Our Great Commission
God’s Spirit
Part 5: The Fruit of Joy Part II
Pastor Bruce A. Shields
House of Faith – http://www.ps127.org/ http://www.truthdigest.org/
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Cook out right after Church today!!
6:00PM Evening Service at the church –
“Seminary Students will be preaching”
Cancelled this week----Monday Bible Study back at the Shields’ 5:00PM
Tuesday Women’s at Lori’s 5:00PM
Men’s on Friday at the church 8:00PM
WHERE WE ARE AT
† Maturing in Christ
† Understanding in Christ
† Love of God
This Series: God’s Spirit
Previously:
God’s Spirit with us / in us
The Fruit of the Spirit
The Fruit of Love
The Fruit of Joy Part I
TODAY’S SERMON: Our Great Commission
God’s Spirit
Part 6: The Fruit of Joy II
OPEN IN PRAYER
SCRIPTURE READING
John 15:11 – Jesus Speaking
“These things have I spoken unto you, that My joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.”
“My joy…” Jesus wants His joy for us to remain
“…that your joy might be full.” He also wants us to have joy in life
INTRODUCTION
Speaking on the Fruits of the Spirit in Galatians
We are commanded to “…keep in step with the Spirit” Galatians 5:25
This is what is meant by “walk in the Spirit”
Last week we spoke on Joy busters…this week we will speak on Joy builders.
Things that BUILD and allow the Spirit of God to produce the fruit of Joy in our lives.
1. Recognize that God is joyful.
We can be helped greatly in our journey towards joy if we learn to see the Almighty not as a taskmaster, but as the God of the Universe with a joy in His heart.
When I first discovered Zephaniah 3:17 I had to read it several times because it was such a new thought for me.
Listen to how God feels about you: “The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.” God delights in you and breaks out into song when He thinks about you! That’s hard to believe, isn’t it? Psalm 104:31 says, “May the glory of the LORD endure forever; may the LORD rejoice in his works.”
You are part of HIS WORKS…He created you! And He rejoices in you.
Genesis 1:31: “And God saw every thing that He had made, and, behold, it was very good…”
Isaiah 65:18-19: “But be glad and rejoice forever in what I will create, for I will create Jerusalem to be a delight and its people a joy. I will rejoice over Jerusalem and take delight in my people…”If we have little or no joy in our lives, it could very well be because we don’t know God well enough, because joy is one of His character qualities.
When we recognize God as joyful we will be even more drawn to Him.
He is not a distant judge just waiting for us to mess up so He can unleash His fury. He has created us to be His delight. He finds great joy in you! He rejoices over you in happy song.As we view God this way, we will discover that He takes great pleasure in us. He is the Good Gardener who toils over us with constant care.
He waits patiently for His fruit to ripen and with great joy He longs to gather in the harvest.
Since there is enthusiasm in everything He undertakes and sweet satisfaction in all He does, His joy can be transmitted directly to us by His Holy Spirit who lives within us.
That’s exactly what Nehemiah discovered in Nehemiah 8:10: “…The joy of the LORD is your strength.”
2. (Joy Builder) Rehearse God’s attributes in worship.
God delights in us and finds great joy in His creation – then when we celebrate His attributes in worship we allow our joy to flow back to Him. Psalm 66:1-4: “Shout with joy to God, all the earth! Sing the glory of his name; make his praise glorious! Say to God, ‘How awesome are your deeds! So great is your power that your enemies cringe before you. All the earth bows down to you; they sing praise to you, they sing praise to your name.’”Our collective worship of God on Sundays should be the culmination of our individual and private worship during the week.
When David focused on God’s character in Psalm 28, he couldn’t help but break out into joy. Listen to verse 7: “The Lord is my strength and shield; my heart trusts in Him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to Him in song.”
3. (Joy Builder) Reaffirm your commitment to others.
The first two joy builders are vertical and have to do with how we view God and how He views us.
If we’re serious about drinking deeply out of the rivers of joy, we must also make sure that we are doing OK on the horizontal dimension by living in biblical community with others.
We can’t do it alone.
Romans 12:15 challenges us to “rejoice with those who rejoice…”
We’re not able to do this unless we’re connected to others. If you’re not in fellowship with believers, your joy will dissipate.Here’s the point. As I connect with you and you connect with me, our joy will overflow. We need each other. If we’re not attending church on a regular basis, or coming and not interacting with others, we could be jeopardizing the joy of other people, as well as in ourselves.
When we live in loving relationships with our brothers and sisters in Christ, we’ll be more joyful and we’ll be helping others lift up their joy.
4. (Joy Builder) Reignite your passion for evangelism.
One of the best ways to build joy into your life is by talking to other’s about Jesus. Philemon 6: “I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ.” Luke 15 records for us how much rejoicing takes place when the lost are found. When the lost sheep is recovered, verse 5 says that the owner “joyfully puts it on his shoulders” and then goes home and calls his friends and neighbors together and declares in verse 6, “Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep. I tell you in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents…”
Jesus reminds us in John 4:36 that we can be filled with glad joy when we participate in the process of evangelism: “Even now the reaper draws his wages, even now he harvests for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together.”
We are to rejoice with those who have reaped the benefits of Christ through our sowing of the Gospel!
Each week I make my sermons available online, and put the video on our church website.
A few years ago I received a letter from a Pastor in India who wrote me to thank me for making my Sermons available for free to anyone in the world.
He wanted to let me know that He preached one of my sermons in India before 5000 people, and that close to 2000 accepted Christ that night!
