In the 1980’s commercial series for Wendy’s we learned the phrase, “Where’s the Beef?”  If you saw those commercials, you can still see the cranky senior ladies and hear the cry. 

I issue a challenge to you, “where’s the fruit?”

Jesus issued a clear challenge, “bear much fruit.”  (John 15:5)

John 15:5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.

The secret to bearing fruit is to remain connected to the Spirit.  By staying connected we experience the Spirit flowing through us.  He enables us to bear fruit.

There is a problem, however.  We face an ongoing battle.  Our flesh and His Spirit wage an ongoing struggle within us.  Paul contrasted their ways and the struggle in Galatians 5:16-18.

Galatians 5:16 So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

The command is clear.  Walk in the way of the Spirit.  The flesh will lead us away from the Spirit. We choose a side.  Either we follow the way of the flesh or the way of the Spirit.  The flesh is described as the attitudes and actions against God. 

Paul further clarified the works of the flesh in Galatians 5:19-21.

¹⁹ The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, and debauchery; ²⁰ idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions ²¹ and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

We dare not read this list too quickly.  Look again and identify the areas where you struggle with the old life.  Oh, you may have some areas in which you have been faithful.  Idolatry and witchcraft may be far from you.  But are fits of rage?  Do you avoid selfish ambition?  Do you rise above factions and envy?

We may stumble in these areas, but we do not stay there.  The only ones who stay in pig pens are pigs.  We are not to be characterized by these conducts.

Before proceeding to talk about the fruit we should have, one more word about this list.  Like so many times in Scripture we are told that those who are characterized by sinful lives will not inherit the kingdom.  That is truth! 

Thankfully, we are washed in the blood of Jesus. We are now forgiven and free.  Heaven is our home.  Jesus is our Savior.  God is our Father.

How do we keep going back? We forget that we are in the battle.  We do not yield to the Spirit.  We yield to the flesh and fall back. 

This week and next week’s blog help us understand the result when we allow the spirit to flow through us.  We have will bear fruit.

Galatians 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

Look again at this passage and you will see that Paul uses a singular fruit.  Each of these described words picture part of the Spirit’s fruit.  We cannot separate one part from the others.  Each one of these are commanded in Scripture. They require strenuous effort over time.

This week’s blog will focus on the first of the three aspects of fruit Paul described. 

We must be characterized by the fruit that results in love. 

Love is commanded of all Christians.  It is commanded by John in 1 John 4:7-8, 20-21.  Jesus said that all men will know we are His disciples by how much we love others.  It has been said, “A loveless religion is a Christ-less religion. 

How does it look?  Consider a few passages:

• Greater love has no man than this…that a man lay down His life for His friends. (John 15:13)
• We love by meeting each other’s needs.  (1 John 3:17-18)
• Love causes us to prefer one another. (Romans 12:10)
• We can picture love as we hear Jesus’ words, “love your neighbor as you love yourself.” (Matthew 22:39)

We must live a fruitful life resulting in joy.

Joy is NOT happiness that depends on our circumstances.   It is the ability to find joy in Jesus no matter what is happening around us.

Jesus wants you to have this joy, “These things I have spoken to you that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be full.” (John 15:11).  Without joy we atrophy and shrivel.  It is grounded in our relationship with others and should be shared.

What does this joy look like?

• We express joy as we celebrate and worship.
• We have joy in our salvation (Isaiah 12:3)
• We find joy in the word of God. (Jeremiah 15:16)
• We rejoice because we are part of a kingdom.  (Romans 14:17)
• We can live in joy always. (1 Thessalonians 5:16)

We can express the fruit of the Spirit as we live in peace.

Peace is NOT possible because of anything we can do in our Spirit.  We receive peace as a gift bought for us on the cross.  It is a tranquility of mind out of a right relationship with God.

There are three realms of our peace:

• We have peace with God because we are forgiven.
• We have peace within ourselves.  We are whole.
• We have peace with others.  We have a fellowship, a relationship of love and dependence on one another.

Jesus gave us peace.  His peace He gives us.  We can rest in him.

What does this peace look like?

• We have peace that passes all understanding. (Phil 1:4-7)
• We live in peace because we are justified.  (Romans 5:1)
• The God of peace is in us. (Phil 4:9)

Next week we will examine the remaining aspects of the fruit of the Spirit.

Paul finishes this passage by saying no one can make a law against living like this.  Remember, to have the fruit we must be connected to the vine.  When we have that connection, we can grow in modeling the fruit.