Fruit of the Spirit - Part 3

IMPERATIVES:

#1 Determine Your Goal;

#2 Pick A Point (It’s important to have a one point message. That way you only have one thing to remember.);

#3 Create A Map (Me-We-God-You-We);

#4 Internalize The Message (Tell a story that takes them on a journey) (Whether it’s a journey to your childhood home or a journey to a life-changing truth, it’s a story that will take you there.) (People make it difficult when they try to communicate points instead of telling a story.) (When you stand up and speak without notes and without having to read your sermon, you’re saying, “This is so important that it’s a part of me — and I think you should make it a part of you, too!”);

#5 Engage The Audience;

#6 Find Your Voice;

#7 Find Some Traction

Prayer, Checklist Questions:

What do they need to know?

Why do they need to know it?

What do they need to do?

Why do they need to do it?

MAP:

ME - Explain who you are and what you’re all about. Pastor in his church uses as introduction of idea or topic.

WE - It takes me from what I’m thinking or feeling to what WE are thinking and feeling. I have to find an emotional common ground with them around the topic or idea of the message. My goal is to raise a felt need with as many people in the audience as I can

GOD - where I take this emotional common ground I’ve established and introduce biblical truth into the discussion. Now I’m providing a solution to the need I just raised. Remember, we are not teaching the Bible to people; we’re teaching people the Bible. First, we connect with the people; then we move to the Bible.

YOU - Once I’ve introduced God’s view on the subject as the answer to the need, it makes it easy for me to then ask, ‘What are you going to do about it? This becomes the application segment, and if I’ve followed my map well, instead of having to stir up interest in making the application, the application comes as a relief or it’s always the answer to a question they’re already asking. Communicate the challenge at a personal level because life-change is going to come when people apply the truth to their lives. You just go back, and everywhere you raised a need, now you make an application and make sure you don’t raise a felt need that you aren’t going to cover from God’s Word and answer with an application. The worst thing a communicator can do is overpromise and under-deliver. You’re building trust with your listeners. Not just trust in the information, but trust in the relationship.

WE - the place to cast a common vision. A vision of what our lives, our church, and even our world would look like if only we would apply the truth of God’s Word. It’s the inspirational part of the message. My goal at this point is to inspire people to make a change. Sometimes being faced with God’s Word can leave the listener feeling defeated, if all they think about is how far they have to go. But, if I can give them a picture of what life will be like once they apply the truth, then they have a little hope.

GOAL:

To communicate that Love is the most important quality and at the head of all the fruit.

POINT:

Love is first and the fulfillment and should be always present!

INTRODUCTION

(ME)

Each year as I approach the Christmas season I begin to think of all of the ways that I am blessed and have received numerous blessings from the Lord. Whether it be family, friends, my health, my job, the gifts God has given me, and the list goes on; but their is one thing that stands out among everything else . . . LOVE! Love is such a powerful action! It does many things . . . but not by itself! Love is something that is shown, it is done, it is a verb, and yes it is also a noun! But the love that we know! The LOVE that is powerful and has set us free to live the God given life we have received is not something to take for granted!

(WE)

We have all received that, or have the potential to receive that . . . LOVE! The LOVE of God! Which is a fruit of the Spirit in us! Working in us and through us! As we give ourselves to HIM He moves and acts within us! We have been given such a special gift! How does this LOVE, the most powerful gift and product of the Fruit of the Spirit work in us? How do we see more of this within us . . . how do we see this product reproduced in our lives? As you can tell I’m not talking about the emotion of LOVE, and I’m not saying that the emotion of LOVE is a bad thing either . . . but the world gets to focused and confused from that perspective!

Paul Simon in a February 2001 interview with Rolling Stone says this . . . .”The only thing that God requires from us is to enjoy life - and love, . . . it doesn’t matter if you accomplish anything. You don’t have to do anything but appreciate that you’re alive. And love, that’s the whole point.”

In Contrast The Old Testament tells us this in

Micah 6:8 NIV84

He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

We see in nine Fruit of the Spirit listed; and LOVE is the most powerful of them all . . . in fact I would say that without LOVE, none of the rest can be produced within us!

MESSAGE

(GOD)

God’s Word has much to say about LOVE; but it is when it is performed by men and women when LOVE fulfills the Law ().

Romans 13:10 NIV84

Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

It is a self-giving action for the benefit of others, not necessarily the emotion that I referred to a moment ago. The best example of such love is, of course, Christ’s self-giving on the cross (; )

Galatians 2:20 NIV84

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Ephesians 5:25 NIV84

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her

Now, I know, it’s not Easter! We are approaching the Christmas season and we are supposed to be talking about Christ’s birth and not necessarily the Cross, the Resurrection and so forth! But bear with me for a moment!

In we read . . .

