For these are in opposition to one another, so
that you may not do the things that you please.
Then verse 22. But the fruit of the Spirit is
love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, gentleness, self -control. Against
such things there is no law. We received a letter
this last week from... one of our missionaries
serving in Africa. I'd like to quote to you one
paragraph from the letter. She writes, The difficulties
I mentioned in my last letter that are going
on with our local national association are far
from resolved. There has been a lot of stubbornness
shown by the different leaders. No one wants
to be the one to back down. What a sad testimony
to Christian humility. And then she says, ours
is often just a daily battle against not powers
and principalities, but against self. Can you
identify with that? The problem with the struggle
between the flesh and the spirit is that it is
so daily. You ever feel that way? There is no
let up. There is no withdrawal. There is no disarmament.
Whichever is dominating at any given moment,
the other seeks to overthrow. It results in an
intense, persistent battle for life, for the
control of your life and mine. We can be grateful
that the Holy Spirit does not give up, that He
does not yield to the flesh. He does not withdraw
Himself when the flesh dominates, but rather
the Holy Spirit strongly desires to manifest
His fruit in us by exerting the Lordship of Jesus
Christ in our wills and our minds. And that's
where the battle is. The fruit of the Holy Spirit
is the very lifelikeness of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Its presence manifests His presence and lordship
in us. Have you ever wondered what it would have
been like to have spent some time with Jesus
2 ,000 years ago? Have you ever daydreamed and
thought of yourself there beside the Sea of Galilee
or walking with Him through the streets of Jerusalem
or sitting on the hillside as He instructed the
multitudes? What would it have been like to have
known Jesus according to the flesh? Well, we
cannot do that. But I can tell you what it would
have been like. It would have been like living
with a person whose words, actions, thoughts,
whose very life radiated with these nine qualities
in Galatians 5, 22 and 23. Because you see, these
nine words, these nine qualities, are the very
lifelikeness of the Lord Jesus Himself. So that
when the fruit of the Spirit is manifested in
us, it is the very lifelikeness of Jesus that
is seen. The Holy Spirit produces His fruit in
the life of the believer under His control. Having
studied love, as we did recently, let's continue
on through the list this morning, which describes
the fruit of the Spirit. We want to look at each
of these from three aspects. We want to talk
about a definition, and then we want to talk
about an illustration or two of it, and finally
an exhortation. Because you see, along with each
fruit of the Spirit, there is also... a correlating
instruction, command, or exhortation from the
Word of God. It is the fruit of the Spirit, but
there is a responsibility on our part that goes
along with it. The fruit of the Spirit is love,
we studied recently, but we are commanded to
love the Lord our God and to love one another.
Now we want to pick up the list with the next
one, which is joy. The fruit of the Spirit is
joy. There is no mystery as to why this follows
love. Any life which is saturated with agape
love will know this joy, this fruit of the Spirit.
The Greek word here is kara. That is becoming
a rather popular name with families for little
girls. Little girls who are named kara or kara
are actually named joy, for that is the meaning
of their name. This joy is a deep delight in
God. It is an inward spring of effervescent gladness.
It is an inner fullness of spirit. It is a satisfaction
and pleasure which is rooted in God. It is, of
course, in contrast to mere happiness, which
is rooted in happenings or circumstances alone.
This joy goes far beyond circumstances. This
word joy is always used of that which is based
upon spiritual factors. It is never referred
to merely as human mirth or as a superficial
giddiness. It is joy. This is Christ's joy, this
fruit of the Spirit. Jesus refers to it in the
Gospel of John. I'd like you to turn there with
me to the 15th chapter and notice some words
of the Lord Jesus referring to His joy. John
chapter 15. In the context here, He is talking
about a life of abiding. And He says in verse
11, These things I have spoken to you that my
joy... may be in you and that your joy may be
made full. Jesus is saying, my joy is going to
be in you. It will become your joy and it will
be made full. Now let's look at the context more
closely. What is Jesus' joy? Looking at it in
full, I think we could summarize it this way.
