Download... August 28, 2011. Sunday Morning Service. Bro. Dave Goble.
There’s a drought in many places, Texas, Oklahoma, Africa, Ethiopia, etc. There of course is little or no production, where there is a drought. There is often a need to ‘move’ in order to survive. They often require the assistance of others. In a spiritual condition, we need to ask our-self, “What is our faith producing?"
TEXT: GALATIANS 5;18-26
18 But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.
19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,
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.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
24 And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.
25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
26 Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.
Many of us in the past, rejected religion. It offered us nothing but a vain hope or emptiness. We wanted a true faith we could identify having a true value, that would produce ..in our soul.
Not just something of theological traditions, or produce “just something,” but that which would really multiply in spiritual value of faith. We need that something of true value, otherwise we will take that which the world “cheaply” offers. So you have a “right,” this morning to ask of yourself, what is my faith producing? A right, because if you don’t take faith that seriously, you will go along in life with a satisfaction in your ‘lack’ of a producing faith. The scriptures exhort very plainly that I, must demand an evidence of my faith. Otherwise I will have satisfaction in mere religion, a “form” or ritual, your personal opinion, and/or what the “world” has to offer. Resulting in the end of any real production of faith in my life. A spiritual drought then will follow. The evidence of the production of faith will be recognized in the fruits of the spirit. Galatians 5:22,23 We need to “demand’ of our self the evidence of faith. Demand is a powerful word, often thought of in an aggressive manner.
But “demand” here is used differently, in the sense of having a personal accountability of my faith to be producing what God intended through my “chosen’ actions. I hold MY self accountable! Not holding accountability of others, (spouse, family, friends, etc.) but demand the evidence of ..what MY faith is producing. Otherwise there will be within us, ..a spiritual famine, of spiritual fruit I am professing to have. There will be the “weeds" of life that always seem to survive a drought. I can potentially “fool myself," ..be deceived, ..and become satisfied there. You, or I, do not have to accept or put up with that, no matter what another might try to convince you to “accept!” You don’t have to be satisfied with there, and thank the Lord for the day if you said, "I’m NOT satisfied with that!"
We should be impressed with what we see, negatively or positively in our experience so we can know “where’ we are, and be accountable to truly have faith’s promises. It can lead to very important and needed “discussions. But, unless a “discussion” will really lead to a soul’s need of help in their relationship with God, ..it is vain to get entangled in one. It is vain to have a discussion that seems only to highlight one’s personal “knowledge” of the scriptures. It should be all about our faith being increased personally, ..with God our Father. Christ exhorted us in the mindset we need to have, ..in this scriptural prayer.
Matthew 6:9-13 9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. 10 Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.11 Give us this day our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
If we can’t pray this from the heart, to our Father, ..”Abba Father” from a personal introduction to Christ as our Savior, what good is it? We should demand a production from our faith, ..in what is being produced in us. What is my faith producing?
To define what we mean by faith, let us go to Hebrews 11:1, and use that for some of our thoughts this morning. Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Faith is the substance, the confidence, the foundation, or what you are “building” upon. In early years of Christianity, there was a great "debate” about the substance of faith, and the substance of “what was Christ.” People get involved in all sort of debates. Don’t get sidetracked in the distractions of debates, ..pay attention to the substance. .”“Faith is the substance of things hoped for.” The confidence, and the foundation of what you are building upon. “It is the evidence of things not seen.” Evidence, are the deeds that are performed, ..the everyday actions. Substance, is what you are “building upon.” And again, the evidence, is what is produced, the everyday living actions, ..that are “tied” to your confidence. Your confidence, or substance, produces your evidence. So Faith is a combination of what you are building your hopes on, and how you practice it everyday. Those 2 things. For faith without works or actions, is dead. James 2:26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also. Unless our faith is producing something, ..it is dead. We can have the scriptures right, our thoughts right, but unless it produces something, ..it is dead! We should demand works to come from our faith. And we should examine the works that come from our substance.
We should ask our self, “Am I getting a Godly production from my faith?” Faith is a combination based upon your hopes and resulting actions. It is not a future thing, ..it’s a Now thing! What is your faith producing? If I say I have faith, I should demand a Godly production, Right Now! Not tomorrow, ..not yesterday, ..but Now. Yesterday is gone. But Today, I must demand a production of my faith. Amen! I should hold myself accountable for the fruit I “see” Today, ..not yesterday. Yesterday’s fruit is already harvested. Tomorrow’s fruit has not yet come. Today’s fruit is what I should hold myself accountable for. It’s a Now thing! Some say, “I have faith in my future home, the crown of glory waiting for me.” Those are instead ..your hopes. They are things that are yet to come. Faith is what I must hold myself accountable for, ..today. It’s a Now thing.
