Fruit and More Fruit

This is the fruit of the Spirit is not the fruit of Stephen or Tom or Paul or Bill said. Andrew Murray wrote it this way, the branch is nothing more than a rack from which the fruit of the vine hang. It is the sap from the vine coursing through the branch that produces the fruit.

Likewise, it is the life of Christ flowing in us that produces anything worthwhile.

The truth is we cannot produce this list. You cannot put your little fruit of the cup log on the dash of your car with patients on produce, rub off on tell our kids to be careful who they hang around. We believe the old saying that you are who your friends are, or you soon will be the same truth applies to our relationship with Christ. The more time we spend with him daily through praying and reading his word. The more we become like him today on wisdom for the heart organelle learned the importance of abiding in Christ.

When you abide in him. He gives you the evidence that you've been hanging around him pick up his character's perspective.

Here Stephen Davey with today's message that our last discussion we began to uncover the meaning of Paul's words when he wrote in Romans chapter 7 verse four. These words look there again. Therefore, my brother, and you also were made. The died of the law through the body of Christ that you might be joined to another. To him who was raised from the dead, that we might what bear fruit for God. I hope after the sessions you don't go around wondering why you're a Christian. One of the incentives.

One of the primary motives for God as he would you do is sign to be his bride was that you might have an offspring. The offspring of your union with Jesus Christ is fruit on the God and we began a look at a few of those last lords.

They we talk about the fruit of speech and the fruit of spiritual maturity. The fruit of sacrificial giving the fruit of saving truth.

There are some 80 times this word car path or car pot appears in the New Testament and we gotta stop their last lords day.

I wanted to just go further. One more time as we work our way through the end of verse six today on this theme of bearing fruit for God. Let me give you three more kinds of fruit that we bear for God. First of all, were to bear the fruit of our Savior's character in Philippians chapter 1 verse 11 were told that we been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God. This is the fruit of God or the fruit on the God that comes from the character of our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.

It takes the union of the Savior with our lives for us to bear anything that's living, which then of course produces what we could be a little more specific with another kind of fruit we could say this way. Second of all, we bear fruit of sanctified conduct God the passion of your bridegroom, the Lord Jesus Christ is to make you holy and blameless.

It is a process that began at the altar, so to speak. When you are converted by faith in Jesus Christ alone, and it continues until the day you are perfected. That's what Paul wrote, he who began a good work and you will perfected the day of Jesus Christ. Philippians 16 were perfect is been misapplied to believer reaching some state of sinless perfection.

The verb of Otello simply needs to complete to mature and the promise of Philippians 16 is that Jesus Christ begins the process of maturing when your United to him by faith and he will obligate himself to completed when he appears, or through death glorifies you to be with him. The point is the true believer has the work of Christ continually developing and maturing and perfecting renovating life from the inside out in this process of renovation is not a touch of job it is a little pain. This is more like a wrecking ball and a bulldozer as he comes in he wipes us out any starts a new one. Author rattled my cage with this thought when he wrote Christianity is not something that just keep people civil Christianity is like dynamite to blast us loose from our prejudices, our weaknesses are besetting sins are unclean and unchristian habits are petty selfishness and all the rest of the things that change our lives to meanness and mediocrity. This is the conduct of Christ within us becomes fruit in the God and everybody observes it would be a shock to somebody you lived in your dormitory your room or on your floor would be a surprise to the guy you played golf with last weekend would be a shock to the neighbor nearest your backyard fence would be a surprise to that one nearest your cubicle or in your shop would literally blow them away to discover all along that you're a married man and you're a married woman married to the bridegroom who is Jesus Christ and you have his name would that be a surprise. This holy conduct back support claim to be married to the one holy one arose from the dead and we bear within us the holy one, and then exposure to him produces that holy attribute that we so long for an see him developing an through us this passion for holy living.

A few months ago my wife gave me a little book that gives the history of words and phrases. It's a fascinating little book that you don't literally read from cover to cover just sits on your desk like it does on mine and every once in all of pull it out and read another rather fascinating paragraph that gives the background to some very interesting words or phrases that are popular. I read just a few days ago about the popular phrase mad as a hatter married Alan Matt is a hatter.

Perhaps you remember in the novel, Alice's adventures in Wonderland which we were required to read in fourth grade, which nearly ruined my educational process itinerary.

