THE FRUITS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS PART 3
TEXT: Hebrews 13:15
By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.
MESSAGE
One of thr fruits that righteousness produces in us is the fruit of our lips. In our text, the Holy Spirit through the writer of Hebrews (and I strongly believe it to be Paul) explains that thanksgiving is that fruit of our lips. It is the fruit or product of righteousness that manifests on our lips as the evidence of the state and content of our heart.
Praise is a mode of worship. The praise or worship that God delights in is the praise that is offered in spirit and in truth. Jesus says:
But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. (John 4:23-24).
Therefore the praise or worship that God desires as fruit is that which is done in spirit and in truth. Now this is something beyond an ordinary man, like we saw yesterday. It is not in his nature as a human being to yield this fruit. Righteousness however is the reason why we can yield this fruit.
When you were regenerated, you become righteous automatically because you are born into that nature. You are now a righteous being just as you were a human being. If you then wish to be fruitful you must expose yourself to the teachings of the Holy Spirit through meditation on the Word of God. As you do the Holy Spirit sanctifies you through the truth in that process (John 17:17, 1John 2:27) That process is called transformation whereby He changes your perspectives and ideologies from that of men to that of God (Rom 12:2) Then in whatever circumstance of life you come across, the Holy will stimulate your heart (which is already saturated with the word, doctrine and ideologies of God) with the truth and make you respond with praise to God.
That is how your life becomes an endless stream of praise and worship. In a nutshell, to produce the fruit of praise in the spirit and truth, we must be regenerated by God's agent of regeneration, which is the Truth; sanctified by the truth and stimulated by the truth. The truth is the word of God (John 17:17). If you are born again, endless praise in Spirit and in truth is expected from you. Go ahead and offer it. Its in you
PRAYERS
Thank you Father for making my life an endless spring of praise and worship
I delight in praising you. For my life is now filled with the treasures of Heaven.
I have the grace to praise. I worship your Lordship and and bow in worship
Let my soul praise the Lord forevermore in Jesus name
FURTHER STUDY
Psalm 103

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