WEBVTT 00:00:01.229 --> 00:00:04.190 For these are in opposition to one another, so 00:00:04.190 --> 00:00:06.889 that you may not do the things that you please. 00:00:07.610 --> 00:00:11.230 Then verse 22. But the fruit of the Spirit is 00:00:11.230 --> 00:00:17.949 love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, 00:00:18.390 --> 00:00:23.629 faithfulness, gentleness, self -control. Against 00:00:23.629 --> 00:00:28.730 such things there is no law. We received a letter 00:00:28.730 --> 00:00:31.469 this last week from... one of our missionaries 00:00:31.469 --> 00:00:34.929 serving in Africa. I'd like to quote to you one 00:00:34.929 --> 00:00:40.130 paragraph from the letter. She writes, The difficulties 00:00:40.130 --> 00:00:42.509 I mentioned in my last letter that are going 00:00:42.509 --> 00:00:46.289 on with our local national association are far 00:00:46.289 --> 00:00:49.929 from resolved. There has been a lot of stubbornness 00:00:49.929 --> 00:00:53.609 shown by the different leaders. No one wants 00:00:53.609 --> 00:00:57.009 to be the one to back down. What a sad testimony 00:00:57.009 --> 00:01:01.840 to Christian humility. And then she says, ours 00:01:01.840 --> 00:01:06.640 is often just a daily battle against not powers 00:01:06.640 --> 00:01:12.980 and principalities, but against self. Can you 00:01:12.980 --> 00:01:16.980 identify with that? The problem with the struggle 00:01:16.980 --> 00:01:20.680 between the flesh and the spirit is that it is 00:01:20.680 --> 00:01:26.640 so daily. You ever feel that way? There is no 00:01:26.640 --> 00:01:30.719 let up. There is no withdrawal. There is no disarmament. 00:01:32.560 --> 00:01:35.239 Whichever is dominating at any given moment, 00:01:35.359 --> 00:01:41.019 the other seeks to overthrow. It results in an 00:01:41.019 --> 00:01:45.680 intense, persistent battle for life, for the 00:01:45.680 --> 00:01:50.420 control of your life and mine. We can be grateful 00:01:50.420 --> 00:01:53.560 that the Holy Spirit does not give up, that He 00:01:53.560 --> 00:01:58.189 does not yield to the flesh. He does not withdraw 00:01:58.189 --> 00:02:02.590 Himself when the flesh dominates, but rather 00:02:02.590 --> 00:02:06.590 the Holy Spirit strongly desires to manifest 00:02:06.590 --> 00:02:12.310 His fruit in us by exerting the Lordship of Jesus 00:02:12.310 --> 00:02:17.210 Christ in our wills and our minds. And that's 00:02:17.210 --> 00:02:20.930 where the battle is. The fruit of the Holy Spirit 00:02:20.930 --> 00:02:24.930 is the very lifelikeness of the Lord Jesus Christ. 00:02:25.629 --> 00:02:31.870 Its presence manifests His presence and lordship 00:02:31.870 --> 00:02:36.650 in us. Have you ever wondered what it would have 00:02:36.650 --> 00:02:39.710 been like to have spent some time with Jesus 00:02:39.710 --> 00:02:43.189 2 ,000 years ago? Have you ever daydreamed and 00:02:43.189 --> 00:02:46.650 thought of yourself there beside the Sea of Galilee 00:02:46.650 --> 00:02:49.949 or walking with Him through the streets of Jerusalem 00:02:49.949 --> 00:02:53.810 or sitting on the hillside as He instructed the 00:02:53.810 --> 00:02:57.689 multitudes? What would it have been like to have 00:02:57.689 --> 00:03:03.810 known Jesus according to the flesh? Well, we 00:03:03.810 --> 00:03:06.629 cannot do that. But I can tell you what it would 00:03:06.629 --> 00:03:09.770 have been like. It would have been like living 00:03:09.770 --> 00:03:14.770 with a person whose words, actions, thoughts, 00:03:15.009 --> 00:03:20.310 whose very life radiated with these nine qualities 00:03:20.310 --> 00:03:26.080 in Galatians 5, 22 and 23. Because you see, these 00:03:26.080 --> 00:03:32.139 nine words, these nine qualities, are the very 00:03:32.139 --> 00:03:36.800 lifelikeness of the Lord Jesus Himself. So that 00:03:36.800 --> 00:03:40.759 when the fruit of the Spirit is manifested in 00:03:40.759 --> 00:03:44.759 us, it is the very lifelikeness of Jesus that 00:03:44.759 --> 00:03:49.319 is seen. The Holy Spirit produces His fruit in 00:03:49.319 --> 00:03:53.639 the life of the believer under His control. Having 00:03:53.639 --> 00:03:57.319 studied love, as we did recently, let's continue 00:03:57.319 --> 00:03:59.780 on through the list this morning, which describes 00:03:59.780 --> 00:04:02.800 the fruit of the Spirit. We want to look at each 00:04:02.800 --> 00:04:05.740 of these from three aspects. We want to talk 00:04:05.740 --> 00:04:09.219 about a definition, and then we want to talk 00:04:09.219 --> 00:04:13.139 about an illustration or two of it, and finally 00:04:13.139 --> 00:04:17.019 an exhortation. Because you see, along with each 00:04:17.019 --> 00:04:20.800 fruit of the Spirit, there is also... a correlating 00:04:20.800 --> 00:04:24.819 instruction, command, or exhortation from the 00:04:24.819 --> 00:04:28.300 Word of God. It is the fruit of the Spirit, but 00:04:28.300 --> 00:04:31.680 there is a responsibility on our part that goes 00:04:31.680 --> 00:04:35.100 along with it. The fruit of the Spirit is love, 00:04:35.160 --> 00:04:37.480 we studied recently, but we are commanded to 00:04:37.480 --> 00:04:40.600 love the Lord our God and to love one another. 