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Luke 3:8,9 Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, That God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. And now also the ax is laid unto the root of the trees: every tree therefore which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
John the Baptist warned that fruit trees are destroyed if they do not produce good fruit.
Jesus Said:
Luke 13:6 - 9 He spake also this parable; A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came and sought fruit thereon, and found none. Then said he unto the dresser of his vineyard, Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find none: cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground? And he answering said unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it: And if it bear fruit, well: and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down.
Jesus expects us to be fruitful. His patience for the fruit in us, his trees is limited.
Mat 7:15-20, 22-23 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
Notes what these people do and who they say they are.
A) they call Jesus Lord, they are Christians or thank they are
B) they prophesied in his name, "Jesus"
C) they cast out devils
D) they do many wonderful works
A tree is known by its fruit, not by outward good works, gifting and natural ability's. we are known by our fruit inward character. If we are righteous, we shall yield good fruits, but if we are corrupt, we shall produce evil.
Luke 6:43 - 45 For a good tree bringeth not forth corrupt fruit; neither doth a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. For every tree is known by his own fruit. For of thorns men do not gather figs, nor of a bramble bush gather they grapes. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.
Gal 5:17 - 21 NLT The old sinful nature loves to do evil, which is just opposite from what the Holy Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are opposite from what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, and your choices are never free from this conflict. But when you are directed by the Holy Spirit, you are no longer subject to the law. When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, your lives will produce these evil results: sexual immorality, impure thoughts, eagerness for lustful pleasure, idolatry, participation in demonic activities, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, divisions, the feeling that everyone is wrong except those in your own little group, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other kinds of sin. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.
When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, your lives will produce these evil results, evil fruits:
And such like:
Gal 5:22 - 25 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
When the Holy Spirit controls our lives, he will produce this kind of fruit in us:
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The fruit produced by the Spirit includes no specific acts or behaviors. The fruit of the Spirit are internal, traits of character.
Not by works: There is no way, we can produce this character by ourselves. This character is produced only by God the Holy Spirit, and only in those who are living in Him, in his WORD. We cannot be like Jesus until all selfishness, worldliness and all lusts of the flesh are cut away.
Psa 1:1 - 4 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.
The fruit of the Spirit is a cluster which grows and appears at their appointed time. It is only after the sun has shined, the rain has fallen, the weeds have been pulled that the fruit becomes evident and can then be recognized as such. We must examine our hearts for weeds.
James 3:11,12 Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter? Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh.
Eph 3:17 . . . That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,
A plant needs water = Wells of salvation "the word"
Isa 12:3 Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation.
John 4:10 Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.
A plant needs sunlight = the Lord "Jesus"
Isa 60:19 The sun shall be no more thy light by day; neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee: but the LORD shall be unto thee an everlasting light, and thy God thy glory.
Mark 4:3 - 8 Hearken; Behold, there went out a sower to sow: And it came to pass, as he sowed, some fell by the way side, and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up. And some fell on stony ground, where it had not much earth; and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of earth: But when the sun was up, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up, and choked it, and it yielded no fruit. And other fell on good ground, and did yield fruit that sprang up and increased; and brought forth, some thirty, and some sixty, and some an hundred.
Mark 4:9 . . . And he said unto them, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.
Mark 4:14 - 20 The sower soweth the word. And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts. And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness; And have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word's sake, immediately they are offended. And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word, And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful. And these are they which are sown on good ground; such as hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some an hundred.
The way you hear the word, and receive it will determine the amount and quality of the fruit. Satan comes to steal the word of God from you. You have to have roots in the word yourself, not just a hearer of it, but one that meditate on it day and night, and one that does the word, the teachings of Jesus. You need to rout out the thorns, the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things. According to the degree that you do these things, you will bring forth fruit, some thirty-fold, some sixty, and some an hundred.
John 15:1 - 6 I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.
Jesus is the vine and we are the branches, we need to abide in Jesus to bear fruit, and allow the Father to purge us, so we can bring forth more fruit. We the branches are unable to bear fruit by our selves. We must be connected to Jesus the tree and allow the father to purge us with his word from the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, "the world."
1 John 2:16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
John 15:8 - 14 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples. As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love. These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.
2 John 1:9 Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son.
John 8:31, 32 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
If we trust in Jesus, and obey the truth the words of Jesus, meditate on his word and delight in him, then a continual flow of grace is produced, and brings forth fruit his character in us. Just like a tree or vine that has sap which produces fruit. Only in a personal relationship with God the father throw Jesus is fruit bearing possible. Unless we are living in union with our Lord and seeing His fruit produced in our lives, all else is meaningless. Jesus loved us and laid down his life for us, we are commanded to lay down our life "soul life" in love for each other. Our old man the sinful nature, must die and God's character must come forth in us.
John 12:24 - 26 Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal. If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour.
Luke 14:26 - 33 If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple. For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it? Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him, Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish. Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and desireth conditions of peace. So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.
Our life must die, we must forsake all for Jesus, because of our love for him, continuing in his love by keeping his teachings. Herein is the Father glorified, as we die to our life, and our character and receiving his character.
