I. THE FELICITY OF THE GODLY MAN - Psalm 1:1
II. THE FAITH OF THE GODLY MAN - Psalm 1:2
III. THE FRUIT OF THE GODLY MAN - Psalm 1:3
IV. THE FUTURE OF
THE GODLY MAN - Psalm 1:6a
III. THE FRUIT OF THE GODLY MAN – Psalm 1:3
"And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that
bringeth forth his fruit in his
season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall
prosper" (Psa. 1:3).
I’ve had my handwritten notes on Psalm 1 on my desk for several weeks
along with notes on several other passages of Scripture that I study daily to
preach in our church here in Texas
Now that I feel free to write, I want to share my thoughts about the
third stanza of the first song in the sacred hymnbook: "And he shall be
like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also
shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper." (Psa 1:3)
I have four books on my desk written by men from four great evangelical
schools that have different doctrinal emphases. They all say that the main
point of this verse is “whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.” I agree
that this Scripture talks about the promise of prosperity in general for God’s
pious people, but I think the main focus is on the fruit of the faithful. And
that is what I want to address today.
The figures of speech in verse 3 of Psalm 1 iare not complicated
concepts in the Canon of Scripture. In
fact, they are used frequently. The righteous are like trees planted by God
in the garden of God
So here in this verse, we are talking about spiritual fruit, which is also Scriptural fruit.
I want to remind you of three kinds of fruit: 1) the fruit of salvation, 2) the fruit of sanctification, and 3) the fruit of service.
These fruits are mentioned
directly and indirectly throughout the Bible.
For example, Jeremiah 17:8 says:
"For he shall be as a tree
planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her
roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be
green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease
from yielding fruit."
John 15:1-16 is one of the clearest passages which speaks of these 3
kinds of fruit.
Let us start with John 15:1-2:
"{1} I am the true
vine, and my Father is the husbandman.
{2} Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every
branch that
beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit."
A.
The Fruit of Salvation – Jn. 15:2b
“Every branch that beareth fruit”
(15:2b).
The fruit of salvation and
the fruit of the Spirit are
synonymous.
The fruit of salvation is
automatic. A person does not have to ask
God to give him the fruit of salvation. When we receive salvation, we receive the
Holy Spirit, and the fruit of the
Spirit. In Romans 5:1-5 we read: "Therefore being justified by
faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: {2} By
whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice
in hope of the glory of God. {3} And not only so, but we glory in
tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; {4} And
patience, experience; and experience, hope: {5} And hope maketh not
ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy
Ghost which is given unto us."
Note that verse 5 indicates that “the love of God is shed abroad in our
hearts” automatically by the Holy Spirit.
(Gal 5:22-23) "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy,
peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, {23} Meekness,
temperance: against such there is no law."
(Rom 14:17 ) "For the kingdom of God kingdom of God
Several years ago I was in an auto parts store waiting to be helped
when all of a sudden a man sitting next to me turned toward me on his stool and
said, “Brother, brother, have you received the Spirit?” I appreciated his concern for me, but
Biblically speaking, how could he ask such a question? The Bible says in Romans 8:9: "But ye are not in the flesh, but in the
Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not
the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his."
If I did not have the Holy Spirit dwelling within me, why did he call me
“brother”? However, I understand that a
lot of people call themselves brothers in Christ, but they do not have evidence
of the Holy Spirit abiding in them.
“Every branch that beareth fruit” means a true believer in Christ. Jesus said in Matthew 7:17a: "Even so
every good tree bringeth forth good fruit."
Not all branches of the vine bear fruit. This is noted in John 15:2a: “Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away.”
A lot of people think that they have fruit because of the blessings they have from being associated with
God or with the church.
I am sure that Judas Iscariot could point to fruit that he thought was produced because of his association with
Christ and the other eleven apostles.
But we know that the miracles he worked and the ministry he had were not
the fruit of a branch which had a
vital relationship with Christ.
The false apostles in Matthew 7:22-23 had fruit, but it was false fruit. Look what Jesus said about them:
"Many will say to me in
that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy
name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
{23} And then will I profess unto
them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity."
Dr. Kent, president of Grace Seminary, in his book Studies in the
Gospel of John, writes: “The branches are persons who have professed faith
in Christ. . . . Fruitless branches, [represent] persons attached in some
superficial way to the vine, but without the vital life flowing through them to
produce fruit” (p.180).
(To be continued)
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