I rejoice knowing that when I get to heaven, I will meet these people who God so graciously allowed me to be part of their joy.
Praise God.
5. (Joy Builder) Release your problems to the Lord.
One of the hallmarks of Christian joy is that it can be experienced in the midst of intense sorrow and loss.
Often we define happiness as the absence of something undesirable, such as pain, suffering, or disappointment.
But Christian joy is the proper response to the presence of something desirable: God Himself…regardless of what other conditions are or are not present.In Acts 16, the authorities beat Paul and Silas. After they were severely flogged, they were thrown into prison. In order to make sure they didn’t escape, they were put in the inner cell and had their feet fastened in stocks.
If that were me, I’d be scared! Verse 25 says that Paul and Silas “were praying and singing hymns to God…”
This word for praying is not the same Greek word used for making requests, but rather the Greek word used for praise, or worship.
Instead of asking God to get them out, they turned this tough situation into an opportunity for rejoicing.The only way to have an attitude like this is to release our problems to the Lord. Because He’s in charge we can have joy – no matter what happens.
Paul put it this way in 2 Corinthians 7:4: “…in all our troubles my joy knows no bounds.” James 1:2 challenges us to “consider it pure joy…whenever you face trials of many kinds.”This takes a conscious decision. We’re commanded to work at it.
While we can’t manufacture joy we can give our problems to the Lord by leaning on Him with everything we’ve got.
ConclusionThe only way to have real joy is to nurture your relationship with Jesus and keep in step with the Spirit on a daily basis.1. Guard yourself against those joy busters that crash into your life like a tidal wave. 2. Identify one joy builder that you need to work on. Pick one that is weak for you.• Recognize God as joyful• Rehearse God’s attributes in worship• Reaffirm your commitment to others• Reignite your passion for evangelism• Release your problems to the Lord In closing, let’s allow Romans 14:17 to penetrate our lives: “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.”
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Sunday, June 21, 2009
God's Spirit - Part 4 - Spiritual Fruit of Joy I
Our Great Commission
God’s Spirit
Part 3: The Fruit of Joy PART I
Pastor Bruce A. Shields
House of Faith – www.PS127.org www.TruthDigest.org
ANNOUNCEMENTS
6:00PM Evening Service at the church –
“Seminary Students will be preaching”
Monday Bible Study back at the Shields’ 5:00PM
Tuesday Women’s at Lori’s 5:00PM
Men’s on Friday at the church 8:00PM
WHERE WE ARE AT
† Maturing in Christ
† Understanding in Christ
† Love of God
This Series: God’s Spirit
Previously:
God’s Spirit with us / in us
The Fruit of the Spirit
The Fruit of Love
TODAY’S SERMON: Our Great Commission
God’s Spirit
Part 4: The Fruit of Joy
OPEN IN PRAYER
SCRIPTURE READING
John 15:11 – Jesus Speaking
“These things have I spoken unto you, that My joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.”
“My joy…” Jesus wants His joy for us to remain
“…that your joy might be full.” He also wants us to have joy in life
INTRODUCTION
This morning we’re going to take a look into the Spiritual Fruit called “joy” as we continue in our series based on the Fruits of the Spirit as found in Galatians 5:22-23.It’s safe to say that joy is one of the most elusive fruits for us as believers.
It’s not a very popular fruit and is not produced near enough today.
Part of the problem is that joy is often misunderstood.We tend to equate “happiness” with joy, but they are two totally different ideas because they each spring from a different source.
One comes from the world around us.
The other originates directly from the Spirit of the Living God.
Happiness is conditioned by and often dependent upon what is “happening” to us. If people treat us well, if things are going well in our lives, then we’re happy.
If our circumstances aren’t favorable, then we’re unhappy.
Joy, on the other hand, we see throughout Scripture as a profound, compelling quality of life that transcends the events and disasters which may attack God’s people.
Joy is a divine dimension of living that is not shackled by circumstances.
The Hebrew word means, “to leap or spin around with pleasure.”
In the New Testament the word refers to “gladness, bliss and celebration.”To have the fruit of joy ripen in our lives is to recognize the journey involved in getting there. It takes time, diligence, patience, and hard work to make a grapevine produce grapes.
Fruit is not instantaneous because it has to overcome weather, bugs, weeds, poor soil and neglect.
Likewise, in our journey to joy we’re faced with the waves of indifference, the currents of negativity, the deluge of doubt and the pitfalls of despair.
There is no way we can manufacture this fruit on our own.
If we want to see this fruit ripen in our lives, we desperately need the Holy Spirit to prune away whatever it is that hinders our joy and then empower us to make some choices that move us closer to a lifestyle of rejoicing.
We need to guard ourselves against common Joy Busters.
These joy busters are like weeds, or bugs which attack and can keep our fruit from producing and ripening.
Joy Busters
Before Paul wrote to the church at Galatia about the Fruit of the Spirit, he asked a very important question in Galatians 4:15: “What has happened to all your joy…”
That question needs to be asked in the church today. What has happened to all my joy? What has happened to all your joy?
William Barclay, a popular Scottish theologian who died in 1978, has said that “a gloomy Christian is a contradiction in terms, and nothing in all religious history has done Christianity more harm than its connection with black clothing and long faces.”
Let’s look at a few common joy stealers that often give us long faces.
1. (Joy Stealer) Unsatisfied expectations.
Do you ever feel like you’re just going through some joyless routines in life?
If the truth were known, some of us are discontent with the way our lives are progressing.
It could be that your expectations for your marriage have not been met. Or, maybe your kids aren’t living like they should.
