Hebrews 6:4 …. who have tasted of the goodness of the word of God…
The word of God as Jesus said in John 17:17 “Sanctify them by the truth, Your word is truth.”
--And The Word of God is Jesus, Who is The Truth. The Fruit of Truth that comes from God is the fruit or the effect of His word in your life, which sanctifies you and once you know it as truth; sets you free. John 8:32 “Then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.”
The effect of the truth–the Fruit of Truth–is the effect that hearing and practising the word of God has on your life. It is the effect that abiding in the word of God has upon your life and it’s manifestation is the evidence of your life and the testimony of your lips.
As I have said before –the goodness of the word of God is that it is truth and truth takes no faith from you to manifest – that is truth will still prevail regardless of whether you believe in it or not. – eg. Gravity will still operate whether you believe in it or not--just walk off the edge of a building.
However, the fruit or the effect of truth, that comes from the Tree of life, which is Jesus, is confidence: confidence to have faith in Him, because of your experienced knowledge that His word is truth. That is why Paul wrote in Ephesians 3:12 In Him and through faith in Him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.
First Paul writes – “In Him” – that is John 15:7 “If you abide [remain NIV] in Me (the truth) and My words (the truth) abide [remain] in you, ask whatever you [will AMP, KJV] wish – it will be done for you.” After you have fulfilled this conditional blessing, you will come to the place of your wishing and your willing coming to pass… which will then inspire you to have even more faith in Him to believe Him for even the harder things…. Things that you would not will or wish for – but that would go through for His sake. Your faith in Him is actually proven by your obstinence in abiding in Him and His words, when those around you run after teachings that would tickle their ears. It is after you have tasted the fruit of this truth, that you can have what you wish and will – whilst you abide in Him, that you approach God with freedom, and this is the freedom that Jesus was speaking about in John 8:32. the truth sets you free to approach God in confidence and with that same confidence, approach the throne of grace with confidence.. Hebrews 4:16 to enter the most Holy place. Hebrews 10:19.
Neither the throne nor the most Holy Place can be approached, unless you have confidence to approach it. Confidence means you are not timid as it is quoted so often.: 2 Timothy 1:7 For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of love, power and self discipline, sound mind ….Confidence is what removes timidity – not boldness, and confidence comes from a person who has practised what he believes and knows from that practice what he believes. It is a person who knows his limitations and knows what he can do and cannot do. – What he can do is thus dictated by the person of Jesus and the word of Jesus.
As Paul puts it for us: 2 Corinthians 3:4-6 Such confidence as this is ours through Christ before God. Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant-- not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
So the effect of the Fruit of Truth, that comes from the Father, is meant to be an increase in faith in Him, reaching to a confidence in Him; – the fruit of which manifested in the resurrection of Jesus Christ, for the greatest of all of Jesus’ promises was that He would come back from the dead in three days, thus confirming the central core of the greatest of His claims when He said, “I am the Resurrection.” John 11:25
The effect of the fruit of Truth and the goodness and sweetness of this fruit is thus manifested as a resurrection in your life – first as a resurrection of your relationship with God--resurrected – not restored so that not only can you walk with God, you walk in God!
Not only are you an image of God – you are a child of God – a god yourself – and since by the word of the Lord – “….whoever lives and believes shall not die….” John 11:25, you will not die like a man.
Thus even the curse that God pronounced against the ‘gods’ [small g] in Psalm 82:6 “I said, ‘You are “gods”; you are all sons of the Most High’, But you will die like mere men; you will fall like every other ruler.” For we do not die like mere men, for when we die, it is glory and when we live, it is Christ; as Paul wrote: Philippians 1:21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.
