Whole Fruit; Spirit Produced Character ~ 201708287 ~ Pastor Rodney Zedicher ~ Ephraim Church of the Bible ~ www.ephraimbible.org
08/27 Whole Fruit: Spirit Produced Character Audio available at: http://www.ephraimbible.org/Sermons/20170827_spirit-produced-character.mp3
In Galatians 5, Paul lists 9 attributes or character qualities that he says is the fruit of the Spirit. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. This is what the Spirit controlled life looks like. This is one fruit. Fruit is singular. It is not a buffet line where you take what you like an pass on the things you are not so fond of. No, the Spirit controlled life is all of these things in perfect balance and symmetry.
The Spirit's fruit is not like the Spirit's gifts. The Spirit 'apportions' the gifts 'to each one individually as he wills' (1Cor.12:11), 'each has his own gift from God, one of one kind and one of another' (1Cor.7:7). Not any person has all the gifts. But every believer is expected to produce fruit, and the fruit of the Spirit consists of all these characteristics together. In every Christian all the gifts are under development. The gifts without fruit can be abused as happened in Corinth. I Corinthians 13 tells us that the gifts without love are nothing. Love is patient and kind. Love bears all, believes all, hopes all, endures all. Love is fruit.
The Spirit's fruit is not occasional. The follower of Jesus is not to be sometimes loving, sometimes patient, sometimes gentle. The person who is sometimes self controlled does not have self control. The person who is occasionally joyful is not a joyful person. A person who is joyful when things are going well does not have the fruit of the Spirit. It is natural to experience joy when things are good. But the Spirit's fruit is supernatural. The Spirit's fruit becomes evident especially when things are not going as hoped or as planned. The fruit is to characterize the follower of Jesus all the time. 24-7; 365; Sunday through Saturday.
This does not mean that you never have a bad day, that you're never down. Paul got discouraged. When he was in Corinth, he was so discouraged that Jesus appeared to him to encourage him.
Acts 18:9 And the Lord said to Paul one night in a vision, “Do not be afraid, but go on speaking and do not be silent, 10 for I am with you, and no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many in this city who are my people.”
Paul was afraid. He was understandably tired of being attacked and beat up for his faith. He was tempted to just be quiet and stop proclaiming Jesus. He was discouraged over a lack of ministry effectiveness. The Lord himself appeared to him in a vision to encourage him. Paul struggled. We all struggle. This does not mean that the Spirit is not at work producing his fruit in our lives.
Paul said:
2 Corinthians 1:8 For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. 9 Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death.
Paul felt burdened beyond his ability to handle it. Paul experienced despair. Paul felt hopeless. Paul came to the end of himself.
2 Corinthians 1:9 ...But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. 10 He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again.
Notice the purpose? There was divine purpose in his despair. This was to make us rely on a resurrecting God. This was to keep us from relying on ourselves, our strength, our gifts, our abilities. This was to turn our focus to the God who gives supernatural life to dead things. This is the Spirit's fruit, that in the midst of despair we set our hope on God. The fruit grows as we believe in God, trust God, rely on God and not on ourselves. Fruit grows by faith.
Remember, the Spirit's fruit grows. It is not suddenly ripe the day after we trust Jesus. It is there, but in seed form. It will grow. We can encourage growth, we can take steps to produce an environment where growth is facilitated, we can remove obstacles to growth. But God himself produces the growth.
2 Corinthians 4:7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. 8 We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; 10 always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. 11 For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.
The power belongs to God and not to us. The surpassing power to bear this kind of fruit even in the midst of adverse circumstances. The Spirit's fruit is the life of Jesus manifested in our bodies.
Fruit Described
The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Biblical love is willingly self-giving for the good of the other. Real joy is unaffected by circumstances, overwhelms suffering, rejoices in trials. Peace is a quiet confidence and restful awareness that all is well. Patience or being slow-to-anger bears a long time with others and graciously forgives the wrongs of other. Kindness is palatable, functional, comfortable; not severe, biting, harsh or chafing; it is redemptive. Goodness is the generous outward expression and overflow of a kind heart, especially to the undeserving. Faithfulness is doing what the Master commands when he commands, in utter dependence on him, taking risks in service to others. Gentleness or meekness is aware of deep personal need, spiritual poverty, and in helplessness seeking help from God alone. Self control is Spirit supplied inner strength over lesser desires.
