About

Fruit of the Spirit Now that we have a better grasp of what it means to walk in the Spirit, we are able to take a look at what the fruits of the Spirit are and how we cultivate them in our lives. There are more of them than you may think. Show Notes: The last several weeks, we’ve been talking about what it means to walk in the Spirit and some tools to better hear and follow Him. Today we’re going to start a new series on the fruits of the Spirit. To start with, what are they fruits of the Spirit? Most of us probably think right away of Galatians 5, but it’s a little bigger than that. The fruits of the Spirit are the qualities that the Holy Spirit begins to call out and refine in us when we become believers. They are absent in those who are not believers. Now I can already hear an objection on some of your lips. How can we say that unbelievers don’t exhibit the fruits of the Spirit when we can all call up caring, philanthropic, people who are clearly secular and don’t have the Holy Spirit living in them? It’s all about motives. The most confusing fruit in this way is love. We think we see love between two people who aren’t believers, between parents and children who aren’t believers, etc. But what we’re really seeing is a selfish act. If you remember from a few episodes ago, the heart of the love that God calls us to show to others is self-forgetfulness. No unbeliever does anything loving for anyone else if they know for a fact that they are going to get nothing for it. Now what they get takes a lot of different forms. It could be kindness in return; it could be praise from onlookers; it could be personal fulfillment and alleviating guilt. The beauty of the love that comes from God and through us to others is that it’s not self-seeking. We may indeed receive something back. We may not. Either one isn’t the point. The point is to care for those around us as God has cared for us. So I said earlier that the fruits of the Spirit are bigger than Galatians 5. We’re going to read through some passages and see what I mean, starting in Galatians 5:19-24. “Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” Romans 15:13, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” Colossians 3:12-17, “Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” Ephesians 4:1-6, “I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call—one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.” Ephesians 5:1-11, “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving. For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not become partners with them; for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.” From these passages, we can safely add a few more things to the list from Galatians 5: hope, thankfulness, unity, humility, and a spirit of forgiveness. I think it’s also important to note that it’s a fruit of the Spirit that we don’t do all the negative things mentioned in these passages. The Spirit changes our hearts so that we desire less and less to do the things of the flesh and more and more want to do the things of the Spirit. So how does this work? My theological/church background is Baptist and non-denominational, which means I grew up under the impression that all the commands in the bible were things I needed to muscle up and make happen in my life. There are also theological strains that say you don’t need to do anything; the Holy Spirit does it all. You just live your life, and God will make you more like Him as you go. The truth, as is often the case in theology, is a little more paradoxical and takes parts of both. Does the power to do anything good come from the Holy Spirit, from God Himself? YES. Absolutely. But He works through us and gives us that power. It is on us to walk in step with Him and do as He’s telling us. I heard this explanation a few years ago—I don’t remember from whom—that said you have to remember that the fruits of the Spirit are called fruits for a reason. If you go in an orchard, you won’t hear the trees groaning and straining to produce fruit. It happens that way because that’s what the tree is designed to do. Now I want to take the picture a little farther and say that doesn’t mean there was no effort that went into making sure that happened. Any fruit farmer will tell you differently. In order for the tree to produce fruit, it has to be mature enough, it has to have nutrients in the soil, it has to be pollinated, it has to have enough rain and sunlight at the right times, and it has to have the right temperatures. If any one of these factors is off, you’ll either end up with fruit you don’t want to sell or significantly less fruit. In addition, if nothing is done about the bugs and other pests, you’ll never get a marketable crop. Unlike a tree, we have a will and can make choices. God is the farmer, but we can either work with or against Him. What are the things we need to be doing if we are to produce fruit? We need to be in the Word, in prayer, in fellowship with other believers, and deliberately looking for ways we can practice these fruits and areas where we’re not. And in all of that, we have to remember that we’re not doing it on our own. We have to ask for help ALL THE TIME. Even the desire to read the Word and pray comes from God, and He wants us to ask Him for help. It shows our own humility and displays His power. So why do we want to have these fruits of the Spirit? What good does it do? Every fruit has implications and outcomes for both you and those around you. We’ll go through and look at each one individually in the coming weeks, but let’s look at some overall benefits. Matthew 5:14-16 says, “‘You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” The fruits of the Spirit in our lives shine like a light to those around us, in this case unbelievers, and help guide them to Christ and to give glory to God the Father. Matthew 7:15-20 says, “‘Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.” We are called to discern between those who come into our midst bearing the fruit of the Spirit and those who don’t, especially when it comes to those who would teach and disciple. We should be very cautious about who we allow to teach us and our children, and we should make the decision based on the fruit in their lives. Is it healthy or diseased? I look forward to studying and teaching on each fruit individually in future episodes, and as always, I hope this has helped you to understand better what things in the Bible mean how to live the Christian life the way God intends. Next week I’m going to take a week off. I’m moving downstate next Saturday, and Friday is packing day. I’ll hopefully be back June 14th, when we’ll discuss the fruit of love. I hope you’ll join me then.