IS IT IN YOU?
BIBLE
PASSAGE: GALATIANS 5:16-26; ROMANS
8:1-14
- Picture
taken from Google
- Lesson
Prepared by: Krisha of Solomon’s Wisdom FB page
- Lesson ideas taken from: https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/
OCTOBER 02, 2022
KEY VERSE
In whom ye
also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your
salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy
Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our
inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise
of his glory.
EPHESIANS 1:13-14
INTRODUCTION:
At the beginning of creation, man was at one with God, walking in His
Spirit. After the fall of Adam and Eve,
man’s nature reflected the sin that entered the world. We continue to
experience the results of that sin and flesh nature in our society. I remember
yesterday when I went to wet market, there were two “kumares” talking and the
first woman said, “Oh, wow your baby is light-skinned, she didn’t get from
yours, how come?” The second woman said, “You know she was conceived with ‘white
smoke’ (talking about smoke of the cigarette) that was she got it” and they
both laughed. I just whispered to myself why this woman doesn’t know the effect
of smoke to her baby. She still was smoking while carrying her. People in the
world can recognize what is wrong and what is not.
Let me ask some of the changes
happen to you when you accepted Christ into your hearts? (Wait for audience
reply and short testimony)
From your given short testimonies, we can see the changes happened in
your inner self. How about when a person doesn’t experience any changes? That’s
the big problem. In Romans 8:9 says,
“But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be
that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of
Christ, he is none of his.”
TAGALOG:
Ngunit hindi na kayo namumuhay ayon sa
laman, kundi ayon sa Espiritu. Sa katunayan, naninirahan sa inyo ang Espiritu
ng Diyos. Kung wala sa isang tao ang Espiritu ni Cristo, hindi kay Cristo ang
taong iyon.
Let’s check ourselves. Bible says in Ephesians 1:13-14
In whom ye
also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your
salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy
Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our
inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise
of his glory.
TAGALOG: 13 Sa pamamagitan ni Cristo, kayo rin na nakarinig
ng salita ng katotohanan, ng Magandang Balita na nagdudulot ng kaligtasan, at
sumampalataya sa kanya, ay pinagkalooban ng ipinangakong Espiritu Santo bilang
tatak ng pagkahirang sa inyo. 14 Ang
Espiritu ang katibayan na makakamit natin nang lubos ang lahat ng pangako ng
Diyos sa atin, at sa gayon ay pupurihin ang kanyang kaluwalhatian.
Let’s read again Galatians 5:22- 23 - 22 But the fruit of the
Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance:
against such there is no law.
Before I
have confusion between works of the Holy Spirit and Fruit of the Holy Spirit. Let
me share from the lesson of Firstbaptist.com. There is a big difference between
works and fruit. Work is something you do while fruit is the result an action.
In verses 19-21, Paul spoke of the works of the flesh. These works are
desires/impulses of the flesh that are sinful. Those who are born again (John
3:3) have the Spirit of God within them. We must not confuse the Fruit of the
Spirit with the Gifts from the Spirit. Spiritual Gifts are given by God “for
the common good” (1 Cor 12:7). Romans 12:6 tells us that we each have “gifts
that differ according to the grace given to us.” Spiritual gifts are given
by God and they vary amongst His children. Some Christians are gifted teachers
and/or preachers. Some Christians are especially gifted in service or
exhortation or discernment. The Fruit of the Spirit is similar but different
than Spiritual Gifts. Whereas, different Christians are gifted differently, every Christian has the Fruit of the Spirit.
It is called “Fruit” because it is the
result of the action that is taken by God in giving us the Holy Spirit.
Therefore, number one point is…
LESSON
OUTLINE:
1. ONLY THE
HOLY SPIRIT CAN PRODUCE HIS FRUIT.
We cannot produce
the fruit of the holy spirit in our life. Only the Holy Spirit can produce it. We
notice ourselves that people in the world strive to be good to inherit eternal
life and some people say “ang bait niya
talaga or he’s really good.” But
no matter how good a person is in the eyes of men, people are sinful. Many people
may say…I’m not a murderer! I’m not an adulterer! I never delved into
witchcraft! Do you realize that Jesus said that if you hate someone that you’ve
already planned murder in your heart? Do you realize that lusting doesn’t have
to be over another person’s spouse, that it can be for more and more money? Have
you realized that by reading the Horoscopes and following the star charts and
believing in the works of Horoscopes that you are delving into the realm of
witchcraft and the occult? Even certain games have elements of evil, especially
video games.
So, what’s the point here? Well, the point is
not to tell you all what you’re doing wrong. It is to show you that when Jesus
comes into your heart and the Holy Spirit takes up residence in you, the sour
fruit of your soul becomes sweet; the rotten fruit of your spirit becomes fresh
again; the unattractive fruit turns beautiful, and the dead fruit is
resurrected to new life! ONLY THE HOLY
SPIRIT CAN PRODUCE HIS FRUIT.
Jesus said that fruit identifies
plants and people. “Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.” (Matthew
7:20) The Bible clearly states, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a
new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” (2
Corinthians 5:17) When the Holy Spirit regenerates a person, he makes definite
changes in his life. He also begins producing His fruit. Lack of the fruit of
the Spirit may indicate lack of true salvation. Again Warren Wiersbe points out, “It is possible for the old nature to
counterfeit some of the fruit of the Spirit, but the flesh can never produce
the fruit of the Spirit.” (Ibid. 1:720) When the Holy Spirit produces the
fruit, He gets all the glory.
The Holy Spirit within us makes life real; life comes alive. When
we have accepted Jesus as our Savior and Redeemer, Holy Spirit indwells in us. The Holy Spirit is the evidence of true
salvation. Romans 8:16 says,
“The Spirit
itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:”
Tagalog: “Ang Espiritu ang nagpapatotoo, kasama ng ating espiritu, na tayo'y
mga anak ng Diyos.”
