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Feb 6

This Sunday: “On Fruit and Foundations”

2009 | by Ryan Kelly | Category: Quote,This Sunday

This Sunday’s message will continue to examine Jesus’ sermon in Luke 6. We have seen Jesus teaching some hard sayings here, like “love your enemies” (vss 27-36) and “do not judge or you will be judged” (vss 37-42). This Sunday we will see Him explain the “root” from which this “fruit” flows and the “foundation” on which such radical love and mercy rest (vss 43-49).

Related, this quote from David Brainerd (1718-1747) highlights the danger of good works done for the wrong reasons:

When I had been fasting, praying, obeying, I thought I was aiming at the glory of God, but I was doing it all for my own glory–to feel I was worthy. As long as I was doing all this to earn my salvation, I was doing nothing for God, all for me! I realized that all my struggling to become worthy was an exercise in self-worship. I was actually trying to avoid God as saviour, and to be my own saviour. i.e. I was not worshipping him, but using him.

May God grant us discernment and grace to know well the difference between genuine fruit which flows from our connection to the tree (Christ) and that which is self-made “righteousness” done for our own glory — or, as Brainerd said, an exercise of self-worship.