365: Benjamin Ryan – Exhortation: The Fruit of the Spirit

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Welcome to good Christophian
talks.

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Thank you for joining us this
week.

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On this podcast, we select one
talk a week to help us get the

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Bible in our Daily News feed.
Each week we post a talk that we

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previewed from suggestions sent
in by listeners from around the

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world.
Then we record a short intro

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beforehand as a personalized
recommendation to you on why we

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are sharing the talk.
And now let’s talk more about

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this week’s talk.
This week’s talk is an

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exhortation that was given by
Brother Benjamin Ryan at the

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Moorebank Ecclesia in February
of this year.

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This was a really wonderful
study and exhortation on the

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fruits of the spirit, but more
specifically Joy.

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He has quite a logical outline
and I think my favorite, my

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favorite kind of highlight was
he kind of proves or goes

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through a logical progression on
how we should develop the fruits

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of the spirit and then the
ending with a focus on joy.

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It’s very well, again, well
researched and well quoted.

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He quotes other Christadelphian
writings a few times, which is

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also fun.
I really appreciate again, kind

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of the effort and thoughtfulness
that goes into the preparation

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that that includes those quotes
from other brothers of ours from

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the past.
So I really enjoyed this.

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So it was really thankful to
have this talk suggested to us.

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And you know, it’s kind of a
silly thing, but we’re brother

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James going to be joining us as
a host and his next talk, his

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first episode is next week.
So we kind of have it have a

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self-imposed deadline to get
this talk posted because ever

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since ever since Jason joined,
we have not posted talks of any

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of our hosts.
So brother Jason has some

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episodes from when from the time
before he was a host.

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But now since brother Jamin is
joining us, we need to post his

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talk because until he ever
decides to leave, we will never

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be posting another talk again.
So just a silly rule.

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Besides, I guess saying all that
with the silly difference being

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that I guess last summer we all
posted our own talks as a, you

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know, as our kind of fun thing
we try to do in July.

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So anyways, as always, we’re
self imposing restrictions we

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might not need.
But this was a this was a really

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great talk and we’re really
excited and thankful that Jamie

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and our other hosts are joining
us.

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We’re going, as we’ve already
said, from 4:00 to 6:00, losing

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Brian and adding three other
hosts.

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So this has been a really great
relief to me and Chris and Jason

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to involve more people, have
more people in our kind of group

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emails and more thinking and
meditating on how to make this

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tool, this podcast useful to as
many people as we can.

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In the meantime, here is Brother
Jamin’s exhort, the fruit of the

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Spirit joy.
This morning we’re going to be

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having a look at the fruit of
the spirit.

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And I was just delighted that
when I got to the Sunday school

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class, that’s effectively what
we were looking at.

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So sorry if it’s a bit same,
same, but I thought it’s rather

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fitting.
And we’re going to have a focus,

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small focus on the joy aspect of
the fruit of the spirit.

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I first started looking at Joy
about a year ago where for a

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youth group, I, I actually got
asked to, to study Joy.

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And the truth was I, I wasn’t
particularly interested in it.

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In fact, I was probably
disinterested.

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At the very least I was
uninspired to look at it.

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You know, we, we all know the
fruit of the spirit.

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We know the kids songs.
I didn’t think it was a

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particularly rich subject.
And over my study over the last

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year, I have totally repented
this opinion and my interest has

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totally reverted.
I think this is an exciting,

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encouraging, fascinating theme
that’s so rich and deep in the

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Scripture.
And I just, I just hope to share

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some of that with you this
morning.

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I think this is so important.
In fact, Brother Colin Attridge

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in his book The Fruit of the
Spirit says this where our

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characters are concerned.
The fruit of the Spirit may well

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encompass everything Christ will
be looking for in you and me at

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his return.
Those are some big words.

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The Fruit of the Spirit may well
encompass everything Christ is

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looking for in us.
So I think this is a subject

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worth paying attention to
broadly.

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This talk is about the fruit of
the Spirit, and it’s got a small

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focus on one aspect of the
fruit, that being joy.

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So we’ll start with an
introduction to the fruit of the

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Spirit, and then we’ll talk
about what a fruit actually is,

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and then how a fruit can be of
the Spirit.

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What does that even mean?
We’ll talk about love as the

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whole fruit very briefly, and
then we’ll conclude with some

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thoughts on joy.
Well, I’d like to first touch on

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on Bible study.
Generally in our study of the

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Bible, sometimes we get trapped
and bogged down in the

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technicalities, in the details.
We get lost in the source now.

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Now this depth of the Word is so
important and it allows us to

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have all for God and wonder at
His marvelous character and His

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Word.
And we see His great glory in

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the depth of His Word.
But in spiritual matters and in

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our study, we have to remember
that the things we read need to

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be useful for our day-to-day
living.

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We can’t lose relevance of why
we’re reading the things that we

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read.
It’s not just details and

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technicality.
The words are meant to mean

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something.
If the words we read don’t

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change us, then we defy their
purpose for being written.

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And I think that the fruit of
the Spirit are a particularly

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practical and exhortational
thing, and we can draw a lot of

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really practical lessons from
them.

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So what’s the fruit of the
Spirit all about?

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Simply spiritual development.
It’s about becoming like God.

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The fruit of the Spirit is about
slowly turning our character

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into God’s character.
The transformation of our

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character is the development of
the fruit of the Spirit in US.

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Now this is not some vague lovey
dovey airy fairy concept.

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This is very practical.
That means try to develop

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Lovejoy, peace, patience,
kindness, goodness,

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faithfulness, gentleness,
self-control.

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We develop spiritually by
developing the fruit of the

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spirit.
And I, I wanted to reiterate the

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importance of this subject of
spiritual development.

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And to do this, I’d like to have
a brief look at the record of

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Martha and Mary.
So could you all please turn

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with me to Luke 10?
Now Luke 10 contains the record

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of a story we may know very
well, and I’m reading from verse

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38.
Now as they went on their way,

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this is Christ and his
followers, His disciples.

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Jesus entered a village and a
woman named Martha welcomed him

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into her house.
And she had a sister called Mary

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who sat at the Lord’s feet and
listened to his teaching.

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But Martha was distracted with
much serving, and she went up to

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him and said, Lord, do you not
care that my sister has left me

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to serve alone?
Tell her then to help me.

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But the Lord answered her,
Martha, Martha, you are anxious

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and troubled about many things,
but one thing is necessary.

