Participants: Pr. Kenneth Cox
Series Code: GMTB
Program Code: GMTB000013
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00:19 The other day I bought this
00:21 little GPS system. 00:24 And it's not the most expensive 00:27 of this model, nor is it 00:29 the cheapest, but I got a very 00:30 good sale and so I purchased it. 00:32 And for the most part it works very, very good. 00:36 But I found out something just the other day... 00:38 that there is a little flaw in this system. 00:41 This GPS system does not recognize my house. 00:46 According to this little box my house does not exist. 00:49 I think it's because though I live in Thompsonville 00:51 I'm not in Franklin County I'm in Williamson County, 00:54 and part of my property is in the town of Pittsburgh. 00:57 And so when I put in Thompsonville, it doesn't exit. 01:01 I put in Pittsburgh it doesn't exist. 01:03 So this little system can take me to almost any city 01:07 in North America but it cannot get me home. 01:11 It cannot get me where I ultimately need to go. 01:15 It cannot get me home. 01:18 And I think that's why Elder Cox chose to name this series 01:23 Give Me The Bible. 01:25 Because as John 14:6 says, Jesus Christ is indeed the way. 01:30 And if Jesus is the way, 01:33 then the roadmap to the way 01:36 has to be the Word. 01:38 And it is the Word that leads us home. 01:42 And as we follow His Word, we are sure to get home. 01:45 My name is C.A. Murray, and it is my privilege and pleasure 01:49 to welcome you to another sitting of Give Me The Bible. 01:52 On today we are going to discuss a topic 01:56 that has been misunderstood and perhaps a bit maligned, 01:59 and that is the fruit of the Holy Spirit. 02:02 What does that mean? 02:04 What is that? 02:05 How does one get that? 02:07 And we have no better teacher than our pastor, our friend, 02:11 our evangelist Kenneth Cox, 02:13 who has been doing a very, very fine job 02:15 and who has made the Word PLAIN and POWERFUL 02:20 each and every night. 02:22 And I am anxious to hear his words as I know you are. 02:24 But before he speaks to us, 02:26 our good friend David Tank will sing a very beautiful song: 02:29 I Want to be More Like Jesus. 02:48 What kind of man would wash men's feet, 02:53 get pushed around 02:56 then turn the other cheek? 03:01 I want to be more like Him, 03:07 every day... in every way. 03:14 So little time He took for Himself, 03:19 He was more concerned 03:22 for everybody else. 03:27 I want to be more like Him, 03:33 every day... in every way. 03:40 I want to be more like Jesus. 03:45 That's why I put my life in His hands. 03:53 I want to be more like Jesus, 03:59 and with His help I know that I can. 04:09 As tears of pain 04:12 fell from His eyes, 04:15 He prayed for those 04:17 who had Him crucified. 04:22 I want to be more like Him, 04:27 every day... 04:30 in every way. 04:35 I want to be more like Jesus. 04:41 That's why I put my life in His hands. 04:48 I want to be more like Jesus, 04:54 and with His help I know that I can. 05:01 I want to be more like Jesus. 05:07 That's why I put my life in His hands. 05:13 Oh, I want to be 05:16 more like Jesus, 05:20 and with His help I know that I can. 05:26 Yes, with His help 05:29 I know that I can. 05:41 Thank you, David. Appreciate that. 05:43 Something that all of us should desire is to be more like Jesus. 05:48 More like Jesus every day. 05:50 And so we welcome you to Give Me The Bible. 05:53 Give Me The Bible is a 05:55 series of meetings 05:57 that cover different subjects 05:59 on the Bible. So far we have looked 06:01 at conversion or salvation, 06:03 what takes place when a person is born again. 06:08 And then we took at look at the second coming of Christ. 06:11 And this series we're dealing with the Holy Spirit. 06:15 What the Holy Spirit does in our life. 06:18 We... other presentation we looked at the promise 06:22 of the Spirit. What God promises about the Spirit. 06:26 And then we also studied about the work of the Holy Spirit 06:31 in our lives and why many people don't receive the benefit 06:36 from the Holy Spirit. 06:37 And then this morning we're looking at the 06:40 fruits of the Spirit. 06:41 Fruits of the Spirit that God gives. 06:44 Our next presentation will be on the subject of the 06:48 Now, something that's different is the fact that 06:52 in the fruits of the Spirit 06:54 you're supposed to have them all, 06:56 whereas with the gifts of the Spirit, they're more selective. 07:01 And so we're going to take a look at that 07:04 in our next presentation. 07:05 So we hope you'll be sure and be here as we take a look 07:08 at the gifts of the Spirit. 07:10 But when it comes to the fruits of the Spirit, 07:13 fruits of the Spirit is something that we are 07:17 supposed to have, and yet they are given for specific things. 07:21 And you need this morning to follow... 