“The Fruit of the Spirit (part 3)

 “The Fruit of the Spirit” (part 3)

 

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.   Gal. 5:22,23

 

We have looked at six different virtues, that EVERY TRUE BELIEVER, should possess.  The first three deal with HABITS of the MIND, which are:  LOVE, JOY, and PEACE. The second three virtues deal with the RELATIONSHIPS we have with each other.  They are PATIENCE, KINDNESS, and GOODNESS.  Today, we will look at the FINAL THREE virtues, which deal with the GENERAL CONDUCT of the TRUE BELIEVER.  They are FAITHFULNESS, GENTLENESS and SELF-CONTROL

Let’s look at the VIRTUE of FAITHFULNESS, this word describes the TRUE BELIEVER, to be LOYAL and TRUSTWORTHY with their PROMISES, and their COMMITMENTS.  When we are FAITHFUL in our RELATIONSHIP with GOD, He will be FAITHFUL to us.  And our FAITHFULNESS can be a STRONG WITNESS to the UNBELIEVER, because we are showing our ALLEGIANCE to the ALMIGHTY GOD, whose LOVE is UNFAILING and ETERNAL, and His FAITHFULNESS CONTINUES to EACH generation. 

The next virtue is GENTLENESS, which indicates SUBMISSION to God’s Holy Word. James 1:21 tells us: to get RID of ALL the filth and evil in our lives, and HUMBLY ACCEPT the WORD God has PLANTED in our HEARTS, for it has the POWER to SAVE our SOULS.   This virtue is being CONSIDERATE of OTHERS when DISCIPLINE is NEEDED.  2 Timothy 2:25 says:  Gently instruct those who oppose the truth.  Perhaps God will change those people’s hearts, and they will learn the TRUTH.

The last virtue is SELF-CONTROL, which is being able to CONTROL or CURB your FLESHLY IMPULSES.  A quality such as this is IMPOSSIBLE to OBTAIN apart from the POWER of GOD’S SPIRIT.   

When we LIVE a SPIRIT-FILLED LIFE then we will experience these VIRTUES which are the FRUIT of the SPIRIT.  You cannot LIVE such a life and be able to possess the FRUIT of the SPIRIT until you come to GOD through His Only Son, the LORD JESUS CHRIST, who DIED to SAVE your SOUL from an ETERNITY in HELL. If you have not come to JESUS, you NEED to do so NOW.  Here is what you MUST DO.  You MUST ADMIT that YOU are a SINNER in NEED of the SAVIOR, JESUS CHRIST.  You MUST BELIEVE, with ALL your HEART that JESUS DIED for YOU, and that He is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for YOU, before God.  You MUST CONFESS your SINS to Him and ask Him for His FORGIVENESS.  You MUST be WILLING to TURN AWAY FROM your SINFUL LIFESTYLE, and TURN TO GOD, with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART.  You MUST ACCEPT His Gift of SALVATION and POSSESS the FRUIT of the SPIRIT. And ESCAPE an ETERNITY in HELL, and receive an ETERNITY in HEAVEN, with ALL its BLESSINGS.  Do this NOW, while you STILL can.  He’s WAITING and COMING SOON.  Don’t Be LEFT BEHIND!!!

“The Fruit of the Spirit” (Part 2)

 “The Fruit of the Spirit” (Part 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!   Galatians 5:22

 

Today, we will be looking at the second part of the Fruit of the Spirit. Remember, last time, we talked about the first set of three virtues (fruit), which was LOVE, JOY, and PEACE. This group are HABITS of the MIND, and the SOURCE of these virtues are found in the ALMIGHTY GOD.   

The second group of three virtues are; PATIENCE, KINDNESS, and GOODNESS, which are STRENGTHENED MENTALLY or MORALLY, by the first three virtues; LOVE, JOY, and PEACE.  PATIENCE, KINDNESS and GOODNESS, are evidences of the SPIRIT of GOD, working in the MINDS and HEARTS of EVERY TRUE BELIEVER, and they deal with their ATTITUDES and RELATIONSHIPS with other people.   

The first of the SECOND group of virtues is PATIENCE, which is the QUALITY of FORBEARANCE under PROVOCATION.  It is  BEARING UP under being PROVOKED.  And not having thoughts of RETALIATION, even when they are WRONGFULLY  treated.  TRUE BELIEVERS should make allowances for each other’s faults, and FORGIVE ANYONE who OFFENDS you. REMEMBER: The Lord Jesus Christ, FORGAVE YOU, so you MUST FORGIVE OTHERS. (Col. 3:13)

The second virtue (fruit) in this SECOND group is KINDNESS.  KINDNESS is, COMPASSION in ACTION.  This is LIKE when GOD showed His COMPASSION and LOVE by giving His SALVATION to those who will BELIEVE in the LORD JESUS CHRIST, while we were yet SINNERS, JESUS CHRIST DIED for US.

