Goodness Is The Virtue Of The Written Word Of God

The Fruit of the HOLY SPIRIT

Podcast Episode: The Fruit of the HOLY SPIRIT – GOODNESS #5

“But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: LOVE, JOY, PEACE, PATIENCE, KINDNESS, GOODNESS, FAITHFULNESS, GENTLENESS, AND SELF-CONTROL. There is no law against these things.” [Galatians 5:22-23 NLT]

Promised Rest For God’s People

In Hebrews 4:12-13 NLT says, “12 For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires. 13 Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before His eyes, and He is the one to whom we are accountable”.

God will discern whether or not we make every effort (Hebrews 4:11) and whether or not we have truly come to faith in our Lord Jesus Christ; nothing in all creation can hide from Him. We may fool ourselves or other Christians with our spiritual lives, but we cannot deceive God. He knows who we really are because the word of God is full of living power. The word of God cannot be taken for granted or disobeyed. The Israelites who rebelled learned the hard way that when God speaks, they must listen. Going against God means facing judgment and death.

The word of God is living, life-changing, and dynamic as it works in us. The demands of the word of God require decisions. We not only listen to it, we let it shape our lives. Because the word of God is living, it applied to these first-century Jewish Christians, and it applies as well as to Christians today. Most books may appear to be dusty artifacts just sitting on a shelf, but the word of God collected in Scripture vibrates with life.

The word of God penetrates through our outer facade and reveals what lies deep inside. The metaphor of the sharpest knife pictures the word of God cutting deep into our innermost thoughts and desires, revealing what we really are on the inside. Nothing can be hidden from God; neither can we hide from ourselves if we sincerely study the word of God. It reaches deep past our outer life as a knife passes through skin.

Two thoughts are presented by the phrase, everything is naked and exposed before His eyes. (1) We cannot give excuses, justifications, or reasons – everything is seen for exactly what it is. No one can deceive God. (2) We are exposed, powerless, and defenseless before God. The word refers to the paralyzing grip of a wrestler in a choke hold.

The word of God penetrates like a sword, exposing us to God Himself to whom we must explain all that we have done. All people must give an account to God, but without trappings and rationalizations. These words give warning that believers must be careful not to drift away, but to obey God wholeheartedly. God is the final Judge. This verse paves the way for the following section describing our Lord Jesus Christ as our High Priest. With our lives laid bare before God, we would be hopelessly lost without Lord Jesus Christ. Because He took our judgment and serves as our advocate with God, we can rest secure with God.

In Mark 1:21-22 NLT says, “21 Jesus and His companions went to the town of Capernaum. When the Sabbath day came, He went into the synagogue and began to teach. 22 The people were amazed at His teaching, for He taught with real authority – quite unlike the teachers of religious law.”

Capernaum, located on the northwestern shore of the Sea of Galilee, was the largest of the many fishing towns surrounding the lake. Our Lord Jesus Christ had recently moved to Capernaum from Nazareth (Matthew 4:12-13). Capernaum was a thriving town with great wealth as well as great sin and decadence. Because it was the headquarters for many Roman troops, heathen influences from all over the Roman Empire were pervasive.

The Temple in Jerusalem was too far for many Jews to travel for regular worship, so many towns had synagogues serving both as places of worship and as schools. Beginning in the days of Ezra, about 450 B.C., a group of ten Jewish families could start a synagogue. There, during the week, Jewish boys were taught the Old Testament law and Jewish religion (girls could not attend). Each Saturday, the Sabbath, the Jewish men would gather to hear prayers, the Scriptures read, and an interpretation from a teacher. Because there was no permanent teacher, it was customary for the synagogue leader to ask visiting teachers to speak. This is why Lord Jesus Christ often spoke in the synagogues in the towns He visited.

