Matthew 21:19 – And when he saw a fig tree in the way, he came to it, and found nothing thereon, but leaves only, and said unto it, Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever. And presently the fig tree withered away.

Matthew 21:20 – And when the disciples saw it, they marvelled, saying, How soon is the fig tree withered away!

Galatians 5:19 – Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,

Galatians 5:20 – Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,

Galatians 5:21 – Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

Galatians 5:22 – But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,

Galatians 5:23 – Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

Ephesians 5:8 – For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:

Ephesians 5:9 – (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;)

Hello readers, time for a new blog today. Today we will essentially be looking at the fruit of the Spirit. When we are saved, God wants us to lead fruitful lives. The fruit is the fruit of the Spirit, because it is the Holy Spirit in us producing that fruit, we are simply branches that bare his fruit. The life force is God in us, and hence if you aren’t abiding in Jesus Christ you cannot bring forth fruit unto God. You can try, but the fruit just won’t be there. What is the fruit that God is after? It might surprise you. The Bible makes it clear what the fruit of the Spirit is in Galatians 5 quoted above. It is quite surprising possibly to you that the fruit is not religious activities, it is not doing better, it is not doing this and doing that… or not doing this and not doing that… instead the fruit of the Spirit is a life marked by love, joy, peace and so on as quoted above. Jesus came to a fig tree in Jerusalem, a city professing the name of God, and he saw leaves on it, but found no fruit… and our lives can be like that, we have the leaves of religion, yet there is no actual fruit there.

You see, in Galatians 5 before we read of the fruit of the Spirit we also see the works of the flesh. Often our lives showcase the works of the flesh more than fruit of the Spirit. You can read these evidences of the flesh for yourself, and we see that what the flesh produces is very different to the fruit of the Spirit. But both these things are reflecting an internal reality. You see, you can pass out tracts or tell people about Jesus until you’ve told the whole world… but yet do it without love, or gentleness, or goodness, or even faith. Though I have all faith so that I can move mountains, but have not charity, I am nothing. Paul wrote to a Corinthian church obsessed with greatness and gifts, yet in the midst of it… he showed them a more excellent way, the way of charity. Without charity what are we? Nothing.

While it is good thing to tell others about Jesus Christ, and in fact we are commanded to, it is not the fruit of the Spirit. But when we bare the fruit of the Spirit in our life, such things like sharing the gospel may follow. We may do these things as the Holy Spirit produces fruit in our life, and so out of love or mercy and goodness we do things as need arises or whatever our circumstances are. However… we often do things without it being the moving of the Holy Spirit, but instead just dead religion. We just do it because that’s what we do, or what we are supposed to do. In the letter to the church of Sardis… Jesus said that they had a name that thou livest… but art dead. They were dead inside, they were Christian outwardly, but it was just religion. It is important to understand God would rather obedience than sacrifice. God wants to change our identity, our nature, fundamentally who we are. He doesn’t want us living in the flesh obeying him, because that’d be just like when they were given the law and tried obeying and living by it. God wants to change US, he wants to make us fruitful, not make us do this this and that. They tried that under the law, and failed, yet Christians (and hence the whole point of Galatians) try doing that same thing again. Oh you have to be circumcised, oh do this, oh do that… but without the fruit of the Spirit, you shouldn’t bother, because its worthless.

You can be living as a Christian… but in the flesh. Some people do it really well. They can be zealous, enthusiastic, moral, dedicated… yet really be fruitless. Lots of works, but no fruit. Why do we do what we do? Is it love being brought forth in our hearts motivating us to do things, or are we just doing things because that’s what we are meant to do. That can’t please God and doesn’t, in the same way keeping the law didn’t please God, in the same way Ishmael was rejected. Ishmael represents the flesh, live in the flesh, and you can dot your i’s and cross your t’s yet still be cast out. God wants fruit in our lives. The flesh loves religion, the flesh can be trained, controlled, channeled… but it’s still flesh. It’s still rejected. God wants to change who you are. Why do you think Jesus said ye must be born again? Jesus didn’t tell Nicodemus to do more good works, or obey the law even better, or read more Bible each day… he said ye must be born again. When we are born again, it will produce works, but those works will be because we are a different person fundamentally to who we were. They will just be a function of the presence and fruit of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

In the Old Testament, God didn’t want their sacrifices if they didn’t want to offer them willingly. They’d bring their sheep in and sacrifice but their heart wasn’t in it. So they did the right thing according to the LETTER of the law, but their heart wasn’t in it. Philippians 3:3 – For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh. The Bible says where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. Religion is smashed, and we live in the Spirit, the the fruit of love, goodness, gentleness manifests itself in our day to day life. This isn’t a blank cheque to sin, but God has set us free from religion and law keeping, God wants us to walk in the Spirit… if ye live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit the Bible says. 2 Corinthians 3:6 – … for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life. When the law was given Moses’ face shone, how much more should we shine having the Spirit of God? It was so glorious receiving a law that didn’t change us inside, just imposing regulations and rules on mankind, how much more glorious should the ministration of the spirit to us be? Shouldn’t our lives shine in this dark world, shouldn’t the glory of the Lord in us radiate from us, with the law not imposed on our flesh, but written in our hearts?

