ETERNAL TREASURE - FRUIT OF LIGHT

 

“Rejoice in the Lord always” (Philippians 4:4).

THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23 NKJV). There is an enormous difference between the fruit of joy and happiness.

Happiness depends upon favorable circumstances such as receiving a gift, a birthday party, graduation, buying a car or home, getting married, being a parent or grandparent, recovery from sickness, a vacation, etc. Happiness is temporary.

The fruit of joy doesn’t depend upon favorable circumstances. It depends upon obeying the commandments of Jesus in favorable as well as unfavorable circumstances. Paul and Silas were charged with a crime they hadn’t committed. They were flogged and put in prison with their feet fastened in stocks. They obeyed the commandment of Jesus and rejoiced when persecuted (Matthew 5:11-12). 

        At midnight, Paul and Silas began to pray and sing hymns to God. Being put in prison falsely provided them the opportunity to make disciples of the jailor and his whole family (Acts 16:16-40).

Paul wrote to the Philippians, “Rejoice in the Lord always: and again, I say, Rejoice” (Philippians 4:4). He also wrote the same commandment to the Thessalonians, “Rejoice evermore” (1 Thessalonians 5:16).

In order to rejoice always or evermore, the disciples always obey their Lord’s commandments. Disciples are not controlled by circumstances but love for their Lord Jesus Christ, obeying his commandments. The fruit of self-control and faithfulness are vital for obeying the commands of Jesus and rejoicing always.                                            

                                      Self-control

God’s love is self-control (Galatians 5:23), and it assists the disciple in making the choice to obey the commandments of Jesus rather than doing the works of the flesh. Obeying the commandments of Jesus is light; doing the works of the flesh is darkness.

“Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God” (Galatians 5:19-21 NKJV).

                                Faith and Faithfulness

Not only is God’s love self-control but also faithfulness (Galatians 5:22 NIV). Faith is not to be separated from faithfulness. To have faith in Jesus Christ is to be faithful to his commandments, and to be faithful to his commandments is to love him and rejoice.

In order to better understand the relationship between faith and faithfulness, it is essential to understand the different definitions of faith in the New Testament. The following definitions are from A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament by Bauer, Arndt and Gingrich: The Scriptures are called the faith (Jude 3, 20).

 Faith is being sure of what we hope for (Hebrews 11:1 NIV).

Hope is that which is written in the Scriptures, what God has said (Hebrews 11:7-10)].

 Faithfulness is a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22 NKJV, NIV).

 Faith is a gift of the Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:9).

 Faith is being a disciple of Jesus (Acts 6:5; Romans 1:17).

 A disciple is justified by faith (Romans 5:1) and lives by faith (Roman 1:17). To live by faith is to have faith (Hebrews 11:1) in the Faith (Jude 3, 20) and to be faithful (Galatians 5:22) to the Faith (Jude 3, 20). Faithfulness to the Faith is the same as faithfulness to the covenant which the LORD made with His people in the Old and New Testaments.

The Bible is a composition of covenants. The Lord made covenants with Adam (Genesis 1:26-30; 2:16-17; 3:15; 3:16-19), Noah (Genesis 9:1-17; 2 Peter 2:5), Abraham (Genesis 12:1-3, 6-7; 13:14-17; 15; 17:1-14; 22:15-18), Moses (Exodus 20; Deuteronomy 11), David (2 Samuel 7:8-16; Luke 1:32-33), and the New Covenant (Jeremiah 31:31-34; Hebrews 8:8-13; 10 :16-18).

Promises are grace-gifts to the people in covenant with the LORD. Wisdom is the way the LORD has chosen for his covenant people to love him and receive his promises. Faithfulness to the LORD’s Commandments is Wisdom (Deuteronomy 4:5-6).

The LORD’s Faithfulness to His Word is Promise, and Wisdom + Promise = Covenant. Trusting in the LORD’s faithfulness to give us the Promise without being faithful to obey his commandments is Promise ≠ Covenant.

We read about the relationship between wisdom and promise in Deuteronomy 30:15-16. “See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil; In that I command thee this day to love the Lord thy God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgments, that thou mayest live and multiply: and the Lord thy God shall bless thee in the land whither thou goest to possess it.”

Stephen was a man full of faith (Acts 6:5). He was justified by faith (Romans 5:1) and lived by faith (Romans 1:17). To live by faith is to have faith (Hebrews 11:1) in the Faith (Jude 3, 20) and to be faithful (Galatians 5:22) to the Faith (Jude 3, 20). Stephen also had the gift of faith (1 Corinthians 12:9).

The gift of faith is mountain-moving faith (1 Corinthians 13:2; Mark 11:22-24). It is a gift given by the Holy Spirit to believe in the Lord for what looks to be impossible. Stephen did great wonders and signs among the people (Acts 6:8).

Excerpted from GRACE & SHALOM by Robert P. Holland