Beatitudes and Fruit

 

 

THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT
And
The Beatitudes

by Wayne F. Schlichter

(Note:  Wayne is a longtime friend and one of my mentors in my spiritual walk.  He sent me this outline for a study he was doing and I asked him if I could place it on the AFITN site for your use; he graciously agreed.

This entry is more of a study outline than an article.  You could learn just from reading through it but you will gain even more from printing this page out, reading the scripture passages, and jotting your notes on this outline.  You can then go back to it and refresh your memory or add other notes as you learn more in your life.  May The Lord bless you in your studies. - Bill)


Matt. 5:1-12

Observations:

1.     The Beatitudes do not present a way of salvation.

2.     Christ is presented as King over His people.

3.     It is written for:

a.     The Jewish believers He was speaking to

b.     Believers today, who honor Him as Lord of their lives

c.     Those in the Millennial Kingdom, when He reigns as King of kings, and Lord of lords.

1st Beatitude:  Blessed are the poor in spirit- Theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven (Matt 5:3)

Gal. 5:22  "The fruit of the Spirit is love...".

Wm. McDonald:  "...poor in spirit is not natural disposition, but deliberate choice and discipline. Those who acknowledge their insufficiency apart from Christ, and rely upon Him for all their spiritual need.  The K. of heaven is where self-sufficiency is no virtue, and the K. belongs to them."

Question:  How can this come about in our own lives?

Gal. 5:22  It comes by the filling of the Spirit and is the fruit of the Spirit.

1.     Be filled with the Holy Spirit (Eph. 5:18)

a.     Compare Eph. 5:1-ff

Notice that the filling of the Spirit involves a walk-

      -in love (5:2)

      -in holiness (5:3-5); compare 5:8-ff

      -in joy (5:18)

      -in thanksgiving (5:20)

What if we sin?  (see 1 John 1:9)

So, the first blessing is driven by love- love for Christ, and love for others.

2nd Beatitude: Blessed are those who mourn- They shall be comforted (Matt. 5:4)

Gal. 5:22  "The fruit of the Spirit is... joy...".

The opposite of mourning is joy (Gal. 5:22), the second quality of the fruit of the Spirit.

How do I get joy from a time of mourning?  Or what can turn my mourning into joy? (Neh. 8:9-10, & compare Ps. 16:11)

There are numerous reasons why we mourn, such as:

      € The loss of a loved one

      € Physical afflictions

      € The reverses of life, etc.

As we look at Christ, and what He has resolved, we come into His presence and see His grace, and the Victory that He has accomplished. We have joy in Him.  He has conquered death.  He will overcome the world.

3rd Beatitude: Blessed are the meek- They shall inherit the earth (Matt. 5:5)

Gal. 5:22  "The fruit of the Spirit is... peace...".

The saying is, "Meek does not mean weak".

      Moses was the meekest of men (Numb.12:3).

Meekness involves permitting the Lord to fight our battles (Exo. 14:13).

      "Meekness is strength under control."

            God took up for Moses, and He will take up for you (Ps. 37:7-11).

Permitting the Lord to fight our battles brings great peace to those who allow this.

      The quality of meekness is a result of God's peace ruling in our hearts.

How does this happen?

      Matt. 11:29-30

      John 14:26-27, & 16:32-38

      Phil. 4:1-9

It is a matter of trust.

4th Beatitude: Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness- They shall be filled (Matt. 5:6)

Gal. 5:22  "The fruit of the Spirit is... Longsuffering ...".

Eph. 5:9- Here, righteousness is a result of the fruit of the Spirit.  The beatitude implies something that one might suffer over a period of time to experience.

From where do we derive righteousness in our lives? We find it in Christ

      € Rom. 1:14-17

      € Rom. 3:19-23

      € Rom. 10:3-4, & 9-10

      € Rom.  4:1-8

      € 1 Cor. 1:26-31

      € John 6:27-35

      € John 7:37-39

By now, we should be seeing that all our blessing are in Christ.

