The Fruit of the Spirit: Part 1

Good evening. Evening. Hello. So, I think I'm gonna have to bring the stand down and sit stand over there, I guess. Y'all are in a line right up the side aisle there.

Alright. Let's start with 315. Deeper and deeper I go. 315 in your hymn book. Amen.

If you'd stand to your feet and sing with me the song on the screen up here, the love of God. We'll sing the first and the last verse. We're just going to sing one verse. I don't know what happened to the other one. Brother Al, would you open us with the word of prayer?

We sang my favorite verse anyway. The last one. Could we rethink the ocean fill or where the sky a parchment made? Where every stalk on earth the quill and every man ascribed by trade to write the love of God above would drain the ocean dry nor could the scroll contain the whole, though stretch from sky to sky. I like that last verse.

It originally wasn't part of the song. He found it later. Somebody had given him a bookmark. He put in his in a book, and those words were on that bookmark. And he added it and made the third verse to his song.

And I think it's the best one. And as far as the announcements go, we are going to be in Galatians chapter five tonight because we are studying the fruit of the spirit. So, if you want to find Galatians five, that's where we'll be camping out for the most part. This evening and probably for the next two Sunday nights as we go through the fruit of the spirit. Men, don't forget about the prayer meeting on Tuesday morning.

Everybody, don't forget about the midweek services on Wednesday and plan to come and join us for our Bible study and our prayer time and the children's ministry. Pray for the kids that we had for VBS. We had 30 kids just about every night for Vacation Bible School. But for various and sundry reasons, it's hard to get them here on Sunday. So, pray that we'll be able to get more of those kids coming and their parents as well.

It was good to see one family come in this morning. They were here for Vacation Bible School and pray that they'll keep coming. And so but just keep that in though them in your prayers if you would and in church visitation on Thursday at 07:00, please let me know if you're interested in going. We'll we we can have several people go out. I just helps to know and then the ladies Bible study is on the twenty eighth which is the fourth Thursday and not the third and it'll be here at the church.

The next men's Bible study is the fifth and don't forget about the fifth Sunday services the end of the month. Also keep Steve Oatman and Steve Morris in your prayers. It's good to see Jesse Clark back this morning. She had a rough week a couple weeks ago but she is doing better. So, I know she appreciates your prayers also.

It's good to see Maureen back. She missed week and a half, two weeks with accident that she just avoided and hurt her back and her leg a little bit and so pray pray for her that continues to get better and it's good to have her back today also. Keep Sarah Dale in your prayers. She's not feeling too well. And so remember her if you would.

And so and I'm sure there's plenty of others but just want to mention a few of those this evening to remember this week and I hope you'll be back Wednesday night for our prayer time. Alright, let's see. Next, we have a Psalm on the screen again. Alright, there is joy in serving Jesus. Let's go ahead and stand once more.

Amen. Dear heavenly father, we thank you Lord for this day that you've given us. Bless the offering and the gift and the giver Lord and that we might use all that you have provided us to bring honor and glory to your name. In Jesus name, we do pray. Amen.

Amen. If you take your hymn books once more, turn to 478. 478. You may remain seated as we sing, constantly abiding, constantly abiding. Four seventy eight.

Amen. Well, I didn't think my voice could sing this morning. I'm not sure that it can tonight but we're going to do it anyway. We're doing the fruit of the spirit. So, the songs, we've been singing this evening were about love, joy, and peace and that's what this one's about.

When life's burdens get so heavy and it seems I'm all I cast my care on and come boldly to his throne I find his grace sufficient when his promises I heed for his very life he sacrificed and he lives to intercede he is the Lord of lords and when he speaks winds and waves obey when Jesus whispers peace be still then darkness turns today and as I'm trusting in my savior's word doubts and fears all cease and beneath the shelter of his wings I'm at rest I will seek for souls in darkness Calvary's love with them to share empowered by his spirit I will follow anywhere for I know what heir before me my Lord is in control and as my mind is stayed on him perfect peace he gives my soul he is the Lord of lords and when he speaks winds and waves obey when Jesus whispers whispers peace be still then darkness turns today and as I'm trusting in my savior's word doubts and fears all cease and beneath the shelter of his wings I'm at rest That's one of my many favorite songs. One of my favorite ones to sing anyway And very fitting to the message this evening.