There is a character known as the Mad Hatter right he was that loony character who is always befuddled and confused and upside down and really he was insane. I guess you could say the truth is the phrase mad as a hatter actually referred to makers of hats in England many hat makers seem to be like this character mad, insane with her strange twitching facial muscles, especially the old hat maker and her stumbling gait and their incoherent speech, so the phrase grew out of that and people would refer to old hat makers is mad so that Mad Hatter or your Matt is a hatter came into being what we know now is that these hat makers before the invention of silt making machines in 1846 would make it themselves and it was made from a matted animal hair or perhaps wood fibers and part of the making of this process included the chemical mere character nitrate. We now know that longtime exposure to McCarrick nitrate causes confusion and loss of muscle control in the stumbling gait and incoherent speech. It was simply they didn't know it then, but that professions exposure to this chemical produced the effects of insanity. What a tremendous spiritual principle in the natural world. Long-term exposure to certain things, produces long-term effects, so also in the spiritual world, the believer having been exposed to the holy one eventually begins exhibiting the symptoms of holiness. Thus, holy conduct is produced as fruit by means of exposure to the holy one so fruit in the God is the fruit first of all of our Savior's character. Secondly, the fruit of sanctified conduct and thirdly me give you one more, the fruit of the Spirit's control.

Look at verse five in Romans chapter 7, where Paul writes for while we were in the what in the flesh this word Starks translated in the flesh is translated a number of times in the New Testament and and you have to let the context determine who exactly he's writing to hear the context clearly refers to someone is not yet been born again as opposed to that one who is in the spirit.

This one is in the flesh. He says here for while we were verse five in the flesh, look here, the sinful passions which were aroused by the law will talk about how that happens next words they were willing were in work in the members of our body to bear fruit for what fruit for death verse five they were at work in the members of our body to bear fruit for what. Thank you so much.

I'm glad to know you're awake with me fruit for death. He will contrast then verse four. You could circle that phrase fruit for God. He now contrast that in verse five with fruit for what your amazing fruit for death right so you have the law, which produces fruit unto death, and that's true simply because no one can keep the law and the law simply passes one sentence one. Everybody in that sentence is death, but the Holy Spirit produces fruit in the life I want you to turn the Galatians chapter 5, you never been outside Robinson about three years. Here we go. Galatians is to the right Galatians chapter 5.

Probably no better text to contrast these two categories are fruit.

The fruit of the flesh and the fruit of the spirit in Paul's letter to the Galatian believers look at Galatians chapter 5 verse 18.

He will describe those who are led not by the spirit but by the law.

Here is the fruit of the flesh.

Verse 19. Now the deeds of the flesh are evident.

This is fruit. Everybody can see they are immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities strive jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions envying, drunkenness, carousing rendered in orgies, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you that those who practice keyword. There are those who practice such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. Why warned them of this.

It's possible to be in the community of believers. When this letter was read and not be in the community of faith, it's possible that for somebody then and now to say well we belong to the spirit. But if we operate in, and we live in, and we enjoy and we practice and we revel in the works of the flesh as given.

Here we are self deceived, not in the spirit and on her way to that eternal death. So these are the fruits of the flash notice verse 22 but contrast but the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.

Against such things there is no law. In other words, there are no laws given to prohibit this kind of living.

No one would ever want to prohibit this kind of living, but there are many laws that try to control the living of the flesh, but there are no laws to try to control the living of the spirit. Everybody wants this and everybody would hope to have it and be around those who exhibited, by the way, if you go back to the beginning of verse 22. You notice that this is not call the fruits of the spirit. But the fruit of the spirit and that's very important to understand we tend to think of these as separate issues, though they are separate expressions and wonderful expression of the week. We tended to miss it.

Here God is God is not producing the fruit of love and some believer over there and then the fruit of gentleness and some believer over here in the fruit of patients in another believer over there. He is producing all of these and anyone believer, we would perhaps think in our minds what you was obvious the guy wasn't about the fruit of patients and those working with two-year-old this morning under attack as we speak right now, or maybe wants to develop self-control in the parking lot crueler or maybe gentleness in junior high workers.

We can understand that. We also have the mistaken notion that what we will do is allow God to work in us.

This one fruit of love and and and then maybe once we get that nailed down will go over here and allow him to work out that fruit of gentleness and don't cross me well in love because he had made me generally get wait till I get there and across man. Maybe God will do these works as we nail and master all of them. Then we have this mistaken notion. This is one fruit many expressions rather than one Apple on a stem. This is like one cluster of grapes and if the spirit of God is at work in a believer's life.

He will be at work in every one of these areas.