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Mary has chosen the good
portion, which will not be taken

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away from her.
So what’s going on here?

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Well, Martha’s probably stressed
out of her mind.

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She’s running around getting
things ready, cleaning the

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kitchen, organizing the kitchen,
probably organizing the whole

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house.
She’s doing the wash up, she’s

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preparing lunch, she’s getting
the food ready, etcetera.

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She’s distracted, anxious and
troubled about many things.

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Christ assures her, but one
thing is necessary.

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Well, Matthew 6 tells us not to
worry about food and drink and

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clothes, et cetera.
God cares for the birds.

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Are you not of more value than
they?

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God will provide all these
things for you.

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Don’t be distracted, anxious and
troubled about many things as

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Martha was here, remember, But
one thing is necessary.

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What is it?
What is the one necessary thing

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that Christ is talking about?
Well, I think the apostle Paul

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picks up on what this one
necessary thing in is in his

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letter to the Philippians in
chapter 3 and verse 12.

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It reads, not that I have
already obtained this or I’m

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already perfect, but I press on
to make it my own because Christ

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Jesus has made me his own
brothers.

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I do not consider that I have
made it my own.

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But one thing I do, forgetting
what lies behind and straining

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forward to what lies ahead, I
press on toward the goal for the

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prize of the upward call of God
in Christ Jesus.

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He doesn’t do anything else.
That’s all he does.

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He forgets what lies behind.
He strains forward to what lies

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ahead, and he presses toward the
goal for the prize of the upward

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call of God in Christ Jesus.
He doesn’t do anything else.

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In other words, he’s concerned
with his spiritual life, with

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spiritual development, with
taking heed to the call, with

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living the new life.
Essentially, he’s trying to live

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a godly life and develop a godly
character.

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That is, he’s trying to develop
the fruit of the Spirit.

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What does that actually mean,
and how do you actually do that?

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Let’s start by defining fruit.
Well, fruit is is useful, It’s

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healthy, it’s refreshing,
attractive, tasty, et cetera.

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A fruitless tree is pointless,
Christ tells us in in Luke 13.

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Fruit, naturally speaking, is
the visible evidence and

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expression of a tree’s good
health.

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Fruit producing trees are very
good.

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They’re fit for purpose.
They do what God requires of

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them.
Likewise, spiritual fruit is the

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visible evidence and expression
of a believer’s good spiritual

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health.
The fruitful believer, like the

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fruitful tree, fulfills God’s
purpose for him or her.

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Fruit is the proof or result of
a believer’s godly character.

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It’s the godly disposition,
mindset, character, attitude

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that one shows in their daily
life in whatever situation they

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find themselves in.
The fruit of the spirit

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represents the whole balanced
spiritual personality.

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And spiritual fruit, like
natural fruit, doesn’t just

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appear out of thin air one day,
it needs to be planted in good

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soil, given plenty of sunlight
and water.

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And over time, often a long
time, fruit will develop.

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Nice analogy, Benjamin, but how
does this fruit or or character

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actually practically come about?
Well, let’s remember from

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Galatians 522.
This fruit is of the Spirit.

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The fruit is of the Spirit
because it results from the

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influence of the Spirit word on
us.

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This character or fruit is a
direct result of delight and

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meditation on God’s Word, along
with putting trust and

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confidence in God.
This is the only way one can

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develop the fruit of the Spirit.
Let’s prove it.

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Could you all please turn with
me to Psalm chapter 1?

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And starting at verse one, we
read.

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Blessed is the man who walks not
in the counsel of the wicked,

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nor stands in the way of
sinners, nor sits in the seat of

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scoffers, but his delight is in
the law of the Lord.

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And on his law he meditates day
and night.

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He is like a tree planted by the
streams of water that yields its

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fruit in its season, and its
leaf does not wither in all that

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he does, he prospers.
And so we see here the image of

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a fruitful tree that’s planted
by the water, and that fruitful

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tree that’s planted by the water
is likened to a man who keeps

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from evil and loves God’s word.
Now we know through Scripture

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that water is a very rich symbol
for the Word, the word of God.

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And I’ve got one quick example.
It says in Ephesians 526 that he

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might sanctify and cleanse it
with the washing of water by the

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Word.
So the word there is is likened

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to water that can wash us.
And so let’s let’s picture this

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scene in in Psalm one.
Imagine a tree sinking its roots

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into the soil, soaking up the
water from the stream it’s

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planted next to, soaking up the
word of God.

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This is how fruit is produced.
And so from Psalm 1 we see two

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of the aspects of the process of
production of spiritual fruit.

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The 1st is delight in the law of
the Lord.

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The second is meditation in
God’s law day and night.

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And I just wanted to talk about
that second aspect very briefly.

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What does it even mean to
meditate in God’s law Day and

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00:16:48,600 –> 00:16:54,400
night?
Does that entail intense study,

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00:16:55,560 –> 00:16:58,880
which is a great thing, But is
that what’s being asked here to

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00:16:58,880 –> 00:17:02,600
study all day and night?
No meal breaks, no toilet

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00:17:02,600 –> 00:17:05,680
breaks, not even a break to
sleep through the night?

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00:17:05,839 –> 00:17:07,359
Is that what this verse is
saying?

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00:17:10,680 –> 00:17:13,760
Well, I, I think we’ll find our
answer in the 1st chapter of

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00:17:13,760 –> 00:17:18,400
Joshua, where Joshua is told a
very similar thing.

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00:17:19,839 –> 00:17:25,800
And starting at verse 8, it
reads in Joshua one, This book

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00:17:25,800 –> 00:17:28,840
of the law shall not depart from
your mouth, but you shall

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00:17:28,840 –> 00:17:35,760
meditate on it day and night, so
that you may be careful to do

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00:17:35,760 –> 00:17:37,800
according to all that is written
in it.

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00:17:38,760 –> 00:17:41,200
But then you will make your way
prosperous, and then you will

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00:17:41,200 –> 00:17:43,920
have good success.
Have I not commanded you?

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00:17:44,240 –> 00:17:48,360
Be strong and courageous, Do not
be frightened, do not be

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00:17:48,360 –> 00:17:52,960
dismayed, for the Lord your God
is with you wherever you go.

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00:17:54,680 –> 00:17:59,200
So we get from Joshua that study
is excellent, but God wants us

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00:17:59,200 –> 00:18:03,800
to think about the things we
study in our daily lives.

