Fruit is not knowledge. I want that to be made very clear in our minds this morning. The fruit of the Spirit is not knowing the things of the Lord or being knowledgeable in the things of scripture and doctrine. As men I believe we have an issue with understanding this. Women, not so much. As a pastor, I am around a lot of men and a lot of women. Folks that serve with me, folks that serve me…folks that I serve. Friends and church members that I talk to all the time about the things of God…folks that I watch and observe all the time. And I am convinced that we men get this mixed up…

First, let me be clear as to why I want to spend some time on this with you this morning. If you do not bear fruit, you do not honor Christ. Being a Christian is not about what you know…it is about Who you know. Gandhi once said speaking on Christianity, “I love your Christ, I just hate your Christians. They’re nothing like Him.” All you know and all your deep thoughts and all your intellect and all your powerful memorization and regurgitation of countless sermons are all pointless if there is no fruit in your life. And so we find the correct priority.

Now fruit is kind of a fruity word in the English. And it’s a bit churchy. Know this, in Galatians 5 the word is Karpos and it presented in the masculine. Literally it means that which is the result. The product of the work. Without a result that is Christ like in what you do, how on earth is the Holy Spirit working through you? I would say He is not. But here’s the rub. It’s A LOT easier to tell you the truth of the scriptures, then to show you the very character of God. To show you, I have to know myself…It is SO much easier to throw some knowledge on you or push my perspective on you then it is to allow the Holy Spirit to work through me, thus achieving God’s results.

Why? Because that means I actually have to surrender to His ways, not His truth, I mean give God the glory and give God the business, in that very minute. This cannot be strived for…this cannot be pressed through….this cannot be willed through…this is purely and only a result…a result of loving God more than yourself and that is the only time that fruit ever grows and goes…

Turn over to the Book of Philippians. Look with me at Chapter 1 verses 9 – 11. This is such a powerful and purposeful statement made by Paul. All his Christian life he had been surrounded by men and women who would turn on for God and learn the truth of the gospel and learn the scriptures and advance quickly for a time, but I hear in this phrase something he is so very done with…something I myself have become so very keen to because I went through it myself…embedded within this verse set is an outright attack on fruitless Christianity!

He says, “I pray your love may abound.” Love is the fruit of the Spirit. Not love like fondness or affection. Those are emotions and they are weak. They flee at the drop of the hat of offense and in my opinion are nice but ultimately worthless. I’m talking about love that doesn’t leave. I’m talking about love that carries a personal cross daily. Folks tell me all the time they love me. Yet I see no cross on their back with my name on it.

That cross that Jesus carried…was not His. When the Bible says that He loves you, that doesn’t mean He has some attraction to you because you are something special…it means that He has taken responsibility for you. He owns your security. He owns your hope. He owns your offense. And He ain’t leaving. Love is something so much more than fairy tale farces of prince charmings and bands of brothers. Love is Godly. Love grows forth from the indwelling presence of God in your core computing CPU…

One brother that comes to mind for me is Chin. I know that Chin loves me. No matter what, he ain’t leaving…I know we will be family for life. Who do you love? Who is written on the cross that you carry? Is it Jesus? Is that the name? Put it down. He can handle His own. Is it your name? Put it down. It’s a copy. Jesus carries yours. If you look closely at Matthew 16 and Luke 9, Jesus said, “Take up your cross…and follow Me.” If we follow behind Jesus our eyes will be upon His back as He leads us, right? All the names of all the sinners even written in lashes on His back and engraved in His cross…so what should be on ours? The. Same. Thing.

Paul reveals something here that I had to face in my own life. Something I know many of you need to as well. He says I pray that your love may abound more and more…in other words it is constantly growing…more and more in knowledge AND all discernment…this is so weak in the English but reveals a depth of truth of real Christianity in the Greek. Look it up. Look at this on your own and let God blow up that false cross you carry around!

In the Greek this is so eloquent and revealing as to what Paul does not align with, is sick of seeing and what ultimately drives many FROM the cross of Christ as Christians walk in superiority of knowledge…he says in the Greek, “Your love will abound more and more with the knowledge of His will and in wisdom and all spiritual understanding.” It’s not just knowing, it’s so much more than that. How does love abound? How are we and our lives and our actions and our reasons filled with the fruits of righteousness producing real glory and praise unto God? Paul says there must be something more than knowledge…there must be spiritual understanding and that means folding into the very Spirit of God!

This is so ultimate! That is what Paul said here. Yes knowledge is so very important but the growth, the Christianity, the glory unto God comes as you and I…in the Greek pneumatikos synesis. Spirit sync. When I got saved I was a scripture and knowledge vacuum. I just was always on high, sucking in and retaining and learning and man I knew truth.   Here’s the thing…I had found truth! If I had found truth then man truth is all I want…why would I want a lie over the truth? And so I learned and learned and man did I become learned…and everyone was so impressed with my progress.

I mean I was talked about as if I was boy wonder! My pastor used to brag on me all the time in front of others and I loved it…and so I studied the Gospel, prophets, epistles, proverbs, prophecy all the cults and all the oddities of scriptures…all the topics folks swirl endlessly about…I studied them all and as I laid flat all of these topics in my understanding…I became a little nervous. You see I knew all of this and had learned all of this but deep down inside, I knew I knew I knew that I was about to be found out. I mean I don’t know how else to say it…deep down I hadn’t let go of me…

There was so much of me still in there…I was just dumping piles of knowledge on top and so when people looked…all they saw was the knowledge…man I lost sleep over this…I had knowledge but spirit sync…whole different story. That means God is given lead over every part of my life…I love what Mineo raps…, “I wear a cross and give you thanks for my blessings! Ain’t that enough?! Why you want everything?! Can’t you leave this part of my life untouched?! I thought following you meant I only had to only say yes once! Now every day I wake up you give me some cross to take up! You really want me to break up with my girl? Now that's too much…I know what's best for me! You don't understand my complexities! See I gotta make a living so don't ask where my checks come from! Now I hear you talking, I ain't gone numb! I know I'm in the dark and I gotta find my way to the Son, 'cause He calling on my name and I know I can't run...I'm so back and forth... “

I absolutely love that because that was me and I know that is the majority of men in the church because man I see like highlighter under a black light…I’m with Paul and Paul is with Jesus…knowledge puffs up…love edifies…You can tell me all about fruit…but do you got any? Are you sincere and without offense? Turn over to Colossians Chapter 2 Verses 5 – 8. Are you humble and obedient to the spiritual authority in your life or are you always trying to teach them something? Do you make yourself of no reputation and take the form of slave with your wives or are you always trying to exact respect?

Are you bearing fruit or are you just a Christian? I got not more time this morning. We have got to get this right. I had to get this right. And man when I surrendered my life…my minutes man…my days…my word to God…my purpose to God…all that knowledge met with spiritual discernment…spirit sync in my life…and now all it is on this side of glory…is black light…I see much. God next to me 24/7 showing me things, pointing to things and teaching me as a Father instructs his son. I wouldn’t give that up for the world…are you ready to produce some fruit yet? Or are you just gonna do you? Jesus calls the few…and I’m one of them. Are you? Here’s how you know, the few align with the few…