Surely, he focuses on one that sometime you know is working on a particular area in your life but we can't say well guy just didn't want that one in my life evidently and I'm just not gentle or not patient but boy it's great that sister so those patient you know she's just a comment to the body of Christ. Glad to have her here know that is in it at all. Long term exposure to the spirit of God produces these kinds of symptom. It is the fruit of the spirit. The first three are perhaps the best known, so let's deal with them just for a moment and then will move on the fruit of the spirit is what is love. It's impossible to be a partaker of the divine nature God being love without exhibiting that fruit as well. We need to know that love is the opposite of the work of the flesh, the work of the flesh is self-centered, the work of the flesh and selfishness.

Everything in this list that we read earlier sets it desire against the spirit why because they are only concerned about their flesh and so there involved in immorality because it feels good impurity because they want to sensuality because all revolves around them idolatry because they want to worship what they want to worship on down the list you go, it is themselves. I mean my eyes the work of the flesh, the work of the Spirit is that quickening were suddenly we begin to care about somebody other than I an unbeliever, you might say is loving all that they have a motive for that love. It may make them feel better. It may make them look better but the believer is capable of loving and a purely motivated fashion because God's work is it their heart and in their life. I love the way Donna Gray Barnhouse paraphrase for screen is 13 the great love chapter week like think about and read love. He writes it this way.

Very practical terms is unselfish love is interested in other people love thinks of the life and problems of others and tries to say the word perform the act will make life a little happier for them. Love is not envious when somebody else gets a promotion or prize or bargain. Love is actually glad when oil was discovered on your neighbor's property. Imagine that love does not go around talking about his own achievements. Love leaves statistics to God. Love is genuinely interested in the other person's job and wants to know he's getting along. Love does not lose his temper is not hasty does not snap at others. Love puts the best possible interpretation on words and events. Love will never think the worst of others. Love is never glad when others get into trouble. It is never happy about sin. Love is always glad about the truth love will stand anything. Love always wants the best love will endure any offense and you read a list like that if you say it's impossible all right, it is no way you can produce that's why it is the work of God in our hearts to make a something other than that which we would be without a totally involved in ourselves and our own flesh. He was on the record, the fruit of the spirit is also really love, but joy is word starts her car has nothing to do by the way, the circumstances, that's why Paul could write. I am sorrowful present tense, yet I continually rejoice with those two together. I am sorrowful, but I am continually rejoicing. How why well this is the fruit of the spirit of God, Kara, is that word that joy which is grounded in the awareness of a relationship with God. Sorrow comes from life joy comes from being related to the life of God's spirit, the next fruit follows naturally is the fruit of peace and I have read that the worst ocean storms. The rip across the Atlantic rating incredible waves storms never go more than about 50 feet deep others you go down 50 feet and the water is call up above, ranging stormy wind waves. You would think it would envelop the whole of the ocean get to go 50 feet deep. I remember as a boy growing up near Oceanview Virginia, Norfolk, Virginia going down there playing on the jetties. Those stone peers that they built out to diminish the currents we help from rock to rock, risking our lives and having a blast. What we did and I would see off to the left or the right.

These green plants floating on top of the water brought green leaves. They would be dashed against the rock to the jetty they be thrown about that have served they be sprayed that be tossed upside down, they would all kinds of things happen to them but yet they would flourish. Why, because if you happen to explore you follow that slender plant stem as it goes down to the rock below and its roots like tentacles wrap themselves around the rocky shore and then into the nourishing soil up above chaos, turmoil, wind, wave, stress, pressure how does it survive anchored with the waters call. That is the illustration of this word piece. It has nothing to do with things being settled on the surface, and has everything to do with things being settled deep within the soul united with the spirit of God. I like the way the hymn writer penned this truth.

This great rendering of this Greek word for peace. He wrote it this way hidden in the hollow of his blessed hand, never foe can follow, never traitor stand not a surge of worry not a shade of care, not a blast of hurry touch the spirit there while I stayed upon Jehovah, hearts are fully blest finding, as he promised, perfect peace and rest before we leave this text, would you go back again to the first part of verse 22 and would you notice that it is called this cluster. It is called the fruit of who the fruit of the spirit is not ours infected close examination of Romans chapter 7 verse four tells us that we do not necessarily produce fruit. We simply bear fruit. Andrew Murray wrote it this way, the branch is nothing more than a rack from which the fruit of the vine hangs. It is the sap from the vine coursing through the branch that produces the fruit. Likewise, it is the life of Christ flowing in us that produces anything worthwhile. The truth is we cannot produce this list. You cannot put your little fruit of the cup mug on the dash of your car with patients on it's okay. I want to produce that today somebody jumps in front of you and you lost you and them get out of your driveway hardly right. Why do we always fail. Well, one of the things we try to do is come up with this ourselves. Know this is the fruit of the spirit is not the fruit of Stephen or Tom or Paul or Bill or Cindy.

