“The Harvest of the Fruit of the Spirit in Jesus”
Series: Winning the War Within; 4/12/09
Easter Sunday; Galatians 5:22-23, Luke 22:31-34, 47-48, 24:18-27
Introduction: In life we set goals all the time. The challenge for us is usually not setting goals, but following through on our goals. In Galatians 5:16 the apostle Paul says: “Live by the Spirit, I say, and do not gratify the desires of the flesh. And then Paul gives a list of some of the desires of the flesh, as he says “the works of the flesh are obvious: fornication, impurity, licentiousness (or lacking moral restraint), idolatry, sorcery, strife, jealousies, anger, quarrels, envy, drunkenness. This is quite a list, although not exhaustive. Then Paul says that in light of all of this, instead of this kind of living, we need to put on the “fruit of the Spirit.”
These last 7 weeks we have been talking about the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. This morning I want to talk about what happens when we put it all together!
I. How Jesus Did it- (Hebrews 4:15; Phil. 2:7-8; John 6:38;
Luke 22:31-32, 24:26-27)
Let us not think that because Jesus was God in the flesh, that Jesus
didn’t have to work at living out the Fruit of the Spirit. Jesus was tested and tempted in many ways. Last week I read Hebrews 4:15 which talks about how Jesus was tempted in every way that we are, but was without sin. We see in the Scriptures how Jesus was tempted by Satan, even before He began His ministry.
We see in the life of Jesus the Fruit of the Spirit regularly lived out:
The first is Love- It is completely evident that Jesus loves us, because we see Jesus giving of Himself without concern for His own well being. The apostle Paul tells us Philippians 2:7, that Jesus “..made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.” It was out of love that Jesus chose to come to this earth. It was out of love that Jesus died on the cross.”
Next is Joy- Jesus experienced the full extent of joy in His life. This was not because His life was all nice and easy. To the contrary, Jesus had a very difficult time just coming into this world, being born in a stable, life threatened by King Herod, he and His family having to flee to Egypt, then He was questioned and harassed by the religious leaders, and ultimately arrested, beaten, and killed on a cross. But Jesus found joy in these words in John 6:38, “For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me.” Jesus knew that the Father was with Him at every step, and in this He felt joy.
Peace- Along with love and joy, Jesus lived at peace. Jesus knew who He was, and what He was called to do. Jesus knew that His life had purpose, and anytime that He was troubled, He went to the Father in prayer. Jesus could be at peace even when there was a storm. You might remember how Jesus was sleeping in the boat during the storm while the disciples were greatly distressed!
Patience- When it came to patience, Jesus needed to have it. Why? Because He was dealing with 12 men, who became His disciples, who had no training for what there were being called to do. They regularly doubted and questioned Jesus, were troubled by His words, tried to keep people from coming to Him, and failed Him on many occasions. Still, Jesus did not give up on them. In Luke 22:31-32, He said to Peter, “Simon, Simon, listen! Satan has demanded to sift all of you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your own faith may not fail…” And in our Bible reading this morning, we see that Jesus, after He had been resurrected, appeared to some, but at first they did not see who He was. And they were confused still about why all this had happened. Jesus’ response was this in Luke 24:26-27, “Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?" 27And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.” He explained it to them beginning with Moses. Now that is patience!
Kindness- Then there is Jesus’ kindness. When Jesus was asked to get more wine for the wedding, He didn’t just give them average wine, He turned the water into what was said to be the “best” wine. When there was a great crowd with Him, and they needed food to eat, He fed them with 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish. When the woman was caught in adultery, He not only forgave her, but helped, others around her to understand why they shouldn’t judge her. He didn’t just heal the leper, He did it by TOUCHING him so that it would be seen that the leper could again be restored into society.
In these examples we see both the kindness and the generosity of Jesus!
Faithfulness- When it comes to faithfulness, there is no one more faithful than Jesus. Even though Jesus knew that Judas was going to betray Him, He still ate the last supper with Him; He still washed Judas’ feet. Even though Peter denied Him 3 times, He still came to Peter after He was resurrected and lifted Peter back up into the ministry to which Peter was called. Even though He was stressed to the point of sweating blood at the thought of going to the cross, He went for His Father, and for us! Jesus gives us the ultimate example of faithfulness.
