The Fruit of the Spirit
By: Ptr. Arnel Magaan
1CO 12:31
BUT DESIRE
EARNESTLY THE GREATER GIFTS. AND MOREOVER A MOST EXCELLENT WAY SHOW I UNTO YOU.
The Fruit of
the Spirit
Galatians
5:22-23
"But the fruit of the spirit is……
Love,
Joy,
Peace,
Longsuffering,
Gentleness,
Goodness,
Faith,
Meekness,
Temperance,
against such
there is no law"
Separate Fruit or Different
Aspects of One Fruit?
Fruit in the
New Testament is normally plural
Only in
Galatians 5:22 and Luke 1:42 (referring to Jesus) is it singular
Actually,
this fruit is "singular collective"
One
collective fruit - that is centered in LOVE & made up of 8 other parts?
Consider I
Corinthians 13 and 2 Peter 1 Galatians 5
Fruit of
Spirit
JOY
PEACE
LONGSUFFERING
GENTLENESS
GOODNESS
FAITH
MEEKNESS
TEMPERANCE
I
Corinthians 13
Love or
Charity
"rejoiceth"
"hopeth all things"
"beareth
all things" "endureth all things"
"suffereth
long" "not easily provoked"
"is
kind" "envieth not"
"rejoiceth
not in iniquity" "thinketh not
evil"
"believeth
all things" "never faileth" "not puffed up"
"vaunteth not itself"
"behaveth
not unseemly" "seeketh not
her
own"
2 Peter 1 Galatians 5
FAITH
VIRTUE
KNOWLEDGE
TEMPERANCE
PATIENCE
GODLINESS
(same word)
brings
brings (see
2 Pet. 1:3)
(same word)
encourages
brings
FAITH
GOODNESS
PEACE
TEMPERANCE
LONGSUFFERING
GENTLENESS
BROTHERLY KINDNESS and MEEKNESS
CHARITY
equals LOVE
"But
the fruit of the spirit is….
Love
Joy,
Peace,
Longsuffering,
Gentleness,
Goodness,
Faith,
Meekness,
Temperance,
against such
there is no law"
Galatians
5:22-23
Longsuffering
English word - joining together of
2 words
Original Greek - also combination
of 2 words
- makro and
themeo
- Literally
"slow anger" or "long temper"
- Also
translated "patience"
Newer versions (eg, NIV & NEB)
translate this fruit
of the
spirit as "patience"
But, there is a difference between
Biblical
"Longsuffering"
and Patience (as we know it).
The Patience
of Job
Character of
Job - well illustrates difference between patience and longsuffering
Known for
patience but not longsuffering
James uses
both words in chapter 5:
- "Be
patient (makrothumia) therefore, brethren, unto the coming
of the Lord.
Behold, the husbandmanhath long patience for it be ye also patient" James
5:7-8
"Ye
have heard of the patience (hupomone) of Job, and hath seen the end of the
Lord" James 5:11
James says
-- We need more than "patience" (humonone)!
Job, too,
needed to learn "longsuffering" (makrothumia)
Longsuffering
of Yahweh
God is described
as being "slow to anger" Neh. 9:17
Exhibited this
characteristic many times - e.g., time of Noah (see 1 Pet. 3:20)
"but
is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all
should come to repentance". 2 Pet.
3:9
"And
account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation." 2 Pet. 3:15
Slow Anger
is not No Anger
Impossible
to experience no anger.
What counts
is how we express it.
And we need
to express it - release it in some way.
Not in ways
that are physically oremotionally damaging to other people.
Opposite of
"slow anger" = "quick temper" - not a part of the fruit of
the Spirit
Anger -
Biblical Common Sense
"A fool
gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man quietly holds back". Prov. 29:11 (RSV)
"Be ye
angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down
upon your
wrath" Eph. 4:26
"Beslow
to wrath: For the wrath of man worketh
not the
righteousness of God" James 1:19,20
Anger -
Negative (& Positive) Sides
Negative
Impacts
Attacking
another person
Thinking
hateful thoughts
Festering
grudges
Souring
relationships
Guilt ->
Neurosis -> Physical Illness
Positive
Side
Use it as
'fuel for motivation"
But must let
it go; "calm it back"
The Answer
to Anger and
The Secret
of Longsuffering
It is quite
simple -
It is the
ACT of FORGIVENESS
It is
essential to our own emotional, spiritual and even physical well-being.
"To
Forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover the prisoner was YOU."