When the Holy Spirit takes over, we begin to grow. The Holy Spirit
becomes our power source behind this growth so that eventually it will become
evident.
The Holy Spirit is the divine enabler who produces growth in us.
Every time we try to grow independently of God, we are working against Him.
Many of us spend much of our time shutting God out. We are trying to produce
those fruits on our own. However, God does not need our help to grow us.
2. CHRISTIANS
HAVE TWO NATURES WITHIN.
Christians
have two natures within; the old nature known as the flesh and the new nature
governed by the indwelling Holy Spirit. These natures pull us in opposite
directions. The flesh pulls us into sin. The Spirit pulls us to righteousness. If
we follow the Spirit’s leading, we will not fulfill the lust of the flesh. He
will keep us from sin. The fruit of the Spirit is opposite of the works of the
flesh. Galatians 5:19-21 say,
19 Now the works of the flesh
are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness,
lasciviousness, 20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred,
variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, 21 Envyings,
murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you
before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things
shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
TAGALOG: 19 Hindi maikakaila ang mga gawa ng laman:
pakikiapid, kahalayan at kalaswaan; 20 pagsamba sa
diyus-diyosan, pangkukulam, pagkapoot, pag-aaway-away, pagseselos, pagkakagalit
at kasakiman, pagkakampi-kampi at pagkakabaha-bahagi, 21 pagkainggit,
[pagpatay][a] paglalasing, walang habas na pagsasaya, at
iba pang katulad nito. Muli ko kayong binabalaan: ang gumagawa ng mga ito ay
hindi magkakaroon ng bahagi sa kaharian ng Diyos.
Both
natures reside in every believer, causing a constant internal war between flesh
and Spirit. In Galatians 5:16-17 gives us the strategy of how these two natures
- flesh and Spirit – can co-exist.
16 This I say then, Walk in
the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. 17 For
the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and
these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that
ye would.
Apostle
Paul doesn’t call us to stop the desires of the flesh so we can walk in the
Spirit. Rather, he is saying that walking in the Spirit will cause God’s will
to override the desires of the flesh.
3. THE
CHARACTERISTICS OF THE FRUIT
In our text, the fruit that Holy Spirit
produces in a Christian’s life has nine parts. These are not called “fruits”
but “fruit,” perhaps because they grow together as a cluster of grapes. They
are all of equal importance. If one is missing, the fruit is incomplete. The
fruit appears to be listed in three categories.
a)
The first
three are habits of the mind
·
Love (agape)
This love is a sacrificial choice to meet the
needs of another expecting nothing in return. It is motivated by the Holy
Spirit, not by feeling or emotion. Christians
are commanded to love (agape), but they cannot do it without the help of the
Holy Spirit.
·
Joy
Constable calls this “deep seated gladness
regardless of circumstances.” It is a
deep and abiding inner rejoicing. This joy is impossible apart from the Holy
Spirit’s aid.
·
Peace
Peace is an inner rest or quietness even in the
face of bad circumstances.
This quality is a fruit of the Spirit and cannot
be understood by unbelievers. “And the peace of God, which passeth all
understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” (Php
4:7)
b)
The next
three are attitudes toward others
·
Longsuffering
Longsuffering is patience, endurance, constancy,
steadfastness, slowness in avenging wrongs. God champions this quality (Ps
86:15). Kenneth Wuest describes it as,
“Patient endurance of wrong under ill-treatment, without anger or thought of
revenge.” (Word Studies, Galatians, p. 160)
·
Gentleness
In the KJV this word is translated, goodness 4,
kindness 4, good 1, gentleness. It portrays the idea of moral goodness,
integrity, or kindness. Albert Barnes defines it as “gentleness of manner, of
temper, and of spirit.” Maintaining a gentle manner of kindness when aggravated
requires the Holy Spirit’s enabling.
·
Goodness
This quality describes active goodness or
virtue. It is the quality of a person who
is ruled by and aims at what is good (Wuest). Goodness is the fruit of the
Spirit during temptation to be bad or when reaching out to others that not
deserve it.
c) The last three are graces that guide conduct
These are general or
public disposition of God’s presence. These attribute is special as it tends to
interact with a larger number, group or set.
·
Faith
Most commentators identify this fruit as
fidelity or faithfulness rather than an act of faith. Truly, we need the Holy
Spirit’s aid to be faithful in our stand for Christ and in our character.
It may simply mean confidence in God and in all
his promises even when circumstances turn against us.
·
Meekness (controlled power)
Eadie states, “The meek man bears himself mildly
– submissively – in all things, ‘like a weaned child’; neither arraigns God,
nor avenges himself on man.” Meekness is submissiveness to God and
tenderness toward others under your authority.
·
Temperance (controlled passions)
This word speaks of self-control. It is the
holding in of one’s passions and appetites. (Eadie)
We cannot master our fleshly desires without the
aid of the Holy Spirit.
CONCLUSION:
Go through
the list of the Spirit’s fruit again and honestly ask yourself which ones are
often present. (Read list). If any are missing, we must yield more to the
Spirit.
We would
all agree that we need every part of the fruit of the Spirit in our lives. The
fact that fruit is often lacking, is because we are not cooperating with the
Holy Spirit as we should. Only He can produce this fruit, but we must walk in
the Spirit by proving or testing all that we do and saying no to all that fails
the test. Every waking moment, we must be submitted to his leading.
If you
have not been consciously submitting every thought, activity, word, and
attitude to the Holy Spirit’s evaluation, you need to seek his forgiveness and
begin tonight.
