HOLY SPIRIT | P4 | THE FRUIT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

     There is one thing almost everybody in the world agrees on:  love, peace, patience, joy, kindness are all good things!  That is what the Holy Spirit brings to every believer.  His job is to produce this in our life.  But it’s our responsibility to bear this fruit of the Spirit.  The word fruit is singular, which means every believer gets every one mentioned in Galatians 5:22-23.  We must submit to the pruning process as God develops our branches for bearing this fruit.

Holy Spirit, Part 4 – Fruit of the Spirit; August 28, 2022

Galatians 5:22-23 (NIV2011)
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
23 gentleness and self-control.

The Holy Spirit produces fruit in the believer’s life

John 15:5 (NIV2011)
5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.

The Holy Spirit produces fruit. Believers must bear it.

John 15:1-5 (NIV2011)
1  “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2  He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. 3  You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.
4  Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

Bear the pruning process

Example: Discipline

Hebrews 12:7-11 (NIV2011)
7  Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? 8  If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all. 9  Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live! 10  They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness. 11  No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.
 
John 15:7-8 (NIV2011)
7  If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8  This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
 

Yield to God’s will

Example: Iced tea

John 15:9-17 (NIV2011)
9  “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10  If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. 11  I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.
 

Remain in God’s love

 
Example: Child, “You don’t love me anymore”
 
John 15:18-22 (NIV2011)
18  “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first.
19  If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.
20  Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also.
21  They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the one who sent me. 22  If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin. 

Be fearlessly faithful to the gospel

The Lord’s Supper

1 Corinthians 11:23-26 (NIV2011) 

23 For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 
24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” 
25 In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 
26 For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.