Living By the Spirit
Galatians • Sermon • Submitted
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Introduction
We have mentioned many times that the words “but” and “therefore” are two of the most interesting words in the Bible. We see them often used to help us understand the power of God. In our study of Galatians, we have just left the aspects of the sinful nature. We have named and listed those things that would be very detrimental to our Christian walk. Paul uses the wore “but” to emphasize again here the power that God gives His people.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, 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 sinful nature 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.
Notice first there is one fruit with nine aspects of how that fruit is to be demonstrated. Let me explain how this works. An apple is a fruit. You can take that apple and make an apple pie. You can make apple butter, apple jelly, applesauce, apple cake, apple cobbler. You can even take the apple and put it in a pigs mouth to add flavor to the pig you smoke for a pig-pickin’! It is one fruit with many aspects of how it can be used. In this scripture, there is one fruit from the Holy Spirit and it has nine aspects or ways it can be used. This is important because in verse 19, we see the plural acts of the sinful nature listed. There are many ways to sin, but only one way to serve our Lord and that is through the fruit of the Spirit. It is important that we carry the fruit and utilize the fruit in our daily Christian walk.
Carry the Fruit (vs. 22-23)
Carry the Fruit (vs. 22-23)
When we carry the fruit, we have three distinct categories of the fruit of the Spirit and how they are manifested.
Foundational Fruit
Foundational Fruit
First we have the foundational fruit. This includes love, joy, and peace. All of these are from God. Love is listed first. Could it be because love is the greatest?
13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
Out of the love of God comes the joy of God. In fact, joy comes from where He is!
27 Splendor and majesty are before him;
strength and joy in his dwelling place.
Joy comes to us and it is more than the outward circumstances. The reconciled to God through Christ rejoice in God! Romans 5:11
11 Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.
Out of the love and joy of God, we have peace. Those who are at peace with God receive the peace of God. In at least five of writings of Paul, he mentions that peace comes from God.
33 The God of peace be with you all. Amen.
Paul wasn’t the only one that spoke of this. In the upper room when Jesus shared with His disciples the their Last Supper, Jesus spoke of these aspects. Jesus gives His disciples “My peace” in John 14:27. He tells them to “abide in His love” in John 15:9. He desires that they know “my joy” in John 15:11.
The foundational aspects of the fruit of the Spirit are love, joy and peace because they are from God.
Friendly Fruit
Friendly Fruit
The next set of the aspects of the fruit of the Spirit consists of patience, kindness and goodness. This set shows us how to be friendly towards each other. Patience is such a positive virtue. It embraces steadfastness and staying power. It is a quality of God. Psalm 103:8
8 The Lord is compassionate and gracious,
slow to anger, abounding in love.
It is also to be produced in men and women Proverbs 19:11
11 A man’s wisdom gives him patience;
it is to his glory to overlook an offense.
What if God showed you patience the way you show patience to others?
Kindness is also a quality of God. It is moral goodness and integrity. Isaiah 63:7
7 I will tell of the kindnesses of the Lord,
the deeds for which he is to be praised,
according to all the Lord has done for us—
yes, the many good things he has done
for the house of Israel,
according to his compassion and many kindnesses.
We too are to be kind. Ephesians 4:32
32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
Along with kindness we are to practice goodness. Psalm 34:8
8 Taste and see that the Lord is good;
blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.
Patience, kindness and goodness help us to be friendly.
Framing Fruit
Framing Fruit
The last three aspects of the fruit are what I call that which frames us or helps us shape our character. These consist of faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Faithfulness is holding true to the conviction or belief that Jesus is the Messiah. It is a characteristic that is longstanding. Proverbs 14:22
22 Do not those who plot evil go astray?
But those who plan what is good find love and faithfulness.
It is also a wonderful characteristic of who God is!
23 They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
Theologian F.F. Bruce wrote, “Because God is faithful, because He can be relied upon, His people are to be faithful too, and the Spirit enables them to be so.”
Gentleness follows faithfulness. The Greek Philosopher Aristotle wrote that gentleness is “the mean between excessive proneness to anger and the incapacity for anger.” I wonder if Paul had this in mind when he wrote Ephesians 4:2
2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.
or Colossians 3:12
12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.
Last in our list and especially one that frames our character is self-control. This is the virtue of one that masters his desires and passions. Proverbs 25:28
28 Like a city whose walls are broken down
is a man who lacks self-control.
Self-control is a gift from the grace of God.
11 For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. 12 It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age,
All of these aspects of the fruit of the Spirit have to be in place in our lives. In order to do that, we have to crucify the former life of the sinful nature.
Crucify the Former Life (vs. 24)
Crucify the Former Life (vs. 24)
24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires.
Let’s explain what that means exactly. First, it means that we negate it.
Negate It
Negate It
We are not going to live our lives according to the acts of the sinful nature. Those acts are nonnegotiable. We cannot even allow them to have any influence in our lives. Romans 8:9
9 You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.
The way we negate it in Paul’s words is to nail it to the cross.
Nail It
Nail It
Crucifixion in that time was a horrible way to die. No one survived it. It wasn’t a flavor of the month that people longed for, but a horrific painful experience that was for the worst of the worst. When Paul is saying that those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature, he is saying that these acts of the sinful nature are criminal to us and they do not deserve a better fate. We need it no more.
Need It No More
Need It No More
Sometimes in our thinking we feel attracted to the sinful nature. John Stott wrote, “It is as if, having nailed our old nature to the cross, we keep wistfully returning to the scene of its execution. We fondle it, caress it, to long for its release, even try to take down again from the cross. We need to learn to leave it there. When some jealous or proud, or malicious, or impure thought invades our mind we must kick it out at once. It is fatal to begin to examine it and consider whether we are going to give in to it or not. We have declared war on it; we are not going to resume negotiations. We have settled the issue for good; we are not going to reopen it. We have crucified the flesh, we are never going to draw out the nails.”
WE NEED IT NO MORE!
Continue in Fruitfulness (vs. 25-26)
Continue in Fruitfulness (vs. 25-26)
So, we must continue in fruitfulness. We do that by staying in step with the Spirit.
Step with the Spirit
Step with the Spirit
Remember, Galatians 5:17
17 For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want.
If you are in step with the Spirit, you have successfully crucified the sinful nature. It is the Spirit who does the leading, but we do the walking. This helps us slay the sinful nature.
Slay the Sinful Nature
Slay the Sinful Nature
The works of the sinful nature are many and evil. The Fruit of the Spirit is lovely and desirable. To walk with the Spirit means to go in opposite direction of the sinful nature. Romans 8:8
8 Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God.
If we are to live in holiness, we must decide to truly let go of that which causes us to fail and to sin. If these sins are constantly plaguing us, it is because we have failed to truly repent or because we have not maintained our repentance.
Therefore, we must decide to be in for Christ and continuously strive to serve.
Strive to Serve
Strive to Serve
26 Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.
If we love constantly carry the fruit of the Spirit, we will conform to the image of God. This is what we were created to do.
Multiple times in the Book of Daniel, there are multiple references to the Ancient of Days. It is referring to God and His eternal existence. He has always existed, There never was a time when He was not. His commands have eternal authority. When His Word tells us to live a certain way, are fools to do anything different. Yet, His Word has to have a verse in it that says not be ugly to each other. Don’t you think it is time to listen and do what He says to do?
Maybe it is old style in this modern age to think that God’s ways are best. Maybe it is time to be more old style.
1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
We can this by living by the Spirit. There is no other way.