2. Galatians 5: 22-23 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control.

3. Part of the way The Holy Spirit reveals and clarifies Christ to a believer is through “the fruit of the Spirit.” These traits are some of the godly qualities Jesus exhibited on Earth and we can learn from Him by the Spirit.

5. 2 Timothy 3: 2-5 2 “People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4 treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power.”

6. 4 Greek Words for “Love” 1.) Storge - “Familial Love” 2.) Philia - “Love of a friend” 3.) Eros - “Longing & Desire” “Physical Intimacy & Sex” 4.) Agape - “Divine Love”

7. As good and beneficial as the love of family, friends, and spouses can be; these people can’t love us perfectly nor can we love them perfectly. We are all capable of betrayal and breaking our promises in these relationships… we need a higher love.

8. “Agape Love” is sacrificial, selfless love. This is clearly seen in the coming and sacrificial death of Jesus Christ. This type of love is also most opposite to our own selfish motivations to love.

9. John 3:16 “For God so [agape] the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates His own [agape] for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

10. John 13: 34-35 34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

11. John 17: 20-26 Shortly before His death, Jesus prays for all future believers in Him. He prays that they would show the same unity and love that defines the relationship within the Trinity. He also promises to dwell within them to help them accomplish this task.

12. “Just as there is stored within an atom enormous power because of the interaction between neutrons, protons, and electrons, likewise there was inherent unlimited energy in the Godhead because of the inter-relationship between Father, Son, and Spirit. And the essence of this energy was love.” - W. Phillip Keller

13. D.L. Moody believed that all the fruit of the Spirit are an expression or an outgrowth of the first fruit on the list: LOVE. He described the fruit of the Spirit this way…

14. Joy is love exulting Peace is love reposing (at rest) Patience is love untiring Kindness is love enduring Goodness is love displaying (in action) Faith is love advancing (on the battlefield) Gentleness is love abiding (under discipline) Self-control is love in-training

15. 1 Corinthians 13: 4-8

16. Colossians 3:14 “And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.”

17. 1 Corinthians 13 & 1 John 4: 7-21 Homework Assignment: Play the “agape game” within those passages. Take note of how often you have to substitute it for “love.”

18. 1 John 3: 16-24 Jesus demonstrated what love is by laying his life down for others; and we are called to do the same as his followers. This should involve us giving of ourselves in sacrificial and practical ways for others. Verse 20b: “...we know that God is greater than our hearts”

20. No matter how great or how small you may feel your supply of love is right now, God will provide all you need to love others if you sincerely seek it and use it for His Glory.