Galatians chapter five. Last week, we talked about walking in the spirit. A week before that, we talked about being filled by the spirit. A week or two before that, we talked about being baptized by the spirit. Tonight, we're going to talk about the fruit of the spirit.

By the fruit of the spirit, we mean that fruit which the Holy Spirit doth produce in the lives of God's children that he indwells and that he empowers and changes to be more like Jesus Christ our savior. Galatians five one last week, we saw Paul's exhortation. He said in verse one of Galatians five, stand fast therefore in the liberty where with Christ hath made us free and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. Paul exhorts the Galatians, don't go back to works. You weren't saved by works, you were saved by what?

By the grace of God through faith and not by the works of the law. So, he said, you weren't saved by works and guess what? Neither are you kept by works. You are kept by the power of God through faith. First Peter one verse five.

So, he said, don't be entangled again with the yoke of bondage. We've been freed from that. But verses 13 verse 13, we see a prohibition. An exhortation in five one, a prohibition in verse 13. For brethren, you have been called under liberty.

Only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh but by love serve one another. Paul says, you have been freed from the law but do not use that freedom. Do not abuse that freedom. In using that and finding an occasion, an opportunity to fulfill the lust of the flesh. Instead of following the spirit and the will of the Lord.

Yes, we've been freed but we've been freed that we might serve who? Jesus Christ. Not out of obligation but out of love and that's what we'll look at and part of the message tonight. Paul says, yes, stand fast in the liberty but do not abuse that liberty. Christ died and has given you his spirit.

That you might live for him. Not as a matter of conforming yourself to outward restriction and laws But as a matter of walking in the spirit and being changed from the inside out. Be not conformed to this world, but be ye what? Transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may prove what is a good and acceptable and perfect will of God. God doesn't want to merely change our behavior.

God wants to change who we are. First of all, by saving our soul through faith in Jesus Christ, his son and secondly, by sanctifying and changing us day by day. More into the image of his son through the work of the Holy Spirit and the word of God in the life of the believer. Which brings us to the third thing we saw in our study last week and that is the solution. We see the exhortation, the prohibition, and the solution.

Verse 16, this I say then, walk in the spirit and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. Paul says, here's the solution. If you walk being guided by the spirit, the holy spirit that I placed inside your heart, as he takes and uses the word of God to direct you day by day, if you will listen and if you allow yourself to be guided and empowered by the spirit that does live inside your heart, then, you will not fulfill what? The lust of the flesh. But when we don't listen to the spirit and we don't listen to the word and we want to do it our way, we're no longer walking in the spirit.

We're walking in the what? In the flesh and we're walking in the flesh, we're not going to fulfill the will of God. We're going to fulfill the will of the flesh which brings us to the works of the flesh which he listed here in verse 19. Now, the works of the flesh are manifest which are these, adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, and the list goes on and on in verse 21 and such like of the which I tell you before as I have told you in time past that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. These are the things that should not define the life of the child of God.

We've been freed. From those things, we've been delivered by God's grace. Delivered from the law and delivered from the slavery, the bondage, of the flesh and of sin. We have the power within us if we'll walk in the spirit to overcome the what? The flesh.

And if we'll follow the Lord, walk in his spirit and did deed, we will not fulfill the lust of the flesh but when we don't walk in the spirit, these things pop up in our life and they should not be there. They should not be there. And they can be eradicated. But they're not eradicated because we will it to happen. They're eradicated when we are walking in the what?

Walking in the spirit. When we're drawing close to who? God. God says, draw nigh unto me and I will draw nigh or near unto you. God says, James wrote, submit yourselves to the Lord and what?

Anybody remember that? Yeah, the devil will flee from you but we must submit our will. When we submit our will to the Lord, we draw close unto him. We give victory. We walk in the spirit.

So, and when we walk in the spirit, the spirit produces a different kind of fruit in our life. The fruit which is produced in the life of a Christian is not due primarily to his own ability or effort. Our own ability or effort will sadly produce the works of the flesh but the spirit can produce much different fruit in our lives. Fruit that is supernaturally occurring, the result of the indwelling power of the holy spirit, not the will of man but the will of who? The will of God.

Look if you would in John chapter 15. Hold your place in Galatians. Look if you would in John chapter 15. John chapter 15, Jesus gives counsel to his disciples. Sorry about that.