It is his. So there is any cause for self congratulation. In fact, it would do as well. If we would correct our theological vocabulary in a practical way. Rather than saying all you know so-and-so my sister my brother in Christ are there such gentle people there such joyful people and I was had been born that way.

No truth is they are peaceful. They are not joyful in and of themselves they are simply responding to the spirit of God's joy and peace is evident in their lives. It is like sap and that vine flowing out and they simply Barrett's before God and others.

John 15. Our Lord delivers what some call the secret to a fruit bearing life, and he said I am the vine, you are the branches.

He will abide in me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do at least one thing where I go off for apart from me you can do what nothing. John 15 five the secret fruit bearing is not a secret.

It's it's very clear it's a relationship and without him we can do nothing about this fruit bearing to a John 15, the relationship is evident in verse four he says abide in me, the latter part of verse four abide in the vine. Verse five he will abide in me. Verse six abide in me.

Verse seven you abide in me. Verse seven.

The latter part my words abide in you. Verse nine abide in my love word abide. Menno simply means the remaining means that you have a desire to have Internet and close fellowship with God says I want to be where you are.

David said this is my one desire and this is what I will see You with my whole heart that I may dwell in the house of God, was he saying was to be in some building now wants to be with God.

Passion the desire to abide with him when he prayed to drive you to his word to study his word so that his words abide in you so that you relate the events of his life to him so that you praise him was the light in his discipline. You are then abiding in him and he and you none of you fathers ever set out with your son and said okay. Want to walk like I do watch me in any walk across the living room floor. You make and watch take some notes and then sickening tribe gets up and after a while he can do it now. He just walks like none of you mothers ever said that when your daughter said okay watch I brush my hair this now I singer Lassen, which is to speak like me. So, say, say it with me all that you all that ye all say that no no formal lessons that all they picked it up from you how they simply learned it by abiding with you when you abide with him.

He gives you the evidence and you been hanging around him pick that up. You've picked up his character and his perspective in his axilla Lysa bearing fruit in all that we discussed is unlike the law is not a list of things the following things to do and things not to do bearing fruit in the spirit is a relationship. If you enjoy and develop. It was Dr. Alexander Graham Bell, who advised the parents of the little death blind, mute girl to send for teacher from the Perkins institution for the blind in Boston, Massachusetts and and Sullivan in 19-year-old orphan accepted the call and went to help this little girl name Helen Keller probably read some of the story and so you know the arduous work that and Sullivan went through just to get Helen to understand the relationship between what she was pressing into her hand and that meaning the word in the net relating to some physical, tangible object, but she kept with it and eventually Helen caught it. After two years Helen was able to write and read fluently in Braille and she would by the way, learn many languages fluent in the mall.

She learned it at age 10 variations of sound by placing her hands on the throat of an and feeling the leathernecks and knowing the difference then sounds were loud or soft higher low. Eventually she was accepted at Radcliffe College and she went there and and of course had to go with her but willingly didn't pressed every lecture in the Helens 50 years of companionship ended when and died in 1936. Helen wrote these endearing words about her friend who had become her eyes and mouth careers.

My teacher was so near to me that I scarcely thought of myself. Apart from her. Her being was inseparable from my own. I feel that the footsteps of my life were in hers. All the best of me belonged to her. There was not a talent or an inspiration or joy in me that was not awakened by her loving touch you in many ways what and Sullivan was to Helen Keller, Jesus Christ, our bridegroom wants to be to every believer. Our ears are eyes or mouth are inseparable friends.

So, may I read this back to you again editing it slightly so that it refers to our divine, ever faithful right.

He is so near to us that we scarcely think of ourselves apart from him. We feel that his being is inseparable from our own, and that the footsteps of our lives are in his all the best of us belongs to him.

There is not a talent or an inspiration or a joy in us that has not been awake by his loving friendship relationship with him like that will allow us to bear offspring by means of our union with Christ be evident with that. We conclude this lesson and also this teaching is called the beauty of the bride. This is wisdom for the heart with Stephen Devi. If you've never introduced yourself to us. We have a magazine called heart-to-heart.

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