The joy of Jesus was rooted in his abiding fellowship
with the Father. And that's why he says, I'm
telling you now to abide in me so that you can
have my joy. He abides in the Father's perfect
fellowship, and that produced in him joy. That's
where it was rooted, in fellowship with God his
Father. And he exhorts us here to abide in that
fellowship so that we also may know that joy.
Therefore, the illustration of joy. must be focused
upon this person that we're talking about here,
the Lord Jesus. For he is the greatest illustration
of joy. Rather than looking in the Gospels for
that, I'd like to go back to the book of Hebrews,
where it mentions his joy in a rather unexpected
context. Hebrews, the 12th chapter. After exhorting
us to a life of faith, In the 11th chapter, the
author goes on to tell us about those who lived
the life of faith. And then he says, these people
surround us like a great cloud of witnesses,
encouraging us on in the race that's set before
us. And then in verse 2, he says, fixing our
eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our
faith, who for the joy set before him. endured
the cross. Notice the joy of Jesus here as it's
illustrated. It is the joy that was set before
him as he endured the cross. You say, you're
talking about the joy of Jesus, but doesn't the
Bible talk about him rather in terms of a man
of sorrows and acquainted with grief? Of course
that is true. Isaiah said that. There would be
no one who would know the depth of his sorrow.
He would drink, said Isaiah 700 years before
Jesus, of a cup of grief and sorrow like no one
else could ever drink and know and experience.
He was indeed a man of sorrows who knew the full
meaning of heartache and grief. But it mentions
here his joy. Because you see, all of that heartache
and suffering and agony that Jesus knew was related
to the circumstances he was going through. It
had nothing to do with what was going on down
deep inside of him. Deep within him was a wellspring
of continuous joy because he was abiding in the
fellowship of the Father. He endured many circumstances
of suffering, including the shameful cross. with
its pain and agony. But as he endured the cross,
the Bible tells us there was joy in the Lord
Jesus. Now what was that joy based upon? Why
was Jesus joyful as he endured the cross? I think
there are three answers to that question. What
was the joy of Jesus as he hung upon the cross?
Number one. It was the glory he knew that he
would share after his ascension. You recall that
the Lord Jesus knew that glory before he came
into the world, but willingly he laid it aside.
Not his deity, but his glorious God was laid
aside. He came into the world in the likeness
of man, in the form of a servant, and became
obedient even to the death of the cross. And
as he hung upon that cross, dying in your place
and mine, bearing our sin, the joy that was beating
within him was the joy that he knew that this
was the reason for his coming and that soon he
would be back in the presence of the Father in
heaven. That really is the meaning of Psalm 1610,
where it says, In thy presence is fullness of
joy. At thy right hand there are pleasures forevermore.
If you look at the context of those two verses
at the end of Psalm 16, you'll find that it mentions
his death and burial in the previous verse, and
then one quick sentence that suggests his resurrection,
followed by that portion of verse 10 that I've
quoted. It is that portion that points to what
happened after his resurrection when he went
back into the presence of the Father. The joy
that Jesus knew on the cross was the joy of knowing
someday he would be back there in heaven, and
very soon, indeed, he would be back in heaven
with the glory that he knew with the Father before
the foundation of the world. I think there was
a second joy that Jesus had, and that was the
joy of knowing that as he hung upon the cross,
he was doing the will of the Father. In Hebrews
chapter 10, Messiah is quoting from Psalm 40,
and he says, Lo, I come. In the volume of the
book it is written of me. I come to do thy will,
O God. And if you go back to Psalm 40 and read
it, what it says there is, I delight to do thy
will, O God. Why was Messiah saying, Lo, I come?
He was saying, as I come into the world as a
man through my incarnation, I am coming to do
the will of God, which is to go to the cross
and be the sin bearer for mankind. And he says,
lo, I delight to do thy will. What was the joy
of Jesus as he died in agony upon the cross?
