Fruit of the Spirit - Introduction
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Introduction
In Paul’s absence, I have 9 weeks to fill, both in morning and evening services.
9 weeks, I thought....what can I do for 9 weeks? Do I start in a book and work through it, like we do?
But 9 weeks takes us very close to Easter.
And then I noticed that the Fruit of the Spirit has 9 elements to it and I thought that would be perfect to cover over the 9 weeks Paul is away.
So we’re going to take each element of the fruit of the Spirit over each week and look at them in a bit more depth, but always in the context of the passage that contains the fruit of the Spirit.
Now, here’s where everything I’ve just said makes no sense…Today was to be on love, but you can’t talk about each aspect of the fruit of the Spirit without first introducing the topic. Which means that today we’re not looking at love - today we’re looking at the concept as a whole.
But do not fear…as it turns out, there are a few aspects of the fruit of the Spirit that are very similar, so we can look at them together.
So NEXT WEEK we’re going to look at love as it relates to the Fruit of the Spirit…something I’ve never preached on specifically.
This week we’re going to build the foundation on which this topic stands. We’re digging the ground and establishing the roots of the tree that will bear the fruit.
Pause
To help set the scene for this letter and our passage in some ways, I want you to imagine that you’ve come to faith in Christ for the first time. You’ve believed that Jesus died for your sins, you’ve realised that you yourself are a sinner and that any effort you into your salvation is meaningless, and so you’ve asked Jesus for the forgiveness of your sins and you’ve committed your life to him…and that’s how we obtain salvation.
But then imagine that before you made this life-changing commitment, you never went to church, so you start going to a church to learn more about Jesus and to worship God with other like-minded people.
And you’re sitting in worship listening to the message, and the preacher says, ‘circumcision wasn’t just for the Old Testament Jews. If you want to be a true follower of Jesus you need to be circumcised. In fact, you’re not truly saved unless you get circumcised.’
Now, if you’re a man you might be thinking - ew no way. Or you might think - well, if that’s what I have to do to be saved, I have to do it. If you’re a woman you might be thinking - where does that leave me?
And the issue is that you’ve started going to a church that is preaching a different gospel than what the bible teaches.
This is why it’s so critical you are in a denomination that teaches the TRUE gospel. Other churches may be more attractive, but if they aren’t teaching the true gospel of Jesus Christ then no matter how attractive they are - it’s dangerous to be part of that church.
That’s what happened in the church of Galatia....and it’s the reason Paul wrote his letter.
Well, the church in Galatia were a gentile church - they weren’t Jews who had come to faith in Jesus Christ, they were non-Jews who believed in Jesus and were saved.
However, there were people who infiltrated the church of Galatia - Jews who had become Christians (Judaisers) who were teaching them a different gospel that they had initially believed.
They were teaching the Galatian believers that they essentially had to become Jews in order to be a proper Christian - they had to obey all the Jewish laws and customs, most of which were foreign to these Gentile believers.
So you have this church who had come to faith in Jesus Christ and were meeting together. And then these Judaisers were coming to them and saying, ‘uh…hang on. You’re not circumcised - the law commands you to be circumcised otherwise you’re not a true follower of God.’
Paul is writing to address this to say that you are saved by grace. And one of the key verses of the book as it relates to this, and to our passage is in chapter 3...
2 I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by believing what you heard? 3 Are you so foolish? After beginning by means of the Spirit, are you now trying to finish by means of the flesh?
Paul is asking them - did you receive the Holy Spirit through obeying the law of the Jews or by faith in Jesus? But the next verse is critical to our passage today…Are you so stupid, that after receiving the Holy Spirit through FAITH you want to finish your journey through your own works?
And this brings us to our passage today. In verse 17 of chapter 5, Paul says that the flesh and the Spirit are in opposition.
17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.
So let’s think about that for a minute...
So if we’ve become a Christian we have the Holy Spirit in us, but we still have this human body and mind that is sinful. We have been born again, crucified with Christ, received new life through the Spirit, but our physical bodies and our mind is still human. When we die, that body and mind dies with it and our NEW life remains with Jesus in heaven. That’s what happens at death.