Forgiveness
- A Way of Life
Forgiveness
does not come naturally
It needs Practice
- working on until it becomes a habit
Starting
with small everyday things
Just let it
go; calm it back
Think back -
Do you have anything
against
anyone?
FORGIVE THEM
- set yourself free
Forgiving
Yourself
Anger
towards ourselves is no less bad than anger directed towards others.
Can be most
difficult form of forgiveness.
There is
nothing wrong with having a certain healthy regard for ourselves.
But, we
think we own ourselves and therefore can mistreat ourselves.
Not so! We
were "bought with a price".
Longsuffering
Towards Ourselves
Go easy on
yourself or it will be impossible to go easy on others.
If we are
over-critical and chronically angry at ourselves, we're not going to project a
different attitude towards our "neighbors".
We can't
give away what we don't have ourselves.
"For if
our heart condemn us, God is greater (hearted) than our heart (than I am), and
knoweth all things" 1 John 3:20
Yahweh is
more long-suffering than we can ever imagine.
TEMPERANCE
Is it
'self-control' or 'God-control'?
Natural will
is weak; to overcome must be aligned with higher power.
True
temperance - only through "delight and meditation" in God's Word.
We must hold
back and not indulge in excesses acceptable to the world.
TEMPERANCE
Original
Greek - Egkrateia (pronounced en-krateia)
Compound of
two words - en + kratos
Literally
means - "in strength"
To have
power over one's self; Self-control
Indeed, it
takes much strength to overcome the lure from within that is so strong.
- "He
who rules his spirit [is better] than he who takes a city" Prov. 16:32
Biblical
(NT) context of
Temperance
"But if
they [unmarried and widows] cannot contain, let them marry: for it is better to
marry than to burn". 1 Corinthians 7:9
- Original
word for "contain" is egkrateia or temperance.
- The
context is how much easier it can be to serve God if one remains unmarried.
"And
every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all thingsBut I keep
under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest by any means, when I have
preached to others, I myself should be a castaway" 1 Cor. 9:25,27
- Context of
1 Corinthians 9 is clearly confined to bodily excesses.
- Is
"all" the universal all - absolutely everything?
- Should we
be "temperate" in our love for God, for example?
Other areas
of self-control
Drinking
Amassing
wealth
Spending
Eating
Etc.
Temperance
vs. Moderation
These words
are close synonyms but are not the same, particularly as they relate to
morality.
"Moderation
in all things" is a phrase often heard today but it is not Biblical.
There are
some things we are told to abstain from.
Abstinence
is the ultimate form of temperance.
Interlocking
Pieces of Fruit
All parts of
the fruit of the Spirit overlap and interlink.
All parts
combine to make the complete and true Christ-like character.
Lack of one
part will generally mean shortages in other parts.
For example
- if we fail to be longsuffering, we will fail at joy and peace
Gentleness
Greek -
chrestotes
More often
translated "kindness" in AV
This fruit
is better understood as Kindness
Acts of
kindness - "the cup of cold water"
Everyday
things - i.e. generally being "nice"?
Social
Kindness - because we like to be liked
Fruit of the
Spirit is not just Social Kindness
Being vs.
Doing
Fruit of the
Spirit - about being more than doing
Internal
quality of kindness rather than outward manifestation of it.
Perfunctory
kindness - no better than social kindness
Chrestotes
& related Chrestos - describe genuine kindness of the heart
Mirrors the
kindness of Yahweh himself and of His Son
References
to Kindness of God
Original
Greek - "chrestotes" or "chrestos"
"the
riches of his goodness"
"the
goodness and severity of God"
"if
thou continue in his goodness"
"the
riches of His grace in his kindness"
"the
kindness and love of God"
"the
goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance"
"He is
kind to be thankful"
"Be ye
kindtenderheartedforgiving as God"
Rom. 2:4
Rom. 11:22
Rom. 11:22
Eph. 2:7
Titus 3:4
Rom. 2:4
Luke 6:35 Eph. 4:32
Kindness -
principle attribute of
God's grace
GRACE
favor generosity allowance
mercy
goodwill clemency beneficence
Sympathy for
Others
Gentleness
(KINDNESS) will manifest itself in greater sympathy for people.
Reality is -
we all suffer from cursed human condition.
Genuine kindness
comes from knowing and appreciating what others are going through (treating
them in a way that shows you really believe they matter)
Kindness is
NOT being patronizing and condescending; but being empathetic.
Kindness
begins "at home"
Should find
its fullest and best expression among fellow believers.
