Bear (His) Fruit: Love
Galatians 5:22-23 New King James Version
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 [a]gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.
I. Bethlehem Community Fellowship exists to elevate and empower sons and daughters to become the place where Heaven touches Earth. We are obsessed with teaching you how to connect with God for yourself, hear His voice for yourself, and walk with Him in obedience, for yourself.
a. To be elevated is to be lifted out of the fallen nature of humanity and into the divine nature of Jesus Christ.
i. The Divine Nature of Christ is revealed in the Fruit of the Spirit
ii. This divine nature is how Jesus endured and overcame temptation, trials, suffering, etc…
1. This is how He intends for us to as well.
b. The Fruit of the Spirit is Foundational
i. Spiritual gifts without spiritual fruit will eventually:
1. DISCREDIT a move of God
2. MISREPRESENT God
3. DESTROY You
c. “Against such there is no law.”
i. You’re never wrong when you bear (His) fruit
d. It’s (His) Fruit
i. Fruit vs Fruits
1. Citrus fruits - Clementine
2. There is overlap in many of the different sections/characteristics of the fruit of the Spirit, because each characteristic is part of one fruit, the fruit of the Spirit and the divine nature of Jesus
ii. You cannot bear (His) fruit apart from Him
1. When we abide in Christ, we don’t have to work to develop these 9 characteristics, they all supernaturally, simultaneously, develop within us.
2. We don’t do the hard work. The vinedresser (Father God) and the true vine (Jesus) do all of the work, we just abide/remain, sealed by Holy Spirit
John 15:4 New King James Version
4 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.
iii. Abide/remain in three ways
1. Place – secret place
2. Time – five more minutes
3. Condition – Holy Spirit began the work, He will finish it
II. Love
a. Love, just like the peel of the clementine, is the peel of the fruit of the Spirit
i. It holds all of the other sections/characteristics together
ii. Protects every section/characteristic within its boundaries
iii. Touches every other section/characteristic within the fruit
iv. Cannot be completely removed from the other sections/characteristics
1 Corinthians 13:1-3&8 New King James Version
13 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. 2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body [a]to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.
…
8 Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away.
b. Agape (G26)
i. Affection, good will, benevolence
ii. Affectionate devotion, and dedication to providing the recipient of your love with what is absolutely BEST for them
c. Love isn’t Love
i. Love is love, is a foolish argument turned into slogan used to justify sexual immorality by attempting to identify it with Love.
1. I love my wife VERY differently than I love the other people in my life
ii. Love isn’t about what I want or believe I deserve to get out of a relationship, it’s about giving the other person what is absolutely BEST for them
d. Love isn’t about YOU!
i. True love is about the people AROUND YOU experiencing the nature of God, THROUGH YOU
John 14:8-14 New King James Version
8 Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.”
9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works. 11 Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves. 12 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. 13 And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you [a]ask anything in My name, I will do it.
1. Jesus reminded Philip that everything He said and did reflected the Father.
2. Jesus than assured His disciples that all who believe in Him, would do the same works He did, and when we ask for anything in His name, we will receive it so the Father could be glorified and His nature divine revealed.
ii. Love, and all of the other characteristics that make up the fruit of the Spirit are not only for you to benefit from, but also those around you.
e. A closer look at Love
1 Corinthians 13:4-8a New King James Version
4 Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not [a]puffed up; 5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, [b]thinks no evil; 6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
8 Love never fails…
i. Suffers long – Love is NEVER in a rush and you’re NEVER loving when you’re in a rush
ii. Kind – an unconditional commitment to do good
iii. Does not envy – celebrates, not resents, others when they grow, succeed, win, etc…
iv. Does not parade itself – doesn’t show off
v. Not puffed up – does not boast or exaggerate, no pride
vi. Does not behave rudely – Love does not enjoy being offensive
vii. Does not seek its own – puts the needs of others before its own wants
viii. Is not provoked – not made sharp, cannot be made angry
ix. Thinks no evil (keeps no record of wrong) – doesn’t treat you how you deserve (honor)
x. Does not rejoice in iniquity, but in the truth – we cannot celebrate iniquity church
xi. Bears all things – covers all things/protects
1 Peter 4:8 New King James Version
8 And above all things have fervent love for one another, for “love will cover a multitude of sins.”
Proverbs 17:9 New King James Version
9 He who covers a transgression seeks love,
But he who repeats a matter separates friends.
xii. Believes all things – doesn’t assume others are always lying
xiii. Hopes all things – believes for the future best for others
xiv. Endures all things – remains, sticks around, doesn’t cut and run
xv. Never fails - IT ALWAYS WINS
Lamentations 3:22-23 New King James Version
22 Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed,
Because His compassions fail not.
23 They are new every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness.
III. Call to Reflect, Repent, and Respond
a. The fruit of the Spirit possess the 9 characteristics we read about this morning
i. They ALL will be supernaturally developed at the same time
b. Today we focused only on the peel of the fruit of the Spirit, Love
i. If Holy Spirit has been merciful and kind enough to convict you of the lack of love in your life, praise God, that can change today.
ii. I invite you to come forward, to lay down your life again before Jesus, the true vine, and choose today to abide and remain in Him.
1. Allow Father God the vinedresser to cleanse and prune you
2. Allow Holy Spirit to seal you to Jesus
3. Allow the divine nature of Jesus to bear fruit in your life.
4. He does all of the work.
iii. I also invite you to set alarms or reminders on your phone throughout the day.
1. “Abide in Me, I am with ALWAYS with you.”
2. Allow these reminders/alarms to remind you that when you abide in Jesus you always have access to His divine nature, divine power, and divine wisdom.
c. If you have never accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, and if you have not accepted Holy Spirit as your President and Power Source, I also invite you to come forward.
i. Today your life can change forever, like so many of ours did.
ii. We would love to hear what Holy Spirit is doing in you right now and pray with you so that you
1. Receive Jesus as Lord and Savior
2. Are filled with the Power of God, Holy Spirit, our President and Power Source