Perhaps you don’t have everything you want – a bigger house, a nicer car, and a better job.I’m convinced that a spirit of discontentment can rob many of us of joy.
Listen to how Paul discovered the secret of being content with what God had given him
Philippians 4:12: “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.”I find it interesting to note that Paul calls contentment a “secret.”
There’s a mystery about it. He also had to “learn” how to live with unsatisfied expectations. Likewise, we must learn to live with plenty or with little.
Contentment doesn’t come when we have everything we want but when we are satisfied with everything we have.
2. (Joy Stealer) Unresolved conflict.
Our joy evaporates when we allow conflict between ourselves and another person to go on. When offenses between us occupy our mental and emotional attention, we have little left over for the Lord.
Anger clouds the eyes of our heart and obscures our view of God, draining away our joy.Hebrews 12:14-15 challenges us to not allow relational ruptures to fester because bitterness can set in: “Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.”We addressed this last week when we spoke on love, and we know from 1 Corinthians 13 that love keeps no record of wrongs.
If you’re still itemizing people’s mess-ups and offenses, the fruit of joy will be squashed in your life.
Paul recognizes the link between joy and unity in Philippians 2:2: “Then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose.”
3. (Joy Stealer) Unconfessed sin.
This third joy buster is perhaps responsible for chasing more joy out of lives than any other. Guilt can gut your joy faster than anything I know. Sin can send joy far away. David understood this very well when he attempted to ignore the promptings of the Holy Spirit when he was convicted of his sin.
Psalm 32:1-5:
“Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the LORD does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit. When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the LORD’ -- and you forgave the guilt of my sin.”I love how this Psalm ends. After David owns his sin, his joy returns. Notice verse 11: “Rejoice in the LORD and be glad, you righteous; sing, all you who are upright in heart!”
Did you catch that? He was not able to rejoice and experience the joy of the Lord until he confessed his sins!
That’s very similar to what David wrote in Psalm 51:7-8: “Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice.”
Is the weight of the Lord heavy upon you because like David, you are not answering the Holy Spirits conviction in your life?
Confess your sins, repent and you will be forgiven, and you too will once again feel the Fruit of joy in your life.
Before we move on to some positive joy builders, I want to give the Holy Spirit an opportunity right now to do some pruning in your life.
Let’s take a moment as I walk through these joy busters.
Allow God’s Spirit to prompt you to acknowledge, confess, and repent.
• Do you have some unsatisfied expectations that have led to a spirit of discontentment? If so, determine to do whatever it takes to learn the secret of wanting everything you have and not necessarily having everything you want. When you do, you’ll begin to experience joy in even the small things of life. Confess your discontentment to Him right now.• Are you involved in some conflict with someone? If so, confess it to God and make plans to meet with that person face-to-face so that you can be reconciled and get back on your journey to joy.• Is God’s hand heavy upon you right now because of some sin that you’ve not confessed and repented of? Don’t keep silent any longer – it will only chew you up on the inside. Acknowledge your transgression and taste the joy that was once yours. Then you’ll be truly glad and rejoice in the Lord again.
I have some great news this morning.
Lost joy can be restored.
As a result of some discontentment, some conflict, and some open sin, David had flattened out spiritually.
His joy was a long-lost memory. And yet, he boldly prays in Psalm 51:12, “Restore to me the joy of your salvation…”
God honored his prayer, and He will honor yours.
God’s Spirit
Part 3: The Fruit of Joy PART I
Pastor Bruce A. Shields
House of Faith – www.PS127.org www.TruthDigest.org
ANNOUNCEMENTS
6:00PM Evening Service at the church –
“Seminary Students will be preaching”
Monday Bible Study back at the Shields’ 5:00PM
Tuesday Women’s at Lori’s 5:00PM
Men’s on Friday at the church 8:00PM
WHERE WE ARE AT
† Maturing in Christ
† Understanding in Christ
† Love of God
This Series: God’s Spirit
Previously:
God’s Spirit with us / in us
The Fruit of the Spirit
The Fruit of Love
TODAY’S SERMON: Our Great Commission
God’s Spirit
Part 4: The Fruit of Joy
OPEN IN PRAYER
SCRIPTURE READING
John 15:11 – Jesus Speaking
“These things have I spoken unto you, that My joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.”
“My joy…” Jesus wants His joy for us to remain
“…that your joy might be full.” He also wants us to have joy in life
INTRODUCTION
This morning we’re going to take a look into the Spiritual Fruit called “joy” as we continue in our series based on the Fruits of the Spirit as found in Galatians 5:22-23.It’s safe to say that joy is one of the most elusive fruits for us as believers.
It’s not a very popular fruit and is not produced near enough today.
Part of the problem is that joy is often misunderstood.We tend to equate “happiness” with joy, but they are two totally different ideas because they each spring from a different source.
One comes from the world around us.
The other originates directly from the Spirit of the Living God.
Happiness is conditioned by and often dependent upon what is “happening” to us. If people treat us well, if things are going well in our lives, then we’re happy.
If our circumstances aren’t favorable, then we’re unhappy.
Joy, on the other hand, we see throughout Scripture as a profound, compelling quality of life that transcends the events and disasters which may attack God’s people.
Joy is a divine dimension of living that is not shackled by circumstances.
The Hebrew word means, “to leap or spin around with pleasure.”
In the New Testament the word refers to “gladness, bliss and celebration.”To have the fruit of joy ripen in our lives is to recognize the journey involved in getting there. It takes time, diligence, patience, and hard work to make a grapevine produce grapes.
