The Fruit of the Spirit 2
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! Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives. Let us not become conceited, or provoke one another, or be jealous of one another.
Galatians 5:22-26 NLT
- It is fruit not fruits
- this is not a checklist to check off
- Fruit is always for the sake of others
So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”
John 13:34-35 NLT
Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.
1 Corinthians 13:13 NLT
- when we talk about love, we talk about falling in and falling out
- but love is more than a "secondhand emotion"
Spirit filled love (agape) stands in direct contrast with my self focused love.
- "you do you"
- when we adopt this mindset, self becomes out god
- there is a way that seems right to man, but it ends in the way of death
You should know this, Timothy, that in the last days there will be very difficult times. For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred. They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good. They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God. They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. Stay away from people like that!
2 Timothy 3:1-5 NLT
"We don't worship Satan; we worship ourselves using the metaphorical representation of the qualities of Satan. Satan is the name used by Judeo Christians for that force of individuality and pride in all of us!"
-Anton Lavey "Founder of Satanic Church"
Incurvatus - worshipping ourselves instead of God
- I can love others as a way of loving me
If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing.
1 Corinthians 13:1-3 NLT
How do we produce this kind of love?
- the kind of love that Paul is talking about is neither produced by guilt nor grit
- love born out of either of those is selfish at its core
Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.
Ephesians 3:17-19 NLT
Spirit filled love is the fruit of being rooted and remaining grounded in God's love for me
- I am who he says I am
- I am going to root my identity in Christ
- God's love is so immense and so deep that he gives a new identity
- can me imagine walking through every situation in life truly rooted in God's love?
- everybody needs to be loved
- we judge our relationships by whether the other person makes us feel loved
- when we are rooted in Christs love, we don't need to depend on love from others
Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God. But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
1 John 4:7-8 NLT
Spirit filled love is free to love others the way I am loves by jesus
- how do I know I am loving that way?
- am I free to...
- love in small ways that go unnoticed?
- sacrificially serve others without expecting a response?
- love across the borders and boundaries of race and ethnicity?
- get messy loving people? To love when it is inconvenient?
- love people who disagree with me and possibly don't like me?
- love others by absorbing the hurt and offering them forgiveness.