I was listening to KKMS a couple of weeks ago on my commute to school, and Pastor David Jeremiah was speaking on John 15 and the importance of bearing much fruit. He gave three reasons why bearing the fruit of the Spirit is important to our faith and those around us. Here’s a quick overview:
1) We need to bear fruit, because it testifies to our faith. God gives us the Holy Spirit as a sort of marking of our commitment; a seal on our hearts. Ephesians 1:13-14 says “… Having believed, you were marked in Him, with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance…” This is the same Spirit that provides us with the Fruit of the Spirit from Galatians 5. Having this fruit shows that the Holy Spirit has marked us and that we are truly following the Lord.
2) Secondly, bearing fruit is our service to others. When one possess such qualities as kindness, gentleness, faithfulness, and patience, they have the ability to bless people in incredible ways! I don’t know if you have heard of the acronym J.O.Y; Jesus first, others second, and yourself last. Jeremiah mentioned this in his sermon, and I think it’s exactly the kind of outlook that Christ desires for us to have. When you put the Fruit of the Spirit on, you have an amazing set of qualities that are pointed directly at helping those around you and being a witness for Christ to unbelievers.
3) And most importantly bearing fruit glorifies God. In Isaiah 43:7 God proclaims that we were “created for [His] glory”. We were created to glorify Him in everything that we do (1 Corinthians 10:31) and I believe that when we are bearing the fruit we are equipped to do so. Jeremiah pointed out that when a child does something good and someone tells the parents how great their kids are the parents are glorified by their child. In the same way when one of God’s children does something praiseworthy it ultimately glorifies Him.
David Jeremiah can be heard on KKMS Monday through Saturday from 7-7:30pm. To learn more go to davidjeremiah.org.
~Lindsey~