Jesus counsels his disciples. He says in verse one, I am the true vine and my father is the husbandman Every branch in me that beareth not fruit, he taketh away and every branch that beareth fruit, he purges it, that it may bring forth more fruit. Now, speaking specifically of the disciples, which one was the one that was taken away? Some commentators said, well, this is specifically about Judas. Judas was the one who was taken away because he bore no fruit because the spirit of God was not in him because he was not abiding in the Lord.

He was doing his own will, playing his own game, and he didn't last. The other disciples bore fruit. And he said, my father purgeth you that you may bring forth more fruit. He says, now you are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. What is it that cleanses our heart?

It is the word of God and the Lord of the word. That has cleansed us by his power and by the power of his spirit that he has given to us. He's changed our heart. Verse four, he says, abide in me and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself except it abide in the vine, no more can you except you abide in me.

I am the vine. You are the branches. He that abideth in me and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit. For without me, you can't do nothing. Jesus told his disciples, he was telling them in this passage, John fourteen, fifteen, and 16 that he was going to depart.

They were troubled. He said, let not your heart be troubled. Beginning of John 14. He told them about the Holy Spirit that would come. And he's mentioned in all three of those chapters.

In the midst of those chapters, we have these verses here where Jesus tells them, because I'm leaving and I'm sending you the Holy Spirit. You need to remember to abide in me. It is paramount. It is vital that you and your life abide in me. The word abide means to rest, to remain, to stand, to stay connected, okay?

Jesus said, you need to abide in me. To be dependent upon. The branch of the tree or of the vine depends upon the life giving nutrients that come from the vine or the trunk of the tree and our spiritual nutrition that which causes us to grow and to produce fruit comes from the vine and the vine is Jesus and the holy spirit and the word of God and those are the things that will produce growth and fruit in our life. If we are not fully connected, if we are not abiding in depending on the direction and guidance and help of the Lord and his word and the spirit then, we are not going to see the fruit and the growth as we should. As those disciples went out to minister as we serve the Lord today, they were going to deal, face a lot of difficult challenges in the ministry of the Lord.

Challenges that probably most of us will never have to face quite to the extent that they had to face and Jesus reminded them here and exhorted them. You abide in me. You have to because if you don't, you're going to burn out. And you're going to quit. If you don't, then you will struggle to produce fruit because the fruit only comes when you are fully connected to the vine And abiding in the vine.

And the same is very much true of us. We must walk in the spirit thus abide in the vine. And when we abide in the vine, then we will produce what? Much fruit. When we go off on our own path and we quit reading God's word and we quit spending time in prayer and we're not listening to the holy spirit, then, are we abiding in him?

No, not as we should. When we get complacent, in our Christian walk with God, we're not abiding in him as we should and then the fruit is not as evident. Of course, as God's children walk as God's children walk in the power of the Holy Spirit and not in the flesh, these fruits become more pronounced in our lives as they're produced by him. These fruits in contrast to the works of the flesh are not forbidden or condemned by any moral law law of God, rather they are commanded. Back to Galatians chapter five, look in verse 22.

The fruit that the spirit produces are these, love, joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance, against such there is no law. The works of the flesh, those are contrary to the law of God. But the works of the fruit of the spirit are by no means contrary to God's word, to his law, or to his will in our lives. And those don't result as a matter of simply willing it to be or following a list of rules. But we have to abide in who?

We have to abide in Christ. And we have to listen and walk listen and walk according to his spirit. Their production, the life of a child of God, is the very work of the Holy Spirit in his heart. God saved us that he might conform us to the image of his son, Romans eight twenty nine. And they are evidence of the new man that God has declared us to be in Christ.

Second Corinthians five seventeen, if any man be in Christ, he is a what? New creature, old things are passed away, behold all things are become new. These fruits that we're going to look at, these fruits are produced in us by God and by the Holy Spirit as we draw close to him and as we walk in the spirit. And they give evidence to the fact that we are the children of God. We oftentimes put a lot of emphasis on the outward evidence, the fruit, and rules and such.

God puts emphasis here on these attitudes of the heart that come from the heart, that produce the things in our life that are glorifying to God. And it would do us good to focus on the things which God focuses on, and not to get too caught up in the externals that we forget. What God is doing is he's changing us from the what, the inside out, not the outside in. The first one of these is love. The love of God produced this is the love of God produced in the human heart by the spirit of God, which is otherwise contrary to the heart of man.

