Is it a fruit of the spirit or the fruit of my labor?

Question posed by an interview with Tim Timmons

10,000 minutes in the week that we are not in church on Sunday

10080 minutes in a week

This is his prayer…

“Jesus” when you breathe in and “you have my attention” breathing out

“The fruit of the spirit is not for the tree”

For a long time (most of my life…) the fruit of the Spirit was something that was aspired to… how can I show the fruit of the Spirit? How can I bear better fruit? How can I show others that I bear fruit?

The Bible says that from your fruit you will be known…

A Tree and Its Fruit

“No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. (Luke 6:43-45)

The Fruit of the Spirit is Love, Joy, Peace, Longsuffering, Gentleness, Goodness, Faith, Meekness, Temperance… (Galatians 5:22-23)

(For the Fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;) Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord. (Ephesians 5:9-10)

• If my heart is good then I will have good fruit…
• fruit comes from the heart…

How do people see that fruit? The mouth speaks what the heart is full of….

• So people will know my heart by what comes out of my mouth…
• If the heart is the source of the fruit then what is in my heart?

1 Peter 3

Unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit – the holy women of old used to adorn themselves with this… not with outward adornment, but the inner … purity and reverence of their lives… do what is right and do not give way to fear…

Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing because to this we were called so that you may inherit a blessing. (1 Peter 3:9)

V10 -12 – Quotes Psalm 34…

“Whoever would love life and see good days must keep their tongue from evil and their lips from deceitful speech. They must turn from evil and do good; they must seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.” (1Peter 3:10-12)

David was being chased by Saul… he had to flee for his life with nothing… he ended up getting the sword of Goliath from the priest and some bread for his men… he then fled to Gath… the home of Goliath… when he realized that he was recognized he acted like he was out of his mind… drooling and banging his head against the wall … (not very king like…) he was kicked out of there and then wrote this Psalm…

I will extol the Lord at all times; his praise will always be on my lips. I will glory in the Lord; let the afflicted hear and rejoice. Glorify the Lord with me; let us exalt his name together. I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame. This poor man called, and the Lord heard him; he saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them. Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him. (Psalm 34:1-8)

This doesn’t sound like a man that is running for his life… acting insane… trying not to take over a kingdom that has been given to him by God… This sounds like someone who has a heart that is right before God…

No matter what the circumstances God will never let me down…

Come, my children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord. Whoever of you loves life and desires to see many good days, keep your tongue from evil and your lips from telling lies. Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it. (Psalm 34:11-14)

1 Sam 24

May the Lord judge between you and me. And may the Lord avenge the wrongs you have done to me, but my hand will not touch you. As the old saying goes, ‘From evildoers come evil deeds,’ so my hand will not touch you. “Against whom has the king of Israel come out? Who are you pursuing? A dead dog? A flea? (1 Samuel 24:12-14)

May the Lord be our judge and decide between us. May he consider my cause and uphold it; may he vindicate me by delivering me from your hand.” When David finished saying this, Saul asked, “Is that your voice,David my son?” And he wept aloud. “You are more righteous than I,” he said. “You have treated me well, but I have treated you badly. (1 Samuel 24:15-17)

You have just now told me about the good you did to me; the Lord delivered me into your hands, but you did not kill me. When a man finds his enemy, does he let him get away unharmed? May the Lord reward you well for the way you treated me today. I know that you will surely be king and that the kingdom of Israel will be established in your hands. (1 Samuel 24:18-20)

Now swear to me by the Lord that you will not kill off my descendants or wipe out my name from my father’s family.”  So David gave his oath to Saul. Then Saul returned home, but David and his men went up to the stronghold. (1 Samuel 24: 21-22)

• David refused to do evil even against someone that was trying to kill him… because Saul was anointed by God… David says “ from evildoers come evil deeds”

Then the people asked for a king, and he gave them Saul son of Kish, of the tribe of Benjamin, who ruled forty years. After removing Saul, he made David their king. God testified concerning him: ‘I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.’  “From this man’s descendants God has brought to Israel the Savior Jesus, as he promised. (Acts 13:21-23)

• God testified of David ~ “a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.”

“They will return to it and remove all its vile images and detestable idols. I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh. Then they will follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. They will be my people, and I will be their God. (Ezekiel 11:18-20)

• The promise of God is that he will gather His people together and He will bless them with a new heart… he will replace their heart of stone with a heart of flesh… A heart that he has designed so that the fruit of that heart can be ordered by His Spirit…
• With a warning…

But as for those whose hearts are devoted to their vile images and detestable idols, I will bring down on their own heads what they have done, declares the Sovereign Lord.” (Ezekiel 11:21)

• If the fruit of my heart is only what I do… then I will repay evil with evil… I will do my own will
• If the fruit of the spirit is from God’s heart then I will have fruit that is a blessing….
• And who benefits from the blessing? Those that are able to eat that fruit…
• Love, Joy, Peace, Longsuffering, Gentleness, Goodness, faith, meekness, temperance…
• Not me… This is not about me… This was not about David… this is about bringing Glory to God…
• They will see good works and Glorify our Father in Heaven…

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. (Matthew 5:15-16)

• I want Jesus to testify on my behalf…
• ‘I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.’

My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world. (1 John 2:1-2)

• Jesus is our advocate… He is on our side… we take on His righteousness
• He will testify… I have found (fill in your name)… he/she will do everything I want him/her to do