Fruit of the Spirit ("FotS") @CCN
A 13-week course on the Fruit of the Spirit at Covenant Church of Naples
Class Week 1: Introduction
Class Week 2: A Survey of Galatians
Class Week 3: Flesh vs. Fruit
Class Week 4: Love
A few hours before going to the cross, Jesus prayed, “Righteous Father … I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them” (John 17:25–26, italics added). As you consider what the Bible says about love, may that fruit of the Spirit overflow in your life toward the Lord Jesus, his church, and the world.
2. Read Luke 10:25–37.
1. Recall a time when you, or someone you know, allowed unforgiveness or bitterness to take root. What were the consequences?
Ask for a fresh vision of God’s mercy and love, and pray for help to forgive those who have hurt you.
Class Week 5: Joy
DIGGING IN
2. Read 2 Corinthians 12:1–10. Paul feels forced to “boast” to defend himself against his opponents. How would you summarize his boasting (vv. 1–6)?
[Your Response]
Evidently [Paul’s] opponents had criticized his claim to be an apostle saying that he had not experienced visions and revelations. Paul puts the record straight.
The New Bible Commentary: Revised
3. Why do you think he refers to “a man in Christ” (v. 2) when speaking about his own experience of being “caught up to the third heaven”?
[Your Response]
4. In spite of his supernatural experiences, Paul wanted people to judge him on his character, not his experiences (v. 6). Why do people’s actions and words reveal more about them than their “credentials”?
[Your Response]
5. Why was Paul given a thorn in the flesh (v. 7)?
[Your Response]
The power of Christ is power in weakness; all other power—i.e., power in power—Paul must have found puny in comparison. In this life, only power in weakness is divine and sure to keep divinity where it belongs— with God and not the vessel (2 Corinthians 4:7).
Frederick Dale Bruner, A Theology of the Holy Spirit
6. How can our experiences — spiritual and otherwise — Iead us to become conceited?
[Your Response]
7. Why did God refuse to remove Paul’s thorn in spite of his repeated prayers (vv. 8–9)?
[Your Response]
8. We usually want God to demonstrate his power by removing our weaknesses. Why is his power more perfectly revealed in the midst of our weaknesses?
[Your Response]
9. When have you experienced God’s power and sufficient grace in the midst of a painful weakness?
[Your Response]
10. What different kinds of experiences qualify as “thorns” in our lives (v. 10)?
[Your Response]
Sins of any kind would not qualify as thorns, since God is more than willing to remove these from our lives. Hardship that results from sin can be dealt with only through confession and repentance. Thorns in the flesh are not just simple inconveniences.
11. What thorn is currently causing you pain?
[Your Response]
12. What have you learned from this passage that will help you to rejoice in that weakness?
[Your Response]
PRAY ABOUT IT
Praise God that weakness has purpose in your life because you belong to the Lord Jesus Christ. Thank him for the ways that you have seen his strength through your weakness.
TAKING THE NEXT STEP
Simon Peter is one of many characters in Scripture who experienced weakness and failure that were turned into strength because of God’s power. Look at his life closely through the following passages: Luke 5:1–11; 22:31; John 13:1–9, 31–38; Luke 22:54–62; and John 21:15–19. Then respond to these questions.
• What do you see of Jesus’ vision for Peter?
[Your Response]
• What do you see of Peter’s love for and loyalty to Jesus?
[Your Response]
• In what ways do you see Peter weak and inconsistent?
[Your Response]
• Why was it important that Peter’s self-confidence and pride be broken?
[Your Response]
• How do you identify with Peter?
[Your Response]
• What is Jesus’ response to Peter’s weakness and failure?
[Your Response]
• What encouragement do you take as you reflect on 1 Peter 5:8–11?
[Your Response]
WARMING UP
1. If you were to describe your times in Scripture as eating food, what kind of food would it be —blueberry pie, meat and potatoes, green vegetables, whole-grain bread, chicken broth, or what? Explain.
