Tag: Holy Spirit

Is God A Kill-Joy?

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Many people think that God is some kind of cosmic kill-joy, but NOTHING could be further from the truth. The truth is, God is the happiest being in the universe! C.S. Lewis said “joy is the serious business of Heaven.” Joy is one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit. Luke 10:21 tells us that “…Jesus, (was) full of joy through the Holy Spirit” and we can be also.

God is the happiest being in the universe!

Keep in mind that joy and happiness are not the same. You can be happy without being a Christian, but only a Christian can experience the joy spoken about in the Bible. You can be happy when . . . 

  • You make good grades.
  • Your team wins the Regional Tournament.
  • You get engaged.
  • Your baby is born healthy.
  • You get a promotion at work.
  • Your checkup goes well.
  • Your portfolio is doing well.

Happiness is not wrong or bad, but happiness depends upon happenings! Happiness depends upon circumstances and is temporary at best. On the other hand, joy transcends circumstances and is eternal. You can be full of joy, even when . . . 

  • Your grades disappoint you.
  • Your team doesn’t play well.
  • Your relationship ends.
  • Your baby has health challenges.
  • You lose your job.
  • The doctor says, “I’m sorry, but it’s cancer.”
  • The market crashes.

Walk closely with the Lord as a believer and experience His amazing joy! Jesus desires that our joy is “complete.” God is full of joy and the Holy Spirit desires to produce the fruit of joy in our lives each day.

If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.  John 15:10-11

 

Love is FIRST!

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But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,  gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.  Galatians 5:22-23

Recently I’ve been preaching a sermon series on the fruit of the Holy Spirit from Galatians 5. When I addressed the fruit of love, one of my points was that “love is first on the list.” After a casual reading of the text, you might be tempted to say “duh.” “Brother Steve, that’s so obvious! You went to seminary for that? And don’t you have a doctorate?” Look, I know it’s listed first, but it’s not just listed first, it IS first.

“It’s not just listed first, it IS first!”

In the New American Commentary, Timothy George wrote, “It is significant that love heads the list of these nine graces of the Christian life. Paul might well have placed a period after love and moved on into the conclusion of his letter, for love is not merely ‘first among equals’ in this listing but rather the source and fountain from which all of the other graces flow.’”

3 Key Conclusions about LOVE:

God is love. 1 John 4:7-8 teaches this marvelous truth. “Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.  Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.” 1 John 4:7-8   

The Holy Spirit is God. The Holy Spirit is mentioned by name is the second verse of the Bible and referenced in the first verse because He is part of the Trinity. He fully participated in the creation of the world. “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.” Genesis 1:1-2

The Holy Spirit is love. Since God is love and since the Holy Spirit is God, the Holy Spirit is love. He wants to produce the fruit of love in our lives above everything else. He wants to produce a love for God, a love for fellow believers, and a love for those who are lost without Christ.

Love is FIRST on God’s list. Is love first on our list and first in our lives? When we’re full of the Holy Spirit, the answer to both those questions will be YES!

    6 Truths about the Holy Spirit

    Posted in Church Chat, Church Revitalization, Deacon, Discipleship, Leadership, Ministry, Preaching, WorshipLeave a comment

    After serving as a pastor in Southern Baptist churches over the last quarter of a century, I find that the average Southern Baptist is largely unfamiliar with the person and work of the Holy Spirit. As a result, let’s consider six foundational truths about the Holy Spirit:

    6 Foundational Truths about the Holy Spirit

    1. The Holy Spirit is God. The Holy Spirit was there in the beginning. He was part of the Trinity as everything was created. Genesis says, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters” (Genesis 1:1-2).
    2. The Holy Spirit is a person. Throughout the Bible, the Holy Spirit is referred to as “He or Him.” In John 14:16-17, Jesus said, “….I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever– the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.”
    3. The Holy Spirit plays a key role in salvation. (John 16:8-11)
    4. The Holy Spirit dwells in each believer. Jesus said, “….the Spirit of truth….he lives with you and will be in you” (John 14:16-17). Paul asked, “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).
    5. The Holy Spirit is given to us as a deposit. What a glorious truth! The Holy Spirit is God’s down payment indicating that He is good for the rest! Hallelujah! “Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come” (2 Corinthians 5:5).
    6. The Holy Spirit produces fruit in the believer. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law” (Galatians 5:22-23).

    I personally believe that the greatest evidence that we are truly believers is the fruit of Spirit. If we have the Spirit as a deposit then we are, without a doubt, a true Christian. If we are genuine Christians who are in fellowship with God, then we will bear the fruit of the Spirit in our lives.