TOPIC — THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT: JOY AND PEACE [SUNDAY, 10TH DECEMBER 2017]
OPENING PRAYER:
Father, Let the church experience joy and peace through this lesson.
BIBLE PASSAGE: James 3:13-18
13 Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom.
14 But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth.
15 This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish.
16 For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.
17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.
18 And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.
MEMORY VERSE: Romans: 14:17: For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.
LESSON INTRODUCTION:
Literally, the ‘Fruit of the Spirit’ is the what happens when the Holy Spirit indwells a believer. The ‘fruit’ is the product of the Holy Spirit’s cultivation of character in a heart. Gal5:22-23 describes what that fruit looks like. The second and third characteristics listed are joy and peace respectively. We are to submit our wills to God’s leading and our actions to God’s word, but the actual results are up to Him. Only God can give true joy and create peace through the work of the Holy Spirit.
TEXT REVIEW: James 3:13-18
James 3:13-18 identifies two categories of wisdom: the earthly wisdom and the wisdom which is from above. The wisdom which is from above i.e true wisdom has the following characteristics:
1. Produces good conversation. James 3:3a
2. Meekness James 3:13b
3. Purity James 3:17
4. Peaceable James 3:17
5. Gentle James 3:17
6. Easy to be entreated James 3:17
7. Full of Mercy James 3:17
8. Good fruits James 3:17
9. Sincerity and justice James 3:17
10. Truth James 3:17.
Believers who allow the Holy Spirit to manifest the above-stated fruits in their lives will experience various categories of joy and peace on every side. However the worldly wisdom carries the red signal of:
1. Bitterness, envy and strife in the hearts. James 3:14
2. Shame and lies. James 3:14
3. Sensual and devilish tendencies James 3:15
4. Confusion and evil work. James 3:16
The carrier of these inglorious attributes of the flesh and the devil can never experience joy. They will rather experience sorrow and war. James 4:1 states that war and fighting comes from list i.e from the father of lust, the devil. Peace comes from the Holy Spirit. James 3:17
LESSON OUTLINE 1: JOY
i. Greek word for joy is ‘Chara’
ii. Joy is an expression of gladness to the fulfilled promises of God
iii. The Greek word ‘Charis’ which means ‘grace’ or gift’ is closely related to ‘chara’
iv. When believers yield to the Holy Spirit, He will release grace upon such believer which produces joy. Roman15:13
v. Experiences/categories of joy:-
a. The joy of deliverance: when God sets someone free, rejoicing is in order.1Sam2:1; Acts12:14
b. The joy of salvation: our greatest reason to be joyful is that God wants to save us and spend eternity with us.Lk15:7; Acts8:8; 15:3
c. The joy of spiritual maturity: As the Holy Spirit works in us to bear more fruit, we become confident in God’s promises and rejoice in our walk with Him and with other believers .2Corinth1:24; 1Thess.2:19-20
d. The joy of God’s presence: The Holy Spirit draws us to God, in whose presence we can know true joy. Without the Holy Spirit, no one would seek God. PS16:11; Matthew2:10
CLASS Activity 1:
Each student should mention one thing/event which had given or still gives them joy.
LESSON OUTLINE 2: PEACE
i. Through lust, human race declared war on God. James4:1
ii. God through grace and mercy, declared peace on human race by sending the Prince of Peace. Isaiah9:6
iii. The Lord Jesus restored human race to peace and abolished hostilities through His life. Isaiah53:5
iv. Through the Prince of peace believers have lasting relationship with God of peace and made us do what is pleasing in the sight of God. Heb13:20-21
v. The Holy Spirit brings believers into sweet relationship and maintains us in His Presence. Eph2:11-18
vi. Through the Holy Spirit, we have confidence before the Lord and have become His friend. Heb4:16 and John15:5
vii. The peace which God gives the believer goes beyond any earthly peace and anxiety. Phil4:4-7
viii. The believer’s peace is not scanty. It is rather abundant and available in every circumstance. John14:27
ix. Those who are filled with the fruit of joy have overcome fear, anxiety, doubt, alarm and dread.
CLASS activity 2:
Class should identify reasons why we have wars and conflicts among nations today.
SUMMARY:
Believers have right to joy instead of sorrow and peace instead of war. These rights are conferred on them through the Holy Spirit.
CONCLUSION:
As believers, we must allow God to work in our hearts and in our relationships by laying down our own schedule and trust in God. Through the help of the Holy Spirit we can experience and manifest true joy and peace.
CLOSING PRAYER:
Father, let war cease in every home and nation. Let joy and peace return in abundance.
ASSIGNMENT:
Mention 5 things which the church can do to bring to end hostilities among nations.