Fruit is not instantaneous because it has to overcome weather, bugs, weeds, poor soil and neglect.
Likewise, in our journey to joy we’re faced with the waves of indifference, the currents of negativity, the deluge of doubt and the pitfalls of despair.
There is no way we can manufacture this fruit on our own.
If we want to see this fruit ripen in our lives, we desperately need the Holy Spirit to prune away whatever it is that hinders our joy and then empower us to make some choices that move us closer to a lifestyle of rejoicing.
We need to guard ourselves against common Joy Busters.
These joy busters are like weeds, or bugs which attack and can keep our fruit from producing and ripening.
Joy Busters
Before Paul wrote to the church at Galatia about the Fruit of the Spirit, he asked a very important question in Galatians 4:15: “What has happened to all your joy…”
That question needs to be asked in the church today. What has happened to all my joy? What has happened to all your joy?
William Barclay, a popular Scottish theologian who died in 1978, has said that “a gloomy Christian is a contradiction in terms, and nothing in all religious history has done Christianity more harm than its connection with black clothing and long faces.”
Let’s look at a few common joy stealers that often give us long faces.
1. (Joy Stealer) Unsatisfied expectations.
Do you ever feel like you’re just going through some joyless routines in life?
If the truth were known, some of us are discontent with the way our lives are progressing.
It could be that your expectations for your marriage have not been met. Or, maybe your kids aren’t living like they should.
Perhaps you don’t have everything you want – a bigger house, a nicer car, and a better job.I’m convinced that a spirit of discontentment can rob many of us of joy.
Listen to how Paul discovered the secret of being content with what God had given him
Philippians 4:12: “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.”I find it interesting to note that Paul calls contentment a “secret.”
There’s a mystery about it. He also had to “learn” how to live with unsatisfied expectations. Likewise, we must learn to live with plenty or with little.
Contentment doesn’t come when we have everything we want but when we are satisfied with everything we have.
2. (Joy Stealer) Unresolved conflict.
Our joy evaporates when we allow conflict between ourselves and another person to go on. When offenses between us occupy our mental and emotional attention, we have little left over for the Lord.
Anger clouds the eyes of our heart and obscures our view of God, draining away our joy.Hebrews 12:14-15 challenges us to not allow relational ruptures to fester because bitterness can set in: “Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.”We addressed this last week when we spoke on love, and we know from 1 Corinthians 13 that love keeps no record of wrongs.
If you’re still itemizing people’s mess-ups and offenses, the fruit of joy will be squashed in your life.
Paul recognizes the link between joy and unity in Philippians 2:2: “Then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose.”
3. (Joy Stealer) Unconfessed sin.
This third joy buster is perhaps responsible for chasing more joy out of lives than any other. Guilt can gut your joy faster than anything I know. Sin can send joy far away. David understood this very well when he attempted to ignore the promptings of the Holy Spirit when he was convicted of his sin.
Psalm 32:1-5:
“Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the LORD does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit. When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the LORD’ -- and you forgave the guilt of my sin.”I love how this Psalm ends. After David owns his sin, his joy returns. Notice verse 11: “Rejoice in the LORD and be glad, you righteous; sing, all you who are upright in heart!”
Did you catch that? He was not able to rejoice and experience the joy of the Lord until he confessed his sins!
That’s very similar to what David wrote in Psalm 51:7-8: “Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice.”
Is the weight of the Lord heavy upon you because like David, you are not answering the Holy Spirits conviction in your life?
Confess your sins, repent and you will be forgiven, and you too will once again feel the Fruit of joy in your life.
Before we move on to some positive joy builders, I want to give the Holy Spirit an opportunity right now to do some pruning in your life.
Let’s take a moment as I walk through these joy busters.
Allow God’s Spirit to prompt you to acknowledge, confess, and repent.
• Do you have some unsatisfied expectations that have led to a spirit of discontentment? If so, determine to do whatever it takes to learn the secret of wanting everything you have and not necessarily having everything you want. When you do, you’ll begin to experience joy in even the small things of life. Confess your discontentment to Him right now.• Are you involved in some conflict with someone? If so, confess it to God and make plans to meet with that person face-to-face so that you can be reconciled and get back on your journey to joy.• Is God’s hand heavy upon you right now because of some sin that you’ve not confessed and repented of? Don’t keep silent any longer – it will only chew you up on the inside. Acknowledge your transgression and taste the joy that was once yours. Then you’ll be truly glad and rejoice in the Lord again.
I have some great news this morning.
Lost joy can be restored.
As a result of some discontentment, some conflict, and some open sin, David had flattened out spiritually.
His joy was a long-lost memory. And yet, he boldly prays in Psalm 51:12, “Restore to me the joy of your salvation…”
God honored his prayer, and He will honor yours.
Sunday, June 14, 2009
God's Spirit - Part 3 - Spiritual Fruit of Love
Our Great Commission
God’s Spirit
Part 3: The Fruit of Love
Pastor Bruce A. Shields
House of Faith – www.PS127.org www.TruthDigest.org
ANNOUNCEMENTS
6:00PM Evening Service at the church –
“Seminary Students will be preaching”
Monday Bible Study back at the Shields’ 5:00PM
Tuesday Women’s at Lori’s 5:00PM
Men’s on Friday at the church 8:00PM
WHERE WE ARE AT
† Maturing in Christ
† Understanding in Christ
† Love of God
This Series: God’s Spirit
Previously:
God’s Spirit with us / in us
The Fruit of the Spirit
TODAY’S SERMON: Our Great Commission
God’s Spirit
Part 3: The Fruit of Love
OPEN IN PRAYER
SCRIPTURE READING
Ephesians 5:1-21
1Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children 2and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
3But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people. 4Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or vulgar joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving.
