Embracing the Fruit of the Spirit Together

Devotional

Day 1: Faithfulness as Dependability

Faithfulness is about being dependable and trustworthy. It means keeping our promises and being reliable in our commitments. This quality opens doors in both personal and professional relationships, as people value and trust those who are faithful. Sarah's story in Hebrews 11:11 exemplifies the power of faithfulness, as she judged God faithful and received the strength to conceive and carry a child at 99 years old. [19:37]

Hebrews 11:11 (ESV): "By faith Sarah herself received power to conceive, even when she was past the age, since she considered him faithful who had promised."

Reflection: Think of a commitment you have made recently. How can you demonstrate faithfulness in fulfilling this commitment today?

Day 2: Gentleness as Controlled Power

Gentleness, often translated as meekness, is not weakness but power under God's control. It allows us to respond with kindness even when provoked. Jesus exemplified this during His triumphal entry, coming in meekness rather than as a conquering hero. This disarms people and grants us authority in our interactions. [26:40]

Matthew 21:5 (ESV): "Say to the daughter of Zion, 'Behold, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.'"

Reflection: Think of a situation where you were provoked recently. How can you respond with gentleness and controlled power the next time you face a similar situation?

Day 3: Self-Control as Divine Empowerment

Self-control is about placing our desires under God's control. It's not about sheer willpower but about allowing the Holy Spirit to guide us. By delighting in the Lord, He gives us the desires of our hearts and empowers us to fulfill them. This divine empowerment helps us resist temptations and align our actions with God's will. [32:40]

2 Timothy 1:7 (ESV): "For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control."

Reflection: Identify one area in your life where you struggle with self-control. How can you invite the Holy Spirit to guide you in this area today?

Day 4: The Role of the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit is our divine enabler, helping us exhibit the fruit of the Spirit. He empowers us to live out these qualities, making it possible to have patience, kindness, and self-control. By maintaining an intimate relationship with the Holy Spirit, we can navigate life's challenges with grace and strength. [39:23]

John 14:26 (ESV): "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you."

Reflection: How can you cultivate a more intimate relationship with the Holy Spirit today? What specific steps will you take to invite His guidance in your daily life?

Day 5: God's Delight in Us

God delights in His people and wants us to find our enjoyment in Him. This mutual delight leads to a fulfilling relationship where our desires align with His. God never commands us to do something without empowering us to do it, ensuring that His plans for us are both good and fulfilling. [35:09]

Psalm 37:4 (ESV): "Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart."

Reflection: Reflect on what it means to delight in the Lord. How can you find joy in your relationship with God today, and how might this change your perspective on your desires and goals?

Sermon Summary

### Summary

This morning, we gathered to discuss the importance of giving and the various ways to contribute to our church community. We celebrated the acquisition of a new mower, thanks to God's blessings and your faithfulness. We also highlighted upcoming events like the Dove Festival, where we'll be giving away shaved ice, and our plans to serve breakfast to school staff throughout the year. We prayed for our students and school workers, asking for God's protection and guidance over them.

We then introduced our new district youth director, Brooke Hooper, and committed to supporting her ministry financially. This led us into our main topic from Galatians 5:22-23, focusing on the fruit of the Spirit. We discussed how these fruits—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control—are the results of spiritual intimacy with the Holy Spirit.

We explored how love, joy, and peace resonate with God, emphasizing that love is an unconditional affection, joy is a godly optimism, and peace is a contentment despite circumstances. We then moved on to patience, kindness, and goodness, which resonate with others. Patience is enduring difficult circumstances, kindness is a gracious disposition, and goodness is love in action.

Finally, we delved into faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control, which resonate with our inner character. Faithfulness is about dependability and trustworthiness, gentleness is power under God's control, and self-control is our desires under God's control. We emphasized that God empowers us to exhibit these fruits through our relationship with the Holy Spirit. By delighting in the Lord, He aligns our desires with His and empowers us to fulfill them.

###

Key Takeaways

1. Control as Divine Empowerment**: Self-control is about placing our desires under God's control. It's not about sheer willpower but about allowing the Holy Spirit to guide us. By delighting in the Lord, He gives us the desires of our hearts and empowers us to fulfill them. This divine empowerment helps us resist temptations and align our actions with God's will. [32:40]
4. The Role of the Holy Spirit: The Holy Spirit is our divine enabler, helping us exhibit the fruit of the Spirit. He empowers us to live out these qualities, making it possible to have patience, kindness, and self-control. By maintaining an intimate relationship with the Holy Spirit, we can navigate life's challenges with grace and strength.

5. God's Delight in Us: God delights in His people and wants us to find our enjoyment in Him. This mutual delight leads to a fulfilling relationship where our desires align with His. God never commands us to do something without empowering us to do it, ensuring that His plans for us are both good and fulfilling.