If your faith is not producing spiritual fruit as described here in Galatians 5, you have a “right” to demand of yourself, “When is it going to change?” Faith in that which God gives us, will produce Godly fruit. It does not produce fleshly, and carnal fruit. Again we must demand of ourselves that the “fruit” we are harvesting, is Godly fruit! Don’t make excuses and call it humanity. God can make a change that will produce Godly fruit, and you must determine that, “I don’t want that carnal fruit anymore, and God can help me, It is what I expect,demand, and hold myself accountable for.” Godly fruit, ..by the grace of God. What is your faith producing?
Don’t put up with something less. Don’t put up with a flurry of profanity when you get upset! Don’t put up with that, and later say, “Oh God forgive me, it wasn’t my intention, you know my weakness.” Then later on you get upset again, and again comes out profanity. Don’t put with that, and still claim to have Godly fruit. That comes out of a spiritual famine that is pretending to still have good Godly fruit. That’s not the production Jesus gives anyone. Hold yourself accountable. Not someone else. The Holy Spirit is quite capable of “policing” His Church. “He” doesn’t deputize everyone else to walk around, examine everybody else, while there is a problem doing their own self “examining.” That would be a mess! If we claim to want to do what the Holy Spirit wants us to do, then we better produce that. Though God does govern His Church, yet you also must hold yourself accountable. If we claim to have Godly faith, we must produce Godly fruit, to ensure our faith is alive. We cannot accept occasional times of ungodly actions. That happens because of a spiritual drought, when people walk after the flesh, and not the spirit. It is not being a legalistic way to live, by our needed self examination. It’s not about judging my brother, but demanding of myself a high accountability to produce Godly fruits of the Spirit, upon my profession. This is a requirement from God, for any that would teach, others in faith. Herein is found true liberty!
What is producing your confidence? Hebrews 11:1 again, in God, it is faith. Why do you have confidence? Studying, and praying gives you confidence? That’s only half of it. The other vital part, is production! We have a right to demand a production, otherwise it is all vain. We will be without a real spiritual satisfaction that can only come from no condemnation, from God’s word. We can walk through life free from all sin, and thereby having the evidence of faith’s production. What is your faith producing? Not what is your spouse, family, friends, etc., producing of faith. But what or where is your faith producing? Is there fear, or faith?
I Timothy 1:4 Neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in faith: so do. Many today look to debates, discussions, and etc., in giving more importance to, than what their life is actually producing. Endless genealogies give more questions than true answers. It doesn’t produce Godly fruit. The only thing that those debates, or discussions found out, was who was more “script educated,” but did nothing to show spiritual fruit production. It will not lead to Godly fruit, and ultimately it’s vain, ..in the quest of Godly faith.
Bro David Goble testified that he of course also benefits from this lesson, even if none of us were here. He gets it first! He told how on some of his travels to other tropical like places there were avocados the size of melons, ..delicious. And likewise our faith can be so fertile that we are producing abundant Godly fruit. Spiritually we should be searching for more fruit of Godliness, .that God can lead us to, and not endless genealogies. That is a waste of time. It is not worth wasting our breath on attitudes, bitterness, etc. Bro Goble said if he “knew someone had aught, he wouldn’t hesitate to approach for a reconciliation. We can be using our time to produce good fruit or bad. If you are doing one, you cannot also be doing the other. Obviously we all have days though, when things are going against us. Although we can’t then escape our humanity, ..God will have grace for "even then" to produce Godly fruit. What is your faith producing?
Romans 3:1-4 1 What advantage then hath the Jew? or what profit is there of circumcision? 2 Much every way: chiefly, because that unto them were committed the oracles of God. 3 For what if some did not believe? shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect? 4 God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged. God is always true regardless of other “so called wisdom.” “Let God be true, but every man a liar;” One might speculate they don’t “see" something, or understand, and are confident they are right. Be humble and willing to be “wrong.” Not willing though, to be wrong concerning the right thing to do, of God’s word and truth. But be willing that God is true, and any in conflict are liars. If we are judged for a lack or wrong, we will only overcome through the good truth of God.
