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"Filled with the fruits of righteousness..."

Text: Philippians 1:11

LOOKING FOR FRUITS

It was the Lord Jesus Christ who told His disciples that He wants them to bear fruits in their life. If they were to abide in Him, in His word and in His love, they would be able to bear good fruit (John 15). The apostle Paul was also well-focused concerning the matter of bearing fruit in life.

“Being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are
by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.”
Philippians 1:11

1. “Being filled”

a) The grammatical construction in this text is of great significance.

b) “Being filled” was written in the Perfective tense.

i) Paul was thus not speaking of bearing fruit with reference to the future.

ii) He was writing about the fact that the Philippians were already bearing fruit.

iii) They have been bearing fruit for some time already.

2. “Fruits of righteousness”

a) The righteousness referred to is the righteousness that Christ imputes to all believers.

b) This results in personal righteousness in life.

c) Arising from this righteousness that Christ gives would be its “fruits”.

3. “Which are by Jesus Christ”

a) How did they bear fruit?

b) The answer is right here… by the Lord Jesus Christ.

i) He is the Vine and believers are the branches.

ii) He enables and empowers them to bear fruit.

iii) He sustains them so that they can continue to bear fruit always.

4. “To the glory and praise of God”

a) It is right to desire that God receives all the glory and praise.

b) A life that is fruitful will indeed redound to the glory and praise of God.

c) A life that bears the features that Paul prayed for would truly redound to the glory and praise of God.

d) Every believer should live significantly, bearing much fruit so that people all around cannot but acknowledge the work of God in the lives of His children.

Let us be deeply challenged to pray along the same lines that Paul outlined in his prayer for the Philippians.