Personal Core Values

Shon tells a heartbreaking story of tragedy and guilt in an essay for prisonjournalismproject.org entitled, My Crime, My Confession: 20 Years of Living with a Guilty Conscience. Listen as he describes how he hid from his guilt for so long:

I had coasted through the Missouri prison system for seven years. The only admission of guilt to my crime was at sentencing as part of the plea agreement. Otherwise, I considered my crime to not be my fault. I blamed my victim, rationalized my wrongful actions, and minimized my horrible transgression.

l was numb inside, just a hollow being. I did not care about anyone else, only my own reputation. Denial was a much easier way to hide my shame and regret. I was in a dark place and lost in a world with no hope.

Shon had grown up in a religious home. His family attended a Catholic church, but in his youth he abandoned his faith. Then, years after his crime, two priests came to the prison to host a special dinner for the inmates. One of the staff members nudged Shon and suggested that he should go talk to one of the priests.

I had a choice: maintain my prison mentality and continue eating or face the sinister past I denied for the past seven years? I took a deep breath, the kind of massive inhalation that fills the lungs and gives you added courage. I walked across the room taking each step with careful precision. It was like stepping into the ocean for the first time, unsure of what might greet you.

When we do something wrong, there is a brokenness in our hearts. You can try to stuff it, ignore it, avoid it, or explain it away, but its still there to haunt you.

The Bible says that this is the work of our conscience, but there’s a problem: most of us have a broken conscience.

Hebrews 10:22 tells us to draw near to God with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience.

Paul encouraged Timothy to have a “good conscience” in 1 Timothy 1:19.

Titus 1:15 contrasts a defiled conscience and a pure conscience.

I think of the conscience as those core beliefs and values that define our character and from which our choices and words and actions flow. And when we do something against our conscience we get a pinch of guilt—or a gut punch of guilt, depending on how severely we’ve violated our conscience.

The problem is, our conscience isn’t always the best measure of right and wrong. We can do things that don’t violate our conscience but absolutely violate God’s design for humanity.

[title slide]

This is the second part of a three part series on Core Values and in this message we’re exploring our personal core values. If you haven’t seen the first part of this series, go back and watch it. It’s called, “God’s Core Values.” We looked at Exodus 34 and considered the question, “do God’s actions align with the core values He says He has?” God says the He is loving, faithful, patient, merciful, forgiving and just, and we discovered from the story of Jesus that God is absolutely consistent in what he says about Himself and what He does.

But is that true of you and me? And, just as important, are our core value pure or are they defiled?

We need to do three things today:

We need to list and define the values that God has given the human race,

We need to compare our-lived out experience with God’s design, and

We need to explore what to do when our lived-out experience doesn’t match God’s design.

God-designed Values

Let’s start by reading Galatians 5:22 and following:

Galatians 5:22–23 ESV

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

In a way it would have been easier if I quoted the ten commandments and said, “these are god’s values for humanity.” Don’t murder, don’t lie, don’t commit adultery, keep the Sabbath, don’t misuse God’s name, don’t worship idols, etc. The problem is, we can keep these rules while not keeping them. Jesus pointed this out in Matthew 5 when he said:

Matthew 5:27–28 ESV

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

We can keep the letter of the law while in our hearts and private lives completely go against the spirit of the law.

So, when Paul wrote that list of the fruits of the spirit to the Galatians he chose to go deeper than just an outward appearance of right-doing. Instead, he went to the depths of your being—your core beliefs—the foundation of your character.

And so, instead of saying, “don’t lie” Paul says you need ot have the fruit of goodness and love. How can you lie your heart is filled with goodness? You’re not going to deceive someone you love.

Now that we have a list of the core values that God has designed the human race with, let’s define each of them. Now, I recognize that my treatment of each of these subjects will be very shallow today—we could do a message on each one of these. For the sake of time we’ll just breeze through this and get the big picture of each of these topics.

Love

In defining God and all the vastness of his character, John says, “God is love,” (1 John 4:8-10).

The word here isn’t erotic love, or brotherly love, this is selfless love that thinks about others before yourself. In 1 John the apostle defined God’s love with the reality that God sent Jesus into the world so that we might live through His sacrifice.

This love is Agape love. The most basic core value of the universe—the law on which everything else will thrive, or if it is absent, will die. This is the love about which Jesus says:

John 13:35 ESV

By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

I’ll use Philippians 2:4 as our definition of love. It keeps in mind that we have needs, but reminds us that we need to also look out for the interests of others.

Philippians 2:4 ESV

Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.

Joy

By pointing to joy as a fruit of the Spirit Paul recognizes that Joy isn’t something you experience—an external activity that makes you feel something. Joy is the result of something right inside you.