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00:18:04,240 –> 00:18:10,520
Or as it says in Joshua,
wherever we go, we study God’s

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00:18:10,520 –> 00:18:14,480
Word so that we may be careful
to do it.

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00:18:15,000 –> 00:18:22,080
As it says in verse 8, study it,
then do it, live it, and God

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00:18:22,120 –> 00:18:27,200
will be with you, right?
We’re going to have a look now

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00:18:27,200 –> 00:18:31,680
at Jeremiah 17, which will
reveal more information about

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00:18:31,680 –> 00:18:37,880
spiritual fruit.
We’re going to see a very

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00:18:37,880 –> 00:18:40,080
similar situation to Psalm 1
here.

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00:18:42,960 –> 00:18:47,960
Starting at verse 7, it reads,
blessed is the man who trusts in

244
00:18:47,960 –> 00:18:51,120
the Lord, who puts confidence in
the Lord or the King.

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00:18:51,120 –> 00:18:53,800
James says hope there, but it
means confidence.

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00:18:53,800 –> 00:18:58,320
It’s the same word, verse 8.
He is like a tree planted by

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00:18:58,320 –> 00:19:02,840
water that sends out its roots
by the stream and does not fear

248
00:19:02,840 –> 00:19:06,720
when heat comes, for its leaves
remain green, and is not anxious

249
00:19:06,720 –> 00:19:11,120
in the year of drought, for it
does not cease to bear fruit.

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00:19:13,600 –> 00:19:15,720
We can see that this is a very
similar image.

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00:19:15,840 –> 00:19:19,560
We’ve got a tree that’s planted
by the water next to the water

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00:19:19,880 –> 00:19:24,080
that sends out its roots deep
into the soil and soaks up the

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00:19:24,080 –> 00:19:30,800
water of the word by the stream.
And because of this it’s not

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00:19:30,800 –> 00:19:33,560
afraid when the heat and the
drought comes, its leaves are

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00:19:33,560 –> 00:19:38,000
green.
And note that it says it doesn’t

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00:19:38,000 –> 00:19:43,600
cease to bear fruit.
And what is this image of a tree

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00:19:43,640 –> 00:19:51,280
likened to what’s likened to a
man who puts trust in God, who

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00:19:51,280 –> 00:19:57,720
puts confidence in God?
Combining this scripture with

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00:19:57,720 –> 00:20:00,560
Psalm 1 reveals lots of
information to us.

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00:20:01,440 –> 00:20:07,120
Firstly, it informs us how long
the season in Psalm 1 is, where

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00:20:07,120 –> 00:20:09,040
it says.
He shall be like the tree

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00:20:09,040 –> 00:20:13,040
planted by the rivers of water
that bringeth forth fruit in his

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00:20:13,040 –> 00:20:15,520
season.
How long is this season?

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00:20:17,480 –> 00:20:20,640
When do spiritual trees have to
produce fruit?

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00:20:21,960 –> 00:20:28,760
Sometimes weekends.
Spring on a Sunday at Wednesday

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00:20:28,760 –> 00:20:34,200
night.
Bible class Jeremiah 17 says it

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00:20:34,200 –> 00:20:40,280
does not cease to bear fruit.
The season in someone is

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00:20:40,280 –> 00:20:44,680
endless.
It’s always bearing fruit.

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00:20:47,080 –> 00:20:52,520
This scripture also reveals the
two other aspects necessary for

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00:20:52,520 –> 00:20:53,960
the production of spiritual
fruit.

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00:20:54,120 –> 00:20:56,800
The third aspect being trust in
the Lord.

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00:20:57,640 –> 00:21:03,960
The 4th aspect, putting
confidence in the Lord and

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00:21:03,960 –> 00:21:07,560
therefore, by combining these
two scriptures, the four aspects

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00:21:07,560 –> 00:21:11,960
of the formula for the
production of spiritual fruit is

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00:21:11,960 –> 00:21:17,160
revealed.
One, delight in the law of the

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00:21:17,160 –> 00:21:22,480
Lord. 2 Meditate day and night
in His law.

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00:21:22,480 –> 00:21:28,000
Think about it.
Three, trust in the Lord. 4 Put

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00:21:28,000 –> 00:21:33,680
confidence in the Lord.
This is how spiritual fruit is

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00:21:33,680 –> 00:21:35,680
produced.
There’s no other way.

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00:21:37,280 –> 00:21:40,040
This is how we can develop the
fruit of the Spirit.

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00:21:42,600 –> 00:21:47,800
Now, in terms of literal fruit,
nobody but God can actually make

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00:21:48,040 –> 00:21:52,040
a fruit.
Regarding natural fruit, you can

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00:21:52,040 –> 00:21:56,280
have the world’s richest soil,
premium fertilizer, the best

284
00:21:56,280 –> 00:22:00,320
greenhouse filtered reverse
osmosis water you.

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00:22:00,360 –> 00:22:02,800
You still literally can’t make a
fruit grow.

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00:22:04,120 –> 00:22:09,600
It’s God that creates the fruit.
Similarly, spiritual fruit.

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00:22:10,760 –> 00:22:15,760
All we can do is provide the
best conditions for growth, as

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00:22:15,760 –> 00:22:18,960
does the diligent farmer or the
natural tree.

289
00:22:19,880 –> 00:22:25,000
God will give the increase our
delight and meditation in His

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00:22:25,000 –> 00:22:27,480
Word and trust and confidence in
Him.

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00:22:28,440 –> 00:22:32,560
Give the best conditions for God
to create the fruit of the

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00:22:32,560 –> 00:22:36,840
Spirit within us.
That is, God works in us to

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00:22:36,840 –> 00:22:40,200
develop our character to become
like His.

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00:22:40,920 –> 00:22:45,080
Or in the words of the apostle
Paul, it is God who works in you

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00:22:45,840 –> 00:22:48,360
both to will and to work for His
good pleasure.

296
00:22:49,400 –> 00:22:53,040
And nothing brings more pleasure
to God than to see one of His

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00:22:53,040 –> 00:22:56,240
children slowly developing his
character.