00:04:42.160 --> 00:04:44.300 Now we want to pick up the list with the next 00:04:44.300 --> 00:04:48.259 one, which is joy. The fruit of the Spirit is 00:04:48.259 --> 00:04:52.319 joy. There is no mystery as to why this follows 00:04:52.319 --> 00:04:56.160 love. Any life which is saturated with agape 00:04:56.160 --> 00:05:01.079 love will know this joy, this fruit of the Spirit. 00:05:01.980 --> 00:05:06.060 The Greek word here is kara. That is becoming 00:05:06.060 --> 00:05:09.220 a rather popular name with families for little 00:05:09.220 --> 00:05:13.379 girls. Little girls who are named kara or kara 00:05:13.379 --> 00:05:16.899 are actually named joy, for that is the meaning 00:05:16.899 --> 00:05:22.050 of their name. This joy is a deep delight in 00:05:22.050 --> 00:05:26.810 God. It is an inward spring of effervescent gladness. 00:05:27.389 --> 00:05:32.889 It is an inner fullness of spirit. It is a satisfaction 00:05:32.889 --> 00:05:38.769 and pleasure which is rooted in God. It is, of 00:05:38.769 --> 00:05:42.629 course, in contrast to mere happiness, which 00:05:42.629 --> 00:05:46.470 is rooted in happenings or circumstances alone. 00:05:47.629 --> 00:05:53.750 This joy goes far beyond circumstances. This 00:05:53.750 --> 00:05:59.329 word joy is always used of that which is based 00:05:59.329 --> 00:06:03.470 upon spiritual factors. It is never referred 00:06:03.470 --> 00:06:06.910 to merely as human mirth or as a superficial 00:06:06.910 --> 00:06:14.050 giddiness. It is joy. This is Christ's joy, this 00:06:14.050 --> 00:06:18.050 fruit of the Spirit. Jesus refers to it in the 00:06:18.050 --> 00:06:20.610 Gospel of John. I'd like you to turn there with 00:06:20.610 --> 00:06:23.829 me to the 15th chapter and notice some words 00:06:23.829 --> 00:06:28.089 of the Lord Jesus referring to His joy. John 00:06:28.089 --> 00:06:33.750 chapter 15. In the context here, He is talking 00:06:33.750 --> 00:06:41.149 about a life of abiding. And He says in verse 00:06:41.149 --> 00:06:44.110 11, These things I have spoken to you that my 00:06:44.110 --> 00:06:48.920 joy... may be in you and that your joy may be 00:06:48.920 --> 00:06:52.959 made full. Jesus is saying, my joy is going to 00:06:52.959 --> 00:06:55.639 be in you. It will become your joy and it will 00:06:55.639 --> 00:07:00.560 be made full. Now let's look at the context more 00:07:00.560 --> 00:07:05.620 closely. What is Jesus' joy? Looking at it in 00:07:05.620 --> 00:07:07.579 full, I think we could summarize it this way. 00:07:07.800 --> 00:07:11.920 The joy of Jesus was rooted in his abiding fellowship 00:07:11.920 --> 00:07:16.360 with the Father. And that's why he says, I'm 00:07:16.360 --> 00:07:18.819 telling you now to abide in me so that you can 00:07:18.819 --> 00:07:23.600 have my joy. He abides in the Father's perfect 00:07:23.600 --> 00:07:28.019 fellowship, and that produced in him joy. That's 00:07:28.019 --> 00:07:30.920 where it was rooted, in fellowship with God his 00:07:30.920 --> 00:07:34.399 Father. And he exhorts us here to abide in that 00:07:34.399 --> 00:07:37.800 fellowship so that we also may know that joy. 00:07:39.879 --> 00:07:44.420 Therefore, the illustration of joy. must be focused 00:07:44.420 --> 00:07:47.100 upon this person that we're talking about here, 00:07:47.180 --> 00:07:49.980 the Lord Jesus. For he is the greatest illustration 00:07:49.980 --> 00:07:53.519 of joy. Rather than looking in the Gospels for 00:07:53.519 --> 00:07:55.939 that, I'd like to go back to the book of Hebrews, 00:07:56.279 --> 00:07:59.860 where it mentions his joy in a rather unexpected 00:07:59.860 --> 00:08:07.279 context. Hebrews, the 12th chapter. After exhorting 00:08:07.279 --> 00:08:13.040 us to a life of faith, In the 11th chapter, the 00:08:13.040 --> 00:08:15.459 author goes on to tell us about those who lived 00:08:15.459 --> 00:08:19.480 the life of faith. And then he says, these people 00:08:19.480 --> 00:08:21.579 surround us like a great cloud of witnesses, 00:08:21.819 --> 00:08:26.540 encouraging us on in the race that's set before 00:08:26.540 --> 00:08:30.040 us. And then in verse 2, he says, fixing our 00:08:30.040 --> 00:08:34.240 eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our 00:08:34.240 --> 00:08:40.669 faith, who for the joy set before him. endured 00:08:40.669 --> 00:08:45.090 the cross. Notice the joy of Jesus here as it's 00:08:45.090 --> 00:08:49.549 illustrated. It is the joy that was set before 00:08:49.549 --> 00:08:54.210 him as he endured the cross. You say, you're 00:08:54.210 --> 00:08:56.529 talking about the joy of Jesus, but doesn't the 00:08:56.529 --> 00:08:59.929 Bible talk about him rather in terms of a man 00:08:59.929 --> 00:09:04.470 of sorrows and acquainted with grief? Of course 00:09:04.470 --> 00:09:08.940 that is true. Isaiah said that. There would be 00:09:08.940 --> 00:09:11.320 no one who would know the depth of his sorrow. 