The US constitution and its amendments say that all mankind should be free to pursue happiness. What they don’t say is that happiness is a fleeting, never-quite-attainable feeling—like a butterfly that lights on your finger for just a moment and then flits off—an experience you may only have a few times in your life.

Joy is nothing like that.

The Bible defines joy, not as something that is done to you or experienced by you, but as something that you express.

The Psalms often say, “sing for joy.” In the Hebrew language that phrase is just one word which could be translated into english as “exult” or “rejoice.”

The stories of the kings and the chronicles of Isreal depict times of spiritual renewal in Israel as times where people had “great joy.” Joy is what we express when our lives and the world around us are in line with God’s design. When what is wrong is made right again. But how did they know that there was joy? Because they were jubilant! They were shouting and singing, leaping and dancing, and their faces were covered with smiles and the air was filled with laughter.

Joy is what bubbles out when there is goodness and contentment in your heart.

Joy is impossible when your conscience is corrupted. You might feel pleasure, but you won’t experience joy. Joy transcends your experiences. It is not an emotional response to good food, or the feelings you have during physically pleasurable moments. It’s not something that is done to you.

It is true that we can have a pure conscience and still not experience joy. When our world around us is broken and there is pain and heartache, the pure heart experiences sorrow.

You have sorrow when God’s people are persecuted, when the world is not as it should be around you, when a friend rejects faith or a loved one suffers with a terrible disease. You sorrow when there is injustice and ungodliness and evil.

And when those wrongs are made right, when justice comes, when healing occurs, when persecution is ended, when things are made right, that’s when we express joy. When an enemy becomes a friend. When a forgiveness brings restoration. But maybe most importantly, Joy is the result when we take an honest inventory of our lives and repent before God, asking for His cleansing and forgiveness.

Let’s define joy in this way: the heartfelt expression of a repentant heart when God makes things right. Remember Shon, the prison writer? He said this about his moment of honest transparency:

I spoke of my sin. It was the first time I spoke, without justification, minimizing, or blaming, a genuine confession of guilt to killing my wife. I watched [his] face, his eyes ... expected a look of disappointment… I only saw love… he said a prayer… I wept. In a prison visitation room, surrounded by inmates I would see in the general population the next day, the emotional levy that held back so much of my guilt and pain was now broken. I felt a rebirth as the dark spot on my soul was gone. My path in the prison system changed at that very moment.

When wrongs are made right, when sin is forgiven, we rejoice and we worship. We sing for JOY! because of God’s mercy and love.

Peace

Peace has to do with the health and welfare of your heart and life. Are you at peace inside? Are you at peace with the world around you? The Hebrew word for peace is shalom and it’s used as a primary greeting. “Shalom, my friend,” would be a respectful way to greet someone. It means, “I wish peace for you.”

The opposite of peace in the Bible is wandering, scattered, at war, and in opposition to God. When God brought peace to Israel it was the whole package. He took Israel out of their struggling, broken condition as slaves in Egypt and took them to a place of peace in Canaan. He called Canaan a land “flowing with milk and honey.” He promised that their flocks would multiply and their fields would produce an abundant harvest. They would have national peace because God would fight their battles so they could live in peace. They would have peace with their families and neighbors because God had given them principles to live by that would cultivate a healthy and content society. They would have peace in their hearts because they would be content with their Lord and all He had given them. And they would have spiritual peace because they would be single-hearted in their worship of the Lord.

Let’s define peace as the heart that is settled on God like a lighthouse built firmly rooted to a rock. No matter the external conditions, the heart that is single to the Lord is a heart with peace.

Shon, the man who wrote his story of dealing with guilt said this about the moment he faced his sin:

I spoke of my sin. It was the first time I spoke, without justification, minimizing, or blaming, a genuine confession of guilt to killing my wife.