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00:22:57,040 –> 00:23:03,520
This is His purpose after all.
Now I’d just like to take this

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00:23:03,520 –> 00:23:09,200
time to clarify that this fruit
is of the Spirit and not a Holy

300
00:23:09,200 –> 00:23:14,800
Spirit gift.
The fruit comes by God working

301
00:23:14,800 –> 00:23:19,600
through us to develop His
character in us by delight and

302
00:23:19,600 –> 00:23:22,880
meditation on His living Word
and trusting and putting

303
00:23:22,880 –> 00:23:26,720
confidence in Him.
The fruit doesn’t come in some

304
00:23:27,000 –> 00:23:31,280
USB stick that we can plug into
our brains and be instantly

305
00:23:31,280 –> 00:23:35,280
filled with God’s character.
This isn’t how it works, and it

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00:23:35,280 –> 00:23:38,000
isn’t how it worked for the
people who were given the Holy

307
00:23:38,000 –> 00:23:40,360
Spirit gifts in the 1st century
either.

308
00:23:42,320 –> 00:23:44,880
It would defeat the whole
purpose of God if it was so.

309
00:23:45,640 –> 00:23:49,320
God is looking for a willing
response of love from His

310
00:23:49,320 –> 00:23:52,760
children.
There’s nothing willing about

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00:23:52,880 –> 00:23:57,800
being radically and miraculously
reprogrammed by the Holy Spirit

312
00:23:57,800 –> 00:24:03,200
out of baptism, for example.
Additionally, why is the New

313
00:24:03,200 –> 00:24:05,600
Testament full of warnings for
the believer?

314
00:24:06,240 –> 00:24:09,680
Shouldn’t godliness come
naturally to one who has been

315
00:24:09,680 –> 00:24:13,240
given a godly character via Holy
Spirit gifts?

316
00:24:15,840 –> 00:24:19,480
Love cannot be programmed in.
It must be a free will response.

317
00:24:21,240 –> 00:24:25,600
The fruit is of the Spirit
because it results from the

318
00:24:25,600 –> 00:24:32,920
influence of the Spirit Word.
Another reason for this fruit

319
00:24:32,920 –> 00:24:38,240
being of the Spirit is that only
by influence of the Spirit can

320
00:24:38,240 –> 00:24:41,320
these virtues truly be developed
and shown.

321
00:24:42,760 –> 00:24:48,200
In other words, the only real
virtues are those of the Spirit

322
00:24:48,880 –> 00:24:52,760
developed by delight and
meditation on God’s Word, along

323
00:24:52,760 –> 00:24:54,600
with putting trust and
confidence in Him.

324
00:24:55,360 –> 00:24:59,360
Any Lovejoy, peace, patience,
kindness, goodness,

325
00:24:59,360 –> 00:25:03,280
faithfulness, gentleness, or
self-control found in the world

326
00:25:03,920 –> 00:25:07,160
only mimics the real fruit of
the Spirit.

327
00:25:10,160 –> 00:25:16,480
How do we know this is the case?
Well, the only way to develop

328
00:25:16,480 –> 00:25:19,920
the fruit of the Spirit is
delight and meditation on God’s

329
00:25:19,920 –> 00:25:23,200
Word, along with putting trust
and confidence in Him.

330
00:25:23,320 –> 00:25:27,800
There’s no other way.
Do those in the world who

331
00:25:27,800 –> 00:25:33,320
display these virtues do so on
the basis of their love for God

332
00:25:33,360 –> 00:25:39,120
and His Word?
Now, this is not an effort to

333
00:25:39,120 –> 00:25:43,000
condemn the virtue of the world
or the genuine and sincere

334
00:25:43,000 –> 00:25:44,800
people who display these
virtues.

335
00:25:45,520 –> 00:25:49,240
In fact, sometimes we could
learn a thing or two from them.

336
00:25:50,760 –> 00:25:54,320
Rather, this is an effort to
convey that God is looking for

337
00:25:54,320 –> 00:25:59,560
people who develop characters by
influence of His Word and love

338
00:25:59,560 –> 00:26:03,880
for Him.
God is more concerned with who

339
00:26:03,880 –> 00:26:09,600
we are, flash who we are
becoming, rather than our doing.

340
00:26:10,600 –> 00:26:13,640
We can’t do our way into the
Kingdom.

341
00:26:16,000 –> 00:26:20,720
God is looking for those who
have a godly being and as a

342
00:26:20,720 –> 00:26:24,280
response to God’s love for them,
show His character in what they

343
00:26:24,280 –> 00:26:27,360
say and do.
Our doing should come as a

344
00:26:27,360 –> 00:26:34,160
response to our being, that is
our godly being and it’s this

345
00:26:34,160 –> 00:26:36,960
type of people that will
populate the Kingdom.

346
00:26:40,080 –> 00:26:44,440
I just wanted to mention the
fruit of the Spirit, love for a

347
00:26:44,440 –> 00:26:48,560
brief moment.
I believe love is actually the

348
00:26:48,560 –> 00:26:53,040
whole fruit of the spirit, and
the other 8 virtues are the 8

349
00:26:53,120 –> 00:26:57,680
aspects of love.
So for clarification, I believe

350
00:26:57,680 –> 00:27:02,160
joy, which we will speak about
shortly, is an aspect of love

351
00:27:02,800 –> 00:27:07,400
rather than a separate entity.
You can imagine an orange that

352
00:27:07,400 –> 00:27:12,240
being love with each carpal or
or segment of the orange

353
00:27:12,240 –> 00:27:16,400
representing a different aspect
of love, a a joy segment, a

354
00:27:16,440 –> 00:27:20,240
peace segment, a patient
segment, etcetera, which all

355
00:27:20,240 –> 00:27:23,520
combine to make up the whole
fruit that being love.

356
00:27:25,520 –> 00:27:28,360
Now, the reason behind this is
not in the scope of this talk.

357
00:27:28,720 –> 00:27:33,000
For time’s sake, in your own
time, it’s well worth reading

358
00:27:33,000 –> 00:27:35,920
Colin Attrich’s The Fruit of the
Spirit for an excellent

359
00:27:35,920 –> 00:27:38,840
explanation of this, along with
a deeper look into the Fruit of

360
00:27:38,840 –> 00:27:43,600
the Spirit in its entirety.
But importantly, whether or not

361
00:27:43,600 –> 00:27:47,680
you agree with this conclusion
will not hinder the benefit you

362
00:27:47,680 –> 00:27:51,320
can gain by considering what the
Bible has to say about joy.

363
00:27:52,400 –> 00:27:55,640
So let’s take a closer look at
biblical joy.

364
00:27:58,520 –> 00:28:04,920
Where does one even start in
first Peter one verse 8, it

365
00:28:04,920 –> 00:28:08,040
reads, though you have not seen
him, you love him.

