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Pastor David Mitchell
Good to have you back with us brother. Ron and Glenda we thank you for staying To minister to us and not going on the trip. That was beautiful and that last song brings me back to my early Months as a Christian and that was Keith green that last song one of the first Christian songwriters I listened to when I first got saved in beautiful music.
Beautiful it's interesting that it's in the hymn book that proves. I'm old. Because the songs that were popular song among the youth when I started out are now in the hymn book. That's ancient actually.
So yes. So I reached the big six five on the fourth. So now when I remember when I turned 50 my mother told me son Don't be down about it. You're gonna feel better over the next decade than you did all the rest of your life, and she was right I did.
I could sleep less work harder, and you know she did not say that when I reached 60 so anyway. She's well today. She just didn't want to get exposed to there's a. Well, she's a little bit. You know feeling a little she has days where she feels a little weak and Trembly and so she'll just stay in the house, and then usually by the next day.
She'll be better. She has that going on, but mainly we want to get exposed. I think there's a little stomach virus going around the school, maybe. At least I know one student that has it and so anyway she would be here otherwise.
Don't know what's wrong with Marianne, but I hope it's. I mean she hangs around the school so it could be Something going around the school, I'm not sure so wash your hands before lunch. Oh, I was gonna tell Dave we could just keep the kids in here, but he already took him he took him he could.
Charlotte you might want to if you wouldn't mind just tell him if he'd like to stay in here. He can bring him back you think that well I know the kids would rather stay, but I thought Dave might want to be in here for a change, so whatever.
This will work, let's hope Dave Has a long sermon today. All right, well, it's good to be back With you and sorry when we have to be out of town and I believe next weekend. I'll be out of town again. But Ron told me he'd be well by next Sunday, so the Lord did it.
I'm glad and So brother Ron brother bill will be here to lead in the service next Sunday. I have to be. I'll be preaching the gospel in San Francisco on Sunday morning. Imagine what my topics going to be Romans chapter 1 let's do that.
Last time I was in San Francisco. I didn't touch on that topic a bit. It was interesting. But um so pray for us. We will be preaching next Sunday morning in a service. I guess it's this yeah be next Sunday and In San Francisco, so may the Lord bless his word.
Even there, and I shall not be like Jonah. I shall root for their salvation. We've been studying Jonah in Sunday school. He was not happy that God saved those Gentiles, but I Suppose I'll be happy if he would save a few Californians.
All right, well we've been talking about fruits of the Spirit and Last time we sort of Kind of did a little review on how we use fruit to judge people and we came up with 24 Different negative fruits.
Remember that 24 negative things about false teachers that you can look at and that's interesting because that's a that's a Divisible by six which is Satan's number or the number of man? Fleshly fleshliness and Satan, but then when we look at the Fruits of the Spirit here, we've got You know we've already found 21 different things That the Lord does for us when he saves us, but to be more specific about the fruits of the Spirit.
If you remember last time We mentioned that you can see several different ways you can group them and One way is that you can divide them into two types of ideas like the difference between Gathering fruit and bearing fruit remember that so gathering fruit would be what the old-time Baptists call soul winning.
It's not my most comfortable Way phrase to use because if you go study, that's only found one place in the Old Testament if you read the context. It's not talking about it's not talking about what they use it for so I don't like to use things out of context.
So why don't we call it soul gathering? That's even better very biblical sounds weird. I know we don't want to put it on the side. The soul-gathering church, whoa that would go good. Gathering souls for Jesus come join with us.
Yeah, that would be good so There's lots of things we could put on that sign that would really do damage to our to our wonderful. We call it our Way people see us. Yeah, our marketing our marketing for our church mega church here, so.
But so that's that's two ways think about bearing fruit is just the fact that the fruit hangs off of us. We don't produce it the root does right and then gathering fruit is is letting people know the gospel and of course God does the saving.
Doesn't he so we talked about? Fact you can sort of divide it up that way and We kind of start out in Mark chapter 11 where Jesus went in and inspected the temple and found it lacking. He looked around about all things and took a good look which he's doing to the church today.
And then he began to cast out everything that was false and everything that was secular. Think about that. Think about the picture they're casting out false things and secular things. Don't want to go there anymore.
I'd take tomorrow morning again just to review it and so then we went into John chapter 15 the lesson of the fig tree and We talked about the different stages of going to be bearing fruit. And then bearing more fruit and bearing much fruit remember that and can you remember the key to?
Bearing much fruit abiding. Abiding in Christ being spirit-filled for more minutes of the day. And that carries a lot of great stuff with it such as answered prayer powerful prayer life. Such as more revelation of God as you walk with Jesus He reveals God more to you things like that come with it so we talked about that and then We sort of the last thing we've been doing is kind of thinking about another way to group the fruit.
On the good side of the fruit not the false prophets stuff. But the good side of fruit is you can divide it into another three groups, which I think is very helpful and oddly enough. There's even going to be another Triple group here in a minute we can share with you.
This one I think we mentioned where you can put it into three C's like you got convert fruit, which is the gathering right and character fruit, which is on the inside and conduct fruit, which is Living a holy life outwardly so character conduct and convert.
Three ways to divide the different kinds of fruit, so that's kind of where we were now what we talked about specifically Sunday before last. Was the first one we'd start out with was convert fruit if you remember so we talked about John chapter 4 verse 34 Where Jesus says that the fields are white unto harvest and he had meat that you know.