"Let each
esteem others better than himself" Phil. 2:3 RAV
Indicates
high level of grace, allowance and understanding we should have for others of
the faith.
But, are we impartial
in esteeming others? - "They would be all right if only they were"
What
Philippians 2:3 does not say
"let
each esteem himself [or herself] worse than others"
This passage
is not "reversible" in this way.
Spirit of
the verse is to exalt others; not knock ourselves down.
It should
have a positive effect on us - help us to show kindness to fellow believers.
So! How do
we show kindness to fellow believers?
By passing
on the grace that Yahweh has shown unto us.
By making
allowance for others.
Treating
them with sympathy and understanding.
Understanding
what makes them "tick".
By putting
away all the bad uses of the tongue - Eph. 4:29, 31, 32
By
"ministering grace unto the hearers" and using the art of careful
listening
Kindness can
be "expensive"
Real
kindness does have a "cost" -
- Our time
- Our energy
- Our money - Our
pride
- Our convenience
- Our security
But, we won't
"count the cost" when it has become part of our everyday character.
The Milk of
Human Kindness
"too
full o' the milk of human kindness"
Lady Macbeth
Is there a
danger of being overly kind or taken advantage of for our kindness?
Answer -
leave it in God's hands; trust in Him.
Never allow
"the milk" to go sour!
The kindness
of Christ and his Father is experienced by tasting "the sincere milk of
the word". [1 Peter 2:2,3]
Kindness
will be perfectly manifested in us as citizens of the Kingdom.
Goodness
Greek word -
agathosune
Only appears
in New Testament four times
-Romans
15:14 - Galatians 5:22 - Ephesians 5:9
-2
Thessalonians 1:11
"Full
of Goodness" Rom. 15:14
Not in
absolute sense
ven Christ
said "there is none good but one, that is God" Matt. 19:16-17
Yahweh may
impute goodness on His own terms; but it's not inherent or earned.
But, Romans
had sufficient knowledge and goodness.
With such, they
were able to "admonish one another" and lead away from false doctrine
and un- Christ-like practices Paul warned them against.
Do we have
"sufficient" goodness?
Goodness
Greek word -
agathosune
New
Testament references
-Romans
15:14
-Galatians
5:22 - Ephesians 5:9
-2
Thessalonians 1:11
"(For
the fruit of the Spirit is in all
goodness)"
Ephesians 5:9
Verse must
be considered in context of chapters 4 and 5 and especially vv. 8-11.
Chief source
of defense against unfruitful works of darkness is fruit of the Spirit.
And only
fruit mentioned explicitly is "goodness". Goodness works in "proving what is acceptable" and
in reproving the "unfruitful works of darkness".
Relationship
of goodness to admonishing and reproving is very significant.
"good
pleasure of [His] goodness"
2 Thess.
1:11
"Wherefore
also we pray always for you, that our God would
count you
worthy of [this] calling, and fulfil all the good
pleasure of
[his] goodness, and the work of faith with power".
Some
versions other than KJV impute goodness in
this verse
to believers rather than God.
Alternate
rendering of 2 Thess. 1:11 - "that our God would count you worthy of
calling and fulfill all the good pleasure [delight and desire] of [your]
goodness and [your] work of faith with power".
In a
nutshell - The fulfillment of their delight in goodness would be their
salvation.
Goodness is
The quality of
character that lies behind, and must precede all truly good works.
It works something
like a conscience and may be just that.
"Inner
voice" of the Word which is admonishing and reproving us.
- "Thy
word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee" Psalm 119:11
Self-Talk
Nature of
our 'self-talk' is extremely important to our spiritual and mental well-being.
For people
of the world, their 'self talk' is almost entirely influenced by themselves and
other people.
Any
'goodness' they have is not the real thing.
Their moral
compass is not influenced by the Word of God.
Self-talk of
the believer is marked by gentle but firm inner reprovings and admonitions of
the Word.
- "When
thou awakest, it shall talk with thee" Prov. 6:22
Our Inner
Voice
In the
beginning, Adam and Eve's self-talk was the pure voice of goodness.
Disobedience
introduced a new voice in their heads.
Voice of
goodness became overwhelmed and in need of constant reinforcement.
We
desperately need the positive influence of the Word to restore the godly voice
of goodness.
What's the
inner voice in your head telling you most of the time? Is it predominantly the
voice of goodness or the voice of evil?
Positive and
Negative Thinking
Goodness is
a form of positive thinking.
Our natural
mode of thinking is negative. It can:
- Lead us
away from our own highest good
- Drain our
spirit if we let it
- Try to
convince us that bad things are actually good for us.
