Our Great Commission
God’s Spirit
Part 5: The Fruit of Peace
Pastor Bruce A. Shields
House of Faith – www.PS127.org 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 Peace
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”
This command is given after a description of fruits of the flesh and fruits of the spirit are defined, so that we know the two paths we may walk, and which one we are supposed to walk.
Galatians 5:16-25
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.
Both Flesh and Spirit produce fruit.
Good fruit and bad fruit.
Luke 6:43
“No Good tree bears bad fruit, and no bad tree bears good fruit”
Jesus tells us that the only way for us to bear good fruit, which can only come from the Holy Spirit, is through Him.
He is the vine and we are the branch…
The vine sustains and keeps the branch filled with water (Holy Spirit), and in turn the water which flows into the branch, produces fruit.
John 15:1-2
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[a] so that it will be even more fruitful.
John 15:4-6
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.
A branch can be part of the vine, and produce no fruit.
These are “cut off” from the vine by the Father in heaven.
Remember the fig tree Jesus saw?
From a distance it appeared it may have fruit because of the leaves.
But upon close examination, it had no fruit…and it was cursed by Jesus.
If we are followers of Christ, we claim to be the branches of the vine Himself.
We HAVE to produce fruit.
Peace is the fruit which like joy we have misunderstood.
Peace, is not that we do not have things come against us in life, or that things are always smooth sailing, or that we never have issues, problems or attacks on us.
The spiritual fruit of peace is an environment that we create around us.
An attitude we have.
It is the immediate surrounding created by us.
We are commanded by Christ to BE peace.
This spiritual fruit of peace should not be confused with Luke 12:51 where Jesus said he has not come to being peace but division…
That scripture is not speaking of the fruit of peace, but the fact that some will turn to God, and even their own family will turn on them because of it.
Division will be caused because of conversion.
But the fruit of peace that we are supposed to bring is an environment, attitude and surrounding about us.
Mark 9:50
50"Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with each other."
Saltiness being the preservation of God’s Holy Word, we are told to keep the Word preserved as it is, and be at peace with each other.
This command is saying, do not argue and bicker about the Word of God with one another.
Peace must surround us.
We can preserve the Word and do so in peace with one another.
How is this done?
It is the Fruit of the Spirit, nothing we do, but what the Spirit does through us.
Zachariah’s song in Luke 1:76-79 says,
76And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him, 77to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins, 78because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven 79to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace."
The path of peace.
Guided by the Holy Spirit.
I Corinthians 14:33
33For God is not a God of disorder but of peace.
Does peace surround you? Or are you surrounded by a dome of chaos and disorder?
II Corinthians 13:11
Aim for perfection, listen to my appeal, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you.
Hebrews 12:14
14Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.
John 14:27
27Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
I Thessalonians 5:12-15
12Now we ask you, brothers, to respect those who work hard among you, who are over you in the Lord and who admonish you. 13Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other. 14And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone. 15Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else.
To have the faith is to be the branch, but to have deeds is to produce the fruit.
We must not just be hearers of the Word, but doers.
James 2:14-24
14What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? 15Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. 16If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? 17In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
18But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds." Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.
19You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.
20You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless[d]? 21Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. 23And the scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,"[e] and he was called God's friend. 24You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone.
I ask, what is your fruit today?