Not of which was to go and witness, you know. And so that just shows us if we're gonna be followers of followers of Jesus one of the types of fruit We will bear is convert fruit, which means not that we can save people but that we will give the gospel we'll sow the seeds and.
What's so interesting about that little passage though in John 4 is Jesus said, you know, I sent people before you guys. He was talking to his apostles though, right? He said I sent people before you to sow the seeds and you don't have to do any of that work.
All you got to do is go gather. But he said the fields are white into harvest. So he was picturing the gathering like they're already ready. The Holy Spirit has them ready. You just need to go. Tell them that last time and that's gonna be the time they decide to be saved.
Now. That's the best part. That's the most fun part. You don't see it a whole lot in your whole lifetime. Unless you're Charles Spurgeon or somebody like that DL Moody where you just see our Criswell you see.
Thousands of people saved through your ministry. But most of us will see one or two or three here or there maybe four or five or six. If you're my wife, maybe scores. She's led lots of people to the Lord and just but not trying to do it just by Being a Christian and being their friend and that's how most of us do it.
That's how we should be doing it because so what does that tell us that the convert fruit comes from it comes from the? Character fruit first. Right, and then secondly the conduct fruit because that's what they're watching is how you live.
And then you know what you say with your mouth the part of the fruit. It comes out of our hearts and that leads to the converts. I think and I think that's the natural way that churches grow is you don't.
You don't go out to try to get people saved like so many of the modern churches do on Thursday night visitation. You know, that's nowhere in Scripture. What it does say is that they just had the joy of the Lord everywhere.
They went and they were kind of contagious people caught Christianity from even the guards that were taking them to be fed to the Lions would be saved as They were witnessed to by the people they were taking to be fed to the Lions that's true Christianity, right?
And unfortunately, we don't live in that era, but we might before it's all over. You just don't know if we do we'll be ready for it. And that's what church is for is to be equipped and be ready for things like that.
But anyway, you got all these different kinds of groupings of fruit. So we talked about the gathering John 4 34 and following is so awesome where Jesus says the fields are white. Unto harvest and then in Romans chapter 1.
Verse verse 13 is where Paul said I'm going to come and visit the church at Rome that I might have some fruit among you that's talking about convert fruit as well and. And that's where he said I'm not ashamed of the gospel of Christ for it is the power of God unto salvation.
So it's the God it's the word that saves them the word in the spirit, right? The water and the spirit the water is the Word of God and where our job is to Be conduits of the Word of God and give that to him and that the Holy Spirit do his work.
Holy Spirit will not save one single individual in This age in the church age without the word having been there also. He won't do it and you read these stories about people in Saudi Arabia and in different parts of Islamic Africa where they said they just saw a vision and saw Jesus and they got saved that those are not true not unless they had already heard the gospel from some human being or a Bible they picked up if that happened then that can happen because The spirit has to be there also.
And so you seem to have so many stories coming out of charismatic world now where it's all just the spirit, you know. Oh, they saw a vision and they got saved doesn't happen that way according to Scripture.
So what does that tell you many of those are counterfeit? So watch out for whatever they're teaching in those groups. But if if they have heard the word then the spirit has to be there so it's both and I'll tell you one thing.
I've found interesting in my lifetime because we live in this age of the cares. Mata. You know charismatic movement is so huge. So many of our friends are involved in it and that is. When you understand the ministry the Holy Spirit himself and what he himself shows that he does is he never talks about himself?
He talks about Jesus. He always points to Jesus and helps us meet him for the first time. He helps us know him. He helps us to grow in our knowledge of Christ and he never talks about himself. And then when you look at Jesus Jesus doesn't talk about himself.
He talks about the father so. The only way you know anything about the Holy Spirit is from the Word. The Word of God the Holy Spirit wrote some things about himself that we can learn and that's about it.
So he does not emphasize himself. He emphasizes Jesus and Jesus is is not so much the emphasis of the modern church. It's the spirit and they don't always put Holy Spirit. So who knows what spirit it is the spirit.
I knew a young man once and said spirits all over me and the stuff he was doing was like witchcraft. It wasn't even Christian Spirits all over me see that's very dangerous language. Because unless you have the word and the spirit you don't have it God's way.
It's man's method. It's not right. So I love it how Jesus he's talking about the convert fruit. He says the fields are white and the harvest and the very next thing he talked about is the Word of God.
He says I am NOT ashamed of the gospel. That's the word. This is the gospel. Not ashamed of the gospel of Christ for it not he he would be the Holy Spirit it the power. The Bible is the power of God and the salvation to everyone that believes to the Jew first also to the Gentile.
For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith as it is written. See, that's the written word. A lot of people argue with me about that. They'll say oh, it's Jesus is the living word doesn't say written word anywhere.
Well a lot of places it literally says written and here it says it is written. The just shall live by faith. So we live in a face a faith. Dispensation. This is all about faith not sight. If it upsets you that you don't see miracles happening in this room while we're preaching it's because it's not about sight.
Even when Jesus was about to leave this world and go back to heaven. They said do miracles will believe you're him and he said you wicked and adulterous generation. I'm not giving you a miracle except this.
I'm gonna rise again on the third day. That's the miracle we have right there now. Does he heal we got examples of it all over this room. But David Mitchell didn't lay his hands on these folks. Nobody in this room laid their hands on these folks all of us.