Bible-based
positive thinking is the only real change agent that can overcome the natural
mode and result in true goodness.
"Think
of these things" Phil. 4:8
"whatsoever
things are
TRUE
HONEST PURE
LOVELY
GOOD REPORT
VIRTUE
"But
the fruit of the spirit is
Love, Joy,
Peace,
Longsuffering,
Gentleness,
Goodness,
Faith,
Meekness,
Temperance,
against such
there is no law"
Galatians
5:22-23
The Equation
of Faith - Heb. 11:1
Faith =
The
Substance of Things hoped for
Substance
The Evidence of Things not seen
Greek:
hupostatis; hupo - of, by or under; statis - state
literally -
of state or of standing
something
you can stand on; a solid base
JOY and
PEACE - "flip sides of the
same
coin"
JOY PEACE
(Active) (Passive)
Faith &
Security
JOY
Greek -
chara
Related to
charis (grace); charisma (gift)
JOY =
certainty; doubt cast out = expectations soon to be realized "good tidings
of great joy, which shall be to all people"
"when
they saw the star, they rejoiced (chairo) with exceeding great joy
(chara)".
NO JOY with
doubt, worry, lack of faith & insecurity
Attitude and
Joy
Christ's
Parables in Matthew 13 -
Attitudes
toward the Kingdom
Parable of
Sower
Treasure hid
in the field - v. 44
- "The
Kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hide in a field; the which when a man
hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath
and buyeth that field."
Pearl of
great price - vv. 45-46 - "is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly
pearls: who, when he found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he
had, and bought it."
Certainty vs. Doubt
Comes
through faith
Awareness
of:
- Abundant
Grace
- Mercy
- Goodness
"Good
Grief"
Acknowledging
the need for confession and repentance
Certainty of
Forgiveness
Comes
naturally
Not wanting
to delude
ourselves
Thoughts of
shame
and guilt
Constant
failure to live
the Truth
Feelings of
unworthiness
"The
joy of the Lord is your strength"
Example of
the children of Israel in the days of Nehemiah
- "For
all the people had been weeping as they listened to the words of the Law"
Neh. 8:9 [NIV]
-
"Nehemiah said, Go and enjoyThis day is sacred to our Lord. Do not
grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength" Neh. 8:10 [NIV]
"Strength"
- moaz [Hebrew] = fort or stronghold
Joy founded
upon the certainty of Yahweh's love and mercy - protection against despair and
hopelessness that the guilt of sin brings.
"but your
sorrow shall be turned into joy"
Example of
Christ and the disciples
- "A
little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall
see me? Verily, verily, I say unto you, That ye shall weep and lament, but the
world shall rejoice: and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned
into joy." John 16:19-20
Joy that comes
from deep-seated spiritual security.
Joy that
comes by knowing the Kingdom will be established.
Secret of
maintaining joy
Keep the
vision of your pearl clear (not hidden in our pockets)
Keep the certainty
of it always before you (not letting doubt creep in)
Always be
expecting its value to be realized (not letting failure obscure your vision)
For
"the joy of the Lord is your strength"
"But
the fruit of the spirit is
Love,
Joy,
Peace,
Longsuffering,
Gentleness,
Goodness,
Faith,
Meekness,
Temperance,
against such
there is no law"
Galatians 5:22-23
Individual
Ideas of Peace
Sitting
alone reading Walking down a country
path
Fly fishing
in a stream Quiet time after children
are asleep
Peace in
today's society?
Our society
promotes stress.
It is a
treadmill society driven by materialism and consumerism.
Chasing
dreams that are never realized.
Getting
"to the top" can take a heavy toll.
Opting to
get off the treadmill is difficult in today's economy and can lead to the
stress of survival.
Believers'
lives are no less stress-free than others.
The Way of
Peace
"Peace
I leave with you, my peace I give unto you" John 14:27
"let
the peace of God rule in your hearts" Col. 3:15
is possible
for everyone to experience real peace.
But, why is
the way of peace so difficult for most of us to find?
Peace and
Circumstance
Many live
with illusion that inner peace is totally dependent upon external
circumstances.
But, this is
NOT the case. Real peace does not depend on circumstances.
If your
peace is controlled by external things, then it is not real peace.
True peace
is obtained by developing the other fruit of the Spirit and constant
"delight and meditation on the Word of God".
Scriptural
examples
Stephen was
able to retain inner peace, even while being stoned to death.
