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Proverbs 11:30
We invite you to join us for worship each Sunday morning at 9:30. You can download our service on iTunes or tune in for “The Good Word” each day on AM 1230 WSAL or on Hoosier Country 103.7 FM just after 8am. There is an old adage among Christians that says you should share Christ with someone around you every day. The first thing that comes to mind is trying to lead someone to the Lord – which for some reason makes most people uncomfortable. So the question is are you sharing the Christ of the Bible with them in such a way as to cause them to want to know Him as their Savior – or does your life and lifestyle give them more reasons to avoid a personal relationship with Christ as Savior? Let’s consider first:
I. THE FRUIT OF THE RIGHTEOUS! Solomon says the fruit of the righteous is a tree of life. When you read a statement like that in your own quiet time – what does it mean to you? What do you think of? Understanding such a statement will cause you to grow spiritually, because it will draw you deeper into the Word of God, and at the same time draw you closer and deeper into the God of The Word!
So what is the fruit of the righteous? In the OT fruit can mean produce as used in Gen. 1:11; Fruit can also mean crops or what is harvested as in Dt. 7:13; Sometimes fruit means the young of a successive generation as in Dt. 28:4, Fruit also means results as used in Isa. 3:10; Finally, fruit can be translated deed or the natural or logical result of what has been done as in Prov. 1:31. Now here’s the interesting thing about all of this, all of these words are used in some form or other throughout the NT to describe character traits or qualities that identify true Christians. Galatians 5:22 tells us that we are to produce the fruits of the spirit; Gal. 6:7 = what we sow, we reap; Eph. 6:4 = don’t provoke your children, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord; Rev. 22:12= I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done; Rom. 12:19— vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.
II. THE FRUIT OF THE RIGHTEOUS! What is righteousness from—God’s viewpoint? Righteousness is one of God’s communicable attributes, which means it is part of His character that He shares with those who are redeemed. Grudem defines God’s righteousness as God always acting in accordance with what is right and is Himself the final standard of what is right. Because God is God, He is always righteous! So the question becomes when is a person righteous? From a human perspective righteousness is fulfillment of the expectations in any relationship, whether with God or other people.
I like the way one author connects the righteousness of God to the life of a righteous person when he says that which the righteous man says and does, is the result of his moral integrity. OR what the person really is in their heart. The truth is that both you and the Lord know what/who rules your heart! Now let’s consider:
III. A TREE OF LIFE! A student of the word might ask the question – how is the fruit of the righteous a tree of life? Look at it this way: fruit = tree. It is the fruit of the righteous that Solomon says is the tree of life. It is the fruit that propagates the tree.
If we can help you answer your spiritual questions, call us at (574) 643-9419.
