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What We Believe and Why - Vol. II
Written by Dr. Lester Hutson

Copyright - Lester Hutson - 1982
This material is copyrighted and may not be copied or reproduced without the express written permission of Dr. Lester Hutson.

Chapter Forty
God Working in You
Part IV
"The Genuine and the Counterfeit"

INTRODUCTION: TEXT: I Corinthians 3:12-13

We've seen how that God works in those who are yielded to Him, and produces fruit in them that abound to His glory and their credit. Here we shall consider the fact that not all things done in the name of God are really good fruits. That which appears to men to be genuine may in fact be counterfeit.

I. CONDUCT THAT HONORS AND GLORIFIES GOD MAY LOOK VERY MUCH LIKE CONDUCT THAT IN NO WAY HONORS AND GLORIFIES HIM.

A. Let us look specifically at the type of conduct that honors God and which He views as good fruit in us.

1. The real fruit of the Spirit who lives within us is love. This is so stated in Galatians 5:22.

a. Notice that in this passage the singular verb "is" is used. "Fruit is," not "fruit are."

b. The point is that the Spirit of God produces love in us, and the natural outgrowth of love is joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance. (I Corinthians 13) These attributes might well be considered the qualities of love or the qualities of our spiritual fruit, just as a peach might have the qualities of being sweet, tender, juicy and delicious.

c. It is in view of this that Ephesians 5:9 says, "For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth." In other words, in goodness, righteousness and truth, love is seen, for love produced these things.

2. Now the Spirit produces love, which in turn results in five qualities, among which is righteous conduct.

a. There are many different forms of righteous conduct, and these are called "fruits of righteousness" in Philippians 1:11. We are to be filled with these, and they are produced in us "by Jesus Christ."

b. It is thus that Paul spoke to the Corinthians saying, "Now he that ministereth seed to the sower (God according to verse 8) both minister bread for your food, and multiply your seed sown, and increase the fruits of your righteousness." (II Corinthians 9:10)

c. James said, "But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace." (James 3:17-18)

3. So then every good work which God, by love, produces in you is a fruit of righteousness to your account.

a. Remember that Hebrews 13:20-21 says, "Now the God of peace...make you perfect in every good work to do his will...."

b. Jesus also said, "Let your light so shine (that is God shining through you) before men, that they may see your good works...." (Matthew 5:16) Good works are what God, by love, works in you.

c. And the more you yield to the Spirit of God, the greater love He will produce in you, and the more good works will abound as fruits of righteousness in you, for as Paul said, "The love of Christ constraineth us," (II Corinthians 5:14) which is simply to say that God's love in you will force you to do good works.

4. God only knows the multitude of good works which God can produce in us once we are yielded and submitted to His will.

a. God can perform the work of singing praises to His name, teaching His Word, working in a Sunday school, working with youth, maintaining or cleaning God's buildings, or working with the poor or shut-ins.

b. God can make you a soul winner, use you on a committee, in a print shop, as a right example or testimony at home or at work, to preach, to give, etc.

c. The ways in which God can use us to His glory are so abundant. Wherever we go or whatever we do, our conduct can constantly shine as a testimony of the grace and love of God in us.

B. Not every thing we do that appears to be a good work or fruit really is a good work or fruit.

1. Out of the energies of the flesh any number of works can be performed that appear to be good.

a. God doesn't have to be working in you at all for you to direct music, sing in a choir, sing specials, or sit in an audience and sing hymns.

b. God can be nowhere in you, yet you can go through the emotions of teaching a Bible class, serving on a committee, visitation, giving, praying, running a bus route, acting pious on your job, etc.

2. If God is not the architect of such efforts, they are not good fruits at all, but rather are fakes, counterfeits or frauds.

a. A counterfeit orange may look like an orange, smell like an orange, and even feel like an orange, but it is not a genuine orange.

b. A counterfeit dollar may look like a dollar and even fool many into thinking it is indeed a dollar, but in reality it isn't a dollar.

c. Likewise, our conduct may look very much like righteous fruit, but not be fruit at all. Christian, you can be putting on a pretty good show with artificial, counterfeit fruit, and yet be as barren as can be.

3. Remember that the flesh is capable of producing works, but it is incapable of producing good works as Romans 7:18 will show.

a. Only God, by His Spirit, can produce good in us as John 15:4-5 show.

b. Anything that is ever done in you that God will recognize as good will be done by the Spirit producing love in you, and if what you do is not of love by God's Spirit, then God just doesn't recognize it as fruit. It is counterfeit as He views it. That is why Galatians 5:6 says, "For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision (that done in the flesh); but faith which worketh by love" (works produced by the Spirit in us).

c. Fellow Christian, you can wear yourself down to the bone with religious activities which look just like the real thing, but if it is not God working in you, it is all for nought: just "filthy rags," (Isaiah 64:6) or "wood, hay and stubble." (I Corinthians 3:12)

4. This truth is well illustrated in Luke 10:38-42.

a. Martha was busier than Mary, but it didn't amount to a thing. It wasn't fruit to her account.

b. Mary was with the Lord, and her's was lasting fruit. (verse 42)

II. THERE IS A VERY KEEN MEASURING STICK THAT WILL HELP YOU DETERMINE, ESPECIALLY IN YOUR OWN SELF, WHETHER A WORK IS FLESHLY AND COUNTERFEIT OR REAL FRUIT THAT EXALTS AND GLORIFIES GOD.