Habakkuk
-
"Though the fig-tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines,
though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no
sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I
will be joyful in God my Savior" Hab.
3:17-18 NIV
Paul -
"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! The Lord is
near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and
petition, with thanksgiving present your requests to God. And the peace of God,
which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ
Jesus." Phil 4:4-7
(NIV)
Real Peace
Practiced*
by maintaining inner calm and absolute trust in Yahweh during smaller everyday
as well as major crises of life,
*as with all
the fruit of the Spirit; real peace takes effort to develop as an aspect of our
character
for-
"all things work together for good" - Not that all things "are
good"
Bad things
must be viewed in context of God guiding all the events in life to a good,
eventual outcome.
The Gap
REAL PEACE
(Spiritual Mind)
ACTUAL PEACE
THE (or Lack
thereof)
YOU FEEL
GAP
LIFE FILLED
WITH
TROUBLE
& CONFUSION
(Natural
Mind)
Cold War
Real peace
is not the absence of war (or conflict in our lives).
It is a
quality (fruit) in its own right which actually replaces conflict within us.
Do we have
our own personal, inner cold war going on?
It is a form
of being in the Gap (and can be on the edge of falling out of the "peace
zone").
Difference
between only "resisting the devil" and "drawing nigh unto
God".
The Pendulum
of Finding Peace
"Resist
the Devil" "Draw
nigh to God"
THE GAP
Finding
peace through "the bad"
To be
reminded of God every time something goes wrong is perfect way to stay focused
on the Truth and find peace.
Important to
see the hand of God in things that would normally defeat you and to
Press the
praise button, not the panic button (i.e., thank God and don't complain).
Changed
attitude to problems and recognition of
God in your
life events will transform you and bring real peace.
- Be not
overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.
Rom. 12:21
Confusion
vs. Peace
"For
God is not the author of confusion, but of peace" 1 Cor. 14:33
In the
Mind of the
Flesh GAP Mind of the Spirit
The GAP is a
mental state of confusion & instability or double- mindedness.
"A
double-minded man is unstable in all his ways" James 1:8
The Answer:
Psalm 86:11-12
Peace like a
River
Isaiah 66:12
"Behold, I will extend peace
to her like a river, and the glory of the Gentiles like a flowing stream."
Revelation
22:1,2
Psalm 1:3
"like a tree planted by the rivers of water that bringeth forth his fruit
in due season"
Psalm 37:11 "meek shall inherit the earth; and
shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace"
2 Peter
3:13-14
Col. 3:15
"And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are
called in one body; and be ye thankful".
"But
the fruit of the spirit is
Love,
Joy,
Peace,
Longsuffering,
Gentleness,
Goodness,
Faith,
Meekness,
Temperance,
against such
there is no law"
8-Fold Fruit
of the Spirit
Characterizes
the New Man in Christ
Number 8
signifies a new beginning
Consider
other lists of attributes for -
- Elect of
God (items to put on) - Col. 3:12-16
- Man of God
- I Timothy 6:11-12
- Brethren
-Romans 12 entire chapter
Balance and
Attitude
Must keep
the Fruit in balance
They are the
Correct Attitudes to Life
And the
Fruit of the Spirit is all about attitude:
Correct
attitudes =
JOY, PEACE,
etc. The Pull of the Flesh
Hupomone -
Active Patience
One of the
noblest of New Testament words
Relates
specifically to tribulation
Not a
passive form of patience
Through
which we can bear all things through hope
This was the
patience of Job!
But, he
still needed to learn "longsuffering" towards his friends.
Real Faith
Works
without faith is 'phony fruit'.
May have
appearance of real fruit.
But, God is
not fooled.
Yahweh looks
at the being not the doing.
Works without
real faith will only bring a bitter.
"by
works was faith made perfect" James 2:22
The Teenager
Analogy
Human race
is stuck in "adolescence" from God's perspective - never reaching
spiritual maturity.
Teenagers
want the benefits of adulthood without the responsibilities.
Temperance
is hard for spiritual adolescents of all ages.
Reality is
that believers still have same old rebellious nature after baptism and can
suffer from shortcomings as "spiritual adolescents".
Temperance -
Biblical emphasis
Immorality
was a problem in Paul's day and its much worse today.
Biblical
temperance is all about being strong in the control of our natural tendencies
-- the primary drives of the flesh.
Sexual drive
is perhaps the strongest and most difficult to control for some.
Paul
explicitly exhorts the brethren in the first century on this delicate subject,
especially to the ecclesia in Corinth.