00:09:12.360 --> 00:09:15.639 He would drink, said Isaiah 700 years before 00:09:15.639 --> 00:09:22.580 Jesus, of a cup of grief and sorrow like no one 00:09:22.580 --> 00:09:25.500 else could ever drink and know and experience. 00:09:26.259 --> 00:09:30.600 He was indeed a man of sorrows who knew the full 00:09:30.600 --> 00:09:34.940 meaning of heartache and grief. But it mentions 00:09:34.940 --> 00:09:39.549 here his joy. Because you see, all of that heartache 00:09:39.549 --> 00:09:43.889 and suffering and agony that Jesus knew was related 00:09:43.889 --> 00:09:46.830 to the circumstances he was going through. It 00:09:46.830 --> 00:09:49.070 had nothing to do with what was going on down 00:09:49.070 --> 00:09:53.570 deep inside of him. Deep within him was a wellspring 00:09:53.570 --> 00:09:57.470 of continuous joy because he was abiding in the 00:09:57.470 --> 00:10:01.649 fellowship of the Father. He endured many circumstances 00:10:01.649 --> 00:10:07.129 of suffering, including the shameful cross. with 00:10:07.129 --> 00:10:10.690 its pain and agony. But as he endured the cross, 00:10:11.009 --> 00:10:14.830 the Bible tells us there was joy in the Lord 00:10:14.830 --> 00:10:18.850 Jesus. Now what was that joy based upon? Why 00:10:18.850 --> 00:10:23.509 was Jesus joyful as he endured the cross? I think 00:10:23.509 --> 00:10:26.230 there are three answers to that question. What 00:10:26.230 --> 00:10:30.029 was the joy of Jesus as he hung upon the cross? 00:10:30.690 --> 00:10:36.049 Number one. It was the glory he knew that he 00:10:36.049 --> 00:10:40.809 would share after his ascension. You recall that 00:10:40.809 --> 00:10:44.110 the Lord Jesus knew that glory before he came 00:10:44.110 --> 00:10:47.309 into the world, but willingly he laid it aside. 00:10:48.370 --> 00:10:51.710 Not his deity, but his glorious God was laid 00:10:51.710 --> 00:10:54.669 aside. He came into the world in the likeness 00:10:54.669 --> 00:10:57.710 of man, in the form of a servant, and became 00:10:57.710 --> 00:11:02.740 obedient even to the death of the cross. And 00:11:02.740 --> 00:11:06.320 as he hung upon that cross, dying in your place 00:11:06.320 --> 00:11:10.100 and mine, bearing our sin, the joy that was beating 00:11:10.100 --> 00:11:13.740 within him was the joy that he knew that this 00:11:13.740 --> 00:11:15.960 was the reason for his coming and that soon he 00:11:15.960 --> 00:11:18.259 would be back in the presence of the Father in 00:11:18.259 --> 00:11:23.720 heaven. That really is the meaning of Psalm 1610, 00:11:23.840 --> 00:11:27.559 where it says, In thy presence is fullness of 00:11:27.559 --> 00:11:31.970 joy. At thy right hand there are pleasures forevermore. 00:11:32.909 --> 00:11:35.389 If you look at the context of those two verses 00:11:35.389 --> 00:11:39.009 at the end of Psalm 16, you'll find that it mentions 00:11:39.009 --> 00:11:41.509 his death and burial in the previous verse, and 00:11:41.509 --> 00:11:44.529 then one quick sentence that suggests his resurrection, 00:11:44.669 --> 00:11:47.029 followed by that portion of verse 10 that I've 00:11:47.029 --> 00:11:50.429 quoted. It is that portion that points to what 00:11:50.429 --> 00:11:52.789 happened after his resurrection when he went 00:11:52.789 --> 00:11:55.840 back into the presence of the Father. The joy 00:11:55.840 --> 00:12:00.600 that Jesus knew on the cross was the joy of knowing 00:12:00.600 --> 00:12:03.639 someday he would be back there in heaven, and 00:12:03.639 --> 00:12:05.500 very soon, indeed, he would be back in heaven 00:12:05.500 --> 00:12:08.799 with the glory that he knew with the Father before 00:12:08.799 --> 00:12:12.940 the foundation of the world. I think there was 00:12:12.940 --> 00:12:17.399 a second joy that Jesus had, and that was the 00:12:17.399 --> 00:12:19.600 joy of knowing that as he hung upon the cross, 00:12:19.899 --> 00:12:24.370 he was doing the will of the Father. In Hebrews 00:12:24.370 --> 00:12:28.710 chapter 10, Messiah is quoting from Psalm 40, 00:12:28.750 --> 00:12:32.710 and he says, Lo, I come. In the volume of the 00:12:32.710 --> 00:12:36.009 book it is written of me. I come to do thy will, 00:12:36.269 --> 00:12:40.529 O God. And if you go back to Psalm 40 and read 00:12:40.529 --> 00:12:44.769 it, what it says there is, I delight to do thy 00:12:44.769 --> 00:12:49.970 will, O God. Why was Messiah saying, Lo, I come? 00:12:50.759 --> 00:12:53.279 He was saying, as I come into the world as a 00:12:53.279 --> 00:12:56.960 man through my incarnation, I am coming to do 00:12:56.960 --> 00:12:59.000 the will of God, which is to go to the cross 00:12:59.000 --> 00:13:04.399 and be the sin bearer for mankind. And he says, 00:13:04.500 --> 00:13:11.240 lo, I delight to do thy will. What was the joy 00:13:11.240 --> 00:13:14.080 of Jesus as he died in agony upon the cross? 