07:23 that's something you need to watch for in the sermon 07:26 is where the fruits of the Spirit are used 07:29 and how they're used. And I think you'll find 07:31 it'll be helpful to you as we look at what the Holy Spirit 07:35 will do for each one of you 07:37 as you study God's Word and draw near to Him. 07:41 So we're glad that you're here. 07:43 Those of you that are watching by television, 07:45 those of you that are listening on the radio, 07:48 we're very thankful that you've joined us. 07:50 And we hope that you'll be blessed in a special way 07:52 as we go into these subjects. 07:54 We're very happy to have with us during this series 07:58 David Tank. He's blessed us in many, many different ways 08:03 and he, I'm sure, will bless you again today 08:06 as he sings for us. 08:20 There's a sweet, sweet Spirit 08:25 in this place, 08:32 And I know that it's the Spirit 08:37 of the Lord; 08:44 There are sweet expressions 08:49 on each face, 08:56 And I know they feel the presence 09:02 of the Lord. 09:09 Sweet Holy Spirit, 09:15 Sweet heavenly Dove, 09:21 Stay right here with us, 09:27 Filling us with Your love. 09:33 And for these blessings 09:38 We lift our hearts in praise; 09:44 Without a double we'll know 09:47 that we have been revived, 09:51 When we shall leave 09:55 this place. 10:08 Yes I know 10:10 that it's the Spirit 10:13 of the Lord. 10:22 And for these blessings 10:27 we lift our hearts in praise; 10:31 Without a doubt we'll know 10:35 that we have been revived, 10:38 When we shall 10:42 leave this 10:45 place. 11:01 Amen. 11:19 Father in Heaven, we come to You today 11:22 opening our hearts 11:25 inviting You in. 11:28 Asking, Lord, that we each 11:31 may be drawn close into Your presence. 11:36 Grant us, Lord, understanding of Your Word. 11:40 And may we grow in the knowledge of our Lord, 11:46 and may the fruits of the Spirit 11:47 be manifest in our lives. 11:51 As we come into contact with those about us, 11:54 may we represent the Lord Jesus Christ. 11:57 For this we ask in Christ's name, Amen. 12:08 There's a story that's told 12:10 that most time we think of it 12:13 as a children's story. 12:15 But I think there's something 12:16 about it that's very important 12:19 that you and I see. 12:21 Jesus was down in Jericho. 12:23 And He had been there and worked there, 12:26 and there was a crowd that was following Him. 12:29 And as this crowd was following Him and they were walking 12:31 through the city, they were coming to the outskirts 12:34 of Jericho. And there was a little man by the name of 12:37 Zacchaeus. 12:39 Zacchaeus is a tax collector. 12:42 Zacchaeus is one who collects for the Roman government... 12:48 but he also happens to be a Jew. 12:50 And since he's a Jew, he's not liked by his own people 12:55 very well because he's collecting taxes for the Romans. 12:59 But he was short of stature. 13:02 And I don't know if that made him a little hard to deal with 13:07 or what it was, but it was a problem evidently. 13:10 But he heard that Jesus was coming down the road 13:14 and being short of stature he went and crawled up 13:18 a... actually, a sycamore tree. 13:22 And got there, and really that could also be interpreted 13:26 from scripture as a fig tree. 13:28 But he crawled up into this tree 13:30 so that when Jesus walked by he could see Him. 13:33 And as Jesus was walking through there 13:38 and Zacchaeus was up there in the tree, 13:39 Christ spoke to him. 13:41 And He said to him: 13:49 Now I want you to understand something here. 13:52 You know, He spoke to Zacchaeus 13:54 and said "Zacchaeus, come down. " 13:57 And Zacchaeus said: "Lord, I've given half of my goods 14:00 to the poor. " All right? 14:02 Goes on: 14:10 What I'm trying to get across to you this morning 14:12 is when Zacchaeus gave his heart to the Lord 14:16 and accepted Christ and the Holy Spirit came into his life, 14:21 immediately the fruits of the Spirit became evident 14:25 because he said: "Lord, I'll return whatever I've taken. 14:29 I'll pay back fourfold. " 14:31 Immediately those things all took place 14:34 as the fruits of the Spirit began to take place in his life. 14:37 And Jesus said to him: 14:44 "Salvation has come to this house. " 14:46 And so in your life and in mine 14:50 when we accept Jesus Christ 14:52 and as we found out the other evening as we studied it 14:56 when we accept Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit is given to us then. 15:02 Not some other time. 15:04 But when you accept Jesus Christ you receive the Holy Spirit. 15:09 And when the Holy Spirit comes into your life, 15:11 then it should make changes in your life. 15:15 That is what needs to happen, needs to take place. 15:19 Just as it made changes in Zacchaeus' life, 15:22 so it should make changes in our lives. 