Introduction: Have you ever heard of “hurry sickness?” In the United
States we have all sorts of illnesses which are not considered a
traditional illness. Hurry sickness is one of these fake illnesses,
and I have it. I’m always in a hurry to finish whatever it is I’m
doing. Get it done, move on to the next task. Whenever I’m driving,
I’m in a hurry. We will be driving to the airport to pick someone up
and my wife will tell me to slow down because we will arrive too
early. I know this is true, but find it hard to accept that advice.
This is the last in our series of studies about the fruits of the
Spirit. Our study of the Bible this week suggests that the quality
of our journey, rather than hurrying to heaven, is of most concern.
Let’s dive into our study and find the cure to spiritual hurry
sickness!
- First Things First
- Read Matthew 6:31-33. Do pagans have hurry sickness?
(Yes! They run after the things of this earth.) - What does this tell Christians to do and what does
it tell them not to do? (Not to worry about
necessities. Rather, seek “His kingdom and His
righteousness.”) - Are these two (His kingdom and His
righteousness)related? - Is the order of seeking important? If so,
what does it mean to seek first God’s
kingdom, as opposed to God’s
righteousness? (This reflects the idea of
salvation by faith first, and then setting
the goal of living a righteous life.) - Step back and contemplate these verses. What is
being promised here? (That if we accept
salvation by faith, and pursue righteousness,
we need not have to pursue anything else.) - From time to time I read the writings of a
minister whose theology I think is suspect. One
day he wrote that he was going to suspend his
Bible work, and take a break to make some money
to help secure his retirement. Since I did not
like his theology, I thought this was a
splendid idea! How does his idea square with
Matthew 6? (It is contrary.) - Have you ever thought that if you made the advance of
God’s kingdom your primary goal, that it would not only
produce the fruits of the Spirit, but also provide those
things the pagans are hurrying to obtain? - On the Glory Road
- Read 2 Corinthians 3:7-8. The letters engraved on stone
are the Ten Commandments. What glory, seen on the face
of Moses, came with the Ten Commandments? (Read Exodus
34:29-30. Being in the presence of God made Moses’ face
radiate with God’s glory.) - Read 2 Corinthians 3:13-18. Do you have the possibility
of your face reflecting the glory of God? (Yes!) - Why did Moses have to use a veil and you do not?
(The law did not lead the people around Moses to
righteousness. Thus, they could not stand the glory
of God. But, being saved by grace removes the need
for a veil – for your face also reflects God’s
glory.) - Once we see that glory “shine,” on our faces, have
we reached our goal? (By no means! We “are being
transformed into His likeness with ever-increasing
glory.”) - Friend, do you want people to be startled to see
God’s glory on your face? - How is such a transformation possible? (Notice the
last part of 2 Corinthians 3:18 again: “which comes
from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” This is the work
of the Holy Spirit in our life. Perhaps the title
for this lesson should have been: The Fruit of the
Spirit is a glowing face.) - On our journey of life, we are not called to hurry after
things, but we are called to radiate! - Lane Guards
- Some modern cars are equipped with devices which sound an
alarm if you have strayed outside your lane. Read 2
Corinthians 13:5-6. Should we have such a device
monitoring our daily activities? (The Bible says that we
should “test ourselves” to see if we are in the faith.) - What is the default position? That is, do we start
out in faith or out of faith? (These are Christians,
so the Bible says the default position is “Christ
Jesus is in you.” Unless, of course, “you fail the
test.” - What happens if we fail the test? (These verses
suggest that we are not “in faith.”) - Read 2 Corinthians 13:7-9. What does Paul say about his
own example? (He says he cannot do anything against the
truth, but people might think he has failed the test.) - Does this mean Paul is not in the faith? (Paul is
likely saying “No one is perfect, including me, but
the goal is perfection.”) - Read 2 Corinthians 13:11. What is the goal of our life?
(To “aim for perfection.” To live a life that radiates
the glory of God.) - What important concepts are included in the term
“aim?” (Aiming is an intentional act. It is a
knowing decision. Aiming also means we have not yet
arrived.) - Read John 15:1-4. Can we be lost if we are not generally
on the path to perfection? (If you do not “bear
fruit”(the spiritual fruits we have been discussing),
then we are subject to being cut off.) - What is the key to bearing fruit? (Remaining in
Jesus. The way Jesus states this, it seems so
simple. How can a section of a plant bear fruit
unless it remains attached to the main plant?) - Read John 15:9-10. What kind of test do we find here?
When will our lane guard alarm go off? When will we know
we have stopped radiating and have started hurrying?
(When we stop obeying God’s commandments.) - Earlier we discussed ( 2 Corinthians 3:14) how the
Ten Commandments made the minds of the people
“dull.” Does Jesus disagree with Paul? - Read John 15:12-17. Is Jesus suggesting a new approach to
keeping the commandments? (I’m not sure it is new, but it
is different than the approach taken at Mount Sinai. If
we just grit our teeth and obey the Ten Commandments, we
have taken the “dull mind” approach. We don’t really
understand what is going on. On the other hand, if we
contemplate how Jesus loved us so much that He died a
painful death on our behalf, and that He died that death
to satisfy the requirements of the law when we could not,
then that stirs a loving desire in our hearts to show
love to others by obeying God’s commands.) - Can you see the practical difference between the two
approaches? - What does Jesus’ discussion about servants and
friends reveal to us? (A servant is like a young
child – you just tell them what to do. Explanations
are unneeded. You cannot just tell a friend or a
peer what to do. You need to explain it so they
share your goal. We must not treat the Ten
Commandments like a bunch of rules to follow to get
the reward of heaven. Instead, we should treat them
like an insider’s guide to a loving relationship
with God and others.) - Friend, our current connection to God is through the His
Spirit. Will you, today, start praying that the Holy
Spirit will come upon you in power to give you the right
attitude so that the fruits we have discussed in this
series will be shown in your life? Will you pray that
your life will move forward on the path to perfection?
Will you seek to radiate God’s glory rather than just
hurrying along the path of life? - Next week: We start a new series on health.