For me the man, to die is loss – not gain. As such, the resurrection of the Sons of Adam is not a restoration of a walk with God which is dependant upon obedience, but a walk in God that has been established by Christ’s obedience; a walk that has nothing to do with your obedience, but with your desire. That is why it is given to: “ask whatever you will and wish”. Desire is the expression of whatever you will and wish, and as such, you walk and your approach with God is a walk that is ear-marked with a natural ease and confidence in the presence of all that is supernatural. –It is a walk based on mutual desire – your desire for God and God’s desire for you. Now the word “desire” is also encompassed in the context of love – but for the world and the Church, the word desire is almost unclean and carries with it “sin”. If having desires is unclean and sin, than God would be sinning; for God has desires…. that [He] “I desire mercy” Hosea 6:6. However, in the context we are speaking of, those who are in Christ and in whom is Christ – and in Christ –there is no sin for Christ’s obedience is perfect. As such, in an environment of sinlessness, where there is neither obedience nor disobedience; the motivation must be based on love that has desire built into it – a desire to know more of God and His Jesus, a desire for mercy, a desire to glorify Him, a desire to love Him, to please Him and delight Him. As such, obedience and disobedience is gone. What is left is a relationship where before it is asked, you have already done it. Like children (grown up that is) – who plan for their parents birthdays before the parents even bring up the subject. As God Himself said, “Before they call, I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear.” Isaiah 65:24
Now the reciprocal response to this is; before God calls, you have answered, and while God is still speaking, you have heard. That is running ahead of God – that is going before the light – as Christ is the Light and that is running in darkness. Isaiah 50:10 “Who among you fears the Lord and obeys the word of His servant? Let him who walks in the dark, who has no light trust in the Name of the Lord and rely on his God..” This is spoken by the Holy Spirit, and He is asking who fears the Father, that is, who will obey the command of the Father: “Listen to Him.”, and obeys the words of Jesus. – This is where you will trust in the Name of the Lord which includes: “I am the light of the world”, and rely on Him Who is the Lord’s God – as Jesus said: “I am returning to My Father and your Father, to My God and your God.” John 20:12, which is what He told Mary Magdalene.
If anything, I hope we have learned from the love of Mary –that is the desire in Mary for Jesus – not an obligatory obedience – but a desire in her to be where He was – at His feet – at His side, anointing Him – at His crucificion – at His grave side -- and at His empty tomb.
It is no surprise that we do not hear of Magdalene amongst the disciples after Acts 1. Her desire to be where Jesus is would well have been granted. After all, the eleven had disbelieved her and had not waited for the Holy Spirit before they appointed Matthias – just as they did at Bethsaida, they had done it again. They had set off in a direction that Jesus did not intend, and once more, all Jesus can do and has been doing, is to watch from high ground and pray with the Father. Then-- watching from the hill overlooking the lake, and now – watching from Heaven overlooking the whole earth.
The fortification of this confidence that comes from the eating of the Fruit of Truth; comes from not only finding that the words of Jesus are true, but the words of the Father are also true which is the full Fruit of Truth, and is not manifested in just the words of Jesus – it is only the beginning. However, all who abide in Jesus and in whom the words of Jesus abide – will suffer the same fate as Jesus – that is—they will be consumed to come to know the truth in God the Father’s word. Jesus is called the faithful servant by God the Father in Isaiah 42:3 “In faithfulness He will bring forth justice..”, because Jesus also had to, as I have said, put His faith in God the Father when He submitted to His will in Gethsemane and committed His spirit into the hands of the Father. So Jesus had a desire to know the fullness of the truth of God’s word in His life – His plans from beginning to the end. – And there is an unquenchable desire in Jesus to know all there is to know of the Father. That is why they fully know each other. Likewise then, the Fruit of Truth, the effect of truth that is from the Tree of Life is an unquenchable desire to know God the Father, and the truth of His Word.
Once this desire is borne, than the reading of the words of the Father in Leviticus, Deuteronomy, Jeremiah and Ezekial is a delight and pleasure and not a chore. Again, this desire is borne out of growth and maturity – as all desires are, even in the natural realm. Thus the process and evidence of your maturity is expressed in what you desire—and as you grow and mature, so you will drop the desires that you know are not right before God—as a child stops carrying her dolls because she is growing up.