Next we see Jesus’ Humility- Philippians 2:8 tells us- “And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross!” Jesus humbled Himself in going to the cross. Jesus humbled Himself in taking on flesh. Jesus humbled Himself in following the purpose of why He was here, “to seek and to save the lost.” Jesus humbled Himself by opening Himself up to the temptations of Satan. Jesus humbled Himself by letting Himself be arrested, beaten , questioned, and crucified!
Self-Control- Ultimately, we see Jesus living these all out through exhibiting self-control. Self-control is what kept Jesus from giving in when He was stressing about the cross. Self-control is what kept Jesus from giving up on the disciples when they just didn’t get it. Self-control is what kept Jesus from losing it all and wiping out the whole world for their defiance and sin. Instead Jesus wept when He saw all who were lost. Jesus exhibited self-control because He knew what the result would be.
II. How we can do it- (2 Peter 1:5-6)In 2 Peter 1:5-6 we are told: “For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness.” We are to make the effort. But sometimes the effort doesn’t seem like enough, and we feel like giving up.
The group U2 has a wonderful song called “Walk On.” The words are printed in your bulletin, along with some words from Mother Theresa. Listen to the song…
Walk On (Lyrics by Bono U2)
And love is not the easy thing; The only baggage you can bring...And love is not the easy thing...The only baggage you can bring; Is all that you can't leave behind
And if the darkness is to keep us apart; And if the daylight feels like it's a long way off; And if your glass heart should crack; And for a second you turn back
Oh no, be strong
Walk on, walk on; What you got, they can't steal it
No they can't even feel it; Walk on, walk on
Stay safe tonight...
You're packing a suitcase for a place none of us has been
A place that has to be believed to be seen; You could have flown away; A singing bird in an open cage;
Who will only fly, only fly for freedom
Walk on, walk on; What you got they can't deny it; Can't sell it or buy it; Walk on, walk on; Stay safe tonight
And I know it aches; And your heart it breaks
And you can only take so much; Walk on, walk on
Home...hard to know what it is if you never had one
Home...I can't say where it is but I know I'm going home
That's where the heart is
I know it aches; How your heart it breaks
And you can only take so much; Walk on, walk on
Leave it behind; You've got to leave it behind
All that you fashion, All that you make, All that you build
All that you break, All that you measure, All that you steal, All this you can leave behind, All that you reason
All that you sense, All that you speak, All you dress up
All that you scheme...
Words of Mother Theresa: This is the difference. This is what made the difference in total surrender--to accept whatever He gives. And to give whatever it takes with a big smile. This is the surrender. To be cut. And to accept to be cut to pieces and to let every piece belong only to him. This is the surrender. To accept all the people that come, the work that you happen to do. Today maybe you have a good meal and tomorrow maybe you have nothing. There is no water in the pump working. To accept. And to give whatever it takes. It takes your good name. It takes your health. Yes. That’s the surrender. That is the clearing (?). You are free then.
The Walk On Video was produced by Rev. Gerald Arata of First Grace Presbyterian Church, Long Beach
Song is about 4:00 long…..
The song tells us that love is not an easy thing. Neither is joy, peace, patience, and the rest of the Fruit of the Spirit. But the song also encourages us to leave behind “All that you fashion, All that you make, All that you build, All that you break, All that you measure, All that you steal, All that you reason, All that you sense, All that you speak, All you dress up, and All that you scheme.
We leave this all behind because we cannot do it on our own. Just like a seed cannot produce a harvest itself, as it needs the soil, the water, and the sun, so we need those who will nourish us, and encourage us, and strengthen us. But most of all we need God to bless us.
Conclusion: On this Easter Sunday, we remember that it is because of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection that the Fruit of the Spirit can live in us. May we seek to put it to the test as we walk out this door today. Let us “walk on” in the life that God has for us; a life that will keep us from darkness, and lead us into the light of Christ. Blessed is the name of Jesus. And blessed is the life of those who live out the Fruit of the Spirit as Jesus did. We will see a great harvest when we do this. Amen!