15:25 "But the fruit of the Spirit" Here they are, 9 of them: 15:46 So when the fruits of the Spirit operate in our lives 15:50 it should make decided, definite changes 15:54 in the way you and I act. 15:59 That's what it should do. It should make changes 16:02 as to how we go about our life day by day 16:06 and the way we relate to one another... 16:10 the way we relate to other people. 16:12 Those are the things it's to do: 16:15 the fruits of the Spirit are to be there. 16:18 Now, fruit comes about, folks, naturally. 16:26 Fruit comes about naturally. 16:28 You have apples on an apple tree 16:33 because... it's an apple tree. 16:38 You have oranges on an orange tree 16:40 because it's an orange tree. 16:43 So that person who is a Christian 16:47 and has given his heart to the Lord, 16:49 the fruits of the Spirit should take place naturally 16:53 as the Spirit works in our life. 16:56 I do not... or... the apple tree doesn't say 16:59 I have to produce apples. 17:03 It produces apples because it is an apple tree. 17:08 OK. I am a follower of Jesus Christ. 17:11 I am His. 17:13 Therefore because I am a follower of Jesus Christ 17:16 the natural results of that should be 17:19 the fruits of the Spirit. 17:20 That's what needs to take place. 17:22 And the scripture tells us how this happens 17:25 and how it takes place. Listen, it says here: 17:45 In other words, if you 17:48 are a vine and you're not bearing fruit, 17:51 it's going to be... you're going to be taken away. 17:54 That's what's going to happen 17:56 because you're not bearing fruit. 17:58 And it should bear fruit. That's what is says. 18:01 All right: 18:09 Now I want to divert just a moment here 18:12 from what I've been saying to you. 18:14 It says every branch that bears fruit what? 18:19 "He prunes. " 18:22 Who does the pruning? 18:25 Now get it clear in your mind. 18:27 God does the pruning; you don't. 18:30 I've run into too many cases where some church member 18:34 thinks that's their responsibility 18:36 is to prune somebody. 18:38 That IS NOT your responsibility. 18:40 That is God's. He does the pruning. 18:43 And He does the pruning so that you and I will... 18:46 produce more fruit. 18:49 That's why He prunes us. 18:51 And therefore, sometimes the afflictions, 18:53 sometimes the things that we face, 18:55 are hard... but it's necessary so that you and I will 18:59 bear more fruit. 19:01 OK. So He's the vine. 19:04 We're the branches. 19:07 If I'm going to bear fruit, what do I have to do? 19:28 So if I'm going to produce fruit 19:32 I have to abide in the vine. 19:37 If I don't abide in the vine, I'm not going to produce fruit, 19:42 folks. If you have given your heart to Christ 19:47 and you're not spending time, 19:49 then you're not going to bear fruit. 19:53 Just that simple. 19:55 How do I abide? How do I abide? 19:58 Well, you abide like this... 19:59 you abide this way: in Christ. 20:11 If you want to bear fruit, 20:13 you've got to spend time here. 20:16 You cannot think that you, as a follower of Christ, 20:22 cannot spend any time in God's Word 20:26 and you're going to bear some fruit. 20:28 And you need to wake up to the situation 20:32 that if you don't bear fruit, what's gonna happen to you. 20:36 You're going to be taken away. 20:37 That's what it says! 20:39 If you don't bear fruit, you're going to be taken away. 20:42 So it's not a question of whether you want to bear fruit 20:46 or you don't want to bear fruit, 20:47 it's a question that you and I must abide in Christ. 20:51 And if we abide in Christ, we will produce fruit. 20:54 And the way you abide in Christ is by spending time 20:58 in the Word of God. 20:59 So there's nothing... absolutely nothing that you have... 21:04 that's more important than your spiritual life. 21:09 You know what the scripture says. 21:11 Do you know how much the scripture says 21:14 the flesh is worth? 21:16 Huh? 21:18 It says the flesh is worth nothing, 21:21 and therefore it's the spirit that counts. 21:25 And the spirit is nourished by the Word of God. 21:30 Says here: 21:45 So it says that I have to spend time in God's Word. 21:48 I need to walk as He walked. 21:50 I need to follow Him. 21:52 I need to learn to walk in the Spirit. 22:02 So dear friends, this is the way that you and I 22:05 draw the nourishment, if you please, 22:09 the nourishment... like the tree. 22:11 It draws nourishment from the sunshine and from the rain 22:14 and so forth so that it produces fruit. 22:17 So you and I spiritually draw nourishment from God's Word, 22:23 and that is what causes us to produce fruit. 22:27 Are you clear? 22:28 That's the way it works. 22:29 That's the way it takes place in your life. 22:32 You see, it's the... 22:38 Now let me tell you something. 