The people were completely amazed by our Lord Jesus’ teaching. The Jewish teachers of religious law often quoted from well-known rabbis to give their words more authority. But Lord Jesus Christ didn’t have that need. Because our Lord Jesus Christ was the Son of God, He knew exactly what the Scriptures said and meant. He was the ultimate authority. The people had never heard such teaching. The teachers of religious law were the legal specialists in our Lord Jesus’ day. They interpreted the law but were especially concerned about the halakah or “rules” for life that came to be as binding as God’s written law in the Torah. Their self-assured authority, in fact, became a stumbling block for them, for they denied our Lord Jesus’ authority to reinterpret the law, and they rejected our Lord Jesus Christ as the Messiah because He did not agree with nor obey all of their traditions.

In 2 Corinthians 5:18-21 NLT says, “18 And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to Himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to Him.19 For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And He gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. 20 So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making His appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” 21 For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ”.

In Verses 18 & 19 says, that this newness of life is not of any human doing. God Himself has begun the work. Only God can allow people to approach Him. Only God can satisfy His own righteous demands. Only God can save. God is the Author and Finisher of salvation (see Hebrews 12:2). God brought His people back to Himself through what our Lord Jesus Christ did. When we trust in our Lord Jesus Christ, we as Born-Again Christian believers are no longer God’s enemies. Through our Lord Jesus Christ’s self-sacrificial work on the cross, God has made believers part of His family. Our Lord Jesus Christ died in our place so that we might enjoy fellowship with God (1 Corinthians 15:3). Because believers have been reconciled to God, we have been given the task of reconciling people to Him. Since Paul experienced reconciliation through Lord Jesus Christ, it became His mission to preach that message. Just in case the Corinthians had forgotten the heart of Paul’s message to them, he repeated it to them: God was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. God, through Christ’s death on the cross, was bringing back all people – Jews and Greeks alike – who had fallen (Romans 5:10; Ephesians 2:14-17). Although we were enemies of God, our Lord Jesus Christ reached out to us, saving us from certain destruction. He even washed us in order that we might approach God with clean hearts (Colossians 1:21-22). That is indeed a wonderful message.

In Verses 20 & 21 says, the ambassadors are official representatives of one country to another. Paul described himself and his coworkers as Christ’s ambassadors, representatives of Lord Jesus Christ to the world (2 Corinthians 5:19). God was using them to speak to the Corinthians the message that they be reconciled to God – accept God’s free gift of reconciliation. Paul did not announce this message halfheartedly. He implored – even urged and pleaded – everyone who would listen to him to accept God’s free gift of salvation. It was extremely urgent, for it would change their eternal destiny.
And it was a gift that had an expensive price tag.

In life, rarely will anyone claim perfection. Sin is a part of life, so much so that many people simply expect to encounter dishonesty, self-centeredness, and greed in other people. If they don’t, they are surprised. That is why many people in our Lord Jesus’ day expressed surprise at our Lord Jesus’ life. They could not find anything wrong with Him (see Pilate’s words in Luke 23:4-22, the centurion’s words in Luke 23:41-48, and God’s testimony in Matthew 3:17; 17:5). The disciples, our Lord Jesus’ closest friends and followers, did not find any evil in His actions (see Peter’s testimony in 1 Peter 2:22 and John’s testimony in 1 John 3:5). Our Lord Jesus Christ never knew what it meant to sin: He always followed God’s ways. Yet Lord Jesus Christ bore the consequences of believers’ sin for their sakes. Since our Lord Jesus Christ, who was perfect and innocent, took on the penalty of sin, death itself, Lord Jesus Christ can make those who believe in Him right with God. His perfect righteousness can cover our corrupt and imperfect lives. When people trust in our Lord Jesus Christ, they make an exchange – their sin for His righteousness. Believers’ sin was placed on our Lord Jesus Christ at His crucifixion. His righteousness is given to believers at their conversion. This is what Christians mean by Christ’s atonement for sin.

In 1 Peter 2:22 NLT says, “He never sinned, nor ever deceived anyone.”