John 15:8 . . . Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.
Mat 5:1 - 16 And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him: And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying, Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you. Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
Blessed = "happy" a description of a believer's inner condition.
The beatitudes are not primarily promises to individuals but a description of the characteristics manifested by one who is born again. This moral teaching of Jesus summarizes the characterizes we as the citizens of the Kingdom are to be living in. They meet expectations of behavior which go beyond a legalistic application of the moral law. Jesus did not intend the sermon to be dismissed as too demanding and unrealistic. He expects us his disciples to set these as standards for daily life.
Beatitudes KJV
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Beatitudes NLT
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Fruit of the Spirit
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Our lives will have a influence, whether good or bad, our character or God's character. The influential light of our lives should shine forth like the light of a lamp on a stand. We are to live so that everyone will see the character of Jesus. We are vessels of the indwelling Spirit of God. Our lives reflect the light of God that burns on the inside. God has recreated our spirit, brought them back to life so to speck, that his character should shine forth, let the flavor of the Father's character be in you.
A) Poor in spirit = opposite of proud in spirit
B) Mourn = a sense of anguish for sin.
Isa 61:3 To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.
C) Meek = when we submit our wills to Jesus.
Psa 37:11 But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.
D) Hunger and thirst after righteousness = a deep passion for personal righteousness.
Rom 3:21,22 NLT But now God has shown us a different way of being right in his sight--not by obeying the law but by the way promised in the Scriptures long ago. We are made right in God's sight when we trust in Jesus Christ to take away our sins. And we all can be saved in this same way, no matter who we are or what we have done.
Rom 8:4 NLT He did this so that the requirement of the law would be fully accomplished for us who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit.
Jesus showed how his fulfillment of the law went far deeper than mere outward conformity.
E) Peacemakers = absence of hostility
F) Persecuted for righteousness sake
Mat 23:25 - 28 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess. Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness. Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.
Those who show a reverence for God on the outside but are corrupt on the inside are deceived and can mislead or deceive others who follow them, leaving them worse off spiritually than they were before. Those whom Jesus addressed, prided themselves in outward show of reverence for God in there actions, but their attitudes and goals were wicked. A person’s true character will be revealed, for out of the abundance of ones heart, there mouth will betray what is in them. Whether good or evil that one is harboring or hiding in side them.
Luke 6:45 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.
Luke 12:2 For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known.
Eph 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
Eph 2:1 - 5 NLT Once you were dead, doomed forever because of your many sins. You used to live just like the rest of the world, full of sin, obeying Satan, the mighty prince of the power of the air. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. All of us used to live that way, following the passions and desires of our evil nature. We were born with an evil nature, and we were under God's anger just like everyone else. But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so very much, that even while we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God's special favor that you have been saved!)
Eph 1:4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
Eph 1:4 NLT Long ago, even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes.
Gal 5:13-14, 22- 23 NLT For you, dear friends, have been called to live in freedom--not freedom to satisfy your sinful nature, but freedom to serve one another in love. For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: "Love your neighbor as yourself." But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives, he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Here there is no conflict with the law.
The fruit of the Spirit: the word fruit is not plural but singular, yet there are nine characteristic listed. That is because the fruit can be said to be LOVE that is agape love, agape is one of the Greek words for love. Which refers to the highest kind of love, Gods love. The fruit of the Spirit Love is like an orange that has several parts to it under the skin, but all parts make up the orange. The same is true about the fruit of the Spirit which is love with the entire characteristic united together as one.
We as believers are to have the Fruit of the Spirit singular, which is all parts of the fruit, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. We are to have the entire characteristic "fruit”, and if we do not it is an indicator that we are not abiding in Jesus and his word, remember the vine and the branches, we can not bring forth fruit apart from Christ. Remember that our walk with the Lord is a daily walk, just because you had the fruit yesterday does not mean you will have it to day, you have to die daily to your old sinful nature and abide in him daily to have his nature.
Let’s read 1 Corinthians chapter 13 from the New Living Transition.
1 Corinthians chapter 13 is called the love chapter.
To give of your substance or your life and have not love, would profit you nothing, would be of no value whatsoever.
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Programs, and actions mean nothing if the fruit of the Spirit does not motivate you. The fruit of the Spirit is not expressed simply by following some kind of pattern.
God intends for us his children to bear fruit. Fruit-bearing is possible only for those who live in regular devotions of Jesus and his Word a prayerful relation to Jesus Christ.
(1) Jesus Christ is the source of all life
(2) failing to bear fruit has serious consequences
(3) we must be a living sacrifice and let the Father cut wrong practices, habits, sins out of our lives
(4) fruit-bearing depends on remaining in Christ and drawing on His grace
(5) we can do nothing that really matters unless we abide in Christ, demonstrating his love
(6) we are judged if we do not bear fruit
(7) those who bear fruit have their prayers answered
(8) bearing fruit glorifies God
(9) fruit is the outwork display in your life of God's character by his grace upon your hearts
John 15:16, 17 Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you. These things I command you, that ye love one another.
Mark 12:30, 31 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.
1 Cor 14:1a . . . Let love be your highest goal,