22:40 You're not going to be more loving 22:45 by just saying "I'm going to be more loving. " 22:48 It just doesn't happen that way. 22:51 What makes you more loving is the Spirit of God. Amen! 22:57 That's what changes us. 22:59 And so it's the fruits of the Spirit 23:01 that change our life and gives us those things 23:05 that basically we don't have. 23:08 It puts those things that are part of God 23:13 back in our lives. 23:15 Now there's nine... nine gifts of the Spirit. 23:20 Of those nine gifts of the Spirit, 23:23 they are divided into 3 parts, 23:26 and I'm going to speak of them as 3 clusters. 23:32 OK? Nine gifts of the Spirit, but they're divided 23:34 into 3 different parts... 3 different clusters. 23:38 And those are as follows: 23:40 The first one is 23:48 That's the first cluster. 23:49 Look at that carefully, folks. 23:51 That group of fruits 23:54 that cluster of fruits, 23:55 has to do with your relationship to God. 24:00 That's what those are about 24:02 is your relationship to God. 24:05 Love and joy and peace. 24:09 That's what takes place. 24:11 And so it's by the fruit of the Spirit 24:13 that you and I become loving. 24:17 See? That's the way it takes place. 24:21 As it says here: 24:33 That you and I might know the love of Christ 24:37 that passes knowledge. 24:40 You see, this type of love 24:43 is not what you and I - how should I say - 24:48 grow up with. 24:49 This is not parental love. 24:52 This is not love for somebody. 24:56 This is not that kind of love. 24:59 This is the love of God, and that love 25:03 is beyond - actually beyond - human knowledge 25:08 it's so great. When you stop and consider... 25:11 you look at Christ, "God so loved the world. " 25:17 Dear friend, that's love beyond our comprehension. 25:22 But that's the kind of love the Holy Spirit wants to give you. 25:26 That's one of the gifts of the Spirit. 25:29 And so as you open up your heart 25:32 and you spend time in the Word of God, 25:36 then that kind of love will come into your life. 25:41 You will learn to love. 25:43 You will learn to love like God wants you to love. 25:48 And for some of us that takes a great deal 25:52 to teach us to learn to love like God loves. 25:55 Because most of us will love you if you love me. 26:01 But if you don't love me, watch out. See? 26:07 That's... that's just the way we are. 26:10 But that's not God's love. 26:12 And so many people pick up the book and they try to read it 26:16 in terms of how they love 26:19 rather than reading it based on how God loves. 26:22 His love is tremendous. 26:25 Listen: 26:49 You ever thought about those things? 26:53 That it doesn't envy. 26:56 That love doesn't parade itself. 26:59 Love doesn't put itself out in front. 27:04 Just doesn't do that. 27:06 It's not puffed up, you see. 27:10 Doesn't make any difference what your position is, 27:14 love doesn't puff itself up. 27:32 Are you... are you evaluating your love? 27:35 You see, we're talking about God's love. 27:39 Are you evaluatin' it and seein' how you talk about this? 27:43 Because I can tell you right now, as I read through that list 27:46 man... I come terribly short. 27:49 I don't even come anywhere near what that list is talking about. 27:53 See? But that's... that's God's love. 27:57 That's the kind of love He wants you and I to have. 28:06 This is the love that God has for you and for me. 28:12 That love, friend... that love 28:14 is available to you 28:17 through the Holy Spirit, see? 28:30 This is what love does. 28:36 Hopes all things; endures all things. 28:41 Love never, never fails. 28:45 That's the kind of love that God has for you and for me. 28:49 I can remember I was holding a meeting 28:52 and I had a couple come in... a lady and this man. 28:58 And they came each night. 29:00 The lady was older than the man, 29:05 and as the meetings went along I got acquainted with them 29:09 and I found out the story. 29:12 This man had killed 29:16 this lady's father. 29:21 He killed her father, 29:23 and she went to the prison 29:27 and made arrangements to see him 29:31 and forgave him. 29:33 Forgave him for killing her father. 29:36 And then she went back and studied with him 29:40 until he gave his heart to Jesus Christ. 29:43 Now, that's love! 29:45 That's like love... that's love that you and I don't know. 29:50 That's love that God gives... that He gives to you 29:53 and to me if we're just willing 29:56 to open up our hearts... let the Holy Spirit come in. 30:00 All right? Next it says joy. 30:12 In other words, it should bring... joy! 30:17 Should bring happiness to my life. 30:19 I can tell you right now 30:21 if... if your relationship with Christ 30:26 doesn't make you sing in the shower, 30:30 there's something wrong. 30:33 See? That's what it should do. 30:36 It should give you joy. It should make you happy. 30:39 It should be there. That happiness should be there 30:42 regardless of what you are going through. 30:45 Did you hear me? 30:48 Regardless of the affliction you're having, 30:50 regardless of the trouble you're having, 30:52 THAT JOY SHOULD BE PRESENT. 