5For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a man is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.[a] 6Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God's wrath comes on those who are disobedient. 7Therefore do not be partners with them.
8For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light
9(for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) 10and find out what pleases the Lord. 11Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. 12For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret.
13But everything exposed by the light becomes visible, 14for it is light that makes everything visible. This is why it is said: "Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you."
15Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, 16making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. 17Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is. 18Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. 19Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, 20always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
21Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.
9(for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) 10and find out what pleases the Lord. 11Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness…
Galatians 5:22
22But the fruit of the Spirit is love...
LOVE
John 13:34 & 35 (Jesus Speaking to the Disciples)
34 "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."
I. A new command I give you: Love one another.
The word ‘love’ used here is agapao in the literal translation which comes from the word ‘agan’ which means much or a lot.
Agapao means to love someone in a social or moral sense.
Love each other the way I love you, and everyone will know you are my disciples.
LOOPHOLES
We, humans, tend to always look for the loopholes in instructions, teachings, rules, commands, what ever you want to call them.
When given instruction, we tend to look for a way around that instruction.
Like a child, we say in our hearts, “you’re not the boss of me”, even when sometimes they are.
Like the old saying, children like to break things, especially rules.
Always looking for a way around instruction.
We can see this demonstrated in children at a very young age.
Rebekah when she was 2, knew she was not allowed in Dad’s office while he is working.
Sometimes while I was working, she would come to the door, which was open, and lay on the floor just outside the door.
She would peek her head around the corner, look at me and say “Hi Daddy.”
Then as I continue to work, she would slowly edge herself to the line, until she has some small part of her just over the threshold.
Then she looks up at me as if to say, “what?”
It’s in our nature, our flesh, the desire to do our will.
She knows her Father said she’s not allowed to cross that line, but the desire within her to do her will is sometimes stronger than the desire to do what she knows she’s supposed to.
And she’ll cross that line, in full understanding that it is wrong.
If she didn’t truly know better, she wouldn’t have lay down just before it, and called my name to see my response.
If she didn’t understand, she wouldn’t have slowly executed her scheme to cross the threshold into the office.
The will of our sinful flesh can sometimes exclaim so loudly within us, that we can easily ignore that still and quiet voice of the Holy Spirit.
But we know the truth.
We know right from wrong, it has been written upon our hearts.
2 Corinthians 3:3
“You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.”
You are a letter from Christ, to the lost world.
You are a love letter, written with the Spirit of the Living God upon your hearts.
A letter that should be telling the world, “My King requests your presence in His Kingdom.”
Are you proclaiming the Kingdom of Love to the lost?
Are you proclaiming the Love of our King for the lost?
You can only do this through loving others.
You can’t just talk about love, and not do it.
Love must be shown, not with words, but in action.
If you do not love others, no one will hear your words about a God who loves, or a coming Kingdom of Love.
All they will see is the way you live as you tell them they need God’s Love.
If you do not love, yet claim to be a Christian, all you are to the lost is a walking contradiction.
People believe action, words are just words.
You can talk all day about your intensions of doing something, but until you actually do it, it hasn’t been done.
…Anybody who brags about what he’s going to do tomorrow probably did the same thing yesterday.
No farmer ever plowed a field by turning it over in his mind.
There’s a scripture about those who talk the talk, but do not walk the walk;
Mark 7:6
“He replied, "Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: " 'These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.”
Where is your heart today?
Is it full of God’s love for people?
This includes the lost sinners.
They are the ones we are instructed to reach and save.
Where is your heart today?
Is it for moving forward and proclaiming God’s Kingdom in Love?
Are you living God’s love?
II. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.
This kind of love is supernatural.
This Spiritual fruit of love is for God and fellowman, believer and lost.
Love for your fellowman (whether saved or lost) has always been a hallmark of the devout Christian.
God’s Spiritual fruit of love creates in us compassion for others, tenderheartedness for others, and makes us a loving individual.
The kind of compassion that made Christ cry when he heard his friend Lazarus had died, and He knew the sadness the family was feeling, or when He cried over Jerusalem falling away from God.
Do you have this Spiritual Fruit of love?
Are you compassionate about people, or cold towards them?
Do you have a tender heart for others, or are you hateful and full of spite?
Do you love, or are you full of anger?
Are you loving towards others?
Jesus says, ‘Love one another, as I have loved you,”
How does Jesus love us?
This is important, because Jesus says “As I have loved you, so you must love one another.”
Right now, think of someone that you don’t like.
I know some of you won’t have any trouble at all, while it may take others a moment or two.
Now ask yourself some questions;
Remembering Jesus’ words, ask your self;
If that person were hungry, would I feed them?
If that person were thirsty, would I give them something to drink?
If that person were sick, would I visit them?
Would I give my life for them?
Jesus did.
That person you are holding a grudge against, Jesus died for them because He loved them so much.
Love is a serious matter to God.
For God is love.
1 John 4:7, 8
“7 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.”
Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.
Are you born again?
Has Christ breathed the Spirit into you?
Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.
You see, you cannot hate your brother and claim to be a Christian.
You are in contradiction.
Are you a Christian or not?
If you are, then stop hating, backbiting, gossiping, working against, and attacking with your words…
Especially against your brother in the Body of Christ.
Did you know, God warns you about hating your brother?
