Fruit of the Spirit

But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!

One of the common themes we see throughout the “letters” or “epistles” is self-control. What are some areas of life you think of when you think of self control?

I think of how sometimes when someone enters into a moral argument, that they didn’t realise they would probably lose, they kind of deteriorate in how they hold themselves as that argument carries on. When they realise they have lost the intellectual side of the argument most times they fall into name calling, then they rapidly fall from name calling to maybe shoving, and this is where you find violence beginning to break out. You see this with some pretty renowned SJW’s first they try to reason with you, and in if their reasoning has holes in it you see their argument fall apart. Well in their mind this just inappropriate, and uncalled for, so next thing you know name calling begins, and then next thing you know they are physically threatening you.

I’m sure you have all experienced this to some degree in your lives. Maybe you or someone you know tried to use reason, but despite them using their best reasoning you told them I simply can’t agree, but you assure them despite this disagreement you still love them and still value them as a person, but they turn and say well since you can’t agree with me we obviously can’t be friends. This show a form of that same emotional attack as calling names that we see others commit. It shows a lack of self control. Maybe it wasn’t a friend doing this but it was us.

I like what Peter wrote in

2 Peter 1:3–10 NLT

By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence. And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires. In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone. The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But those who fail to develop in this way are shortsighted or blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their old sins. So, dear brothers and sisters, work hard to prove that you really are among those God has called and chosen. Do these things, and you will never fall away.

Here we see, what to do when we are faced with the delimma of falling away from God and stumbling. Peter suggests that while knowledge is good we should be ready when our human knowledge fails, because it will happen. We must demonstrate and exhibit moral excellence this encompasses a wide range of things, but I think the biggest thing “moral excellence” encompasses is being a “light” for others in this “dark” world. And if we are acting out in a way that could build walls for other people to come to Christ this certainly can be a posionos thing in our relationship with others as Christians.

John 13:35 NLT

Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”

This is why I specifically want all who aren’t even sure if they are Christian to come to youth, and church for that matter. I want to provide a place for them to explore who Jesus is in a real tangible way. And this is where you all get involved. As Jesus has put out the call in

Matthew 11:28 NLT

Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.

They, those who are not sure of what they believe, will naturally come into all of our presence, and they will know we are Christian by our Love. And in Love we exhibit self control. Peter rather bluntly says that anyone who lacks these qualities is blind or short sighted, and if you treat others opposite if the way that is being described you have forgotten your past life and how you were before you were purfied from your sins.

So lets read on we are to supplement our Faith with Moral Excellence, not replace our faith supplement. Then Peter calls us to supplement our moral excellence with knowledge.

This makes me think of the verse

Psalm 119:11 NLT

I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.

We are called to increase our knowledge in Christ and his word, this will help us in times when we are not sure what to do or even how to respond to things. It will also as the psalmist suggests help us not sin against God.

Now here we get into supplementing knowledge, we supplement knowledge with self control. In this we are given a secret weapon. We are given time. Time to pray as a situation goes arrie. And time to turn to God’s word. And sometimes in our self control we realise sometimes there is no point in continuing this discussion because we are both just repeating ourselves and no one is benefitting.

It says in

Proverbs 26:4–5 NLT

Don’t answer the foolish arguments of fools, or you will become as foolish as they are. Be sure to answer the foolish arguments of fools, or they will become wise in their own estimation.

Sometimes we are just called to walk away, without saying anything more.

What do you all think of when you think of self control? Well I think of patience. And Peter encourages us to supplement self control with patience. Then we are supposed to supplement patience with godliness.

And godliness kind of encompasses everything we just talked about and what we have been talking about in relation to the fruit of the Spirit these last couple weeks.

Peter points out that

2 Peter 1:8 NLT

The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Growing in your faith and knowledge in Christ doesn’t require you to be quick, or clever with your comebacks it actually calls us to slow down and let God be the one to talk and control the situation.

If we try to control the situations we are in with our quick wits or our dirty mouths Peter has a response for that was well

2 Peter 1:9 NLT

But those who fail to develop in this way are shortsighted or blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their old sins.

So I want to wrap this up by echoing what Peter said in verse 10 and 11

2 Peter 1:10–11 NLT

So, dear brothers and sisters, work hard to prove that you really are among those God has called and chosen. Do these things, and you will never fall away. Then God will give you a grand entrance into the eternal Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

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