30:56 And it should be in your heart, and it should stay there 30:59 in your heart regardless of the circumstances 31:02 going on around you. 31:04 You have an example of this, folks, 31:07 in the case of Paul and Silas. 31:10 Paul and Silas are at Philippi. 31:15 They have been beaten, OK? 31:21 They have been beaten. 31:23 They have been put in solitary confinement. 31:28 They have been chained; they've been put in stocks. 31:32 That's affliction. Do you understand that? 31:36 That's affliction. 31:38 And here it is midnight, and they're... 31:45 you know what they're doing? 31:47 They're singing! 31:49 Why? 31:52 'Cause they've got joy in their heart. See? 31:56 They've got joy in their heart. 31:58 As he wrote out to the other people here... 32:01 as Paul wrote out to the church in Thessalonica, he said: 32:15 That's... that's hard times. That's rough. 32:18 That's terrible. "Received it in much affliction" 32:21 BUT "with joy of the Holy Spirit. " 32:26 Yes, they had lots of affliction 32:28 but they had the joy of the Holy Spirit in their heart. 32:31 Like the fellow I was talking to. 32:33 He had come to our meetings and given his heart to the Lord. 32:36 I saw him about a year later. 32:38 Asked him how he was doing. He said: "Wonderful. " 32:40 He said: "I've never been happier in my life. " 32:42 He said: "The joy of Christ in my heart. " 32:45 He said: "I'm so thankful for that. " 32:47 And I said: "You gettin' along all right? " 32:48 He said: "Yeah, I'm getting along all right. " 32:50 I said: "How are things? " 32:51 And he said: "Well, I lost my job. " 32:53 And he said: "My wife left me. " 32:56 And he named off two other things, but he said: 32:59 "I can tell you right now, I am thankful to the Lord 33:02 in the joy that Christ gives. " 33:04 That should be in our heart. 33:06 That joy should be there, dear friend. 33:09 And you... if you... 33:10 You know, I run onto these people that tell me 33:13 they are Christians and they have faces like donkeys. 33:15 You know? I don't understand that! 33:18 It should put... put a joy in their heart 33:22 and they should love the Lord 33:23 and they should respond to that joy; it should be there. 33:26 And you and I should be happy, joyful people. 33:29 I don't care how much the affliction may be, 33:34 we should be joyful. 33:37 We should be happy. 33:39 That's one of the fruits of the Spirit. 33:41 That is part of your relationship to God 33:46 is there should be joy in your heart. 33:50 Not only that, it says He gives you peace. 33:52 Great peace. That is very needful in my life 33:57 that I have peace. 33:59 That I am not stressed out. 34:02 OK? And... excuse me... 34:06 I don't care what your job is, 34:09 it should not stress you. 34:13 That really got your attention! 34:16 I don't care what your job is, 34:19 it should not stress you because your peace comes from 34:24 Christ... not from the job. 34:27 And therefore it should give me peace in my heart. 34:31 And it might be a stressful job, 34:36 but I should have peace. 34:37 Listen. This is what it says: 34:49 That meant when he was in jail, 34:51 chained, in bonds, he was content. 34:56 That meant when he was out in the ocean of the deep... 35:01 content. 35:02 No matter what his state was, he was content. 35:05 Why? 35:06 Because he had peace with God. 35:10 And you and I should have peace with the Lord at all times. 35:30 This is the peace that Christ gives. 35:34 Two types there. Did you see that? 35:35 Two types of peace? 35:38 He said: "My peace I give to you. " 35:42 That's a peace that God gives. 35:44 We should have peace in our hearts. 35:47 His peace that He gives to us should always be there, 35:50 and that should be present in our life. 35:54 But then He not only says: "My peace I give unto you, " 35:57 He says what? 35:59 "My peace I leave you. " 36:03 That just simply means that He'd like for it to be peaceful 36:08 all around us. 36:09 It'd be nice if it was peaceful all around us 36:12 and we didn't have any problems or anything. 36:14 But He's saying even if it's not peaceful around you, 36:18 you should have peace in your heart. 36:22 That you and I should have. 36:24 There should be that peace there, calmness that it gives. 36:28 Those are things that God gives to us 36:41 Therefore... spend time in this book. 36:44 "Whose mind is stayed on You. " 36:48 Spend time in the book, and then 36:52 when things come up that are stressful, 36:55 when things come up that are hard, 36:57 I can have peace because I've spent time in the book 37:01 and my mind is stayed on Him and I trust Him. 37:05 That gives me peace. 37:06 A great preacher of the past, Charles Spurgeon, 37:11 once said: "I looked at Jesus Christ 37:16 and the dove of peace flew into my heart. 37:21 I looked at the dove of peace, 37:24 and it flew away. " 37:28 You think about that. 37:30 Want me to say that again? 