FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT - LOVE

I told you in January we would be walking through a 3-section sermon series on the Holy Spirit – the first section 10 weeks on the who what when where why how etc. of the Holy Spirit, the church and the believer. Today we begin a 9-week section on the fruit of the Spirit.

Our guiding Scripture for the next 9 weeks will be Galatians 5:22-23 as each week we look individually at each fruit of the Spirit.

Some guiding factors for the next 9 weeks to always remember -

· The Fruit of the Spirit is Visible

· The influence of the Holy Spirit is Perceptible

Traveling in a snow storm story

Three theological views on Galatians 5:22-23

1. There are 9 different fruits on the vine that can happen together or separate from each other

2. There are 9 different fruits that are progressive – plant analogy you don’t have corn right away – you start with a seed, then soil, then water, then stalk, then leaves, then corn. Love is first, the seed, without love you don’t get joy, without joy you can’t have peace etc.

3. Love is the only fruit –love produces joy, love produces peace, love produces patience etc.

I don’t believe one theological view is better or worse than another, I will let Holy Spirit convince you of the right view of this Scripture over the next 10 weeks.

Let us Pray!

Fruit of the Spirit #1: Love

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love” (Gal. 5:22).

If we are real, authentic Christians and we are filled with the Holy Spirit, we must love and love like Christ loved. In order to do that we must ask ourselves – Am I seeking the highest and best for others or seeking to serve my own needs

I. DIVINE LOVE—Matthew 22:37 – 40 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”

A. Love that worships God—John 4:24 – the woman at the well Jesus says - God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”

John 14:15, 21 – “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.

Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.”

This love is shown in our attendance at church, in our Bible reading, in our daily prayer, and in our daily Christian walk – meeting needs where the needs are – going to the needs to meet them.

B. Love that waits on God—The love that causes us to wait on God will in turn cause us to receive strength and power.

Isaiah 40:31 – but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.

2 Peter 3:9a – The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you

C. Love that works for God—Mark 16:15. Love will cause us to fulfill the command of Christ. This command will be easy to obey.

Mark 16:15-16 – And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.

Hebrews 6:10 – For God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love that you have shown for his name in serving the saints, as you still do.

1 John 3:18 – Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.

Colossians 3:23 – Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men,

With Divine Love we asked ourselves - Am I seeking the highest and best for others or seeking to serve my own needs

Point 2 is dedicated love and we should ask ourselves - Am I seeking the highest and best for others or seeking to serve my own needs

II. DEDICATED LOVE

A. Love for friends—Matthew 22:39. Loving others as we love ourselves is love from God. The natural man cannot have such love.

Matthew 22:37-39 – And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”

John 15:12 – “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.

B. Love for foes—Matthew 5:44. We must love those who oppose us and show kindness to those who mistreat us. This may seem difficult, but with God’s help we can do it.

Matthew 5:44 – But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,

John 13:35 – By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Romans 12:14 – Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them.

Leviticus 19:18 – You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.

1 Peter 3:9 – Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing.

1 Peter 4:8 – Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.

C. Love for the friendless—John 13:35. We show that we love Christ by loving others, not in words, but in deeds.

1 John 3:18 – Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.

John 13:35 – By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

James 1:27 – Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.

Parable of the Good Samaritian

Point 3 is domestic love and we should ask ourselves - Am I seeking the highest and best for others or seeking to serve my own needs

III. DOMESTIC LOVE

A. Love that shows—Ephesians 5:25–33. Husbands are to love their wives as Christ loved the church. Women are to love their husbands in the same manner with respect for her husband. Love will bring respect and respect will increase love.

Proverbs 31:10 – An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels.

Proverbs18:22 – He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord.

Hebrews 13:4a – Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled,

B. Love that shelters—1 Timothy 5:8. If a man does not provide for his family he is worse than an unbeliever. The husband should not only provide materially, but spiritually as well.

Ephesians 6:4 – Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

Ephesians 4:2-3 – With all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

Proverbs 22:6 – Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.

Point 4 is a description of love and we should ask ourselves - Am I seeking the highest and best for others or seeking to serve my own needs – does my love meet the Godly description of love or the world’s definition?

IV. DESCRIPTION OF LOVE—1 Corinthians 13:4–7, 8a, 13, LB.

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Love never ends. So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

A. Patient—vv. 4–5. Love is patient and kind. It is never jealous. This patient love comes from God as we obey Him.

Patient and kind are together – like twins that cannot be separated – a deep connection yet each with their own personality

Patient and Kindness promotes unity and collaboration where anger can destroy unity -

Love is not jealous nor envious – it is content with what God provides and celebrates with others when they are blessed

B. Praise—v. 6. Love never rejoices in failures, but in the truth, as well as in the success of others.

When the fruit of God’s Love is produces – we don’t rejoice when others fall, stumble or fail – we don’t gloat over when their sin is revealed – love refuses to be pulled into evil comparisons – there is no “I told you so” in God’s love. God can have nothing to do with sin, with evil so love cannot take any joy when evil is presented, sin is exposed.

God is truth – in order for truth to exist in and of itself there can only be one source – so when Paul says Love rejoices in truth, with the truth – when truth is revealed love rejoices

C. Protection—v. 7. Love understands and forgives. It protects from all types of wrong and

Love always protects, bears all things – continually and without limit Love puts up with everything – it never gets tired or worn out

Love trusts, believes all things – It believes the best in people

It never loses faith – hopes even when the odds are against it

It gives the strength to stand firm in the faith and relationship with Jesus. It never gives up on people or circumstances

D. Permanent—v. 13. Faith, hope, and love remain. All are important, but love is the greatest. One may have great faith, yet not have love, or one may have hope, yet not have love.

Love is the greatest – It never ends and unconditional

Love is the greatest – it drives response more than faith and hope

Love is the greatest – is the visible manifestation of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer

Love Am I seeking the highest and best for others or seeking to serve my own needs?

Do you have the divine love the worships God in all circumstances?

Does your life choices and actions show evidence of this divine love?

Love makes it easy to obey God – how has this divine love manifested itself this way in your life?

Is your love dedicated to love friends, foes and the friendless?

Is your love for your family sheltering?

How does your love manifest the descriptions of God’s love in your life?