June 20th, 2023
Last week, we talked about the power of God’s nature in us from 2 Peter 1:3-4, which says,
“His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which He has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.”
The reality that we get to partake of His nature will change the way we live! This scripture has still been on my heart and this week we’re going to look at the following verses and talk about what the divine nature actually looks like in the believer’s life. 2 Peter 1:5-8 says,
“For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
It is possible to be ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of God, but we are meant to be fruitful. Jesus said to “bear fruit in keeping with repentance” (Matthew 3:8) and the idea of being fruitful is a theme of God’s Word. Galatians 5:22-23 says,
“The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.”
As believers, we bear the fruit of righteousness the draws people to the light of the Gospel. The word of God is the seed planted in the hearts of men that will reap a harvest of souls, but from our own lives there must be fruit born in us that carries that seed. Ephesians 5:8-10,
“For at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true) and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.”
The fruit we bear is the nature of God demonstrated to the world around us. Fruit must be tangible. That’s why 2 Peter gives us a list of qualities that demonstrate our fruitfulness. Our fruit is the peace we carry to a world in turmoil. Our fruit is the compassion and patience of Jesus poured out to broken people. Our fruit is the joy we maintain in every circumstance. Fruit is sweet, and our spiritual fruit carries a sweet purity that will draw hungry people to us and give us the opportunity to share the Gospel!
The enemy will do everything he can to make us fruitless or to make our fruit bitter. If we don’t demonstrate the life of God in the fruit of the Spirit, people will know we’re Christians and then taste our bitterness. That’s not how it should be! His presence is the purest, most refreshing thing in the world. That’s the sweet, living water that should be flowing from us! If there is a lack of fruit in our lives, Jesus gave us the answer, and it’s so easy! John 10:1-5 says,
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.”
Our fruit is not our own and if we try to bear fruit in our strength, we will be exhausted and barren. We can never be all of the things that God wants us to be by our own willpower or good works. Only His blood saves us and it’s only His righteousness that make us clean. In the same way, it’s only in abiding that we bear fruit. When we are grounded in His Word and soaked in His presence, His life will flow from us to a world that has known only bitterness!
Colossians 1:9-13 says,
“We have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”
If you look at that Scripture, there are two responsibilities that we have, knowing that fruit is only born from abiding. First, we have to walk in a manner worthy of Him. His Word, hidden in our hearts, will keep us from sinning. It’s a guard for our hearts according to Psalm 119:11! Second, we have to give thanks to the Father, who has done what we could never do, in sending Jesus to redeem us. The rest of that Scripture is the work of the Father in our lives by His Spirit, as we abide in Him! We are strengthened with power, according to His might. The Father, not our good works, has qualified us to share in the inheritance of Jesus. He has delivered us from darkness to light, redeeming us, forgiving us, and giving us a place at His table.
This week, I want to encourage you to bear fruit as you rest in the truth that you are in Him! As believers, we must bear fruit, but we’ll fail if we strive to bear fruit in our own strength. Love is the final quality in 2 Peter 1:6 and the first fruit of the Spirit we see in the book of Galatians. Jesus told us in John 13:35 that His disciples would be known by their love. His love in our lives is the outward expression of a life hidden in Him. Our fruit is meant for others, and we can’t keep the sweetness of His presence to ourselves. As we abide in Jesus, His love will flow effortlessly to the world He loves so very much!
“His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which He has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.”
The reality that we get to partake of His nature will change the way we live! This scripture has still been on my heart and this week we’re going to look at the following verses and talk about what the divine nature actually looks like in the believer’s life. 2 Peter 1:5-8 says,
“For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
It is possible to be ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of God, but we are meant to be fruitful. Jesus said to “bear fruit in keeping with repentance” (Matthew 3:8) and the idea of being fruitful is a theme of God’s Word. Galatians 5:22-23 says,
“The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.”
As believers, we bear the fruit of righteousness the draws people to the light of the Gospel. The word of God is the seed planted in the hearts of men that will reap a harvest of souls, but from our own lives there must be fruit born in us that carries that seed. Ephesians 5:8-10,
“For at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true) and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.”
The fruit we bear is the nature of God demonstrated to the world around us. Fruit must be tangible. That’s why 2 Peter gives us a list of qualities that demonstrate our fruitfulness. Our fruit is the peace we carry to a world in turmoil. Our fruit is the compassion and patience of Jesus poured out to broken people. Our fruit is the joy we maintain in every circumstance. Fruit is sweet, and our spiritual fruit carries a sweet purity that will draw hungry people to us and give us the opportunity to share the Gospel!
The enemy will do everything he can to make us fruitless or to make our fruit bitter. If we don’t demonstrate the life of God in the fruit of the Spirit, people will know we’re Christians and then taste our bitterness. That’s not how it should be! His presence is the purest, most refreshing thing in the world. That’s the sweet, living water that should be flowing from us! If there is a lack of fruit in our lives, Jesus gave us the answer, and it’s so easy! John 10:1-5 says,
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.”
Our fruit is not our own and if we try to bear fruit in our strength, we will be exhausted and barren. We can never be all of the things that God wants us to be by our own willpower or good works. Only His blood saves us and it’s only His righteousness that make us clean. In the same way, it’s only in abiding that we bear fruit. When we are grounded in His Word and soaked in His presence, His life will flow from us to a world that has known only bitterness!
Colossians 1:9-13 says,
“We have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”
If you look at that Scripture, there are two responsibilities that we have, knowing that fruit is only born from abiding. First, we have to walk in a manner worthy of Him. His Word, hidden in our hearts, will keep us from sinning. It’s a guard for our hearts according to Psalm 119:11! Second, we have to give thanks to the Father, who has done what we could never do, in sending Jesus to redeem us. The rest of that Scripture is the work of the Father in our lives by His Spirit, as we abide in Him! We are strengthened with power, according to His might. The Father, not our good works, has qualified us to share in the inheritance of Jesus. He has delivered us from darkness to light, redeeming us, forgiving us, and giving us a place at His table.
This week, I want to encourage you to bear fruit as you rest in the truth that you are in Him! As believers, we must bear fruit, but we’ll fail if we strive to bear fruit in our own strength. Love is the final quality in 2 Peter 1:6 and the first fruit of the Spirit we see in the book of Galatians. Jesus told us in John 13:35 that His disciples would be known by their love. His love in our lives is the outward expression of a life hidden in Him. Our fruit is meant for others, and we can’t keep the sweetness of His presence to ourselves. As we abide in Jesus, His love will flow effortlessly to the world He loves so very much!
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