37:32 He said: "I looked at Jesus Christ 37:35 and the dove of peace flew into my heart. 37:40 I looked at the dove of peace, 37:42 and it flew away. " 37:45 Helps you know where your attention should be. 37:48 See? Where it needs to be focused on. 37:51 But it gives to me that peace that only Christ can give. 37:56 Those affect your relationship to God. 37:59 OK. Three more. 38:01 This cluster of fruit: 38:08 Those three. 38:09 These three fruits of the Spirit, 38:13 this cluster, deals with your relationship to your fellow man. 38:18 That's what they're all about 38:20 is your relationship to your fellow man. 38:23 In other words, as the Holy Spirit comes into my heart, 38:27 then I should have fruits in my life that makes me 38:33 longsuffering, kind, goodness. 38:39 All those should be there. 38:41 I should be like Daniel. 38:43 You know it says: "And he found favor in the sight... " 38:47 Why? 38:49 Because he had the fruits of the Spirit in his life. 38:52 Pleasant person. I mean, I don't know of anybody else 38:55 in scripture... I don't know of anybody in history 38:57 that became the prime minister of two different countries. 39:01 You stop and think about that. 39:04 But it was because "In him, " it says, "was found 39:07 an excellent spirit. " 39:09 And so it should be in us the same way. 39:12 Longsuffering, kindness. 39:15 Really that should be gentleness. 39:18 It's really what it should be. 39:19 Goodness, longsuffering... patient, if you please. 39:43 It teaches you and I to become patient. 39:48 Man, I have a hard time learning that one. 39:52 Do you? 39:53 To be patient... learn to be patient. 39:57 Always wantin' it to happen now. 40:01 Right now, you know? 40:03 But we need to be patient. 40:17 Patient in what? Tribulation. 40:22 Man alive, I have trouble being patient just when things 40:26 are going normal... let alone in tribulation. 40:29 But it says that I am to be patient in tribulation. 40:33 This means, dear friends... I don't know if you sense 40:36 what I'm trying to tell you, 40:37 but this requires 40:40 a work on the part of God 40:43 in my life that I am totally 40:45 and completely unable to do. 40:49 It takes totally the work of the Holy Spirit in my life 40:52 to make me patient in tribulation. 40:57 But that we're supposed to be. 41:01 An excellent example... have you ever thought about Joseph? 41:07 I mean, here this is a young man, folks, 41:10 probably somewhere around 16, 17 years old. 41:16 And he has been sold to a caravan of Ishmaelites 41:21 on their way down to Egypt. 41:24 Sold to them by his brothers. 41:28 His own brothers have taken him and sold him. 41:31 And they have carried him off. 41:34 Now this young man as you read the story, folks, 41:38 this was a young man that followed the Lord. 41:40 In fact, you can't find anything in the Word of God 41:45 where he did anything wrong. 41:47 You stop and think about that. 41:50 You can't find anything where he did something wrong. 41:54 And he's carried off to Egypt. Put on the auction block. 41:58 Auctioned off, and Potiphar buys him. 42:02 Takes him home and, you know what? 42:07 The fruits of the Spirit are present in his life 42:11 because he's dependable, 42:14 because he's easy to get along with, 42:18 because he has all these fruits of the Spirit in his life 42:21 and Potiphar turns more, and more, and more 42:24 of what he has over to Joseph until the scripture says 42:28 that Joseph had charge of everything that Potiphar had. 42:32 He knew more about it than Potiphar did, it says. 42:37 Now... fruits of the Spirit, folks, 42:43 don't come without the devil taking advantage. 42:49 You need to get that clear. 42:51 I find that some people... 42:53 I've seen this happen in churches. 42:54 I've seen them really just try to do something for God 43:00 in a special way, and the church prayed and got together 43:04 and went out and worked. 43:05 And the Lord blessed in what they were doing, 43:08 and the blessing of God was there. 43:10 And then all of a sudden something happens 43:12 and the whole thing goes sour. 43:15 Let me tell you something. 43:17 That's the devil, see? 43:20 Because here with Joseph... I mean, here he was, 43:23 had a wonderful spirit, great person in every way, 43:27 and Potiphar's wife 43:30 decides that she likes Joseph better than she likes Potiphar. 43:37 See, you've got understand the devil will take advantage 43:40 of that. Fortunately, this young man is clear enough 43:44 in his head that he knows where he stands 43:48 and wasn't taken along with that. 43:49 And as a result of that... 43:51 Now here's a young man that has followed the Lord, 43:53 walked with Him, done what God asked him to do, 43:56 and now what happens? 43:59 Thrown into prison! 44:01 I mean, he's been sold by his brothers. 