TEXT: Galatians 5:22-23

SUBJECT: Kids’ Sermon #29: Love

Children,

Listen carefully today. I prepared the sermon with you in mind. I prayed you would understand it and that it would do you good. It will—the Lord willing—if you listen, believe, and obey. Another reason to listen carefully is that I’m going to ask questions.

For this afternoon, and the next few months, God willing, we’re going to look at The Fruit of the Spirit. Maybe you remember me talking about that before. I did a year or two ago, but these new sermons were made up with you kids in mind.

DEFINITIONS

The first thing I have to do is to define the terms. That way, you can know what I’m talking about.

The first word is "Spirit". The Bible talks about many spirits. Which one are we talking about today? It is God’s Spirit or the Holy Spirit.

The next word is "Fruit". What is that? It’s what grows on trees or vines (e.g., apples or watermelons). Now, the "fruit of the Spirit" doesn’t grow on trees! It grows in the life of a believer because the Holy Spirit lives inside of him.

This means:

You don’t get God’s Spirit because you’re loving or joyful or patient. But rather, you’re loving or joyful or patient because you have God’s Spirit living within you.

"The Fruit of the Spirit" is not how to be saved. It’s the proof that you are saved. And so, if you’re looking to love or joy or peace for your salvation, you won’t find it there! Salvation is through faith alone in Christ alone! If you trust the Lord Jesus for your salvation, then—and only then—you’ll see these good things in your life.

Have I made myself clear? You’re not saved by loving others; you love others because you are saved.

Parents: Never tell your kids that they’re saved by being good. Even if you don’t tell them that—don’t leave that impression! Be careful; it’s easy to do. Go home today and ask your kids, "If you’re a good boy (or girl), will God save you? The answer may surprise you.

EXTENT

Who bears the "Fruit of the Spirit"? Everything who has the Holy Spirit. Who’s that? Every believer in Christ—including kids!

There’s a good story in the Bible about a kid—a pretty young one too—who felt great joy in the Lord Jesus. His name was John the Baptist. Do you know how old he was when he first felt it? He was…Zero!

How much fruit grows in the believer’s life? All of it! It’s not as though one boy is "longsuffering"; a girl is "meek" and so on. Every believer bears all the fruit.

…Though not equally or perfectly.

FIRST FRUIT

The first fruit of God’s Spirit is "Love".

The Bible always puts "love" first. Other things are good, but "love" is Number One! (I Corinthians 13:1-3).

What is "love"? Is it hugging and kissing? Those are good things in their place—but you can have tons of them without having real love.

"Love" is the attitude described in I Corinthians 13:4-6.

In other words, it’s putting others first (cf. Philippians 2:2-4).

A good example of "love" is Zacchaeus. His story is told in Luke 19. He was a publican and well-known for cheating and robbing and threatening people for their money. A very bad and selfish and greedy man, he was. Until he met the Lord Jesus Christ. When he did, he promised to give, "Half my goods to the poor and re-pay anyone I’ve defrauded four-fold". Wow! What a change! The man who lived for money started giving it away to others.

That’s love in action!

The objects of love are…everyone.

Start with your neighbor (or other people you know). Don’t love them a little bit, but love them as much as you love yourself (and that’s a lot!)

Don’t stop there. Go on to love your enemies (Matthew 5:44). That doesn’t mean you have to like everything about them or enjoy being teased or beaten up by them. But it means you’ve got to "bless, do good, and pray" for them.

EXPRESSION

It’s good to feel love for everyone. But it’s better to show it. How do you do that? In many ways, of course. Here are some of them.

1. You think kind thoughts of them. That means you don’t hold a grudge or look down on them or hope they get in trouble.
2. You speak kind words to them. You don’t tease or scream at them, cut them down to other people, tattle on them, or grumble about them under your breath. Positively, it also means you speak to them with a good voice; you’re patient with them, and so on.
3. You do kind things for them. That means you don’t fight them or make things harder on them. It also means you help them with a good attitude.

THE WAY

Nobody is born loving. You’ve got to become loving by God’s grace. How do you do that?

You start with faith in Christ. "Faith purifies the heart". It takes away the selfish and hateful thoughts we all have when we’re unsaved.

If you believe in Christ already, you think about Him as much as possible—especially when you’re tempted to be mad or greedy or selfish. It’s hard to think about the Lord Jesus and being anything but loving.

You imitate Him—even when you don’t feel like it. To "imitate" the Lord is to "impersonate" Him—to pretend you’re Him.

CLOSE

"Love" is the first "Fruit of the Spirit". God wants to see it—a lot of it—in your life. I hope He will, for Christ’s sake. Amen.