00:13:14.759 --> 00:13:18.100 What was the joy that was set before him? It 00:13:18.100 --> 00:13:20.679 was the joy of knowing that in doing this, he 00:13:20.679 --> 00:13:25.720 was doing the will of his Father in heaven. Though 00:13:25.720 --> 00:13:29.440 his outward circumstances were those of suffering 00:13:29.440 --> 00:13:34.220 horribly, within he rejoiced that this was the 00:13:34.220 --> 00:13:38.860 will of the Father. How is it that a missionary 00:13:38.860 --> 00:13:42.659 can lay down his life on the mission field as 00:13:42.659 --> 00:13:47.039 those missionaries did? Almost. 30 years ago 00:13:47.039 --> 00:13:50.879 now in Ecuador and leave behind a wife and little 00:13:50.879 --> 00:13:54.940 children? How can those men who had a gun to 00:13:54.940 --> 00:13:57.059 defend themselves put the gun down and allow 00:13:57.059 --> 00:13:59.100 themselves to be shot through with arrows and 00:13:59.100 --> 00:14:03.019 spears until their lives were gone? How could 00:14:03.019 --> 00:14:07.799 they do that? Because you see, I think they too 00:14:07.799 --> 00:14:10.080 had the joy within them of knowing that through 00:14:10.080 --> 00:14:16.940 this the will of God was being done. How is it 00:14:16.940 --> 00:14:19.659 that a father can be faithful to Jesus Christ 00:14:19.659 --> 00:14:23.759 in Russia and then be taken off to a prison for 00:14:23.759 --> 00:14:26.860 years and years where he will be undernourished 00:14:26.860 --> 00:14:32.779 and kept in stark confinement, where he will 00:14:32.779 --> 00:14:35.360 be kept almost without contact with his little 00:14:35.360 --> 00:14:39.440 family and suffer terrible hardship? How can 00:14:39.440 --> 00:14:42.600 he do that? Because he knows that what he's doing 00:14:42.600 --> 00:14:46.679 is the will of God. You see, the Lord Jesus is 00:14:46.679 --> 00:14:49.659 hung upon the cross. He said, I delight to do 00:14:49.659 --> 00:14:54.139 your will, Father. But I think Jesus had a third 00:14:54.139 --> 00:14:57.220 joy, and this is one that is more personal to 00:14:57.220 --> 00:15:01.899 you and me. It's the joy that Jude talks about 00:15:01.899 --> 00:15:05.159 as he closes his little epistle. Turn there and 00:15:05.159 --> 00:15:07.840 look at this verse with me. You say, where is 00:15:07.840 --> 00:15:09.899 Jude? Well, go to Revelation and do a reverse, 00:15:10.220 --> 00:15:13.720 and you'll come to it very quickly. It's right 00:15:13.720 --> 00:15:25.659 there. Excuse me, Jude, verse 24. It says, Now 00:15:25.659 --> 00:15:29.159 to him who is able to keep you from stumbling 00:15:29.159 --> 00:15:33.080 and to make you stand in the presence of his 00:15:33.080 --> 00:15:38.240 glory, blameless, with great joy. Commentators 00:15:38.240 --> 00:15:42.220 differ as to whose joy this is. But I like to 00:15:42.220 --> 00:15:46.460 think of this as a mutually shared joy. There's 00:15:46.460 --> 00:15:50.049 obviously the joy of the believer here. someday 00:15:50.049 --> 00:15:53.149 being in heaven with the Lord Jesus. But I believe 00:15:53.149 --> 00:15:55.549 that there is a joy on the part of the Lord himself 00:15:55.549 --> 00:16:00.470 when at some point in the future he will bring 00:16:00.470 --> 00:16:03.990 his redeemed before the Father and present us 00:16:03.990 --> 00:16:09.330 to him and say, Father, here I am and those that 00:16:09.330 --> 00:16:15.840 I have redeemed from the earth. The Bible suggests 00:16:15.840 --> 00:16:18.759 here that Jesus' heart on that day will be filled 00:16:18.759 --> 00:16:23.159 with joy because of being able to present us 00:16:23.159 --> 00:16:28.720 to the Father. I believe that the joy that kept 00:16:28.720 --> 00:16:31.659 Jesus there on the cross, the joy that he had 00:16:31.659 --> 00:16:34.080 as he endured the suffering, was the joy of knowing 00:16:34.080 --> 00:16:37.059 someday he was going to present us to the Father. 00:16:37.659 --> 00:16:40.259 That what he was doing was essential so that 00:16:40.259 --> 00:16:43.139 we could be cleansed from sin and sanctified. 