[Your Response]
DIGGING IN
2. Read Psalm 119:9–16. How is the psalmist’s passion for God’s Word evident in these verses?
[Your Response]
Some accuse the psalmist of worshipping the Word rather than the Lord; but it has been well remarked that every reference here to Scripture, without exception, relates it explicitly to its author; indeed every verse from 4 to the end is a prayer or affirmation addressed to Him. This is true piety: a love of God not desiccated by study but refreshed, informed and nourished by it.
Derek Kidner, Psalms 73–150, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries
3. Describe a time when you rejoiced in the Word as one rejoices in great riches.
[Your Response]
4. What are the functions of the Word of God according to this passage?
[Your Response]
5. One of the functions of God’s Word is to keep our way pure. What does a pure life depend on according to this passage (vv. 10–16)?
[Your Response]
6. In what ways have you found it easy to live a pure life according to God’s Word?
[Your Response]
How have you found it difficult?
[Your Response]
7. Read Psalm 119:105–112. Another major function of the Scriptures is guidance (v. 105). In what areas do you rely on God’s Word for guidance?
[Your Response]
8. What difficulties has the psalmist encountered in following God’s Word?
[Your Response]
9. In spite of his suffering, how does the psalmist feel about Scripture?
[Your Response]
10. How do your responses to Scripture compare to those of the psalmist in both of these passages (vv. 9–16, 105–112)?
[Your Response]
11. The psalmist makes a purposeful choice not to neglect God’s Word (v. 16). What choices do you need to make in order for God’s Word to play a more vital role in your life?
[Your Response]
PRAY ABOUT IT
The psalmist says that the Scriptures are “the joy of my heart.” Pray that God will bring joy to your heart as you keep the commitments you have made regarding his Word.
TAKING THE NEXT STEP
Continue your meditation on the Word of God by reflecting on Psalm 119:1–8, 17–24.
After reading verses 1–8, divide a sheet of paper into three columns. In the first column list all the effects of the Word of God in one’s life as stated by the passage. In the next column write how you have experienced each, and in the final column, how you would like to grow in experiencing each.
Read verses 17–24. List from this passage all that the psalmist asks of God concerning his Word. Ask God to do these things in you. Then, throughout the coming weeks, write down his answers to your requests.
1. Have you ever felt joy in the midst of difficult circumstances? If so, why?
[Your Response]
DIGGING IN
2. Read Philippians 1:3–26. According to these verses, what reasons might Paul have to feel discouraged or depressed (see especially vv. 7, 12–14, 22)?
[Your Response]
3. In spite of his personal circumstances, what reasons does Paul give for being joyful?
[Your Response]
The church at Philippi was Paul’s “joy and crown” (4:1). Of all his churches it gave him the least trouble, perhaps no trouble at all, and the most satisfaction. So Philippians is a letter of joy, brimming over with expressions of gratitude, affection, and love. Philippians is also a letter desperately needed by the modern church. It provides a picture of a church that takes seriously who she is as partners with Christ in the Gospel, who accepts Jesus as Lord and patterns her ministry after Him.
Maxie D. Dunnam, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, Philemon, The Communicator’s Commentary
4. Joy usually results when our desires are fulfilled and our values are affirmed. What do we learn about Paul’s values and desires in this passage?
[Your Response]
5. Imagine that you are in Paul’s situation — under armed guard, in chains, unable to leave your rented quarters, awaiting trial. How would you feel?
[Your Response]
6. What difference would news of the spread of the gospel make in your feelings? (Be honest.) Explain.
[Your Response]
7. How do your desires and values compare to Paul’s?
[Your Response]
Paul’s joy often seems baffling to us because we fail to realize how closely our joy is linked to our personal desires and values. If we want to experience Paul’s joy, then we must make Jesus Christ and his gospel our greatest desire and our supreme value. Only then will we be able to find joy in the midst of the kind of circumstances Paul faced. As long as we value our personal comfort and pleasure most in life, our joy will always be enslaved to our personal circumstances.
8. Let’s look more closely at the gospel in which Paul rejoices. What confidence does he have about the gospel (vv. 6–7)?
[Your Response]
How do you respond to the assurance that God will complete the good work he has begun in you?
