The Holy Spirit

Notes
Transcript

The Fruit of the Spirit

Good morning! I want to start with some edification this morning. I have been honored to bear witness to the works of the Holy Spirit in this congregation. We have watched as our brothers and sisters, as each of us, have gone through some serious earthly trials and tribulations while showing the fruit of the Spirit to others. That is not my opinion either! So many have shared the same observations! We are a cloud of witnesses, gathered here, who have seen the truth of Jesus Christ, of the Living Word, expressed through the works of the Holy Spirit among His people, among the Father’s children! I am honored and grateful, as I am humbled that you allow me to share the living Word of God with you this morning.
The Holy Spirit is the least talked about yet a crucial part of today's believers life. If you are confused about the Holy Spirit this morning, I want you to see just how important the Holy Spirit is to Jesus Christ.
John 16:7 NLT
7 But in fact, it is best for you that I go away, because if I don’t, the Advocate won’t come. If I do go away, then I will send him to you.
Jesus Christ told the disciples, and us today, that it is BETTER that He go so that He could send the advocate, the comforter, our intercessor. The ONE that would never leave us. Do you notice how the Holy Spirit has the same attributes and characteristics as Jesus Christ?
He GIVES us the indwelling of the Holy Spirit wen we truly receive Jesus Christ in our hearts and our minds. As Jesus always does, He one upped Himself! He said, I have to go, but I am sending the very Spirit of God to dwell with and within you!
Does this mean that everybody receives all the gifts of the Spirit when they are saved? Speaking in tongues? Prophesy, administration, and so on? No. The Holy Spirit will work in the individual the way that the Holy Spirit decides to work. We make a moment by moment decision if we are going to be master of our lives or if we are going to submit and allow the Holy Spirit to be master of our lives. The Holy Spirit will always point us back to the Bible and back to Jesus Christ.
The fruit of the Spirit is the manifest evidence one may expect from a life in which the Spirit of God is living and reigning. Jesus also implied that the character of a life can be determined by it’s fruit.
Let’s continue discussing the Fruit of the Spirit this morning. We are not talking about the gifts of the Spirit, but the Fruit of the Spirit.

The Fruit of the Spirit: Peace

Galatians 5:22 NLT
22 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
Peace can seem like an elusive thing at times. How do I get that peace in my heart that your talking about Bob? Just look at what I am going through right now! I have asked myself the same question at times. What happens is this: Something happens in our lives that is unsettling, devastating, or we have a moment. I think we have all had moments. We then look to ourselves to find peace, or we rely on someone else or this world to make us feel better.
True Peace comes from God through the Holy Spirit as we live in Christ. I want to break this down because that promise of peace, the fruit of the Spirit, is ingrained in our salvation. We should be experiencing the Peace of God more often than not. We will never find true peace in this world. Only in Jesus. How does the fruit of peace develop in our hearts and minds? Would you believe me if I told you the answer is in the Word of God?

Peace is Found in Prayer

1 Thessalonians 5:17 NLT
17 Never stop praying.
As I was preparing this teaching Friday, my phone started blowing up with prayer requests. Some of those prayer requests carried devastating news, some for hope, some for answers, and some were praises.
The first step in gaining the peace of God is through prayer. When we pray, we are communing with God. There is no right way to pray. Prayer is a picture of reverence, belief in the LORD’s promises, as a child going before God and saying “Daddy, I need to talk to you.”
How many of us have been in one of these places during prayer? Maybe we don't know what to say, maybe our words are jumbled, maybe we cant speak a word through tears of joy or tears of pain. The Holy Spirit, our intercessor, brings all of those prayers before God. His Spirit perfectly understands what our hearts and minds do not always formulate into rational speech or thought.
Something else about prayer, about communing with God: We pray often for others, but we are to pray for ourselves as well. When we pray, we are applying the armor of God. Some people think it selfish to pray for themselves. It is not selfish to seek the master and put that armor on before going into battle.

Peace Frees us From Worry

Philippians 4:7 NLT
7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
Worry and anxiety can rob our joy and also keep us from giving and receiving love. In the original manuscripts, Paul used the word eirene (ee-ah-rain-aye) describing God’s peace.
It means bound, joined, and woven together in peace with God. This peace is believing, having the assurance, and the confidence that you are secure in the love and the care of God.
Wrap your mind around that! God wants you to know His peace. To know His peace, we must know Him. To know Him is to trust Him. This brings us right back to prayer. There are four ways that scripture talks about prayer for the believer:
We pray in times set aside for prayer
We supplicate - struggle in prayer - when facing times of deep and intense need.
We offer thanksgiving (and praise) all day long as we walk and move about.
We offer our requests - specific requests - to God.We ask Him to do definite things as we walk throughout our day.
When we pray, we must be specific. God wants us to search our hearts and our minds when we bring our prayers and petitions before Him. God’s approach to this is an exercise in humility and truth for us.
Only God, no man, no woman, can deliver you and me through the most severe circumstances and tragedies of life. Through Christ, the Holy Spirit will infuse God’s assurance and security into your very soul.

Peace Gives us Rest

You are fearfully and wonderfully made. Fear, worry, and anxiety lead to numerous mental and physical issues. These things are not of God. He designed us with these physical and emotional responses, but did not intend that we stay in those places. When we pray, when we seek His peace, when we read the Word, when we worship, when we fellowship, We experience peace that brings our hearts and minds rest.
Colossians 3:15 NLT
15 And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.
This peace does not belong to me or you. Peace comes from Jesus. As I said earlier, this is where we make a choice. We allow the Holy Spirit to develop peace through Christ in us, or we do not. We allow the Holy Spirit to guide us through Christ, or we do not. He will not make us seek His peace, He will not make us place Him first in our lives. I pray that each of us here today come into submission to the Holy Spirit. And yes, sometimes it is a moment by moment decision.
John 14:27 NLT
27 “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.
Jesus told us that He would never leave nor forsake you. The Ho,y Spirit is the fulfillment of that promise. The Spirit is Jesus’ eternal gift to each of us. God Bless you.
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