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III. THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT IS JOY AND PEACE
Read Galatians 5:22-23. Joy = Gr. "chara" = the emotional excitement, gladness, delight over blessings received or expected for self and for others.
Peace = Gr. "eirene" = the state of quietness, rest, repose, harmony, order, and security in the midst of turmoil, strife, and temptations.
A. Flesh Ruled Vs. Spirit Led
As a Christian, we have been born-again by the Word and the Spirit and now are new creations in Christ. The New Testament contrasts those babies in Christ with those who are mature in Christ It contrasts carnal Christians with spiritual Christians. It separates flesh ruled with those who are Spirit led. From all this, we can see that the goal is to grow up in Christ and to become mature, spirit-led Christians.
Three important ingredients are found in John 15 to become a fruitful Christian. They are:
1. Bible study
2. Prayer
3. Obedience to the revealed word of God
As we read, pray, and obey, we will bear much fruit.
B. The Kingdom of God is:
Not food and drink, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
1. The kingdom of God is not:
a. Food and drink. Food and drink represent the most basic of material needs. From this we build clothing, housing, transportation, etc...
b. All these things are temporal, therefore they will pass away, and so the kingdom of God is not in them.
2. The kingdom of God is: Righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.
a. To see if we are growing and living in God's kingdom, we must ask ourselves: Are we increasing in righteousness, peace, and joy?
b. Righteousness is right standing with God. This is given to us in the Holy Spirit, but is increased and maintained by our walking in the Spirit.
c. Peace is safety in mind, body, and estate. The truest sign of prosperity is a soundness of mind and security in God.
d. Joy is gladness from within by apprehension of the truth, independent of the circumstances.
C. Joy
1. Joy comes by believing, I Peter 1:8.
a. Joy comes with believing so when faith is tried, joy will become endangered as doubts begin to rise.
b. Therefore, take the offense; use your joy to protect your faith. James 1:2-4.
2. The joy of the Lord is your strength, Nehemiah 8:8-12.
a. "Serve the Lord with gladness." Psalm 100:2
b. A joyful Christian is better than a miserable Christian.
c. Joy gives me strength to endure tribulation, Hebrews 12:2.
3. Laughter can cover up sorrow of the heart. Proverbs 14:13.
a. But a merry heart does good like a medicine. Proverbs 17:22
4. Joy can be commanded.
a. The soul man many times must be commanded to be joyful. Philippians 4:4, Psalm 32:11, Psalm 27:6
5. Joy is the bucket that brings up the living water, Isaiah 12:3, Proverbs 15:15.
6. Five joy robbers. Since joy is from the Holy Spirit, therefore by grieving the Holy Spirit or ignoring the Holy Spirit and giving place to circumstances, we can lose our joy.
a. Unconfessed sin. Our heart condemns us
b. Unrestrained tongue, Ephesians 4:29. Murmuring, gossip, and back-biting all grieve the Holy Spirit. We need to be a person of praise, not a complainer
c. Undeveloped/neglected spiritual life. Without nourishment from the vine we will wither and lose our joy, John 15:11
d. Uncontrollable circumstances. If I allow my inner self to be controlled by circumstances, I will lose my joy. I must look at things which are not seen, II Cor. 4:16-18
e. Unresolved doubts. Since joy lives with faith, when doubts arise and linger, joy will diminish
D. Peace
Joy is the antidote for tribulation and adversity, for it gives us strength to endure. Peace is the antidote for worry and anxiety for it gives us safety to remain.
1. Peace is not the absence of external struggle, but the place of safety in the Holy Spirit, John 14:27.
2. Peace comes by the casting of our cares upon Jesus, John 16:33, Philippians 4:6-7,
3. Peace is kept by our mind stayed on Christ, Isaiah 26:3-4.
4. Let peace rule in your life, Colossians 3:15. The word rule can be translated umpire which means, we are to let God's peace be the umpire in our lives. The peace of God is our final call. God's peace in our heart proves we are right on. The absence of His peace means we are in trouble, Isaiah 55:12, James 3:17
E. Conclusion
Having received Jesus Christ as Lord and personal Savior, you would think the world would be happy that there is one less person living a self-centered, lawless, flesh-ruled, life. But it's not. In fact, it will persecute us for choosing Christ just as it persecuted and crucified Jesus Christ.