This is a comprehensive list of Christian qualities, but it is not an exhaustive list. Paul often gives lists that cover a topic, but he varies his vocabulary, and in different contexts, he gives variations on the content.
In 1 Corinthians 13 Paul points to the more excellent way of love over even the greatest gifts. In his description of love, he includes joy or rejoicing, patience, kindness, faith or faithfulness, and he adds hope, endurance, and bearing all.
In Ephesians 4, Paul urges us to
Ephesians 4:1 ...urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3 eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. 7 But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ's gift.
To love, peace, patience, faith, and gentleness he adds humility, unity, hope, and bearing with one another.
Ephesians 4:23 commands that we
Ephesians 4:23 and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, 24 and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness....32 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
Here he adds to kindness a tender heart, forgiveness, righteousness and holiness.
Colossians 3 tells us to
Colossians 3:12 Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13 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. 14 And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. 15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.
To love, peace patience, kindness, and meekness, he adds humility, compassionate hearts, bearing with one another, forgiving, and thanksgiving.
Paul says to Timothy
1 Timothy 6:11 But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness.
In 2 Timothy he says:
2 Timothy 2:21 Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work. 22 So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. ... 24 And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, 25 correcting his opponents with gentleness. ...
Even Peter points us to this divine power given to us through the knowledge of him
2 Peter 1:3 His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, 4 by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. 5 For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, 6 and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, 7 and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. 8 For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. 10 Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall. 11 For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Peter mentions the fruit of love, faith, self-control, and adds virtue, knowledge, steadfastness, godliness, and brotherly affection.
If we look at Ephesians 6 from this perspective, we see among the full armor of God, the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shield of faith, and the gospel of peace.
This armor imagery is Old Testament imagery. In Isaiah 11, after describing the Spirit of the LORD that rests on Jesus as the Spirit of wisdom, understanding, counsel, might, knowledge, and the fear of the LORD, we are told that
Isaiah 11:5 Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist, and faithfulness the belt of his loins.
1 Thessalonians 5 also points us to our armor.
1 Thessalonians 5:5 For you are all children of light, children of the day. .. 8 But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation.
If we put this all together, we get this composite picture of the Christian life controlled by the Holy Spirit.
Love selflessly seeks the good of the other. Joy is unaffected by circumstances. Peace rests in God and his control of all things. Patience is slowness-to-anger and bears with others and graciously forgives the wrongs of others. Steadfastness or endurance stands firm under adverse circumstances. Kindness is fitting, functional, comfortable, tasteful; not severe, biting, harsh or chafing. Merciful compassion, a tender heart, literally inward affections moved for others; brotherly love. Goodness gives especially to the undeserving. Faithfulness steps out in total dependence on God, taking risks to serve others. Gentleness, meekness or humility is aware of deep personal need, and seeks help from God alone. There is a pursuit of unity, a priority on truth, knowlege, virtue, righteousness, godliness, holiness. We determine to know nothing but Jesus Christ and him crucified. Our righteousness is not our own but is Christ's righteousness credited to us. He changes our hearts to love what is right and just and true. He sets us apart as holy, begins to form God's own character in us. Self control is Spirit supplied inner strength over lesser desires. All this is saturated in thanksgiving, because all this is a gift from God, by grace, through faith. It is character produced in us by God's Holy Spirit. It is fruit.
Simplicity in Jesus
This is whole fruit, well rounded integrated all of life character. If that's too complicated, too much to remember, let's let Paul boil it all down for us. In Romans 13, he picks up the put off / put on clothing metaphor, laying aside those things that were characteristic of our fleshly desires and putting on those things that flow out of our new life with Jesus, and weaves it together with the armor metaphor and the contrast between light and darkness.
Romans 13:12 The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. ... 14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.
This is it. Simplicity in Jesus. Put on the Lord Jesus Christ. Clothe yourself in his character. This is the fruit of the Spirit. Put on Jesus. Clothe yourself in Jesus. Remember the gospel. How did Jesus treat us? How did Jesus interact with people? How did Jesus respond to difficult circumstances? How did Jesus respond to difficult people? Treat others the way Jesus treated you. Put on the Lord Jesus Christ.
Pastor Rodney Zedicher ~ Ephraim Church of the Bible ~ www.ephraimbible.org