The next and last virtue in this GROUP is; GOODNESS, GOODNESS means the same as GRACIOUSNESS, which is being GRACIOUS and doing GRACIOUS deeds for others, even when they are UNDESERVED.  REMEMBER:  GRACE is receiving something we DON’T DESERVE.  We, in our SINFUL NATURE, do NOT DESERVE GOD’s LOVE nor His GRACE.  But NEVERTHELESS, He LOVES mankind SO MUCH that He WILLINGLY GAVE His ONLY BEGOTTEN SON, to SUFFER, BLEED, and DIE, for ALL of MANKIND.  And to give them an ETERNITY in HEAVEN, with ALL its BLESSINGS, and to ESCAPE HELL, with ALL its HORRORS and NO WAY to ESCAPE, once you are there.   

Do you possess these VIRTUES.  Is your DESTINY an ETERNITY in HELL, with ALL its HORRORS?  If you have NOT given your HEART and LIFE to God, through His Son, Jesus Christ, then you are headed for an ETERNITY in HELL.  But, you have the OPPORTUNITY, NOW, to change that DESTINY.  You MUST ADMIT that YOU are a SINNER, in NEED of the SAVIOR, JESUS CHRIST.  You MUST BELIEVE with ALL your HEART that JESUS DIED for YOU, and that He is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for you, before God.  You MUST CONFESS your SINS to Him, and ASK Him for His FORGIVENESS.  You MUST be WILLING to TURN AWAY FROM your SINFUL LIFESTYLE, and TURN TO GOD, with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART.  You MUST ACCEPT God’s Gift of SALVATION and ALLOW the HOLY SPIRIT of the LIVING GOD, to INSTILL in YOU the FRUIT of the SPIRIT.  Do this NOW, while you STILL can.  He’s WAITING and COMING SOON!!!  Don’t Be LEFT BEHIND!!!

 

 

“The Fruit of the Spirit”

 “The Fruit of the Spirit”

 

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!   Galatians 5:22-23

 

What makes a Christian to be CHRIST-LIKE?  It is LIVING under the POWER of the Holy Spirit, who indwells EVERY TRUE BELIEVER at the time of their CONVERSION.  In verse sixteen of Chapter five, the Apostle Paul tells us that we should let the HOLY SPIRIT guide our lives.  Then we won’t be doing what our SINFUL nature craves.  You see, our SINFUL NATURE wants us to do EVIL, which is the OPPOSITE of what the SPIRIT wants.  

The Apostle Paul tells us that those who LIVE their LIFE according to their SINFUL NATURE, will NOT inherit the Kingdom of God. (Vv18-21).   So, let’s look at the first three VIRTUES (fruit) of the TRUE BELIEVER, these are habits of their mind  1. LOVE, this LOVE is an AGAPE kind of LOVE, it is a GODLY TYPE of LOVE and it is listed FIRST, because it is the FOUNDATION of the other VIRTUES.  In 1John 4:8, John tells us that GOD is LOVE and He LOVES the World (John 3:16).  This SELF-SACRIFICING LOVE is what sent JESUS CHRIST, GOD’S ONLY SON, to DIE for SINFUL MANKIND.  It is the KIND of LOVE that the TRUE BELIEVERS, who are SPIRIT-CONTROLLED exemplify.  

2. JOY, this JOY is a DEEP, ABIDING INNER REJOICING that was PROMISED to those who ABIDE in CHRIST JESUS.  It is NOT DEPENDENT on outer CIRCUMSTANCES, because it solely rests in the ALMIGHTY GOD’S SOVEREIGN CONTROL of ALL things. 

3. PEACE, this PEACE is a Gift from the LORD JESUS CHRIST.  It is an INNER CALMNESS and QUIETNESS even in ADVERSE CIRCUMSTANCES. It is a GIFT from the LORD JESUS CHRIST, to the TRUE BELIEVER.  John 14:23, are the words of JESUS:  “I am leaving you with a gift—-PEACE of MIND and HEART.  And the PEACE I GIVE is a gift that the world cannot give.   So, don’t be troubled or afraid. 

