Bearing the Fruit: Introduction

 Matthew 7:15 Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.  16 You will recognize them by their fruits.  Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistle? 17 So every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. 18 A healthy tree cannot bear good fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.

You are probably wondering what good fruit that Jesus is talking about here.  Is He talking about evangelizing?  The answer to that is yes, sort of.  Keep in mind that the "diseased trees" try to spread their beliefs as well.  In this passage Jesus is specifically referring to the way in which we live our lives.  What good does it do if you profess belief in Jesus but do not live your life the way that He wants you to?  Matthew 7:21 Not everyone who says to me, "Lord, Lord," will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?' 23 And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.'   We produce good fruit by doing God's will, not just professing belief in Him. 

While Matthew 7 does teach us how to tell the false teacher from the good, it should also cause you to examine yourself in order for you to make sure that you are in line with God's Will.  In the book of Galatians, Paul gives the people a list of things that should not be done followed by a list of characteristics that should be shown by anyone who truly accepts Jesus as their Lord.

Galatians 5:19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these.  I warn you as I warned you before, that those things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 

While the list of things that you shouldn't do is important, the list of things you should do is far more important.  By verses twenty-two and twenty-three we know that the fruit produced in us by the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.  These are the things that as Christians, we should examine in order to test that we are following Christ as we should.  These fruits are a gift from God through the Holy Spirit that we received through our salvation.  Therefore, anyone who has truly repented of his or her sins and trusted his or her life to Jesus will exhibit these characteristics.

There is something I would like to clear up at this point.  Just because you do not perfectly exhibit the fruits of the Spirit does not mean you are not saved.  While we have been justified through Christ Jesus our Lord we have yet to be completely sanctified.  Indeed our sanctification will not be completed until we die or Jesus returns.  We are sinful creatures; therefore we cannot perfectly exhibit Christ's characteristics but we are called to pursue them with all that we have and that is what makes the difference. 1 Timothy 6:11 But as for you O man of God, flee these things.  Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness,  gentleness.  In the next verse Paul urges Timothy to, "Fight the good  fight of the faith."  As Christians it is important to realize that nothing in this world is a bigger obstacle to us than our own sinful natures.  Romans 7:18 For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh.  For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out.  The fruits of the Spirit are not natural for us.  That is why it is so hard for us to exhibit them, and why it is so important for us to exhibit them.  These are the things that set us apart from the rest of the world.

For the next little while each post I make is going to be over one of the fruits of the Spirit so that you might gain a better understanding of  them that you might be able to accurately test yourself to make sure that you are exhibiting them.  If you find that you are seriously lacking in these fruits then I would suggest you take a step back and completely reexamine your faith.  Have you repented of your sins? Do you really believe that Jesus was crucified in payment for your sins? Do you believe that Christ was raised from the dead after three days in a victory over death? Have you confessed that Jesus is your Lord?  If you have truly done these things then you should be able to look at your life and see the influence that Christ has had on you.  Have you completely devoted your life to Him?  By examining the fruits of the Spirit I hope that we can better understand the types of lives we are called to lead as Christians.  Romans 12:2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Understanding & Appreciating Grace

Romans 3:22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for who we all believe.  For there is no distinction: 23 for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God , 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith.  This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins.

The concept of God's gift of grace is very strange to most people who are not Christian, and there are several Christians who do not truly appreciate what a magnificent gift grace is or who miss it all together.  In order to properly understand grace you must first understand why you need it in the first place.  The reason that you need grace is because without it you stand zero chance of getting into heaven.  This is because heaven cannot be earned by anyone  therefore we need to have grace given to us in order to have eternal life.  Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Why can't we earn heaven?  You may be thinking that you are pretty much a good person and do not need grace because God will see that on your Judgment Day and overlook the "small" crimes that you are guilty of.  Let's look at a modern courtroom and see how this defense would hold up.  For the sake of argument let's say that you are texting and driving.  While you are doing this you do not see that the light has turned red and you drive straight through the intersection slamming into another vehicle and killing the driver.  You are arrested, you are taken to trial, and you are found guilty.  The judge asks if you would like to say anything before you are sentenced and you reply, "Yes Judge, I would like to point out that I know what I did was wrong, but I am really a good person.  I don't drink. I donate money and time to all of these charities.  This is the only time I have ever broken the law.  Because of this and because I know that you are a good man, I know that you will commute my sentence." After your answer the Judge pauses a moment before replying, "All that you said it true. This is the only time you have broken the law. However, I am a good man and because of that I must see that justice is served." He then proceeds to punish you to the fullest extent of the law.

Now you may be saying to yourself, "Well that's a bad example. I would never do something that bad."  Wouldn't you? Matthew 5:21 You have heard it said to those of old, "You shall not murder; whoever murders will be liable to judgment." 22 But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to council; and whoever says, "You Fool!" will be liable to the hell of fire.  Now are you guilty of that?  I have yet to meet anybody who isn't.  And that isn't the only crime you are going to be held accountable for.  Matthew 5:27 You have heard it said, "You shall not commit adultery." 28 But I say to you that everyone who has looked at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.  So now you may realize that you are a murdering adulterer.  Well I'm sorry to say that we are not done yet.  Have you ever lied or stolen something? (Exodus 20:15-16)  Have you ever used God's name in vain? (Exodus 20:7, Matthew 12:36) I don't know of anyone who has not done all of these things.  If you are honest with yourself then you should know that you are guilty of all these crimes against God.  My dear friends, this why heaven cannot be earned.  We have been given the standard for entering heaven but we cannot maintain it because we are sinful by our very nature.  Romans 3:20 For by the works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through knowledge of the law comes knowledge of sin.