What was the joy that was set before him? It
was the joy of knowing that in doing this, he
was doing the will of his Father in heaven. Though
his outward circumstances were those of suffering
horribly, within he rejoiced that this was the
will of the Father. How is it that a missionary
can lay down his life on the mission field as
those missionaries did? Almost. 30 years ago
now in Ecuador and leave behind a wife and little
children? How can those men who had a gun to
defend themselves put the gun down and allow
themselves to be shot through with arrows and
spears until their lives were gone? How could
they do that? Because you see, I think they too
had the joy within them of knowing that through
this the will of God was being done. How is it
that a father can be faithful to Jesus Christ
in Russia and then be taken off to a prison for
years and years where he will be undernourished
and kept in stark confinement, where he will
be kept almost without contact with his little
family and suffer terrible hardship? How can
he do that? Because he knows that what he's doing
is the will of God. You see, the Lord Jesus is
hung upon the cross. He said, I delight to do
your will, Father. But I think Jesus had a third
joy, and this is one that is more personal to
you and me. It's the joy that Jude talks about
as he closes his little epistle. Turn there and
look at this verse with me. You say, where is
Jude? Well, go to Revelation and do a reverse,
and you'll come to it very quickly. It's right
there. Excuse me, Jude, verse 24. It says, Now
to him who is able to keep you from stumbling
and to make you stand in the presence of his
glory, blameless, with great joy. Commentators
differ as to whose joy this is. But I like to
think of this as a mutually shared joy. There's
obviously the joy of the believer here. someday
being in heaven with the Lord Jesus. But I believe
that there is a joy on the part of the Lord himself
when at some point in the future he will bring
his redeemed before the Father and present us
to him and say, Father, here I am and those that
I have redeemed from the earth. The Bible suggests
here that Jesus' heart on that day will be filled
with joy because of being able to present us
to the Father. I believe that the joy that kept
Jesus there on the cross, the joy that he had
as he endured the suffering, was the joy of knowing
someday he was going to present us to the Father.
That what he was doing was essential so that
we could be cleansed from sin and sanctified.
justified before God. My friend, Jesus died for
you that way. If you've never trusted Him and
received Him as your Savior, I want you to know
that what He did on the cross was for you so
that He might take you into the presence of God
and present you to the Father one day so that
you and He can enjoy that experience. What is
the exhortation that we have then in the Word
of God? Well, it's found in Philippians 4, 4
and in other places where it simply says to us,
Rejoice always. Rejoice always. Rejoice in the
Lord. And again I say, rejoice. Please notice
that that is not Dear Abby kind of advice. God
is not saying to us there, Well, I know life
is tough, but just keep your chin up. That's
not what he's saying. He's saying to us here
that we are commanded to rejoice. It's not advice.
It's not good counsel. It's a command. In other
words, in the midst of our circumstances, whether
we are in prosperity or in suffering, we are
to rejoice in the Lord. You say, wait a minute.
You don't know my circumstances. No, I don't,
but God does. And God has said rejoice in them.
Put on the garment of praise and take off that
spirit of depression and heaviness. It's your
choice. I would challenge you as an act of faith,
whatever your circumstances may be today, begin
to praise God in them. Begin to rejoice in them.
And as you do that, you will find that you will
change. And it won't be long before your circumstances.
will likely change too. The shorter catechism
says the chief end of man is to worship God.
That's usually as far as we go, but the sentence
goes on. It says to worship God and enjoy Him
forever. God has not called us to endure Himself.
God has designed us to enjoy Him. Enjoy Him.
The fruit of the Spirit is joy. Rejoice in the
Lord. The story is told about a man, a Scotsman
as a matter of fact, who a number of years ago
desired to travel from Liverpool to New York.
Being the Scotsman that he was, he bought a ticket
on a boat that was the most economical one he
could buy. And so that he might have some food
for the journey, he went out and bought some
crackers and cheese. About two days out of Liverpool,
the sea air had gotten to the crackers and cheese.
The crackers were soggy, and the cheese was hard.