Goodness in
use as a Fruit
Goodness is
-- quality of character in a believer by which he or she is able to combat
"badness" or evil.
Believer
should direct his/her "goodness" toward others in error; using it to
validate their admonition and reproofs.
It only
comes from reading the Spirit Word and
It gives us
credibility when dealing with error - doctrine or walk.
But, not its
primary function.
More
importantly, is what it does for us on the inside (being rather than doing).
Faith Now
Three other
matters of faith that are not future:
1. Hand of
Yahweh in our lives
2. His hand
in the affairs of present nations
3. His hand
in the past
-Each of
these has evidence in outworkings
beyond
Scripture but still require faith
-And we must
have faith in ourselves.
Original
Greek - Egkrateia
Compound of
two words - en + kratos
Literally
means - "in strength"
To have
power over one's self
Indeed, it takes
much strength to overcome the lure from within that is so strong.
- "He
who rules his spirit [is better] than he who takes a city" Prov. 16:32
Example of
Felix
Procurator
of Judea - Paul defended himself against claims made against him before Felix
(see Acts 24).
"And as
[Paul] reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come, Felix
trembled,
and
answered, Go thy way" (v. 25)
History
shows that Felix indulged in all kinds of cruelty and moral excess including
murder and adultery.
Judgment
would be the consequence of his lack of temperance (and righteousness);
therefore he "trembled".
Adultery and
Murder in the Heart
We may not
be guilty of adultery or murder; but what about the spiritual equivalents?
"Ye
have heard that it was said of them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and
whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: But I say unto you, that
whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment."
"But I
say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath
committed adultery with her already in his heart." Matthew 5:21, 22 & 28
Intemperate thinking is sin in
Yahweh's eyes just as intemperate action.
Are we any less guilty than
Felix in regard to intemperate thinking?
Peace -
Other side of "coin" of
Security
JOY (Active)
PEACE (Passive)
Security
Joy gives
"sparkle" to life in the Truth.
Peace
provides a deeper feeling of well-being.
True peace
is a product of the other Fruit of the Spirit.
Trees
Bearing Fruit
Fruitful
trees are worthwhile
Fruitless
trees are worthless
- The
Parable of the Fig Tree (Luke 13:6-9)
Fruit is
the visible evidence/expression of a tree's good health - both natural &
spiritual.
Cultivation
= Spiritual Development
-
"fruits meet for repentance" (Matt. 3:8)
A tree
planted by the water
Psalm 1:3
& Jeremiah 17:8
Natural -
Healthy trees are planted by good water supplies
Spiritual -
see preceding verses
- "his
delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and
night" Ps. 1:2
-
"Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is.
For he shall be as a tree" Jer. 17:7
Delight
& Meditation in the Law
Trust &
Hope in the Lord
"Of the
Spirit"
Nobody but
Yahweh can make a fruit
Farmers create
best conditions for growth; yet natural laws of creation bring forth fruit
Natural
fruit is also "of the Spirit"
But, 'fruit
of the Spirit' is extra special
- Brings
together all the qualities of character produced in the heart of a believer by
the Spirit
- And like
natural fruit, man cannot manufacture such qualities on his own
- This fruit
has to go through a process of growth
Fruit
"of the World"
'Good works'
of the unbeliever are not the fruit of the Spirit and fail to please Yahweh
They are
synthetic or imitation fruit.
'Good people'
only appear to be what God wants.
Not a gift
of the Spirit
'of the
Spirit' gift of the Spirit
This fruit
is not conferred by the Holy Spirit
- Not 'grown'
suddenly and miraculously at baptism
- Nor can it
be programmed like a computer
Development
of it must be a free-will response
What then
makes it 'of the Spirit '?
Because it
results from the influence of the Spirit Word
83
Parallel
Phrases
"mind
of the Spirit" Romans 8:27
"spiritually minded" Romans
8:6
[minding]
"the things of the Spirit" Romans 8:5
"mind
of Christ" 1 Cor.
2:16; Phil. 2:5
"Spirit
of Christ" Romans 8:9
"Spirit
of life in Christ Jesus" Romans 8:2
"Walk
in the Spirit" Galatians
5:16
84
The Mind of
Christ =
Fruit of
Spirit
"love
one another as I have LOVED you"
"that
my JOY might remain in you"
"my
PEACE I give unto you"
"Jesus
Christ might shew forth all LONGSUFFERING" "the Lord [Jesus] is
gracious [Gr. chrestos, KIND =
gentleness]
John 15:12
John 15:11 John 14:27 1 Tim. 1:16
1 Peter 2:3
" Can
there come any GOOD thing come out of Nazareth?...