Well, I did some of you but anyway special especially Sharon, but anyway. And John I'm not partial to the ladies when it comes to that, but you know what I'm saying. It's it's the prayers of all of us together and it's God that does it.
Really was that way in the apostolic age to except for one difference God did gift them in a temporary fashion with sign gifts. To literally be able to touch a person and raise him from the dead and no one on the earth can do that in realistic Terms today other than faking it and that one's hard to fake but they do fake it.
They even fake that one. So that is that's just not a gift. That's operative anymore. It it may well be the last three years of the tribulation, but we ain't there yet. You know how I know because the temple isn't built yet.
So everything that proclaims to be about that is fake. You'll be tempted to want to believe it because the people that believe it are sincere and they say well it happened and I saw It you can't deny it.
Well, you can't deny it if it doesn't fit this because Satan does miraculous works, too. And just because it's a miracle does not mean it's from God and you got you say well Why would why would Satan do something good?
He does it all the time to get you to believe in him. Rather than God's way to get you just slide over and be humanistic a little bit be a little more Humanistic and leave God out of it. Let the man do the touching let the man do the healing that it's all about humanism.
I Hate it. Anyway, that's not the sermon. That's the rabbit trail all right, so Let's see. I mean even continuing down in Colossians 1 it talks about for the hope which is laid up for you in heaven. Where have you heard before in the word?
See, this is emphasized in this age. This the emphasis of the church age is the written word. But you have to have the spirit too, but he doesn't operate in the same fashion he operates himself directly rather than having to be through the conduit of the human touch and you do know that that mostly comes from the Jews.
The Jews did everything by laying on of hands in the early church was Jewish. They were mostly all saved Jews. Right at first and then it spread out of the Gentile world and as it did those things began to cease just like the Apostle Paul said they would cease and they did cease.
Chrysostom who wrote 300 ad said I can't tell you about this stuff because it no longer happens in the church today. People don't want to read that but it's right there for us. Augustine said the same thing 400 ad.
Anyway, I rest my case there. But the word and faith are the key components of our dispensation talks about the word of truth there in Colossians chapter 1 verse 3 through 5 and on into verse 6 the word of truth, which is come unto you as it is into all the world and bringeth forth fruit as It doth also in you since the day you heard of it and knew the grace of God in truth.
And down in verse 9 he says I'm saying all of this to you In verse 10 so that you might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing being fruitful in every good work. Now that brings me to the next topic and not so much convert fruit.
But I want to talk about conduct fruit today and then next time I'm here the Lord willing. We'll talk about character fruit, which is the inside. So what I'm doing is going kind of from the outside in but in reality in real life.
It starts from the inside and goes out so you start with a character fruit the conduct how I'll walk and then the converts will happen because of that and Because God uses it in his plan. So I'm going backwards.
We started out with a convert and then now today I want to talk about the conduct and how important that is. But then the root of it all is going to be from the character that comes from inside because that's Jesus in us the hope of glory.
The root who lives within us. So let's let's take a look at this then in Colossians chapter 1 verse 9 it says for this cause we also since the day we heard of how you're living as a church. We do not cease to pray for you and to desire that you might be filled with the knowledge of God's will in All wisdom and spiritual understanding that you might walk and this is the conduct.
Walk how you walk how what the world sees? You and we know we disappoint the world don't we because we make mistakes and boy it confuses them. Well, if they're saying why are they doing that? You know it confuses them but somehow through it all the Lord uses us.
And he said he put this treasure in earthen vessels on purpose so that he would get the glory. So one thing about it when they see us motley crew that we are and God does something mighty. They say well God must have done that wasn't them and that's what God wants.
So that's why God did it this way that you might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing being fruitful in every good work and As you're doing that you're increasing in the knowledge of God you're always growing you don't stop growing.
That's why I'm against churches that preach the gospel every Sunday morning and just try to get people saved in the congregation and they don't. Grow the people church church service is not for getting people saved.
I mean, it's okay if someone gets say we're not against it. But that's not what it's for. It's for edifying the brethren. You go out and get them saved if you think you can go out and tell them the gospel.
Out there and when you perceive that they have the Lord bring them in here and we'll teach them all together. We'll teach them. We'll teach them how to live. We'll teach them doctrine and They can increase in the knowledge of God.
That's what church is supposed to be like and how it used to be. Almost every church with Matt no matter what sign was on it brother Baptist Methodist Presbyterian Hundred years ago. It was about growing about learning more about God when you came in this place and So increasing in the knowledge of God strengthened with all might.
According to his glorious power. There's your Holy Spirit, but notice how subtle he speaks of himself. Did he use the word Holy Spirit? Did he say here I am look at me talk about me all the time or did he just subtly slip that into the passage?
Think about it. It's very different than what today believers believe today that it's all about the Spirit. Even the church's names would be you know, so come celebrate the church of celebration. Well, what do you think's going on in that church this morning?
They're playing loud lively music trying to get the Spirit to come down on the place. The Spirit is sovereign. He comes down on the place when he wants to you cannot make him do that. Nor can you stop him from doing it?
You can quench him individually. But you can't stop him from coming down on this place this morning if he wants to and by the way if he did. It'd scare you to death wouldn't scare you to death. You'd love it.
