WEBVTT 00:00:01.159 --> 00:00:04.559 We're going to talk about the fruit of goodness, 00:00:05.099 --> 00:00:08.619 but the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, 00:00:08.939 --> 00:00:12.320 long suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 00:00:12.900 --> 00:00:15.720 meekness, temperance. Against such there is no 00:00:15.720 --> 00:00:19.449 law. they that are Christ's have crucified the 00:00:19.449 --> 00:00:23.309 flesh with the affection and lusts if we live 00:00:23.309 --> 00:00:26.269 in the spirit let us also walk in the spirit 00:00:26.269 --> 00:00:30.170 let us not be desirous of vain glory provoking 00:00:30.170 --> 00:00:35.289 one another envying one another and so we see 00:00:35.289 --> 00:00:39.689 that all the fruit of the spirit are grown by 00:00:39.689 --> 00:00:43.530 crucifying the flesh often we like to pick what 00:00:43.530 --> 00:00:46.439 we are going to lay down It is things we want 00:00:46.439 --> 00:00:49.119 to improve, things we dislike about ourselves. 00:00:50.060 --> 00:00:53.899 But this verse says, crucify your fleshly affections 00:00:53.899 --> 00:00:58.140 and lusts, or stop doing the things you love 00:00:58.140 --> 00:01:01.159 to do that are not after the Spirit and stop 00:01:01.159 --> 00:01:04.079 fulfilling your desires that are not after the 00:01:04.079 --> 00:01:07.019 Spirit. I've been thinking about this fruit of 00:01:07.019 --> 00:01:09.959 goodness for over a month, mulling it over and 00:01:09.959 --> 00:01:13.209 thinking about it and all that it entails. It 00:01:13.209 --> 00:01:16.530 really is a fruit of the Spirit and not a fruit 00:01:16.530 --> 00:01:19.950 of the law. That seems obvious because we are 00:01:19.950 --> 00:01:23.409 studying the fruit of the Spirit. But James says 00:01:23.409 --> 00:01:28.609 in chapter 4 verse 17, Therefore to him that 00:01:28.609 --> 00:01:32.030 knoweth to do good and doeth it not to him it 00:01:32.030 --> 00:01:36.590 is sin. Sometimes we think oh Jesus came he's 00:01:36.590 --> 00:01:39.349 so loving and full of mercy we get a break from 00:01:39.349 --> 00:01:41.890 all the have -to -do rules of the Old Testament. 00:01:42.109 --> 00:01:45.909 Really though, the spirit always requires more 00:01:45.909 --> 00:01:48.810 than the law. If you've been around me any period 00:01:48.810 --> 00:01:52.670 of time, you will hear me say, the law said don't 00:01:52.670 --> 00:01:56.109 murder, but the spirit says you can't even hate. 00:01:56.750 --> 00:01:59.590 The law says don't commit the act of adultery. 00:02:00.010 --> 00:02:02.730 The spirit says don't desire it in your thought 00:02:02.730 --> 00:02:06.189 life. The spirit always requires more than the 00:02:06.189 --> 00:02:09.189 law because it deals with the heart of the issue. 00:02:10.009 --> 00:02:14.800 James says, Therefore. So if we back up and read 00:02:14.800 --> 00:02:18.319 before, he is addressing the actions of a church 00:02:18.319 --> 00:02:21.379 that is not motivated by the spirit. They are 00:02:21.379 --> 00:02:24.560 fixed on their own desires and interests and 00:02:24.560 --> 00:02:27.919 it is all empty in short sighted. Paul is saying 00:02:27.919 --> 00:02:32.680 the same thing here. Don't desire empty accolades. 