Bearing the Fruit of Holy Spirit - 3

Bearing the Fruit of Holy Spirit - 3

Subject: Walking in the Fruit of the Spirit - Peace

By Rick Welborne

Galatians 5:22-26 (NKJV)
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.
²⁴  And those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
²⁵  If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.  

²⁶  Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.

--Last week we looked at the fruit of the Spirit – Joy. Tonight we will look at the fruit of Holy Spirit – Peace.

1. The Fruit of Holy Spirit (Peace) and What It Means.

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Peace – Old Testament - Is a condition of freedom from disturbance, whether outwardly, as of a nation from war or enemies, or inwardly, within the soul. The Hebrew word is shalom, meaning, primarily, "soundness," "health," but coming also to signify "prosperity," well-being in general, all good in relation to both man and God. In early times, to a people harassed by foes, peace was the primary blessing. 

--Please hear what this is saying: Peace in our spirit and our mind, peace and health in our bodies, and peace and health in our finances. Who wouldn't want that. Secular Definition:

Peace - freedom from disturbance; tranquility. A state or period in which there is no war or a war has ended.

--The biblical concept of peace is larger than that and rests heavily on the Hebrew root shalom, which means "to be complete" or "to be sound." 

--The verb (peace) conveys both a dynamic and a static meaning" to be complete or whole" or "to live well. 

--The noun (peace) had many nuances, but can be grouped into four categories: 

A. Shalom – Peace - as wholeness of life or body (i.e., health); 

B.  Shalom – Peace - as right relationship or harmony between two parties or people, often established by a covenant and, when related to Yahweh, the covenant was renewed or maintained with a "peace offering". 

C. Shalom – Peace - as prosperity, success, or fulfillment (Lev 26:3-9).

D. Shalom – Peace - as victory over one's enemies or absence of war. 

--It is so amazing to me how our world and even those in the church have evolved into such a state of desperation and even depression.

--The opioid addiction has swept through our country and other countries and has become a killer, even surpassing auto-mobile accidents here in the United States. The Northeast is terrible. Funeral Director. 

--People are looking for relief from pain…emotional, physical, relational, and even spiritual pain. Sadly, they are looking for an easy way of escape. Looking for peace.

--Addiction to pills or anything else that is addictive is never an escape from all that pain, it is just another form of bondage and is there to take you out. 

--God is in our lives, not to take us out but to bring us in. I love what God told the children of Israel when He was taking them out of Egypt:

Exodus 3:6-8 (NLT2)
⁶  I am the God of your father—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” When Moses heard this, he covered his face because he was afraid to look at God.
⁷  Then the LORD told him, “I have certainly seen the oppression of my people in Egypt. I have heard their cries of distress because of their harsh slave drivers. Yes, I am aware of their suffering.
⁸  So I have come down to rescue them from the power of the Egyptians and lead them out of Egypt into their own fertile and spacious land. It is a land flowing with milk and honey—

2.The Fruit of Holy Spirit (Peace) and How to Get There.

--What you must understand to get to a place of peace in your life:

--If you are in any kind of bondage, you must know that God sees. He cares!

--I do not want to over simplify finding peace but your beginning place has to be with the Lord. You must know that God cares. 

1 Peter 5:6-8 (NKJV)
⁶  Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time,
⁷  casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.
⁸  Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

--He has seen your oppression and He has heard your cries when no one else is listening. He is touched by the feelings of your infirmities and your brokenness. 

--Always remember God brings you out so He can take you in.

Exodus 3:8 (NLT2) ⁸ So I have come down to rescue them from the power of the Egyptians and lead them out of Egypt into their own fertile and spacious land. It is a land flowing with milk and honey…

--God was not finished with Israel when He brought them out of Egypt…He wanted to take them into a place flowing with milk and honey…the Promised Land. 

--If God is going to get you to a place of peace…it has to be more than just taking you out of the world. Something has to be placed in your life to fill that void. 

