RCCG YAYA SUNDAY SCHOOL STUDENT’S MANUAL
DATE: SUNDAY MARCH 16TH, 2023
LESSON: THIRTY (30)
TOPIC: THE FRUIT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT II
SUNDAY SCHOOL HYMN
1. O Sunday School, on the Lord’s day,
O how I love Thee well,
I am happy, it makes me glad
To rejoice at Thy birth.
2. O Sunday School, on the Lord’s day,
Thy friend friendship suits me well,
Both young and will sing Thy song,
We long for Sunday School.
3. O Sunday School, on the Lord’s day,
Christ was Thy first teacher,
The Holy Spirit, great teacher,
Does manifest in thee.
4. O Sunday School, on the Lord’s day,
This testimony is sure,
That God, the Father Almighty,
Poured His blessing on Thee
5. O Sunday School, on the Lord’s day,
Though the sun be so bright,
Or if the clouds be black with rain,
I’ll be in Sunday School.
6. O Sunday School, on the Lord’s day
I rejoice to see Thee,
Will thou pass over me today?
Without my being blest?
MEMORY VERSE: “Now the fruit of rightousness is sown in peace by those who make peace”. James 3:18 (NKJV)
BIBLE PASSAGE: GALATIANS 5:16-18
16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.
17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.
18 But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.
INTRODUCTION: The life of the Christian is a constant battle between our sinful nature and our new nature in Christ (Gal. 5:17). Unfortunately, just because we have accepted Christ does not mean we are automatically immune to sinful temptations (Rom. 7:14-25). Sometimes, it may feel like we are trapped in a desire to reach for the sinful thing rather than the godly things. This dies not always have to be the case. We can overcome the flesh.
LESSON OUTLINE
1. CHOOSE TO BEAR THE FRUIT
2. WORK AT IT
1. CHOOSE TO BEAR THE FRUIT
Now that we are in Christ, we have the power to conquer the sinful desire of the flesh (2Cor. 5:17; Rom. 8:37). The very presence of the Holy Spirit in our hearts means we can now choose godliness over sinfulness (Philip. 1:22). The choice is 100% OURS (Deut. 30:19). We are no longer a slave to our sinful nature (Rom. 6:14, 18). We can choose love over hate, patience over hostile frustration, faithfulness over disloyalty, self-control over lustful desires…etc. This is the beauty of havinG the Holy Spirit-He gives us the POWER to fight (Philip. 2:13; 4:13). All we must do to tap into that power is to practice obedience to God’s word and his direction (John. 15:4, 10, 14; Col. 3:16; Ps. 1:2-3).
2. WORK AT IT
Some Christians have asked if it is possible to produce all the components to the fruit of the spirit which are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. This seems like a lot to work on. First, we should remember that God will not give us a load we cannot bear (Matt. 11:29-30). Secondly, the ‘yoke’ of bearing the fruit of the Holy Spirit is not just possible, it is mandatory (Luke 1:37; Matt. 5:48). However, since the enemies of our Salvation – the devil and the flesh – will not give up easily on us, we are bound to face the temptation of yielding to occasionally (1Peter 5:8-10) We must continue to work at attaining perfection (Philip. 2:12), surrender totally to the dictates of the Holy spirit and resist the devil (James 4:7). The Apostle Paul charges believers to make no provision for the flesh (Rom. 13:14). Let us keep working at bearing all the components of the fruit of the spirit; it is possible (Philip. 4:13). We must daily, take steps to nurture our relationship with Jesus so that we can grow to look more like him in his manner, attitude and actions (Heb.12:2; Philip 2:5).
CONCLUSION: Though we may struggle and fail, we will surely conquer the flesh and bear the fruit of the holy spirit. We ought to daily strive for, work for, and yearn for the fruit of the spirit
QUESTIONS:
1. Is fruit-bearing a matter of choice? How?
2. Can we bear all the fruit? How?