Fruit Of The Spirit

Hello everyone! Thank you for joining us this weekend whether you are online or in person. My name is Austin, and I am the young adults pastor here at heartland. I hope that all of you are having a great summer so far!

I have a question for you, have you ever been in a moment where you are driving and someone cuts you off and you get angry enough to say something you shouldn’t? Have your kids ever tested you so much where you lost your patience with them? Or maybe, have you ever been in a conversation with someone that shares a different view on something than you where you stop showing love and stop being kind? Or in my case, when my wife is driving, and we go through a drive through and the car ahead pulls up but we don’t move, that just itches at my patience even though we won’t get to the window any faster, and rightfully so, she tells me that. We all can relate to this on some level. We all experience moments where we do something that we shouldn’t, we all have moments where it can be hard to show and live out the Fruit of the Spirit. And this is what we are going to be looking at during our time together.

This summer at heartland, we have been going through our new series of The Holy Spirit. Last week we heard from pastor Al when he spoke about the baptism and filling of the holy spirit. And what we are going to be talking about today should be what follows up that moment.

If you grew up in the church, this topic of the fruit of the spirit could be common for you. I remember singing a song about the fruit of the spirit when I was in Sunday school, but I never fully grasped what it meant. Paul's introduction of the word fruit is filled with meaning. While we might have expected him to say, "The works of the Spirit are," Paul, through the guiding of the Spirit, needed to use a fresh term. He had used "works" enough throughout this letter. Besides, "works" indicates lots of activities that people must do. "Fruit," however, is singular, indicating that all the fruits exist as a unit like a bunch of grapes rather than many different pieces of fruit, and that all are to be lived out as followers of Jesus. So, Paul conveyed the meaning of a full harvest of virtues. Also, there is something important to note, if you have ever done any gardening, when growing anything in a garden or on a tree it takes time, it takes time for it to become its fullest self of a fruit ripe to be eaten; it takes time to grow and requires care and cultivation.

The Spirit produces the fruit; our job is to get in tune with the Spirit. Believers exhibit the fruit of the Spirit, not because they work at it, but simply because they are filled with the Holy Spirit.

The fruit of the Spirit should be something that separates followers of Jesus from the world, it should reveal a power within them, and helps us become more Christlike in their daily lives, which should be our goal. So why don’t we open up, swipe to Galatians 5:22-23 as we look at this passage of the fruit of the spirit.

But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! (NLT)

When a person accepts Jesus as Savior, they receive the power of the Holy Spirit to overcome their sinful nature and develop the character of Christ. And the character of Christ is marked by the fruit of his Spirit. But what do these fruits mean?

Love: It is no coincidence that Paul puts “love” first in the fruit of the Spirit. The Greek word for love in this instance is agape. It is the highest form of the different kinds of love expressed by distinct Greek words. Agape is the kind of love God has for his creation. It is pure, selfless and self-sacrificing. It always seeks the best for others — even enemies —, at all costs. God showed his agape love as it says in Romans 5:8, “But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.”

Joy: The joy Paul refers to in Galatians 5 is much deeper than a sense of happiness or gladness from life’s circumstances. It is a profound delight and rejoicing that comes from knowing and serving God. The Bible describes the importance of this divine joy to the Christian’s life when it says this in Nehemiah 8:10, “for the joy of the LORD is your strength!” (NLT)

Peace: Peace is an unshakeable inner calm that can be a rare quality in turbulent times. The peace that comes from the Spirit is not just a small comfort. Paul describes it as beyond human understanding in Philippians 4:7, “Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”

Patience: Patience can be in short supply in a fast-paced world where everyone wants what they want, when they want it. But the Holy Spirit has a never-ending supply of patience to flood the believer’s heart at those times when it is needed most. Ephesians 4:2 says, “Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love.”

Kindness: This fruit of the Spirit is a natural result of love. When God’s Spirit begins to develop love in the believer’s heart, treating others with kindness, compassion and forgiveness follows. Ephesians 4:32 says, “be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.”

Goodness: This fruit of the Spirit is an attribute of action. It means reaching out to do good to others, and here is the key thing, even if they don’t deserve it. Goodness doesn’t react to evil but absorbs the offence and responds with positive action. Galatians 6:10 says, “Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith.”

Faithfulness: This means that one is trustworthy, loyal, constant, dependable in the face of anything. The Christian who produces the fruit of faithfulness embodies all these attributes. No matter what life brings, he expects his disciples to be unwavering in their faithfulness to him as well as to the people in their lives. James 1:12 says, “God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.”

Gentleness: The way a follower of Jesus engages with others is what the fruit of gentleness is all about. The ability to discern when to use a gentle word is a valuable gift of the Spirit. Especially in tense moments, when unkind words or manners are the typical first response, the believer who responds with gentleness is a true reflection of Jesus and the kingdom of God. Proverbs 15:1 says, “A gentle answer deflects anger, but harsh words make tempers flare.”

And lastly, self-control: Because of our human nature to sin, overcoming them can be a constant tug of war. But as followers of Jesus, we have the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives to help us identify and overcome areas of weakness. Titus 2:11-12 says, “For the grace of God has been revealed, bringing salvation to all people. 12 And we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God.”