As a TRUE BELIEVER you SHOULD be EXEMPLIFYING these three FRUITS of the SPIRIT.  Do you?  Next time we will talk about the NEXT three FRUITS that SHOULD BE EVIDENT in EVERY TRUE BELIEVER.  

If you have NOT GIVEN your HEART and LIFE to GOD, through the SHED BLOOD of His Son, Jesus Christ, then you do NOT POSSESS these VIRTUES, and you are headed for an ETERNITY in HELL, with ALL its HORRORS, and NO WAY to ESCAPE once you are there.  In order to ESCAPE that DESTINY and possess the FRUIT of the SPIRIT, you MUST ADMIT that you are a SINNER in NEED of the SAVIOR, the LORD JESUS CHRIST. You MUST BELIEVE, with ALL your HEART that JESUS DIED for YOU and that He is ALIVE in HEAVEN, making intercession for YOU before God.  You MUST CONFESS your SINS to HIM and ASK Him for His FORGIVENESS.  You MUST be WILLING to TURN AWAY FROM your SINFUL LIFESTYLE and TURN TO God with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART.  And You MUST ACCEPT God’s gift of SALVATION and RECEIVE the HOLY SPIRIT and start LIVING a SPIRIT-CONTROLLED LIFE. Then YOU can exemplify these FRUITS of the SPIRIT.  Do this NOW, while you STILL can.  He’s WAITING and COMING SOON!!!  Don’t Be LEFT BEHIND!!!

 

 

“Four Words That Can Change One’s Eternal Destiny”

 “Four Words That Can Change One’s Eternal Destiny”

 

“I tell you, her sins—-and they are many—have been forgiven, so she has shown Me much LOVE, but a person who is forgiven little shows only little love.”   Luke 7:47

 

In the final verses of chapter seven, in the Book of Luke, he tells us that one of the Pharisees, invited Jesus to have dinner with him.  Jesus accepted the invitation.  And when Jesus sat down to eat, an IMMORAL woman from the city, who had heard that Jesus would be at the Pharisee’s house, took an Alabaster jar filled with some expensive perfume and made her way to Simon ‘s house.  During the meal, she snuck into where they were dining, and she knelt down behind Him, at His feet, and began to WEEP, her tears fell on His feet and she wiped them with her hair, and then she put the expensive perfume on His feet. 

Now, Simon, the Pharisee said to himself, “If He was a prophet, He would know what kind of woman is touching Him.   SHE’S A SINNER!!”  Some people believe that they are SO SINFUL that God would or could NOT FORGIVE them.  But this is what Jesus told Simon: “I tell you, her SINS—-and they are MANY—-have been FORGIVEN, because she has shown Me much LOVE.”  This SINFUL woman wasn’t FORGIVEN because of HER LOVE, but she LOVED because she was FORGIVEN.  We who are FORGIVEN of our SINS and are TRUE BELIEVERS, LOVE GOD, because HE FIRST LOVED US. And sent His ONLY Son, the LORD JESUS CHRIST to DIE on an OLD RUGGED CROSS, so that SINFUL MANKIND, no matter how SINFUL they are can have GOD’S FORGIVENESS. 

In verse forty-eight, Jesus said to the SINFUL WOMAN: “Your SINS are FORGIVEN.” Are YOUR SINS FORGIVEN?  The FOUR WORDS that can CHANGE your ETERNAL DESTINY are: “YOUR SINS ARE FORGIVEN!” 

If you have NOT been FORGIVEN, then your ETERNAL destiny is spending ALL of ETERNITY in HELL, with ALL its HORRORS, and NO WAY to ESCAPE, once you are there.  It does not MATTER how MANY or how BAD your SINS are.  The BLOOD of JESUS CAN COVER THEM ALL. 

 In order to CHANGE your ETERNAL DESTINY, you MUST ADMIT that YOU are a SINNER, in need of the SAVIOR, JESUS CHRIST, who gave His LIFE to SAVE your SOUL. And you MUST BELIEVE, with ALL your HEART, that JESUS DIED for YOU, and that He is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for you, before God.  You MUST CONFESS your SINS to Him and ask Him for His FORGIVENESS.  You MUST be WILLING to TURN AWAY FROM your SINS and TURN TO GOD, with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART. You MUST ACCEPT God’s Gift of SALVATION and KNOW that YOUR SINS ARE FORGIVEN.  Do this NOW, while you STILL can!!!  He’s WAITING and COMING SOON!!!  Don’t Be LEFT BEHIND!!!

“Listen Carefully”

 “Listen Carefully!”

