“But The Fruit
Of The Spirit Is Love”
Matthew 5:43-48 Luke 10:25-37 1 John
SI: Four years ago, summer of 2002 preached series on
fruit of the Spirit.
As
we have been getting closer to the end of Galatians—chapter 5, fruit of Spirit—
I’ve been going back and forth about whether
or not to cover these again.
Reason
I decided to do so is that studying the fruit of the Spirit
is an excellent way to see whether or not
you really understand
the difference between living by grace or
living by law.
That’s
been the whole point of Galatians.
Is a person justified by the works of the
law or by faith in Christ alone?
We’ve
seen Paul’s powerful defense of justification by faith.
His strong biblical, theological attacks on
legalism.
But
legalism can come in many forms—even in churches and among Christians
who say they aren’t legalists and guard
against it doctrinally.
One
of the ways you can test yourself—see if living by grace or by law—
is to take the fruit of the Spirit, see if
they are evident in your life.
Because
fruit of the Spirit grow in people and churches who know God’s grace.
What
I want to do for this series is get away from Galatians.
Look at some key Bible passages that speak
of these particular fruit.
Starting
with love—greatest of all fruit.
So many passages to chose from, going to
look at three.
Read two already—now, 1 John
INTRO: One of the most famous love poems in English
Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s sonnet
“How Do I Love Thee?”
How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and
breadth and height
My soul can reach . . . .
And
she goes on from there to talk about how she loves
freely, purely, with passion, and so on.
How
do you love people?
I
love you. But if you ever cross me,
disappoint me, let me down, hurt me—
I cut you off so fast it will make your head
spin.
I
love you because you make me feel good.
Keep those good feelings coming, because
that’s what keeps me loving you.
I
love you. But don’t demand too much of
me.
My time is precious to me. I can’t give you too much of my time.
I’ll do what you need but don’t ask me
to get too involved in your struggles and
emotions.
I
love you. And I don’t want to offend
you.
Even when I see you doing things that I know
are wrong—
that’s none of my business, so I’ll leave
you alone.
There
are lots of forms of love that are fundamentally legalistic.
They are ultimately based on the person’s
performance.
They
do not flow from an encounter with the Gospel.
Which is the free grace of God flowing to
you through Jesus Christ.
So there is nothing supernatural about these
forms of love.
As
Jesus puts it—even the pagans love those who love them.
As
we study each of the fruit of the Spirit will find that there are legalistic
forms—
might even call them counterfeits of each
fruit.
There
is something that appears to be patience, kindness, self-control—
then there is the real thing motivated by
the Gospel.
So
as Christian, as a church, want to examine ourselves for the real thing.
When we find it—it will be in there if you
are a real Christian—
want to cultivate it and nourish it so that
it grows into something beautiful.
What
does the fruit of the Spirit which is love look like?
Give
three ways of assessing love in life to see if fruit of Spirit.
Put them in the form of three command.
1. You must love other people as your Father in
heaven loves.
2. You must love other people as you love
yourself.
3. You must love other people as Jesus Christ
loved.
MP#1 You must love other people as your Father in
heaven loves.
How
does God the Father love?
Matthew
righteous and the unrighteous.”
Jesus
uses this to call His disciples to love their enemies—going to address that
but before we do, let’s park here for a
minute and look at this teaching.
What does this tell us about the love of
God?
God’s
love is not governed by the way people are or the way they respond to Him.
It’s
not just the Christian farmer who believes in Jesus, humble, hates sin,
striving to love and serve God with all of
his heart whose crops God waters.
God
even waters the crops of the proud farmer who never prayed a day in his life,
who believes that everything he has is
because of his hard work.
Doesn’t
just cause His sun to shine on Christians, but on evil, reprobate people.
God’s love not governed by what people are
or what they do.
So
what governs God’s love? God’s
love. God’s love governs His love.
His
love doesn’t depend on anything in us.
He loves in spite of us.
“God
is love.” Love flows from His
being.
His love not dependent in any way on the
loveliness of the person.
His love is the expression of the eternal
love between Father, Son, Holy Spirit.
If
all of this sounds abstract: God is
love. Love flows from His being.
Count on Jesus Christ to bring it right back
down to earth, into your experience.
Do you know what this means for you,
Christian? Love your enemies.
If
you love people who love you—so what?
Even pagans do that.
People
without the Gospel, without grace of Christ in life
can respond in love to lovely people.
Can
love people if think going to get something out of it—self-righteousness.
This is just legalism. What performance, what return is demanded.
But
only a person who knows the grace of God can love his enemies.
Because you have not only experienced this
kind of love—
it has changed you and made you into a new
person.
Because
you are a child of your Father in heaven.
Like Father like son.
When you are born again love become a part
of your being.
The love God has planted in you doesn’t
depend on what people are or what do.
Quickly
address a few misconceptions of what Jesus is teaching.
