ÿþ <html> <head> <title>Welcome to First United Methodist Church, El Dorado, AR,  A Christian s Character; the Spirit s Fruit Part 1 - Love </title><!--- July 4, 2010 --> <meta name="description" content="First United Methodist church, El Dorado, AR, FUMC, F.U.M.C. First Church, First Methodist, Methodist John Wesley, Methodist, United Methodist Youth, United Methodist women" /> <meta name="keywords" content="First United Methodist church, El Dorado, AR, FUMC, F.U.M.C. 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Hill Street, El Dorado, AR 71730&nbsp; </font></DIV> </TD> </TR> </TABLE></TD> <TR> <td width="20%" valign="bottom"> <tr valign="top"> <td> <div align="center"> <table width="800" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" bgcolor="#000000" align="center"> <!----- center white area table code----------------> <tr valign="top" bgcolor="#FFFFFF"> <td width="15%" height="85" bgcolor="#f5eacc"> <div align="center"> <table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="right"> <tr bgcolor="#FFFFFF" valign="top"> <td height="2"> <div align="center"> <table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" background="/graphix/faded.jpg"> <tr> <td> <div align="center"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> </tr> <!--------------------- left nav bar ------------> <table width="100%" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tr><td><br><br></td></tr> <tr align="left"><td> <font color="#000000" face="CAC futura casual" size="3"><b><a href="/staff.html">Ministry Staff</a><br><br> <a href="/Events_Announcements.html">Coming Events<BR> Announcements</a><br><br> <a href="/AboutUs.html">About Us</a><br><br> <a href="/Activities.html">Activities</a><br><br> <a href="/SS.html">Sunday School</a><br><br> <a href="/sermons.html">Sermons</a><br><br> <a href="/Music.html">Music Ministry</a><br><br> <a href="/Kindergarten.html">Kindergarten</a><BR><br> <a href="/Ithappened.html">It Happened</a><br><br> <a href="/Memorials.html">In Memoriam</a><br><br> <a href="/links.html">Links</a><br><br> <a href="/contact.html">Contact Us</a><br><br> <a href="/index.html">Home</a></b></font><BR> <tr><td align=center><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br> <br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br> <br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br> <br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br> <br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br> <br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br> <img src="/graphix/taupeflame.jpg"></td></tr> </table></td> </tr> </table> </table> <br> </div> </td> <td width="66%" height="65"> <div align="center"> <!----------------------- MAIN CONTENT ----------------------> <table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tr> <td valign="top" colspan="2"> <td width="600"> <div align="left"> <br><br><br> <p align="left"> <img hspace="5" src="/graphix/united-methodist-church-h60.jpg" align="left" vspace="5" border="0"><br> <font face="verdana" color="#003300" size="4"><b>  A Christian s Character; the Spirit s Fruit </b></font><br><br> <p align=center><font face="verdana" size="3"><b> Part 1 - Love</font><BR> <font face="verdana" size="2"> Galatians 5:16-26</b> </font></p></center> <p align="left"><font face="verdana" size="2"> I love figs. I understand that saying that may make some of you question my sanity. It s true, however: I love figs. That makes what is going on all the more cruel. My neighbor has a gorgeous fig tree in his side yard right by our front yard. It is about seven feet tall and seven feet wide, and at this very moment it is filled with green figs soon to ripen. The very thought makes my mouth drool. </font></p> <p align="left"><font face="verdana" size="2"> Several years ago Patty and I planted a fig tree in our yard about ten feet from their tree, figuring that what works for one would surely work for the other. However, even though our tree seems to be in a great location, it is still little more than a stick with a few leaves - and no figs! I look at the one tree drooping with fruit, living up to its name, and I look to the other tree barely recognizable, and it is sad. </font></p> <p align="left"><font face="verdana" size="2"> I don t like that part of the yard. </font></p> <p align="left"><font face="verdana" size="2"> Throughout the New Testament the picture of fruit trees was used to describe the life of Christians, as we are urged time and time again to look at the fruit that a believer is producing to determine the health of their spiritual tree. You know: good fruit, good tree, bad fruit, bad tree. </font></p> <p align="left"><font face="verdana" size="2"> In Galatians Chapter 5 Paul suggested the kind of fruit - results - we should begin to see in our lives when we allow the Holy Spirit to have control. These are nine characteristics that will begin to be exhibited in the life of every Spirit-filled Christian. Vs.22-23 says, <b><i> But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. </b></i> The fruit of the Spirit are those Christ-like qualities that make us look like him. When we allow ourselves be planted in a long-term relationship with Jesus, and nurture that relationship day in and day out, year in and year out, the result is that we begin to bear the fruit of the Spirit, the marks of Christ s character. We begin to look like Jesus. </font></p> <p align="left"><font face="verdana" size="2"> Before we look today at the first of these characteristics, let me point out a few general thoughts about the fruit of the Spirit. <b>First, the fruit of the Spirit is NOT something to choose between.</b> The fruit of the Spirit is not some sort of spiritual potluck or buffet where you pick and choose what you want in your life.  I ll have a little of that love, some kindness, and a few parcels of peace, but none of that self-control, thank you. I don t get into that so much. God may choose to add more qualities to our lives, but God will not allow us to leave any of these out. If the Spirit of God is working in you, all of these characteristics will begin to show in your life. If they do not, take that as a sign that you are not allowing God to work fully in you. </font></p> <p align="left"><font face="verdana" size="2"><b> Second, the fruit of the Spirit does NOT have to look the same in all people.