Galatians 5:22

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

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, good morning! Can I tell you about a personal favorite of mine? Now, a lot of you have been going to Fourth of July picnics and celebrations, and I have, too. And I tell you, if there is one thing that I love to see, it's a great big bowl of fruit salad on the table. Isn't that a wonderful sight? That's a real treat for me, and maybe it is for you, too, to see a bowl of strawberries and blueberries and golden pineapple and banana and maybe some apple and orange in an ice-cold bowl. Isn't that a wonderful thing? Have I made you all hungry yet?

That fruit nourishes us, and helps us and sustains us and refreshes us. It's a blessing, and it's a symbol of the abundance of God. And friend, today I'd like to talk to you about an inner fruit, the fruit of the Holy Spirit. It's available for you, for each one of us. And Paul talks about it in our Scripture reading this morning.

Well, I tell you, the fruit of the Spirit is multiple, and they are: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and self-control. We've been studying about the fruit of the Spirit in our Vacation Bible School this week. And I'd like to invite all of you to be part of the Vacation Bible School experience. So won't you learn the fruit of the Spirit with me? Love. Joy. Peace. Patience. Kindness. Goodness. Faithfulness. Self-Control.

Friends, I don't know what you came to church with this morning. I don't know what kind of week you faced, or what kind of two weeks you faced. Maybe they've been great! Maybe they've been full of celebration and joy, family happiness, personal satisfaction, and no stress. On the other hand, maybe not. But I have a prayer for you, that you would go forth from this place refreshed and strengthened and renewed, not by a bowl of physical fruit, but by the fruit of the Holy Spirit. My prayer for you is that you would go forth filled with at least the first three. Won't you say them with me again? Love, joy, and peace.

You know, the kind of love that the apostle is talking about is the love called agape. It's love that understands, love that forgives, love that's able to let go of the wrong stuff, love that's able to love in a big way, as God loves. That's the kind of love that Paul is talking about.

My first prayer for you is that you would accept God's love for you. Would you say this with me? "I accept God's love." My prayer is that God's love would wash over your heart and fill you with a new kind of strength. This church, was filled with love this week. I wish all of you could have seen the joy on the faces of the children and the volunteers as they came to this place. They were accepted and embraced and cared about, in the name of the Lord Jesus. God's love was abundant here this week. And my first prayer for you is that you would simply accept and enjoy this fruit of the Spirit, this love of God.

And the second one is joy. "I accept God's joy." Whatever it is that you've been through this week, if you've been through a rough time, may you be transformed by the joy of God. You know, the word that's used for joy is the kind of joy that comes from faith, the kind of joy that comes from religion, from the spiritual experience. It's not the kind of joy that comes from the outside world, and certainly not the kind that comes from competition or defeat of someone else. It's the joy that comes from the Holy Spirit of God. My prayer for you is that you would accept that fruit of God's joy.

I wish you could have seen the children out on the front lawn, playing and enjoying water games, enjoying each other. Child after child that I heard from this week was saying, "I don't want to go home. I don't want this to end." I was driving Dylan home on Thursday from Bible School, and he was said, "I'm sure going to miss my Bible School. Why does it have to end so soon?" Maybe you've heard comments like that, too.

It's joy that comes from God, and that's what's been happening here this week. I pray that as you exit, you'll spend some time looking at that beautiful tree that the children and the teachers constructed. See the symbols of love and joy that are on there. May you accept God's joy.

Third, God's peace. When the apostle Paul uses the word peace, he doesn't mean just the absence of war, the absence of conflict. It is the kind of peace that means a settled, secure existence. May you accept God's peace. May you accept and enjoy the fruit that comes from the Holy Spirit.

Finally, in order to have it or if you need to have more of it, give it away. If you need to have more love or joy or peace, give it away. May your affirmation be, "I share God's love. I share God's joy. I share God's peace." I want to celebrate each and every one of you who was here this week, blessing children and helping each other. Know these fruits of the Holy Spirit, and may they be yours as you share them one with another. My prayer for you is that you would go forth from this place, enjoying the fruit that comes from the Holy Spirit. Say them with me again once: The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and self-control. May they be yours in abundance, and yours to share, because God loves you. I do, too. Have a blessed week. Amen.