Fruit Of The Spirit # 1

THIS IS A VERY IMPORTANT SERIES, and I want to encourage you to be here for every service.

Illus: This series reminds me of the farmer that had a pet pig with a wooden leg. A man was visiting his farm one day and asked him how the pig lost it’s leg. The old farmer responded by saying that the pig with a wooden leg was very special.

• He said that one day the barn caught on fire and the pig ran into the barn and chased out all the horses. He saved their lives - he is a very special pig.

• The man said, “Is that how the pig lost his leg?” “No, that is not how he lost his leg!”

• He said, “That pig is special, because one time I was driving my tractor by the pond and I got too close to the edge and my tractor turned over. I would have drowned, but that pig swam out to where I was and saved my life.”

• The man said, “Is that how the pig lost his leg?” “No, that is not how he lost his leg!”

• He said, “One time I was underneath the car working on the muffler and the jack gave way. The car fell on top of me and that pig went for help and saved my life.”

• The man said, “Is that how the pet pig lost his leg?” He said, “No, that is not how he lost his leg!”

• The man said, “Well, how did your pig lose it’s leg?”

• He said, “Mister, that pig is a very special pig! You don’t expect me to eat him all at one time do you?”

These “Fruits of the Spirit” we are going to be talking about are really good. We are not going to eat them all in one sermon, we are just going to take our time and eat them one at a time.

This series has a lot to do with what many consider to be a conflict between the Apostle Paul and the Apostle James in the New Testament. Some feel they contradicted each other. For example:

• Paul taught that we are saved by grace alone!

• James says that when we are saved by grace, grace is not alone. There will be works to show we have been saved by grace.

Look at James 2:17-18, “Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: show me thy faith without thy works, and I will show thee my faith by my works.”

James is not teaching salvation by works, he is simply saying that if you have been saved by the grace of God, your life will reflect that you are a NEW CREATURE IN CHRIST JESUS!

When you place the writings of Paul and James side by side you see there are no contradictions in their writings.

For example, God knows a man is saved by what He sees in his heart. But we are not God; we know a man is saved by what we see in his life.

In other words, I am not God. I can’t look into the heart of a man and know if he is saved, I must see some GOOD FRUIT.

The first “Fruit of the Spirit” is LOVE. The lost world talks about love in a variety of ways, such as:

• Affection love

• Sexual love

• Relationship love

• Romantic love

• Puppy love

• Friendship love

• Permanent love

• Infatuation love

• Passionate love

But the Bible teaches there is another love and it is called AGAPE LOVE. It is the purest form of love. God is love; God is “AGAPE LOVE.”

When we talk about the LOVE that is the Fruit of the Spirit, I want to be clear that I am talking about GOD’S LOVE.

Illus: I do not want to be like the two men who lived in a small village that got into a terrible dispute that they couldn’t resolve.

They decided to talk to the local Judge.

• The first man went to the Judge’s home and told his version of what happened. When he finished, the Judge said, "You’re absolutely right."

• The next night, the second man came to the Judge’s home and told his side of the story. The Judge responded, "You’re absolutely right."

• The Judge’s wife heard what he had said to both men and she scolded him. "Those men told you two different stories and you told them they were absolutely right. That’s impossible — they can’t both be absolutely right."

• The old judge turned to his wife and said, "You’re absolutely right."