Peter quoted from Isaiah 53:9, Isaiah’s prophecy about the suffering of the coming Messiah. Our Lord Jesus Christ’s suffering was completely unjust because He never sinned or deceived anyone; there was no good reason for His being condemned to death (even Pilate saw that – see John 19:4). From personal experience Peter knew that our Lord Jesus Christ was perfect. He had lived and traveled with Lord Jesus Christ for three years. Intimate relationships often reveal the worst in people, but Peter had seen the truth of the prophet’s words. Our Lord Jesus Christ was completely sinless in His life and in His words.

In 1 John 3:5 NLT says, “And you know that Jesus came to take away our sins, and there is no sin in Him.“

Besides the fact that sin is rebellion against God, another reason that Christians should not sin is because our Lord Jesus Christ came to take away their sins. In other words, to know of such a sacrifice and then to keep on sinning depreciates that sacrifice. The reason our Lord Jesus Christ came to earth was to take away people’s sins. This could only happen because there is no sin in Him, so He could provide a suitable sacrifice. Under the Old Testament sacrifice system, Jews offered a lamb without blemish as a sacrifice for sin. Our Lord Jesus Christ is “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). Because our Lord Jesus Christ lived a perfect life and sacrificed Himself for sin, people can be completely forgiven (1 John 2:2). Only He could bridge the gap between the sinless God and sinful people. Our Lord Jesus Christ died on the cross in our place, taking all our wrongdoing upon Himself, saving us from the ultimate consequences of our sin – eternal judgment. Because our Lord Jesus Christ still lives and still has no sin in Him, it follows that He is totally opposed to sin. It also follows, then, that those who claim to be His people must be totally opposed to sin.

Last but not the least, in this book of Psalm Chapter 119, is the longest chapter in the Bible with 176 verses. One of my favorite verse is Psalm 119:11 NLT says, “I have hidden your word in my heart,
that I might not sin against you”.

We must carefully treasure up the word of God (Proverbs 7:1), memorize it, recount it to others, meditate on it (Psalm 1:2), and heartily delight in it. By His grace we shall act according to it. We will not forget thy word – in terms of deliberate choices which violate His word (Deuteronomy 4:23, 31; Psalm 13:1).

Let me encourage our brothers- and sisters-in-Christ, and I want my readers to be both strong in the faith and sensitive to others’ needs. Because all, we as Born-Again Christian believers are strong in certain areas and weak in others, we constantly need to monitor the effects of our behavior on others.

In these GOODNESS Series of Podcast, we will learn the PURPOSE of this fruit of the HOLY SPIRIT:

1. Learn To Care How God Feels About Our Morality – Podcast Goodness #1
2. To Have The Desire For Holiness – Podcast Goodness #2
3. To Know That God Implanted Righteousness Into Our Lives Through Our Lord Jesus Christ – Podcast Goodness #3
4. Learn To Imitate Our Lord Jesus Christ – Podcast Goodness #4
5. The Virtue Of The Written Word Of God – Podcast Goodness #5
6. To Be Contented With God’s Commandments – Podcast Goodness #6

If you are not sure that you are Born-Again Christian believer, please take a look of one of our ministries, “An Invitation To Meet Our Lord Jesus Christ” at https://homefellowshipchurches.org/an-invitation-to-meet-our-lord-jesus-christ/

Observation: What do these passages say to you?

Interpretation: What do these passages mean to you?

Application: How do the meaning of these passages apply to you or to your situation?

Suggested Prayer: Father God, we come into your presence in Jesus name, and in the power of the Holy Spirit. Thank you Lord Jesus Christ for Your agape love and for the Holy Spirit as our Helper and Comforter. We cling, yield, plug-in and tune-in to you Holy Spirit to help us to understand God’s Words, receive Your divine revelation, know the Truth, and obey them, in Jesus name, Amen!

God bless us, our families, and our loved ones!