He had nothing to eat. Hours went by, and they
went by. And wouldn't you know it, a steward
came by with a tray of food, and the aroma of
that food filled his face. And suddenly he realized
he had to have something to eat, and so he reached
down in his pocket where there were some extra
shillings. He decided he would have to shell
out some more because he was going to starve
to death. So when the steward came back, he inquired
as to where he might be able to go to purchase
some food. The steward said, sir, do you have
a ticket for this voyage? Scottsman said, of
course I do. He said, well, then allow me to
inform you that your ticket enables you to eat
all the food you want on this ship. Commenting
upon that, Donald Barnhouse said, This is a humble
picture of the position of many people who have
believed in Christ as Savior. Because of that
faith they are saved, but they go on their miserable
way without appropriating any of the blessings
that God has for them in Christ. How terrible
is the responsibility of these cracker and cheese
Christians who show no joy to those who are looking
for the reality of joy. Thomas Edison was interviewed
one time by a reporter. He made the statement
to the reporter that in all of his life, he had
never met one truly happy person. I wonder if
he ever met a single Christian. The fruit of
the Spirit is joy. Rejoice! in the Lord. The
fruit of the Spirit is peace. What is peace?
I would define peace in this sense as an abiding
calmness of spirit that rests upon the assurance
of God's sovereign loving care, a controlling
tranquility, serenity of mind, which rests upon
promises like Romans 8 .28. That's what peace
is. A few weeks ago, we had a lovely display
here on our communion table. It involved pieces
of wood and some weeds. There was a duck there.
Do you remember that? And there were some shotgun
shells on the communion table. One of our folks
commented on that, and I said, well, after all,
you know, this is a Baptist church. The shotgun
shells, get that? But she said, you know, when
I first looked at that, I thought, what is being
said by this display? And she said, the more
I looked at it, the more I realized that there
was that duck in perfect security and peace,
sitting there with those shotgun shells all around
it. I thought to myself, you know, what an interesting
example of what God's peace... It really is.
God's peace doesn't mean that I don't have some
shells flying my direction. It doesn't mean there
aren't some explosions in my life. But what it
does mean is that down inside where I live with
Jesus, there is a perfect calmness of spirit.
The fruit of the spirit is peace. And that peace
is based upon our peace with God. Because we
have peace with God through faith in our Lord
Jesus Christ, we may know the peace of God down
inside. The children who are here will recognize
these words from The Music Machine, a children's
musical regarding the fruit of the Spirit. Regarding
peace, The Music Machine says, Peace, peace.
I think I understand. Peace, peace is holding
Jesus' hand. And that's what peace is. Jesus
illustrated that to us in what is recorded in
Mark chapter 4 regarding the disciples and Jesus
as they headed off across the Sea of Galilee.
You recall that? This storm came up. And what
a storm it was. The wind was blowing against
that little ship and the waves were causing it
to roll so much so that the waves were even coming
inside the boat. And the disciples were alarmed
and frightened. And where was Jesus? He was on
a cushion in the boat, asleep. Why was he asleep?
Because, you see, he had a calmness of spirit.
that rested upon his assurance of God's sovereign
and loving care. The fruit of the Spirit is peace.
They awakened him, and then Jesus stood up and
said, Peace! Be still! And that peace that was
his inside suddenly burst through, and it caused
the whole Sea of Galilee to quiet down. And that's
the peace that Jesus wants to bring to your life
today, my Christian brother and sister. You may
feel that you're on the waves and the storm is
beating against your little ship and you say,
where is Jesus? He's right there. And he can
bring perfect peace to you if you will simply
give yourself to him and say, Lord, this mess
is in your hands. I give it to you. And when
you surrender yourself to him, he is able then
by the Spirit of God who indwells us to produce
the fruit of peace in your life. The exhortation
can be found perhaps in Philippians chapter 4,
where it says, Be anxious for nothing. Don't
worry. Don't be fearful. But by prayer and supplication
with thanksgiving, let your requests be made
known to God, and the peace of God that passes
all understanding will keep your hearts and minds
through Christ Jesus. Jesus said in John 14,
Let not your heart be troubled. Neither let it
be afraid. He said, my peace I give to you. It's
your peace. And you may enjoy it if the Holy
Spirit is dominating your life and not the flesh.
