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Calvary Temple Teaching Library

Spiritual Life - Spiritual Fruit Pt.10

Let's turn to Ephesians, where we left off this morning as we were talking about the admonition for our living in the spirit. If we live or walk in the spirit, we will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh, and each and every one of us is looking for that preparation for the Lord's coming, where the awareness is heightened. We really believe that we're living in that hour of the Lord's return, and iniquity is abounding, the love of many waxing cold. We're a people that are looking up, believing that our redemption is drawing nigh. And every man that has that hope purifies himself, even as He is pure (1 John 3:3).

This walk in the spirit, spiritual fruit that's alive in us, that exhibits the character of Jesus in our midst--that's what the fruit of the spirit is. It's just a practical working of the character of Jesus in each and every one of our lives as we relate to one another, as we relate to the vocation wherewith we've been called. Are we exhibiting Christlikeness in everything that we do, everything that we think, in all of our priorities, in all of our preparations? Are we seeking the Kingdom first? Are we seeking the edification of the church, the Body of Christ, first? That's the vocation that we've been called to, and it's important for us to realize, then, that as we're living for one another's growth, one another's edification--not so that every one of us could be happy and prosperous but so that Jesus could be glorified in our midst, so that people could get a glimpse of His body, a living organism, living selfless, living by God's grace and by His power.

As we left off in Ephesians, chapter 4, this morning, down at verse 31, one of the things that we're going to have to look at, if we're going to allow this fruit to manifest in our lives, is that the greatest opportunity we're going to have for this fruit to manifest is the time that we spend with one another, relating to one another. Because "By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, [How?] if ye have love one to another" (John 13:35). How do you treat your brothers and your sisters? How do you really see the value of what they're doing, of what they need, the energy to be put forth to see more Christlikeness formed in them? How patient are you with your brothers' and sisters' growth? Are you as patient as you are with yours? You know that you're making some strides and your intentions are to do better, and because of that we'll primarily bust ourselves, most of us, a little bit of slack, because "I'm really going to get around to that." My intention is to do better. My preparation--"Once I get this really important thing out of the way, then that's going to become the priority in my life." We judge ourselves that way, and then we judge others by what we observe; we judge others by what we kind of assume. We see, then, that love doesn't think evil. Love does not behave itself unseemly. Love rejoices not in iniquity, but it hopes all things and it endures all things. Love never fails (1 Corinthians 13).

So as we analyze the fruit of the spirit in our lives, as we relate to one another, do we have that expectation that Christlikeness is being worked in those that we're closest to? Many times the ones we're closest to, we kind of think, "Man!" because we're aware of everything that goes on, and it's so easy to overlook the work of the Spirit in these lives because of one thing that may be offensive to us at this moment, whatever it might be. Have you ever come up to talk to somebody who has a really big zit [right on the end of his nose? Man, it's hard not to look at that, isn't it? You've got this whole person to look at, and you say, "I'm not here to talk about zit--I mean it. I'm here to . . . " We become so focused on this one blemish, and we lose the ability to see the person. Love doesn't operate that way. Love sees the person as Jesus sees him: the finished product.

As we see it in the Scriptures--if we take isolated looks out of people's lives, we'll probably come up with a wrong conclusion. What if the only thing you knew about Abraham was that he lied about his wife Sarah being his sister? What if the only thing you knew about David was that he killed his best friend? What if the only thing we knew about Peter was that he denied the Lord? Those are some big things in the lives of these men, and we don't overlook that. We're aware of that, but we look at the whole man. As you look around this body, we're a people that are pretty close, and we're aware of a number of things in one another's lives. Do you get preoccupied with the things that just bug you, that don't seem to be improving fast enough--or the fact that there's somebody in the same pursuit that you are? Can you rejoice that they're there and they're in the same pursuit that you are--there's a hunger for God? Oh, it may not be the way that you would do it; it may not be to the degree that you would want to see them pursuing, but, beloved, the biblical principle is if there's fruit, if there's life, then God is going to involve Himself in that life and prune it that it'll bring forth more fruit. Amen?

