I. Fruit of the Spirit; Sunday, September 18, 2011 (Sunnyslope) Psalm 19:14 May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer. A. Good morning, church! B. You ll noticed that Xander is not with us this morning 1. He spent yesterday, last night, and will spend the better part of this morning at a friend s house 2. Sharalyn, Evie, and I spent the day wandering up north in Silverdale shopping 3. And yesterday evening, after we got Evie down to sleep: we watched a little TV C. As we were flipping through channels, I noticed Fiddler on the Roof 1. When I was in high school, I played the solo part of the violinist (the fiddler); so the music is especially interesting to me 2. When Sharalyn was growing up, she remembers being allowed to stay up late when it played on TV a) She d customarily fall asleep mid-way through the movie b) But she remembers fondly the first-half 3. There are many scenes, lines, moments in the movie and story that are wonderful and illustrative of lessons 4. One in particular we saw again last night was near the very beginning of the movie a) Rev Tevia is introducing us to his village 1 of 10
b) He says they all get along c) But then he hints that at one point in the past, he sold him a donkey, claiming it was 6 years old when it was really 12 d) But that s all in the past now e) Then Rev Tevia grins and leans over to one of the men and quietly says: it was 12 f) The man retorts quickly about 6 years, and the group rapidly descends into a huge argument D. Sometimes I wonder if we think we re over things, that we ve moved on, that we live in a village where we all get along 1. But then along comes something to remind us we have donkeys in our history we haven t really come to terms with and let go 2. And like Rev Tevia, all one needs do to resurrect all the strive is mention quietly only just a couple of words E. When we find situations like this to be the case, it s an indication: 1. we haven t totally handed over something to God 2. haven t totally let go of our selfish ambitions and desires and submitted to God s Will F. And even if Rev Tevia s not around to remind us of the donkey, we have other indications that things are right 1. Those indications are the fruits of the spirit II. Last week, I spoke about the fruits of religions and the fruits of our lives A. I spoke about the fruits of religions 2 of 10
1. How one set of beliefs results in one type of behavior and psychology while another results in an entirely different type of behavior and psychology 2. I spoke about how we can judge religious traditions based on the fruits of these traditions, as a means of comparison B. I also spoke about the fruits of our lives 1. This as a means of self-assessment 2. Comparing our lives to Christ s to help identify where we need to improve 3. (Remember: self-assessment, not assessment of others) C. I talked in vague terms about fruits being the results of outcomes of beliefs, doctrines, and traditions D. Last week, I used the words fruits and works interchangeably because I was comparing Christian and non-christian belief systems 1. This week, I m going to be getting a bit more specific a) Talking about us within the Christian belief system, doctrines, and traditions b) And so I need to get more specific about a subtle but important distinction between fruits and works 2. Today, I m going to use the word fruits a bit differently and more precisely; contrasted against the word works a) [Works = from man, flesh] b) [Fruits = spirit] E. [Two passages: bad outcomes, good outcomes] 1. [Bad outcomes] 3 of 10
Galatians 5:19-21 19 The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. 2. [Good outcomes] Galatians 5:22-26 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other. III. Let s walk through these two passages together A. First, as we already discussed, it s interesting that Paul between the works of the flesh, and the fruit of the Spirit 1. The KJV uses the word works ; the NIV uses the word acts ; the NASB uses the word deeds 2. But these are all contrasted with fruits 3. Works, acts, or deeds are produced by human energy 4. Fruit is grown as a branch abides in the vine 5. [Leavenworth: Apple processing factories and apple orchards] 6. Another means of contrast is that works can be done apart from God, whereas fruit can only be produced in collaboration with God John 15:5 I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. B. One other thing I should note is how Paul uses the word fruit in its singular form 4 of 10
1. the fruit of the Spirit is, and then a list 2. The Holy Spirit produces one kind of fruit, that is, Christ-likeness 3. All the virtues listed thereafter are products or attributes of Christ-likeness 4. If we are true disciples of Jesus, then our lives will be bear the same attributes as Christ s C. So let s start walking through these attributes, first with love 1. Love is what God is, and what we ought to be 2. It is beautifully described in 1 Corinthians 13 and expressed completely in Christ s crucifixion, the ultimate sacrifice undeserved 1 John 4:8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 3. God is love, and therefore we also should choose love and choose to be loved 4. The word used in Galatians 5:22 is the Greek word agape D. Next is joy a) which in the Christian context refers to unconditional love b) The Strong s Concordance entry on agape reads as follows: A word to which Christianity gave new meaning. Outside of the NT, it rarely occurs in existing Greek manuscripts of the period. Agape denotes an undefeatable benevolence and unconquerable goodwill that always seeks the highest of the other, no matter what he does. It is the self-giving love that gives freely without asking anything in return, and does not consider the worth of its object. 1. Joy is contentment and satisfaction with God and with His dealings 5 of 10