1 John 7:20, 21
“20 If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. 21 And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother.”
Whatever we do in life, there are consequences.
Good and bad.
How do you show love to a God you cannot touch or see?
Jesus says by obeying His commands.
The scriptures also say when you love one another the way God loves you, you show your love to God.
We are commanded to love one another as He loves us.
When we love others, we love Christ.
When we hate others, we hate Christ.
III. By this (love) all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.
Jesus has shown His love, not in words, but action.
He has loved each one of us unto death.
When you hate someone, you hate someone Christ loved so much He died for.
Jesus’ own words, “What you do to the least of these, you do unto me.”
But when you love, you proclaim Christ’s love letter to the lost.
By your love for others, you love Christ.
If you do not love the way Christ is telling you to, then you need to ask yourself why.
Is it you have not asked Jesus to be your Lord?
If not, you need to do so.
Is it because you are living by your flesh?
If so, you need to crucify your flesh and follow the Spirit which has been given to you by the Lord.
Pray, and the Holy Spirit will change your heart.
God’s Spirit
Part 3: The Fruit of Love
Pastor Bruce A. Shields
House of Faith – www.PS127.org www.TruthDigest.org
ANNOUNCEMENTS
6:00PM Evening Service at the church –
“Seminary Students will be preaching”
Monday Bible Study back at the Shields’ 5:00PM
Tuesday Women’s at Lori’s 5:00PM
Men’s on Friday at the church 8:00PM
WHERE WE ARE AT
† Maturing in Christ
† Understanding in Christ
† Love of God
This Series: God’s Spirit
Previously:
God’s Spirit with us / in us
The Fruit of the Spirit
TODAY’S SERMON: Our Great Commission
God’s Spirit
Part 3: The Fruit of Love
OPEN IN PRAYER
SCRIPTURE READING
Ephesians 5:1-21
1Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children 2and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
3But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people. 4Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or vulgar joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving.
5For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a man is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.[a] 6Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God's wrath comes on those who are disobedient. 7Therefore do not be partners with them.
8For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light
9(for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) 10and find out what pleases the Lord. 11Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. 12For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret.
13But everything exposed by the light becomes visible, 14for it is light that makes everything visible. This is why it is said: "Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you."
15Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, 16making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. 17Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is. 18Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. 19Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, 20always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
21Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.
9(for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) 10and find out what pleases the Lord. 11Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness…
Galatians 5:22
22But the fruit of the Spirit is love...
LOVE
John 13:34 & 35 (Jesus Speaking to the Disciples)
34 "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."
I. A new command I give you: Love one another.
The word ‘love’ used here is agapao in the literal translation which comes from the word ‘agan’ which means much or a lot.
Agapao means to love someone in a social or moral sense.
Love each other the way I love you, and everyone will know you are my disciples.
LOOPHOLES
We, humans, tend to always look for the loopholes in instructions, teachings, rules, commands, what ever you want to call them.
When given instruction, we tend to look for a way around that instruction.
Like a child, we say in our hearts, “you’re not the boss of me”, even when sometimes they are.
Like the old saying, children like to break things, especially rules.
Always looking for a way around instruction.
We can see this demonstrated in children at a very young age.
Rebekah when she was 2, knew she was not allowed in Dad’s office while he is working.
Sometimes while I was working, she would come to the door, which was open, and lay on the floor just outside the door.
She would peek her head around the corner, look at me and say “Hi Daddy.”
Then as I continue to work, she would slowly edge herself to the line, until she has some small part of her just over the threshold.
Then she looks up at me as if to say, “what?”
It’s in our nature, our flesh, the desire to do our will.
She knows her Father said she’s not allowed to cross that line, but the desire within her to do her will is sometimes stronger than the desire to do what she knows she’s supposed to.
And she’ll cross that line, in full understanding that it is wrong.
If she didn’t truly know better, she wouldn’t have lay down just before it, and called my name to see my response.
If she didn’t understand, she wouldn’t have slowly executed her scheme to cross the threshold into the office.
The will of our sinful flesh can sometimes exclaim so loudly within us, that we can easily ignore that still and quiet voice of the Holy Spirit.
But we know the truth.
We know right from wrong, it has been written upon our hearts.
2 Corinthians 3:3
“You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.”
You are a letter from Christ, to the lost world.
You are a love letter, written with the Spirit of the Living God upon your hearts.
A letter that should be telling the world, “My King requests your presence in His Kingdom.”
Are you proclaiming the Kingdom of Love to the lost?
Are you proclaiming the Love of our King for the lost?
You can only do this through loving others.
You can’t just talk about love, and not do it.
Love must be shown, not with words, but in action.
If you do not love others, no one will hear your words about a God who loves, or a coming Kingdom of Love.
All they will see is the way you live as you tell them they need God’s Love.
If you do not love, yet claim to be a Christian, all you are to the lost is a walking contradiction.
People believe action, words are just words.
You can talk all day about your intensions of doing something, but until you actually do it, it hasn’t been done.
…Anybody who brags about what he’s going to do tomorrow probably did the same thing yesterday.
No farmer ever plowed a field by turning it over in his mind.
There’s a scripture about those who talk the talk, but do not walk the walk;
Mark 7:6
“He replied, "Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: " 'These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.”
Where is your heart today?
Is it full of God’s love for people?
This includes the lost sinners.
They are the ones we are instructed to reach and save.
Where is your heart today?
Is it for moving forward and proclaiming God’s Kingdom in Love?
Are you living God’s love?
II. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.
This kind of love is supernatural.
This Spiritual fruit of love is for God and fellowman, believer and lost.