Now, the one thing that'll keep that process from taking place in our midst, as we as a body are being edified into the fullness of the stature of Christ, as our doctrine is being perfected and our lives are being perfected, as we saw over in the 16^th verse, as we're being compacted together, is the lacking of that biblical forbearance, which is the expression of the love of God, the fruit of the spirit, in each of our lives. "Let all bitterness, and wrath, [verse 31] and anger, and clamor, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you." Now back in this 4^th chapter of Ephesians, verse 2, look back there, "With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love." The word "forbear," we know, means to endure. So the fruit of love in our midst is the quality of endurance. We're enduring the process of growth in one another's lives. Now, it's to be endured in the right spirit. It's not to be, "Well, I'm just going to put up with you, bless God." No, that's the wrong spirit, and we're going to see that, as we go on into the study, because it's to be done, we just saw, with what? Kindness and with tenderheartedness. We can't despise where they are in this growth process. We're to be touched with the feelings of their infirmities.

Do you have a tender heart for the hurting of your brothers and sisters, the struggle that they're in right now, the dynamics of spiritual birth pangs of being conformed into the image of Jesus? In many of us these birth pangs are taking place, and it's frustrating to us; it's interfering with our schedule. So we realize, then, that we're called into that type of a spirit. The word "forbear" means to endure. It also means to hold up or to lift up, to lift up the hands of those that are hanging down. It's not just, "Well, I'm just going to put up with you." It's "I'm going to help you." Amen? "I'm here for you. I'm going to help you through this thing." Now, hopefully, as we're able to mature and move into helping, the Scripture says we're to comfort with the same comfort wherewith we've been comforted. In other words, hopefully we've had success in this process, and now we can come and begin to help others in the midst of this. "I can identify. I know what you're going through. I've been there, and I want to tell you something. God's methods--God's grace is sufficient, praise God! Cast your care on Him; He cares for you. Endure to the end; you'll be made whole."

Endurance isn't just tolerating each other. It's getting involved in one another's lives and helping with some of the fine-tuning and with some of the motivation. So the endurance process just means that you and I are ready to suffer long in the process and to become a part of it. We don't just stand by and watch them struggle and say we'll put up with all of their immaturity and their nonsense. No, you speak into their lives; you give them counsel. There are going to be certain times when they need reproof and instruction; there are going to be times when they just need you to let them know that somebody's there that cares. It's very important. It's like the little child whose parent came in, and the child was frightened. The parent came in and prayed with the child and said, "Now, honey, it's okay. Don't you remember Jesus said He would always be here--He would never leave you or forsake you?" And the little child said, "Yeah, I know, but can someone stay here that has skin?" Sometimes we just need someone with skin, don't we?

As we begin to see that--and I shared in one of the sessions a little earlier that sometimes it's easier for us to forgive the big sins than the smaller ones, the irritations. Because the sins that are just irritations, that are ongoing (the process of sanctification)--you know, our sanctification is an irritation to most people around us, the process of sanctification in our lives. Endurance, then, is the ability to see what God is doing and to rejoice in the pruning process and what's taking place and the privilege of being, sometimes, an instrument in that. Have you ever thought about how high a calling that is to be an instrument in the pruning process of God, to be able to be used just to speak life into someone around you and represent the love of God? Forbearing one another with a lowly spirit and meekness, enduring one another, holding up one another, the Scripture says, in love. Be kind, tenderhearted, forgiving as you've been forgiven, verse 32 says.

Colossians, chapter 3, verse 13, tells us again: "Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another . . . " So we see that forbearance and forgiveness work in conjunction with one another so frequently. So how ready are you to have a spirit of forgiveness? Now remember what the word "forgiveness" means. Forgiveness just means the ability to take and to set aside, that this thing is no longer held to your account as I relate to you, as I perceive you. The Greek, aphiēmi--it's an interesting word. It means to send forth or to dismiss those things that are done that are offensive to you. We've talked about disputable matters at times, and different things, and how we relate. So many of us say, "The way that guy dresses offends me." "The car that guy drives offends me." "The movie he watched offended me." Why don't we be a little more forgiving than offended? Why is it that your conscience is perceived by you to be the highest moral standard? What do you think that might be? And even if I see it as correct (right), how do I relate to you when you don't meet my standards? So it's very important for us to see this, and if we have that kind of an attitude, which is not the attitude of love, we're not approachable.

