way rather than His. Turning their backs on the land of promise was outward evidence of what the people had done long before: turn their backs on the God of the promises.

Conduct, is what we do; character, is what we are… Character is the state of the heart, conduct its outward expression. Character is the root of the tree, conduct, the fruit it bears.” – E. M. Bounds (1835-1913) [1]

Preschool Tip: This session serves as a good opportunity to talk not only about trusting God, but also in checking our hearts. As we know, preschoolers can often let their hearts get away from them leading to temper tantrums and meltdowns. While this is a normal part of the developmental process, we can still encourage them from this early age to pursue having a calm, gentle, obedient heart. Kids Tip: Try to guard time this week to talk about how God cares about our motivation—our hearts. Yes, disobedience is wrong, but so is our grudging obedience. God wants our joyful obedience because only that reflects a heart of trust and contentment in Him. [1] E. M. Bounds, The Necessity of Prayer, in The Works of E. M. Bounds (Lulu.com, 2015), 337. https://vimeo.com/album/5635208/video/307183365