[Your Response]
9. As God completes his good work in the Philippians and in us, what kind of people does Paul pray we will become (vv. 9–11)?
[Your Response]
Love calls for and seeks after knowledge. It is not blind. It does not overlook faults and weaknesses in others, but sees them clearly, looking beyond them to “the heart of things” and continuing to love. Love does not downplay truth, or speak in circles or opaquely to avoid confrontation, but speaks the truth that change and healing may be possible.
Dunnam, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, Philemon
10. How much does your joy center on the work of the gospel in you and in others?
[Your Response]
11. What substitutes for the gospel do we and our culture gravitate to for sources of joy?
[Your Response]
How effective are they in producing joy? Explain.
[Your Response]
12. Paul’s joy in the gospel was so all-consuming that he proclaimed, “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain” (v. 21). What do you need to experience that kind of joyful commitment to Christ?
[Your Response]
PRAY ABOUT IT
Thank God for the gospel of Jesus Christ. Confess to him those areas in which your values and desires are not like Paul’s. Thank him that he has promised to complete in you the work he began when you became a Christian.
TAKING THE NEXT STEP
Make Paul’s prayer for the Philippians your own.
First, make a list of the relationships where you need to love or love more deeply. Ask God to give insight you need about yourself and others in order for your love to grow. Ask him for strength to wrestle with the hard issues of these relationships. Pray that the light of Jesus and the knowledge of his gospel will change how you love others.
[Your Response]
Then make a list of situations where you need to be pure and blameless. Ask the Lord to help you differentiate not only between good and evil, but between good and better, and better and best.
[Your Response]
Finally, ask God to give you a life of fruitfulness as you participate in the gospel. Ask him to fill you with his joy.
WARMING UP
1. How do children usually feel about being disciplined by their parents?
[Your Response]
DIGGING IN
2. Read Hebrews 12:1–13. The writer of Hebrews compares the Christian life to a race (vv. 1–3). What principles for running does he recommend (vv. 1–3)?
[Your Response]
Christians … must be ever watchful of obstructions which, unless removed, will certainly impede their progress. Those hindrances are first likened to “weights” which must be laid aside. The Greek word ogkon, weight, in the athletic world of that day was connected with bulk of body or superfluous flesh which had to be removed by right training. But the use of the aorist, apothemenoi, lay aside, suggests something which can be thrown off like a garment, which in any race would be a great hindrance.
R. V. W. Tasker, The Epistle to the Hebrews, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries
3. What kinds of “clothing” can hinder us, and what kinds of sins can entangle us as we run?
[Your Response]
4. What does it mean to “fix our eyes on Jesus” (v. 2)?
[Your Response]
In looking to Jesus … we are looking to him who is the supreme exponent of faith, the one who, beyond all others, not only set out on the course of faith but also pursued it without wavering to the end. He, accordingly, is uniquely qualified to be the supplier and sustainer of the faith of his followers.
Philip Edgcumbe Hughes, A Commentary on the Epistle to the Hebrews
5. How can focusing on Jesus affect your perseverance in running this race (vv. 2–4)?
[Your Response]
6. What is encouraging about the fact that the Lord disciplines us (vv. 5–11)?
[Your Response]
7. What do you think it means to “share in his holiness” (v. 10)?
[Your Response]
The holiness of Christ is both the standard of the Christian character and its guarantee.
New Bible Dictionary
8. The results of discipline are “a harvest of righteousness and peace” (v. 11). What might this look like in a person’s life in concrete, practical ways?
[Your Response]
9. In what sense is God’s discipline like physical therapy (vv. 12–13)?
[Your Response]
Why is it vital for us to cooperate in this therapy?
[Your Response]
Words like feeble, weak, lame, disabled, healed all indicate the need for physical therapy. Spiritually speaking, we are lame. God’s discipline is like physical therapy designed to strengthen our feeble arms and weak knees. By cooperating with God’s therapy, we can be healed. But if we resist because the discipline is too painful or difficult, we can become permanently disabled. Many patients going through physical therapy to recover from some physical injury simply do not do their exercises— and therefore do not improve, at least in a timely fashion. Perseverance is needed through the discipline for its work to be accomplished.