5th Beatitude: Blessed are the merciful- They shall obtain mercy (Matt. 5:7)

Gal. 5:22  "The fruit of the Spirit is... Gentleness ...".

      Gentleness is only found four times in the English KJV.

            Gentleness is descriptive of being merciful.

Gen. 19:16- Lot (God is the first to be seen as merciful )

Job 37:13- God gives the rain for correction, for His land, and for mercy

Psalm 18:35 Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation: and thy right hand hath holden me up, and thy gentleness hath made me great.

2 Cor. 10:1- Now I Paul myself beseech you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ, who in presence am base among you, but being absent am bold toward you:

Matt. 9:10-13, 27

Eph. 2:4, 1Tim. 1:13

James 2:13, 3:17

1Pet. 1:3

6th Beatitude: Blessed are the pure in heart- They shall see God (Matt. 5:8)

Gal. 5:22  "The fruit of the Spirit is... Goodness ...".

1st mention:

      Exo. 25:11       "pure gold"        (Christ)

      Lev.. 24:2        "pure oil"       (Holy Spirit)

      Lev. 25:6         "pure table"        (Christ)

      Lev. 25:7          "pure frankincense"      (Prayer)

      Deut. 32:14   "pure blood"       (Christ)

      Psa. 12:16       "pure word"       (God's word)

These should abound in our hearts

      They represent the goodness of God which is first pure, then peaceable (James 3:17)

2Sam 22:27- With the pure thou wilt shew thyself pure; and with the froward thou wilt shew thyself unsavoury.

Acts 20:26- Wherefore I take you to record this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men.
 
2Thes. 1:11- Wherefore also we pray always for you, that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfill all the good pleasure of his goodness, and the work of faith with power:

1Tim. 3:1- Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience.

7th Beatitude: Blessed are the peacemakers- They shall be called the children of God (Matt. 5:9)

Gal. 5:22  "The fruit of the Spirit is... Faith ...".

For discussion:

The last three beatitudes seem to deal with our inter-personal relationships with others.  Compare these three, and discuss how these are inter-related.

Questions:

1.    How does faith figure in the role of a peacemaker?

2.     In what ways, regarding peace, is the announcement of the angel now and in the future being fulfilled? (Read Luke 2:11-14).  

3.     Explain how the following verses fit in with this beatitude.

2 Tim. 2:22-24- "Peace"; The servant of the Lord shall not strive.

2 Tim. 4:7-8- ...a crown of righteousness for those who love His appearing.

Isa. 9:6- The Lord Jesus Christ is the Prince of Peace.

 

8th Beatitude: Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake- Theirs is the K. of Heaven (Matt. 5:10)

Gal. 5:22  "The fruit of the Spirit is... Meekness ...".

The last two beatitudes are similar in regard to persecution.   These may be the most likely of circumstances that would bring out the worst in us. Remember that this is persecution for righteousness sake- not for being obnoxious.  

2 Tim. 3:10-12- "...all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution."

      Questions:

      1.   Why do you think this is so?

2.    What is the affect of meekness here?

3.     In what ways do you think modern day Christians are experiencing this? (Read John 15:17-20).

The ultimate persecution came to our Lord Jesus Christ when He laid down His life for our sins (Acts 2: 23)

9th Beatitude: Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.  Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: - for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.  (Matt. 5:11-12)

Gal. 5:22  "The fruit of the Spirit is... Temperance ..." (self-control).

Christ was the most temperate of men (Isa. 53:7)

      Questions:

1.     Do you think this has anything to do with Christ's command to "turn the other cheek"?

(see Matt. 5:39)

2.     Where does this apply?

3.     There are seven qualities listed in 2Pet. 1:5-6 that we are to add to our faith.  The third addition to faith is temperance,  or self-control.  In a practical sense, how, when and where does this fit into our lives?


Conclusion: As we consider the nine Blessings and the nine qualities of the Spirit's fruit, we can see that we must be yielded to Christ as Lord of our lives, if we are to be fruit-bearing Christians.  As we abide in Him, and He abides in us, we shall produce much fruit (John 15).

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