Sermon Tone Analysis

Promised, Provided, Produces

Jesus promised the Holy Spirit to those who believed (Jn7:37-39).

In that same passage promised what it would produce in the believer (rivers of living water) and the fulfillment of (Isa58:11) and the Spirit was provided on Pentecost (Act2:1-4)

So first the scriptures showing promised and what the provided Holy Spirit would produce.

and that can be seen as the fulfillment of the prophesy by Isaiah

So in what way does receiving the Holy Spirit produce these rivers of living water?

The answer is found in the fruit that the Spirit produces in the one who has received the Spirit.

The one who is born of water and Spirit (Jn3:5)

One who has the benefits of the indwelling (Rom8:9-11)

One who is led by the Spirit (Rom8:14; Gal5:18)

So we have the one who has the Spirit and the Spirit produces fruit, but what is the fruit?

What proof of the fruit should we expect to see in the one who has the Spirit?

That leads us to fruit defined (Gal5:22-23)

I. Defined expression of fruit defined

Fruit, singular, one fruit, one fruit that is manifested as Christian graces in the life of the Christian.

Love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

9 graces, 1 fruit

Love - Active good will expressed toward God and others (Jn14:15; Mk12:31)

Joy - Gladness, delight, especially in response to God’s grace (Psm100:2)

Peace - beyond all comprehension, both with man and God (Rom5:1; Php4:7)

Patience (longsuffering) - forbearance, self-restraint in the face of provocation according to Vines Bible Dictionary (2Pt3:9)

Kindness - the sweetness of tempter that puts others at ease (Plummer; commentary) (Pro19:22)

Goodness - generosity that reaches beyond giving to someone what is due.

(Rom15:14)

Faithfulness - Barclay says “the virtue of reliability” (Psm37:3)

Gentleness - a humble, kind and contrite demeanor that helps to calm another’s anger.

(Pro15:1)

Self-control - The virtue of one who masters his desires and appetites (Thayer’s Bible Dictionary) (2Pt1:6)

Now the human spirit may replicate, develop some of these graces; but God produces them all.

Whereas this list is incomplete, or can we say not comprehensive, you can find others Spirit produced fruit, like righteousness (Rom14:17; Rom15:13) and you can couple with the graces found in (2Pt1:5-8)

And a good parallel

Graces found in 2Pt1:5-8 are faith, virtue, knowledge, perseverance, godliness, and brotherly kindness.

Where the Spirit dwells, the Spirit strengthens (Eph3:16), the strengthened Christian will have fruit of the Spirit that will be evident.

This fruit, these graces will be like rivers of living water that nourish both the soul of the believer and those around him.

What can we do to ensure that the Spirit has good ground to produce this “fruit” in our lives that is for our soul and impacts the souls around us?

II.

Developing ground for the Spirit

Ensuring proper development of the fruit, we need to develop our obedience to the Word of God.

So let’s talk about walking in the Spirit and being led by the Spirit, scriptually speaking.

We must walk in the Spirit (Gal5:16-17; Gal5:25-26)

Walking in the flesh cannot produce fruit of the Spirit; only the Spirit produces the fruit.

Fleshly fruit prevents us from the spiritual fruit of love, joy, peace, etc.

Walking in the Spirit and you will not carry out the desires of your own flesh, but set you desires on what the Spirit desires.

And how do we do this?

(next point)

We need to be mindful of the things of the Spirit (Rom8:4-6)

Minding the things of the Spirit oftentimes will come through the Spirit inspired Word of God.

To the one who is minding the things of the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.

When we are spiritually minded, we can experience true life and peace in which Christ died so that we can have it.

May our minds be focused on the Word of God and we are able to live in harmony, in unity with what the Spirit teaches us through the Word and when applied we then walk the Spirit.

When we walk in the Spirit that goes hand in hand with being led by the Spirit doesn’t it?

When we are led by the Spirit:

We know we are sons of God (Rom8:14)

We are no longer slaves to the flesh; sin (Rom8:12)

Remember we are free, set free, delivered and the Spirit then helps us

We put to death the deeds of the flesh by the Spirit (Rom8:13)

Led by the Spirit through the Word, externally and internally (Jn16:7-8 and Rom15:13)

Spirit came to convict the world of Sin, how? Oftentimes through the Word of God!

Another essential tool; prayer, which we can appeal for strength from the Spirit (Eph3:16; Eph3:20-21)

And I have to bring in the other, just because it is powerful, it is good, and it is true.

That power that works in us, that fruit producing power is at work in us to accomplish more than we can ask or think, so that God may be glorified forever and ever!

Through obedience to the Word, which we have responsibility to put the Word in us, when coupled with faithful, unwavering, prayer, we will be led by the Spirit and will walk in the Spirit and He will produce His fruit in our lives and it will be evident.

In trying to wrap this up.

This fruit of the Holy Spirit may I close with a few more things

The Fruit producing gift (Act2:38; Act5:32)

The gift is the Spirit Himself that is given to those who believe, repent and are baptized.

The fruit producing gift, is a gift from God (Jn4:10-14)

Don’t we all want to drink of that living water?

drink of the Word, and when we do that Living water will produce fruit and it will come out of you.

The fruit producing gift, produces living water flowing out (Jn7:37-39 ref only)

This fruit producing gift, produces the graces we have mentioned tonight.

Producing graces that prepare us eternal life that we have now and will continue to have as we develop these graces in our life.

(encouragement slide 1)

May we be diligent to walk in the Spirit and be led by the Spirit so maybe the fruit of the Spirit maybe produced in our lives and evident to others that they may inquire.

Let us pray (when I say this, advance the slide)

(encouragement slide 2) after the prayer (exit slide)