Introduction The Fruit of the Spirit Against Such There Is No Law September 2, 2012 Open your Bibles to Galatians 5 Summer Series Fruit of the Spirit June 2/3 = Fruit of the Spirit June 9/10 = Deeds of the Flesh June 16-August 26 = Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness and Self-control September 2 = Against Such Things There is No Law what can hinder us from experiencing the fruit in our lives Today s Inspiration = Our Heavenly Father, through the work of the Holy Spirit, can and will produce all the fruit we appreciate in Jesus in our lives. o Galatians 5:22-23 Exegesis 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, Review of the Fruit What is fruit? Fruit is the work and results of the Spirit (skilled and patient farmer) in our lives (proper and prepared soil) How do I prepare the soil of my life for the Fruit Love Know what genuine love is Choose love in order to love Give of yourself temporally, sacrificially and graciously 1
Joy Be thankful and strive for an attitude of gratitude and contentment Sing and worship the Lord Share your faith both in evangelism and discipleship Peace Accept His salvation and submit to the work of the Spirit in your life Learn and practice the principles of a peacemaker Trust God and do what is right Patience Remind yourself of God s patience with you Recognize the value of people and address your expectations Refuse to retaliate Recognize the reality of time Kindness Adopt an attitude of humility Adopt actions of service Adopt a schedule for kindness Goodness Set your mind on the Spirit Walk in the Light Learn what is pleasing to the Lord Choose to do good works and be generous Faithfulness Don t trust your own understanding In everything you do acknowledge Him Choose to keep your word, promises and vows Exercise what God has already given you Accept and obey God s Word and revelation Gentleness Saturate your life with God s Word Seek the salvation of the lost Seek the blessing of those in the Body Self-Control Submit to the Spirit 2
Pursue the spiritual disciplines and character Live in but don t give in to the world Application Fruit is the work and results of the Spirit (skilled and patient farmer) in our lives (proper and prepared soil) We may not produce the fruit but we can (and should) prepare the soil of our lives for the fruit Against Such Things There is No Law There is no need of Law if the Spirit s fruit is being o Galatians 5:23 There is no need of the Law (or a law) if the fruit was actively being in every life o Galatians 5:18 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law. Where the Spirit is, there is no need of the Law o 1 Timothy 1:8-9 8 But we know that the Law is good, if one uses it lawfully, 9 realizing the fact that law is not made for a righteous person, but for those who are lawless and rebellious, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers The Law is for those who do not have the Spirit active in their lives Practically (today): the Law is needed because each one is not under the Spirit s control (or having the Spirit s fruit in their lives) Reality (today): there will only be Law for or against what society accepts as immoral If we learned anything from the Old Testament, legislating morality may have an impact on the society in general but it does not change the morality of the individual only the Spirit can do that There is no restraint that can hinder the Spirit s fruit from being 3
o Galatians 5:23 No law can STOP you (KEEP you) from having the fruit in your life You can be loving, joyful, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful, gentle and controlled no matter what the Law allows or does not allow Example: Jesus healing of the man with the shriveled hand on the Sabbath (Matthew 12; Mark 3; Luke 6) {love,, joy, patience, kind, good, gentle and controlled} Our country may legalize or allow abortion, adultery, any (and every) kind of sexual immorality and so many other sins but no matter what it allowed in our society, nothing can hinder the production of the fruit of the Spirit in our lives Nothing can restrain you from producing the fruit of the Spirit in your life except you There is no compulsion that can hinder the Spirit s fruit from being o Galatians 5:23 No law can MAKE you (FORCE you) not to have the fruit in your life You can be loving, joyful, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful, gentle and controlled no matter what the Law makes you do You can always accept persecution (with the fruit) rather than submission (without the fruit) Example: Jesus crucifixion {love, peace, patience, kind, good, faithful, gentle, controlled} Our country may enact laws to limit our freedom of religion and speech but no matter what it forces in our society, nothing can hinder the production of the fruit of the Spirit in our lives Your spouse, parents, children, friends, co-workers or neighbors cannot do a thing to hinder the production of the fruit of the Spirit in your life 4
Nothing can compel you to not produce the fruit of the Spirit in your life except you Application There is no need of the Law if the Spirit s fruit is being There is no restraint that can hinder the Spirit s fruit from being There is no compulsion that can hinder the Spirit s fruit from being Response My Response = This week I will stop blaming anyone or anything else for the lack of fruit in my life, because I am a disciple of Jesus Christ and I want to be responsible for my life as soil for His fruit. Invitation = Admired Jesus and would like to get to know Him better or Ready to believe on Him for your salvation and accept His work in your life Invitation = Submit your life as soil for the Spirit to produce His fruit; Confession and repentance to remove the only obstacles My Response = This week I will, because I am a disciple of Jesus Christ and I want. 5