1. Not saying—Be nice to mean people, and they
will be nice to you.
They might never be nice to you. These are your enemies.
Love not conditioned on the hope that they
will change toward you.
2. Not saying—Look for a little spark of
goodness and love that.
All people are created in the image of God.
Be realistic about sin—in some people there
is no spark of goodness.
If the light in you is darkness, how great
is that darkness.
Love not dependant on finding some little
spark of goodness. Love of Father.
Look
at Jesus’ actual words—so practical. Want
to know what Father’s love like?
1.
Pray for those who persecute you.
(Two
more statements—in KJV, NIV in footnotes, later manuscript—consistent).
2.
Bless those who curse you.
3. Do
good to those who hate you.
Paul,
quoting Proverbs—“If enemy hungry, feed him.
If thirsty, give him a drink.”
Who
are your enemies? That’s kind of
dramatic. Some have enemies who hate.
Enemies of your time? Enemies of your emotions? Who are unlovely people?
Not going to ask if you like them. Do you love them as your Father loves?
Pray for them? Bless them?
Do good to them?
How
do you cultivate this love? By gazing at
God’s grace.
By
spending time with the Father. Child
around dad admires, like him.
Contemplating
His marvelous goodness and love to you, a sinner.
Reading Psalms
“Boundary lines have fallen in pleasant
places, delightful inheritance.”
“Praise the Lord O my soul, forget not all
benefits, who forgives all sins, and heals all your diseases, who redeems your
life from the pit, crowns with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires
with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagles.”
Like
Father like son. He has implanted his
nature in you.
The more you are around Him, the more you
will be like Him,
fruit of love will grow—and you will love
your enemies,
in practical deeds of prayer, blessing, good
works.
MP#2 You must love other people as you love
yourself.
How
do you love yourself? If this is a
standard for judging your love, must know.
Notice that this command assumes you love
yourself.
“Love your neighbor as you do in fact
already love yourself.”
Sometimes
over psychologized.
Before you love your neighbor as yourself,
have to know how to love yourself.
So do something special for yourself. Put time aside for things you want to do.
Build
self-esteem. Love yourself and then you
will be able to love others.
But
nothing of the sort.
Command
starts with the assumption that you already love yourself.
That love you already, naturally have for
self, to be standard of love for others.
Love
is the disposition of the heart to seek good for a person.
All people love themselves. All seek good for themselves.
This
is the way God made us because what is greatest good can seek for yourself?
God himself.
Knowing him.
Made
us to seek greatest good for ourselves because he is the greatest good.
Augustine:
“You have made us for yourself.
Hearts are restless till rest in you.”
But sin spoiled self love. Makes self-love intensely selfish.
Because
of sin, people still seek good for themselves—but instead of God—
it’s what they think is the greatest
good.
As
one great theologian pointed out, even people who commit suicide
do so ultimately because motivated by self
love.
This will be good for me. This will end my pain. My humiliation.
“No
man ever hated his own body.”
When
you become a Christian, you don’t stop loving yourself.
In fact, becoming Christian is the ultimate
act of self love.
There
is nothing better, nothing that will bring higher joy, submitting to Christ.
Receiving the grace of God.
So
this marvelous thing happens when you are born again.
Your self love is transformed.
Instead of being something that is selfish,
uses people, takes from them,
it expands to seek the good of other people.
For
Christian, self love becomes a standard for measuring your love for others.
This
is an impossible command. Honest, can
never love like this
Could you really seek good of other people
with same intensity seek your own?
But
what is so exhilarating is that this is a command—power to love like this.
Self love has been thoroughly transformed by
the Holy Spirit.
I can love like this because I have been
born again.
Follow
the promptings of the Holy Spirit in dealings with people.
Not looking for a spark of light—something
good in them.
This
is a person who needs the grace of God just as much as you.
When Spirit brings that to your mind, don’t
push away—cultivate. Act on it.
When
you see a person that is low and broken—don’t relegate to trash heap.
that is who I am without the grace of
God.
Want
to shift gears and apply this to a specific area that bothers some Christians.
It’s the whole matter of liking people,
being fond of people.
Sometimes
a Christian concerned because there is a person in his life doesn’t like.
Different reasons, but can’t walk away from
this person, in life, relative, church!
Christian
starts to struggle, worry. Want to be
obedient to command to love.
Don’t like this person, don’t feel warm
fondness toward him. Must not love.
Take command, “Love neighbor as yourself”
apply to this worried Christian.
Do
you always like yourself? If do, shallow
person. Never examined self.
Everyone who knows God’s grace able to look
at self.
Capable
of any serious self-reflection there will be things don’t like.
If a growing Christian, things you
positively hate about yourself.
Hate
lust, cowardice, pride all sorts of other things.
But
you still love yourself don’t you. Still
seek your own good every day.
Now
this person in your life—how are you treating him?