 

I listen carefully to what God the LORD is saying, for He speaks PEACE to His FAITHFUL people.  But let them NOT return to their foolish ways.   Psalm 85:8

 

Hearing and Listening are two different things that can cause problems for humanity, and often does.  Hearing is the faculty or sense by which sound is perceived. Listening is to pay ATTENTION; HEED and OBEY. So many times, people will HEAR but they aren’t really LISTENING to what is being said.  And this problem can produce TROUBLE and TURMOIL.  

But we see in our Scripture, the Psalmist says: “I LISTEN CAREFULLY to what God the LORD is saying.”  So, he is NOT just HEARING he is PAYING ATTENTION to what the LORD God is SAYING.  Why? Because the LORD GOD speaks PEACE to His FAITHFUL people. That is to those who have TRUSTED Him for their SALVATION.  And they KNOW that HE is the ONLY ONE who can bring PERFECT PEACE.  His PEACE is NOT like the WORLD brings, but it is PERFECT and ETERNAL for His TRUE BELIEVERS.  

 

Verse nine says: Surely “His SALVATION is NEAR to those who fear Him, so our land will be filled with His GLORY.”  The word GLORY means the MANIFESTATION of His Presence. These ideas find the ULTIMATE FULFILLMENT in the LORD JESUS CHRIST.  And in the Gospel of John, chapter one, verse fourteen, the Apostle John tells us that “The Word became HUMAN and made His Home among us.   He was full of UNFAILING LOVE and FAITHFULNESS.  And we have seen His GLORY, the GLORY of the Father’s ONE and ONLY Son.”  Have you been LISTENING or only HEARING what God is saying to YOU?

 

If you have NOT given your HEART and LIFE to God through His ONLY SON, Jesus Christ, then you are NOT LISTENING, maybe only HEARING what He has to SAY to YOU.  TIME is SHORT, we are so CLOSE to the END of TIME, and NOW is the TIME to RECEIVE God’s SALVATION and its PERFECT PEACE for an ETERNITY in HEAVEN with ALL its BLESSINGS.  And to be able to ESCAPE an ETERNITY in HELL with ALL its HORRORS and NO WAY to ESCAPE once you are there.

You MUST ADMIT that YOU are a SINNER in NEED of the SAVIOR, Jesus Christ, who SUFFERED, BLED, DIED and was RAISED from the DEAD, and is NOW VERY MUCH ALIVE.  You MUST BELIEVE with ALL your HEART, that JESUS died for YOU, and that He is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for you, before God.  You MUST CONFESS your SINS to Him and ASK Him for His FORGIVENESS.  You MUST be WILLING to TURN AWAY FROM your SINS, and TURN TO GOD, with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART.  You MUST ACCEPT God’s Gift of SALVATION and LISTEN to His VOICE!!  God gave the Jews a WARNING; He told them that they were NOT to RETURN to their FOOLISH WAYS.  This WARNING is VERY MUCH APPLICABLE to the TRUE BELIEVERS of Today.  We SHOULD cut ties with our OLD FOOLISH WAYS and TRUST GOD with our SALVATION and PERFECT PEACE.  Do this NOW, while you STILL can.  He’s WAITING and COMING SOON!!!  Don’t Be LEFT BEHIND!!!

“The Promise of Living Water”

“The Promise of Living Water”

 

On the last day, the climax of the festival, Jesus stood and shouted to the crowds, “Anyone who is thirsty may come to Me!  Anyone who believes in Me may come and drink!  For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.’    John 7:37-38

 

LIVING WATER, is NOT the same thing as the WATER you get from the faucet, fridge or from a well.  This Water, that the Lord was talking about was/is a SPIRITUAL WATER, that one can ONLY get from the Lord Jesus Christ.  It is the ONLY THING that will QUENCH the SPIRITUAL THIRST of a WRETCHED, PARCHED, soul.  

 

Now, the interesting part of this is the INVITATION that JESUS offers when He said: “Anyone who is thirsty may come to Me!”   Remember, that He’s talking about having a SPIRITUAL THIRST.  And then he adds: “Anyone who BELIEVES in Me may COME and DRINK.   This was an offer of SALVATION.  And an INVITATION to have their poor, wretched, parched, sin-sick soul REVIVED with LIVING WATER.  

 

This LIVING WATER that JESUS is referring to, is the HOLY SPIRIT of the LIVING GOD.  And for the one who comes to JESUS for their SALVATION, BELIEVING in Him and ACCEPTING His INVITATION to COME and DRINK, will receive the PRECIOUS GIFT of the HOLY SPIRIT, who is the LIVING WATER, and they will receive a CONTINUAL source of SATISFACTION, which will provide LIFE CONTINUALLY.