366
00:28:09,480 –> 00:28:13,720
Though you do not now see him,
you believe in him and rejoice

367
00:28:13,720 –> 00:28:18,520
with joy that is inexpressible
and filled with glory.

368
00:28:19,080 –> 00:28:21,840
Or in the King James it says joy
unspeakable.

369
00:28:22,960 –> 00:28:26,000
So how?
How do you describe a joy that’s

370
00:28:26,160 –> 00:28:31,800
inexpressible and unspeakable?
Well, with with great

371
00:28:31,800 –> 00:28:34,800
difficulty, but we’re going to
try to do our best to have a

372
00:28:34,800 –> 00:28:38,360
look at it this morning.
And I’d like to start our

373
00:28:38,360 –> 00:28:44,000
thought about joy with an
example, an imaginary example.

374
00:28:45,680 –> 00:28:51,000
Imagine you’re walking along a
path, going about your daily

375
00:28:51,000 –> 00:28:57,240
life, run-of-the-mill stuff, and
suddenly an Angel appears to you

376
00:28:57,800 –> 00:29:03,040
in brightness and in glory.
And in response you you drop to

377
00:29:03,040 –> 00:29:06,000
your knees and humility and
respect.

378
00:29:08,560 –> 00:29:13,440
The Angel helps you up with a
hand outstretched and says to

379
00:29:13,440 –> 00:29:19,000
you, fear not, you’re on the
right Rd.

380
00:29:20,520 –> 00:29:23,720
Keep going, keep living the new
life.

381
00:29:27,040 –> 00:29:28,840
What would our reaction to this
be?

382
00:29:31,120 –> 00:29:36,880
Well, our initial reaction would
probably involve us welling up

383
00:29:36,880 –> 00:29:40,000
with emotion, with joy that is
inexpressible.

384
00:29:40,960 –> 00:29:46,200
Then, over time, this would
simmer down into a relaxing,

385
00:29:46,840 –> 00:29:51,360
peaceful bliss that may
sometimes bubble up into a

386
00:29:51,360 –> 00:29:55,920
joyful exuberance.
We would feel secure.

387
00:29:56,920 –> 00:29:58,640
We would feel we’re on the right
track.

388
00:29:59,120 –> 00:30:03,200
We’d feel reassured, cheerful,
happy, content, comforted.

389
00:30:05,560 –> 00:30:12,360
This is biblical joy.
Let’s look further into what the

390
00:30:12,360 –> 00:30:17,480
Bible says about joy.
So joy, that word joy in

391
00:30:17,480 –> 00:30:24,000
Galatians 522 is the Greek word
harder and it means

392
00:30:24,000 –> 00:30:30,000
cheerfulness, delight, gladness
and, and joy is one of three

393
00:30:30,000 –> 00:30:32,760
words that are very similar,
that are in the same family.

394
00:30:33,240 –> 00:30:37,680
And, and those 3 English words
are joy, grace and gift.

395
00:30:39,480 –> 00:30:42,480
Joy in Greek, as I just said,
is, is harder.

396
00:30:42,680 –> 00:30:46,960
Grace is hardest, gift is
charisma.

397
00:30:47,120 –> 00:30:51,440
They’re almost all the same word
and that’s purposeful.

398
00:30:52,240 –> 00:30:57,120
They’re highly related concepts,
joy, gift and grace.

399
00:30:58,880 –> 00:31:03,920
So what we want to do in this
very short look into joy is

400
00:31:03,920 –> 00:31:08,320
check out in the Bible what the
source of joy is.

401
00:31:08,480 –> 00:31:11,640
What context do we find joy in
in the Bible?

402
00:31:12,640 –> 00:31:19,320
Is this just some fleeting joy?
Is this the joy of when Kentucky

403
00:31:19,320 –> 00:31:23,320
Fried Chicken, the $5 fill up
comes back in stock or, or the

404
00:31:23,600 –> 00:31:26,120
OR the Mackers Monopoly season
comes around?

405
00:31:26,720 –> 00:31:31,120
Is this the joy of Ani Joan
Bowen’s crustless sandwiches at

406
00:31:31,120 –> 00:31:35,080
Hunter Valley Bible class supper
or or seeing Mum has restacked

407
00:31:35,080 –> 00:31:36,880
the the snack drawer in the
pantry?

408
00:31:38,480 –> 00:31:41,040
I’m not sure why all those
examples were food related, but

409
00:31:42,360 –> 00:31:45,000
you get my point.
Is this just some fleeting joy?

410
00:31:45,600 –> 00:31:50,640
What’s the source of this joy?
What does the Bible say?

411
00:31:52,680 –> 00:31:56,160
Well, we’re going to have a look
at just one example to prove

412
00:31:56,640 –> 00:32:00,360
what joy is all about in the
Bible, and it’s the example of

413
00:32:00,360 –> 00:32:04,880
the people in Nehemiah’s day.
So could you all please turn

414
00:32:04,880 –> 00:32:19,440
with me to Nehemiah chapter 8?
So Nehemiah 8 contains the story

415
00:32:19,440 –> 00:32:23,760
of when Nehemiah and Ezra
orchestrate the reading of the

416
00:32:23,760 –> 00:32:26,080
law publicly in front of all the
people.

417
00:32:27,600 –> 00:32:30,360
And it starts in verse one where
it reads.

418
00:32:31,400 –> 00:32:34,840
And all the people gathered as
one man into the square before

419
00:32:34,840 –> 00:32:37,560
the Watergate.
And they told Ezra the scribe to

420
00:32:37,560 –> 00:32:39,920
bring the book of the law of
Moses that the Lord had

421
00:32:39,920 –> 00:32:43,080
commanded Israel.
So Ezra the priest brought the

422
00:32:43,080 –> 00:32:47,280
law before the assembly, both
men and women and all who could

423
00:32:47,280 –> 00:32:51,360
understand what they heard on
the first day of the 7th month.

424
00:32:53,200 –> 00:32:55,880
And he read from it, facing the
square before the Watergate,

425
00:32:55,880 –> 00:33:00,200
from early morning until midday,
in the presence of the men and

426
00:33:00,200 –> 00:33:02,600
the women and those who could
understand.

427
00:33:03,200 –> 00:33:06,680
And all the years of the people
were attentive to the book of

428
00:33:06,680 –> 00:33:09,080
the Law.
So what’s going on here?