10. In what ways have you experienced God’s discipline in your life?
[Your Response]
11. How do you usually respond to God’s discipline?
[Your Response]
PRAY ABOUT IT
Praise God for what you have learned about our heavenly Father’s discipline in this passage. Pray that he will help you to accept his discipline joyfully. Ask him to produce in you holiness and the fruit of righteousness and peace.
TAKING THE NEXT STEP
Rent the movie Chariots of Fire. As you view the movie, note what you see of this passage in it. Consider such things as running the race, the effect of people in the stands cheering the runners on, laying aside weights that hinder and entangle, perseverance and discipline, and losing heart.
WARMING UP
1. What are some of the deep longings of your heart? For what do you yearn?
[Your Response]
DIGGING IN
2. Read Matthew 11:28–30. What invitation does Jesus give in this passage?
[Your Response]
3. What do you think it means to “come to Jesus”?
[Your Response]
4. How easy or difficult is it for you to come to him? Why?
[Your Response]
5. Jesus invites all who are weary and burdened (v. 28). What types of weariness and burdens might he have in mind?
[Your Response]
The common human desire [is] to put the best foot forward and hide from the world our real inward poverty…. There is hardly a man or woman who dares to be just what he or she is without doctoring up the impression. The fear of being found out gnaws like rodents within their hearts.
A. W. Tozer, The Pursuit of God
6. To what extent do you identify with the weary and burdened? Explain.
[Your Response]
7. What is a yoke (v. 29), and what does it do?
[Your Response]
What does it mean, therefore, to take Christ’s yoke upon us?
[Your Response]
8. What promises does Jesus make to those who respond to his invitation?
[Your Response]
Rest in verses 28 and 29 … would perhaps be more accurately, and less misleadingly, translated “relief.” Certainly Jesus does not promise His disciples a life of inactivity or repose, nor freedom from sorrow and struggle, but He does assure them that, if they keep close to Him, they will find relief from such crushing burdens as crippling anxiety, the sense of frustration and futility, and the misery of a sin-laden conscience.
R. T. France, Matthew: An Introduction and Commentary, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries
9. What would it mean to you to find “rest for your soul”?
[Your Response]
How would finding rest for your soul bring you joy?
[Your Response]
10. How does it help you to know that Christ’s yoke is easy and his burden is light (v. 30)?
[Your Response]
The gracious invitation … is recorded only by Matthew. It is addressed in the first instance to those upon whose backs the Pharisees were laying heavy burdens by demanding meticulous obedience not only to the law itself but to their own intricate elaborations of it. Every law-abiding person is of necessity under a yoke, and the expression “the yoke of the law” was commonplace in Judaism (cf. Acts 15:10). Jesus the Messiah also calls His disciples to accept a “yoke,” but how different is His yoke! In the first place it is not really obedience to any external law at all, for it is first and foremost loyalty to a Person, which enables the disciple to do gladly, and therefore easily, and without feeling that he is struggling under a heavy burden, what that Person would have him to do…. Where a relationship exists between a disciple and Himself (His) yoke is easy and (His) burden is light. Moreover, the way of life that He desires His disciples to follow is His own life.
France, Matthew: An Introduction and Commentary
11. Jesus describes himself as “gentle and humble in heart” (v. 29). How do these qualities increase your desire to come to him and learn from him?
[Your Response]
12. How does the rest Jesus promises in this passage speak to the yearnings and longings of your heart?
[Your Response]
PRAY ABOUT IT
Ask God to reveal to you specific ways you can respond to Jesus’ invitation to rest. Thank him for the joy we have when we experience Christ’s rest.
TAKING THE NEXT STEP
As you respond to Jesus’ invitation to come to him, reflect on Philippians 2:5–11. Ask Jesus to give you the rest that comes from making his mind and attitude your own. Ask him to deliver you from competition, pretense, and arrogance. Talk to him about the desire you have to freely serve others with joy. Praise him for who he is and because God has given him a name that is above every name.