It would feel better than anything. You've felt in a long time. If that happened in fact Raymond who ran out that side door run around outside come in this front. Run up here and say preach brother. They preach it doesn't see that'd be what would be happening.
And but that does not happen every Sunday because it's about faith. I mean listen think about this if you just close your eyes right now back do it. Just close your eyes. I hate it when people tell me to do it.
So I'm gonna keep mine open, but I want you to close your eyes come on Jerry. Sense his presence. His sense his presence by faith because he says he's in the room, and he's in your body. Can you can you sense that you don't need the piano playing okay?
You can look up, but I mean you don't need the piano playing you don't need the rock music. He's here whether you feel him or not. But if you keep your eyes closed long enough you will. If we listen if we did church like they did in the old days.
And we wanted to come and do this right what we would do is we'd have a whole week. We'd come in every day. And have services all day and all night for a week and end up next Sunday and before that was over you'd be you'd be sensing His presence in this room, but do our busy schedules allow that not much much nowadays.
But was it ever that easy and think about the farmers when they'd have a revival meeting was it easy for the farmer just to Neglect his fields or his cattle and come in and do that for a week, but they did it.
They did it anyway didn't they anyway there's something else missing, but I think this is very very Fascinating here where he talks about the Word of God is the big emphasis here the Word of God and the Lord himself.
That we might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing being fruitful in every good work and increasing our knowledge of God. So now we've had the Lord mentioned. We've had God mentioned and then the Holy Spirit subtly mentions himself by not mentioning himself.
But he says will also be strengthened with all might according to his glorious power. That's the Holy Spirit. Unto all patience and long-suffering with joyfulness guess what that's three of the fruits of the Spirit the character fruit listed there.
Now it's listed in better places where it's all listed, but there it is that's talking about the n-word fruit. All right, so let's continue with this idea of conduct a little bit turn with me if you would to Ephesians chapter 5 verse 5.
Conduct fruit is just a way to group this idea of how the Lord produces fruit within us. And there is an aspect of it where it is supposed to actually show to the world. They're supposed to see it in Fact there's another way you can divide this up into three a different three and one would be N-word fruit and the second is outward in other words where each other we see it and the others upward where only God sees it.
So there's another way you can divide it in three. We'll talk about a little later. But this and you see that you see these different divisions intermingling together. But it's just different ways. We can have understanding of how God builds fruit in our lives.
Conduct fruit. Let's look at Ephesians 5 5 for this. You know that no whoremonger. I love these old King James words. What's a whoremonger that's generally a man not a female that's usually a man who's a womanizer.
And he goes out after other women other than his wife. And usually people kind of know who that kind of person is and some churches have deacons who are like that. I grew up in a church like that and we knew who they were and they were deacons and.
That's why we don't go to that church anymore. One of the reasons but so so listen to these kinds of people and they're mixed into these huge mega churches sometimes. Because we know we have tears in with the wheat.
But I want you to see the promise that God gives how many of you think God would lie. Nobody, so I want you to look at this promise. This is kind of a negative promise. He says Know this he said now. This is not a matter of debate.
This is not something I just want you to think about decide if you agree with it. He said know it. It's a fact. That no whoremonger nor unclean person nor covetous man. Who is an idolater who worships things rather than God has any?
Inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God so those people do not go to heaven. It just says it doesn't say you can agree or disagree with this. Here's here's a thought. No, it's a fact know this.
No whoremonger nor unclean person nor covetous man who is an idolater. He worships things. None of those people have an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God let no man deceive you with vain words.
What does that mean? That means churches all over this country will tell you this not really true. God loves everybody. Everybody's gonna be okay. You sin, too. So you can't point the finger at the whoremonger.
Because you sin, too. And you can't point the finger at the homosexual. You sin, too, right? Isn't that what people say in church today, but my Bible says no, this is a fact. These are not going to be in heaven.
So tell me this who loves the whoremonger or the homosexual. The person who tells them they're okay. Everything's gonna be fine. Or the person who tells them you might want to be warned. God's not gonna like it when you meet him someday.
He's gonna cast you into hell if you don't change. Who loves that person more. And yet what does the world call the hater the person who tells them the truth, right? We're the hater. Bible prophesied we'd live in a day someday where The truth is spoken evilly evil of.
I just invented a word. And where good is called bad and bad is called good and then we're definitely in that day. Let no man deceive you with vain words for because of these things. This is why the wrath of God comes upon the children of disobedience because they're doing those things.
We talked in Sunday school this morning brother bill about Sodom and Gomorrah. And what did the what did the Lord say? He said I have heard Noise come up into heaven about stuff going on those cities and I'm gonna go down and see if it's really happening.
If it is I'm gonna destroy him. And he did. You say why did he have to come and see if he's God when they already know well, cuz that's Jesus. That's Jesus. That's God in time. And when God comes down into time, he comes and looks.
He examines and he looked like Jesus did the temple. He examines it and when he sees sin, he hates it. And fortunately for us the father Is outside of time and all he sees in us is Jesus when he sees us.
He sees Jesus and he's pleased with us all the time. There's never a time the father ever knows you sin. But Jesus knows every time doesn't he and he deals with it. On a human level. He's already dealt with it.
He died to remove it from us in that beautiful. Who could have invented a story like that? So Let no man deceive you With vain words. For because of these things these deeds that these people are doing.
That's why the wrath of God will come upon them. Be not ye therefore partakers with them. Wow, you mean we're not supposed to hang out with them and be buddies with them. No, we're not. Can you do business with them?