429
00:33:09,080 –> 00:33:12,440
Well, as as we just mentioned,
Ezra and Nehemiah have

430
00:33:12,440 –> 00:33:15,480
orchestrated the reading of the
law for the first time in a

431
00:33:15,480 –> 00:33:19,880
very, very long time.
And everyone gathers around and

432
00:33:19,880 –> 00:33:22,800
they they read all day, from
early morning until midday.

433
00:33:23,720 –> 00:33:26,600
And everyone who can understand
gathers around.

434
00:33:26,600 –> 00:33:31,160
And all the people were
attentive, but not everyone

435
00:33:31,160 –> 00:33:34,880
could understand.
And so it says in verse 7

436
00:33:34,880 –> 00:33:39,320
halfway through that the Levites
went down and helped the people

437
00:33:39,320 –> 00:33:43,760
to understand the law, while the
people remained in their places.

438
00:33:45,520 –> 00:33:48,360
And in verse 8, it says they
read from the book, from the law

439
00:33:48,440 –> 00:33:53,640
of God clearly, and they gave
the sense so that the people

440
00:33:53,640 –> 00:33:59,000
understood the reading.
Notice here the people now

441
00:33:59,080 –> 00:34:01,360
understood what was being read
out.

442
00:34:02,000 –> 00:34:06,080
They got the sense they
understood what God required of

443
00:34:06,080 –> 00:34:08,520
them.
They understood God’s laws.

444
00:34:08,920 –> 00:34:12,600
They didn’t previously or or at
the very least they hadn’t heard

445
00:34:12,600 –> 00:34:15,000
this law read in a very long
time.

446
00:34:18,000 –> 00:34:21,639
The record continues in verse 9.
And Nehemiah, who was the

447
00:34:21,639 –> 00:34:25,080
governor, and Ezra the priest
and scribe, and the Levites who

448
00:34:25,080 –> 00:34:29,920
taught the people, said to all
the people, this day is wholly

449
00:34:29,920 –> 00:34:34,520
to the Lord your God.
Do not mourn or weep for all the

450
00:34:34,520 –> 00:34:38,560
people wept as they heard the
words of the law.

451
00:34:38,560 –> 00:34:43,960
What was their reaction to
hearing and understanding God’s

452
00:34:43,960 –> 00:34:47,280
laws?
Weeping.

453
00:34:48,960 –> 00:34:53,880
Why were they weeping?
Well, they wept because they

454
00:34:53,880 –> 00:34:57,880
hadn’t been keeping the law.
They neglected and turned away

455
00:34:57,880 –> 00:35:00,880
from it.
They realized they had rejected

456
00:35:00,960 –> 00:35:05,920
God by rejecting His laws.
They had forsaken God and His

457
00:35:05,920 –> 00:35:08,320
laws.
That’s why they were weeping.

458
00:35:10,880 –> 00:35:12,720
The record continues in verse
10.

459
00:35:13,440 –> 00:35:19,520
Then he said to them, go your
way, eat the fat and drink sweet

460
00:35:19,520 –> 00:35:22,720
wine and send portions to anyone
who has nothing ready.

461
00:35:23,400 –> 00:35:28,480
For this day is holy to our
Lord, and do not be grieved, for

462
00:35:28,480 –> 00:35:31,960
the joy of the Lord is your
strength.

463
00:35:33,760 –> 00:35:36,600
And that word joy.
There is the Old Testament

464
00:35:36,600 –> 00:35:40,000
equivalent of our Greek word
harder.

465
00:35:40,400 –> 00:35:43,560
And in fact in the Septuagint,
in the Old Testament it is the

466
00:35:43,560 –> 00:35:48,040
word harder.
So what does Nehemiah say in

467
00:35:48,040 –> 00:35:52,840
response to this situation, in
response to their grief,

468
00:35:53,280 –> 00:35:57,360
sadness, shame, their sorrow and
their neglect, their mourning

469
00:35:57,360 –> 00:36:01,880
and weeping?
Nehemiah tells them not to weep,

470
00:36:02,880 –> 00:36:05,880
but to celebrate.
Share food and drink with each

471
00:36:05,880 –> 00:36:08,000
other.
Give to those who have naughty.

472
00:36:08,840 –> 00:36:11,960
Don’t be grieved.
Why?

473
00:36:13,600 –> 00:36:20,760
What’s the reason he gives?
Because the joy of the Lord is

474
00:36:20,760 –> 00:36:23,760
your strength, for the joy of
the Lord is your strength.

475
00:36:24,800 –> 00:36:26,680
The Good News Bible translates
this.

476
00:36:27,560 –> 00:36:30,640
The joy that the Lord gives you
will make you strong.

477
00:36:34,240 –> 00:36:38,000
So the story continues in verse
11 where it says, so the Levites

478
00:36:38,000 –> 00:36:43,680
calmed all the people saying be
quiet for this day is holy, do

479
00:36:43,680 –> 00:36:48,360
not be grieved.
What’s happening in this verse?

480
00:36:50,280 –> 00:36:56,000
The Levites calm the people.
Well, that must be because they

481
00:36:56,000 –> 00:37:00,200
weren’t calm.
The people were still mourning

482
00:37:00,200 –> 00:37:02,600
and weeping.
They were still sad and sorry

483
00:37:03,040 –> 00:37:05,880
even after Nehemiah told them
not to mourn.

484
00:37:07,680 –> 00:37:11,360
The Levites had to actually go
down and comfort the people,

485
00:37:12,280 –> 00:37:15,720
telling them not to grieve for
the past, but to rejoice

486
00:37:15,720 –> 00:37:21,440
instead.
Although the people had recently

487
00:37:21,440 –> 00:37:25,680
become deeply aware of their sin
and discovered how serious their

488
00:37:25,680 –> 00:37:31,760
failure was, the Levites remind
them that this day is an holy

489
00:37:32,000 –> 00:37:34,560
rehearsal or, or celebration for
God.

490
00:37:34,800 –> 00:37:38,440
It’s a holy, a holy day.
What?

491
00:37:38,480 –> 00:37:41,600
What celebration was it on that
day?

492
00:37:42,720 –> 00:37:44,600
What are the Levites referring
to?

493
00:37:48,760 –> 00:37:51,840
Well, I think we get some very
crucial information to figuring

494
00:37:51,840 –> 00:37:57,760
out the answer to our conundrum
in verse 2 where it reads that

495
00:37:57,760 –> 00:38:01,320
this is the first day of the 7th
month.

