Cultivating the fruit of the spirit

Notes from Sun pm sermon by Pastor Broyhill, April 20, 2008

Galatians 5:22-23
22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
23Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

Fruit is visible; it reflects it is produced through us, not by us. Fruits of the spirit are not separate, but one fruit, with nine different flavors. Fruit reflects the one that produces it.

Fruit is valuable; it exists for the enjoyment and benefit of other people, as it will edify others who are around you.

Fruit is viable; it is capable of growing. Love produces more love. What is love? It is not just a feeling, like we tend to think it as. Love as a fruit is agape love, like God's love for us- it is unconditional. It is divine love, it is sacrificial love.

1 John 4:11
11Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.

Matthew 22:37-40
37Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
38This is the first and great commandment.
39And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
40On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

If we love God like we should, then we will be able to love others, as he wants us to, as we should, according to him. We are under the "law of grace", and should be living in love. Not the fuzzy feelings we feel in a new relationship or like when we met our spouses, but living in agape love.

John 13:35
35By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

Love as a fruit of the spirit shows a proof of sonship. The Greek gods were hateful, but our God is of love, is loving, and loves unconditional, though he is just, as well.

John 13:34
34A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.

Colossians 3:14
14And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.

1 Peter 4:8
8And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.

Love keeps no records, and is the permanent virtue of a Christian.

1 Corinthians 13:13
13And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

The demonstration of love, love is an action word! Love is a choice, you choose to love, sometimes it comes easily, but sometimes it's hard to show love towards some people. Love is giving, not taking. In a marriage, if both people are giving, then you need not worry about being taken from, because you are continually receiving as you are giving. Selfishness in marriage can be likened to two ticks on a dog, both keep taking, and sucking from the relationship until there is nothing left. Agape love, however. is unconditional and free flowing. The closer we are to God, the easier it is give love, because we are receiving it from Him.

1 John 4:9, 11
9In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.
11Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.

Saints must love sinners with the love that God loves them with, We as saints are the only link between the unsaved world and God, would it not be pompous of us to act anything other than lovingly as possible towards the unsaved? Shouldn't the world be able to see in us the love that God has given us, coming through us towards others?

How can we show the unsaved world God's love? I challenge you to post a comment and share a way God's people can show love towards the unsaved world on a regular basis. If we do not show them God's love, who will?