As we read through these, it can be easy to see where we are doing well. But I want us to think about, where are we not doing well? Where am I not being the best? Am I being short with people? Am I being forceful instead of gentle? Am I not wanting to present my stress to God? Am I showing hatred instead of love? Like I said at the beginning, these take time to develop, you aren’t going to be perfect at all of them, and that is okay. But are we at least striving to become more in tune with the Spirit where he can work through us and prune our whole beings? Because here’s the thing, the whole context of the fruit of the spirit is how we interact and treat others. The Fruit of the Spirit are horizontal in expression due to our vertical connection with God. How it was described to me was with the visual of the cross. Because of our vertical connection with God, we can express his fruit horizontally to those around us.

But what happens if we don’t show the fruit of the spirit and we call ourselves Christians? What happens if we have a Lack of Fruit?

Just as we are called to have fruit we are also warned about what it would mean if we were to actively choose not to show these different attributes. Think back with me to when you were a child. We all know, as kids, are brains aren’t anywhere near fully developed, but the thing is, as we got older, the understanding between what is right and what is wrong becomes more clear. Then when it came to making a choice where you could see both sides, one side is what we want to do and the other is the right path because we know what is expected of us, whether that was set out by our parents, grandparents, teachers or friends. But sometimes, even while knowing what was expected we chose the other way. When it comes to living out the fruit of the spirit, it is pretty clear what is expected of us and what happens if we choose to go the other way. Jesus gives us a clear picture of this in the Gospel of John in chapter 15, verses 5-8 when He says this,

“Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. 6 Anyone who does not remain in me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned. 7 But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted! 8 When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father.”

This passage is both a very encouraging passage but also a challenging one. Here, we see Jesus identified Himself as the true Vine, the believers as the branches, and God the Father as the gardener. The fruit of the vine is Christlikeness. Although the Holy Spirit is not called a vine, He is a producer of fruit. And he is saying that if we remain in him, allow him to prune our hearts, minds and souls, and live out the fruits that come from the holy spirit, we are his true disciples. But this isn’t just talking about us staying in him but what happens if we don’t produce or live out the fruits. Even as I read this passage, the words thrown away and burned seem like some pretty strong words that some of us may not like to hear. Jesus takes this very seriously. We could be saying the right things, doing the right things but is that coming from genuine devotion to God or are we putting on a spiritual performance? The only way we can continue to grow is if we are attached to the vine, getting the nourishment and support needed for optimal growth. But if we are separated from the vine, we will surely shrivel up.

Now, you might be sitting there and you could be saying, I think I am living out the fruit of the spirit, I am happy, I live a moral life, and I am loyal to people. And if you are saying that, I challenge you, I challenge myself, are we truly living out the fruit of the spirit or are we living out the counterfeit fruits that the world shows us?

You know, there is this one scene in the tv show The Office, where one of the characters, Creed, who isn’t really all there has a prank pulled on him. While he sits happily munching an apple and working on the computer a fellow worker swiftly walks by and replaces the apple with a potato. Those watching make bets about whether Creed will notice or not. To no one’s surprise, Creed bites out a chunk of potato and happily keeps munching away, completely oblivious. He didn’t even notice the counterfeit. What happens when we approach The Fruits of the Spirit in a similar manner? What if we have been eating counterfeit fruits without even realizing it? Thinking we are exhibiting a good, Spiritual trait only to find, upon examination, we’re producing something God didn’t intend. We can unintentionally trade what the Spirit wants to grow in us with something the world has instead.

The problem is that counterfeit fruits can slip in and rob us of growth. They aren’t sins, they aren’t bad, they’re potatoes. While a potato may be as beneficial as an apple, in spiritual terms, we are at risk if we exchange a God thing for a good thing. I want us to look at the fruit of the spirit and some of the counterfeits we may experience.

Acceptance Instead of Love

How common is this perspective? ‘If you love me, you’ll accept me just as I am.’ And if we don’t accept someone or some aspect of their life, they say we don’t really love them. This idea has permeated most of western culture. It is a black and white stance, its either you’re with me or against me, when really, love is a grey and complex relationship. Are you guilty of holding people to this standard? Demanding full affirmation of friends and family and then getting upset at anyone who may resist? We can and people can love without fully accepting every part of us. Some of our best learning can come from people who have different perspectives than us.

Happiness Instead of Joy

There could be a book on this balance. This is one of the great paradoxes of Christianity. That our joy is not stolen in any circumstance. True spiritual joy is present in grief, heartache, danger, persecution, confusion, fear, and the list can go on. The world will tell us that our greatest goal is to find happiness and contentment in our situation or that sadness and pain are ultimate evils. Where the proof of Joy becomes realized, is in the valleys of pain and darkness. Do you have joy, assurance of His goodness and presence with you and in you, despite your circumstance? Do you doubt God as soon as your happy feelings flee?

