Love, Peace and Joy
A fruitful Christian life is characterized by the love, peace, and joy of God, which are received by faith in Jesus Christ and grown through the development of virtues and the Spirit of God.
D.L. Moody emphasizes that true love, peace, and joy are gifts from God that come when a person turns from sin and receives Christ by faith. He warns against the futility of trying to manufacture these graces through human effort, asserting that they are divine acts that flow from the Holy Spirit. Moody highlights the importance of spiritual growth, urging believers to cultivate these qualities to avoid being stunted in their faith. He references Peter's exhortation to add virtues to faith, which leads to a fruitful Christian life. Ultimately, Moody calls for a higher standard of living among Christians to unleash the true power of Christianity in the world.
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When a man who has been living in sin turns from his sins, and turns to God with all his heart, he is met on the threshold of the divine life by these sister graces. The love of God is shed abroad in his heart by the Holy Ghost. The peace of God comes at the same time, and also the joy of the Lord. We can put the test to ourselves, if we have them. It is not anything that we can make. The great trouble with many is that they are trying to make these graces. They are trying to make love; they are trying to make peace; they are trying to make joy. But they are not creatures of human planting. To produce them of ourselves is impossible. That is an act of God. They come from above. It is God who speaks the word and gives the love; it is God who gives the peace; and we possess all by receiving Jesus Christ by faith into the heart; for when Christ comes by faith into the heart, then the Spirit is there, and if we have the Spirit, we will have the fruit.
If the whole Church of God could live as the Lord would have them live, why Christianity would be the mightiest power this world has ever seen. It is the low standard of Christian life that is causing so much trouble. There are a great many stunted Christians in the Church; their lives are stunted; they are like a tree planted in poor soil - the soil is hard and stony, and the roots can not find the rich loamy soil needed. Such believers have not grown in these sweet graces. Peter, in his second epistle, 1st chapter and 5th verse, writes:
And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Now, if we have these things in us, I believe that we will be constantly bringing forth fruit that will be acceptable with God. It won't be just a little every now and then, when we spur ourselves up and work ourselves up into a certain state of mind or into an excited condition, and work a little while and then become cold, and discouraged, and disheartened, but we shall be neither unfruitful nor barren, bringing forth fruit constantly, we will grow in grace and be filled with the Spirit of God.
Sermon Outline
- I. The Graces of the Divine Life
- A. The love of God
- B. The peace of God
- C. The joy of the Lord
- II. The Source of These Graces
- A. They come from above
- B. They are not creatures of human planting
- III. The Importance of Christian Life
- A. Christianity would be the mightiest power if the Church lived as the Lord would have them live
- B. The low standard of Christian life is causing trouble
- IV. Growing in the Sweet Graces
- A. Adding virtues to faith
- B. Growing in godliness and brotherly kindness
Key Quotes
“If the whole Church of God could live as the Lord would have them live, why Christianity would be the mightiest power this world has ever seen.” — D.L. Moody
“When Christ comes by faith into the heart, then the Spirit is there, and if we have the Spirit, we will have the fruit.” — D.L. Moody
“Now, if we have these things in us, I believe that we will be constantly bringing forth fruit that will be acceptable with God.” — D.L. Moody
Application Points
- To live a fruitful Christian life, we must receive Jesus Christ by faith into our heart.
- Growing in the sweet graces of faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, and brotherly kindness is essential for a fruitful Christian life.
- We must constantly bring forth fruit that is acceptable with God, through growing in the sweet graces and being filled with the Spirit.