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Home Sermons 2010 The 'Fruit of the Spirit' and God's Will
 
The 'Fruit of the Spirit' and God's Will PDF Print E-mail
Written by David Charlton   
Scripture

John 16:7-15

Nevertheless I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. 8 And when he comes, he will convince the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: 9 concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; 10 concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no more; 11 concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged. 12 "I have yet many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. 14 He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. 15 All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.

Galatians 5:22-26

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such there is no law. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. 26 Let us have no self-conceit, no provoking of one another, no envy of one another.

Summary and Function

Summary: Many people often wonder about God’s will. They want to discover God’s will for their own lives. When they make major decisions, such as what career to pursue, who to marry or where to live, they want to do what God wants them to do. This is a great desire but it is often difficult to discern what God wants. It’s not as if God writes it across the sky or tells us in a big booming voice.

There is, however, some good news. The most important thing to do is seek God’s common will for all people. If we do this, God can use us to further His Kingdom even when we have a hard time determining His will in specific sutuations. So, what is this common will for all people? It is to become like Jesus by developing Christ-like characteristics. These Christ-like characteristics make up the ‘fruit of the Spirit’ (Galatians 5:22-23). As we walk with Jesus, the Holy Spirit develops these characteristics within our hearts and makes us more like Christ. The more like Christ we become the more we naturally fall within God’s will.

Purpose: To help the congregation to discover and seek God’s common will for all people. 

The Sermon

I. Introduction: When making a major, life changing decision, we often want to be within
the will of certain people.

1. These are the people we consult and seek opinions from.

  • What is my spouse’s will?
  • My children’s will?
  • My family’s will?
2. The most important will to consider: God’s will. When making major decisions, we
want to do what God wants us to do
  • Problem: How do we know what God wants us to do? It’s often extremely difficult to discern this.
  • How do we know what city God wants us to live in or what career God wants us to pursue?

3. Good news: The most important thing is God’s common will for all people.

  • God’s will for all of us is to become like Jesus by developing Christ-like characteristics.
  • The more like Christ we become, the more naturally we fall into God’s will.
  • So, if you are having a hard time discerning what God wants you to do, simply focus on becoming more like Jesus and trust that God will lead you in the right direction.
II. God’s will for all of us is to become more like Jesus by developing Christ-like
characteristics. WHAT ARE THESE CHRIST-LIKE CHARACTERISTICS?
1. Answer is found in Galatians 5:22-23: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,
patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against
such there is no law.”
2. As we grow in our relationship with Jesus, the Holy Spirit develops these
characteristics within our hearts. We become more like Jesus and naturally begin
to fall within God’s will.

3. Love is the foundational characteristic

  • Joy is love’s strength
  • Peace is love’s security
  • Patience is love’s endurance
  • Kindness is loves conduct
  • Goodness is love’s character
  • Faithfulness is love’s confidence
  • Gentleness is loves humility
  • Self-control is love’s victory
4. Developing these characteristics will change your life and put you more in line with
God’s will
  • You are impatient with disorganized people but the Holy Spirit does a work on you and you become more patient. Wouldn’t that change your life and put you more in God’s will?
  • You have a hard time being kind to certain types of people but the Holy Spirit does a work on you and you become more kind. Wouldn’t that change your life and put you more in God’s will?
  • You are extremely worried about your performance at work. You’re wondering if you are the right person for the job. The Holy Spirit does a work on you and you develop a peace that takes away your worry. Wouldn’t that change your life and put you more in God’s will?

III. How do we develop these characteristics? How do we get the ‘fruit of the Spirit’?

1. Ask for them

  • First: Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal where you are lacking
  • Second: Ask the Holy Spirit to give you what you are lacking
  • Third: Receive it from the Holy Spirit

2. Seek them through the means of grace

  • Prayer
  • Fasting
  • Bible
  • Worship (Communion)
  • Service

IV. Questions for meditation

1. When have you shown evidence of the ‘fruit of the Spirit’?

2. Of the 9 'fruit of the Spirit characteristics, which is your strongest?

3. Of the 9 'fruit of the Spirit' characteristics, which is your weakest?
 
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