But God has not left us alone, for He has given us a guarantee of our present and future victory; the Holy Spirit. As we learn to walk in the Holy Spirit, the nature of God Himself comes into action to cause us to demonstrate Jesus Christ in the world today and be victorious in all circumstances.
Just as walking in love will keep us free from lust and selfishness, God's joy will empower us to partake of our salvation and endure all trials without weakening. God's peace keeps our heart and mind, not because there is no reason in the natural world not to worry, but because we are in the beloved. Hebrews 13:5-6
God's joy and peace not only demonstrate God on the earth today, but enable me to partake of His nature, and benefit from His strength.
IV. THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT IS LONGSUFFERING AND KINDNESS
Read Galatians 5:22, and Romans 2:4 Longsuffering = Gr. "makrothumia" = patient endurance; to bear long with the frailties, offenses, injuries, and provocations of others, without murmuring, repining, or resentment.
Gentleness = Gr. "chrestotes" = a disposition to be gentle, soft-spoken, kind, even -tempered, cultured, and refined in character and conduct.
A. God is Longsuffering
1. Longsuffering is love untiring.
2. God declared to Moses He was longsuffering, Exodus 34:6-7.
3. God's reason for longsuffering was salvation, II Peter 3:14.
a. God suffered man's sin that man might repent and be saved, II Peter 3:9, Romans 2:4.
b. Because of God's love for man, God endures man's sins against Him, so that man might be led to repentance.
c. What we consider God's indifference to our plight, by His not removing the ungodly is not indifference, but His unwillingness to give up on any man.
B. Longsuffering in the Christian.
1. We are to be longsuffering toward one another, Ephesians 4:1-2; II Timothy 4:2.
2. We are to be longsuffering in our faith, Hebrews 6:12, James 5:10, Galatians 6:9.
3. We are to have longsuffering with joy, Colossians 1:10-11.
a. Without joy, longsuffering is not complete. Anyone can remain in a difficult situation that they have no choice about, but to continue to believe in God's goodness and endure with joyfulness is impossible except by the Spirit of God.
C. Kindness
1. God is kind, Psalms 63:3.
2. Kindness is active beneficence in spite of ingratitude. In other words, it is helping those who do not deserve it and not giving them what they deserve, Luke 6:35
3. We are to be kind to one another with God as our example. Ephesians 4:32, Proverbs 19:22.
D. Conclusion
Longsuffering is love untiring. God has it toward us, not wanting any to perish but all to come to repentance. Notice God does not blink at sin but endures the sin so that the one in sin might come to repentance. This fruit in our life enables us to endure with love the trespasses and other wrongs done us without becoming tired in our giving. This God likeness enables us to believe God, even during the most trying of times. Kindness is shown to others by our doing good to them when they do not deserve it. Anyone can be good to those who are good to them, but it takes God's Spirit to be "kind to the unthankful and evil." Luke 6:35.
E. Review of Longsuffering
1. God is longsuffering, II Peter 3:9-14
a. The goal of longsuffering is repentance.
b. Longsuffering is to endure in order to make it right, Ephesians 4:2.
-We can't take back words said in anger, or acts of retaliation. Proverbs 14:29, 16:32, 19:11
c. Longsuffering in our faith, Hebrews 6:12
-When we choose to believe even if we don't see change
-Faith is more than a cause and effect principle
--When we look too much to the reward, we faint too easy
--We may even "die in faith." Hebrews 11:13
--An example of suffering and patience, James 5:10
-All breakthroughs will come in our lives as we come into our faith with the ability to believe even without change
We must come to the point of saying, "Even if my life is not better I will believe"
d. Longsuffering with joy, Colossians 1:11
-anyone can suffer long if forced to, but when we do it with joy, we've got the victory
F. Review of Kindness
1. Kindness is active beneficence in spite of ingratitude, Luke 6:35.
a. We do not fight flesh and blood
b. Be not overcome with evil but overcome evil with good, Luke 6:27-33
-love your enemies
-do good to those who curse you
-bless those who curse you
-pray for those who spitefully use you
2. He is kind to the unthankful and evil.
3. Be ye kind one to another, Ephesians 4:32.
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