--I remember a story that was told to me when I was just a young Christian and I am sure there was purpose and intention for why the person told me.

--He said there was a man who had climbed over a fence where he was not supposed to be and he kept hanging out close to the edge of this sewage pond. It was deep and filled with nasty stuff.

--Just like anyone who stays close to the edge, the man eventually fell into the pond. He was yelling and fighting for his life but he could not get out. 

--The man always thought, even if I fall in, I can get out because I am a good swimmer…I can handle this. Please don’t tell me the dangers…I know the risk and everything will be okay!

--What the man did not anticipate was that the bank of the pond was very steep and was obviously very slippery because of the mess in the pond.

--You may think you can handle just a little alcohol, using just a little drugs, or handle an inappropriate relationship. Watching things, you should never see. The slope is very slipper.

--The man kept yelling and begging for someone to come and rescue him. Fortunately, there was a good Samaritan going by and heard the man’s cry for help.

--By the time the good Samaritan got over the fence and made it to the man, he was already tired and was going under for the last time. He had swallowed so much water and filth.

--A crowd had gathered outside the fence and watched as the man was rescued…they cheered and clapped. They probably should have been helping but just watched.

--The rescuer said to the crowd very powerful words…Thank God we got him out of the sewage but now we have to get the sewage out of him. 

--When we are saved out of this world…to find true peace, we have to ask Holy Spirit to help get the nastiness of the world out of us. Again look at the list of things that can rob our peace. 

Galatians 5:19-21 (NLT2) ¹⁹ When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures,
²⁰  idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division,
²¹  envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.

--The world is the sewage pond, Jesus is the One Who rescues us, and Holy Spirit wants to cleanse us and give us peace. He fills us with God’s power and fruit.

Philippians 4:6-9 (NIV) ⁶ Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
⁷  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
⁸  Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things.
⁹  Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me--put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. 

3. The Fruit of Holy Spirit (Peace) and Looking for Others Who Have no Peace. 

Exodus 3:9-10 (NLT2)
⁹  Look! The cry of the people of Israel has reached me, and I have seen how harshly the Egyptians abuse them.
¹⁰  Now go, for I am sending you to Pharaoh. You must lead my people Israel out of Egypt.” 

Shalom – Peace - as wholeness of life or body (i.e., health); 

--People finding peace means they find wholeness…Jesus wants more for people than just freedom from their infirmity or sin…He wants them whole and at peace with Him. Example man at the gate:

Acts 4:9-12 (NKJV)
⁹  If we this day are judged for a good deed done to a helpless man, by what means he has been made well,
¹⁰  let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole.
¹¹  This is the 'stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.'
¹²  Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."

--Yes he was healed but more important…He was saved and made whole…He was at peace. 

Humility – 2

Humility – 2

Subject – The Secret of Redemption

By Rick Welborne

Philippians 2:5-11 (NIV)
⁵  Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
⁶  Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
⁷  but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.
⁸  And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death-- even death on a cross!
⁹  Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name,
¹⁰  that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
¹¹  and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. 

--No tree can grow except on the root from which it sprang. It can only exist because of the seed that gave its being. To study the first and Second Adam shows us our need of redemption.

--That old serpent who was cast out of heaven because of his pride, spoke temptation into Eve’s ear and his words were filled with the poison of hell.

--Sadly, she listened and yielded her desire because of the prospect of being like God, knowing good and evil. Poison entered her soul which destroyed her humility and dependence on God.

--Her life and the life of all those who would come from her were corrupted to their root by the sin and the curse of curses…Satan’s pride.

--Make no mistake, the wars, the bloodshed among the nations, the selfishness, the suffering, the corruption, the broken hearts, the embittered lives, unhappiness…all a result of pride. 

--So what is our escape, our redemption, our deliverance from the ravages of pride? Our redemption and our hope is only found in the Lamb of God Who takes away the sins of the world.

1 Corinthians 15:45 (NLT2)
⁴⁵  The Scriptures tell us, “The first man, Adam, became a living person.” But the last Adam—that is, Christ—is a life-giving Spirit.

