The Fruit of the Spirit
Theme: The Holy Spirit
Theme Verse: "'Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit', says the LORD of Hosts." Zechariah 4:6
Readings: Galatians 5:13-26 and Luke 6:43-45
Optional: John 15:1-17
Memory Verse: "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control." Galatians 5:22-23b
Paul is writing to new Christians about how to walk by the Spirit of God, how to live in and by the Holy Spirit. We receive new life through Jesus and the Holy Spirit but we have to make a daily choice to walk by the Spirit and abide (live, stay put) in Jesus. We remain living in Jesus and let him live in us by doing (obeying) what he tells us. This will produce results (fruit) that glorifies God and points to Jesus. There is no other way. See theme verse for the year. Word received: I want My people to turn to Me for what only I can supply--My Spirit for daily living.
Look at Galatians. God wants us to have freedom in Christ to live as He created us to live, not misusing our freedom to indulge our sinful nature. Word received: When you know and follow Me, you are truly free. God wants us to use the new life and freedom Christ gives to serve one another with agape love. [Agape love is not a feeling but a choice. It is a love that does what is best for the other person. It is the kind of love God the Father and Jesus had when Jesus came to live as one of us and die and rise for us. 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 lists what agape love is like.]
Paul says in Galatians (vs.13-14) that the law, the commandments of God are fulfilled in loving with agape love and serving each other. If we do the opposite we can hurt and destroy each other! That is what happens when we don't serve and love one another. Word received: By serving, you are pointing to Me. I want your fruit to always point to Me. Word received: I want what you do to lead others to Me. When you live your lives in the fruit of My Spirit, then others will be drawn to Me.
Reread the fruit of the Spirit (vs.22-23a). Word received: You cannot have the fruit unless you plant a seed that will grow. What are you doing to plant and grow the fruit of My Spirit? I want you to make a list of the seeds that you plant each day. Offer these seeds to Me for My blessing. The seeds are love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self control.
"I say then: walk in the Spirit" (vs.16). Word received: This is the way to daily cultivate a life in My Spirit and the fruit of the Spirit.
Fruit does not develop overnight. It grows from a seed or on a tree that has been cared for over time. The seeds we sow day by day determine the results--the fruit. Apples and grapes have seeds in them that will produce more of the same if they are cared for.
Notice the contrast between the works of the flesh/sinful human nature (vs.19-21) and the fruit of the Spirit of God working in us. The works of the sinful nature are the result of the choices we make to indulge that sinful nature. The result of daily living/choosing to live according to our sinful nature is that we won't inherit God's Kingdom! However if we have asked Jesus to live in us and fall into sin, and then repent, God will forgive and restore us, but the bad fruit will still have consequences. As Christians we have the power of the Holy Spirit available to us but we have to daily choose to walk in it. We have to daily choose to remain living in Jesus and his Spirit.
Compare the works of sin and the fruits of the Spirit. Are some of them opposites? Word received: Make a choice everyday to walk in My Spirit. There is true freedom. "If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit (vs.25). Word received: Life is a choice you can make. (Deuteronomy 30:19) I want you to choose life. I want you to walk in My Spirit.
Now look at the John 15:1-17 passage for a different perspective on bearing fruit. Bearing good fruit results from being attached to the true vine -- Jesus. God the Father is the gardener who tends the vine and its branches. When branches do not bear fruit he removes them and he prunes the one that do bear fruit. Wild grapevines or ones that are not pruned have very few and small grapes and lots and lots of showy leaves. Pruning doesn't hurt the vine (though it looks like it) but actually helps it bear more and better fruit.
Jesus says we have to abide/remain living/stay attached to him to bear the fruit we were created to bear. The life comes to the branch through the vine. Jesus says, "Apart from Me you can do nothing." Branches that do not remain attached also wither. Part of the way we stay living in Jesus is to keep/obey what he tells us. That is the way Jesus lives/abided in the Father's love by obeying/doing exactly what the Father told him during his earthly life. (John 8:28-29) "I do nothing on my own authority but speak thus as the Father taught me. And he who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what is pleasing to him."
Jesus wants us to do/obey what he tells us in order to live in him. "You are my friend if you practice what I command you". (vs.14) This is what God the Father, the one who cares for the Vine and branches wants. He has "appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide" so that God will be glorified. (vs.5)
Now look at Luke 6. Jesus talks about testing fruit, knowing a good 'tree" from a bad one by the fruit/results that come from it. If we want to know if something a person is teaching or doing is good we are told to test the fruit, whether it is good or bad. Jesus did tell us not to judge others but he DID tell us we are to test, to examine what a person does, the fruit of the person's life, whether it is good or bad. As Bishop Dan used to say, We are called to be fruit inspectors. God wants us to discern by his Spirit whether something is good or bad. Word received: You test the tree by testing its fruit. Look at the evidence, look at the deeds. Don't just listen to the words of others. Word received: To test the fruit, you ask Me and I will tell you the truth. We can ask Jesus to help us see clearly whether the fruit of something or someone is good or not.
(Testing: The first test is always whether or not it agrees with Scripture. If it does then we have to have God's help in discerning whether it is from him or not.)
Teaching Ideas for Lesson 09
Please read the Study Guide first. Go over Memory Verse to make sure the children understand it and then if they have memorized it.
Remind them their parents need to sign a report slip monthly if they have read the lessons, so they will get credit at the end of the year.
Make sure they know what happened in the story. Get them to tell you.
Basic points of the lesson for little ones:
1 What are the fruit/fruits of the Spirit of God? Can you get grapes from a thorn bush? What we plant is what grows. If we plant seeds (actions) of temper tantrums or being mean to others, what will grow? Seeds of the fruit of the Spirit always grow good, sweet fruit.
2. Ask the kids what love looks like (God's love(agape)--not feelings)? What does the fruit of kindness look like? etc.
3.What happens to a branch of an apple tree or grape vine that is broken off? Does it grow fruit? In the same way we have to stay attached to Jesus (by talking to him (prayer) and obeying him every day if we want to grow the "fruit of the Spirit" in our lives.
4. God can help us when nobody else can. He will help us to grow the fruit of the Spirit (name it) if we ask for his help, his Holy Spirit, every day. God can also help us to stop planting bad seeds too.
5. Even when we have the Holy Spirit living in us, we still have to choose to listen and obey God each day.
Object lessons: some spoiled fruit and some good fruit. Also consider planting some seeds and watching them grow this year.
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