The heart of man is, the bible says, wicked, desperately wicked. The heart of man is selfish. The heart of man is selfish. We, by nature, by human nature, are extremely selfish people. We look at the world through IRIs in a from a self centered perspective.

We see the world from our wants and our desires and and we judge our life and our circumstances upon by how it affects us. We by nature are selfish, self centered people. Thus, human nature unrestricted and unled. I don't know if that's a word, unled by this holy spirit yields the works of the flesh that were listed earlier in the chapter. And all of those reflect a very selfish attitude that doesn't care about what God thinks and doesn't care about how our lives affect others.

The opposite of that selfishness that is natural to the human condition is the love of God. Agape love. There are actually four words in Greek for love. The word phileo, which is used often in Scripture, is of affection, brotherly kindness. It's the kind of affection you have for a relation, a brother or a sister or a mom or a dad or a daughter or a son.

But this love is even more special. It is a love that is not produced out of a biological relationship or kinship, but it is a a love for God and others that is very unselfish. And is produced in our heart by the Lord who saved us and by the spirit that he has given us. Romans five five says, and hope maketh not ashamed because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the holy ghost which is given unto us. That love is agape.

We read that again because the love of God is shed abroad, poured into our hearts by who? The holy spirit which is given unto us. So, the love of God, a love that is first of all unselfish is produced in our lives and the life of a child of God by the Holy Spirit which has been given unto us and therefore, should be evident and growing and becoming more pervasive in our life and in our actions all the time. First John four seven and eight says, beloved, let us love one another. For love is of God and everyone that loveth.

This is all agape. Everyone that loveth is what? Born of God and knoweth God. He that loveth not, knoweth not God for God is love. John says, you say, you profess the name of Jesus Christ, well then, love.

Should be evident in your life. The love of God. The love that God has put there for himself and for others that doesn't view the world from a selfish, self centered perspective but views life from God's perspective, a perspective based on love and care and concern not only for oneself but for one's neighbor, for one's friend, for one's God, for one's lost coworker and not simply for what we can get out of it. It's an unselfish love described in first Corinthians 13. I took a little bit a few weeks ago to define these terms.

I won't do that this evening, but just a quick reminder, the word charity here is that word agape as well, Meaning, the love of God. In verse four of first Corinthians 13, it says, charity suffereth long and is kind. Charity envieth not. Charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up. Do not, does not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil, rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth, beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

Charity never faileth. That is the love that God has given to us. That is the fruit of the spirit. And as you see from how it is defined there, it is an unselfish Love is concerned more about others than it is for self. It is a sacrificial love which compelled God to send his only son to die for the sins of mankind.

What other reason would there be for God to send his only son? For God so what? Loved the world. That means he loved you and me, not because we were particularly lovable, and certainly not because we deserved it, but he chose to love us with an unselfish love and a sacrificial love so much that he gave his only begotten son to die for our sins. It is an unchanging love.

The unchanging love of Christ for the church which he gave himself a sacrifice on the cross to redeem. Ephesians chapter five. The kind of love that God commands husbands wherewith to love their wives, to love them as Christ loved the church. It is a love by which we serve the Lord Jesus Christ and each other and can fulfill fulfill Paul's request to the Philippians. Turn to Philippians chapter two.

Philippians chapter two. If you would, Philippians two, now, I memorized, well, long time ago when I was in junior high or high school verses five to 11 and I quote verses five through eight on a regular basis. But I want to look at verse one through four instead. This one is, these words are not quite as well known or remembered as the verses that follow. If there therefore be any consolation in Christ, if there be any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the spirit, if any bowels and mercies, fulfill you my joy that you be like minded, having the same love being of one accord of one mind.

Let nothing be done through strife or vain glory, but in lowliness of mind, let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus. Now, he goes on to talk about how Christ humbled himself and became obedient unto the father and died on the cross but that is preceded by verses that talk about agape love and how that should be portrayed in the life of a Christian by putting others above what? Above self.

But I don't feel like it. How many times have you you knew known that there was something you were supposed to do and it wasn't that you were sick or disability, you know, disabled, okay? But you just didn't feel like it. Helping somebody that you knew you you ought to help, that needed help. Just coming to church, worshiping the Lord.