Yes. The Word of God Paul the Apostle Paul says you can do business with them, but you don't be buddies with them. There's a difference you can witness to them without being buddies with them. There's a lot of things you can do to try to help them get the gospel.
But you don't hang out as buddies. You don't have fellowship with them. You know why because true fellowship with the Christian is around Christ and they don't have him so you can't have that with them.
It just won't it won't happen. You don't have it. It's not that you can't have it. You don't have it. It's great to teach our young people especially if they are going to go to college, you know Jesus does not want you to be friends with tears.
You can witness to them, but you're not buddying up with them. Don't hang out with them and for this reason therefore be not partakers with them for you were once upon a time darkness. But now you are light in The Lord walk therefore as children like see the walk is the conduct so why is it we're supposed to walk?
Correctly. Because of who we were in who we are. So who we are on the inside is why we ought to walk, right? So that those who are still in darkness can see a change because God does use that. He'll use it among the lost sheep to draw them to himself.
And he'll use it among the goats to condemn them to hell someday because they saw it too. They saw your life they saw that you could turn from sin and live right and they chose not to and that will condemn them in the end that's One of the things so it's all for a grand purpose that we do walk a clean walk.
Very important church doesn't talk about that enough today. They they like to talk about the character fruit, you know. Everybody right on the inside, but it's okay if you hang out and have a few drinks after church.
In fact this afternoon why don't we take the young couples class Katie and you and Dave and I will take him to Dallas? We'll go to a bar and have some drinks and then meet for Bible study tonight. Listen, this is happening all over this country and it's not okay.
It's not okay. It's so I mean, there's others we could pick on but why not mention one that's happening. So Out in radio land if you're listening, it's not okay. Because it says be not ye therefore partakers with them.
Don't go with them. Don't look like them. Don't act like them don't fellowship with them. Yes, you can love them enough to witness to them, but that's different. For you were once upon a time like them you were in darkness.
But now are you light in the Lord walk like that? God says it's command walk as children of light for the fruit of the Spirit now. Listen this you want to talk about conduct spirit. This couldn't name it better.
It is in all goodness. It is in all righteousness and it's in all truth. Think about those three things. If you want something to show to the world, listen to these three things be good. Love people be good to and be kind to them secondly.
Be righteous don't live like they're living. Don't think for one minute that if you stoop down to their level. It'll make them come to church and get saved. It does not work that way. They need to see a glaring difference between their life in your life, right?
Glaring difference in number three truth. What is that? Other than this you tell them stuff. They don't want to hear and you keep doing it. Even when the devil tells you they're not gonna walk with you if you keep talking like that.
If you keep telling the truth, they won't listen. You need to be just dip down and go have a drink with them. Then they'll listen see the whole church is built on that. No, I exaggerate a lot of the modern church is built on that and it won't work.
It will crumble. For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness righteousness and truth. All three of those are outward things that the world can see so this is talking about conduct fruit. Isn't that cool?
So there's a conduct fruit passage. Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord. Nothing. What do you do when you prove something? What do you bring into court? Evidence. Evidence is always something you can see or hear.
Or taste or smell. But it's something you see with your senses. So it's outward. So this type of fruit is talking about outwardly living right in front of the world. Not to be a hypocrite but because that is who you are on the inside in fact.
We're more nearly perfect on the inside than we are on the outside, aren't we? I mean we know we're saved. We don't always walk like it and act like and talk like it though. Even in our own homes and that's the worst place to mess up is with our spouses or our kids we need to be kind all the time and when we're when we mess up we need to immediately apologize.
Right because of all places if you want to talk about goodness and righteousness and truth should be in the home first. In the marriage first and if it is the marriage lasts forever. Just fruits like you have fruits of the Spirit in the marriage.
That's what keeps it together. Proving what is acceptable the Lord that means you bring evidence into this world and have no fellowship With the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them now think about this for a minute.
I found this kind of fascinating as I had preached this so many times and and not seen this until I was preparing for this message a month or two ago. I'm always a Bunch of weeks way ahead of where I'm gonna be preaching, but I looked at this thing.
I said, wait a minute grammatically. If I'm careful here, this is saying something I've never seen. So let me read it to you again. Have okay just got through starting out talking about whoremongers right and unclean people.
People have demons and they do like things that aren't natural. That's why certain people do things that are unnatural like child abuse like homosexuality things that aren't natural. It's because they have unclean spirits within their body.
So that kind of person and did you know that if you're saved you don't ever have to have a demon? But you can have one brother Otis didn't believe that when we first met but after I asked him one question.
He changed his mind after teaching it 50 years that it was impossible for Christian to have demons. I said well brother Otis if you had the Holy Spirit. Where would he dwell in your flesh or in your spirit?
He said in your spirit brother David, of course silly question. And I said, well if you had a demon, where would he live in your spirit or in your flesh? He said, okay, you're right. That's all he said.
In other words, it can happen. I see it now. He just hadn't thought about that. He read theological books that said it can't happen and he believed that he just hadn't thought it through. So then he understood but I'm telling you if you're a Christian you don't have to have one.
All you have to do is say Jesus. Would you please rebuke him bind him and send him away or them away from me and my family? And put a hurt. I like to add this put a hurt on them. And there's you a great formula and you know what Jesus will always answer that prayer for you.