Sadly it often appears that more conflict comes up between religious people, than a nonbeliever. Lots of arguments, ..of interpretation of the scriptures. “Let God be true and every man a liar.” Or let all others be willing to be wrong, recognizing God only being true. Let there be a truce. Let us all strive to know the Truth. Not striving to defend your way, or my way. How else can the Church of God ever seek unity, unless everyone is willing to let God be true, and everyone else a liar? Anyone can be defined as a liar, if they are defending their ‘own’ way. But if any are truly wanting to let God be true, they are not liars, for only seeking the truth. There can be unity in that. There can be unity in two people who’s only interest is to seek the truth. Seeking 'only' the truth, has a lot better chance of achieving unity, ..than defending our own way. Strife or conflict certainly will not achieve unity. Faith is the substance of something, tied to the evidence ..of something. James 2:20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?
A lot people do not profess to be religious, but they do have a form of faith, tied to something. We are coming into the football seasons again, when many like in dedication, ..to watch the games. That is their substance. Whether it be their love of games, music, videos, art, cars, boats, pets, etc. It is their substance, ...of what they are basing their happiness on. Their substance produces the evidence. The evidence on which many build their “faith” on, making it their foundation. What is it producing? We need to be willing to examine our substance or evidence in production. When your substance/faith is not working, ..the evidence will show that. I should have enough respect to demand of myself the evidence of true faith. The world will be able to see it either way. When your temporal substances are working for you, you are more likely to be “fun” to be around. But when it isn’t, the evidence of that lack will be demonstrated. When things aren’t going your way, the evidence won’t be going your way either. II Corinthians 13:5 Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus is in you, except ye be reprobates? Examine yourself. Hold yourself accountable to what the evidence is. Demand and have enough respect to do so.
The world would have you believe you don’t need self respect. Why would this be said? Because today, young girls, and young men, going to school are “taught” by society’s permissiveness, that a relationship, is one of conquest and self gratification. In effect saying “don’t respect yourself.” Selling yourself cheap. A “one night stand” is cheap, lasting one night. A marriage is costly, ..meant to be forever in this life. The world in essence is telling people “don’t respect yourself.” Children are growing up with no self esteem, and the parents often wonder "why is my child have no self esteem?" Have they been taught to respect themselves? Have we taught them to expect a high level of Godly production, and not be willing to accept less? To not sell themselves for what the world is selling themselves for? Substance. It should not be found in what other people think, ..or like about you. Being accepted in a crowd. That becomes a substance or faith statement. It makes that a faulty foundation to build upon, ..for the “world” doesn’t have boundaries. There will be a consequence or evidence of that. What is your faith producing?
If you have your “defenses”, or have put up “fences,” what are your “costs” for doing that? Are you making those kinds of choices for your children? Do they have “costs” because of your foundation being built upon of your fleshly choices? Our faith has a production in our own life, and any children we may have. We are not accountable for every decision our children may make, but there will be a production from our choices in their lives. What is your faith producing? You should demand of yourself accountability of “fruit” you see coming out of your life, and not just ignore it.
You may observe many folks that are kind, gentle, long-suffering and say, “their not even believers, " so what’s the difference?” People, no matter who, are still “earthy,” carnal, and opposed to the will of God before Salvation. Romans 8:7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. When the mind is carnal, it is opposed to the will of God. So we have the right and duty to ask our self is my fruit spiritual, or carnal? We all have “bad days,” but this concerns the motive of your heart. The fruit of the spirit will be different than in a non believer. A non believer may be as kind, gentle, etc., as a believer, ..so again what is the difference? The fruit of the spirit can be multiplied in a believer in a way, that it cannot be, ..in a non believer. A non believer’s motive is not a product of faith in Christ, but of whatever “they think is right." The fruit of the spirit in a believer, ..has the potential of God multiplying many times through their faith in Jesus Christ. This is so important, ...for what our society is lacking today, is the multiplication of Godly fruit.
Again it may be said that there are non believers that also show kindness to others. Yet it cannot have the same effect a saint of God can have from the multiplication of Godly fruit in their lives. They will live their faith in the midst of a dark world, giving light, that the one that is only doing good deeds of kindness, cannot have from a light within, spiritually, to others. You live it, exemplify it, help people understand it, introducing someone else to Christ, leading to another conversion. That person does the same thing, multiplying the fruits of Godly faith and fruit. There is a concept in economics called,”the multiplier effect.” You invest a little bit of money, and it grows. You start with a loan of an initial amount, and the debt grows. Society swells, and grows. Spiritually we want to see the same effect from Godly fruit.
So we need to hold ourselves accountable and examine ourselves. You may be burdened down because you don’t see the production of Godly fruit like you would hope. You need to examine your own self, and not others. Is my faith producing the kind of fruit that God wants? Ask God to examine your heart. From that examination God will cause a multiplication of Godly fruit, perhaps in a way greater than you ever thought. What is your faith producing? Not what your faith is, ..we can all testify what our faith is. The question is, What is your faith producing?