2. The Greek word for joy is chara, which is derived from the word charis, which is the Greek word for grace 3. This is really interesting because it hints at the truth that true joy is not something that can come from us 4. Joy comes only from a Spirit-given expression 5. If we lack joy in our lives, it is a direct result from not casting more of our attention toward the Divine E. The next fruit of the Spirit Paul lists is peace 1. And you know what I m going to say: this is the peace that surpasses all understanding, goes beyond logic because it doesn t make sense 2. It s a feeling of peace even though you have every reason not to feel at peace 3. Peace is the result of resting in a relationship with God 4. Peace is a tranquility, a state of rest, that comes from seeking after God 5. The word "peace" comes from the Greek word eirene, the Greek equivalent for the Hebrew word shalom, which expresses the idea of wholeness, completeness, or tranquility in the soul that is unaffected by outward circumstances F. Now if you have peace, it s a bit easier to have patience; if you don t have peace in your heart, how can you expect to have patience? 1. The word forbearance is another term for patience 2. Forbearance is patience in afflictions, annoyances, and persecutions 6 of 10
3. The ultimate example of patience in the face of afflictions and persecutions was Christ on the cross Luke 23:34 Jesus said, Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing. And they divided up his clothes by casting lots. G. Paul continues the list with kindness 1. Kindness does not necessarily mean being nice a) You can be kind and yet still not be very nice b) Nice is defined as being agreeable c) In contrast, kindness is acting for the good of people regardless of what they do 2. Strong's #5544 reads: Kindness is goodness in action, sweetness of disposition, gentleness in dealing with others, benevolence, kindness, affability. The word describes the ability to act for the welfare of those taxing your patience. The Holy Spirit removes abrasive qualities from the character of one under His control. H. After kindness comes goodness 1. Goodness is kindness shown to others 2. The two words here are in fact be the same single Greek source word 3. Popular English Bibles like the NIV, NASB, and NLT translate the single Greek word chrestotes into two English words: kindness and goodness I. Paul continues with faithfulness 1. Faithfulness means trust in God, confidence in our fellow Christians, fidelity, and reliability 2. Faithfulness is committing oneself to something or someone 7 of 10
a) For example, to God or to one's spouse 3. Being faithful requires personal resolve not to wander away from commitments or promises J. Next comes gentleness 1. Gentleness is taking the lowly place as Jesus did when He washed His disciples feet 2. It s the result of submission 3. Gentleness, in the Greek, is praotes, commonly known as meekness 4. The meek (otherwise known as the submissive and gentle) shall inherit the Earth 5. The New Spirit Filled Life Bible defines gentleness as: a disposition that is even-tempered, tranquil, balanced in spirit, unpretentious, and that has the passions under control. The word is best translated 'meekness,' not as an indication of weakness, but of power and strength under control. The person who possesses this quality pardons injuries, corrects faults, and rules his own spirit well. K. And that of course leads us into the last of the list, self-control 1. Just like kindness leads to goodness, and faithfulness leads to gentleness a) meek submission leads to self-control 2. The Greek word used in Galatians 5:23 is egkrateia, which means having command or mastery over or possession of one s own behavior a) And of course as fallen humans, we cannot possibly maintain complete and lasting self-control on our own b) We must rely on the power of the Holy Spirit to help us maintain self-control 8 of 10
IV. Now that we ve covered the good, the fruit of the Spirit, we should also discuss briefly the negative: the works, deeds, or acts of the flesh A. Looking over this list, it s far too easy for us to think of ourselves more highly than we ought 1. We can fall into the trap of looking at this list and concluding we don t have anything to worry about here because about half or more of the items Paul lists are extremely egregious 2. Sexual immorality, impurity, debauchery, idolatry, witchcraft, drunkenness, orgies 3. It s easy to look at that list and say, Ah, no problem. I don t sin in those ways, so I m doing just fine. I don t need to make any changes. B. But hear me church: this is Satan telling you to rest idle where you are in your walk C. Look at the other acts of the flesh: D. Hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions, and envy 1. Have you felt jealous of someone else? 2. Have you noticed dissensions and factions growing up in the various parts of your life? 3. When someone does wrong by you, are you filled with anger? 4. When someone takes over something that you feel belongs do you, do you feel hurt? 5. When someone is successful while you still struggle, do you feel envy? E. We can use this list as a means of self-assessment 1. If you notice these things in your life, even if they don t emanate from you a) I would propose you may be struggling with acts of the flesh 9 of 10
2. If we are in concert with God, we should feel at peace a) We will have self-control b) We will have love c) We will have patience d) We will have peace 3. If we have not these things, then we are not in concert with God; ergo, we are struggling with the works of the flesh V. So how can we overcome these deeds, these acts, and move on toward a deeper fellowship with God? A. I think it s interesting that for each of the acts of the flesh Paul talks about, there is a combination of two spiritual disciplines that would (if performed regularly) develop a heart and mind ready to accept a change brought about by grace through the Spirit B. Let me give you just a few examples: 1. [Selfish ambition: bidirectional prayer, joyous sacrifice] 2. [Heresies: reading Scripture, solitude] 3. [Wrath: submission, worship] C. Do you feel a lack of peace in your life? D. Do you notice discord, dissensions, or factions around you? E. Do you struggle with anger? F. Do you occasionally realize you feel envy? G. Turn to God through active spiritual disciplines, and He will grant you peace, kindness, selfcontrol, patience, and most importantly: love H. Amen 10 of 10