‌Shon tells a heartbreaking story of tragedy and guilt in an essay for prisonjournalismproject.org entitled, My Crime, My Confession: 20 Years of Living with a Guilty Conscience. Listen as he describes how he hid from his guilt for so long: ‌I had coasted through the Missouri prison system for seven years. The only admission of guilt to my crime was at sentencing as part of the plea agreement. Otherwise, I considered my crime to not be my fault. I blamed my victim, rationalized my wrongful actions, and minimized my horrible transgression.‌l was numb inside, just a hollow being. I did not care about anyone else, only my own reputation. Denial was a much easier way to hide my shame and regret. I was in a dark place and lost in a world with no hope.‌Shon had grown up in a religious home. His family attended a Catholic church, but in his youth he abandoned his faith. Then, years after his crime, two priests came to the prison to host a special dinner for the inmates. One of the staff members nudged Shon and suggested that he should go talk to one of the priests. ‌I had a choice: maintain my prison mentality and continue eating or face the sinister past I denied for the past seven years? I took a deep breath, the kind of massive inhalation that fills the lungs and gives you added courage. I walked across the room taking each step with careful precision. It was like stepping into the ocean for the first time, unsure of what might greet you.‌When we do something wrong, there is a brokenness in our hearts. You can try to stuff it, ignore it, avoid it, or explain it away, but its still there to haunt you. ‌The Bible says that this is the work of our conscience, but there’s a problem: most of us have a broken conscience. ‌Hebrews 10:22 tells us to draw near to God with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience. ‌Paul encouraged Timothy to have a “good conscience” in 1 Timothy 1:19. ‌Titus 1:15 contrasts a defiled conscience and a pure conscience. ‌I think of the conscience as those core beliefs and values that define our character and from which our choices and words and actions flow. And when we do something against our conscience we get a pinch of guilt—or a gut punch of guilt, depending on how severely we’ve violated our conscience. ‌The problem is, our conscience isn’t always the best measure of right and wrong. We can do things that don’t violate our conscience but absolutely violate God’s design for humanity. ‌[title slide]‌This is the second part of a three part series on Core Values and in this message we’re exploring our personal core values. If you haven’t seen the first part of this series, go back and watch it. It’s called, “God’s Core Values.” We looked at Exodus 34 and considered the question, “do God’s actions align with the core values He says He has?” God says the He is loving, faithful, patient, merciful, forgiving and just, and we discovered from the story of Jesus that God is absolutely consistent in what he says about Himself and what He does. ‌But is that true of you and me? And, just as important, are our core value pure or are they defiled? ‌We need to do three things today: ‌We need to list and define the values that God has given the human race, ‌We need to compare our-lived out experience with God’s design, and‌We need to explore what to do when our lived-out experience doesn’t match God’s design. ‌God-designed Values‌Let’s start by reading Galatians 5:22 and following: ‌​Galatians 5:22–23 ESVBut the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.‌In a way it would have been easier if I quoted the ten commandments and said, “these are god’s values for humanity.” Don’t murder, don’t lie, don’t commit adultery, keep the Sabbath, don’t misuse God’s name, don’t worship idols, etc. The problem is, we can keep these rules while not keeping them. Jesus pointed this out in Matthew 5 when he said: ‌​Matthew 5:27–28 ESV“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.‌We can keep the letter of the law while in our hearts and private lives completely go against the spirit of the law. ‌So, when Paul wrote that list of the fruits of the spirit to the Galatians he chose to go deeper than just an outward appearance of right-doing. Instead, he went to the depths of your being—your core beliefs—the foundation of your character. ‌And so, instead of saying, “don’t lie” Paul says you need ot have the fruit of goodness and love. How can you lie your heart is filled with goodness? You’re not going to deceive someone you love. ‌Now that we have a list of the core values that God has designed the human race with, let’s define each of them. Now, I recognize that my treatment of each of these subjects will be very shallow today—we could do a message on each one of these. For the sake of time we’ll just breeze through this and get the big picture of each of these topics. ‌Love‌In defining God and all the vastness of his character, John says, “God is love,” (1 John 4:8-10). ‌The word here isn’t erotic love, or brotherly love, this is selfless love that thinks about others before yourself. In 1 John the apostle defined God’s love with the reality that God sent Jesus into the world so that we might live through His sacrifice. ‌This love is Agape love. The most basic core value of the universe—the law on which everything else will thrive, or if it is absent, will die. This is the love about which Jesus says: ‌​John 13:35 ESVBy this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”‌I’ll use Philippians 2:4 as our definition of love. It keeps in mind that we have needs, but reminds us that we need to also look out for the interests of others. ‌​Philippians 2:4 ESVLet each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.