Come and
see"
"Christ
Jesus who was FAITHFUL to him that
appointed
him"
"by the
MEEKNESS and gentleness of Christ"
"Every
man [includes Christ] that striveth for mastery is
TEMPERATE in
all things"
John 1:4
Heb. 3:2
2 Cor. 10:1
1 Cor. 9:25
85
LOVE (agape)
What is ISN'T?
- It isn't the love the world knows.
- It isn't philia (friendship,
affection, romantic)
- It isn't eros (physical passion)
- It is not superficial or something
you can turn on
and off and
- It doesn't
come naturally.
86
What Agape
is
It is best defined through its
illustration in
Scripture -
for all the Law is fulfilled in it
It is ultimately exemplified in
Yahweh and
His Son.
It is
transcendent.
It is
practical - a sound
and workable
approach
to daily
living
Heaven (God)
Christ
Earth (us)
87
Love for our
brethren should
be
Of a higher order than those
outside the
Truth (Gal.
6:10)
- It can
(and should) be better expressed among
fellow
believers than between believer and unbeliever.
- Our love
for those who love the things we love
will
naturally be greater.
A form of witness to the world
(John 13:35)
88
"Swear
not at all"
"But above all things, my
brethren, swear not, neither by
heaven,
neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: but
let your yea
be yea; and your nay, nay; lest ye fall into
condemnation."
James 5:12
Jesus warns not to swear at all -
take no oaths or commit to
anything we
are unable to follow through with. "But let your
communication
be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is
more than
these cometh of evil" Matt.
5:33-37
89
Everyday
"Swear" Words
"My Goodness"
"Good Gracious"
"Good Heavens"
"Gosh" or "Oh My
Gosh" "Geez"
(Jesus)
"Jiminy Cricket" (Jesus
Christ) "Cripes" (Christ)
90
Swearing - A
Social Disease
Can be caught like a common cold.
A strong social acceptance factor
is involved. But, believers must
resist it. Why?
It displeases and even devalues
Yahweh. It is a sign of
emotional immaturity.
A lack of ability to express strong
feeling in
any other
way.
91
Temperance
and God
Yahweh exhibits the controlled
strength of
meekness
(the last Fruit considered) to perfection.
Temperance works alongside His
meekness as part
of His
character.
God is not given to uncontrolled
use of His power
and is
extremely sparing in His omnipotence.
Lessons for us if we are to share
in His character?
92
"I
think, therefore I am"
French philosopher -
Rene'
Descartes
"Cogito, ergo sum"
Two choices:
- "I
think, therefore I amevil" or
- "I
think, therefore I amgood"
Which mode of thinking applies to
us?
93
Progress
Doing Doing & Being Being
Aspect of
Fruit Little or Beginning to Significant
Evident There or
None see it but
still often majority of almost there
1 manifested lacking time in my "being"
2 3 4 5
Love
Joy
Peace
Longsuffering
Kindness
Goodness
Faith
Meekness
Temperance
94
FAITH
The only fruit that is defined in
Scripture.
"Now
faith is the substance of things hoped
for, the
evidence of things not seen"
Hebrews 11:1
But, what does this meaning really
mean?
95
Faith and
Works James 2:18
"Yea, a
man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew
my thy faith
without works, and I will shew thee my faith by
my
works."
Not a doctrine of salvation by
works but
A doctrine of salvation by faith
that inevitably leads
to works.
Works are not the goal.
Fruit of the Spirit is the goal and
works are
outcome of
developing of the fruit - especially faith.
"by works was faith made
perfect"
James 2:22
96
Box 2
1 2
The
Substance of Things hoped for
Faith =
The Evidence
of
Things not
seen
97
Things hoped
for
The return of Christ
Resurrection
Immortality
The Kingdom of God established
98
Faith in our
own salvation
Believing in the salvation of
others is much easier
than our
own.
Difference is that we know
ourselves only too well,
especially
our 'shadow selves'.
But, Yahweh is pleased in progress
we gain for the
fruit of the
Spirit and the development thereof.
The only true failure is to believe
you have no
hope.
People with real faith affect those
around them in
direct and
indirect ways.
99
MEEKNESS
Greek: Praotes - gentle, mild and
gracious
But it does not connote weakness or
timidity in the
way the
world would consider meekness.
