Galatians 5:22-25 "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance; against such there is no law. And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit."
THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT
Love denotes or is charity; a caring for and seeking the highest good of another person without motive or personal gain.
LOVE REPRODUCE FRUIT IN OUR LIVES. FRUIT ARE ACTS OF FAITH IN THE LOVE OF GOD
We gain fruit in our lives when we submit to the death of our human nature.
John 12:24 "Verily, Verily, I say unto you, except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone, but if it dies, it bringeth forth much fruit."
GOD’S LOVE KNOWS NO DISAPPOINTMENTS.
No matter what you do, no matter how far you fall, no matter how ugly you become, God has a relentless, undying, unfathomable, unquenchable love from which you cannot be separated.
God’s love is not dependent on how we look, how we think, how we act, or how perfect we are. His love is non-negotiable and not returnable.
Our God is a faithful God. His love is insurmountable. Romans 8:38 – 39:
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulations? Or distress? Or famine? Or nakedness? Or peril? Or sword? We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor posers, nor death, nor life, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate is from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus, our Lord.
We love people because we are saved, not in order to be saved. We are not responding to a legalistic system, we are responding to a system of love and peace.
It is impossible for fallen man to love God. God sent His son to atone for our sin and to bring us back in fellowship with Him.
Love is the greatest bond of fellowship of believers to one another.
1 John 4:7, 8 Beloved, let us love one another; for love is of God; for everyone that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.
He that loveth not knoweth not God for God is Love.
True love (AGAPE) has its source in God and is a characteristic of God. Our behavior is to reveal the loving character of God.
God so loved the world the He Gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever would believe on Him should not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16).
We have a moral obligation to one another, since God loved us to the extent of giving His only born son.
His love becomes our nature. Christ’s death accomplished fully the purpose of God been made complete in us.
Joy - is the feeling of gladness based on the love, grace, blessings, promises, and nearness of God that belong to those who believe in Christ.
"Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God" (Hebrews 12:2).
"The joy of the Lord is your strength" (Nehemiah 8:10).
Peace - is the rest of hearts and mind based on the knowledge that all is well between the believer and the heavenly Father; resulting in the freedom from turmoil of anxiety.
"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit" (Romans 15:13).
"Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Romans 5:1).
Longsuffering – Enduring patience. The fruit of longsuffering causes one to be slow to anger or be in despair.
We are "strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness" (Colossians 1:11). "With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love" (Ephesians 4:2).
Gentleness - (kindness). It means not wanting to hurt anyone or cause them pain.
Jeremiah 31:3 -The Lord hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with loving-kindness have I drawn thee.
We should live "in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love; in truthful speech and in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left" (2 Corinthians 6:6-7).
Psalm 40:10-11
I have not hid thy righteousness within my heart; I have declared thy faithfulness and thy salvation: I have not concealed thy loving-kindness and thy truth from the great congregation. Withhold not thou thy tender mercies from me, O Lord: let thy loving-kindness and thy truth continually preserve me.
Goodness - is the zeal for truth and righteousness and a hatred of evil. It can be expressed in acts of kindness; or rebuking or correcting evil.
"For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth" (Ephesians 5:9).
"Wherefore also we pray always for you, that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfill all the good pleasure of his goodness, and the work of faith with power" (2 Thessalonians 1:11).
Faith (faithfulness) - is firm and unswerving loyalty to a person of whom one is united, by promise, commitment, trust, and honesty.
"O Lord, thou art my God; I will exalt thee, I will praise thy name; for thou hast done wonderful things; thy counsels of old are faithfulness and truth" (Isaiah 25:1).
"I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith" (Ephesians 3:16-17).
Meekness - is gentleness. It represents restraint coupled with strength and courage; it describes a person who can be angry when anger is needed and humbly submissive when submission is needed.
"With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love" (Ephesians 4:2).
"Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted" (Galatians 6:1).
Temperance (self-control) - means mastering one's own desires and passions, including faithfulness to one's marriage vows; also purity.
"But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love" (2 Peter 1:5-7).
