Light Brings Salt
Volume 2, Issue 18 May 9, 2004
Dedicated to the
Systematic Exposition of the Word of God
LOVE'S PRODUCTION
Today we're going
to continue to examine Paul's prayer in Philippians 1:9-11. We find here a
clear statement of Paul's desire for these believers, what he sees as the
objective that they should be actively pursuing as growing, advancing believers
who are committed to Christ. Read these verses carefully before proceeding.
It may come as a
shock to some of you but God did not save you just to keep you from eternal
judgment in the LOF, but that the character of Christ, the fruit of the Spirit
might be manifest in your lives.
We live in the
flesh in this material body but we are to live not of the flesh since the sin
nature doesn't have to rule and enslave us any longer because of our
identification with Him at salvation.
We are to produce
"good works" so that Christ might be glorified in time. Eph 2:10
In this prayer Paul
prays for three basic things for them.
#1 - That their love may
abound in full knowledge and discernment.
#2 - That their lives would be free from
hypocrisy, that is genuine, blameless.
#3 - That they would be
filled with the fruit of righteousness.
We have examined
the first 2 so today we pick up with the third objective from Paul's prayer
found in verse 11.
When Paul says
"having been filled with the fruit of righteousness" he further
defines and amplifies what is being sincere and blameless at the day of Christ
is. The verb for having been filled is pleroo which
means to make full, or to fill up all deficiencies. The perfect tense of the
verb emphasizes the completed state or condition of the believer on the day of
Christ.
The passive voice
says that the state/condition of being filled with the fruit of righteousness
results from God's working in the life of the believer, His provision for us in
time utilized to the max by us. God is able to fill up all your spiritual
deficiencies in life so that He can use every aspect of our life and personality
for fruit bearing, that is Divine Good Production,
(DGP).
The principle is
that transformed lives are the demonstration of the power of God working in the
lives of believers. The best that man can do is reform the external. God works from inside out.
The term
"fruit of righteousness" emphasizes a quality, a characteristic of
the Christian life, the production of divine good in life. That is living out the will of God and having
impact for Christ.
The word for
righteousness dikaiosune (dikaiosunh)
is in the genitive
case and therefore can be taken two ways, both have
implications for this context.
#1 If we take it as a subjective genitive
that is "fruit that results from our justified state." Because we're "in Him" and we're
developing our relationship with Him, we should be producing fruit - DGP.
#2 If we take it as a descriptive gen. =
"fruit that consists in right conduct, or experiential
righteousness." Then the being
sincere, without hypocrisy, blameless is being defined by Paul as what flows
from the DGP, living out the N&S declared by God's Word.
The
next phrase takes us back to the source!
"...which comes through Jesus Christ,.." [dia + genitive = agency/source] Our
relationship to Christ not only determines our standing before God, that is our
salvation, "in Him" your saved, but also our capacity or ability to
live the Christian life, to walk worthy before Him is related to our experiential relationship with Him; our
ongoing daily fellowship with Him.
Next we find the
ultimate goal that Paul is looking for from this prayer. It is all "...to
the glory and praise of God." This
should be the objective of every believer in Jesus Christ. 1 Cor
OBSERVATIONS
1. The love that
Paul is speaking about, when it is abounding in knowledge and discernment will result
in "the fruit of righteousness,"
divine good production (DGP) in the
life.
2. Jesus taught in Jn 15 the importance of fruit bearing for the believer.
Note: Background, overview of John
15
John 15 is instruction to the
disciples in three vital relationships in their lives as they are for us also.
#1 - toward Christ - the vine; vs:1-10
#2 - toward each other, fellow
believers; vs:11-17
#3 - towards the kosmos, the world
system out there; vs:18-16:4
John emphasizes 3 areas of
responsibility for the disciples.
#1 - to remain
or abide in Him.
15:5-7
#2 - to love
each other.
#3 - to testify martureo (marturew) which
means to bear witness to, declare, confirm; idea is to communicate or project their faith and the reality of
their relationship with Christ through their lives.
John also details the Key to the
fruitful life.
#1 - cleansing; salvation vs:
3
#2 - abiding; fellowship vs:4-7 [must be connected to the source]
Note: 15:6 Rem: every branch referred to here is
"in Him" therefore a believer.
As you look at verse 6 John says
first there is a lack of abiding, no fellowship. This is followed by those branches, believers out of
fellowship if it continues over a period of time dries up, there is no
spiritual vitality. Still a believer, still in Him! Next John says they are
burned up. I take this to refer to what
was what was produced in life while out of fellowship,
the human good will be burned. This takes us to the bonfire at the JSC where
all human good is burned.
#3 - obedience; this refers to taking the knowledge and discernment of
the Word acquired and producing fruit, DGP.
15:8
3. Jesus associated
fruit bearing (DGP) with a vital relationship and with consistent intake of His
Word. ("abide in Me and My Words abide in you," 15:7)
4. Failure in
abiding and obedience results in loss, both in time and eternity. 15:6 [loss of
blessing and provision in time and reward in eternity]
5. It is the Word
of God, doctrine, that equips us for bearing fruit,
DGP.
2 Tim 3:16,17
- it is my responsibility as Pastor to see that those that choose to assemble
here get a steady diet of spiritual truth.
6. We are created
as new creations in Christ for the purpose of good works. Eph 2:10
7. At the day of
Christ each one's "fruit" will be evaluated. 2 Cor
8. This
"fruit" is not, and can never be produced by our own natural
abilities and energies. Jn 15:4-5 "the branch cannot bear fruit of itself." We
must be connected to the vine Jesus Christ, the source of life itself.
9. But its important to notice that it is the branch not the vine
that produces the fruit.
Therefore the DGP,
the fruit is produced in the life of the believer as we make the choices in
life to apply the truth of the Word in the varying circumstances of life. But
that fruit is not produced apart from the connection to the vine, fellowship,
the energizing ministry of the Holy Spirit.
You cannot leave your daily decisions out of the loop as far too many
want to do.