Look over at Psalms for just a second. Let me show you something, because if we're going to help one another, if we're going to be able to forbear one another, we need to be approachable. I won't even be around you for you to forbear me if you're not approachable. Then the body suffers, because we saw in Ephesians today that the whole purpose for the love of God to manifest is to build up, to mature ourselves into the very stature of Jesus Christ. Psalm 130, verse 4, look at this. The psalmist speaking forth, he says, "But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared [reverenced, honored, esteemed]." "Lord, I revere You. You make me want to come to You because You love me with longsuffering and patience and kindness and tenderness. You know my frame, that I'm dust. You're approachable." Love is approachable. Are you? Or is there always a standard? Is the solution to every situation instruction, when sometimes maybe just encouragement would be the power to motivate and to set an individual free at any given moment, maybe a word spoken in season? How do we relate? Are we kind? Are we tenderhearted? Do we function and relate to one another as champions of the truth, with a spirit of meekness? This is the real fruit of the spirit. This is that life of maturity.

I'm not going to get off on the teaching of strong conscience, weak conscience, and all of that right now, but the one that's legalistic, the one that has all of the rules, is the weak conscience, and we've gone through that before. Most people with weak consciences think they're the ones that are strong, but if you really are the mature party, then you're the one that bears the infirmities of the weak. We're there to encourage and to lift up hands that are hanging down. Sometimes it's just in our perception of the pursuit or the lack of fruit in their lives of diligently seeking the Kingdom. Sometimes there are actual offenses that are directed toward us. Brothers and sisters--they've sinned against us. They've said they would come to help you move, and there you are and they don't show up. I mean, bless God, we can put every label on them from slothful to liar. So now we have this conflict, and the next thing you know, we begin to build this case as to everything that's wrong in their lives. The real issue is that you might be thirty minutes longer moving your stuff than you would have been if they'd shown up. Is that worth killing your brother over? Are we going to judge their whole life based on your move?

Sometimes we're even so quick that we'll make the judgment without knowing why they were not there. [Maybe it was] because as they were coming over, the Spirit of the Lord spoke to them and told them to go to another brother's house and pray, and God raised him up. And as they were going out to their car, they stopped and a man in need was there and they led him to the Lord. Then they called fire down from heaven and walked on water, and whatever else, and they're on the way over to your house--and we're so quick to build the case. We need to be quick to not think evil, to not rejoice in iniquity. "You know, they're always late!" Well, maybe this one time a guy got healed and saved and water got walked on. Who knows?

We're talking about living fruit. We're talking about the character of Jesus. We're talking about sufficient evil for the day. Who are you today? Where are you today? How do you relate today? So as we look at these different aspects, it's important for us to see the need to not just live in the specifics or the mechanics of forgiveness but in the spirit of forgiveness. Do you walk always ready to forgive? I'm ready. Now, you need to be ready because the Scripture says--we don't like this--turn over to Matthew 18 for just a second. Here's why you need to live in the spirit of it, and this is what love is. Here is love: love is living in this spirit. We'll look at the spirit and then we'll look at the specifics and mechanics of it, but here's the spirit. Here's your immature, legalistic individual--you know, that guy that denied the Lord? [Verse 21] "Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?" Peter was just so proud of himself, coming up with that number seven. "How many times? Seven?"

In the natural that would seem pretty admirable, wouldn't it? "I tell you what, bless God! Three strikes and you're out." Where's your flesh? Seven or three strikes and you're out. I know where mine was before I got saved--"Once and you're out of it, man! Don't even think about it!" So Peter is sitting here, and he's pretty proud of himself: "When somebody sins against me, do I forgive them seven times?" Jesus said, "Listen, not seven times, but seventy times seven." You know that Peter freaked, man [was totally unprepared for Jesus' response]. The natural mind, the natural man, can't receive those things. Peter was looking for a number, and then all of a sudden he sees 490 times in a day! "You mean the guy can commit the same offense 490 times in a day, and You expect me to forgive him?"

Then Jesus goes on, and He says, "[You're missing the spirit of this thing, Peter.] Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants. And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents." I think I tried to calculate this one time. If they were gold [talents], I think this would be somewhere around $260 million. You might come up with a different number than that. That's some of the calculations. I have a couple of notes here in my margin. One of them is $16 million that had to do with some other aspects of talents. That's not the point (the exact amount). The issue is verse 26, "The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all." Now, the king knew that he couldn't pay this back; there was no way. His intentions were good; he really preferred not be cast into prison. "Have patience with me. I'll make it right." And the king, knowing he couldn't make it right, forgave him all of his debt.