00:16:44.139 --> 00:16:49.080 justified before God. My friend, Jesus died for 00:16:49.080 --> 00:16:54.159 you that way. If you've never trusted Him and 00:16:54.159 --> 00:16:56.200 received Him as your Savior, I want you to know 00:16:56.200 --> 00:16:58.779 that what He did on the cross was for you so 00:16:58.779 --> 00:17:00.940 that He might take you into the presence of God 00:17:00.940 --> 00:17:04.559 and present you to the Father one day so that 00:17:04.559 --> 00:17:11.609 you and He can enjoy that experience. What is 00:17:11.609 --> 00:17:13.369 the exhortation that we have then in the Word 00:17:13.369 --> 00:17:16.970 of God? Well, it's found in Philippians 4, 4 00:17:16.970 --> 00:17:19.069 and in other places where it simply says to us, 00:17:19.109 --> 00:17:25.309 Rejoice always. Rejoice always. Rejoice in the 00:17:25.309 --> 00:17:31.329 Lord. And again I say, rejoice. Please notice 00:17:31.329 --> 00:17:35.750 that that is not Dear Abby kind of advice. God 00:17:35.750 --> 00:17:37.829 is not saying to us there, Well, I know life 00:17:37.829 --> 00:17:41.480 is tough, but just keep your chin up. That's 00:17:41.480 --> 00:17:43.900 not what he's saying. He's saying to us here 00:17:43.900 --> 00:17:48.519 that we are commanded to rejoice. It's not advice. 00:17:48.619 --> 00:17:51.880 It's not good counsel. It's a command. In other 00:17:51.880 --> 00:17:54.119 words, in the midst of our circumstances, whether 00:17:54.119 --> 00:17:57.119 we are in prosperity or in suffering, we are 00:17:57.119 --> 00:18:01.059 to rejoice in the Lord. You say, wait a minute. 00:18:01.140 --> 00:18:04.160 You don't know my circumstances. No, I don't, 00:18:04.160 --> 00:18:07.299 but God does. And God has said rejoice in them. 00:18:09.960 --> 00:18:12.779 Put on the garment of praise and take off that 00:18:12.779 --> 00:18:16.900 spirit of depression and heaviness. It's your 00:18:16.900 --> 00:18:22.900 choice. I would challenge you as an act of faith, 00:18:23.140 --> 00:18:26.819 whatever your circumstances may be today, begin 00:18:26.819 --> 00:18:30.519 to praise God in them. Begin to rejoice in them. 00:18:31.519 --> 00:18:34.059 And as you do that, you will find that you will 00:18:34.059 --> 00:18:37.240 change. And it won't be long before your circumstances. 00:18:38.000 --> 00:18:41.400 will likely change too. The shorter catechism 00:18:41.400 --> 00:18:43.819 says the chief end of man is to worship God. 00:18:45.019 --> 00:18:47.279 That's usually as far as we go, but the sentence 00:18:47.279 --> 00:18:52.460 goes on. It says to worship God and enjoy Him 00:18:52.460 --> 00:18:57.200 forever. God has not called us to endure Himself. 00:18:58.759 --> 00:19:03.440 God has designed us to enjoy Him. Enjoy Him. 00:19:03.940 --> 00:19:09.609 The fruit of the Spirit is joy. Rejoice in the 00:19:09.609 --> 00:19:14.190 Lord. The story is told about a man, a Scotsman 00:19:14.190 --> 00:19:15.910 as a matter of fact, who a number of years ago 00:19:15.910 --> 00:19:18.730 desired to travel from Liverpool to New York. 00:19:19.710 --> 00:19:22.210 Being the Scotsman that he was, he bought a ticket 00:19:22.210 --> 00:19:24.509 on a boat that was the most economical one he 00:19:24.509 --> 00:19:28.150 could buy. And so that he might have some food 00:19:28.150 --> 00:19:30.630 for the journey, he went out and bought some 00:19:30.630 --> 00:19:33.680 crackers and cheese. About two days out of Liverpool, 00:19:34.039 --> 00:19:36.480 the sea air had gotten to the crackers and cheese. 00:19:37.259 --> 00:19:40.400 The crackers were soggy, and the cheese was hard. 00:19:41.279 --> 00:19:45.019 He had nothing to eat. Hours went by, and they 00:19:45.019 --> 00:19:48.180 went by. And wouldn't you know it, a steward 00:19:48.180 --> 00:19:51.559 came by with a tray of food, and the aroma of 00:19:51.559 --> 00:19:55.779 that food filled his face. And suddenly he realized 00:19:55.779 --> 00:19:57.980 he had to have something to eat, and so he reached 00:19:57.980 --> 00:19:59.819 down in his pocket where there were some extra 00:19:59.819 --> 00:20:02.640 shillings. He decided he would have to shell 00:20:02.640 --> 00:20:05.720 out some more because he was going to starve 00:20:05.720 --> 00:20:09.079 to death. So when the steward came back, he inquired 00:20:09.079 --> 00:20:10.799 as to where he might be able to go to purchase 00:20:10.799 --> 00:20:13.799 some food. The steward said, sir, do you have 00:20:13.799 --> 00:20:17.019 a ticket for this voyage? Scottsman said, of 00:20:17.019 --> 00:20:19.740 course I do. He said, well, then allow me to 00:20:19.740 --> 00:20:23.119 inform you that your ticket enables you to eat 00:20:23.119 --> 00:20:28.519 all the food you want on this ship. Commenting 00:20:28.519 --> 00:20:32.319 upon that, Donald Barnhouse said, This is a humble 00:20:32.319 --> 00:20:34.839 picture of the position of many people who have 00:20:34.839 --> 00:20:37.920 believed in Christ as Savior. Because of that 00:20:37.920 --> 00:20:41.140 faith they are saved, but they go on their miserable 