You will feel total peace even in the middle of the night. If you need that pray that prayer and the Lord will always answer it so you don't have to have it. So what does that tell you about people that do walk around with demons?
Especially Christians if they do but most people, you know, most time when it's manifest, it's non-christians. It tells you they kind of like the demon. They like the fleshly sin they're doing that the demon causes so they don't want to get rid of the demon and These people the Bible says will not enter the kingdom of heaven and I'm convinced that if a person's born again and has them.
That either through the whipping of Jesus as the shepherd, you know that sticky carries. It's got a hook on one end and straight on the other end the straight end is for Popping them the sheep go that way pop, right?
Or if you won't do it you hook the thing and drag them the right way. So Christians that have these things will eventually be led by the Holy Spirit to not want that and to get rid of it. You see my point because you're not gonna live in a habitual lifestyle of any kind of sin your whole life.
That's my theory. But so you have all of this going on. So you have you're talking about these these outward sinful things that are in the world. Whoremongers and covetous people worshiping things and stuff boy.
This country is big on that one and Says they won't inherit the kingdom of Christ and it lists all these things and it talks about their their Partakers of things of darkness and it goes through all of that and then it comes right down here to the very end and look What it says very carefully in verse 11 and have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness.
So isn't that a reference to all the things he listed the sinful things, right? But rather reprove them see I always thought it meant reprove the people that aren't living, right? But it doesn't mean that it means in your own life the fleshly sins that you've recognized out of this list.
It might be in your heart reprove that. It is a way of Self cleansing it's a way of looking at oneself and saying no. Wait a minute. These are the things that I used to have in my youth before I got saved.
They're still in my flesh and the world has it and God's sending them to hell for it. And I'm supposed to walk a righteous walk in front of all these people. So they think God's real Lord I rebuke that in me.
I don't want it in me. I want to wake up tomorrow and be a better man and not do those things. You see it. I never saw that before till this week in this passage. So it's not talking about rebuking the people that are living that way.
It's talking about rebuking it when devil Tempts us in our own flesh to do some of these things that we did in our youth. That's why Paul said flee the sinful of the sins of your youth flee it because it's always in the flesh.
Does it that's why we protect our little ones? We don't want them, you know our whole Christian school is supposed to be like a greenhouse to keep them from knowing about some of these sins at a very young age because If they start partaking in them at a young age, it'll bother them their whole life.
Even if they get saved later still bother them. We could all shake our heads. Yes to that couldn't we the very weaknesses we have come from our youth. And so this is saying when we recognize it rising up in us on any given day rebuke it.
Reprove it rebuke it don't have any fellowship with it. Isn't that powerful think about that? It's kind of like Myron's thing on the Covenant with yourself only it's a Different approach. It's another way another great way to Have victory.
So these are some clues on how to have better conduct. So With along those lines when we recognize that we have sort of a dual personality as Christians, you know. We have the new man who doesn't want to do any of these sins and we want to be strong in the Lord.
We want to be seen as strong in the Lord. We want to have power so we can help other people. But we have the other side we have the flesh don't we and it pulls against everything we would do for the Lord.
So let's address that just for a second Romans 12 1. It says I beseech you therefore brethren by the mercies of God that you present your body a living sacrifice. Now think about this. This is if you're talking about the body.
That's what other people are going to witness in the world's how we live with our body, right? Well physically what we do in front of their eyes. So it's talking about that and he says I want you to present your body in other words, I want you to present your outward life your conduct that the world sees as.
If it were a living sacrifice. Give it to the Lord. So our body doesn't belong to us. Young people if you're in radio land or in this church and you're listening to me and you want to know you think I don't like tattoos just because I'm old-fashioned and It's just I don't know how cool it is to get tattoos and to mark your body up with all these things.
It's not because I'm old-fashioned. It's because I know the Bible and the Bible forbids it in the Old Testament. The Jews don't do it. You won't find a godly Jew anyway one that believes in the Old Testament that ever got a tattoo and Christians never did it either up until now.
In this end times weak watered-down church now, they don't preach against it. But the main reason is because this body does not belong to me. It is not your own. It belongs to the Lord. You're bought with a price.
You don't have a right to mark up God's body With worldly stuff. You don't have a right to do it as a Christian and Young people do they know that today they're filled with churches. No one tells them this.
But But look at this we ought to give our bodies as a living sacrifice to the Lord not to ourself and Make it holy that means different than the world. So let me ask you this if the big fad in the world today is to watch these great things on TV about how we can get all these awesome tattoos and the whole world is doing it in high school and Now in junior high and all through college and in the young couples and now now even what's sickening to me people my age are doing It to be cool, right?
And if the whole world is doing it Then in what way are we holy if we do it because holy means separate and different than the world. So, how can you be holy if you do what they do now? Listen to me Christian if you already have one and you didn't know better.
I'm not. I'm not trying to give you a whooping over it. I'm not I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about teach the young people is wrong so that they won't do it. That's what I'm talking about if we My mentor dr. Freeman had he had an anchor on his arm tattooed on his arm.
They got in the Navy before he was saved. He had to live with that as a Christian. He had he had a tattoo. So is that covered by the blood? Absolutely. You can have them all over your body and go get to a higher place in heaven than I'll have.