44:05 He's been auctioned off. 44:07 Now he's thrown into prison. 44:09 You talk about being patient under tribulation! 44:12 This is tribulation! 44:14 And again, rather than becoming discouraged... 44:18 rather than having all this and going about saying it's not 44:22 any use and carrying on, 44:24 he did what God wanted him to do, 44:26 and he loved the Lord and followed Him. 44:28 And before long he was in charge of the prison. 44:33 You know? And then, the butler and the baker - 44:39 remember them? - 44:40 had dreams, and God tells him what those dreams are. 44:44 Tells Joseph. 44:46 And you remember the butler was reinstated 44:48 and the baker lost his head. You remember that? 44:51 And you know what Joseph said to the butler? 44:55 Yes he said... he said: "Remember me. 44:58 Remember me. " 44:59 Scripture says that the butler promptly forgot him. 45:05 Two years... two years goes by. 45:08 Sitting there in prison. I'm talking about being faithful 45:12 under... patient under tribulation. 45:16 But he was. And God blessed him 45:19 and he wound up being second in charge 45:24 of all the country of Egypt. 45:28 Why? Because he was willing 45:32 to let God work in his life. 45:43 That's what tribulation does for us. 45:46 Patience does. 45:59 You see, that's another gift that you and I are to be gentle. 46:04 Now I want to say that again. 46:06 Men, you are to be gentle. 46:11 And David said that gentleness is what made him great. 46:19 That's a gift of the Spirit 46:21 is that we are to be gentle. 46:24 In our dealings with other people we are to be gentle. 46:36 He was meek; He was gentle. 46:39 You and I should learn to be gentle. 46:45 And I want to tell you: 46:46 this is not something you have naturally. 46:49 That just isn't the way it is, you know? 46:53 Most men are not gentle. 46:55 Most men are like bulls in a china closet. 46:57 You know? They're not gentle. 46:59 But we're supposed to be gentle. 47:01 That's one of the fruits of the Spirit. 47:03 That's what it's to do for us: to make us gentle. 47:08 Then it says: 47:14 You know one of the people who has gone down in history 47:19 as being gentle... as a gentle and compassionate man 47:23 was Abraham Lincoln. 47:26 He was a gentle and compassionate man. 47:29 He... case after case where he dealt 47:35 with people in a very gentle way. 47:39 That was a sign of his strength of character. 47:43 And so gentleness should be a sign of 47:47 your strength of character. 47:49 That's what it should be. 48:00 The servant of God must not what? 48:03 Quarrel. Next time you're in a situation 48:06 and you want to argue over something, 48:08 quarrel about something, 48:09 you need to think about that 48:10 because that's not the fruit of the Spirit. 48:13 The fruit of the Spirit 48:15 says that you and I are to 48:17 be gentle 48:18 in what we do. 48:20 All right. And then it says: 48:27 When it uses the word goodness 48:29 that's, folks, saying it's more than just goodness 48:34 because people can do good things for money. 48:39 You know? Just do good things because they are paid to do it. 48:43 Goodness is something that comes out within us 48:48 as it is a fruit of the Spirit. 49:03 You see, He is the source of goodness. 49:06 He's the basis of goodness, 49:08 and it's in Him that we have goodness. 49:11 But it's to be one of the things that we do in relationship 49:15 to your neighbor. 49:17 The person next door... do they look upon you 49:20 as a good person? 49:22 Do they see goodness in you? 49:24 That's one of the gifts of the Spirit. 49:27 That's what it should be there. 49:30 You remember the case where 49:32 Naaman, this general of the Syrian army, 49:37 had leprosy. 49:39 You remember he went to Elijah 49:42 and he expected Elijah to come out and, you know, 49:46 place his hands on him and cure him. Elisha, excuse me. 49:50 And he didn't. He just sent his servant and said 49:53 tell him go dip seven times in the Jordan. 49:55 Remember? 49:56 And he went and dipped seven times in the Jordan 50:00 and was healed. 50:02 Interesting story there, because when he was healed 50:05 you know what he did? 50:07 He went back and tried to give Elisha 50:11 a great amount of gifts. 50:13 And Elisha would not accept it. 50:16 Why? 50:19 Because his goodness was not based on money. 50:25 His goodness was from God. 50:27 And what he did for him was based on what God had done. 50:32 And so he refused it. 50:33 He said: "No, I won't accept this. " 50:35 His servant never had learned that, by the way. 50:38 OK. The last three. 50:42 The last three are: 50:48 Now, when we talk about these... 50:54 We talked about the first three: 50:55 those were your relationship to God. 50:57 The last... the next three were your relationship to your 51:00 fellow man. These last three have to do with you 51:04 and your inner person. 