Spiritual Gifts part 181: Many Christians try to do things for God rather than find who they are in Christ.

Mat 7:15-20; Mat 12:33-37; Joh 15:1-17.

ROMANS-299-111019 - length: 60:30 - taught on Oct, 19 2011

Class Outline:


Pastor-Teacher
John Farley
Wednesday,
October 19, 2011

Spiritual Gifts Part 181: Many Christians try to do things for God rather than find out who they are in Christ.

What is discernment?

Discernment is being able to determine what is coming from the thinking of Christ and what is coming from doctrines of demons, 1TI 4:1.

When it comes to spiritual discernment, the Lord tells us that the way to know the real source of things is by examining the fruit.

MAT 7:16
“You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they?”

In GEN 1:12, the first thing the Bible tells us about fruit is that fruit has seed inside.

The seeds inside the fruit are after the same kind as the seed that originally went into the ground.

The Bible uses seed as a metaphor for the word of God.

1PE 1:23
for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God.

LUK 8:11
“Now the parable is this: the seed is the word of God.”

The kingdom of darkness sows bad seed, as the Lord Jesus tells us in the parable of MAT 13:24-30.

The Bible has a lot to say about trees as well.

The presence of leaves indicates there should be fruit.

The leaves on the tree advertised that there were figs there as well, but it was a false advertisement.
(Allen Ross)

Those who put on a show to draw others in by being outwardly religious but in fact have no spiritual life will be under discipline for that.

In the garden, the woman was deceived by the TREE (not the fruit).

The tree is what someone or something APPEARS to be.

They were hypocrites. He is saying to them, why don’t you at least stop the charade and dress up like the wolves you are!

The tree with leaves represents the image that somebody wants to project.

So don’t go by first impressions.
Don’t buy everything somebody is selling.

“I am truly the source of all your spiritual privileges. All of the promises and their fulfillment will be accomplished in and through Me.”