Sept 19th, 2020: Fruit of the Holy Spirit

 

SERMON - the Holy Spirit produces fruit in our lives | The Church of Scotland

 

 

I was so happy that my raspberry bushes finally produce some fruits. I was about to give up on the idea of having any this summer. It was indeed a late corp. But it is better later than never. 


One of the main aspects of the Christian life is to manifest the fruit of the Holy Spirit. What are they? Here is the list in Galatians 5: 22-23.


"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things, there is no law."


When we ponder on these verses, we realize that some of the fruit is late arriving in our life. Some has not yet shown up.


We are struggling to love ourselves properly and then fail to love God and others. 


Joy is an illusion for us sometimes. It is something to receive and not find. We cannot feel joy because of our burden for the world. 


We are not able to find peace within our hearts because we fight against God's desire for us.

 

We cannot live in peace with our neighbors because of our jealous and envious heart. 


We hate the idea of being patient. Waiting for God to answer prayers and waiting for others to discover God can be an exhausting experience. We still need to learn how to wait for God and others in hope, confidence, and expectation.


Kindness is different from niceness. I have come to believe that Canadian culture today is a nice one but not necessarily a kind one. Being kind is to know what is beneficial for the other person according to God's plan and offer help before being asked.


Goodness is about being with God in our interactions with one another. It is to be God's presence in each other's life.


Faithfulness is the root of all comfort and care. God is faithful in the way He cares for us. In it, we show our support and encouragement to one another.


A gentle heart is a heart that brings healing to those who are lost and overwhelmed. Gentleness is a language of restoration. It opens the door to repentance at times.


Lastly, self-control is the one that anchors all of the fruit of the Holy Spirit. It will help us to be godly in loving, to discern pure joy, to be disciplined in seeking peace, to persevere in being patient, to exercise kindness with commitment, to embrace goodness steadfastly, to be faithful in the face adversity, and to interact with others with gentleness.


Many of this fruit has not been ripe in the season of my Christian life. God will be ecstatic when that happens. Once again, it is better late than never.

 

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