John 3:16 NIV84

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

God LOVED! God LOVED the world! He loved it so much that He gave His one and only Son! AND WHAT HAPPENED BECAUSE OF THAT LOVE THAT HE SHOWED? The world was changed! Because now . . . when someone believes in Him (Jesus) they will not perish!

You see LOVE is action . . . and when we LOVE things change!

You may say, but Pastor, there is so much hate, anger, and bitterness! Strife, division, dissension seem to rule in our world right now! How can I make a difference? We can by letting Christ birth in us a LOVE beyond our own capabilities! This kind of LOVE is beyond our capabilities . . . Remember! It is a FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT! But, it takes us desiring God, seeking God, surrendering to God, dying to self and taking up our cross . . . as we spoke about last week! That means that we don’t get it our way like so many commercials say today in our world!

We get it Christ’s way . . . God’s way! When we act out of selfish ambition we are trying to get it our way! When we act out of the thoughts of God and the Holy Spirit moving in us for the betterment of others we get it GOD’S WAY!

You see . . . God’s WORD says this . . .

1 Corinthians 13:13 NIV84

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

The greatest is LOVE!

Colossians 1:5 NIV84

the faith and love that spring from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven and that you have already heard about in the word of truth, the gospel

There is faith and love that spring forth from the hope that is stored up in each of us in heaven!

1 Thessalonians 1:3 NIV84

We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul speaks to the Thessalonians and reminds them of their work PRODUCED by faith, their LABOR prompted by LOVE, and their endurance inspired by HOPE in our Lord Jesus Christ! We as Christians are not to be weak in our WORK & FAITH, our LABOR & LOVE, or our ENDURANCE & HOPE!

No, in it says . . .

1 Thessalonians 5:8 NIV84

But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet.

We are to be WARRIORS for the cause of Christ! We are to fight (or stand) for the WORD OF GOD, for the WILL OF GOD . . . we are NOT to fight (or stand) for our selfish wants and envious thoughts! We are to FIGHT for the LOVE of GOD to be produced in us and through us that our world may be changed!

When we fight for these things in the power and LOVE of God the other eight (8) FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT will begin to bear in our lives. So, even in our trials, we will retain the JOY of the Lord. We will receive that PEACE and tranquillity that is ministered to believers to sustain us in life. You see . . . “People cannot be expected simply to act in an ethically responsible way, but they must first be enabled, empowered, and motivated before they can so act.” Since through the Spirit the LOVE, JOY and PEACE of God are present to believers, we should act appropriately. This is for the individual and the corporate experience. He (God) calls for peace to rule in their corporate experience so that there would be harmony in the congregation.

Not only LOVE, JOY, and PEACE . . . but Patience is a positive value embracing steadfastness and stying power. Kindness is produced in believers along with gentleness . . putting LOVE in action. We have no better way to continue in God’s kindness than by showing others the kindness of God ().

. . . and LOVE as the root and foundation of our lives goes on to produce GOODNESS, FAITHFULNESS, GENTLENESS, and SELF-CONTROL!

(YOU)

So, what about us? What about You? We are quickly approaching Christmas day, the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! He alone is LOVE . . . and we LOVE because He first LOVED us! ()

1 John 4:19 NIV84

We love because he first loved us.

Those of us sitting here today may have already invited Christ to be the Lord of our lives . . . and He responded to our faith just like He promised and He has come to reside within us. He empowers us to LOVE, and He empowers us to produce the FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT in our lives!

What new ways will you surrender to allow Him to produce more of Himself within you and through you during this moment?

What new ways will you allow Christ to be birthed in you this Christmas season and you reach out in THE LOVE that He has filled you with?

Maybe you are here today and you have never responded to Christ by inviting Him into your heart and life to be your Lord and Savior.

You have sensed in the message today the moving of God in your heart! You have sensed His LOVE drawing you. I invite you today to do that. I invite you to pray with me this simple prayer right now if that is what you want to do . . . if you desire this LOVE that the Word of God speaks about.

Lord Jesus, I ask you right now to hear my prayer!

Lord Jesus, I believe you are the Son of God.

I believe that you died for my sins and that I need a Savior.

I am sorry for the life I have lived. I ask you to forgive me of my sins!

I ask you to cleanse my heart and mind.

I ask you to be the Lord and Savior of my life right now.

In Jesus Name! Amen!

PLEASE FILL OUT THE RESPONSE CARD IN THE CHAIR IN FRONT OF YOU AND GIVE IT TO THE USHER OR TO ME BEFORE YOU LEAVE TODAY.

CONCLUSION

(WE)

As we conclude this topic of the FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT, and speaking specifically of LOVE, I can envision our world changing already!

You see . . . the Word of God says that His Word does not return void. ()

Isaiah 55:11 NIV84

so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.