Now the reading of the words of the Father, and the practising of them and the experiential knowledge of them brings out of you the double portion of confidence. In fact, it brings you closer to the Spirit of Confidence in the Lord, which is Who the Holy Spirit is.
The Holy Spirit has searched the heart and mind of God. 1 Corinthians 2:10-12 The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God……In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit Who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us.
It is the confidence that the Holy Spirit has in both the Father and Son, that … “He will not speak on His own; He will speak only what He hears…..He will bring glory to Me by taking from what is Mine and making it known to you.” John 16:13,14
So when Paul wrote to Timothy in 2 Timothy 1:7 we did not receive a spirit of timidity.., I would now say – we received the Spirit of Confidence..., that gives us love, power, self control and sound mind.
Now the challenge, therefore, is to bear the Fruit of Truth, and to receive the Fruit of Truth, and to return to God the effects of having eaten His Fruit of Truth – that is confidence in God, not faith in God; no, but confidence in God. - The confidence that Paul wrote to us about of approaching the Holy of Holies –that is approaching God in His privacy. - The confidence that sons and daughters have in approaching their Father with an open heart and clear conscience, that whatsoever you seek, ask and desire is based around knowing Him and glorifying Him and Jesus Whom He has sent. This is the confidence that John spoke of – not Paul –for John had a higher confidence in the Lord. – He was the one who leaned on Jesus at the supper; and indeed it was to John that the Revelation was given to be written, not Paul. So John had a higher confidence, as I say; and his expression of this confidence in 1 John 5:15 This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us--whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of Him.
Now as sons and daughters who know they have a Father Whose word is truth, you can have confidence in knowing His will, because His will is His word. You know His word (spoken) and His Word. You know His will. When you have this confidence, then you are no longer perturbed at His behaviour—no matter how strange—that rather you will be inspired by His behaviour—for it is the behaviour of God Who is God.
Psalm 115:3 Our God is in Heaven, He does whatever pleases Him.
Isaiah 44:8 “Is there any God besides Me? No, there is no other Rock; I know not one.”
Isaiah 46:5 “To whom will you compare Me or count Me equal? To whom will you liken Me that we may be compared?”
Isaiah 46:9 “I am God and there is no other. I am God and there is none like Me.”
Isaiah 46:10 “I say: My purpose will stand and I will do all that I please.”
Isaiah 46:11 “What I have said, that I will bring about. What I have planned, that will I do.”
The Fruit of Truth in full manifestation is confidence in God – of Who He is, that He is, what He is and you don’t believe it, - no -you know it. You know it, as the Holy Spirit knows it, and it is in this knowing that the Holy Spirit abides, broods and hovers – and waits – waits for the days and times that “the Father has set by His Own authority. Acts 1:7, - His own authority that is, without consultation or submission to the Son or to the Holy Spirit, but by an authority all His Own.
Thus the Holy Spirit came on the day He was supposed to come, not a day earlier or a day later; and He will go on the day the Father appointed for Him, not a day earlier or a day later.
Now the final effect of the Fruit of Truth, which comes from the Tree of Life, is the confidence to do the greater things than what Jesus has done—to even out listen Jesus, if it is listening to the Father;—to out observe Jesus or out watch Jesus, if it is watching the Father. – Impossible? Yes, with man this is impossible—but “with God all things are possible”.
Possible for a group of children to be raised up on the milk of faith, and the meat of knowledge as well as the cream of love—to become so like the Father—that they begin to set dates and times, by their own authority, all of which are designed to comply with the Holy Spirit’s desire to shorten the days for the sake of the Elect, that they might survive and to stand up against the Beast, his image and his number. A group who are male and female, in the image of God, who dispenses His number—with a confidence that the world calls arrogance and the Lord calls submission.
AMEN HOLY SPIRIT! – THE FRUIT OF TRUTH!