496
00:38:03,440 –> 00:38:06,760
And we know from the law that
the 7th month is a very

497
00:38:06,760 –> 00:38:11,920
significant month.
In fact, in Leviticus 23, verse

498
00:38:11,920 –> 00:38:19,000
24, it reads, speak to the
people of Israel saying in the

499
00:38:19,000 –> 00:38:24,360
seventh month, on the first day
of the month, you shall observe

500
00:38:24,360 –> 00:38:29,600
a day of solemn rest, a memorial
proclaimed with the blast of

501
00:38:29,600 –> 00:38:34,400
trumpets, a holy convocation or
a holy day, a holy celebration

502
00:38:34,400 –> 00:38:38,360
rehearsal.
And so we get there that the 7th

503
00:38:38,360 –> 00:38:41,920
month is actually the month for
the feast of trumpets.

504
00:38:42,400 –> 00:38:46,360
This is a day of rejoicing.
This is a day of blowing of

505
00:38:46,360 –> 00:38:51,280
trumpets.
Now there’s also something very

506
00:38:51,280 –> 00:38:53,560
significant about the timing in
Nehemiah.

507
00:38:53,960 –> 00:38:59,880
It’s not only the 7th month, but
it’s the first day of the month.

508
00:39:00,920 –> 00:39:03,160
It’s the first day of the 7th
month, the first day of the

509
00:39:03,160 –> 00:39:07,680
month.
What’s so significant about the

510
00:39:07,680 –> 00:39:13,760
first day of the month?
Well, we’re given detail in

511
00:39:13,760 –> 00:39:16,960
Numbers 10 verse 10 as to why
that’s so important.

512
00:39:18,640 –> 00:39:21,920
It reads on the day of your
gladness also, and at your

513
00:39:21,920 –> 00:39:26,320
appointed feasts and at the
beginning of your month.

514
00:39:28,560 –> 00:39:32,560
You shall blow the trumpets over
your burnt offerings and over

515
00:39:32,560 –> 00:39:35,200
the sacrifices of your peace
offerings.

516
00:39:35,680 –> 00:39:39,160
There shall be a reminder of you
before your God.

517
00:39:40,160 –> 00:39:47,160
I am the Lord your God.
So what does the beginning of a

518
00:39:47,160 –> 00:39:49,520
month symbolize?
What does it mean?

519
00:39:53,240 –> 00:39:57,080
It says beginnings of your month
shall be a reminder of you

520
00:39:57,080 –> 00:39:58,960
before your God.
I am the Lord your God.

521
00:39:58,960 –> 00:40:02,560
What does that mean?
Well, that the NASB 95

522
00:40:02,560 –> 00:40:06,640
translates that they shall be as
a reminder of you before your

523
00:40:06,640 –> 00:40:09,400
God.
I am the Lord your God.

524
00:40:10,320 –> 00:40:17,480
The beginning of the month was a
symbol for God’s remembrance of

525
00:40:17,480 –> 00:40:20,480
you.
He remembers you.

526
00:40:21,640 –> 00:40:26,000
He is your God.
He hasn’t forgotten about you.

527
00:40:27,160 –> 00:40:29,160
God thinks about and cares for
you.

528
00:40:29,480 –> 00:40:31,440
I am your God, it says in the
law.

529
00:40:31,440 –> 00:40:36,080
You are my people.
This was a reminder of God’s

530
00:40:36,080 –> 00:40:40,480
presence.
This was a reminder that Yahweh

531
00:40:40,480 –> 00:40:45,080
was their God.
Applying this to the people of

532
00:40:45,080 –> 00:40:49,760
Nehemiah’s day, even though they
had sinned, God was reminding

533
00:40:49,760 –> 00:40:54,400
him that he was still their God.
Even though they had forsaken

534
00:40:54,400 –> 00:41:01,680
him, the new month was a symbol
that God was still with them.

535
00:41:03,080 –> 00:41:07,520
Perhaps these are the words the
Levites comforted the people

536
00:41:07,520 –> 00:41:12,760
with.
There is a time for sadness.

537
00:41:12,760 –> 00:41:15,560
There is a time for mourning.
But the Levites remind the

538
00:41:15,560 –> 00:41:19,240
people that this is the first
day of the month.

539
00:41:20,640 –> 00:41:24,480
A day to be celebrated for God.
A day to remember that God has

540
00:41:24,520 –> 00:41:29,880
not cast off his people.
A day that is evidence of God’s

541
00:41:29,880 –> 00:41:33,480
great gift of grace.
A day to remember that Yahweh

542
00:41:33,960 –> 00:41:38,280
was still their God even when
they were down.

543
00:41:40,440 –> 00:41:44,320
This joy the people experience
was because of this.

544
00:41:48,560 –> 00:41:52,000
So after the Levites talk to and
comfort the people, the record

545
00:41:52,000 –> 00:41:56,080
continues in verse 12.
And it reads, And all the people

546
00:41:56,080 –> 00:41:59,640
went their way to eat and drink
and to send portions and to make

547
00:41:59,640 –> 00:42:05,120
great rejoicing because they had
understood the words that were

548
00:42:05,120 –> 00:42:10,160
declared to them.
What had they understood?

549
00:42:12,160 –> 00:42:15,320
They understood the law and
remembered their sin.

550
00:42:15,440 –> 00:42:17,800
They were deeply saddened by the
previous actions.

551
00:42:17,800 –> 00:42:23,080
That’s what verse 8 and 9 say.
What exactly did they now

552
00:42:23,080 –> 00:42:26,320
understand?
After the Levites came to

553
00:42:26,320 –> 00:42:35,360
comfort them, they finally
understood even though they were

554
00:42:35,360 –> 00:42:39,320
sinners.
God is a loving, compassionate,

555
00:42:39,800 –> 00:42:45,240
graceful God.
Who is their God, who was still

556
00:42:45,760 –> 00:42:51,160
their God.
The joy they received was the

557
00:42:51,160 –> 00:42:55,280
joy of reassurance, of comfort,
of love.

558
00:42:55,600 –> 00:43:00,800
This was the joy of security.
They were now happy, content,

559
00:43:01,320 –> 00:43:07,000
cheerful and comforted by the
reassurance of God’s grace, love

560
00:43:07,200 –> 00:43:12,640
and mercy.
It’s the joy of God still being

561
00:43:12,640 –> 00:43:15,360
with them.
It’s the joy of having their

562
00:43:15,360 –> 00:43:23,680
fear and doubt cast out.
Brother Dave Pogson in his 1964

563
00:43:23,680 –> 00:43:30,240
Galatian series says joy is the
harder is that quiet in a sense

564
00:43:30,240 –> 00:43:35,280
of happiness which comes as a
result of knowing your position

565
00:43:35,280 –> 00:43:38,200
in the truth and the hope that’s
before you.

