Sermon Central
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Love Series
Contributed by D. Greg Ebie on Jun 2, 2005 (message contributor)
Summary: The Fruit of The Spirit (Part 2) What is love? Is Love Important? How can love be developed in our lives? Find sermon at www.praiseag.org
LOVE
The Fruit of The Spirit (Part 2)
• Galatians 5:16-25 (NIV)
[22] But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, [23] gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
INTRODUCTION:
What is your favorite drink? Imagine I gave you a large cup filled to the brim. You take a sip and say, “Ah that’s good!” What are you drinking?
What happens if as you take the next sip someone unexpectedly runs into you like a linebacker hitting a running back or a five year old jumping into your lap? Whatever was in the cup is now all over you (and on the carpet too)!
We all know whatever you put into the glass is going to come out if it is upset.
You and I are just like that cup filled to the brim. Whatever is on the inside will come out when we get upset too!
We may try to do “damage control” and cover up some of our spills, but the damage is already done. Like hot coffee our words have sometimes burned our family and friends. Like ice we have chilled relationships. Like grape or tomato juice we have left a stain that can’t be cleaned. Whatever is on the inside will come out!
God wants to change what is on the inside! God doesn’t want to leave us the way He found us.
Bitterness and strife is replaced with forgiveness and love.
Envy gives way to contentment.
Fear becomes peace.
• 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NIV)
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!
When you accept Christ as your Savior the Holy Spirit comes to live within you. The Bible says we are the temple or dwelling place of the Holy Spirit. God made our hearts to be His home. When God makes our heart His home, He begins to redecorate! How many of you men have wives who have a need to redecorate your homes?
o God loves to decorate. God has to decorate. Let him live long enough in a heart, and that heart will begin to change. Portraits of hurt will be replaced by landscapes of grace. Walls of anger will be demolished and shaky foundations restored. God can no more leave a life unchanged than a mother can leave her child’s tear untouched.
It’s not enough for Him to own you; He wants to change you. Where you and I might be satisfied with a recliner and refrigerator, he refuses to settle for a dwelling short of a palace. After all this is His house. Now expense is spared. No corners are cut. “Oh, the utter extravagance of his work in us who trust Him” (Eph 1:19 MsgB). [Max Lucado, Just Like Jesus; page X introduction]
God wants your character to be His character; He really does want you to be just like Jesus. Again as Max says, “God loves you just the way you are, but He refuses to leave you that way. He wants you to be just like Jesus.” [Max Lucado, Just Like Jesus; page 3]
One of the best descriptions of the disposition, nature, and personality of Jesus is the fruit of the Spirit. Jesus loves; He is joyful. When you think of Jesus do you imagine Him fearful? No He is at peace. Jesus isn’t in a hurry but is patient. He is kind and good. Jesus isn’t harsh, but gentle, never fickle, but faithful and trustworthy. He won’t lose His temper but is in control of His emotions.
• John 15:5 (NIV)
"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.
Jesus said when we are connected to Him we will “bear much fruit.” As we are in relationship with Christ the Holy Spirit produces His likeness within us. Through the Holy Spirit we “bear fruit”—the fruit of the Spirit.
Remember the fruit of the Spirit is a just one fruit; we don’t produce the FURITS of the Sprit, but the FRUIT of the Spirit. The fruit of the Spirit is one fruit expressed in different ways.
A bunch of grapes may have many pieces of fruit, but nevertheless it is one fruit. You won’t find a grape vine that produces grapes and apples, pears, lemons, oranges, bananas and 101 other fruits; the grape vine produces one fruit—grapes! Likewise grapes can be enjoyed in different ways—plain, dried as raisins, crushed as juice, preserved as jam or jelly, mixed into fruit cocktail, and many other ways.
o Love is the blossom which produces the fruit, in other words from love all the fruit of the Spirit is grown. The fruit of the Spirit begins and ends with love.