Biblically defined as gentle,
controlled strength
True meekness as a fruit of the
Spirit can only be
developed as
a characteristic of believers. It can never come naturally.
It arises from the strength and
security we have in
trusting
Yahweh.
It grows within as a result of our
continued delight
and
meditation in the Word.
100
The Supreme
Example
The Almighty Himself is the
greatest example of
meekness.
He is "controlled
strength" in the ultimate sense of
the term.
THE Creator and Sustainer of the
Universe -
Omnipotent,
Omniscient, Omnipresent and Glorious beyond our comprehension.
Yet is mindful of us here on this
earth and shown
His love to
us in many ways more than we could expect or deserve.
101
The Meekness
of Christ
His life exemplified 'controlled
strength'
- From the
time of temptation in the wilderness
- Slipping
away from those who threatened to kill him
though he
had the power to deal with them
- To his
last entry into Jerusalem, riding on a lowly animal;
hearing the
cheers of many who would call for his death
- And
finally to be crucified as a common criminal.
Jesus resisted the temptation to
use his power and
acknowledged
the source of it.
And in this knowledge lies the
secret of our
meekness.
102
The
"Meekness" of Man
Yet, mankind is so
'self-important'!
In reality, he has "much to be
modest about".
But, human nature admires
self-reliance and
assertiveness.
If only, more people were
spiritually 'strong
enough' to
be meek!
The greatest barrier to having
Biblical meekness is
the fear
that it will appear to others as natural weakness.
103
God-reliance
A Biblically meek person realizes
the affairs of his or her life
are in no
one's hands but God's.
Meekness is God-reliance not
self-reliance.
Meekness is not weak, isolated or
dependent on self.
He/she is therefore strong and
connected as a child of
Yahweh but
at the same time, independent in the sense of
John 8:32
"The truth shall make you
free"
- Free from
sin and its attendant anxieties.
- Free from
the cares of this life; knowing the security and
strength of
being in Christ.
104
Biblically-meek
person
Doesn't need to prove anything or
impress anyone
for
- behavior
such as bragging is a sign of insecurity and not
real
meekness
His/her first priority is what God
thinks and so
Radiates a quiet God-confidence
knowing the
outcome of
everything is in His hands
For they have a deep trust that at
the same time
brings
humility
-
Recognizing that what He decides is the best for us is not
always what
we would have expected
- And reason
for always saying and thinking "God willing"
(see James
4:13-16)
A Life of
Meekness
Biblical meekness is a valuable
asset in
every facet
of life
- At home, - at school,
- in the ecclesia,
- daily activities: chores, errands,
appointments
And especially at work ("as to
the Lord"),
preaching to
others and instructing believers we believe are in error.
Blessed are
the meek
Blessed are
- The fruit of the Spirit is -
The poor in
spirit They that mourn
The meek
They which
hunger and thirst
after
righteousness
The merciful
The pure in
heart The peacemakers
The
persecuted for
righteousness
The reviled,
falsely accused,
for Christ -
rejoice, be glad.
Longsuffering
Faith
Meekness
Temperance
Love
Goodness
Peace
Gentleness
Joy
"Rejoice
in that day and leap for
joy"
"Count it all joy when ye fall
into divers temptations"
James 1:2
"Blessed are ye, when men
shall hate you, and when they
shall
separate you, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the
Son of man's sake. Rejoice ye in that
day, and
leap for joy: for behold your reward is great in
heaven"
Luke 6:22-23
"Blessed is the man that
endureth temptation: for when he is
tried, he
shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hat
promised to
them that love him" James 1:12
Joy is our best defense against
trials and
temptations!
The
Laodicean GAP (Rev. 3:15-17)
They thought
they were
"rich,
and increased with goods
and had need
of nothing"
THE GAP
(lukewarmness)
Christ said
"thou art neither cold nor hot,
poor, and
blind, and naked"
Spiritual
Clothing
"Put on
therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved,
bowels of
mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness,
longsuffering.
Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another And above all these things
put on charity [love:
agape] which
is the bond of perfectness. And let the peace of
God rule in
your hearts" Col.
3:12-15
Restatement of many aspects of the
fruit of the Spirit
Equivalent to white raiment that
Christ wanted the Laodiceans
to put on to
cover their spiritual nakedness
Only putting off the old, filthy
garments will leave one in the
Gap.
"But
the fruit of the spirit is
Love,
Joy,
Peace,
Longsuffering,
Gentleness,
Goodness,
Faith,
Meekness,
Temperance,
against such
there is no law"
Galatians
5:22-23