Love for your fellowman (whether saved or lost) has always been a hallmark of the devout Christian.
God’s Spiritual fruit of love creates in us compassion for others, tenderheartedness for others, and makes us a loving individual.
The kind of compassion that made Christ cry when he heard his friend Lazarus had died, and He knew the sadness the family was feeling, or when He cried over Jerusalem falling away from God.
Do you have this Spiritual Fruit of love?
Are you compassionate about people, or cold towards them?
Do you have a tender heart for others, or are you hateful and full of spite?
Do you love, or are you full of anger?
Are you loving towards others?
Jesus says, ‘Love one another, as I have loved you,”
How does Jesus love us?
This is important, because Jesus says “As I have loved you, so you must love one another.”
Right now, think of someone that you don’t like.
I know some of you won’t have any trouble at all, while it may take others a moment or two.
Now ask yourself some questions;
Remembering Jesus’ words, ask your self;
If that person were hungry, would I feed them?
If that person were thirsty, would I give them something to drink?
If that person were sick, would I visit them?
Would I give my life for them?
Jesus did.
That person you are holding a grudge against, Jesus died for them because He loved them so much.
Love is a serious matter to God.
For God is love.
1 John 4:7, 8
“7 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.”
Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.
Are you born again?
Has Christ breathed the Spirit into you?
Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.
You see, you cannot hate your brother and claim to be a Christian.
You are in contradiction.
Are you a Christian or not?
If you are, then stop hating, backbiting, gossiping, working against, and attacking with your words…
Especially against your brother in the Body of Christ.
Did you know, God warns you about hating your brother?
1 John 7:20, 21
“20 If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. 21 And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother.”
Whatever we do in life, there are consequences.
Good and bad.
How do you show love to a God you cannot touch or see?
Jesus says by obeying His commands.
The scriptures also say when you love one another the way God loves you, you show your love to God.
We are commanded to love one another as He loves us.
When we love others, we love Christ.
When we hate others, we hate Christ.
III. By this (love) all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.
Jesus has shown His love, not in words, but action.
He has loved each one of us unto death.
When you hate someone, you hate someone Christ loved so much He died for.
Jesus’ own words, “What you do to the least of these, you do unto me.”
But when you love, you proclaim Christ’s love letter to the lost.
By your love for others, you love Christ.
If you do not love the way Christ is telling you to, then you need to ask yourself why.
Is it you have not asked Jesus to be your Lord?
If not, you need to do so.
Is it because you are living by your flesh?
If so, you need to crucify your flesh and follow the Spirit which has been given to you by the Lord.
Pray, and the Holy Spirit will change your heart.
Sunday, June 7, 2009
God's Spirit - Part 2 - Fruits of the Spirit
Our Great Commission
God’s Spirit
Part 2: The Fruit of the Spirit
Pastor Bruce A. Shields
House of Faith – www.PS127.org www.TruthDigest.org
ANNOUNCEMENTS
6:00PM Evening Service at the church –
“Seminary Students will be preaching”
Monday Bible Study back at the Shields’ 5:00PM
Tuesday Women’s at Lori’s 5:00PM
Men’s on Friday at the church 8:00PM
Supplies were purchased for making the Church Sign for US23
WHERE WE ARE AT
† Maturing in Christ
† Understanding in Christ
† Love of God
This Series: God’s Spirit
Previously:
God’s Spirit with us / in us
TODAY’S SERMON: Our Great Commission
God’s Spirit
Part 2: The Fruit of the Spirit
OPEN IN PRAYER
SCRIPTURE READING
Ephesians 5:1-21
1Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children 2and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
3But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people. 4Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or vulgar joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving.
5For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a man is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.[a] 6Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God's wrath comes on those who are disobedient. 7Therefore do not be partners with them.
8For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light
9(for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) 10and find out what pleases the Lord. 11Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. 12For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret.
13But everything exposed by the light becomes visible, 14for it is light that makes everything visible. This is why it is said: "Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you."
15Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, 16making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. 17Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is. 18Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. 19Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, 20always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
21Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.
9(for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) 10and find out what pleases the Lord. 11Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness…
What are the Fruits of the Spirit?
Where do they come from?
How do we obtain them?
What are they?
Do we produce them?
Have you found what pleases the Lord?
Are we being doers of the Word?
What fruits are we producing?
What if we are not?
Have we confessed our sin to the Lord?
Have we repented of that sin so that we may receive forgiveness?
Are we walking in the Spirit? (Being doers of the Word)
INTRODUCTION
Many may associate the Fruits of the Spirit with emotions or feelings, they are not feelings or emotions, but the Characteristics of God Himself brought out of us by the Holy Spirit of God dwelling within us.
God has commanded us to exercise the Fruits daily in our lives. We keep from doing this when we chose our will over the Will of God in our lives.
The Fruits of the Spirit have nothing to do with our feelings or emotions and they are not under the direct control of our will…other than the fact we can choose to obey the Spirit and show these fruits, or we can deny the spirit of God and choose our own will.
We have free will to allow God to work in our lives and through us, or deny Him and live our will.
I. WHAT ARE THEY?
The fruits of the Spirit are simply God’s Characteristics coming forth from us because of the Holy Spirit dwelling within us.
In the Old Testament, God’s Spirit dwelled in the Holy of Holies within the Temple, and only the High Priest was allowed within there.
He had to be ceremonially clean; otherwise he would die in God’s presence.
No one was allowed in other than the High Priest.
This was foreshadowing of the Holy Spirit dwelling within us, the temple of God
II. WHERE DO THEY COME FROM?
They come only from the Holy Spirits indwelling within us.