But while we’re alive, we have the Spirit of God in us and we have our own physical bodies, what Paul calls the flesh. Some translations call it the sinful nature.
But his point is this - that our flesh is in opposition to the Spirit. They are at war with each other. And our flesh, being sinful does not want to do what the Spirit does.
It’s like two north poles of a magnet - they don’t want to be together.
Before we come to Christ, our journey in life is led by the flesh. But once we come to Jesus and give our lives to him our journey in life is to be led more and more by the Spirit (verse 16).
16 So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.
The more we walk by the Spirit they more we will NOT gratify the desires of the flesh. The more we are led by and do what God’s Spirit wants, the less our own physical, sinful minds will be in charge.
And that’s our goal - to be more like the Spirit, to live by the Sprit, to keep in step by the Spirit as Paul says in verse 25. To let go of our own sinful desires and instead live by the Spirit of God.
And the evidence of how we’re doing in this is given in verses 19-23. Paul lists the works of the flesh, which is not an exhaustive list...
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.
Acting like this is evidence that your flesh is winning this war between the flesh and the Spirit. Or to put it another way, it’s evidence that you haven’t given your life fully over to God.
And then Paul lists the fruit of the Spirit - evidence that you are being led by the Spirit...
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
Pause
And it’s interesting that Paul uses the word fruit here. He’s picking up on Jesus’ teaching on the Sermon on the Mount...
Jesus said...
15 “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. 16 By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.
Now, the context is slightly different, but the point is the same.
Orange trees produce oranges. Apple trees produce apples.
So if you’re walking down the street and see a tree and think, ‘hmm. I wonder what type of tree that is?’ If you see oranges hanging off the branches then chances are it’s an orange tree. And if you see oranges hanging off the branches, you’re not going to say, ‘that’s an apple tree.’
So when it comes to our Christian lives, if we’re exhibiting acts of sexual immorality, orgies, witchcraft and the like then chances are your flesh is in control and you’re living by the flesh.
But with those examples, you might think, ‘well those don’t apply to me.’
But these are more prevalent than you would think, even in the church. For example, sexual immorality and pornography go hand in hand, and pornography is a big issue within churches.
But witchcraft? Well, I’ve heard that there is some activity with charmers around Lisburn and that’s steeped in witchcraft and the occult - so by all means, stay well away from that!
But the list continues... rivalries, envy, rage, selfish ambition, jealousy…and these just as sinful and are evidence that the flesh is winning this battle with the Spirit.
Look at the fruit…it tells you a lot about the tree.
If someone is exhibiting love, joy peace, patience, kindness, and so on, then that is evidence that the Spirit of God is reigning in that person.
Again, look at the fruit…it tells you a lot about the tree.
Pause
Now, with all that in mind, there’s one last thing to look at before we look at the different elements of the fruit of the Spirit. And it’s this...
The fruit of the Spirit is the fruit which comes from the Spirit - the Holy Spirit…the third person of the Trinity…God himself.
Once again, when we become a Christian we are baptised in the Spirit - we are immersed in the Holy Spirit, who is holy and is at war with the flesh which is not holy, but is sinful and selfish.
And the fruit of the Spirit - the natural outward sign of the Spirit is what Paul says in verses 22 and 23… Love, joy, peace and so on. These are the outward signs of the Spirit of God - the presence of God in us.
What I’m trying to say it this - the fruit of the Spirit are the characteristics of God HIMSELF. This is the fruit that God HIMSELF produces in us by virtue of his presence within us.
These aren’t qualities that we produce ourselves - the fruit that WE produce is rivalry, fits of rage, enmity, jealousy, envy and so on. That’s the fruit that WE produce. The love, joy, peace, patience and so on comes from the SPIRIT of GOD HIMSELF.
Pause
But someone might say, many people have love or peace in their lives. I know people who aren’t Christians who are really self-controlled and gentle and kind…so this isn’t just fruit that comes from God, it’s also present in our human nature.
That is true - people who aren’t Christian can exhibit certain characteristics of the fruit of the Spirit, but not in the same way.
For example, fleshly love, joy, peace and so on can happen in anyones life, but it mostly happens when things are going OUR way.
So when things are going our way I’m joyful, I’m at peace. But can you have joy when things are NOT going your way? Can you be at peace when things are NOT going your way? Can you love someone when that person is not lovable?