When he is dominating our lives and producing
this fruit, then we will be what Matthew 5, 9
calls a peacemaker. Blessed are the peacemakers,
Jesus said, for they shall be called the sons
of God. When we know this kind of fruit in our
lives, then we can in turn be peacemakers with
others. Not troublemakers, peacemakers. Not upsetters,
peacemakers. Not heartbreakers, peacemakers.
That is an indication that the Spirit of God
is in control in our lives. When we're peacemakers.
We're told by Peter, seek peace and pursue it.
Paul said, if possible, so far as it depends
on you, be at peace with all men. We can be at
peace, beloved, when we accept God's sovereign
hand in our lives. When we realize that even
from our mistakes, God can bring forth good.
Isn't that what Romans 8 .28 assures us? It is
all things, even those bad things that I bring
upon myself because of my own stupidity or mistakenness,
all things work together for good to them that
love God, to those who are His called. That's
why Isaiah says what he does, that will keep
him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on
thee because he trusteth. How often our circumstances
can lead us to anger and upset at bitterness
or contention, but the fruit of the Spirit is
peace. Jan Catron, a missionary wife and an MK,
a missionary kid, wrote an article in the November
-December issue of Horizons Magazine by Team
Missions. In the article, she talks about the
blessings of being an MK. If you ever thought
about that, been concerned about it because of
the possibility of missions in your life and
what about your family and your children, you
ought to read that article. Anyway, Jan Catron
talks about a more recent event in her life.
She says the Lord took Dad home to heaven in
December 1983. Mom and Dad were on their way
back to the U .S. for furlough. None of us children
had seen them for three years. People have asked
us how we felt about the Lord taking Dad before
he got home to see us. Were we angry at God or
bitter at Dad for not having been here with his
kids and grandkids instead of some foreign country
preaching the gospel and ministering to other
families? No. There is the disappointment of
unfulfilled reunions. There is a lonely ache
in our hearts where we miss him deeply. But never
have we felt that he should have been here instead
of there. We are grateful to God for taking Dad
without pain or suffering. We are grateful that
his last year on the mission field was one of
great joy and blessing and much fruit. We are
delighted that he and Mom had four restful days.
happy days alone together in Amsterdam and London
before the Lord took him. And we are awed by
the exceedingly abundant way in which the Lord
has provided for Mom and the family. Dad never
owned a house. He was concerned that when he
died, he would not have much material wealth
to leave Mom and us. However, we feel that he
has left us the greatest inheritance a family
could ever want. memories of many happy times
together, a loving, godly example of self -sacrifice,
obedience to the Lord and ministry to others,
a faith that trusts God to provide our needs,
and a hope and assurance that our inheritance
is eternal and that we will all be reunited one
day with Him before Christ. What more could we
want? We are blessed. We are rich. How easily
that MK could have been angry at God. How easily
her heart could have been troubled and upset
by her circumstances, not having seen Dad in
three years, and then on his way home to see
the family and grandkids he had never seen taken
away. But her heart's at peace. Why? Because
the fruit of the Spirit is peace. It has nothing
to do with our circumstances. It's the work of
God in our lives. What is God's work in your
life today? Is the fruit of the Spirit joy and
peace? Or is the work of the flesh something
else? Let's pray. Heavenly Father, Thank you
for the fruit of the Spirit. Thank you for confronting
us. For Lord, so easily do we become dominated
by the flesh that sometimes we don't even realize
that we are. And we recognize that the flesh
is religious and it will allow us to say the
right things and to do the right things and to
go to church. They go through the motions as
long as there's no reality in it. And so often
we're deceived into thinking that's what the
Christian life is. Thank you for confronting
us and telling us that the fruit of the Spirit
is something else. That it's the real life of
Jesus manifested in us supernaturally as we obey
your word. Father, the works of the flesh may
be evidenced in our lives today, and to whatever
extent they are, expose them, so that we may
repent of those, even the superficial religious
good things of the flesh, and give ourselves
afresh to you for your control. I pray that the
fruit of the Spirit, which is love, joy, and
peace, will be evidenced in the lives of each
one of your children today.