I Corinthians 6:19 – 20
19Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.
Jesus is now our High Priest
Hebrews 6:20
… Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever…
And only the High Priest may enter the Holy of Holies which is our heart, where the Holy Spirit dwells within us when we belong to the Lord.
II Chronicles 6:30
then hear from heaven, your dwelling place. Forgive, and deal with each man according to all he does, since you know his heart (for you alone know the hearts of men),
III. WHAT ARE THEY?
They are literally listed as the following,
Galatians 5:16 – 26
16So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. 17For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. 18But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law.
19The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. 25Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.
CONCLUSION
Matthew 7:15- 20 – You will recognize the Lord’s Children
15"Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. 16By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.
Mark 11:12-14 & 20-21
12The next day as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. 13Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to find out if it had any fruit. When he reached it, he found nothing but leaves, because it was not the season for figs. 14Then he said to the tree, "May no one ever eat fruit from you again."
20In the morning, as they went along, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots. 21Peter remembered and said to Jesus, "Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has withered!"
We are commanded by the Lord to produce fruit, in season, and out of season.
2 Timothy 4:2
Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season;
CLOSING
John 15:1-17
1"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. 3You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
5"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. 8This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
9"As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. 11I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. 14You are my friends if you do what I command. 15I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. 17This is my command: Love each other.
God’s Spirit
Part 2: The Fruit of the Spirit
Pastor Bruce A. Shields
House of Faith – www.PS127.org www.TruthDigest.org
ANNOUNCEMENTS
6:00PM Evening Service at the church –
“Seminary Students will be preaching”
Monday Bible Study back at the Shields’ 5:00PM
Tuesday Women’s at Lori’s 5:00PM
Men’s on Friday at the church 8:00PM
Supplies were purchased for making the Church Sign for US23
WHERE WE ARE AT
† Maturing in Christ
† Understanding in Christ
† Love of God
This Series: God’s Spirit
Previously:
God’s Spirit with us / in us
TODAY’S SERMON: Our Great Commission
God’s Spirit
Part 2: The Fruit of the Spirit
OPEN IN PRAYER
SCRIPTURE READING
Ephesians 5:1-21
1Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children 2and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
3But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people. 4Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or vulgar joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving.
5For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a man is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.[a] 6Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God's wrath comes on those who are disobedient. 7Therefore do not be partners with them.
8For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light
9(for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) 10and find out what pleases the Lord. 11Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. 12For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret.
13But everything exposed by the light becomes visible, 14for it is light that makes everything visible. This is why it is said: "Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you."
15Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, 16making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. 17Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is. 18Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. 19Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, 20always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
21Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.
9(for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) 10and find out what pleases the Lord. 11Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness…
What are the Fruits of the Spirit?
Where do they come from?
How do we obtain them?
What are they?
Do we produce them?
Have you found what pleases the Lord?
Are we being doers of the Word?
What fruits are we producing?
What if we are not?
Have we confessed our sin to the Lord?
Have we repented of that sin so that we may receive forgiveness?
Are we walking in the Spirit? (Being doers of the Word)
INTRODUCTION
Many may associate the Fruits of the Spirit with emotions or feelings, they are not feelings or emotions, but the Characteristics of God Himself brought out of us by the Holy Spirit of God dwelling within us.
God has commanded us to exercise the Fruits daily in our lives. We keep from doing this when we chose our will over the Will of God in our lives.
The Fruits of the Spirit have nothing to do with our feelings or emotions and they are not under the direct control of our will…other than the fact we can choose to obey the Spirit and show these fruits, or we can deny the spirit of God and choose our own will.
We have free will to allow God to work in our lives and through us, or deny Him and live our will.
I. WHAT ARE THEY?
The fruits of the Spirit are simply God’s Characteristics coming forth from us because of the Holy Spirit dwelling within us.
In the Old Testament, God’s Spirit dwelled in the Holy of Holies within the Temple, and only the High Priest was allowed within there.
He had to be ceremonially clean; otherwise he would die in God’s presence.
No one was allowed in other than the High Priest.
This was foreshadowing of the Holy Spirit dwelling within us, the temple of God
II. WHERE DO THEY COME FROM?
They come only from the Holy Spirits indwelling within us.
I Corinthians 6:19 – 20
19Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.
Jesus is now our High Priest
Hebrews 6:20
… Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever…
And only the High Priest may enter the Holy of Holies which is our heart, where the Holy Spirit dwells within us when we belong to the Lord.
II Chronicles 6:30
then hear from heaven, your dwelling place. Forgive, and deal with each man according to all he does, since you know his heart (for you alone know the hearts of men),
III. WHAT ARE THEY?
They are literally listed as the following,
Galatians 5:16 – 26
16So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. 17For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. 18But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law.
19The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. 25Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.
CONCLUSION
Matthew 7:15- 20 – You will recognize the Lord’s Children
15"Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. 16By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.
Mark 11:12-14 & 20-21
12The next day as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. 13Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to find out if it had any fruit. When he reached it, he found nothing but leaves, because it was not the season for figs. 14Then he said to the tree, "May no one ever eat fruit from you again."
20In the morning, as they went along, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots. 21Peter remembered and said to Jesus, "Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has withered!"
We are commanded by the Lord to produce fruit, in season, and out of season.
2 Timothy 4:2
Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season;
CLOSING
John 15:1-17
1"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. 3You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
5"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. 8This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
9"As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. 11I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. 14You are my friends if you do what I command. 15I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. 17This is my command: Love each other.
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