Today we continue our series entitled, “Grace and Truth” by continuing to look at by continuing to look at The Law given under Moses vs. the Grace provided by Jesus. Our main scriptures are John 1:14 & 17. Let’s look at them again.
(John 1:14 New International Version)
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
(John 1:17 New International Version)
For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
In this series we studied Galatians 3, 4, and 5. In our last message we looked at Galatians 5:19-21, where the Apostle Paul made it clear that we are NOT to live in sin. Grace is not a license to sin. The grace of God empowers us to live FREE from sin. Let’s transition from the focus on sin, the fruit of the flesh, to the fruit of the Holy Spirit. Today we will look at verses 22 and 23.
(Galatians 5:22,23 The Passion Translation)
But the fruit produced by the Holy Spirit within you is divine love in all its varied expressions:
joy that overflows,
peace that subdues,
patience that endures,
kindness in action,
a life full of virtue,
faith that prevails,
gentleness of heart, and
strength of spirit.
Never set the law above these qualities, for they are meant to be limitless.
So what does this mean for you today? Afew things. Let’s get into it.
1. Many believers list love as one of the 9 fruits of the Holy Spirit. But I like the way The Passion Translation calls divine love The Holy Spirit and then lists the following 8 characteristics as fruit. Love is not something God has or something God does. Love is WHO God is. When you have God living on the inside of you, you have LOVE HIMSELF! Love is a person. That person is God! As you learn to discern the voice of the Holy Spirit and you begin to do what He leads you to do, people will experience the love of God (God Himself) when they come in contact with you.
2. God may be like lots of things and we can say that many things are like God. But there are only two things the Bible says God actually is. 1 John 4:8 tells us that God is love. 1 John 1:5 tells us that God is light. Once you are Born-Again you are walking around with divine love and light inside of you. The goal then is to die to self, so God’s love and light can be seen through you.
3. The 8 fruits of the Holy Spirit are actually divine expressions of God’s love. The Bible says, “But the fruit produced by the Holy Spirit within you is divine love in all its varied expressions:
joy that overflows,
peace that subdues,
patience that endures,
kindness in action,
a life full of virtue,
faith that prevails,
gentleness of heart, and
strength of spirit.
Never set the law above these qualities, for they are meant to be limitless.” (Galatians 5:22,23 TPT). God gave you His Spirit and His grace so the fruit of the Holy Spirit can be produced IN you and then emanate FROM you. Read the fruit of the Holy Spirit. Now think about this: these are the fruits your life is supposed to produce. This is the way you are supposed to live.
4. In a book talking about the grace of God, the Apostle Paul teaches us about the fruit of the flesh and the fruit of the Holy Spirit. His point is that God has given us the grace to live free from the fruit of the flesh (sin), and to produce the fruit of the Holy Spirit daily. As you are led of God’s Spirit today and this week, you should have “joy that overflows, peace that subdues, patience that endures, kindness that can be seen in action, a life full of virtue on display, faith that prevails/overcomes, gentleness of heart, and strength of spirit.” These are not things you have to attempt to muster up or generate on your own. These things should be natural to you. They are the fruit of the Holy Spirit. They are the fruit the Holy Spirit produces as He is living inside of you. As you learn to hear God’s voice and as you develop the discipline required to actually DO what He leads you to do, your life will produce this fruit and it will be evident to everyone. People who knew you before will be amazed at how God has transformed your life. When they come in contact with you, they will come in contact with Him. People will hear Jesus in your words. They will feel Jesus in your embrace. They will sense Jesus when they are dealing with you. This is the “grace and truth” Jesus died to usher us into. This is not how the people of the Old Testament lived. They did not have the Holy Spirit living inside of them. We do! Now it’s time to let Him out!
That’s enough for today.
Declaration of Faith:
Father, I thank You for teaching me about Your amazing grace. I am Born-Again. I have Your Spirit living inside of me. Your Spirit produces Your fruit! So I declare that Your love is expressed in, with and through my life in many ways. I have joy that overflows, peace that subdues, patience that endures, kindness that can be seen in action, a life full of virtue, faith that prevails/overcomes, gentleness of heart, and strength of spirit. This is how I live. I die to me, so You can live through me. As I do, Your fruit is produced IN ME and it emanates FROM ME! I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen!
This is Today’s Word. Apply it and prosper!