‌Joy‌By pointing to joy as a fruit of the Spirit Paul recognizes that Joy isn’t something you experience—an external activity that makes you feel something. Joy is the result of something right inside you. ‌The US constitution and its amendments say that all mankind should be free to pursue happiness. What they don’t say is that happiness is a fleeting, never-quite-attainable feeling—like a butterfly that lights on your finger for just a moment and then flits off—an experience you may only have a few times in your life. ‌Joy is nothing like that. ‌The Bible defines joy, not as something that is done to you or experienced by you, but as something that you express. ‌The Psalms often say, “sing for joy.” In the Hebrew language that phrase is just one word which could be translated into english as “exult” or “rejoice.” ‌The stories of the kings and the chronicles of Isreal depict times of spiritual renewal in Israel as times where people had “great joy.” Joy is what we express when our lives and the world around us are in line with God’s design. When what is wrong is made right again. But how did they know that there was joy? Because they were jubilant! They were shouting and singing, leaping and dancing, and their faces were covered with smiles and the air was filled with laughter. ‌Joy is what bubbles out when there is goodness and contentment in your heart. ‌Joy is impossible when your conscience is corrupted. You might feel pleasure, but you won’t experience joy. Joy transcends your experiences. It is not an emotional response to good food, or the feelings you have during physically pleasurable moments. It’s not something that is done to you. ‌It is true that we can have a pure conscience and still not experience joy. When our world around us is broken and there is pain and heartache, the pure heart experiences sorrow. ‌You have sorrow when God’s people are persecuted, when the world is not as it should be around you, when a friend rejects faith or a loved one suffers with a terrible disease. You sorrow when there is injustice and ungodliness and evil. ‌And when those wrongs are made right, when justice comes, when healing occurs, when persecution is ended, when things are made right, that’s when we express joy. When an enemy becomes a friend. When a forgiveness brings restoration. But maybe most importantly, Joy is the result when we take an honest inventory of our lives and repent before God, asking for His cleansing and forgiveness. ‌Let’s define joy in this way: the heartfelt expression of a repentant heart when God makes things right. This is part of what we do in our corporate worship. We sing for JOY! because of God’s forgiveness, mercy and love. ‌Peace‌Peace has to do with the health and welfare of your heart and life. Are you at peace inside? Are you at peace with the world around you? The Hebrew word for peace is shalom and it’s used as a primary greeting. “Shalom, my friend,” would be a respectful way to greet someone. It means, “I wish peace for you.” ‌The opposite of peace in the Bible is wandering, scattered, at war, and in opposition to God. When God brought peace to Israel it was the whole package. He took Israel out of their struggling, broken condition as slaves in Egypt and took them to a place of peace in Canaan. He called Canaan a land “flowing with milk and honey.” He promised that their flocks would multiply and their fields would produce an abundant harvest. They would have national peace because God would fight their battles so they could live in peace. They would have peace with their families and neighbors because God had given them principles to live by that would cultivate a healthy and content society. They would have peace in their hearts because they would be content with their Lord and all He had given them. And they would have spiritual peace because they would be single-hearted in their worship of the Lord. ‌Let’s define peace as the heart that is settled on God like a lighthouse built firmly rooted to a rock. No matter the external conditions, the heart that is single to the Lord is a heart with peace. ‌Shon, the man who wrote his story of dealing with guilt said this about the moment he faced his sin:‌I spoke of my sin. It was the first time I spoke, without justification, minimizing, or blaming, a genuine confession of guilt to killing my wife.‌.‌Patience‌Patience is closely connected to the concept of endurance or steadfastness. This is a deep character trait that doesn’t come naturally to us. In Revelation God’s people at the end of time are defined by their patience—the fact their their faith and loving obedience endures: ‌​Revelation 14:12 NKJVHere is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.‌Patience requires a tolerance of delay. It requires a willingness to suffer and endure trial without changing course or turning away from your principles. Patience is extremely difficult to muster when you’re thinking about all the ways that you’re being wronged. It often requires a superhuman capacity to have empathy for others, to think the best of others, and to consider others above yourself. ‌Let’s define patience as the quality of enduring faith and persisting love.‌Kindness‌Kindness is much more than the, “bless your heart,” statements that I heard growing up in the south. ‌Polite expressions aren’t helpful when someone has a real need. ‌​James 2:15–16 ESVIf a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that?‌Kindness is the family who saved up money for Christmas presents for each other, but then used that money to buy the neighborhood hooligans winter coats instead. And you should have seen their faces when they received those coats! I know because it was my mother who initiated that act of kindness.