You want to know what the real fact of the matter is? In our natural man, in our flesh, none of us can make it right. We're not going to get it right. As we mature and we're sanctified and sin's power becomes less and less dominant in our lives, we rejoice because we can see clearer now; the beam is out, and we can see clearer to help our brothers with the speck that's in their eyes. We can now comfort with the same comfort wherewith we've been comforted, as we're growing and sin is becoming less dominant. We're not free; it's still in our members. We still sin--commission, omission, thought, intent, action. "Let him that's without sin cast the first stone" (John 8:7). When you approach and you're there wanting to express the love of God--and as we go, we're not talking about lowering standards at all. We're talking about ministering to one another so that we could receive grace sufficient to meet the standard, in Christ, because the standard can only be met in Jesus--Amen?--as we die to self, as we die to self-effort. The reason they sinned is because there's still self working in them. We're helping one another to die, to be emptied of self--to become without reputation so that Jesus could be all in all in our lives.

We know how the story goes on. This man that was forgiven, because the master was moved with compassion, went out and found one of his brothers who owed him $15. You want to know what the main problem is in most of our lives? Most of us think we're the ones that have the $15 debt, and we're the ones with the $260 million debt. Most of us think we can pay ours off--it's not that bad. We compare ourselves by ourselves. Many of us have the same perspective on life that the pagans have. We look at our lives; we put it in a balance and think, You know, maybe my good outweighs my bad. That's not enough, because that's not what the last and final judgment is going to be based upon. So therefore when someone comes and asks me to forgive them--they sin against me 490 times in a day, and they ask me to forgive them--I don't see the 490 going into this scale and saying, "Well, that's going to be the thing that's really going to be held against you. You've got a pretty heavy load over here in the negative department. How in the world can I forgive you this $15 debt? It is so obvious that with these 490 transgressions, you have no intention of paying that $15 off! You're going to pay! I'm going to hold this against you. This is going to your account." The Lord said very clearly you'd better be careful, because if you can't forgive--What?--you will not be forgiven. Is it worth having all of your sins brought up again? Because the moment we refuse to forgive, every sin ever forgiven by God against us is put back on our account in the final judgment. That's a powerful principle!

You see it in this parable that the Lord is teaching here. He goes and he takes the man by the neck and says, "Pay me all that you have," and he wouldn't, so he has him thrown into prison. The master heard about this, and he said, verse 32, " . . . [Listen!] I forgave thee all that debt, because thou [asked] me: Shouldest not thou [verse 33] also have had compassion on thy fellow-servant, even as I had pity on thee?" [Underlining added.] "Shouldn't you have compassion upon him?" But, you see, most of us, in this scenario, have the roles reversed. Most of us see ourselves as the $15 debt, and in the parable of Jesus', every one of us is seen as this first man. If you're going to put yourself in the parable, that's where you belong. And his lord was angry with him. "Should you not have had compassion, even as I had pity on you?" Love as you've been loved. He goes on and says, verse 34, "[The lord's anger was evidenced, and he delivered this man into torment.] So likewise [verse 35] shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your [say the next word with me; if you from your--say it] hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses." "Well, I'll forgive you from my doctrine." "I'll forgive through my will." How about forgiving them from the perception of the wickedness of your own heart and how freely all of your wickedness was forgiven? How about the next time somebody transgresses against you and you get to say, "I forgive you," how about seeing that as a privilege of sharing what has so freely been graced in your lives? What a privilege to be able to exhibit the love of God! Next time somebody sins against you and asks forgiveness, how about seeing it as a privilege to be able to share the love of Jesus?

