In Order To Foster Better Christian Living, Shouldn't Sermons & Teachings Focus More on the Fruit of the Spirit... the Living Out of the Christian Life?

Question:

In order to foster better Christian living, shouldn't sermons and teachings focus more on the fruit of the Spirit... the living out of the Christian life?

Answer:

Actually we should and can focus more on Jesus.  The reason being, the fruit of the Spirit is simply that, ‘fruit.’  According to the Explanation of Luther’s Small Catechism answer 232, “Sanctification is the gracious work of the Holy Spirit by which He daily renews me more and more in the image of God through the Word and Sacraments.”  And also answer 235, “The fruits of a living faith are good works produced by the Holy Spirit…”  Why would we focus on the Fruit of the Spirit when we aren’t the one’s producing it in the first place?  We don’t produce spiritual fruit we simply ‘bear’ the fruit.  Rather than looking to the result of fruit, we look to the source of the fruit…  Jesus the author and ‘perfector’ of our faith (see Hebrews 12:2).  We look to Christ and His Word knowing that the ‘grace’ of God trains us to renounce ungodliness, to live self-controlled upright godly lives (see Titus 2:11-12).  In the words of a youth, “when we look to our own spiritual fruit we simply end up eating it!”

In sermons the emphasis should be on Jesus the source and perfector of all spiritual fruit.  The focus needs to be on the Word & Sacraments so that the Holy Spirit might continue to produce spiritual fruit in the church that will last.  Simply put if we want spiritual fruit we get to focus on the fountain head of all spiritual fruit… that being Christ!