Yes, yes and yes…if that joy and peace and love comes from the Spirit. And that’s the difference.
So since the fruit of the Spirit is from the Spirit, if we notice that we’re lacking in some aspects, it’s NOT a matter of trying harder. Trying harder to love or to have joy or to be patient won’t get you anywhere, because trying harder won’t cut it in this battle between flesh and Spirit.
PLUS, trying harder is a fleshly thing…it’s OUR OWN attempt at being a better person. And as Paul says himself in Romans 8...
8 Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
SO trying harder to have more love and joy and peace and so on will NOT please God because that will be a fleshly pursuit.
AND since the fruit of the Spirit comes from the Spirit - God HIMSELF, no amount of trying hard will have any effect.
The Fruit of the Spirit comes from the Spirit.
And so it’s not a matter of trying harder, it’s a matter of walking closer with Jesus.
If you want to see more joy, more peace, more patience, more love in your life, walk closer to Jesus - because it’s his SPIRIT that produces these things in you.
That’s why Paul says in verse 16...
16 So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.
and in verse 25...
25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.
Paul is using language of living and walking in the same way we talk about our walk with Jesus and how we live for Jesus. The closer our walk with Jesus, the more in step with the Spirit we will become. The more Jesus is front and centre and all around our lives the more we will be living by the Spirit, the more we will be keeping IN STEP with the Spirit.
Pause
I heard that there used to be dances on in the hall here in Hillhall. Ballroom dancing used to be the big thing. And in any kind of ballroom dance like the waltz, for example, it is essential that the men and women keep in step - that their feet are in sync with each other, that they are moving at the same speed.
When one person moves forward, the other moves their foot back otherwise they’ll get stood on.
Now, for some people that’s difficult enough - some people have two left feet, but it’s how a dance is mastered.
And it doesn’t come naturally, it takes time and practice and more practice. It means getting to know your dance partner so that you instinctively know when to move forward or backwards.
Because if you know your partner and the MORE you know your dance partner, the more in sync you are psychologically - you move together, in sync. It’s beautiful, it’s natural, it happens seamlessly…EFFORTLESSLY - like it’s the most natural thing to you.
THAT’S a good dance partnership and that makes a good dance.
And sometimes what works even BETTER than that is when the dance partners are an actual couple. Because there is a deeper intimacy there and you call tell it when they dance....I’ve found that anyway.
Well...
Now, I don’t want to be irreverent, but think of yourselves as part of a dance with God. You and the Holy Spirit are in a dance together…a dance of life. As Paul says, you need to keep in step with the Spirit - where he moves, you move. You move together and at the same time, in step with each other - in sync.
But we’ve all got two left feet, and that’s the flesh - our sinful bodies and minds - so it takes practice, practice, practice. It takes us to get to know our dance partner, to spend time with him, to know them intimately so that the dance is easier - it becomes instinctive.
And what is better is if we LOVE our dance partner. When we LOVE Jesus then there’s that deeper intimacy and intuition where you just KNOW where he will move and you move with him. You’re in sync, you’re in step with the Spirit as you dance your way through life.
Can you see how easier it is then to have love, joy, peace and so on - it’s not trying harder, it should come naturally, effortlessly, the more you are in step with the Spirit. And the more in step you are, the more intimate you are with Jesus, the less likely your two left feet will get in the way.
And LOVE is the centre of it all, which is why it’s the first on the list. Because, love encompasses all the other fruit…and we’ll look at that next week.
Pause
So as we look through each aspect of the fruit of the Spirit, I want you to remember…and I’ll be reminding you…that it’s not a try-harder thing. The goal of this is to examine our walk with Jesus - how in step are we with the Spirit. How in love are we with Jesus? How intimate are we with him? How close are we with Jesus…because when we get closer to our dance partner, we’ll start to see more and more of this fruit in our lives, because our two left feet have less chance of getting in the way.
So come on this journey as we look at how each aspect of the fruit of the Spirit applies to each of our lives as we dance with Jesus in this life - as we walk in step with the Spirit. Because it will change how you interact with Jesus and it will change how you interact with each other.
Let’s pray.