--The first Adam introduced us to a life of misery and suffering, a curse, if you will. But Jesus Christ, came as a life giving Spirit to redeem us from the curse.

Galatians 3:13-14 (NLT2)
¹³  But Christ has rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law. When he was hung on the cross, he took upon himself the curse for our wrongdoing. For it is written in the Scriptures, “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.”
¹⁴  Through Christ Jesus, God has blessed the Gentiles with the same blessing he promised to Abraham, so that we who are believers might receive the promised Holy Spirit through faith.

1. Christ and His Humility.

--We see Christ’ heavenly humility in the Incarnation, His emptying Himself and becoming a man. What is His life on earth but humility, taking the form of a servant?

--What was His atonement for sins but humility? He humbled Himself and became obedient to death. What is His ascension but humility exalted to the throne and crowned with glory?

Philippians 2:8-9 (NLT2)
⁸  He humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.
⁹ Therefore, God elevated Him to the place of highest honor and gave Him the name above all other names, 

--Therefore, whether it was in Heaven with His Father, or in His birth, His life, His death, His return to the right hand of the Father—it is all the humility of Christ. Can you see it?

--Christ is the expression of the humility of God embodied in human form; it is Eternal love humbling itself, clothing itself in meekness and gentleness, to win and to serve us. Amazing!

Colossians 1:19-22 (NKJV)
¹⁹  For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell,
²⁰  and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.
²¹  And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled
²²  in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight—

--As we survey this beautiful humility of Jesus and we try to comprehend the relationship of God the Father with the Son…we are overwhelmed by such love.

--It pleased the Father that in His Son Jesus that all His power, might, and love would dwell, and through this Jesus to reconcile or settle everything in heaven and on earth. How?

--It was through the blood of the cross, through His dying a cruel death, and His humility to submit to such an incredible plan, for the very purpose of presenting us to God holy and blameless. 

Hebrews 9:11-15 (NLT2)
¹¹  So Christ has now become the High Priest over all the good things that have come. He has entered that greater, more perfect Tabernacle in heaven, which was not made by human hands and is not part of this created world.
¹²  With His own blood—not the blood of goats and calves—He entered the Most Holy Place once for all time and secured our redemption forever.
¹³  Under the old system, the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a young cow could cleanse people’s bodies from ceremonial impurity.
¹⁴  Just think how much more the blood of Christ will purify our consciences from sinful deeds so that we can worship the living God. For by the power of the eternal Spirit, Christ offered Himself to God as a perfect sacrifice for our sins.
¹⁵  That is why He is the one who mediates a new covenant between God and people, 

--Can you see it? Can you comprehend it? Can you grasp that it was the humility of Jesus that bought our salvation and redeemed us from the curse? Humility was the root.

Philippians 2:7-8 (NKJV)
⁷  but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.
⁸  And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.

2. Humility Before Christ and Man Must Be Our Root.

Philippians 2:1-5 (NCV) ¹ Does your life in Christ give you strength? Does his love comfort you? Do we share together in the spirit? Do you have mercy and kindness?
²  If so, make me very happy by having the same thoughts, sharing the same love, and having one mind and purpose.
³  When you do things, do not let selfishness or pride be your guide. Instead, be humble and give more honor to others than to yourselves.
⁴  Do not be interested only in your own life, but be interested in the lives of others.
⁵ In your lives you must think and act like Christ Jesus. 

--Can you see that our root must be found in Christ alone. In your lives you must think and act like Christ Jesus. The nature of this root must be seen in every branch, every leaf, and all its fruit.

John 15:5 (NLT2)
⁵  “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.

--If we can see in Jesus that His humility was the reason for His grace and the secret of His atonement, should we not desire the same kind of humility in our lives.

--Shouldn’t humility be at the top of our list for making us into who He has called us to be? Humility should be what we admire in Him, the first thing we ask of Him, and the thing we sacrifice all else for?