Now this is where grace comes into play.  God wants us to be in heaven with Him.  Just because He might have to send us to Hell because of our sin does not mean He takes any joy in it.  So what did God do to save us?  He took on a mortal body in the form of Jesus.  He lived a sinless life.  And because He loved us He gave Himself over to death so that He might bear the punishment for our sins.  Then to further show His power over death, Jesus rose from the dead after three days.  This is the gift of grace.  Jesus died so that you might be saved from your just and deserved sentence of Hell.  We didn't do anything to earn this.  The only thing in this life that we earn is Hell.  That is why grace is a gift.  God has given it to us although we didn't deserve it.  All we have to do is accept it and that is a very easy thing to do.  You have to acknowledge the fact that you are a lawbreaker (sinner).  You have to willfully turn your back on sinful things.  This won't stop you from sinning because you are a sinful creature, but it is an important mindset to have.  Romans 7:19 For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.  The process of turning your back on sin, (no longer willfully sinning) is called repentance.  Now you are ready to receive the gift of grace.  Romans 10:9 because if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  There you have it.  After you have repented all you have to do is believe and confess that you know Jesus is God and was raised from the dead.  It is that simple.  It's like accepting a million dollar gift because someone showed you the receipt proving it was legally paid for.  Why wouldn't you take it?  Especially now that you know you need it.  I hope grace makes more sense to you now. It's us being given a gift that wasn't earned, and cannot be repaid.  If you haven't accepted it then I sincerely pray that you do.  If you have, then I hope this has helped you to understand just how wonderful a gift grace is and that you never stop giving thanks and praises to our loving God.

No Excuses

Ezekiel 3-  17 “Son of man I have made you a watchman for the people of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from my mouth you shall give them warning from me.  18 If I say to the wicked ‘You shall surely die,’ and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, in order to save his life, that wicked person shall die for his iniquity, but his blood I will require by your hand. 19 But if you warn the wicked and he does not turn from his wickedness, or from his wicked way, he shall die for his iniquity, but you will have delivered your soul. 20 Again, if a righteous person turns from his righteousness and commits injustice and I lay a stumbling block before him, he shall die. Because you have not warned him, he shall die for his sin, and the righteous deeds he has done will not be remembered, but his blood I will require by your hand. 21 But if you warn the righteous man not to sin, and he does not sin, then he shall surely live, because he took warning, and you will have delivered your soul.”

                As a Christian the first time I read these verses just a couple of weeks ago I was greatly troubled.  It bothered me so much that I am still losing sleep over it.  The reason that this passage bothers me so much and should bother you too, my Brothers and Sisters in Christ, should be quite clear but I will spell it out.  God has given us the charge of spreading the gospel all over the world.  As a matter of fact that is exactly the last thing Jesus commanded us to do before his departure to heaven (Matthew 28:18-20).

                So Jesus has commanded us to go spread the Gospel around the world and has entrusted us with his Holy word as a means to do that.  This was God giving us the warning to spread among the wicked so that they might acknowledge their sins and turn from them.  Who is the wicked? Everyone is wicked.  Romans 3:23- “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”  No one in the world can be considered righteous on his/her own merits because we have all broken God’s law in some way.

                What does Ezekiel 3:17-21 have to do with this?  My friends, what God told Ezekiel is that if God told him to warn a wicked man to turn from his sins or die and Ezekiel did not do it then when that person reaped the fruit of his sin (as stated in Romans 6:23) then God will hold Ezekiel accountable for that man’s death.  It is the same with you and me, if we know someone who is living in sin and we don’t try to reach them with the Gospel of Christ even though we know we should.  When we stand before God on our Judgment Day, then God is going to hold us responsible for that person’s fate.

                Can you imagine that? God is the Creator, Father, King, and Judge.  His goodness is perfect in every way and because of that He is going to sentence unrepentant sinners to Hell because that is what is required.  He is going to do that even though He created those sinners in his image because he is a Just Judge who always does what is right even though it might break His heart.  How would you like to stand before God and have Him question you as to why you didn’t do as He commanded you and share the Gospel with one of His children therefore forcing God to sentence His  own creation to an eternity in Hell.  Can you imagine the anger and the pain? It’s making me sick just thinking about it.

                We can make up all sorts of excuses to put off sharing the Gospel with someone.  “I’m scared of what they will think?” “I’m too young.” “I haven’t been a believer long enough.” “I just don’t know enough yet.” All of these excuses sound very good in our own ears.  I am guilty of it too, especially that last excuse.  But after I finished reading the book of Ezekiel I went on to read the book of Jeremiah and God had an answer for me there in the first chapter.

Jeremiah 1: 6 Then I said, “Ah, Lord LORD! Behold I do not know how to speak, for I am only a youth.” 7 But the LORD said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am only a youth’; for to all whom I send you, you shall go, and whatever I command you, you shall speak. 8 Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you, declares the LORD.”

                You want that simplified? No excuses accepted.  God has given us the Bible as his Holy Word and with it we are supposed to proclaim the Gospel to everyone.  Whether we are young or old, as long as we keep striving to further the Gospel, God will give us the words and wisdom to use His Word to reach his lost, rebellious children. 

                So here I am writing this.  If you are a Christian reading this then I hope what God told Ezekiel and Jeremiah affects  you like it did me and that it motivates you to do what you can to spread the Gospel.  That is why am writing this.  This will be the first of hopefully many writings that are meant to strengthen and encourage my Brothers and Sisters in Christ , and at the same time, teach those who do not know Christ more  him so that they might understand the extent of his sacrifice for them.  For the Gospel is good news indeed.

                Romans 3: 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith.  This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his forbearance he had passed over former sins. 26 It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

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