Fruits of Righteousness
Pastors Rodney & Adonica Howard-BrownePublish date: 09/01/2024
Foundation Scripture:
Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God. Philippians 1:11 KJV
1. Seek First the Kingdom.
a. Matthew 6:33-34 KJV –– But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. 34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
b. God is your source and supply.
c. Jesus promised that if we seek His Kingdom first, He will take care of us.
d. He will supply us with every earthly thing we could possibly need.
e. We need to have our priorities in order.
f. God—your personal relationship with the Lord.
g. Family—take care of family needs and relationships.
h. Church—regularly gather with the Body of Christ at your local church.
i. Work—if you don’t work you don’t eat.
j. Play and rest—everyone needs to take time to balance everything else in life with times of rest.
2. Take No Thought.
a. Matthew 6:25 KJV –– Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?
b. Take no thought—do not worry or fret—about what you will eat, drink, or wear.
c. Philippians 4:6a AMPC –– Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything…
d. Matthew 6:32 KJV –– (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
e. Your Heavenly Father knows that you need these things.
f. HE will take care of you if you put your trust in Him.
g. Romans 1:17b KJV –– The just shall live by faith.
h. Care and worry are sinful and unproductive and the opposite of faith.
i. They will rob you of valuable time, peace, and even your health.
j. Mark 4:18-19 KJV –– And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word, 19 And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.
k. If you allow the cares of this world to take you over, they will choke out the Word in your life.
l. Prioritizing material things and being fully focused on acquiring them is covetousness.
m. You’ve allowed things to become idols and replace God in your life and rob you of His abundant blessings.
3. Fruits of Righteousness.
a. Philippians 1:9-11 KJV –– And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment; 10 That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ; 11 Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.
b. If we seek first the Kingdom, we will prioritize God’s Word in our lives.
c. We will be submitted to, and doers of, the Word of God.
d. We will walk in God’s love and cultivate the fruit of love in our hearts and lives.
e. And then we will produce good fruit—fruits of righteousness—and bring glory to God.
f. A tree is known by its fruits and only a good tree can produce good fruits (Luke 6:43-44).
g. James 3:13 KJV –– Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom.
h. A wise man is a humble man.
i. His righteous life and good works reflect his obedience and submission to the Word of God.
j. He is a blessing to others; therefore, he invites the abundant blessings of God on his own life.
k. James 3:14-16 KJV –– But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth. 15 This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. 16 For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.
l. Do not believe the devil’s lies, nor allow him to manipulate you.
m. Jealousy, envy, contention, rivalry, selfish ambition, covetousness, and strife are symptoms of the lower, fleshly, sensual, unregenerate nature.
n. They are earthly, unspiritual, and even demonic, in nature.
o. If you yield to and operate in them, confusion and every evil work will be the result.
p. This is exactly what the devil seeks to tempt you with, so that he can have his way in your life.
q. If you yield to the carnal nature in this, your life will be destroyed, and you will be used by the devil to destroy others.
r. James 3:17-18 KJV –– But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. 18 And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.
s. God’s wisdom is selfless and unselfish, preferring others.
t. It is pure and undefiled, peace-loving, courteous, considerate, and gentle.
u. It is willing to yield to reason, full of compassion, and good fruits.
v. It is whole-hearted, straightforward, impartial, sincere, and unfeigned.
w. If you carry peace, and sow peace, you will produce the fruit of righteousness, and personally experience a life of peace and joy.