Growing the Fruitful Life

God sees what’s in our hearts, but others judge us by what we say and do, don’t they? As believers, we’re called to live differently than those around us. The Bible uses just nine words to describe the outward signs of a believer’s life: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Would your friends or family use any of these words to describe you?

Stuart’s series focuses on these nine words, better known as the fruit of the spirit, in Galatians 5:22-23. We tend to focus on the “fruit” that we like best, but Stuart explains that you can’t pick and choose the characteristic you like best. His encouraging teaching explains how our obedience and dependence on God make a fruitful life possible.

Love

Speaker: Stuart Briscoe

Christians are conscious of mankind's sinful nature. They recognize the need for forgiveness of sins committed because of the power of sin over their lives. They also recognize the need for a new life after they have been forgiven. The dynamic of this life is the Holy Spirit, the nature of this life is called "the fruit of the Spirit."

Scripture: Galatians 5:22-5:23

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Joy

Speaker: Stuart Briscoe

Christians are aware of mankind's condition before God and the immense cost of redemption. Accordingly, great emphasis has been placed on the solemnity of worship and the seriousness of our relationship to God. These facts should not, however, obscure the unique place of "joy" in the Christian experience.

Scripture: Galatians 5:22-5:23

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Peace

Speaker: Stuart Briscoe

Peace is generally defined in negative terms such as "the absence of tension" or "the cessation of hostilities." Biblically, the expression is primarily positive. Augustine described it as "the tranquility of order."

Scripture: Galatians 5:22-5:23

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Patience

Speaker: Stuart Briscoe

Anger is an indignant reaction to a person or situation, which may or may not be justified. The reaction may come in the form of "repression, suppression, expression, or confession." Patience (Gk. makrothumia, lit. "long wrath") is a spiritual quality exhibited by God and expected of man.

Scripture: Galatians 5:22-5:23

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Kindness

Speaker: Stuart Briscoe

Lady Macbeth was worried about her husband whom she said was "too full of the milk of human kindness." It would appear that the human problem is rather that we are too lacking in the fruit of the Spirit which, among other things, is kindness.

Scripture: Galatians 5:22-5:23

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Goodness

Speaker: Stuart Briscoe

Philosophers have traditionally debated what is good and other people have struggled to do good and be good. The Bible has much to say on the subject of good and how to live in the Spirit characterized by goodness.

Scripture: Galatians 5:22-5:23

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Faithfulness

Speaker: Stuart Briscoe

Some people say "you are what you eat," while others insist "you are what you wear." But in light of the fact that "pistis" means both "faith" (active) and "faithfulness" (passive), it would appear more accurate to say "you are what you believe."

Scripture: Galatians 5:22-5:23

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Meekness

Speaker: Stuart Briscoe

"Looking out for #1" and "winning through intimidation" are concepts more popular than "the meek shall inherit the earth," and believers are required to decide whom they are to believe.

Scripture: Galatians 5:22-5:23

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Self-Control

Speaker: Stuart Briscoe

Katherine Lee Bates, in her hymn "America the Beautiful," wrote: "America, America, God mend thine every flaw. Confirm thy soul in self-control, thy liberty in law." These sentiments take on special significance in light of the biblical teaching on the fruit of the Spirit and also the condition of contemporary society. (2 Tim. 3:1-3)

Scripture: Galatians 5:22-5:23

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Producing the Harvest

Speaker: Stuart Briscoe

Having spent considerable time examining the characteristics of the fruit of the Spirit, we come now to a consideration of the conditions necessary to produce the crop.

Scripture: Galatians 5:13-5:26

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