Control Instead of Peace

Do you have peace because you feel in control? Or because you trust the sovereignty of God? Is peace robbed during crisis? When I lose control all I can do sometimes is fight to get it back. I lose my sense of peace so quickly at the slightest variables. We can take lessons from our brothers and sisters in the persecuted church. They live under threat of losing job, house evictions, family shunning, acts of violence and even death. There is little in their control when they choose Jesus while living in countries dangerous to followers of Jesus. Have we accepted the fake fruit of control when God would have us live in His peace no matter what?

Urgency Instead of Patience

This is an obvious opposite, but we often miss it. The Gospel mission is a vital one with eternal consequences, yes, and yet the One who ushered in this Gospel was patient and calculated. When others urged Him to hurry, He was interruptible and slow. He sat at tables, rested, and retreated. Are we walking in the fruit of urgency or patience?

Courtesy Instead of Kindness

Does anyone here hate small talk? In moments like that we can still be friendly, and such but can we easily slip into the mode of being courteous and superficial? We can just fake through it, be nice and not really connect with another person. Even if it seems like a nothing conversation to you, it can still create a connection with the other person.

We can substitute being cordial for kindness to avoid conflict or uncomfortable conversations. We tell ourselves; we don’t want to be mean or rude or make someone uncomfortable. What we are doing though, is sweeping things under the rug and not being so kind as to treat that person with dignity and compassion and say it as it is. We are saying, ‘my comfort is more important than actually caring for you.’

Moralism Instead of Goodness

Agathos is the Greek word Paul uses in Galatians 5. It is an all-encompassing word, broadly meaning all that can be good and is good. Being of good nature, uprightness, honorability should be a fruit coming from our lives. This has little or nothing to do with setting standards of living that make it easy for people to fail. Our goodness should be a result of the Spirit’s work within us and not the result of a sterile, rigidly moralistic environment we’ve tried to create. Do our moral standards leave room for others to grow? Does it cause us to build borders not bridges?

Convenience Instead of Faithfulness

The question for this comparison should be, are we being faithful or just looking for convenience? Are we there for someone, for them to talk to, to share things with, but then as soon as it gets hard, are we gone? Or are we faithful through every circumstance? Are we there when it everything seems like a mess? Are we there with a bond that is only possibly through the Holy spirit? This should lead us to serve genuinely and consistently with all our hearts. Living out faithfulness requires sacrifice. ­­Do we live out the faithful bond between God and the people of Israel. In spite of their unfaithfulness.

Passivity Instead of Gentleness

The Spirit makes us gentle. The image of the lion laying next to the lamb comes to my mind. Being gentle has more to do with confidence than we realize. It is sometimes the loudest voice that is the most insecure in their position. While Jesus spoke in a way that was challenging and inciting, he was always gentle. But let us not commit the error of being so gentle that we don’t speak at all, that we become passive, that we don’t complete our calling.

Behaviour Instead of Self-control

The WHOLE self should be under control by the help of the Holy Spirit in us. Historically, humanity, even people in the church, have really focused on putting up a front, a face to manage our outer self. Growing in the fruit of self control is an inner change that extends to our external. Are we bringing our whole self into submission of the Spirit? Are we making ourselves look good but then yelling at someone who cuts us off? Are we doing all the right things but then still dealing with our baggage behind closed doors?

And the list of counterfeits could continue to grow, but I think we get the point. The fruit of the spirit should permeate our whole being, and we need to be aware of these counterfeits. So as we end today, I want us to look at one last thing. The beauty about all of this is at the very end of the passage about the fruit of the spirit that I haven’t touched on. Let’s read the passage again, But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. And here is the beautiful thing, There is no law against these things! (NLT).

There are no laws against living out these fruits. It is encouraged, looked at as godly and Christlike and should be strived after. But the thing we have to remember is that we cannot do this all on our own. We can’t just white knuckle it and hope that we can do it. The true, pure and lifegiving fruit are only able to be truly lived out as we are continually walking in step with the Spirit. Reflecting back on what Pastor Al spoke on last week, the evidence of an individual who has been baptized in the Spirit is one who lives out the fruit of the spirit. For me, it comes back to the passage and saying, they, as in people who don’t follow Jesus, will know we are disciples of Jesus by our love. Unfortunately, many people don’t know Christians by their love. Too often people see Christians as hypocritical, judgemental, or just straight up rude. This can’t be what people see. The Christians of the early church managed to convert so many to the faith because of their kindness. They loved the unloved, cared for the marginalized, and emulated Jesus. They loved someone even if they took their seat in church.

Others saw Jesus in them and wanted to have the same hope, the same joy, and the same peace they experience. As believers, we want nonbelievers to see the same in us. We do so by spending more time with God.

If we are being honest, followers of Jesus haven’t always succeeded at growing fruit. We can stumble into sin and lose sight of the character of Christ in our actions. However, through our stumbling, we should be striving after growth. When looking back on our formative years, we should see how we’ve grown to be more patient, kind, joyful, loving, etc. If we see a lack of growth over a long period of time, it may be time to spend more time with God and seek him earnestly. It’s not a matter of asking the Holy Spirit