Series: Winning the War Within; 4/12/09
Easter Sunday; Galatians 5:22-23, Luke 22:31-34, 47-48, 24:18-27
Introduction: In life we set goals all the time. The challenge for us is usually not setting goals, but following through on our goals. In Galatians 5:16 the apostle Paul says: “Live by the Spirit, I say, and do not gratify the desires of the flesh. And then Paul gives a list of some of the desires of the flesh, as he says “the works of the flesh are obvious: fornication, impurity, licentiousness (or lacking moral restraint), idolatry, sorcery, strife, jealousies, anger, quarrels, envy, drunkenness. This is quite a list, although not exhaustive. Then Paul says that in light of all of this, instead of this kind of living, we need to put on the “fruit of the Spirit.”
These last 7 weeks we have been talking about the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. This morning I want to talk about what happens when we put it all together!
I. How Jesus Did it- (Hebrews 4:15; Phil. 2:7-8; John 6:38;
Luke 22:31-32, 24:26-27)
Let us not think that because Jesus was God in the flesh, that Jesus
didn’t have to work at living out the Fruit of the Spirit. Jesus was tested and tempted in many ways. Last week I read Hebrews 4:15 which talks about how Jesus was tempted in every way that we are, but was without sin. We see in the Scriptures how Jesus was tempted by Satan, even before He began His ministry.
We see in the life of Jesus the Fruit of the Spirit regularly lived out:
The first is Love- It is completely evident that Jesus loves us, because we see Jesus giving of Himself without concern for His own well being. The apostle Paul tells us Philippians 2:7, that Jesus “..made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.” It was out of love that Jesus chose to come to this earth. It was out of love that Jesus died on the cross.”
Next is Joy- Jesus experienced the full extent of joy in His life. This was not because His life was all nice and easy. To the contrary, Jesus had a very difficult time just coming into this world, being born in a stable, life threatened by King Herod, he and His family having to flee to Egypt, then He was questioned and harassed by the religious leaders, and ultimately arrested, beaten, and killed on a cross. But Jesus found joy in these words in John 6:38, “For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me.” Jesus knew that the Father was with Him at every step, and in this He felt joy.
Peace- Along with love and joy, Jesus lived at peace. Jesus knew who He was, and what He was called to do. Jesus knew that His life had purpose, and anytime that He was troubled, He went to the Father in prayer. Jesus could be at peace even when there was a storm. You might remember how Jesus was sleeping in the boat during the storm while the disciples were greatly distressed!
Patience- When it came to patience, Jesus needed to have it. Why? Because He was dealing with 12 men, who became His disciples, who had no training for what there were being called to do. They regularly doubted and questioned Jesus, were troubled by His words, tried to keep people from coming to Him, and failed Him on many occasions. Still, Jesus did not give up on them. In Luke 22:31-32, He said to Peter, “Simon, Simon, listen! Satan has demanded to sift all of you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your own faith may not fail…” And in our Bible reading this morning, we see that Jesus, after He had been resurrected, appeared to some, but at first they did not see who He was. And they were confused still about why all this had happened. Jesus’ response was this in Luke 24:26-27, “Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?" 27And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.” He explained it to them beginning with Moses. Now that is patience!
Kindness- Then there is Jesus’ kindness. When Jesus was asked to get more wine for the wedding, He didn’t just give them average wine, He turned the water into what was said to be the “best” wine. When there was a great crowd with Him, and they needed food to eat, He fed them with 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish. When the woman was caught in adultery, He not only forgave her, but helped, others around her to understand why they shouldn’t judge her. He didn’t just heal the leper, He did it by TOUCHING him so that it would be seen that the leper could again be restored into society.
In these examples we see both the kindness and the generosity of Jesus!
Faithfulness- When it comes to faithfulness, there is no one more faithful than Jesus. Even though Jesus knew that Judas was going to betray Him, He still ate the last supper with Him; He still washed Judas’ feet. Even though Peter denied Him 3 times, He still came to Peter after He was resurrected and lifted Peter back up into the ministry to which Peter was called. Even though He was stressed to the point of sweating blood at the thought of going to the cross, He went for His Father, and for us! Jesus gives us the ultimate example of faithfulness.
