A Walk Bearing God's Nature: The Fruit of the Spirit

Introduction

When was the last time you took a bite from a beautiful orange only to be disappointed by its flavor? Instead of enjoying a sweet juicy taste you only tasted dry fruit. It looked like an orange, smelled like an orange, even felt like an orange, but it did not take like an orange should taste; sweet and juicy. Instead it was sour and dry. The christian life can at times be liken to an orange that is sweet and juicy. Producing as expected. However, many believers are offering a life that is the exact opposite, sour and dry. The believer is to walk bearing God’s nature. A life that is marked by the fruit of the spirit. A life that is sweet and juicy. Note that the fruit which is produced in the believer is the fruit of the spirit. God is in the business of producing top quality fruit. Which is abundant and eternal. The believer has done nothing to deserve this kind of fruit. The fruit of the spirit is an act of the mercy and grace of a loving God. A genuine believer stands before God approved and acceptable. A believer has been accepted by God because of Jesus Christ. Therefore, standing before God, the believer is not there because he has kept laws and has earned the right to stand there. He is there because of his faith in Jesus Christ. The point is this, since the believer has to approach God through Jesus Christ and not through the law he is freed from the law. He is under Jesus Christ, not under the law.

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.

THE BELIEVER IS TO WALK BEARING GOD’S NATURE (v.22-23).

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

Note that the word fruit is singular not plural. The Holy Spirit has only one fruit that’s broken down into a list of traits in order to help us understand his nature. However the spirit has only one nature, one fruit. Therefore, when he lives within a person all of these traits are present. The genuine believer does not experience and bear just some of them. The spirit of God produces them all in the life of the believer.

THE BELIEVER IS TO WALK BEARING A CRUCIFIED FLESH (V. 24).

24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

“v.22-23”.

This is a striking verse. Note several points.

Note the words, “They that are Christ” A person becomes the property and possession of Christ when he first trust Christ as his saviour. Therefore, when a person comes to Christ he is turned away from the flesh to God. He is turning his back upon the mastery of the flesh and all that it stands for. He is turning to jesus Christ as his new master. Consequently...

The believer no longer belongs to the flesh; he belongs to Jesus Christ.

The flesh no longer posses the believer. Jesus Christ posses him.

The believer no longer serves the flesh, he serves the Lord Jesus Christ.

Note that the believer has crucified the flesh with the affections “passions” and lust. How? By dying with Jesus Christ. When a person genuineally believes in Jesus Christ, God takes persons’ belief and counts it as it’s death in Jesus Christ. God honors his faith by identifying him with Christ. God counts and considers this person ...

To have died in Christ’s death

To be placed into Christ’s death

To be identified with Christ’s death

To be a partaker of Christ’s death

To be in union with Christ’s death

To be bound in Christ’s death

Now note the point; if the believer is counted by God as having been crucified with Christ, then the believer ...

Has died to the flesh

Has died to the passions of the flesh

Has died to the lust of the flesh

Is freed from the flesh

Is freed from the passions of the flesh

Is freed from the lust of the flesh

To be crucified with Christ means that we no longer live in the flesh, in the place and the position of the flesh. You can not live apart from the flesh, but we are in this body upon this earth. But we are free from living after the flesh. We no longer follow the passions and lusts of the flesh. We desire and follow righteousness, seeking to please God in all that we do.

THE BELIEVER IS TO WALK CONSISTENT WITH HIS POSITION IN CHRIST (V. 25)

25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.

To be in Christ is to be in God’s Spirit . Therefore, the believer is to walk in the Spirit; he is to live just as the Spirit of God directs. This is the point of this verse. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. The Spirit gives us life, the life of God; therefore, let us walk and live out the life He gives us.

Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

THE BELIEVER IS TO WALK FREE FROM SUPER-SPIRITUALITY AND ENVY (V. 26)

26 Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.

Believers are challenged to live spiritual lives, there’s always the danger that some will become super spiritually and others will begin to envy the spiritual gifts of those who are genuinely spiritually and greatly blessed by God.

There is the danger of super super spirituality. There is the temptation of pride and of showing superiority. It is the attitude that says “I have it, and you don’t” This attitude of course irritates and provokes people.

It causes division within the church.

Woe until you that are full [who say they are full]! For ye shall hunger. Woe until you that laugh now! For ye shall morn and weep

Luke 6:25 KJV 1900

25 Woe unto you that are full! for ye shall hunger. Woe unto you that laugh now! for ye shall mourn and weep.

2. There is the danger of envy. There is a fine line to walk between living in the spirit and in the flesh. One of the things that will trip us up is pride. Pride comes when we forget the cross. Listen to this practical illustration and see how you relate to it’s points: “The growth chart had slipped from the playroom wall because the tape on the corners had become dry and brittle. Five-year old Jordan hung it up again. Miticulouesly working to get it straight. Then he stood his sister against the wall to measure her height. “Mommy! Mommy! Anneke is 40 inches tall!” He shouted as he burst into the kitchen. “I measured her.” His mom replied, “That’s impossible sweetheart, she’s only three- years old. Let’s go see.” They walked back into the playroom where the mother’s suspicions were confirmed. Despite his efforts to hang the chart straight Jordan had failed to set it at the proper height. It was several inches low. We usually make Jordan’s mistake. Engaging our spiritual growth or importance. Compared to a shortened scale we may appear better than we are. Only when we stand against the cross that great leveler of men as A.T. Robertson called it, can we not think of ourselves higher than we ought to think. Christ himself must be our standard.