The Bible says if any man be in Christ he is a new creature. Salvation itself is a new creature. When you believed on Jesus Christ he saved you, and he created a new person inside you by coming to dwell in you through his Spirit. The law failed in that it imposed a stringent set of rules on fleshly humans, so they tried keeping this and that, but they were sinners inside, unregenerate. Through Jesus, we can be fundamentally changed, and that’s what God really wants. And someone who is saved fulfills the law when they abide in Christ as the life of Christ, who did no sin, flows through them out into this lost, dark, wicked world. We are light, we are salt, because Christ is. It’s not us TRYING to be, it’s just we are… because he is. You can try doing it all in your own strength and ability, but remember what Moses saw, the prerequisite to his ministry… he saw a burning bush, which did not burn… because the Lord was in the bush. If the Lord is in your life, you will not burn out. But if you’re doing it all in your own energy and strength, rather than letting God change you and God supply the power through you by faith, in the knowledge of who is his and what he requires of us and wants for us… you will fail, you will burn out, you will be rejected and fruitless.

People can do and have done many mighty works in his name… yet Jesus says he never knew them… yet he says they are cursed. You can give your money, more money, your body to be burned, yet if it wasn’t because of the fruit of Spirit of love … it is nothing. Maybe you give and serve God out of pride or trying to look good, or because it makes you feel good… all wrong reasons, if it’s not because of the fruit of love it’s nothing. They brought lambs and lambs, but the motives weren’t God’s glory, it was ticking off their duty, it was fruitless sacrifice. They covered the altars with tears, but their heart was a stone. Guard against a hard heart, you can do all the religion you want, yet be fruitless, barren, spiritually dead. Loose Lazarus, and Jesus want’s you loosed and made alive in him and through him. They may even be “good” things you’re doing, and that’s good, but is it out of the fruit of the Spirit in your life, is it the fruit of new life in you… or is it pride or lust or whatever depth our heart can go to which not only deceives others, but firstly deceives our own selves. It’s good to have a look at who we truly are, and no better mirror is found than the mirror of God’s word. What are our lives truly all about. Is it all leaves yet no fruit?

It’s important to realize what God really wants. Things like works are good, it is good to tell others about Christ etc, but what God wants is a saved life, then a fruitful life… the fruit of love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance… all things which we all can be so destitute of. God is interested in changing us inside out… and what we thus say and do in this world should be a function of that internal reality of the Holy Spirit living in us and through us as we yield to him and walk by faith. It really takes the reins out our hands, it takes the easy yoke of Christ… put the flesh to death… it wants to do religion, it loves to produce leaves… but it won’t produce fruit. It is works… the works of the flesh are these… but the Holy Spirit produces fruit. Fruit contains seed… plants bear fruit for seed propagation and proliferation. Your life in bearing fruit will spread the seed of God’s word, it cannot not. In the fruit of the Spirit is the seed of the word of God. A life filled with the Holy Spirit spreads seed… that life makes a difference… as Jude says.

We read in John 3:21 – But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God. The fruit of the Spirit will glorify God, they’re not just religious works, but they are wrought in God… and maybe that’s what many ministries and our lives are missing, the fruit of the Spirit at the source, and our lives lack the power and anointing and unction of the Holy Spirit to really impact the world around us for Christ. 2 Corinthians says we are living epistles, known and read of men. A fruitful life will impact others for Christ. Look at Joseph… he was in a pit, he was in a prison, then he was in a palace… in whatever state he was, circumstances weren’t his god, God was. We can be in all states, yet have fruitful lives, he was so consistent wherever he was… and because of him, people were saved, his whole family was. Talk about salvation of others, all because he was faithful to God, and faithful in little, and faithful where God had him. They saw the fruit, and it glorified God, because they knew he had God’s spirit in him.

What fruit is God really after? He’s after a changed you. After all, wind back to Genesis, and man fell, man sinned and man became corrupted, lost, darkened, dead in sins. What God wants is to give us spiritual life, to change who we are, which happens at salvation, and then as we grow in Christ… note, we grow in Christ, in Christlikeness, they were called Christians because they were Christlike. That past life is gone, dead, buried, and we are risen with Christ, those of us who have repented of our sin and believed on him. God doesn’t want you doing religion, and trying to do this and that to please him, he just wants you to believe him and abide in him, and yield our earthen vessel to him, so that his light may shine in us, changing us and affecting those around us. He wants a fruitful life. Hopefully you do to, hopefully when Jesus finds you, it’s not just leaves, many many leaves of works and profession and effort, yet no fruit. It was just same old you with many new leaves and facelifts and do betters, yet still spiritually dead and barren inside. Hopefully you consider for yourself what fruit God is pleased with and what fruit he is really after in your life. Paul concluded in Galatians 6:15 – For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature. Never lose that truth. God is interested in what’s inside, we can do everything right yet inside be dead, yet inside there be no fruit of the Holy Spirit. It can be all about self and religion and ritualism and this and that… we do this that and everything else, yet barren as a brick inside. Is what we do a function of the Holy Spirit producing fruit in our lives? Or is it dead inside, but looking pretty good, pretty leafy on the outside. We all need to look at ourselves, who and what we are before God… and consider what is the fruit that God is truly after in our lives.

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