--Maybe, just maybe the reason so many Christians are weak, joyless, and fruitless, is because the very root that made Jesus Who He was is missing in our own lives. Humility.

--Referring back to a message about death to self, maybe our lack of humility and the desire for affirmation from people instead of having God’s affirmation is the root of our lack. 

John 3:30 (NLT2) ³⁰ He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less. 

3. The Enemy of Humility is Pride.

Proverbs 16:18 (NKJV) ¹⁸ Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before a fall. 

Proverbs 29:23 (NLT2) ²³ Pride ends in humiliation, while humility brings honor. 

--It is actually surprising and even disturbing that there is so little teaching to those who are called by Christ’s Name about Jesus’ humility and our need of it.

--It is also very overwhelming when we see pride displayed on a regular basis week after week in our churches and on Christian programs instead of the humility of Christ.

--Is it any surprise that there is a lack of love, an indifference to the needs of others, and sharp attacks from one church toward another one. Pride destroys while humility builds up.

--Because pride loves creeping in wherever it can, we need to ask ourselves what would be the impact if we were all guided by the humility of Jesus?

--Could we possibly begin to cry out night and day with our whole hearts, “Oh, for the humility of Jesus in myself and in those all around me.” Our text:

 Philippians 2:5-8 (NIV) ⁵ Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
⁶  Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
⁷  but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.
⁸  And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death-- even death on a cross! 

--Could we commit our hearts to dealing with our lack of humility—that which we see in Jesus Christ? As we study about and seek for Christ humility, we can find the secret to redemption.

Humility – 1

Humility – 1

Subject – A Journey to Jesus

By Rick Welborne

John 3:26-31 (NLT2)
²⁶  So John’s disciples came to him and said, “Rabbi, the man you met on the other side of the Jordan River, the one you identified as the Messiah, is also baptizing people. And everybody is going to him instead of coming to us.”
²⁷  John replied, “No one can receive anything unless God gives it from heaven.
²⁸  You yourselves know how plainly I told you, ‘I am not the Messiah. I am only here to prepare the way for him.’
²⁹  It is the bridegroom who marries the bride, and the best man is simply glad to stand with him and hear his vows. Therefore, I am filled with joy at his success.
³⁰  He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less.
³¹  “He has come from above and is greater than anyone else. We are of the earth, and we speak of earthly things, but he has come from heaven and is greater than anyone else. 

--In the Bible, humility is defined as a spiritual condition that acknowledges our dependence on God. 

--It involves recognizing one's limitations and having a modest view of one's own importance, understanding our position in relation to God and others. 

--The Hebrew word for humility, "anav," signifies a lowliness of spirit, and true humility is seen as an honest assessment of oneself, recognizing our fallen nature and need for God's grace. 

--Humility is not self-deprecation but rather a heart-position before God, often manifesting in choosing a lower status rather than seeking to elevate oneself. Clawing to get to the top.

--As mere human beings or creatures, nothing is more normal, blessed, and beautiful than to be nothing in order that God may be everything. The more I truly behold Him the less I become.

John 3:30 (NLT2) ³⁰ He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less. 

--When you see someone like John the Baptist declaring such great humility and you read about and witness the amazing humility of Jesus, we wonder why we don’t see more humility than we do.

--Jesus said that whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant. It appears Jesus is teaching us humility before God and humility before man.

--With so much said in the scriptures about humility and with Jesus setting before us the true nature of humility, why aren’t we making humility the great virtue of discipleship.

Charles Spurgeon – Humility is the proper estimate of oneself.

1. Humility is an Expression of Dependence on God.

--When God created the universe, it was with the objective of making those He created to be partakers of His divine love, wisdom and power. 

--He didn’t reveal Himself this way so that we could possess His divine nature and become little gods with no need of the Omnipotent Creator of it all. We need Him!

--Rather, God, Who is ever-living, ever-present, ever-acting, the One Who upholds everything by the power of His Word, and in whom everything exists, wants us to see our total dependence on Him.