</b> The fruit of the Spirit is Christ s character taking shape in the one-and-only me. That s going to look different from the same fruit taking shape in the one-and-only you. God is an amazing gardener who loves to take the raw ingredients of my life - my family history, my temperament, my strengths and my weaknesses - to produce fruit that fits me. It s pointless to try to figure out what God is doing in my life by watching what God is doing in yours. The fruit may be the same, but it may express itself differently in each of us. </font></p> <p align="left"><font face="verdana" size="2"><b> Third, the fruit of the Spirit is NOT all up to me.</b> It s not my job to single-handedly produce these qualities in my life, nor is it yours. It is the Holy Spirit s job to produce the fruit, and the fact is that only the Spirit of God in us can. Remember the fig tree in my front yard? It wouldn t do much good for me to stand in front of that spindly thing and shout,  Bear fruit! Produce figs! For the same reason, I don t plan to spend the next eight weeks in this sermon series shouting at you Sunday after Sunday,  Try harder! Be more loving! Be more joyful! Be more peaceful and patient! and all the rest. This will not be a self-improvement sermon series. </font></p> <p align="left"><font face="verdana" size="2"> Indeed, part of that good news for today is that the fruit of the Spirit doesn t come from our self-improvement efforts, but rather from letting Jesus Christ work in us - the One who said, <b> Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing </b> (Jn.15:5) It s up to God to grow his fruit in our lives. That is part of the covenant god makes with us: If we allow him to live in us, he will transform our character into the likeness of Christ. The result will be fruit - love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. The character of Christ. </font></p> <p align="left"><font face="verdana" size="2"> With that, let s move to the first characteristic of a Spirit-filled Christian that is mentioned: love. We throw the word  love around to mean almost anything. However, Paul specifically used the Greek word  Agape or God-like love. Anyone can learn to love a friend or a family member or a pet or a spouse. What the Spirit of God does, however, is to help us love all of them the way God does. That s why I say: you cannot love the way a Christian should without the Spirit of God in your life. </font></p> <p align="left"><font face="verdana" size="2"> One of the greatest descriptions of this agape love that should be in each of us is given in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8. <b> Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. </b> </font></p> <p align="left"><font face="verdana" size="2"> Most of you are familiar with that passage. Let s try looking at it a different way. We know that God is love; it is God who defines what love is. The New Testament is also clear that the way that God most clearly displayed his love for us was to become one of us and give his life for us. Jesus was love personified. If that is so, then we should be able to see the character of Christ reflected in 1 Corinthians 13. Let s try. Here s 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 again, but with the word  love changed to  Jesus.  Jesus is patient and kind. He isn t envious or boastful or proud. Jesus isn t rude or self-seeking, is not easily angered, and keeps no record of wrongs. He doesn t delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. He always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Jesus never fails. What do you think? Does that work? Of course it does. God is love, Jesus is God, therefore Jesus is love and all the characteristics of love will apply to him. Let s take it one step further now. What is a Christian? Are we not supposed to be followers of Christ? Would it be fair to say that Christians are to be like Christ? Let s go back to 1 Corinthians 13, change  Christ to  Christian and see how it reads. </font></p> <p align="left"><font face="verdana" size="2"><i>  Christians are patient and kind. We aren t envious or boastful or proud. Christians aren t rude or self-seeking, are not easily angered, and keep no record of wrongs. We don t delight in evil but rejoice with the truth. We always protect, always trust, always hope, always persevere. Christians never fail. </i> </font></p> <p align="left"><font face="verdana" size="2"> Hmmm. That doesn t fit us as a church so well, does it? Let s take it one final level and put our own names in this passage. <i>Jim is patient and kind. He isn t envious or boastful or proud. He isn t rude or self-seeking, is not easily angered, and keeps no record of wrongs. Jim doesn t delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. He always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Jim never fail. </i> </font></p> <p align="left"><font face="verdana" size="2"> I know better than anyone that doesn t fit well. Jesus was God, with the Spirit working in him perfectly, so this description of love fits him perfectly. For the rest of us, however, only God s Spirit can make the match in us. <b> Love is from God, </b> John reminds us. From God. Let s turn to God then this morning, and thank God for loving us so completely. Let s ask God to fully develop his love in us and in our congregation, so that love will define us as surely as it defines Christ. </font></p> <p align="left"><font face="verdana" size="2"> In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen. </font></p> <br><br> </td> </tr> </table> </td> </tr> </table></td> </tr> </table> <TABLE width=800 border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <TR bgcolor="#d8d2d8"> <TD width=800 valign="baseline" bgcolor="#d8d2d8" align=right> <!--- beige F2F2E6 ----> <font face="verdana" color="#000000" size="1"> This site designed and maintained by <a href="http://www.hipdogwebdesign.com">HipDog Web Design&reg;</a><br> Copyright 2005. All Rights Reserved.</TD> <TD width="19%">&nbsp;</TD> </TR> </TABLE> </td> </tr> </table> </body> </html>