The Worthy Walk Part 2

Why walking by the Spirit is the only way to fulfill God's plan for the Christian

number one, because the standard of everyday holiness that God requires of all Christians is impossible to do on your own.

Number two, because our foe Satan is powerful and attacking us daily.

Number three, because our sinful flesh is powerful and will cause us to lose our way.

The Bible talks an awful lot about fruit. Twenty-four of the 27 New Testament books talk about fruit. It appears the word 70 times in the New Testament, 106 times in the Old Testament. God has a lot to say about fruit in the Christians' life. Fruit is the indicator that a man is saved. If there's no fruit in your life, something's wrong. It's, I think, Matthew 7 where it says, "By their fruits," what, "shall know them." And God is the source of all that fruit. So if you see fruit in a man's life, you know God's at work. Fruit is the telling sign. It is not simply one mark of a Spirit-filled life; it is the preeminent mark—the public testimony to a believer’s sensitivity to and dependency on the Holy Spirit.

Hosea 14:8, "From me is thy fruit found, God says." Whatever you produce of godliness is from me. And so as I abide and as I walk in the Spirit the fruit is produced. Now when you study the Bible, you'll find that fruit is a lot of different things. In the Bible, it talks about the fruit of your lips being praise in Hebrews 13:5. It talks about the fruit in terms of a contribution of money to the needy. It talks about fruit being blessed communication, 1 Corinthians 14:4. It talks about fruit being godly deeds in Colossians 1:10. It talks about fruit being winning people to Christ in John 4, for example, where Jesus saw that the fields were white unto harvest, you know, and all those things.

You say well, why should you question my salvation? Because if you're a new creature and the Spirit dwells within you and the Spirit is producing within you the fruit ought to be there. Sooner or later it's got to be there. Because that's the pattern of your life

When God’s power manifests through the Spirit’s fruit, it enables us to be His witnesses by:

1. Attracting nonbelievers to the body of Christ
2. Providing the relational qualities necessary for harmony within the church
3. Protecting believers from the destructive consequences of sin.

 

 

Let me tell you three things about fruit:

1. You need to know that fruit is always visible. Watch out for

the tree in your backyard that is giving you invisible fruit. In

fact, the bigger it is, the riper and more luxurious it appears.

2. You need to know that fruit always reflects the character

of the tree of which it is a part. The fruit that comes out of a life controlled

by the Spirit will reflect the character of Jesus Christ or

Christlikeness will eventuate from your life.

3. Fruit is always borne for the benefit of somebody else.

Fruit does not eat itself.

The fruit of the Spirit is always God-centered. It is always

God-oriented.  Whereas the flesh is always self-centered,

the fruit of the Spirit is focused on others.

The first three qualities have to do, primarily, with the impact of our relationship with God through Jesus Christ: "love, joy, peace". The second three have to do with our relationships and interactions with other people: "longsuffering [or "patience"], kindness, goodness". And the final three have to do, primarily, with our own inner state of being: "faithfulness, gentleness [or "meekness"], self-control". Considered in those terms, the fruit that the Holy Spirit produces in us will impact every relationship we could ever have.

 

1. LOVE—The greek work Agape.  Unconditional love.  "love" is the chief characteristic of the Spirit's fruit and perhaps the one word that best describes the totality of it. Love puts others before itself, not as a means to draw attention to oneself, but for the sheer delight of manifesting devotion to Christ by serving others as Christ did. Love is the opposite of selfishness and self-centeredness.

Ephesian 5:1 "Followers of God as dear children and walk in love as Christ also hath loved us.

Romans 5:5 "The love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who is given unto us."

When we look at the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22, we can look at it like this:

1. Joy is love enjoying.
2. Peace is love resting.
3. Patience (or longsuffering) is love waiting.
4. Kindness is love reacting.
5. Goodness is love choosing.
6. Faithfulness is love keeping its word.
7. Gentleness is love being able to empathize.
8. Self control is love being in charge.

 

1. JOY- The Greek word Cara. Joy has to do with the well on the inside not the circumstances on the outside. It is the overflow of the life of God within. Always used to refer to joy that is based on spiritual factors or religious factors.

Nehemiah 8:10 "The joy of the Lord is your strength."

1 Peter 1:8 "Whom having not seen ye love and whom though now you see Him not yet believing. You rejoice with joy," what, unspeakable and full of glory."

 

1. PEACE-The Greek word Eirene which we get the name Irene. This is a tranquility of mind based on a relationship to God.  It's that inward calm confidence that no matter what happens everything between you and God is right.

Philippians 4: 7 "The peace of God which passes all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ."

Philippians 4:9  "Those things which you have learned and received and heard and seen in me do and the God of peace shall be with you."

 

1. KINDNESS-It means patience or tolerance, slow to wrath

Psalm 65:15 "But thou oh Lord art a God full of compassion, gracious, longsuffering, plenteous and mercy."

 

1. GOODNESS-The Greek word agathos which we get the name Agatha and means moral excellence, spiritual excellence, sweetness.

Psalm 23: 6 "Goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life."

Psalm 27: 13 "I had fainted unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.

2 Thessalonians 1:11 "That God would fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness in us."

 

1. FAITHFULNESS-means trustworthiness, loyalty, steadfastness,

Laminations 3: 22-23     The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

1 Corinthians 4: 2 In this case, moreover, it is required of stewards that one be found trustworthy.

       

1. GENTLENESS or MEEKNESS-Means tenderness.  The word means lowly and humble.

It is always used to describe three attitudes

1. Submissiveness to the will of God. Matthew 5:5
2. Teachable. James 1: 21 Therefore, putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls
3. Considerate person

 

1. SELF-CONTROL ability to keep self in check.  Means we have the ability within because of the Holy Spirit to overcome sin and temptation. 1 John 4:4 Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.

 

 Three things you need to know about what it means to walk:

1. Walk always assumes you are going somewhere. If you are going to walk by the Spirit, then you must commit yourself to the will of God. Commit yourself to the direction God wants you to go in your life.
2. Walk assumes continuous movement.  When we are walking in Christ, because of the war within caused by the world, the flesh and Satan we will stumble and fall but the key is getting back up and continue to walk in Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit.
3. Walk means dependence.  every time your flesh wants to do that which is selfish and ungodly, call on the Spirit of God to help you at that moment. Don’t depend on what you prayed when you started your day. Call on him for His power to give you victory right then and there.