‌Kindness is when you take in the neighbor from down the road who lived in a drafty, shanty with dirt floors and who was coughing with pneumonia. It’s when you nurse that man back to health in a bed in the middle of your living room throughout the cold months of winter. I know that kindness too, because I watched my mother serve that man. ‌Kindness is also when you think well of someone even though they might not deserve it. ‌Kindness is when you share your food, your clothes, your home with others. ‌Kindness is so much a part of God’s design that James says this about religion: ‌​James 1:27 NLTPure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.‌ Kindness is the thing you do that helps someone else when you don’t get anything for it.‌Goodness‌Trust me, you know what good is. ‌Jesus said that even evil people know how to give good gifts to their children. And then he added this: “How much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!” (Matt 7:11)‌Think about fruit. Pick a peach off a tree and bite into it. When the skin is tender, the flesh is juicy and sweet, and the texture is smooth but just slightly firm, that’s a good fruit. Put any of those things awry and you’ll recognize as quick as a flash that something’s wrong. If the skin is tough, or the flesh is dry or bland, or the texture is mushy or worse yet, grainy—all these things tell you senses that something is less than good. And when that fruit has a rotten spot on one side, bite into the other side and you’ll recognize the rot immediately—everything in your senses will say, “bad fruit!”‌In his letter to the Philippians Paul gives some striking definition to goodness: ‌​Philippians 4:8 ESVFinally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.‌The elements of human and divine goodness are summed up in this passage: true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, excellent, and worthy of commendation and praise. If any of these things are awry, we intuitively know that its not good. Lies and deceit and corruption are universally recognized as bad. ‌Let’s define goodness as expressing excellence in every aspect of life. ‌Faithfulness‌In the Hebrew language there are several words that are translated into the english word faithfulness. They include concepts such as trustworthiness, steadfastness, reliability, constancy, and firmness. ‌In contrast to faithfulness we find concepts such as infidelity, fraud, and disloyalty. ‌Jesus has several parables and stories that presented a contrast between a faithful servant and an unfaithful servant. The faithful servant is one who does his agreed upon duty without wavering, while the unfaithful servant gets distracted by his own pleasure, ignores the master’s wishes, or distrusts the master’s intentions. ‌Faithful people are ones you can trust your children with. ‌Faithful people follow through with what they say they will do.‌Faithful people don’t waver and waffle and wander away; they stick with something until it’s done. ‌Let’s define faithfulness as loyalty and steadfastness in love for God and others. ‌Gentleness‌Deuteronomy 32 describes the teaching of the Lord as gentle raindrops that fall like dew on tender grass. ‌Gentleness is the soft caress of a mother’s hand on her newborn baby’s cheek. It’s the soft response to childish foolishness that turns the child’s heart towards their parent. Notice this council in proverbs: ‌​Proverbs 15:4 NLTGentle words are a tree of life; a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit.‌Jesus says of himself, “I am gentle and lowly in heart,” and because of that truth about Himself He invites us to join our lives with Him. He promises that when we do we will find rest. (Matt 11:29)‌Peter says that gentleness is far more important than what we look like on the outside: ‌​1 Peter 3:4 ESVbut let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious.‌Gentleness is often in contrast to violence or harshness.‌Let’s define gentleness as the quality of empathy towards others the allows us to express tenderness. ‌Self-control‌Proverbs tells us that: ‌​Proverbs 25:28 ESVA man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls.‌According to Paul in his letters to Timothy and Titus, self-control is one of the basic requirement for spiritual leaders in the church. If you can’t control your own words and behaviors, how can you lead others? ‌Peter compares self-control with being sober. To Peter, a person without self control is similar to a person who is under the influence of mind-altering drugs or alcohol. ‌In the new testament someone without self control is foolish, imprudent, unwise, ignorant, senseless, and ultimately, humiliated. ‌You’ve all been around someone who says things thoughtlessly. In fact, most of us have done that a few times ourselves, and we’ve experience the regret and broken relationships that come with that kind of foolish talking. We’ve all seen, and many of us have experienced the impact of an addiction controlling someone. It’s as if the substance or behavior is making the decisions and the person is completely unable to control themselves. Lack of self-control has led to broken marriages, the loss of fortunes, the murder of innocent people, and untold numbers of suicides. ‌Self-control is simply the strength of will to choose your actions and your words.