00:20:41.140 --> 00:20:44.299 way without appropriating any of the blessings 00:20:44.299 --> 00:20:48.180 that God has for them in Christ. How terrible 00:20:48.180 --> 00:20:51.460 is the responsibility of these cracker and cheese 00:20:51.460 --> 00:20:55.339 Christians who show no joy to those who are looking 00:20:55.339 --> 00:21:02.210 for the reality of joy. Thomas Edison was interviewed 00:21:02.210 --> 00:21:06.569 one time by a reporter. He made the statement 00:21:06.569 --> 00:21:10.490 to the reporter that in all of his life, he had 00:21:10.490 --> 00:21:17.990 never met one truly happy person. I wonder if 00:21:17.990 --> 00:21:23.950 he ever met a single Christian. The fruit of 00:21:23.950 --> 00:21:28.900 the Spirit is joy. Rejoice! in the Lord. The 00:21:28.900 --> 00:21:32.220 fruit of the Spirit is peace. What is peace? 00:21:33.599 --> 00:21:38.380 I would define peace in this sense as an abiding 00:21:38.380 --> 00:21:42.559 calmness of spirit that rests upon the assurance 00:21:42.559 --> 00:21:46.799 of God's sovereign loving care, a controlling 00:21:46.799 --> 00:21:52.019 tranquility, serenity of mind, which rests upon 00:21:52.019 --> 00:21:56.069 promises like Romans 8 .28. That's what peace 00:21:56.069 --> 00:22:02.250 is. A few weeks ago, we had a lovely display 00:22:02.250 --> 00:22:06.109 here on our communion table. It involved pieces 00:22:06.109 --> 00:22:10.789 of wood and some weeds. There was a duck there. 00:22:10.869 --> 00:22:14.329 Do you remember that? And there were some shotgun 00:22:14.329 --> 00:22:18.029 shells on the communion table. One of our folks 00:22:18.029 --> 00:22:19.950 commented on that, and I said, well, after all, 00:22:19.990 --> 00:22:23.819 you know, this is a Baptist church. The shotgun 00:22:23.819 --> 00:22:27.660 shells, get that? But she said, you know, when 00:22:27.660 --> 00:22:30.099 I first looked at that, I thought, what is being 00:22:30.099 --> 00:22:33.920 said by this display? And she said, the more 00:22:33.920 --> 00:22:36.640 I looked at it, the more I realized that there 00:22:36.640 --> 00:22:41.180 was that duck in perfect security and peace, 00:22:41.420 --> 00:22:44.640 sitting there with those shotgun shells all around 00:22:44.640 --> 00:22:49.339 it. I thought to myself, you know, what an interesting 00:22:49.339 --> 00:22:53.039 example of what God's peace... It really is. 00:22:53.720 --> 00:22:57.299 God's peace doesn't mean that I don't have some 00:22:57.299 --> 00:23:01.180 shells flying my direction. It doesn't mean there 00:23:01.180 --> 00:23:05.779 aren't some explosions in my life. But what it 00:23:05.779 --> 00:23:11.400 does mean is that down inside where I live with 00:23:11.400 --> 00:23:15.880 Jesus, there is a perfect calmness of spirit. 00:23:16.400 --> 00:23:22.599 The fruit of the spirit is peace. And that peace 00:23:22.599 --> 00:23:27.819 is based upon our peace with God. Because we 00:23:27.819 --> 00:23:30.140 have peace with God through faith in our Lord 00:23:30.140 --> 00:23:33.859 Jesus Christ, we may know the peace of God down 00:23:33.859 --> 00:23:38.900 inside. The children who are here will recognize 00:23:38.900 --> 00:23:42.279 these words from The Music Machine, a children's 00:23:42.279 --> 00:23:45.839 musical regarding the fruit of the Spirit. Regarding 00:23:45.839 --> 00:23:50.259 peace, The Music Machine says, Peace, peace. 00:23:51.150 --> 00:23:56.549 I think I understand. Peace, peace is holding 00:23:56.549 --> 00:24:04.869 Jesus' hand. And that's what peace is. Jesus 00:24:04.869 --> 00:24:07.210 illustrated that to us in what is recorded in 00:24:07.210 --> 00:24:10.410 Mark chapter 4 regarding the disciples and Jesus 00:24:10.410 --> 00:24:12.450 as they headed off across the Sea of Galilee. 00:24:12.529 --> 00:24:15.710 You recall that? This storm came up. And what 00:24:15.710 --> 00:24:18.900 a storm it was. The wind was blowing against 00:24:18.900 --> 00:24:21.359 that little ship and the waves were causing it 00:24:21.359 --> 00:24:24.079 to roll so much so that the waves were even coming 00:24:24.079 --> 00:24:27.180 inside the boat. And the disciples were alarmed 00:24:27.180 --> 00:24:33.019 and frightened. And where was Jesus? He was on 00:24:33.019 --> 00:24:38.240 a cushion in the boat, asleep. Why was he asleep? 00:24:39.859 --> 00:24:44.460 Because, you see, he had a calmness of spirit. 00:24:44.890 --> 00:24:47.690 that rested upon his assurance of God's sovereign 00:24:47.690 --> 00:24:52.529 and loving care. The fruit of the Spirit is peace. 