--We must be willing to acknowledge we owe God everything, our whole being, our total self, not only because He is the Creator of everything but, also, because He is Savior.

--Our job, our mission, our calling is to present ourselves to God as empty vessels in which God can dwell, and fill, and, also, manifest His power and goodness.

--The Bible teaches us that once and for all God provided salvation thru Jesus Christ, but His life is constantly imparted to us day by day, moment by moment. Why?

--Because humility is a place of entire dependence upon God, that same humility becomes the duty of every born again person who claims that Jesus is Lord of all. 

2 Corinthians 3:5-6 (NKJV)
⁵  Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God,
⁶  who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

2. Pride is the Destroyer of Humility.

--So pride, the loss of humility, is the root of every sin and evil. Think of the angels when they were led to disobedience by their pride. Rev. 12 says one-third were cast out of Heaven. 

--Think of Lucifer being lifted up in His pride and the judgment to follow.

Isaiah 14:12-15 (NKJV)
¹²  "How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, You who weakened the nations!
¹³  For you have said in your heart: 'I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation On the farthest sides of the north;
¹⁴  I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.'
¹⁵  Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol, To the lowest depths of the Pit. 

Andrew Murray - In heaven or on earth, pride or self-exaltation is the very gateway to Hell.

--When someone comes to me and tells me they want to get involved in the church and I ask them what they can do…the floodgates open, I,I,I,I,I. I can do it all.

--I even had someone tell me that next to Jesus Christ, he was the best worship leader that I could possibly ever want. The whole time he was talking, I kept thinking about Lucifer.

Proverbs 16:17-19 (NLT2)
¹⁷  The path of the virtuous leads away from evil; whoever follows that path is safe.
¹⁸  Pride goes before destruction, and haughtiness before a fall.
¹⁹  Better to live humbly with the poor than to share plunder with the proud. 

--Holy Spirit inside of me repels the prideful who approach me. Years ago I man wanted an audience with the pastor and his pride was like a new shiny suit. He wore it well.

--He began to tell me how much money he would give me and the church, if I would jump thru his hoops. Start a church in the islands and go once a month to preach there. Build a church.

--The money would start flowing when I started going. I said, “You go!” He leaves and comes back in his new Jaguar. Spreads out $100,000 on my desk. I said “no”. He leaves angry!

--A couple of weeks later the man is arrested for embezzling $500,000 dollars from local churches. I think it was better to live humbly than to share plunder with the proud. 

--Pride has no place in church. We are all just a bunch of broken misfits who are totally dependent on the grace and mercy of the Lord Jesus Christ. 

James 4:6-10 (NKJV)
⁶  But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: "God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble."
⁷  Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.
⁸  Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
⁹  Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom.
¹⁰  Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up. 

3. Jesus Came to Restore Our Lost Humility.

--Jesus came to bring back humility to earth, to make us partakers of it, and to save us. 

Philippians 2:3-8 (NLT2)
³  Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves.
⁴  Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.
⁵  You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.
⁶  Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to.
⁷  Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form,
⁸  he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross. 

--It was Jesus’ humility that gave His death its value, and therefore became our redemption. His humility is shown to His Father by His obedience and to us by His love. 

--His humility became our salvation. His salvation is our humility. Shouldn’t His humility inspire us to be humble before others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. 

--Church dissension and division could be taken care of quickly if we simply humbled ourselves before our brothers and sisters. It is dying to self for the good of the church. Death to pride.

--Jesus was and is God but He never used that trump card for His own good. He gave up his divine privileges; He took the humble position of a slave. What love and humility.

--He humbled Himself in obedience to God and was willing to die a cruel criminal’s death on the cross. 

1 Peter 5:5-8 (NKJV)
⁵  Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for "God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble."
⁶  Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time,
⁷  casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.
⁸  Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. 

--Humility will not only get you closer to God and closer to people, it will help you resist the devil.