IGNITION Part 2 – FRUIT

 

Bruce Chant

Pulse - generation-j

8 March 2002

 

 

The second foundational element that we want to focus upon is FRUIT.

 

§         Fruitful lives – Fruit is the outward manifestation of the work of God’s word and God’s Spirit in our lives.

      A lot of people claim to be “Christians”: especially at award ceremonies – but few live Christian lives. The difference? The fruit in people’s lives.

 

§         We are appointed by God to live fruitful lives:

      John 15:16 “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit–fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.”

 

§         If we are obeying God’s word, applying it in our lives, heeding it’s counsel – our lives will produce fruit.

      If we open our hearts to the guidance and presence of the Holy Spirit, and act in obedience to that leading – our lives will produce fruit.

      We are the branch – the fruit is what comes out of our actions, as God works in us.

 

The question is – what is fruit? How do we know what it looks like?

 

What is Fruit?

  1. Fruit –is a sign of life. Fruit in your life says you have a healthy spiritual life.

Proverbs 11:30 “The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise.”

 

  1. Fruit Indicates Health and wellbeing

Fruit is used for discernment purposes.

Matthew 7:16-20  “By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.”

 

Jude 1:12  “These men are blemishes at your love feasts, eating with you without the slightest qualm–shepherds who feed only themselves. They are clouds without rain, blown along by the wind; autumn trees, without fruit and uprooted–twice dead.”

 

Fruitlessness can come from competing interests.

Mark 4:18-20 “Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop--thirty, sixty or even a hundred times what was sown."

 

  1. Fruit – Evidence that God is real i.e. your life has changed and is changing as a result of the gospel.  Eg Matthew 3:8 “Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.”

 

  1. Fruit is sweet, refreshing, healthy and attractive to those who eat it. Eg in Qld Mangoes – makes you want to stay. Fruit has that quality.  

Galatians 5:22-23 “ “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” These things don’t come ‘naturally’, but come through God in our life.”

The fruit of the spirit is not “niceness”. You can be nice to anyone – the others are charged and powered by the Holy Spirit within and takes time.

 

  1. Fruitful people are to be ENVIED

Psalm 112:1 “PRAISE THE Lord! (Hallelujah!) Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) is the man who fears (reveres and worships) the Lord, who delights greatly in His commandments.”

Those who fear God (reverence, respect Him, love what He loves, hate what He hates) will be blessed – happy, fortunate, to be envied.

The fruit of a God fearing man/woman is a life that is enviable.

Eg my parents – Ruth has said she envies them.

Fear God – don’t envy sinner. Produce fruit and watch others envy you.

 

Proverbs 23:17 “Do not let your heart envy sinners,
but always be zealous for the fear of the Lord.”

Proverbs 29:25 “Fear of man will prove to be a snare,
but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe.”

If you don’t fear God you’ll fear, reverence, respect someone & allow them to speak into your life and you’ll build your own belief system.

 

  1. Fruit comes through submission to God.

If you fear God you will do what He says and out of that will come Fruit.

Conversely, if you don’t fear God, hate knowledge you are a fool and the fruit of folly is foolishness, deceit, hardship, sorrow, corruption, poverty.

Proverbs 1:29-31 “Since they hated knowledge and did not choose to fear the Lord ,  since they would not accept my advice and spurned my rebuke, they will eat the fruit of their ways and be filled with the fruit of their schemes.”

 

            Fools hate knowledge, and hating knowledge is to not fear God

They don’t read the bible, not because they can’t understand it, but because it’s too hard to accept and do; they don’t like it. They won’t accept God’s rule and that is rebellion – there is a consequence to these actions. That is the fruit, or the law of sowing and reaping.

 

  1. Fruit Rewards the Righteous

Proverbs 12:14 “From the fruit of his lips a man is filled with good things as surely as the work of his hands rewards him.”

Proverbs 18:21 “The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.”

Sowing and reaping again – the fruit from a righteous man’s life will bless him and reward him, through what he says and what he does.

 

  1. Fruit is an eternity barometer

Matthew 3:10  “The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”  

Matthew 21:43
"Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit.”

 

If you are not producing fruit – are you a Christian? Will be get into heaven?

Check for fruit – it will indicate which direction you are going?

 

  1. Fruit comes from direct covenant relationship with God.

John 15:7-9  “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. 8This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. 9"As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.”

 

Galatians 5:18-24 “But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law.
19The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires.”

 

James 3:17 “But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace­loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.”

 

Summary.

DON’T DWELL ON DON’Ts

AS MUCH AS YOU

FOCUS ON THE FRUIT.

 

 

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