00:24:53.529 --> 00:24:56.009 They awakened him, and then Jesus stood up and 00:24:56.009 --> 00:24:59.430 said, Peace! Be still! And that peace that was 00:24:59.430 --> 00:25:03.009 his inside suddenly burst through, and it caused 00:25:03.009 --> 00:25:08.890 the whole Sea of Galilee to quiet down. And that's 00:25:08.890 --> 00:25:10.970 the peace that Jesus wants to bring to your life 00:25:10.970 --> 00:25:16.599 today, my Christian brother and sister. You may 00:25:16.599 --> 00:25:18.519 feel that you're on the waves and the storm is 00:25:18.519 --> 00:25:20.180 beating against your little ship and you say, 00:25:20.200 --> 00:25:24.400 where is Jesus? He's right there. And he can 00:25:24.400 --> 00:25:28.319 bring perfect peace to you if you will simply 00:25:28.319 --> 00:25:32.680 give yourself to him and say, Lord, this mess 00:25:32.680 --> 00:25:37.640 is in your hands. I give it to you. And when 00:25:37.640 --> 00:25:39.759 you surrender yourself to him, he is able then 00:25:39.759 --> 00:25:43.579 by the Spirit of God who indwells us to produce 00:25:43.579 --> 00:25:47.250 the fruit of peace in your life. The exhortation 00:25:47.250 --> 00:25:49.529 can be found perhaps in Philippians chapter 4, 00:25:49.609 --> 00:25:52.490 where it says, Be anxious for nothing. Don't 00:25:52.490 --> 00:25:59.029 worry. Don't be fearful. But by prayer and supplication 00:25:59.029 --> 00:26:01.349 with thanksgiving, let your requests be made 00:26:01.349 --> 00:26:04.670 known to God, and the peace of God that passes 00:26:04.670 --> 00:26:07.569 all understanding will keep your hearts and minds 00:26:07.569 --> 00:26:12.589 through Christ Jesus. Jesus said in John 14, 00:26:13.029 --> 00:26:16.420 Let not your heart be troubled. Neither let it 00:26:16.420 --> 00:26:23.960 be afraid. He said, my peace I give to you. It's 00:26:23.960 --> 00:26:27.819 your peace. And you may enjoy it if the Holy 00:26:27.819 --> 00:26:30.539 Spirit is dominating your life and not the flesh. 00:26:32.859 --> 00:26:35.240 When he is dominating our lives and producing 00:26:35.240 --> 00:26:37.859 this fruit, then we will be what Matthew 5, 9 00:26:37.859 --> 00:26:42.200 calls a peacemaker. Blessed are the peacemakers, 00:26:42.299 --> 00:26:44.480 Jesus said, for they shall be called the sons 00:26:44.480 --> 00:26:48.880 of God. When we know this kind of fruit in our 00:26:48.880 --> 00:26:52.339 lives, then we can in turn be peacemakers with 00:26:52.339 --> 00:26:57.539 others. Not troublemakers, peacemakers. Not upsetters, 00:26:57.539 --> 00:27:00.960 peacemakers. Not heartbreakers, peacemakers. 00:27:02.400 --> 00:27:05.339 That is an indication that the Spirit of God 00:27:05.339 --> 00:27:07.920 is in control in our lives. When we're peacemakers. 00:27:08.650 --> 00:27:11.309 We're told by Peter, seek peace and pursue it. 00:27:11.730 --> 00:27:14.470 Paul said, if possible, so far as it depends 00:27:14.470 --> 00:27:20.890 on you, be at peace with all men. We can be at 00:27:20.890 --> 00:27:24.109 peace, beloved, when we accept God's sovereign 00:27:24.109 --> 00:27:29.569 hand in our lives. When we realize that even 00:27:29.569 --> 00:27:32.430 from our mistakes, God can bring forth good. 00:27:32.490 --> 00:27:38.539 Isn't that what Romans 8 .28 assures us? It is 00:27:38.539 --> 00:27:42.500 all things, even those bad things that I bring 00:27:42.500 --> 00:27:46.420 upon myself because of my own stupidity or mistakenness, 00:27:46.640 --> 00:27:50.059 all things work together for good to them that 00:27:50.059 --> 00:27:59.000 love God, to those who are His called. That's 00:27:59.000 --> 00:28:01.140 why Isaiah says what he does, that will keep 00:28:01.140 --> 00:28:04.819 him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on 00:28:04.819 --> 00:28:11.839 thee because he trusteth. How often our circumstances 00:28:11.839 --> 00:28:15.319 can lead us to anger and upset at bitterness 00:28:15.319 --> 00:28:19.200 or contention, but the fruit of the Spirit is 00:28:19.200 --> 00:28:26.940 peace. Jan Catron, a missionary wife and an MK, 00:28:27.240 --> 00:28:31.539 a missionary kid, wrote an article in the November 00:28:31.539 --> 00:28:35.720 -December issue of Horizons Magazine by Team 00:28:35.720 --> 00:28:40.319 Missions. In the article, she talks about the 00:28:40.319 --> 00:28:43.980 blessings of being an MK. If you ever thought 00:28:43.980 --> 00:28:47.460 about that, been concerned about it because of 00:28:47.460 --> 00:28:49.500 the possibility of missions in your life and 00:28:49.500 --> 00:28:51.720 what about your family and your children, you 00:28:51.720 --> 00:28:54.660 ought to read that article. Anyway, Jan Catron 00:28:54.660 --> 00:28:59.119 talks about a more recent event in her life. 00:29:00.099 --> 00:29:04.259 She says the Lord took Dad home to heaven in 00:29:04.259 --> 00:29:07.670 December 1983. Mom and Dad were on their way 00:29:07.670 --> 00:29:10.990 back to the U .S. for furlough. None of us children 00:29:10.990 --> 00:29:14.750 had seen them for three years. People have asked 00:29:14.750 --> 00:29:17.890 us how