 

In order to receive this PRECIOUS LIVING WATER, YOU MUST ADMIT that YOU are a SINNER in NEED of the SAVIOR, JESUS CHRIST, who SUFFERED, BLED, and DIED, to REDEEM mankind from their SINS.  They MUST BELIEVE, with ALL their HEART, that JESUS died for them PERSONALLY, and that He is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for them before God.  They MUST CONFESS their SINS to God and ask Him for His FORGIVENESS.  They MUST be WILLING to TURN AWAY FROM their SINFUL LIFESTYLE and TURN TO GOD, with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART.  And they MUST ACCEPT God’s Gift of SALVATION and receive the ONLY LIVING WATER that can SATISFY their WRETCHED, PARCHED, soul.  And KEEP them OUT of an ETERNITY in HELL with ALL of its HORRORS, and NO WAY to ESCAPE once they are there.  And to give them an ETERNITY in HEAVEN with ALL its BLESSINGS. So, do this NOW, while you STILL can.  He’s WAITING and COMING SOON!!!  Don’t Be LEFT BEHIND!!! 

“Why Easter?”

 “Why Easter?”

 

For God loved the world so much that He gave His Only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him may not die but have Eternal Life.   John 3:16

 

What is the purpose of having EASTER?  It’s NOT new clothes, or vacation time, it’s not Easter baskets filled with LOTS of GOODIES, like CHOCOLATE Bunnies, and CHICKS, with pretty-colored Easter eggs, and ALL kinds of other things.  

The TRAGEDY of EASTER DAY is that most children believe that these material things are the reason for the holiday.  They don’t know what the REAL REASON is for celebrating this DAY.  To be honest with you, I try NOT to call it EASTER, but instead I like to call it RESURRECTION DAY!  Because JESUS CHRIST, God’s ONLY SON, was horribly beaten to the point of not being able to recognize who He was.  He was tortured when he hung on that old rugged cross. And He shed His BLOOD to SAVE ALL mankind.  He was laid in a TOMB and then in THREE DAYS, He was RESURRECTED or BROUGHT OUT of the TOMB.  And so, His part of the SALVATION PLAN was FINISHED.  Now, it was time for MANKIND to RESPOND to GOD’s INVITATION to become a part of His Family.

Would they RESPOND in a POSITIVE manner?  NO!  Some people have ACCEPTED God’s Invitation, but MOST have NOT.   God did NOT send His Only Son into the world to be its JUDGE, but to be its SAVIOR.  And those who BELIEVE in the Son are NOT JUDGED, but those who do NOT BELIEVE are ALREADY JUDGED, because they have NOT BELIEVED in God’s Only Son.  

And so, this is the TRUE BELIEVER’S HOPE:  That they are SET FREE from their SINS and will one day be RESURRECTED, like our LORD JESUS and become a part of God’s Family with an ETERNITY in Heaven with ALL its BLESSINGS and be able to ESCAPE HELL with ALL its HORRORS, and NO WAY to ESCAPE once you are there.  This is WHY we CELEBRATE RESURRECTION DAY.

The Bunny Rabbit, the Witches and Ghosts, nor Santa Claus, SUFFERED, BLED, and DIED to SAVE your SOUL from an ETERNITY in HELL.  Does your CHILDREN or GRANDCHILDREN, know who JESUS is and what He has done for them?  Do you KNOW the IMPACT this KNOWLEDGE will have on YOUR and THEIR ETERNITY?

If you have NOT given your HEART and LIFE to God, through His Son, Jesus Christ, who PAID THE PRICE to SECURE you an ETERNITY in HEAVEN then you TRULY don’t KNOW or BELIEVE, but you can, if you will ADMIT that YOU are a SINNER in NEED of the SAVIOR, JESUS CHRIST. And BELIEVE, with ALL your HEART, that JESUS DIED for YOU, and that He is ALIVE in HEAVEN, making intercession for you before God.  You MUST CONFESS your SINS to Him and ask Him for His FORGIVENESS.  You MUST be WILLING to TURN AWAY FROM your SINFUL LIFE-STYLE and TURN to GOD with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART.  You MUST ACCEPT God’s Gift of SALVATION and KNOW the REAL REASON for CELEBRATING RESURRECTION DAY (Easter) and SHARE IT with YOUR CHILDREN.  Do this NOW while you STILL can.  He’s WAITING and COMING SOON!!!  Don’t Be LEFT BEHIND!!!