### [32:40]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:47] - Giving and Announcements
[01:28] - Dove Festival and School Breakfasts
[02:32] - Praying for Students and School Workers
[04:42] - Introduction of New Youth Director
[06:36] - Galatians 5:22-23: Fruit of the Spirit
[07:22] - Results of Spiritual Intimacy
[08:08] - Week One: Leash Law
[08:51] - Week Two: Love, Joy, and Peace
[09:42] - Joy in Trying Circumstances
[10:42] - Peace in Conflict
[11:39] - Week Three: Patience, Kindness, and Goodness
[12:21] - Patience in Difficult Circumstances
[13:00] - Kindness and God's Nature
[14:23] - Goodness as Love in Action
[16:58] - This Week: Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self-Control
[18:09] - Faithfulness and Trustworthiness
[19:37] - Sarah's Faithfulness
[26:40] - Gentleness and Meekness
[32:40] - Self-Control and Divine Empowerment
[35:09] - God's Delight in Us
[39:23] - Role of the Holy Spirit
[47:22] - God's Love and Our Response
[52:12] - Trusting God with Our Desires
[60:34] - Seeing People Through God's Eyes
[65:19] - Invitation to Relationship with God
[70:26] - Closing Blessing

Bible Study Guide

Observation Questions

What are the nine fruits of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5:22-23?
How did the pastor describe the relationship between spiritual intimacy and the fruit of the Spirit? [07:22]
What example did the pastor use to illustrate faithfulness from Hebrews 11:11? [19:37]
How did the pastor explain the concept of gentleness as "power under God's control"? [26:40]

Interpretation Questions

Why is faithfulness described as dependability and trustworthiness, and how does this quality impact our relationships? [18:09]
How does the pastor's explanation of gentleness challenge the common misconception that meekness is weakness? [26:40]
In what ways does self-control as described in the sermon differ from mere willpower? [32:40]
How does the Holy Spirit empower believers to exhibit the fruit of the Spirit, according to the pastor? [39:23]

Application Questions

Reflect on a time when you had to rely on faithfulness in a challenging situation. How did it affect the outcome, and what did you learn from it? [19:37]
Think of a recent situation where you could have responded with gentleness but didn't. How might you handle a similar situation differently in the future? [26:40]
Identify an area in your life where you struggle with self-control. What practical steps can you take to place this area under God's control? [32:40]
How can you cultivate a deeper relationship with the Holy Spirit to better exhibit the fruit of the Spirit in your daily life? [39:23]
Choose one aspect of the fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control) to focus on this month. What specific action could you take to cultivate it in your interactions with your family or community?
The pastor mentioned that God delights in us and wants us to find our enjoyment in Him. How can you practically delight in the Lord this week? [35:09]
Reflect on the pastor's story about supporting the new district youth director. How can you contribute to your church community in a similar way? [05:30]

Sermon Clips

### Quotes for Outreach

1. "Joy is a godly optimism even in trying circumstances. We can have joy even when things aren't joyous. Being happy is a result of happenstance. And so if things or circumstances are good, we're happy. But we can have joy in the midst of turmoil, in the midst of circumstances." [09:42] (23 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

2. "Peace doesn't mean absence of conflict. Peace means you have contentment in the middle of conflict. See, Jesus said, So him saying that, in other words, he's implying I've overcome it. So now you and I are one. So you have overcome the world. Amen." [11:39] (28 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

3. "God never gives a command without empowering us to do it. God never commands us to do something that He will not empower us to do. So, it may look daunting. What He has asked you to do, what He has put it in your heart to do, it looks daunting. It looks like... Like you just can't... It's like, I don't have the ability. I don't have the skill set. I don't have all that. Good. Because then God can get the glory." [39:23] (28 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

4. "When we let the Holy Spirit, I was afraid He's going to make me run around and scream and holler and fall down on the floor and roll around and do all that stuff that I'd seen abused. But no, He gave me what I needed. When He came over me, it was just a calm, beautiful experience." [57:41] (17 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

5. "God wants to be good to you. He is a loving father. How many of you would love to be good to your kids? I mean, sometimes they get on your nerves. Sometimes you want to just thump them in the noggin. Sometimes, but you still love them. They can be little toots, but you still love them. That's what your God is like. How much, how much more do you think your heavenly father loves you?" [47:22] (27 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

### Quotes for Members

1. "Faithfulness means something like dependability. Faithfulness means this is the person with this quality keeps their word or their promises and their vows. We want people in our lives that are faithful, people that are dependable. In a word, this component of the fruit of the Spirit describes one's trustworthiness, their loyalty, their reliability, adherence, constancy, dependability, devotedness, and another synonym is the word fidelity." [18:09] (34 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

2. "When you hang around somebody so much, you start acting like them. And so when you're with the Holy Spirit and you spend so much time with the Holy Spirit, you start acting. You're acting like the Holy Spirit and like God. So you're faithful. Faithfulness will open doors for you. In business and in life, when people can trust that you will be there, they will place more value on you." [21:07] (24 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

3. "Gentleness is often translated meekness, which doesn't mean weakness. Okay? But rather, it is my power under God's control. It's the ability to respond with kindness under provocation when you are tempted to blow your top. It is meekness. Jesus was the prime example of meekness. Nobody can say Jesus was weak, but everybody says he was meek." [25:48] (28 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

4. "When we put our desires under God's control, that's when we can have self-control. That's when He will help us have that self-control in our lives. So then, you ask... And again, I'm a very... Very practical preacher. I believe you need to be able to put this down on paper. Be able to go with it. Put the cookies on the bottom shelf." [32:40] (22 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

5. "When we let the Holy Spirit control our lives. Now, see, it sounds bad. It sounds bad to let something else, somebody else control your life. But the Holy Spirit has the best intentions for you. The Holy Spirit has the best purpose for you, not just intentions. He has the best purpose for you. He knows what you need the most, what you will enjoy the most, what will be the best for you." [56:52] (21 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

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