we felt about the Lord taking Dad before 00:29:17.890 --> 00:29:21.450 he got home to see us. Were we angry at God or 00:29:21.450 --> 00:29:23.970 bitter at Dad for not having been here with his 00:29:23.970 --> 00:29:27.450 kids and grandkids instead of some foreign country 00:29:27.450 --> 00:29:30.170 preaching the gospel and ministering to other 00:29:30.170 --> 00:29:34.630 families? No. There is the disappointment of 00:29:34.630 --> 00:29:37.849 unfulfilled reunions. There is a lonely ache 00:29:37.849 --> 00:29:41.029 in our hearts where we miss him deeply. But never 00:29:41.029 --> 00:29:43.650 have we felt that he should have been here instead 00:29:43.650 --> 00:29:47.490 of there. We are grateful to God for taking Dad 00:29:47.490 --> 00:29:51.230 without pain or suffering. We are grateful that 00:29:51.230 --> 00:29:53.609 his last year on the mission field was one of 00:29:53.609 --> 00:29:56.809 great joy and blessing and much fruit. We are 00:29:56.809 --> 00:29:59.630 delighted that he and Mom had four restful days. 00:29:59.759 --> 00:30:02.940 happy days alone together in Amsterdam and London 00:30:02.940 --> 00:30:07.660 before the Lord took him. And we are awed by 00:30:07.660 --> 00:30:10.640 the exceedingly abundant way in which the Lord 00:30:10.640 --> 00:30:14.119 has provided for Mom and the family. Dad never 00:30:14.119 --> 00:30:17.460 owned a house. He was concerned that when he 00:30:17.460 --> 00:30:19.579 died, he would not have much material wealth 00:30:19.579 --> 00:30:23.980 to leave Mom and us. However, we feel that he 00:30:23.980 --> 00:30:27.500 has left us the greatest inheritance a family 00:30:27.500 --> 00:30:30.730 could ever want. memories of many happy times 00:30:30.730 --> 00:30:36.309 together, a loving, godly example of self -sacrifice, 00:30:36.569 --> 00:30:39.970 obedience to the Lord and ministry to others, 00:30:40.470 --> 00:30:43.589 a faith that trusts God to provide our needs, 00:30:43.829 --> 00:30:47.069 and a hope and assurance that our inheritance 00:30:47.069 --> 00:30:50.509 is eternal and that we will all be reunited one 00:30:50.509 --> 00:30:53.910 day with Him before Christ. What more could we 00:30:53.910 --> 00:31:01.029 want? We are blessed. We are rich. How easily 00:31:01.029 --> 00:31:05.970 that MK could have been angry at God. How easily 00:31:05.970 --> 00:31:07.730 her heart could have been troubled and upset 00:31:07.730 --> 00:31:11.710 by her circumstances, not having seen Dad in 00:31:11.710 --> 00:31:15.190 three years, and then on his way home to see 00:31:15.190 --> 00:31:18.230 the family and grandkids he had never seen taken 00:31:18.230 --> 00:31:26.329 away. But her heart's at peace. Why? Because 00:31:26.329 --> 00:31:32.450 the fruit of the Spirit is peace. It has nothing 00:31:32.450 --> 00:31:36.049 to do with our circumstances. It's the work of 00:31:36.049 --> 00:31:39.690 God in our lives. What is God's work in your 00:31:39.690 --> 00:31:44.369 life today? Is the fruit of the Spirit joy and 00:31:44.369 --> 00:31:50.190 peace? Or is the work of the flesh something 00:31:50.190 --> 00:32:01.000 else? Let's pray. Heavenly Father, Thank you 00:32:01.000 --> 00:32:06.720 for the fruit of the Spirit. Thank you for confronting 00:32:06.720 --> 00:32:11.319 us. For Lord, so easily do we become dominated 00:32:11.319 --> 00:32:15.940 by the flesh that sometimes we don't even realize 00:32:15.940 --> 00:32:20.019 that we are. And we recognize that the flesh 00:32:20.019 --> 00:32:24.720 is religious and it will allow us to say the 00:32:24.720 --> 00:32:27.039 right things and to do the right things and to 00:32:27.039 --> 00:32:30.809 go to church. They go through the motions as 00:32:30.809 --> 00:32:35.930 long as there's no reality in it. And so often 00:32:35.930 --> 00:32:37.869 we're deceived into thinking that's what the 00:32:37.869 --> 00:32:41.750 Christian life is. Thank you for confronting 00:32:41.750 --> 00:32:45.529 us and telling us that the fruit of the Spirit 00:32:45.529 --> 00:32:49.250 is something else. That it's the real life of 00:32:49.250 --> 00:32:55.069 Jesus manifested in us supernaturally as we obey 00:32:55.069 --> 00:33:03.519 your word. Father, the works of the flesh may 00:33:03.519 --> 00:33:05.839 be evidenced in our lives today, and to whatever 00:33:05.839 --> 00:33:10.119 extent they are, expose them, so that we may 00:33:10.119 --> 00:33:15.359 repent of those, even the superficial religious 00:33:15.359 --> 00:33:20.259 good things of the flesh, and give ourselves 00:33:20.259 --> 00:33:27.500 afresh to you for your control. I pray that the 00:33:27.500 --> 00:33:31.299 fruit of the Spirit, which is love, joy, and 00:33:31.299 --> 00:33:35.079 peace, will be evidenced in the lives of each 00:33:35.079 --> 00:33:37.259 one of your children today.