‌Are These Your Core Values? ‌I’ve given you each a paper with a list of the values from Galatians 5. I’d like you to take a few moments to ask yourself, “are these my core values?” If you feel like one or all of these values is something you hold dear and live by, then check the box beside that value. If you find that it’s not something you live by, then don’t check that box. ‌It might be helpful for you to give each of these values a litmus test just to make sure they are actually your values. Here’s a few questions you can ask yourself: ‌[next slide]‌If someone were to give me a large amount of money (million, billion, etc) to violate this value, would I? — If you would give it up for a price, then don’t check that box. ‌Do I practice this value when I’m under stress, overwhelmed, or feeling attacked? — If stressors lead you to act contrary to one or more of these values, then don’t check that box. ‌Do I think of this as an ideal that I might never reach? — Ideals are not values. Don’t check that box if it’s just an ideal. ‌Do I practice this in my life? — If you find your lived-out experience doesn’t match that core value, then don’t check that box. ‌How many of these values have you checked off as genuinely incorporated into your life? Are they honestly your core values, or are they just wishful thinking? ‌What now? ‌My guess is that most of us have some blanks beside one or more of these core values. Two questions come to mind: ‌Why is it that our lived-out experience doesn’t match with God’s design? ‌What do we do to have these values ingrained in our hearts? ‌Let’s read that passage from Galatians again and see if it will give us any clues: ‌​Galatians 5:19–20 ESVNow the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions,‌etc.‌Paul is clear, “I warn you… that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.” (v 21)‌​Galatians 5:22–25 ESVBut the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.‌Notice the contrast Paul makes between the values of the flesh and the values of the spirit. I know, the text says “works” of the flesh and “fruit” of the spirit, but the point I want you to understand is that the works of the flesh come from the values of the flesh and the fruit of the spirit is the result of the values of the spirit has implanted in our hearts. Our lived-out experience IS the direct result of whatever is deep in our souls—our values and character. ‌Let’s look at two passages that should give us some insight into this. The first passage is what we often call the “new covenant.” It’s a description of what God will do in the heart of every believer who allows God to take over their life: ‌​Ezekiel 36:25–27 ESVI will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.‌‌God made us a promise that HE would do something at the heart of our being—the core of our character. He’s going to give us a new heart with a new spirit. This is what we call the “new covenant.” ‌‌Now jump forward to John 3 where Jesus is talking to Nicodemus and notice what he says in verse 5: ‌​John 3:5–7 ESVJesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’‌Jesus talks about this transformation from the values of the flesh to the values of the spirit as a new birth. And it’s in this story that we find the most famous verse in the Bible, John 3:16. Before he says that verse Jesus points forward to the time when he would die on the cross. ‌​John 3:14–16 ESVAnd as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.‌And then in verse 18 Jesus says, “whoever believes in him is not condemned.” (vs 18)‌The new covenant that Ezekiel told us about—that new heart and new spirit transformation—happens when we give ourselves to Jesus, believing in His saving work on the cross. ‌‌But wait, you might ask, I gave my heart to God years ago and I’m not checking all the boxes on this list of core values. What’s going on? ‌Jump forward to the end of Jesus’ ministry, the day before his crucifixion. He had just eaten the passover supper with his disciples in the upper room and now they were walking together on the road to the garden of Gethsemane. Here’s what he said: ‌​John 15:1–5 ESV“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.‌Jesus is describing a living experience with Him. The Christian life isn’t a one and done thing where you give your heart to God one day and suddenly everything in your life is perfect. Instead, he describes a process of bearing fruit, being pruned, and then bearing more fruit. ‌[next slide]‌Have you seen God grow and change you since you gave your heart to Him?‌If so, then that is evidence that the Spirit is working in you. You are bearing fruit! ‌Now, if your experience today is the same as before you believed in Jesus, then it would be wise for you to ask yourself if you’ve given yourself to God or if you’re just coming to church to look religious. God won’t force you. You have to allowed the Spirit into your heart to do the work of taking your heart of stone out and giving you a new heart. God won’t force you to bear fruit against your will. ‌We acknowledged a few moments ago that while we may be seeing God transforming us we’re still not checking all the boxes of the Spirit’s core values. I think Jesus has a good illustration to help us grasp what’s going on. ‌Revelation 3 puts it this way: ‌​Revelation 3:20 ESVBehold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.‌Jesus uses the illustration of a heart’s door, and if the heart is anything like a home, it has more than one door. You might say to Jesus, “please come into my life,” and He will! But before long he’s going to take a step past your living room, through your dining room, and he’s going to knock on the door of your heart’s closet. And then your hearts bedroom. Sure, you’ve let Jesus in, but have you let him all the way in? Is there a part of your heart that Jesus is knocking at right now and saying, “may I come in and have this part of your life too?” ‌Whatever you find in that list of core values in Galatians 5 that you are not living out, give that part of your life to Jesus too. Only He can produce that fruit in you. Let God do the pruning work He needs to do. And be patient, sometimes it takes a while for a tree to bear fruit. Just let God in and He promises He’s going to implant His values in your heart. ‌God invites you to abide in Him and let Him abide in you.‌‌-------‌Please stand with me as we sing our closing hymn… Be Thou My Vision