A. The works which God performs in you, and consequently are real spiritual fruits, will always be designed to glorify and exalt God.

1. God deserves to be glorified and honored for all we are or ever shall be is because of Him.

a. Jude thus said, "To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever." (Jude 25)

b. The heavenly host said of our God in Revelation 4:11, "Thou art worth, O Lord, to receive glory ad honor and power...." Consider II Peter 3:18 and Philippians 4:20.

2. You can be sure that when God works through us, it will be to His honor and glory.

a. Matthew 5:16 says it is God working in us that causes our light to shine and good works to be in us, and the purpose of it all is to "glorify your Father which is in heaven."

b. Paul said, "For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's." (I Corinthians 6:20)

c. Whenever we, by abiding in the vine, allow God to bring forth "much fruit" in us, Jesus said, "Herein is my Father glorified." (John 15:8)

d. It is just as simple as that. When God is working in us, our efforts will be exclusively to the honor and glory of God. Paul thus wrote, "Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God." (I Corinthians 10:31) Colossians 3:17 says it this way, "And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him."

e. What God wants from us and will work in our lives if He is in control, is glory and honor to Himself. Every Christian ought to be planted in a church and being used of God therein and in such relationship, Ephesians 3:21 says, "Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end."

f. Any work of which God is the author will give Him the honor and glory. That is why Paul could say, "But he that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord." (II Corinthians 10:17)

3. There are plenty of things that God can and will do in you to honor Himself, if you will yield to His control, such as we've previously mentioned.

B. But, you can be sure that any work you do that is designed to exalt people or yourself is not genuine fruit to the glory and honor of God.

1. You know when you do a work solely to the honor and glory of God and when it is designed to fulfill your obligation and duty, or in some way to exalt and satisfy yourself.

a. How many times have you done work and never even thought about whether or not God was honored or exalted thereby? Whether or not God would be glorified thereby did not even enter into the design or purpose of the work or performance.

b. You perhaps did your best at it, and God wants your best, but you did not do your best that God might receive honor from it. You did your best to impress your peers or colleagues and exalt or magnify yourself with them.

c. It is a heartbreaking thing that in the work of the Lord there has been too much cheap, fleshly showmanship in churches and Christian circles, efforts whose true purpose was to exalt the performer not the Lord God of heaven. This is nothing more than cheap imitation and good for nothing except to be trodden under foot.

2. God's Word condemns vain self-exaltation and calls on us to let God be glorified in all that we do.

a. Galatians 5:24 says, "And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts (to destroy self glory and exaltation). If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. (In other words let the Spirit who lives in you also work in you.) Let us not be desirous of vainglory, provoking one another, envying one another. (For that kind of glory is fleshly and go good. Why then should you even want to exalt yourself?)"

b. Our God will not accept of us those puny efforts we present which exalt us instead of Him. Listen to His Word, "That no flesh should glory in his presence. but of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: That according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord." (I Corinthians 1:29-31)

C. If you want to see if the work you are doing is of God and fruitful or of self and worthless, one important consideration is to see who it is designed to exalt and magnify.

1. Even if it is done according to scriptural methods but is designed to exalt and gratify self, it is a reproach to the cause of Christ. Jesus said, "Whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased." (Luke 14:11) God wants no part of fleshly fraudulent fruit.

2. Let us take the advice of Philippians 2:3, "Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory."

3. Jesus summarized the key to usefulness and fruitfulness in Luke 9:23, "And he said to them all, if any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow me."

4. The motive can make all the difference in what we do.

D. But don't let that make you a judge of others.

1. Only God knows the hearts of other men.

a. He said in Jeremiah 17:10, "I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins."

b. I Samuel 16:7 says, "The Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance; but the Lord looketh on the heart."

2. Though we are told to examine ourselves, (II Corinthians 13:5; I Corinthians 11:28), and judge ourselves, (I Corinthians 11:31), we are expressly told to "judge not that ye be not judged." (Matthew 7:1) Romans 14:13 says, "Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumbling block or an occasion to fall in his brother's way."

3. God will take proper care of judging the motives of all men, and He will properly handle everyone who has a selfish or sinister motive, and as Romans 2:2 says, "But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things."

4. We may think we do, but we do not know the hearts of men as God does, and our judgments of men's motives will generally be biased, perverted and inaccurate. When we get into the judging business, we will be banning as fleshly and carnal the very things that are being done by our fellow laborers to the honor and glory of God. And, too, we will perhaps find ourselves praising the very things that our fellow laborers are doing to exalt themselves. The first news we know, we will be condemning the good our fellow Christians do and praising the counterfeits in them. Acts 10:15 says, "What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common." so let us not "act in the seat of the scornful." (Psalm 1:1) Let us not sit in judgment of the things our fellow laborers in the Lord do.

5. To the contrary, let us labor in the love to the glory and honor of our great God, that He might work in us both to will and do of His good pleasure in the production of fruit, which He will credit to our account. When this is the case, all that is done in us will be real and genuine to the glory of God and never artificial and counterfeit.

"It Does Make a Difference What You Believe"