But it doesn't make it right to mark up God's bodies in a worldly fashion does it so we ought to teach the truth and Not get defensive about it. Well It's it's just a fact of Scripture. So here's what we ought to do is we ought to give our body as a living sacrifice acceptable to God.
That is our reasonable service when you look up that in the Greek reasonable service. It just means look he died for us. He bought us with a price. We are not our own. He owns us. It's reasonable for us to not look like the world.
So what is our body? It's the very first thing the world sees. Even before the actions that we do with it. They see it and to mark it all up and make it look worldly. That's not holy. It's not godly and it doesn't help people get saved as selfish as what it is and prideful and So it's not right shouldn't be done in the church.
And since other preachers are not gonna preach about it I will go out on the radio waves. You guys can hear it. I love it because All over the country. All I do is I don't make ever make people agree with me and love me.
What I do is I make him go home and study to prove me wrong. So it gets them studying gets you studying and that's what it's all about teachers not there to teach. He's to get you to go study. So study it out and see if I'm right or wrong about that issue but He goes on and he says to present our bodies as a living sacrifice Holy acceptable unto the Lord, which is your reasonable service.
Now. Look at this. This gives us a clue on how to actually get our body which our brain is probably one of the most important parts of our body because all of that junk that went in It as a kid that causes us to want to do some of the sinful things still is still in there, isn't it?
It's in the memory banks of our great computer up there. So, how do we deal with that verse 2 says be not conformed to this world? So if the world is getting a bunch of tattoos, you know Jesus doesn't want you doing it if the world is going out drinking for social drinks after Bible study with the young couples class you know, Jesus is not behind that because that's worldly you see that's how you can think things through and But be not conformed to this world.
What is that saying? Don't do what they're doing be different. But be transformed now. Here's the key on how to make this happen. Be transformed by the renewing of your mind we have to think differently than we grew up thinking and we have to saturate our minds with Scripture and The Bible is what teaches us the right way to live the Lord's way.
And once we renew our mind and we know what God wants we find it easier to live that way. Why should we transform our minds? Why should we renew our minds so that we might prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God?
So it's God's will that we do it that way. That's not man's method. That's God's will though so food alcohol Illicit sex and pornography and drugs and pride and selfishness in a rude mouth unkindness suicidal thoughts.
Negative thoughts all of these things the Bible said earlier in the verse. We should reprove that when we hear it popping up in our minds reprove it. Just tell ourselves. Nope. That's wrong. That's your old man.
That's not your new man. Don't do it. Don't live that way. I think that's very practical. Reprove them those thoughts those Sinful seeds that are in our flesh reprove that not the people. But our own old man should be reproved by by our new man.
Powerful stuff if you just think it through. Now I've got a couple other things will be through today because I do want to finish up the conduct fruit. So let me just give you a couple of important things.
Another phrase or phase or component of conduct fruit is giving. So think about this Philippians 4 17 not because I desire a gift the Apostle Paul said but I desire fruit that may abound to Your account and that was when he was going around and collecting money from the more wealthy Gentile churches.
So he could take it back to the Jerusalem Church, which was in poverty because of the persecution. They had literally taken all their stuff away from them in a socialistic fashion. They said government now owns all your property and they took all their stuff.
So they were poor and they were hungry so Paul was going around some of these other Gentile nations where the churches were actually prospering and Asking them to take up an offering so he could collect it and take it back and give it to those brothers.
And in the context of that he said it's not because I desire your money He said but I desire fruit that may abound to your account. So when you give me your money to go help those people who are God's children.
You're fruit bearing you're bearing fruit and you you gain a reward in heaven for it. So giving is a certain form of Fruit bearing giving financially and I don't need to. I never preach about that here because I don't need to.
But in the context of our study, I just wanted to mention it is part of what the Bible teaches is fruit bearing. Romans 1526 for it has pleased them of Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain contribution.
Like a love offering for the poor saints, which are in Jerusalem. It has pleased them truly and their debtors. They are for if the Gentiles have been made partakers of Jerusalem's spiritual things then the Gentiles it's their duty to also give back to the spiritual Saints.
Carnal things in other words physical things that their body needs to live and to be healthy and so forth money so they can buy Food and stuff, isn't that interesting? So look all the spiritual riches you have gotten over here in the Gentile Church.
All those spiritual riches came from them and now they need food. So you need to give them money. So it's fitting if they gave you spiritual food for you to give them money. Isn't that an interesting concept?
Very interesting, but that's part of our being able to bear fruit when we give to others to help other Christians. When therefore I have performed this where he's taken up this money and have sealed to them this fruit.
So he calls it fruit. I will come by you into Spain. So there's part of the fruits of the Spirit is actually giving to Christians in need Hebrews 13 15 by him. Therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise unto God continually.
That is the fruit of our lips. Giving thanks to his name. But to do good and to communicate forget not for with such sacrifices God as well. Please now that very last phrase in verse 16 of Hebrews chapter 13 To communicate in the Greek that's talking about taking up an offering and giving it to the poor Christians that need it.
So there is again fruit of giving but in that verse it introduces another Form of fruit and you'll see it right up at the top of the verse where it's talking about the fruit of Thanksgiving. Where we give thanks to the Lord the fruit of our lips.
So another form of fruit is when we praise and we thank God together for the things he's done and for who he is By him therefore let us offer up the sacrifice of praise to God continually. That is the fruit of our lips see it.