Patience

Patience is closely connected to the concept of endurance or steadfastness. This is a deep character trait that doesn’t come naturally to us. In Revelation God’s people at the end of time are defined by their patience—the fact their their faith and loving obedience endures:

Revelation 14:12 NKJV

Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.

Patience requires a tolerance of delay. It requires a willingness to suffer and endure trial without changing course or turning away from your principles. Patience is extremely difficult to muster when you’re thinking about all the ways that you’re being wronged. It often requires a superhuman capacity to have empathy for others, to think the best of others, and to consider others above yourself.

Let’s define patience as the quality of enduring faith and persisting love.

Kindness

Kindness is much more than the, “bless your heart,” statements that I heard growing up in the south.

Polite expressions aren’t helpful when someone has a real need.

James 2:15–16 ESV

If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that?

Kindness is the family who saved up money for Christmas presents for each other, but then used that money to buy the neighborhood hooligans winter coats instead. And you should have seen their faces when they received those coats! I know because it was my mother who initiated that act of kindness.

Kindness is when you take in the neighbor from down the road who lived in a drafty, shanty with dirt floors and who was coughing with pneumonia. It’s when you nurse that man back to health in a bed in the middle of your living room throughout the cold months of winter. I know that kindness too, because I watched my mother serve that man.

Kindness is also when you think well of someone even though they might not deserve it.

Kindness is when you share your food, your clothes, your home with others.

Kindness is so much a part of God’s design that James says this about religion:

James 1:27 NLT

Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.

Kindness is the thing you do that helps someone else when you don’t get anything for it.

Goodness

Trust me, you know what good is.

Jesus said that even evil people know how to give good gifts to their children. And then he added this: “How much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!” (Matt 7:11)

Think about fruit. Pick a peach off a tree and bite into it. When the skin is tender, the flesh is juicy and sweet, and the texture is smooth but just slightly firm, that’s a good fruit. Put any of those things awry and you’ll recognize as quick as a flash that something’s wrong. If the skin is tough, or the flesh is dry or bland, or the texture is mushy or worse yet, grainy—all these things tell you senses that something is less than good. And when that fruit has a rotten spot on one side, bite into the other side and you’ll recognize the rot immediately—everything in your senses will say, “bad fruit!”

In his letter to the Philippians Paul gives some striking definition to goodness:

Philippians 4:8 ESV

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

The elements of human and divine goodness are summed up in this passage: true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, excellent, and worthy of commendation and praise. If any of these things are awry, we intuitively know that its not good. Lies and deceit and corruption are universally recognized as bad.

Let’s define goodness as expressing excellence in every aspect of life.

Faithfulness

In the Hebrew language there are several words that are translated into the english word faithfulness. They include concepts such as trustworthiness, steadfastness, reliability, constancy, and firmness.

In contrast to faithfulness we find concepts such as infidelity, fraud, and disloyalty.

Jesus has several parables and stories that presented a contrast between a faithful servant and an unfaithful servant. The faithful servant is one who does his agreed upon duty without wavering, while the unfaithful servant gets distracted by his own pleasure, ignores the master’s wishes, or distrusts the master’s intentions.

Faithful people are ones you can trust your children with.

Faithful people follow through with what they say they will do.

Faithful people don’t waver and waffle and wander away; they stick with something until it’s done.

Let’s define faithfulness as loyalty and steadfastness in love for God and others.

Gentleness

Deuteronomy 32 describes the teaching of the Lord as gentle raindrops that fall like dew on tender grass.

Gentleness is the soft caress of a mother’s hand on her newborn baby’s cheek. It’s the soft response to childish foolishness that turns the child’s heart towards their parent. Notice this council in proverbs:

Proverbs 15:4 NLT

Gentle words are a tree of life; a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit.

Jesus says of himself, “I am gentle and lowly in heart,” and because of that truth about Himself He invites us to join our lives with Him. He promises that when we do we will find rest. (Matt 11:29)

Peter says that gentleness is far more important than what we look like on the outside:

1 Peter 3:4 ESV

but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious.

Gentleness is often in contrast to violence or harshness.

Let’s define gentleness as the quality of empathy towards others the allows us to express tenderness.

Self-control

Proverbs tells us that:

Proverbs 25:28 ESV

A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls.

According to Paul in his letters to Timothy and Titus, self-control is one of the basic requirement for spiritual leaders in the church. If you can’t control your own words and behaviors, how can you lead others?

Peter compares self-control with being sober. To Peter, a person without self control is similar to a person who is under the influence of mind-altering drugs or alcohol.

In the new testament someone without self control is foolish, imprudent, unwise, ignorant, senseless, and ultimately, humiliated.

You’ve all been around someone who says things thoughtlessly. In fact, most of us have done that a few times ourselves, and we’ve experience the regret and broken relationships that come with that kind of foolish talking. We’ve all seen, and many of us have experienced the impact of an addiction controlling someone. It’s as if the substance or behavior is making the decisions and the person is completely unable to control themselves. Lack of self-control has led to broken marriages, the loss of fortunes, the murder of innocent people, and untold numbers of suicides.

Self-control is simply the strength of will to choose your actions and your words.

Are These Your Core Values?

I’ve given you each a paper with a list of the values from Galatians 5. I’d like you to take a few moments to ask yourself, “are these my core values?” If you feel like one or all of these values is something you hold dear and live by, then check the box beside that value. If you find that it’s not something you live by, then don’t check that box.