00:02:33.000 --> 00:02:35.460 Don't be feuding with others or wanting what 00:02:35.460 --> 00:02:38.389 other people have. When Paul writes the Church 00:02:38.389 --> 00:02:42.050 in Thessalonica, in 1 Thessalonians 5 .15 he 00:02:42.050 --> 00:02:45.650 says, See that none render evil for evil unto 00:02:45.650 --> 00:02:48.949 any man, but ever follow that which is good, 00:02:49.270 --> 00:02:52.930 both among yourselves and to all men. That's 00:02:52.930 --> 00:02:56.610 a very inclusive list. The fruit of goodness, 00:02:56.889 --> 00:03:00.750 therefore, is very flexible. It evades a legalistic 00:03:00.750 --> 00:03:04.789 definition. Why do we like rules? So we can get 00:03:04.789 --> 00:03:07.840 around them. If we know what is allowed or what 00:03:07.840 --> 00:03:10.719 is not allowed, it gives us the knowledge of 00:03:10.719 --> 00:03:14.080 how to achieve our goal legally. But when we 00:03:14.080 --> 00:03:17.139 have such a flexible rule, like if you know it 00:03:17.139 --> 00:03:20.819 is good to do, do it, well that takes away all 00:03:20.819 --> 00:03:23.939 our evasive techniques. The first response of 00:03:23.939 --> 00:03:27.539 the flesh is to say, That is way too broad of 00:03:27.539 --> 00:03:30.960 a definition. It can't really apply to everything 00:03:30.960 --> 00:03:34.080 I do, and we start lining up the rationale of 00:03:34.080 --> 00:03:37.699 why we can continue undisturbed by the command 00:03:37.699 --> 00:03:41.360 to do good. Or we say, well, I mean well, so 00:03:41.360 --> 00:03:44.520 that counts as good, but our goodness is as filthy 00:03:44.520 --> 00:03:47.759 rags. So it is goodness that is empowered by 00:03:47.759 --> 00:03:50.939 the Spirit of God that is led by the Spirit of 00:03:50.939 --> 00:03:54.500 God. I dare say all of us have something we know 00:03:54.500 --> 00:03:57.849 to do that we aren't doing. Something we feel 00:03:57.849 --> 00:04:00.349 like would be pleasing to the Lord. It could 00:04:00.349 --> 00:04:02.610 be something in our personal life, like I really 00:04:02.610 --> 00:04:05.569 need to be on my phone less, or I should be reading 00:04:05.569 --> 00:04:08.710 my Bible more, or I should stop drinking so much 00:04:08.710 --> 00:04:11.409 caffeine, it's not healthy. It could be something 00:04:11.409 --> 00:04:13.889 for those around us. I need to stop speaking 00:04:13.889 --> 00:04:16.430 critical words. I need to speak encouragement 00:04:16.430 --> 00:04:19.110 to someone around me, or I need to stop in and 00:04:19.110 --> 00:04:21.509 visit my neighbor, or I need to start a Bible 00:04:21.509 --> 00:04:24.629 study with so -and -so. Knowing what to do is 00:04:24.629 --> 00:04:28.720 one thing. Doing good is another. If you know 00:04:28.720 --> 00:04:33.620 to do good and do it not, to him it is sin. It's 00:04:33.620 --> 00:04:37.759 a big ask, a large ask. But if it was impossible, 00:04:38.000 --> 00:04:40.699 we wouldn't be instructed to do it. If we want 00:04:40.699 --> 00:04:43.579 to grow the fruit of goodness, it is a product 00:04:43.579 --> 00:04:47.980 of obeying the spirit. It isn't a list we lay 00:04:47.980 --> 00:04:51.300 out for ourselves. It is obedience to the calling 00:04:51.300 --> 00:04:54.730 of the spirit. It is a byproduct of being rooted 00:04:54.730 --> 00:04:57.810 and grounded on the rock of Jesus, having good 00:04:57.810 --> 00:05:02.290 soil, and staying connected to Jesus. The rock 00:05:02.290 --> 00:05:05.269 of Jesus, Matthew 7, having good soil, Matthew 00:05:05.269 --> 00:05:08.670 13, and staying connected to Jesus, John 15. 00:05:09.290 --> 00:05:13.490 Remember 1 Corinthians 16, 14. Let all things 00:05:13.490 --> 00:05:16.430 be done with charity, or let all things be done 00:05:16.430 --> 00:05:20.800 with love. If we are motivated by love, doing 00:05:20.800 --> 00:05:24.519 good will bring joy and fulfillment. If doing 00:05:24.519 --> 00:05:27.180 good brings frustration and bitterness, we need 00:05:27.180 --> 00:05:29.980 to check our motivation. And there is the heart 00:05:29.980 --> 00:05:32.779 of the matter. It all comes down to the position 00:05:32.779 --> 00:05:35.720 of our heart. Oh that we would be filled with 00:05:35.720 --> 00:05:39.980 the spirit and bring forth the fruit of goodness.