Next we see Jesus’ Humility- Philippians 2:8 tells us- “And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross!” Jesus humbled Himself in going to the cross. Jesus humbled Himself in taking on flesh. Jesus humbled Himself in following the purpose of why He was here, “to seek and to save the lost.” Jesus humbled Himself by opening Himself up to the temptations of Satan. Jesus humbled Himself by letting Himself be arrested, beaten , questioned, and crucified!
Self-Control- Ultimately, we see Jesus living these all out through exhibiting self-control. Self-control is what kept Jesus from giving in when He was stressing about the cross. Self-control is what kept Jesus from giving up on the disciples when they just didn’t get it. Self-control is what kept Jesus from losing it all and wiping out the whole world for their defiance and sin. Instead Jesus wept when He saw all who were lost. Jesus exhibited self-control because He knew what the result would be.
II. How we can do it- (2 Peter 1:5-6)In 2 Peter 1:5-6 we are told: “For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness.” We are to make the effort. But sometimes the effort doesn’t seem like enough, and we feel like giving up.
The group U2 has a wonderful song called “Walk On.” The words are printed in your bulletin, along with some words from Mother Theresa. Listen to the song…
Walk On (Lyrics by Bono U2)
And love is not the easy thing; The only baggage you can bring...And love is not the easy thing...The only baggage you can bring; Is all that you can't leave behind
And if the darkness is to keep us apart; And if the daylight feels like it's a long way off; And if your glass heart should crack; And for a second you turn back
Oh no, be strong
Walk on, walk on; What you got, they can't steal it
No they can't even feel it; Walk on, walk on
Stay safe tonight...
You're packing a suitcase for a place none of us has been
A place that has to be believed to be seen; You could have flown away; A singing bird in an open cage;
Who will only fly, only fly for freedom
Walk on, walk on; What you got they can't deny it; Can't sell it or buy it; Walk on, walk on; Stay safe tonight
And I know it aches; And your heart it breaks
And you can only take so much; Walk on, walk on
Home...hard to know what it is if you never had one
Home...I can't say where it is but I know I'm going home
That's where the heart is
I know it aches; How your heart it breaks
And you can only take so much; Walk on, walk on
Leave it behind; You've got to leave it behind
All that you fashion, All that you make, All that you build
All that you break, All that you measure, All that you steal, All this you can leave behind, All that you reason
All that you sense, All that you speak, All you dress up
All that you scheme...
Words of Mother Theresa: This is the difference. This is what made the difference in total surrender--to accept whatever He gives. And to give whatever it takes with a big smile. This is the surrender. To be cut. And to accept to be cut to pieces and to let every piece belong only to him. This is the surrender. To accept all the people that come, the work that you happen to do. Today maybe you have a good meal and tomorrow maybe you have nothing. There is no water in the pump working. To accept. And to give whatever it takes. It takes your good name. It takes your health. Yes. That’s the surrender. That is the clearing (?). You are free then.
The Walk On Video was produced by Rev. Gerald Arata of First Grace Presbyterian Church, Long Beach
Song is about 4:00 long…..
The song tells us that love is not an easy thing. Neither is joy, peace, patience, and the rest of the Fruit of the Spirit. But the song also encourages us to leave behind “All that you fashion, All that you make, All that you build, All that you break, All that you measure, All that you steal, All that you reason, All that you sense, All that you speak, All you dress up, and All that you scheme.
We leave this all behind because we cannot do it on our own. Just like a seed cannot produce a harvest itself, as it needs the soil, the water, and the sun, so we need those who will nourish us, and encourage us, and strengthen us. But most of all we need God to bless us.
Conclusion: On this Easter Sunday, we remember that it is because of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection that the Fruit of the Spirit can live in us. May we seek to put it to the test as we walk out this door today. Let us “walk on” in the life that God has for us; a life that will keep us from darkness, and lead us into the light of Christ. Blessed is the name of Jesus. And blessed is the life of those who live out the Fruit of the Spirit as Jesus did. We will see a great harvest when we do this. Amen!
posted by Logan's Blog at 2:14 PM
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