You see, we're talking about the spirit of forgiveness here, and in this principle, of course--it's a powerful, powerful principle! A dismissal, a releasing, a sending forth, a blotting out. Aren't you glad that the scriptural representation of what's happened with your sins and my sins is that they're cast behind God's back, that they're cast into the sea of His--What?--forgetfulness? "I'll forgive but I can't [What?] forget." And you know what? That's true. You want to know why you can't forget? Because you're carnal. But if you moved in pure love and in the spirit, you can forget. God can. How many of you are glad God can forget? When He looks at us through His [Jesus'] blood, He doesn't even remember. The omniscient God does not remember! Does that mean He's not capable? No. And I hope as we speak toward His attributes here that we don't misrepresent God in any way, but what I want you to see is--because I know that some of you think, Well, how can God be omniscient and not remember? Because He's sovereign, that's why! Amen? Try that one on. "Oh, glory. Now I have to receive something else by faith." Yes, that's what this thing is all about, and you'll get in trouble when you try to figure God out, because the moment that you do, He is as little as you are. Amen? I don't want a God that small. The cool thing is, according to this parable, everything that God forgot He can remember, if you don't forgive.

So here we are relating to Him. Now, how about us? How quick are you to want to not only be able to forgive but to forget? I want to forget. Love forgets! It doesn't rejoice in iniquity! It does not think evil! That's what 1 Corinthians 13 is trying to get across to us. Over the years we've all had people transgress against us. Some before we were saved, others after we've been saved. The transgressions have been everything from minor to the most heinous things that we could imagine. The fruit of the spirit is love. "But I've been hurt!" You've hurt Jesus. "But I've been misunderstood!" You've misrepresented Jesus. "It doesn't seem just!" He was made sin with your sin. As we get ready to unhook for this evening, and we're talking about living in the spirit, let's embrace this spirit of forgiveness. "I am ready to forgive. I'm looking for people to forgive. Come on! Do something wrong so I can forgive you." (No, I don't want you to sin, so don't do it.) Where are you in this willingness to walk in the spirit, to be emptied enough of self to where your own standards and your own perception of justice don't supercede God's, where limited perception of mercy and who deserves it doesn't interfere with God's infinite mercy and love and patience and kindness? Walk in the spirit, and you will not fulfill the lust of the flesh (Galatians 5:16).

Father, we thank You for Your Word tonight, and as Your love begins to manifest in our midst in this hour that we're entering into, if we, as Your body, are to be united, if we're to become strong as one, then there can be no factions among us through unforgiveness. There can be no perception that others are inferior (They don't deserve attention. They don't deserve my respect. They don't deserve my time. They don't deserve the laying down of my life. Their life is not as valuable as mine. Why should I lay mine down for them?). Here's how we know the love of God: because while we were yet sinners, He died for us (Romans 5:8). There is probably, for you and me, no clearer look into our own hearts to know whether Jesus is Lord there or not than how we respond when someone has sinned against us. "Father, forgive them." You say, "That was Jesus." Yes--and Stephen, because the fruit of the spirit is love (Galatians 5:22). Work it in us, Father, we ask in Jesus' name. Amen.

Let's stand before Him tonight. As Gary plays for us, we'll take a moment and just rest in the presence of God's Spirit and allow Him to minister His grace to you, the mercy, the effects of His blood on each of our lives. We're standing in the midst of the presence of God, His glory. When you stand praying, forgive, the Scripture says. We're not making light of sin. We are not in any way saying that all we have to do is keep running around saying, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry," because in the midst of all of this repentance there must be the changing of course when God encounters your heart--retribution where necessary. The scope is based upon the scope of the offense. If you've sinned against one, you go to one; if you've sinned against many, you go to the many, but it's clearing of yourself to be able to fellowship with Father. Don't allow any unforgiveness or bitterness in your hearts, a spirit of judging others by our own conscience, our own morality, but only by the Word of God, because that's what judges your heart. Judge righteous judgment. Judge as you would desire to be judged. Just bring me the Word; I'll change. Don't come to make me into your image. Come and help make me into the image of Jesus. And then we see Ephesians, the body edifying itself in love and Jesus being made perfect in our midst, and men looking and saying, "Behold how they love one another." Let's sing this together and just thank Him for His presence in our lives. Thank you, Jesus. "Jesus, I am . . . "

Father, make us approachable. Let our tenderness be known, the kindness of the Head of the church, and yet a fear of Your holiness--awed by Your power, wooed by Your love. We ask, Father, in Jesus' name. Amen. Before you go, turn to somebody and say, "Love never fails." Amen. Go in peace; God's love go with you.

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