So there's another one. So praise and Thanksgiving is another fruit that we should have and then James chapter 3 verse 14. I got two more. So let's do those will be done. James 3 13 gives another form of fruit and it's called experiential righteousness in other words We are positionally righteous because the Lord gave us his righteousness as a gift and that's what the father sees and he saves us on.
The basis of Jesus is righteousness, right? But we're exhorted to live a righteous life the best we can. Outwardly and so that very living a righteous life is a form of fruit. It's part of the Conduct fruit.
So James 3 14 says but if you have bitter envying and strife in your heart. Don't be proud about that. Glory not and lie not against the truth. The Holy Spirit's convicting you. So don't sit there and say no, he's not I'm okay with I'm okay with being bitter.
It'll be alright if I'm bitter the Holy Spirit say no, it won't it's gonna just hurt you, right? So lie not against the truth this wisdom descends not from above but from below and it's earthly and sensual and devilish so like when you're feeling bitter because someone else has something you don't have or you're envying or You're having a little bit of strife between another brother or sister in Christ.
Realize that didn't come from above that comes from below and it's sensual which means it's carnal. It's your old man doing it. It's not your new man. It's your old man doing it. It's sensual. It feels good.
Sometimes to be angry, doesn't it? It does right. Lash out at him. You can always tell your spouse about it, right or two or three other Christians in the church. Tell a little bit about it just makes you feel good and it's fleshly and it's earthly and it's sensual and it's devilish.
It's demonic if you want to look that Greek word up demonic is what it says. For where envying and strife is there is confusion and every evil work. So who are we working for when we do that stuff? We're working for the devil, but we don't belong to him.
So we ought not be doing it now in the context of this it goes on and says but the wisdom that is from above. Like if it is from God it is first pure. Then it's peaceful. Peaceable like making peace with brothers not causing strife but Bringing up stuff because we all bring up stuff on each other because none of us have the whole package.
We all have weaknesses. We can choose to pick on them who want to or we can choose to overlook those and talk about the strengths, right? That's why I like this church. This is what you do and It's the best place to be.
I've never been in a church like this and even this church has never been like this until about the time brother Otis came and. And Raymond Sharon can testify we've had some times when there was some bad Disagreements going on and weird stuff happening and we don't have that now.
That's a blessing. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure then peaceable gentle and easy to be entreated. In other words, you can have your mind changed if you figure out you're wrong and they can convince you from Scripture.
It's easy for you to change your mind. I love that about brother Otis if he saw it. He would change his mind instantly if he saw it in Scripture and he how many people that are 80 years old and taught something 50 Years will change what they taught just because you showed them.
They're wrong. Not many young people let alone old people. So he was great there. But this is what the Bible says to be this way. But the wisdom that is from above is pure peaceable gentle and easily Entreated full of mercy and good fruits.
There's our word. So this is conduct fruit. Without partiality and without hypocrisy, we don't play favorites with each other in church. We love everybody equal like you should with your children, you know, not favorite.
You love them all that's how we should all be with each other and. And he goes on and says and the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace. So that that fruit of righteousness is conduct fruit.
It shows to other people because it's going outward. It's we can also call it, you know, horizontal fruit. It's outward. It's not on the inside. It's showing outwardly and the last one is this. It's not really a form of this fruit.
But it shows the fact that God wants us to have it because when we stop having it he will spank us. And so let's look at this one Hebrews 12 11 now no chastening for the present seems to be joyous. We don't like it when we're getting a whooping, do we?
But it's grievous. Nevertheless after after the spanking is over it yields the peaceable fruit of Righteousness unto them which are exercised by the spanking. So when we get outside of living right where our conduct is a little bit bad Jesus will correct us by bringing something that's grievous into our lives.
To cause us to draw closer to him and realize I haven't been treating my brother and sisters, right? Or even my own spouse or my kids or whatever. It's a promise and it's a wonderful promise because the Bible says if you don't have that you're a bastard.
You're not his child. You're a tear. You're a goat. So like if you can have bad conduct for a long season of time and you're a church member and God doesn't spank you. You're a tear. Think about that, isn't that something and I'm not preaching to you you guys the choir.
But you think about friends, you know, they go to some of these bigger churches and there are a few have been in one in the past. And you have people kind of going to church on Sunday and living for the devil on Saturday night.
The devil the devil on Saturday night and if if they can keep doing that for long periods of time with no whooping. They're not Christ's. Okay, so We we should enjoy the fact when we get it whooping it just Lord.
Okay. I'm sorry. I was doing that. I'm glad I'm yours though. Thank you for bringing this upon me. Now. Let me learn from it and heal me. How's your eye doing Ron kind of living better now, aren't you buddy?
There you go. So anyway, I'll probably trip and break my leg coming down from the thing. All right, let's stand and have prayer together. We got one more type of fruit left we'll be done with this Topic and we'll go to Romans 8 verse 2.
And that is the inward kind the inward character. We'll talk about next time Lord. Thank you so much for your word and how clear you make it. How wonderful it is to live in this dispensation of faith and the word and thank you Holy Spirit that you may be quiet and remain Unseen but you work powerfully in our lives.
Otherwise, we would have no chance of having Conduct fruit whatsoever. So Lord bring forth fruit in our lives. Make us to be who we must be in this generation for Jesus sake. Lord bless the meal We're about to have and the fellowship and those who aren't with us today Lord bring them back and we ask it in Jesus name Amen.