It might be helpful for you to give each of these values a litmus test just to make sure they are actually your values. Here’s a few questions you can ask yourself:

[next slide]

If someone were to give me a large amount of money (million, billion, etc) to violate this value, would I? — If you would give it up for a price, then don’t check that box.

Do I practice this value when I’m under stress, overwhelmed, or feeling attacked? — If stressors lead you to act contrary to one or more of these values, then don’t check that box.

Do I think of this as an ideal that I might never reach? — Ideals are not values. Don’t check that box if it’s just an ideal.

Do I practice this in my life? — If you find your lived-out experience doesn’t match that core value, then don’t check that box.

How many of these values have you checked off as genuinely incorporated into your life? Are they honestly your core values, or are they just wishful thinking?

What now?

My guess is that most of us have some blanks beside one or more of these core values. Two questions come to mind:

Why is it that our lived-out experience doesn’t match with God’s design?

What do we do to have these values ingrained in our hearts?

Let’s read that passage from Galatians again and see if it will give us any clues:

Galatians 5:19–20 ESV

Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions,

etc.

Paul is clear, “I warn you… that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.” (v 21)

Galatians 5:22–25 ESV

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.

Notice the contrast Paul makes between the values of the flesh and the values of the spirit. I know, the text says “works” of the flesh and “fruit” of the spirit, but the point I want you to understand is that the works of the flesh come from the values of the flesh and the fruit of the spirit is the result of the values of the spirit has implanted in our hearts. Our lived-out experience IS the direct result of whatever is deep in our souls—our values and character.

Let’s look at two passages that should give us some insight into this. The first passage is what we often call the “new covenant.” It’s a description of what God will do in the heart of every believer who allows God to take over their life:

Ezekiel 36:25–27 ESV

I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.

God made us a promise that HE would do something at the heart of our being—the core of our character. He’s going to give us a new heart with a new spirit. This is what we call the “new covenant.”

Now jump forward to John 3 where Jesus is talking to Nicodemus and notice what he says in verse 5:

John 3:5–7 ESV

Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’

Jesus talks about this transformation from the values of the flesh to the values of the spirit as a new birth. And it’s in this story that we find the most famous verse in the Bible, John 3:16. Before he says that verse Jesus points forward to the time when he would die on the cross.

John 3:14–16 ESV

And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

And then in verse 18 Jesus says, “whoever believes in him is not condemned.” (vs 18)

The new covenant that Ezekiel told us about—that new heart and new spirit transformation—happens when we give ourselves to Jesus, believing in His saving work on the cross.

But wait, you might ask, I gave my heart to God years ago and I’m not checking all the boxes on this list of core values. What’s going on?

Jump forward to the end of Jesus’ ministry, the day before his crucifixion. He had just eaten the passover supper with his disciples in the upper room and now they were walking together on the road to the garden of Gethsemane. Here’s what he said:

John 15:1–5 ESV

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

Jesus is describing a living experience with Him. The Christian life isn’t a one and done thing where you give your heart to God one day and suddenly everything in your life is perfect. Instead, he describes a process of bearing fruit, being pruned, and then bearing more fruit.

[next slide]

Have you seen God grow and change you since you gave your heart to Him?

If so, then that is evidence that the Spirit is working in you. You are bearing fruit!

Now, if your experience today is the same as before you believed in Jesus, then it would be wise for you to ask yourself if you’ve given yourself to God or if you’re just coming to church to look religious. God won’t force you. You have to allowed the Spirit into your heart to do the work of taking your heart of stone out and giving you a new heart. God won’t force you to bear fruit against your will.

We acknowledged a few moments ago that while we may be seeing God transforming us we’re still not checking all the boxes of the Spirit’s core values. I think Jesus has a good illustration to help us grasp what’s going on.

Revelation 3 puts it this way:

Revelation 3:20 ESV

Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.

Jesus uses the illustration of a heart’s door, and if the heart is anything like a home, it has more than one door. You might say to Jesus, “please come into my life,” and He will! But before long he’s going to take a step past your living room, through your dining room, and he’s going to knock on the door of your heart’s closet. And then your hearts bedroom. Sure, you’ve let Jesus in, but have you let him all the way in? Is there a part of your heart that Jesus is knocking at right now and saying, “may I come in and have this part of your life too?”

Whatever you find in that list of core values in Galatians 5 that you are not living out, give that part of your life to Jesus too. Only He can produce that fruit in you. Let God do the pruning work He needs to do. And be patient, sometimes it takes a while for a tree to bear fruit. Just let God in and He promises He’s going to implant His values in your heart.

God invites you to abide in Him and let Him abide in you.

-------

Please stand with me as we sing our closing hymn… Be Thou My Vision