Bearing Fruit
Galatians 5 • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Introduction
Introduction
We have been working our way through Galatians 5 during our Sunday Evening services, and while this will continue, tonight we will pause on working through Gal. 5, the issue of bearing fruit will be taken up. Many of us are familiar with the concept of bearing fruit. In Gal. 5, Paul is exhorting the church to walk by the Spirit, and he pits this way of life against the deeds of the flesh. Paul lists some of the deeds of the flesh in verse 19-21:
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 who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
Paul continues by describing the opposition to the deeds of the flesh. He calls it the fruit of the Spirit. This is Paul’s development of of what it means to walk by the Spirit. Here’s Paul’s description of the fruit of the Spirit:
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.
So, the exhortation for us is to walk by the Spirit. This calling is a call to got to war against the desires of the flesh. Verse 17:
17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.
So, if walking by the Spirit is to bear the fruit of the Spirt, then should understand the nature of that fruit. What is it? Is it just being more patient than we are? More kind, joyful, peaceful etc.?
What is fruit in the Christian life? How are we to think of it, on what basis can we conclude that our displaying of the list mentioned in Gal. 5:22-23 is pleasing to God?
2 Perspectives on fruit
2 Perspectives on fruit
I suggest what will help us answer these questions is to think of the fruit of the Christian life from two distinct, but related perspectives. Fruit is both evidence and expectation.
Evidence
Evidence
The idea that the fruit of the Spirit is evidence leaves us with some questions, perhaps chief among them, evidence of what?
But here are some passages of Scripture that speak to this idea:
8 Bear fruit in keeping with repentance.
10 Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
In verse 8, the word keeping means befitting. So the command here is to bear or to do fruit befitting repentance. Now, to show forth evidence that you are repentant means that you have a certain perspective on your sin. You see that there is something about you that is not right. That fails to meet a mark. That what you believe bout yourself demands a certain response. People who believe that they need to repent and can repent, have been changed. Their understsnding of sin and one’s need in light of their sin has been granted to them by God.
What does the bible say about repentance:
25 correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth,
Repentance is a gift from God. Seeing our sin as an offense to God is a gift from God.
And what Jesus said to the Pharisees and Sadducees who came to question Him, was to show evidence that you believe correctly about your sin. Yes, even you Pharisees and Sadducees, need to repent, but they will not agree unless God has worked in them first.
Fruit is evidence of who we are
17 So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. 18 A healthy tree cannot bear bad 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.
Verse 17 is straightforward: A healthy tree evidences its health with healthy or good fruit. A diseased tree evidences its disease with unhealthy or bad fruit. We understand that easily enough. But this analogy points us to a truth about people. We evidence who we are.
Consider Mary, the mother of Jesus
42 and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!
The word fruit, which is the same word in Gal. 5 appears here. Elizabeth, who is said to be filled with the Holy Spirit, said that the fruit of Mary’s womb was blessed and that Mary herself was blessed. Why? Because Mary is blessed by God. The blessing of being pregnant with God the Son is not a reward for good behavior or being of the right tribe, but the grace of God.
The blessed fruit of Mary’s womb was evidence that Mary was blessed. And Mary was blessed because God blessed her. Her blessed state yielded blessed fruit… evidence of her blessed state.
So, when it comes to walking by the Spirit, or as Gal. 5:25 says:
25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.
keeping in step with the Spirit, we must be of the Spirit. We evidence who we are.
But fruit is also an
Expectation
Expectation
The evidence side of bearing fruit will continue to be part of our consideration of the expectation of bearing fruit.
1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.
There is an assessment. God, as the vinedresser will assess who is bearing fruit and who is not. This assessment emphasizes the expectation of fruit bearing. But the evidence side quickly shows up:
3 Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you.
So the disciples were clean because of the word that Jesus spoke to them. That’s who they were, but people are made clean in order to bear fruit. And those who are not clean, are not expempt from the expectation to bear fruit.
The vinedresser does two things:
He throws the non-fruit-bearing branches away (judgement)
He prunes the fruit-bearing branches so they will bear more fruit (sanctification)
The expectation is further described:
4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. 7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.
So people are made clean by believing the Word. And clean people are pruned so they will continue to bear fruit.
The command in verse 4 is for branches to abide in the vine. For disciples to abide in Christ.
Abiding in Christ or remaining in Christ is connected to our experiences. As we experience the hardships of life, and I mention hardships because of the pruning imagery, are no random. Remember, the vinedresser is in control here. As disciples of Jesus experience these things, the purpose is ultimately to bear fruit. The expectation is that disciples of Jesus will bear fruit, and as they bear fruit, they will be pruned so they can bear more fruit.
And notice, verse 7 makes clear that as we live this way, that is, as we live in light of the fact that we have been cleansed and now have a purpose to bear fruit that displays this reality, we will desire those things that reflect this purpose or expectation as well.
This leads to our ultimate purpose
8 By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. 9 As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. 10 If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. 11 These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.
The aim of bearing fruit: glorifying God
How do we pursue this: obeying the commands of God
The result of this way of life: The joy of God is in us and we therefore will possess lasting or full joy.
bearing fruit is the expectation of those who have been saved.
Conclusion
Conclusion
So bearing fruit is both evidence and expectation.
To put it another way:
The prerequisite to bearing fruit is salvation
The purpose of bearing fruit is to reflect we are saved.
So, back to Galatians 5.
We walk by the Spirit because we have the Spirit.
We desire the things of the Spirit because we possess the Spirit.
We bear the fruit of the Spirit because we have been changed by the Spirit. It’s who we are.
Bearing fruit is evidence of this and it is the expectation of our lives.
