Abundant Life (1)

Bad Fruit?

The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace etc., but what happens when that opposes our seemingly reality.

Sometimes we may sow good but find that all is not good

• Matthew 13:24–30 ²⁴ Another parable He put forth to them, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; ²⁵ but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way. ²⁶ But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared. ²⁷ So the servants of the owner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?’ ²⁸ He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The servants said to him, ‘Do you want us then to go and gather them up?’ ²⁹ But he said, ‘No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them. ³⁰ Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.” ’ ”

We may find God seemingly inactive against injustice.

• In these verses Jesus describes our life’s reality
• God has created a world full of goodness, but humankind has allowed sin to enter into that beautiful world and produce bad things (weeds) that grow up side-by-side with good things (wheat).
• Jesus tells us that bad things will surround us naturally, because He has decided to allow them to grow alongside good things.
• The reason: If we try to “pull out the weeds” ourselves, we will damage and destroy the “wheat” He’s planted.

Instead of focusing on the weeds, Jesus says, trust him to separate the ugly from the beautiful, and to save the beautiful for us.

• We cannot escape a world that produces bad things in our lives, but we can trust God to protect the beauty he’s planted in our lives, and to nourish us with it.
• There will come a time for judgment, and God’s wrath.

So, despite bad happening to good people, we continue to grow spiritually.

• To bear the fruit of the Holy Spirit.
• The fruit of God in our lives.

Holiness means that we’re set apart for the living God, who is the source of all life.

• Abundant life
• Ecclesiastes 3:11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.

Declaration

Dear Heavenly Father, please give me a revelation of the power of the Gospel today. From this day forward, may Your grace be the foundation of my daily relationship with You.

I declare that I will be free from guilt, condemnation, and a performance mentality. I declare that I abide in faith, abound in hope, I keep myself in the love of God. I will overcome all trials, I will persevere, and develop Christ-like character by His power.

Open my heart to see the hope of my calling, to know the inheritance that I have in the saints, and to understand the depth of Your power at work in my life. Release upon me a Spirit of wisdom, revelation, and enlightenment today.

Lead me into an encounter with You that forever changes me and deepens my love for Jesus. Illuminate the truth of Your Word as You prepare my heart to receive it.

Amen.

Love

• Galatians 5:22–23 ²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.

The first three elements of the Spirit’s fruit—love, joy, and peace—are especially prominent throughout the Bible as the qualities of the life that God designed for us.

The first position of love at the head of the list suggests that the other virtues somehow flow from love.

It is only natural that our new life in God is characterized by love since God himself is love.

• 1 John 4:7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.
• 1 John 4:12 No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us.
• 1 John 4:16 And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.

Moreover

• 1 John 3:14 We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love his brother abides in death.

This love is not the love of the world’s songs and poetry

• a natural love that cares for those who are dear to us and who usually treat us as we would like to be treated.

It is the radical, unlimited, unconditional love of Christ, who willingly gave up his glory, power, honor, and finally his very life,

• not just for his friends, but also for his enemies.

It is the perfect love that has existed between the Father, Son, and Spirit in eternity that has been “poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us”

• Romans 5:5 Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

Joy

Joy is another prominent trait of our new life in God.

• Joy is the distinguishing atmosphere of the Christian life.

We may put it this way

• Whatever be the ingredients of the Christian life, and
• in whatever proportions they are mixed together,
• joy is one of them.

Like love, this joy is of God.

The joy of our new life is joy “in the Lord”

• Philippians 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!

It is Christ’s joy of which he said to his disciples, “These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full”

• John 15:11 “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.
• John 17:13 But now I come to You, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves.

It is the joy with which He welcomes his servants into his presence for eternity—“Enter into the joy of your master”.

• Matthew 25:21 His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’

Again, this is not the joy that depends on something in this world—the present world system that is passing away and can never be permanent.

• 1 John 2:17 And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.

This joy is not based on our circumstances.

Although Paul was writing from prison, joy is a dominant theme in his letter to Philippi.

1. Joy in suffering – Philippians chapter one
2. Joy in serving – Philippians chapter two
3. Joy in believing – Philippians chapter three
4. Joy in giving – Philippians chapter four

The secret of his joy is grounded in his relationship with Christ.

• People today desperately want to be happy but are tossed and turned by daily successes, failures, and inconveniences.
• Christians are to be joyful in every circumstance, even when things are going badly, even when we feel like complaining, even when no one else is joyful.

Christ still reigns, and we still know him, so we can rejoice at all times.

• Two men, airplane, parachute, coffee.

The troubles and sorrows of this world cannot extinguish this joy.

Peace

Perhaps the most comprehensive description of our experience of God’s kind of life is the third term of the life-giving Spirit’s fruit

The association of peace with spiritual life is apparent in Paul’s words:

• Romans 8:6 For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

Peace is also often found as the equivalent of salvation.

Jesus Christ is the “Prince of Peace”

• Isaiah 9:6 For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
• Acts 10:36 The word which God sent to the children of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ—He is Lord of all—

The gospel of His saving work is the “the gospel of peace”

• Ephesians 6:15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
• Ephesians 2:17 And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near.

The peace of the Bible is more than the absence of turmoil or hostilities.

The fundamental meaning of the Hebrew word for “peace” (shalom) denotes “completeness, wholeness, harmony.”

• Nothing missing, nothing broken.

It has the idea of “unimpaired relationship with others and fulfillment in one’s undertakings.”

The peace produced by the Spirit may be summed up as “everything that makes for a person’s highest good and that promotes the best relationships.”

Praying for the blessing of peace, the Old Testament priestly blessing, is asking for “the sum total of all God’s good gifts to his people.”

• Numbers 6:24–26 ²⁴ “The Lord bless you and keep you; ²⁵ The Lord make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you; ²⁶ The Lord lift up His countenance upon you, And give you peace.” ’

We all know something of this peace and we long for it.

• It is the way things ought to be—that sense that everything is right.
• As a sick person knows the feeling of health and longs for its return, so every human being in the depth of his heart longs for this peace.

It is the peace of life for which we were created to experience.

Summary

The focus of the Gospel of Jesus Christ should be on personal holiness.

• Not just on the benefits, which included prosperity.
• Not just on the suffering, for which He has given us the promised victory.

Holiness is us set apart for our Heavenly Father, who is the source of all life.

• Instead of focusing on the weeds, trust Jesus to “pull out the weeds”, instead of damaging and destroying the “wheat” He’s planted.
• This cannot be done without the Holy Spirit

Fruits such as Love, joy, and peace are in the qualities of the life that God intended.

• This love is not the love that the world offers.
• This joy is not based on our circumstances.
• The peace (shalom) produced by the Holy Spirit is “Nothing missing, nothing broken.”

The Holy Spirit leads us to Jesus Christ.

• John 16:13–15 ¹³ However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. ¹⁴ He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. ¹⁵ All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you.

In Christ life was given in its fullness ….

• This is the main characteristics of the Gospel.
• Romans 2:11 For there is no partiality with God.
• Psalm 36:9 For with You is the fountain of life; In Your light we see light.

Salvation according to the Scripture is the fountain of life, the fulness of life, the source of abundant life.