Fruits of the Spirit
Galatians 5:22-23 But the
fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
(NIV)
The
Apostle Paul let us know that we have unlimited freedom in Christ. We are not
bound to the chains of sin that once enslaved us, but we are free to live a
righteous life that is exemplifies the character of God. Galatians 5:13 You, my
brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to
indulge the flesh, rather, serve one another humbly in love. (NIV) Living
free in Christ does not mean that we can any way that we choose. The true
followers of Christ will allow the Holy Spirit to lead and align their lives in
accordance to what pleases the Father.
God
has given us a standard of living and that standard includes how we are to
treat one another. Jesus gave a new commandment that we are to love each other.
John
13:34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have love you, so
you must love one another. (NIV) By loving one another, we show others
the love of God. God’s love is the opposite of world’s standards and is based
on His righteousness, purity and goodness.
God
desires for His people to live a life free from the chains of sin. Jesus came
and died for our sins so that we would no longer be bound by them. Through His
death and resurrection, he allowed us to also be able to die to the flesh and
not give in to our sinful nature. Galatians 5:19-21 {19}The
acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; (20)idolatry
and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition,
dissensions, factions (21)and 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. (NIV) These things will keep us from
inheriting the Kingdom of God for sin cannot be in the presence of a Holy God.
God
gave us His Spirit that produces the fruit for which He want us to freely
partake in. This is why Jesus told us to recognize the fruit, because we are
known by our fruits. Matthew 7:16,20 (16)By
their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or
figs from thistles? (20)Thus, by their fruit you will recognize
them. (NIV) So let’s breakdown the fruits that we are to have as
believers to ensure that we are bearing the right types of fruit for the world
to see.
a.) Love – 1 John 4:20-21 Whoever claims to love
God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their
brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not
seen. And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their
brother and sister. (NIV) Love is a fruit that we all must have because
we cannot love God and lack love for our brothers and sisters. God is love and
therefore, if we truly desire to live for Him, we will allow the Spirit of love
to be in our hearts.
b.) Joy – Proverbs 17:22 A cheerful heart is
good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. (NIV) There are
times in life when we will have difficult situations that may cause us pain
such the death of a loved one, illness, loss of a relationship or some other
untimely and unwanted occurrence. Yet the Spirit of joy is always there to help
us recover and to bring joy to a gloomy heart.
c.) Peace – 2 Thessalonians 3:16 Now may the Lord
of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with
all of you. (NIV) Storms are guaranteed to come in the lives of
believers, but during the eye of the storm, the Holy Spirit is there to give
peace to those who have faith and believe.
d.) Forbearance (longsuffering/patience) — Ephesians
4:2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another
in love. (NIV) God is always patient with His children. We are to also
be patient with each other in all aspects of our lives. The Spirit is there to
give us the patience that we need so that we can deal with others as God does
with us.
e.) Kindness – Proverbs 11:17 Those who are kind
benefit themselves, but the cruel bring ruin on themselves. (NIV) Jesus
showed kindness to all who came to Him. Even the woman who was caught in the
act of adultery was granted mercy and forgiveness by Him. Therefore, we too are
to be kind to others and in so doing, we are showing them the kindness of the
Spirit.
f.) Goodness – Psalm 31:19 How abundant are the good
things that you have stored up for those who fear you, that you bestow in the
sight of all, on those who take refuge in you. (NIV) God is good and
the Holy Spirit enables the believer to show goodness to others. When we help
someone in need, that is showing the goodness of the Lord. The Spirit enables
us to have a heart to do good, which also enables others to see Christ in us.
g.) Faithfulness – Deuteronomy 7:9 Know
therefore that the Lord your God is God, he is the faithful God, keeping his
covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who commandments. (NIV)
The Lord has always been faithful to his children. His faithfulness has never
stopped even when we are unfaithful to Him. The Holy Spirit helps the believer
in their desire to honor God in their faithfulness. No one has the desire to be
faithful to God on their own accord without the unction of the Spirit of God.
h.) Gentleness – 2 Corinthians 10:1 By the
humility and gentleness of Christ, I appeal to you – I, Paul, who am “timid”
when face to face with you, but “bold” toward you when away!(NIV) Paul
expressed a great boldness in his letters to the church, but when he was met in
person, he displayed the fruit of gentleness. The Holy Spirit gives the fruit
of gentleness for the believer to use at the appropriate time when ministering,
talking and relating to others. There is also a time when one has to be bold
and unmoving when standing on the word of God, yet through gentleness, love and
patience. is needed when helping someone one on one to understand about the
love of God.
i.) Self-control – Proverbs 25:28 Like a city
whose walls are broken through is a person who lacks self-control. (NIV)
Jesus displayed self-control with those who sought to destroy Him. He was never
abusive verbally, physically or emotionally even when beaten, slapped, and
mocked by others. His only response was for the Father to forgive His abusers.
He responded with love and did not react with hate. The Holy Spirit enables the
believer to also possess the fruit of self-control. This does not mean that one
will never get angry, but even in our anger, the Holy Spirit helps the believer
to not sin.
Epilogue
The Holy Spirit is
fully operational in the believer’s life. He is always present to give us the
tools that we need to walk in the fullness of God. He is not an inanimate
object, but is a real person who exist as part of the Godhead. He lives inside
all believers who invite Him in. He loves, guides, teaches, and cares for us.
He is our Friend, Companion, and Protector. He is everything that we will ever need
for He is God.
The
Holy Spirit is never to be taken lightly or spoken against. God is a forgiving
God, but when someone has a total disregard, and lack of respect for the work
of the Holy Spirit by speaking curses against Him, that person cannot be
forgiven of that sin. Mark 3:28-29 “Truly I tell you,
people can be forgiven all their sins and every slander they utter, but whoever
blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; they are guilty of
an eternal sin.” (NIV) All sins can be pardoned apart from this, which
will land the individual into the eternal lake of fire.
We are never to grieve
the Holy Spirit away. How do we do this? This is done by ignoring His guidance
and doing things our own way outside of the will of God. Ephesians 4:30 And do not grieve
the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. (NIV)
The Holy Spirit is more important than food water and drink. Without Him in our
lives, we would not be able to survive as a Christian. We would easily succumb to
the enemy’s tricks and schemes. Nevertheless, God did not leave us without a Helper.
All we have to do is allow Him to take total control over our lives and only
then will we be victorious in the end.
NEXT WEEK, WE WILL BEGIN THE SERIES ON ANGELS.