566
00:43:40,960 –> 00:43:45,760
Effectively, biblical joy is
that inward happiness that we

567
00:43:45,760 –> 00:43:50,920
have because we understand how
much God loves us and how much

568
00:43:50,920 –> 00:43:55,360
God cares for us and how
graceful he is to us and that we

569
00:43:55,360 –> 00:43:59,960
don’t need to be worried.
And, and this is not an isolated

570
00:44:00,000 –> 00:44:03,200
incident in Scripture.
Almost everywhere in Scripture

571
00:44:03,200 –> 00:44:07,760
we see joy.
It’s in response to God’s grace.

572
00:44:11,000 –> 00:44:13,440
Brother Colin Attridge in his
book The Fruit of the Spirit,

573
00:44:13,440 –> 00:44:17,880
says our joy comes from our
security in Christ.

574
00:44:19,200 –> 00:44:23,720
It’s the joy of doubt cast out
and of knowing we’re on the

575
00:44:23,720 –> 00:44:28,800
right Rd.
There’s this very close

576
00:44:28,800 –> 00:44:32,840
relationship with the grace that
God so abundantly gives us.

577
00:44:33,160 –> 00:44:37,400
And our response to that grace,
that being joy.

578
00:44:38,160 –> 00:44:41,640
As we said before, joy and grace
are almost the same.

579
00:44:41,640 –> 00:44:49,120
Greek word para is joy.
Paris or charis is grace.

580
00:44:51,560 –> 00:44:54,560
Our response to God’s grace
should be joy.

581
00:44:55,280 –> 00:45:00,160
We should feel comforted,
cheerful, and secure because of

582
00:45:00,160 –> 00:45:02,480
what God has so mercifully done
for us.

583
00:45:04,000 –> 00:45:08,080
Isn’t this the same feeling we
all imagined at the start, where

584
00:45:08,080 –> 00:45:11,800
we pictured an Angel appearing
to us and reassuring us?

585
00:45:16,600 –> 00:45:20,640
So, like the children of Israel,
even when we are down

586
00:45:20,640 –> 00:45:26,480
spiritually, let’s try to
remember the abundant grace of

587
00:45:26,480 –> 00:45:30,600
God.
Let that bring us the heart.

588
00:45:31,320 –> 00:45:37,480
Or in the words of James, my
brethren, count it all joy para

589
00:45:38,240 –> 00:45:42,920
when you fall into diverse
temptations, knowing this, that

590
00:45:42,920 –> 00:45:46,360
the trying of your faith worketh
patience.

591
00:45:46,880 –> 00:45:50,680
But let patience have her
perfect work, that ye may be

592
00:45:50,680 –> 00:45:54,640
entire and perfect, wanting
nothing.

593
00:45:57,000 –> 00:46:00,480
So how do you actually develop
this biblical joy?

594
00:46:02,640 –> 00:46:06,120
What’s no different to
developing any other aspect of

595
00:46:06,120 –> 00:46:09,680
the fruit of the Spirit?
We just need to follow those

596
00:46:09,680 –> 00:46:12,440
four simple steps we looked at
earlier.

597
00:46:13,960 –> 00:46:18,880
Delight in the law of the Lord,
meditation day and night in his

598
00:46:18,880 –> 00:46:26,160
law, trust in the Lord, put
confidence in the Lord, and we

599
00:46:26,160 –> 00:46:30,640
will develop these fruit of the
Spirit and this biblical joy.

600
00:46:32,840 –> 00:46:35,520
Our Lord Jesus Christ did this
perfectly.

601
00:46:36,360 –> 00:46:38,160
He delighted in the law of the
Lord.

602
00:46:38,560 –> 00:46:40,680
He meditated day and night in
his law.

603
00:46:44,000 –> 00:46:46,760
He trusted and put confidence in
God.

604
00:46:48,000 –> 00:46:53,040
And God worked in him, as he
does in us, to develop the

605
00:46:53,040 –> 00:46:57,160
heart.
He had the complete biblical

606
00:46:57,160 –> 00:47:01,520
joy.
John 15 verse 11 tells us His

607
00:47:01,520 –> 00:47:07,400
joy was full.
He was entirely trusting in God.

608
00:47:08,640 –> 00:47:13,920
He was delighted, content and
comforted by God’s grace and

609
00:47:13,920 –> 00:47:17,880
love.
He was so secured by his joy

610
00:47:19,040 –> 00:47:24,320
that he was able to endure the
cross, despising the shame.

611
00:47:26,480 –> 00:47:32,400
Hebrews 12 verse 2 reads looking
unto Jesus, the author and

612
00:47:32,400 –> 00:47:35,960
finisher of our faith.
For who?

613
00:47:35,960 –> 00:47:40,000
The harder that was set before
Him, the joy that was set before

614
00:47:40,000 –> 00:47:44,760
him, endured the cross,
despising the shame, and is set

615
00:47:44,760 –> 00:47:46,800
down at the right hand of the
throne of God.

616
00:47:50,040 –> 00:47:54,920
This is the ultimate act of
God’s grace giving His Son for

617
00:47:54,920 –> 00:48:00,880
us.
Let us be thankful, comforted,

618
00:48:00,920 –> 00:48:06,120
secure, happy, cheerful,
content, and reassured because

619
00:48:06,120 –> 00:48:11,040
of this grace, mercy, and love
that our God gives.

620
00:48:12,480 –> 00:48:17,320
Our response to this grace to
God giving His Son should be

621
00:48:17,320 –> 00:48:23,240
biblical joy.
I’ll finish with the words of

622
00:48:23,320 –> 00:48:31,960
Philippians 4 verse one.
Therefore, my brethren, dearly

623
00:48:31,960 –> 00:48:39,280
beloved and longed for my joy
and my crown, so stand fast in

624
00:48:39,280 –> 00:48:58,840
the Lord, my dearly beloved.
Thank you for listening to the

625
00:48:58,840 –> 00:49:00,440
Good Christadelphian Talks
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626
00:49:01,280 –> 00:49:03,720
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627
00:49:03,720 –> 00:49:06,080
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628
00:49:06,080 –> 00:49:07,840
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629
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