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like that. I don’t think you have met anybody like that either.
Not only does he speak like an angel and knows every mystery,
has knowledge about everything and you can’t ask a question
that he can’t answer, but the description is larger. It says that
he has all faith so that he can move mountains, literally. This is
an amazing person.
And there is more. It describes his surrender. It says
that he took everything he had, sold it and gave it to the poor.
That’s amazing. He’s not finished. Then he gave his own body
as a martyr to be burned. What kind of surrender is that? He
speaks with the tongue of angels, he knows every mystery, he
knows everything about everything and he has faith to move
mountains and he surrenders everything he has and gives it to
the poor and then he gives his body to be burned. How does the
Holy Spirit describe him? He’s described as being like a noisy
gong; a cymbal. And it says that he profits nothing. God says
that he didn’t have love.
Love is the fruit of the Spirit. He did all those things but
he didn’t have love. Those were wonderful works but they
weren’t fruit. The house built on the sand did not have a
foundation. The difference between works and fruit is the
source of works or fruit. What is the origin of all that display?
Does it come from man or does it come from the Lord?
If it comes from the Lord it’s called “fruit”. If it comes
from man it’s called “works”. It’s like law and grace. Law is
what I do. Grace is what God does. We want to study fruit.
It’s true that there are a couple of exceptions. That is,
sometimes works and fruit look so much alike that you can
change the words. Like Matthew 5:16, “Let your light shine
before men in such a way that they may see your good works,
and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” That they may see
your good works; but those works are fruit. So, sometimes
works and fruit are the same. James 2:26, “For just as the body
without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.”
Faith without works is dead. Sometimes, not often, works can
be fruit.

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