51:06 For instance, you've told and I've been told 51:10 that I'm to put God first, 51:12 others second, 51:15 and yourself last. 51:17 That's the way God puts these three 51:19 is God first, friends next... people next, 51:24 and then this is what the Spirit of God is to do for you. 51:26 When it uses the word faith, 51:28 it's talking about being faithful. 51:30 And Paul was faithful. It says: 51:42 He was faithful in what he did. 51:49 So what God asks of you and of me 51:52 is that we are faithful to the Lord. 51:56 We are faithful; we follow Him; we do His bidding. 51:59 Faithful. Also, that you and I are to be meek. 52:04 Christ was meek. 52:16 He was meek, and you and I should be meek. 52:19 It says that Moses was the meekest man that ever lived. 52:23 You know why he was meek? 52:26 Because he held the rod of God - which was power - 52:32 but it was under control. 52:35 And you and I must be meek. 52:39 That means greatness or power under control. 52:42 That's what it means, and that's what we are to be. 52:55 Temperance. Temperance has to do with two things. 53:00 It has to do with physical. I must be temperate. 53:05 That means it should affect what I wear. 53:08 It should affect what I eat. 53:11 It should affect physical things; I'm to be temperate. 53:14 Also, it... I should be temperate in mental things. 53:19 Both. Those are temperance. 53:34 So you and I are to be temperate. 53:37 These are things that affect us. 53:39 How do I assimilate those in my life? 53:42 Very quickly listen to me. 53:43 This is what's called Peter's ladder, 53:45 and he tells you how to assimilate it. 54:08 Those are the steps in which I assimilate 54:13 the fruits of the Spirit into my life. 54:15 And while I'm doing that, 54:16 I have to keep my attention on Jesus Christ. 54:32 As I look to Jesus Christ 54:34 and the Holy Spirit comes into my life 54:38 and fills me, the fruits of the Spirit 54:41 will take place in my life 54:44 and I will become more and more 54:47 and more like my Savior. 54:50 I hope and pray this will be your experience. 54:54 A coal miner of old would leave his family every day 54:58 and descend into the depths of the earth 55:00 with the certain knowledge that the smallest mistake 55:04 could keep him and others from ever seeing daylight again. 55:07 Walking along in the dark, 55:09 he could only rely upon his feeble oil lamp 55:13 to keep him alive. 55:15 He faced many dangers down there. 55:17 Rockfalls, flooding, fires. 55:20 But perhaps the danger he feared the most 55:23 was the one that he could not see. 55:26 They called it chokedamp or blackdamp: 55:29 an unbreathable mixture of gases 55:32 that could quickly snuff out his life. 55:34 Imagine for a moment the terror he felt when he realized 55:38 he had hit a pocket of blackdamp. 55:40 The sudden drop in oxygen would put out his lamp 55:44 leaving him in terrifying darkness, fumbling in vain 55:48 to relight it before he lost consciousness. 55:51 Then in the late 1800's, 55:54 a bright new light began to shine in the dark world. 55:59 Using marble-sized pellets of calcium carbide 56:03 and a few drops of water, 56:04 this new lamp produced a gas which burned six times brighter. 56:09 Not only did it make his job a whole lot easier 56:12 but it also saved lives. 56:14 You can see this tiny reflector 56:17 could focus that beam of light 56:19 on the roof of a mine so that he could detect dangerous cracks. 56:24 The lamp was also easy to re-light. 56:26 And since it required far less oxygen, 56:29 it could illuminate the way out 56:31 should they encounter the chokedamp. 56:33 What an incredible illustration this is 56:37 of the condition of fallen man. 56:39 After struggling to survive the pitfalls of life, 56:42 he suddenly realizes the danger he could not see 56:46 had left him without hope and gasping for his last breath 56:51 in utter spiritual darkness. 56:53 For him there is no eternal life through Jesus. 56:57 In fact, he may not have ever heard about Him. 57:02 But friends, just as that bright light 57:05 of the carbide lamp saved lives, 57:08 so does the light of the Bible. 57:10 We need the light of God's Word to illuminate the dark corners 57:14 of our hearts. It focuses our attention on Jesus Christ... 57:18 our only hope for salvation. 57:20 And all who read and study it 57:22 are warned about the rockfalls of life. 57:25 That's why we call this series Give Me The Bible. 57:29 We're trying our best to bring the light of God's truth 57:32 to those who are living and dying in despair. 57:35 It's our mission. It's our passion. 57:38 Won't you join us? 57:41 Please consider what you can do 57:43 for those who still don't know about Jesus. 57:46 As the Holy Spirit impresses, 57:48 you may send your tax-deductible gifts to: 58:02 Thank you for helping us to bring the Blessed Hope 58:05 to millions all around the world. |
Revised 2014-12-17