LifeGroup Notes

BIG IDEA
Fruit is healthy food that provides nourishment. It supplies us with vitamins, nutrients, and energy needed for each day. We can identify the different types of fruit-bearing plants by the fruit they produce. Healthy plants will produce much fruit year after year, which carries the seeds that enable us to plant more and spread this fruit to other places.

The Spirit of God is much like these fruit-bearing plants. When we choose to follow Christ and allow Him to have control of our lives, we begin to grow in Him. As we grow, His Spirit bears fruit in our lives. This fruit is the Fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. As we continue to grow in Him, we produce more of His Fruit. As others see the results of His work in us, His Fruit spreads to them as well! We are recognized and set apart by the healthy, spiritual fruit that He creates in us. Bearing a good, healthy crop takes time and requires hard work and often painful pruning, but the result is worth all the effort! This week we will look at how the Holy Spirit works in our lives to help us become healthy, productive, God-honoring followers of Christ!

Passages we’ll review:
Galatians 5:16-26; Zechariah 4:6

OPENING
What stood out to you from the message this week? What led you to really think? Did anything challenge you?

If you could change one personality trait in yourself, what would it be and why?

READ

Read Galatians 5:16-18

According to verses 16 and 17, what is going on inside of every Christian? What causes this inner moral conflict that Christians face?

What are some practical results of this conflict? What is encouraging about this? What about this conflict is challenging?

Why do Christians tend to excuse the behavior of their old, sinful nature? Have you experienced this “tug of war” between the desires of the flesh and the desires of the Spirit?

Read Galatians 5:19-21

Paul discusses several sins that he calls the “works of the flesh”. This is not a complete exhaustive list of all sins, but rather a generalized representation of the areas in which we find sin in our lives. They are broken into three main categories: sensual sins, religious sins, and social sins. —Editor’s Note

What do these “works of the flesh” all have in common? Which of these are most celebrated in our culture? Which ones are frequently tolerated in the church today? Why do you think this is?

What have you done to try and get rid of the works of the flesh by your own efforts? Has it worked? Why do we as Christians still experience the desires of the flesh and struggle to get rid of them?

Paul isn’t singling out the acts of sin, as in what we specifically do, but rather, he is bringing to light our habit of sin. On our own, we cannot rid ourselves of this habit. But we still have hope! —Editor’s Note

Read Galatians 5:22-26

In what way does the Fruit of the Spirit grow in us as followers of Christ, much as fruit grows on trees? What is our part in producing this fruit? What is the Spirit’s part?

How can you tell the difference between the Fruit of the Spirit and our natural characteristics and abilities that can often be confused?

What does it mean to crucify the flesh, or sinful nature?

How do pride, conflict, and envy damage our faith and those around us? If you have struggled with these things, how has the Lord worked in your life to give you humility?

Why do we need the Fruit of the Spirit in our lives? Can we pick and choose which ones we produce? Why?

How do we keep in step with the Spirit?

DIGGING DEEPER

Zechariah was called by God to be a prophet to the remnant of Israel that sought to rebuild the temple in the desolate city of Jerusalem after their exile. Through him, God called His people to repentance and assured them that, even in the midst of hardship and difficulty, He was with them and would see them through these difficult times. —Editor’s Note

Read Zechariah 4:6

For a people who have had many enemies throughout their history, what is the relevance of these things occuring “not by strength or by might” but by God’s Spirit?

Do you think the average Christian depends on the power of the Holy Spirit for service and daily living? Why? How can this verse help us when we find ourselves in challenging situations?

What are some practical ways we can rely more on God’s Spirit and less on our own human strength in today’s world?

“There are three ways we can attempt to do the work of God: we can trust our own strength and wisdom; we can borrow the resources of the world; or we can depend on the power of God. The first two approaches may appear to succeed, but they’ll fail in the end. Only work done through the Spirit will glorify God and endure the fires of His judgment.” (Warren Wiersbe) —Editor’s Note

LET’S PRAY

Consider the following as you pray together:

1. Which of the works of the flesh do you struggle with? How do you sense God calling you to change your lifestyle in order to become more like Him? Be encouraged that the Holy Spirit can give us the strength we need to stand against the sinful nature!
   

2. God must first work in us so that He can then work through us. Which of the Fruit of the Spirit are blossoming in your life? Which are still buds that need to bloom?
   

3. It is the Holy Spirit that puts God’s law on our hearts and gives us the desire to love and obey God. What steps will you take this week to seek out strength and guidance from God’s Spirit?