Are you concerned about his spiritual
condition? Praying to know Christ?
Are you concerned about his physical
condition? Doing what can make better?
When around, how do you act toward him? Kind?
Gentle? Patient?
Are
you treating him as you would wish to be treated if in same place? condition?
If
the answer is no—distant, indifferent, fearful, harsh. Don’t love him. Repent.
If
you answer yes—Praise God—that is the fruit of love. Cultivate it.
As the fruit of love grows, sometimes you
will even find self growing fond.
Christians sometimes find themselves liking
the most unlikable people
simply because committed to loving words and
deeds.
MP#3 You must love other people as Jesus Christ
loved.
How
did Jesus Christ love?
“This is how we know what
love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life
for us.”
A man and his action. Love and acts of love are inseparable.
Love
is a disposition of the heart to seek good for another person.
And that disposition of the heart will find
expression in concrete ways.
If it doesn’t, it’s not love.
You
may say you love a person, say you are a loving Christian, fruit of Spirit,
but if those are just words—not action and
truth—doubtful.
Don’t
misunderstand—possible to have deeds without love. 1 Cor. 13
“Give all I have to feed the poor, have not
love, nothing.”
Disposition of the heart may not be to seek
the good of the other person.
May
be other motives that are selfish and not loving.
But, impossible to have love without deeds.
How
did Jesus love? Look at his love, summed
up—laid down his life for us.
Sacrificial.
Involved a giving up of something precious.
A life of humiliation that ended on the
cross.
Right
away John prevents us from saying—ok, I would be willing to die for person.
Truck about to run over them, charging bull
will jump in the way.
Afraid it’s not that easy. Look at John’s example.
You see brother who needs some of your
money. Hard earned money.
Have no pity, don’t give it to him—Christ’s
love is not in you.
Love
is meeting the needs of others at your own expense.
You have to give yourself. You have to give what is most precious.
You
have to give in such a way that sometimes you will meet the needs
and concerns of other people before or
instead of your own.
God
in His providence brings needy people into your life.
And they all need different things.
But sometimes, the very thing that you alone
can give.
And the fruit of love is when you open your
life to person and give it.
If
you grasp this, understand why the Bible teaches that
the opposite of love is not hate, its fear.
Have
already seen you can hate things about yourself and still love yourself.
Same
is true of other people. More you love a
person, stronger hate bad things.
God loves us and He hates our sins.
So the opposite of love is not hate, both
can exist together.
The
opposite of love is fear. Fear keeps you
from lovingly giving self to a person.
I’m afraid I won’t have enough money to do
what I want.
I’m afraid this will take too much of my
time.
I’m afraid I’ll this will be unpleasant.
I’m afraid this person will take advantage
of me.
I’m afraid that if I show this person love,
keep coming back.
Many
ministers, self included, have a fear they won’t be liked.
Keeps them from loving the flock.
If I lovingly tell this person what he need
to hear, not going to like me.
If
I say this in a sermon, I’m afraid lots of them aren’t going to like me.
So you don’t speak the truth in love—called
and paid to do.
What
about you? Where has Christ called you
to give yourself lovingly?
1. Some of you children need to give parents
cheerful obedience.
2. Some of you older brothers need to give your
younger brothers a hug.
3. Some of you students need to give kind words
to the friendless, losers school.
4. Some of you employees need to give honest
day’s work to employers.
5. Some of you wives need to give your bodies to
husbands.
6. Some of you husbands need to give words,
conversations to wives.
7. Some of you parents need to give time for
spiritual instruction to children.
8. Some of you need to give away more of your
money.
9. Some of you need to give time to lonely
person.
10. Some of you need to give Gospel to lost
person in life.
Are
these things frightening? Yes. Are there risks involved? Yes.
You might be misunderstood, taken advantage
of, or ridiculed.
You might have to give up your plans, your
schedule, your options, your space.
Just
as your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ did when He came and gave and gave
His heart, his words, his deeds, his
possessions, his body, his life—for you.
Love. Be bold.
Bible says, “Perfect love drives out fear.”
You have that love. Poured into heart by Holy Spirit. Cultivate it.
You
have received the grace of God in Christ.
CONC: Fruit is to be picked and eaten.
If
you have the fruit of love, flows from your experience of grace—
it will benefit other people.
As
you give yourself to them in sacrificial ways, they will eat that fruit.
And there will be different responses.
Sometimes
they appreciate it deeply, sometimes they don’t.
Sometimes they know what it costs you, sometimes
they don’t.
Sometimes they give glory to God see Christ
in you, sometimes they don’t.
But
it is not ultimately for other people you grow the fruit of love.
It is the Lord himself who ultimately picks
the fruit of love in your life—
and it always pleases Him. And He knows what it costs you.
He
planted the seed. He brings the growth.
He knows your struggles as you seek to
cultivate that love.