How many times have a pastor have I heard that excuse? A bound least every other week for the past ten years. But I've been guilty of it and so have you. When I say I don't feel like it and I'm not sick and I'm not injured, what that means is, I'm more concerned about who? Myself than I am concerned about others.

Whether it be God or my neighbor or my friend or my fellow church member, we are to show and display the love of God by putting our pride aside, by putting our self centeredness aside, and by putting others first. People often say hatred is the opposite of love, but really pride and selfishness are more the opposite of agape love. Because when pride and selfishness are in our heart, the love of God has no place to grow and to express itself. It is fitting that love should be the first mentioned in that Paul defined the life of grace by faith as one based on love instead of fear and obligation. Galatians five six says, for in Christ Jesus, neither circumcision availeth anything nor uncircumcision, but faith which worketh by what?

Love. Faith that worketh by love. Our faith grows as our love grows. The two are linked together and they cannot be unlinked. Our service to the Lord is not to be only out of fear.

Though the fear of the Lord in general is a good thing, but we should grow past the point as Christians to where our service is out of fear. Instead, we serve him out of love. Your spouse, your friend, your son or daughter. Do you do nice, good, kind things for them out of fear? Or do you do it out of love?

And that is the way it ought to be as a Christian before the Lord nor should we do things out of obligation. Do we have obligations? Do we have responsibilities as children of God? Yes, we do but hopefully, we're not serving God and others simply out of motive of, well, it's my what? It's my duty.

I showed up for church. I did my duty. If that's the case, then you are missing out. You are missing out the opportunity to express to the Lord gratitude and love and praise and worship for what he has done for us. We love him because he what?

Because he first loved us. And that's why the church at Ephesus was rebuked in Revelation three. It wasn't that they weren't doing things for God but evidently, they were doing it out of obligation or out of fear or simply for reward and were no longer doing it out of a heart of love. Even doing something merely out of routine is not the same thing as doing it out of a heart of love. And it is fitting therefore that it's the first one mentioned.

It is the eternal cornerstone of Christian character to which all other fruits are connected. First Corinthians thirteen thirteen says, and now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three, but the greatest of these is what? The greatest of these is charity. The greatest of these is love. One day, faith as we know it will change because we will see him what?

Face to face. Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen but one day, they will be seen and therefore, for faith is just defined in scripture will change because we will see him. We will know him. We will be with him. We will still trust him and that element of faith will remain.

But we will see him. Hope. Hope is looking forward to something that we are certain is ours in Christ Jesus but hasn't yet come to fruition. That's hope. But one day, that hope will be fulfilled and we will receive our inheritance and there will no longer be need for what?

Hope because we will be experiencing it in its fullness with Christ Jesus our savior. But what will remain forever? Love. So, we need to learn to grow in the love of Christ because that is something that we will use for all eternity. The first fruit of the spirit.

And how do we practice this? By demonstrating it to others. John thirteen thirty five, by this shall all men know that you are my disciples if you have love one to another. By putting others first, God and our neighbors and our friends and putting others second. But also by walking in the what?

By walking in the spirit. Because this love is not produced as a matter of will. It's produced by God in our heart as we walk with him. As you walk with somebody, as you live with somebody, day by day, they rub off on you. Same thing is true as we walk with God.

He rubs off on us. And that's something that we desperately need. We're not going to get to joy and peace. We'll do those next next Sunday night. Let's close in prayer.

Lord, thank you for your love. That you demonstrated to us when you died for us on the cross of Calvary. Lord, thank you for the Holy Spirit that you've given us, that we might fully understand and also be filled with that love. Lord, Help us to walk in the spirit with you. To not be distracted by other things in our life, by the flesh.

Lord, forgive us allowing our selfish heart and self centeredness, Lord, to distract us and to cause us to not yield ourselves to you. That you might live through us to love others as you have loved us. Lord, may our love for you and others grow, for our neighbors, our friends, our brothers, sisters in Christ, as we walk more with you day by day. In Jesus name, we pray. Amen.

You take your hymn books, turn to 483. 483 and let's sing, oh how I love Jesus. As we close. Standing please. Four eighty three.

Amen. Brother Trey, would you close us with the word of prayer?