was asked for a copy of the sermon i prepared for the villages so here it is for my friends supporters and friends to read!
FRUITS
So anyone that knows me knows that my favorite thing in the world to eat is fruit. I mean other than ice-cream but that’s beside the point. I love all fruit; apples, pineapples, bananas, mangos! One of my favorite things about Asia actually is the convenience of walking to the corner and being able to buy all different kinds of fruit whenever you want! You can mix them all together in a blender and have a fruit shake.. they all compliment each other and taste really good together. They are also perfect for all times of the day.. You can have fruit for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, or as a snack. You can make it sweet with chocolate or salty and spicy with chili. I really think God put a lot of time and care into making fruit.
Lets read Galatians 5:22-23 But the holy spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives; love, joy peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control.
I don’t think it is by coincidence that these are called fruits. All of these character traits are useful at all times. They are good. They make any situation better. They also compliment each other well.. You can do all of them at the same time. They aren’t always the easiest way to act but when we allow God into our lives and give him all that we are these traits will flow naturally.
Romans 8:5-6 says “Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the holy spirit think about things that please the spirit. So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the spirit control your mind leads to life and peace.”
I have come up with six key parts to drawing closer to God and allowing His spirit into your life so that you can naturally produce these kinds of fruits.
Forgiveness
Repent and resist
Understanding
Imitation
Trust
Surrender
Forgiveness- Such an important component of your new life with Jesus. You have to forgive others just as Jesus has but you also have to forgive yourself for all of your past sins. For you are a new creation in God and your past is already forgiven by Him.
Mark 11:25 But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your father in heaven will forgive your sins.
If you hold a grudge against someone and you let it grow inside, who is that hurting? Do you think the person that did wrong to you is sitting around dwelling on the fact that you haven’t forgiven them? Not likely.. So you are only keeping yourself from drawling closer to God if you hold on to these thoughts.
So we have Forgiveness, next we
Repent and resist
1 John 1 8-10 But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. If we claim we have not sinned we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts.
Confess your wrongs to Jesus and then resist the temptation to do these things again
James 4:7 says “So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” The more you say yes to God and no to satan the easier it gets and the less satan tries the same ways. Not to say that Satan wont use other methods or wont remember your weaknesses but at least you will be prepared. Ephesians 6:11 “Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil.”
Repentance comes from a pure heart.. You have to truly desire to confess your sins to him and walk in a new path. The only way to repent from a pure heart is to know the sacrifice that Jesus made for us when he died on the cross. The shedding of His blood was the ultimate sacrifice that allows us to have a clean slate and a pure heart. Without knowing this, all the steps are useless. So first forgiveness, second repent. Next we have to
Understand
Make sure you understand who God is and what he has done for you. Know his traits. In 1 John 4:16 it says “God is love and all who live in love, live in God” so we know that God is love.
Now lets read 1 Corinthians 13 4-7 that says “love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demands its own way. It is not irritable and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices when ever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful and endures through every circumstance.
Now lets read it replacing the word love with God.
God is patient and kind. God is not irritable and he keeps no record of being wronged. He does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. God never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful and endures though every circumstance.”
This is just a small glimpse into the character of God. The only way to truly understand Him and know his traits is to read His word. That is the only way to truly know what God is saying to us. His scripture can be comforting but can also be used as a weapon. Remember when Jesus fasted for 40 days and satan tried to tempt him, He used scripture as his weapon. We can also use God’s word to uplift and encourage our friends, family members, and even strangers. It has power and can breath life into anyone. So understanding Gods word is so important along with forgiveness and repentance. Now we should
Imitate
We should strive to live the life that Jesus did. To imitate him in all that we do. Ephesians 5 1-2 “Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ’s.” I don’t know if you all have heard the phrase WWJD? But in USA they make these bracelets and on the bracelets it has the letters WWJD and it means what would Jesus do? I think it is such a great idea to ask ourselves that question in everything that we say or do. It can sometimes be hard to make certain decisions but if we remember to put Jesus in that situation and see what he would do it can help guide our actions. So what do we have so far?- forgive, repent, understand, imitate- whats next?
Trust
We need to trust God for everything. Trust that he will protect us, keep us safe. That he will provide shelter for us, give us food to eat. Even the air we breath. Without trust in God we would live a very worrisome life. Jesus says in John 14 1 ‘Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. “ God is our creator, and our father. Wouldn’t we trust our creator and father to protect us and take after us? If we have one person that we can trust in our lives wouldn’t that be the one? God is good and wants the best for us so if we continuously seek his face and trust in him he will provide all our daily needs. Having trust in him makes it so much easier to get through the tough times. Without trust we can’t fully
Surrender
Ahh finally fully surrendering to the one and only God, our father. Doesn’t that make you feel lighter already? Can you imagine just surrendering everything to him, all your fears, your doubts, your worries.. Wouldn’t life be so much easier. Surrendering your broken hearts., all your failures, the lies people have told to you. Surrender it all to him and let Him regain control of your life because its His to control anyways. I don’t know about you guys but I think I’d prefer to not have to worry about these things anyways. If God already knows our hopes and dreams and wants what is best for us don’t you believe and trust in Him to do all He cans to make that happen?
So review- First we must forgive, then we repent, then start understanding his word, imitate him, trust him and surrender all we have to him. Then we can live in his promise to us.
Psalm 23 The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need. He let’s me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams. He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name. even when I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me. You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies. You honor me by anointing my head with oil My cup overflows with blessings. Surely you goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life and I will live in the house of the Lord forever.
Is this the life you would like to live? I want you to take a look at yourself and your hearts and ask yourselves.. “Have I surrendered all that I am to God? Have I asked him to forgive me for all I‘ve done? Do I repent from my sins and resist falling into temptation again? Do I continue to read His word to understand more of who He his? Do I strive daily to imitate the life that Jesus did? Am I trusting God with all that I have? ” I hope that if you haven’t done these things that you do it right now. Ask the Lord to come into you life and take complete control. He is patiently waiting.. If you have questions or are excited to learn more I encourage you to reach out to your local pastor.
