(NOTE: This series is based on the book Living in the Spirit by Dr. George Wood, General Superintendent of the Assemblies of God).
Introduction
As we get to know the person, presence and power of the Holy Spirit there will be a natural by-product: fruit. What does that mean? Simply this: as you develop your relationship with God, through the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, there will be a marked change in your attitude toward everything.
The Holy Spirit’s power is more than just to enable us to do the supernatural. He empowers us for the journey from doing what pleases the flesh to what pleases God. This is not an easy journey but it is also not a lonely journey. We have been given the Holy Spirit and we have been given the church to help us develop into the person God intends.
Let’s read Galatians 5:22-25 together this morning (stand and let’s read it out loud – bulletin insert)
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit…
The Context
The book of Galatians is an awesomely fascinating book authored by the Apostle Paul. He had travelled through the region of Galatia (present day Turkey) on all three of his missionary journeys. On those journeys through the area a church had been established.
Many of the early converts to Christianity in Galatia were Jews. They had experienced the freedom that comes through relationship with Christ. Unfortunately, their freedom was being challenged by a group of people we call Judaizers. They were teaching that before anyone could experience the “full blessings” of God one had to become a Jew (including circumcision) first and then become a Christian. The result of this teaching was a horrible church split along Jewish and Gentile lines. The church had become “ethnocentric” (focused on race/ethnicity) and not Christocentric (centered upon Christ).
Paul writes to this divided church to remind them of freedom in relationship with Christ that comes by grace and is empowered by the Holy Spirit. Paul is “astonished” by how quick they deserted the “grace of Christ” (Galatians 1:6). In the place of Christ they had accepted a false gospel and confusion was ruling the day (cf. 1:7-8). He is so angry about what has happened he writes these words…
If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned! (1:9)
All of this turmoil was bringing this church into crisis and Paul knew that the only answer was to return to the freedom of Christ’s gospel.
• Paul spends two chapters talking about how the gospel is real/authentic – it truly brings salvation/freedom from sin. And it is available to all who will call on the Name of the Lord (not just the Jew).
• He then spend chapters 3 & 4 talking about the SUPERIORITY of the gospel over The Law – freedom in Christ no longer requires the religious ritual and rule that binds and kills.
• The last two chapters are spent talking about this simple thought: we are free to do what is right – our freedom in Christ is not a license to sin but license to live right.
Over and over in this book Paul talks about the work of the Holy Spirit in a believer’s life. The Holy Spirit instructs, guides, leads and gives power. The Holy Spirit “ends our bondage to evil desires, and he creates in us love, joy, peace and many other wonderful changes.”
On the other side of the work of the Holy Spirit is the work of the flesh. In Galatia fleshly works were disguised in religious clothes. Some were keeping score by checking off the boxes of rules. Others, however, were using their freedom from the rules to do anything they felt like doing.
The sad result of obedience to The Law and to the flesh was the same: a spirit of criticism, anger, judgmentalism, competitiveness and more. Why does this happen? Because we stop being motivated by love!
(TRANSITION) This is where we are in Galatians 5. Paul confronts those who have backslid into horrible sin because they forsook Christ and tried to save themselves either by The Law or by fulfilling their own desires.
The Text
Before Paul gets to the often quoted verses about the fruit of the Spirit he spends time talking about the “fruit of license.”
Now I know that word “license” creates a very different picture in today’s mind than in Paul’s day. If you are 15 and hear that word you think about the day you are allowed to drive. If you are the parent of a 15 year old you hear that word and dread fills your heart because the State will allow your child to drive.
In a very real sense the meaning of this word in Paul’s day is the same today. Basically having license means to be permitted or allowed to do something.
Paul tells the Galatians this in Galatians 5:13
13 You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.
We are, because of the gospel of Christ, called to be free. We are permitted or allowed to live in freedom because of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Unfortunately, some were using their freedom to commit sin. They had a distorted view of grace and Christ. Others were using observance of The Law’s rules/regulations as a marker of their holiness. They too had a distorted view of grace and of Christ. I will say it again; the end result of either side is the same: a spirit of criticism, anger, judgmentalism, competitiveness and more
So, Paul calls them out on their misuse of the license of freedom.
Galatians 5:16 So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
Now I don’t want us to miss something. The reason so many Galatians were attracted to going back to The Law (rules/regulations) is because they were struggling horribly to live above the desires of the sinful nature. So they thought that by obedience to The Law they could bring the desires of their sinful nature under control.
Here is the problem with their thinking. Trying to answer a spiritual problem with unspiritual tools cuts the power of the Holy Spirit out. The sinful nature can only be overcome as we live in obedience to the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Otherwise we are dismissing the only source of power to live in freedom! That is why Paul says, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.”
Notice Paul uses the term “walk.” It is an active word that points to the idea of movement and progress. But it also carries the notion of how one goes through life. Paul also uses the phrase “live in the Spirit” (v. 25) and be “led of the Spirit” (v. 18).
• As believers who have freedom in Christ we walk in the Spirit as we are being led by the Spirit and it is the Holy Spirit that gives us life.
• Paul told the Corinthians that the “letter kills” (referring to The Law) but the Spirit gives life (cf. 2 Corinthians 3:6).
These are all active and progressive terms. Walking, being led or living in the Spirit requires times and obedience. In the life of every believer is the struggle to live according to the Spirit. But the old sinful nature tries to lead us another way – it is a constant but winnable fight!
Paul tell us…Galatians 5:19-21
19 When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, 21 envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these.
Notice the last sentence…”and other sins like these.” This is not an exhaustive list of sin. You cannot look at this and say, “OK I haven’t committed sorcery or been hostile so I am good.” Paul is showing us some of the evil things that rise out of our hearts when we are not being led or living in the Spirit. Paul tells us the end result of walking or being led or living in the flesh is:
(21b) …let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.
These are the things (whether generally or particularly) we have to fight against because of our sinful nature. We have to put these things to death in our life – not ignore them – kill them! (cf. 5:24).
HERE IS THE GOOD NEWS! WE HAVE BEEN GIVEN THE HOLY SPIRIT AND HE WILL EMPOWER US, GUIDE US, LEAD US AND INSTRUCT US IN HOW TO LIVE A LIFE THAT IS PLEASING TO GOD.
The Holy Spirit will supernaturally and actively help us! Through His work in our lives we will produce what Paul calls the fruit of the Spirit – in contrast to the fruit of license/liberty…look at what he says in Galatians 5:22…
22 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!
Now there is another temptation here to say, “OK, I have been gentle, faithful, etc., therefore I must be saved!” We are all thankful that you are being a good, kind and gentle person but these traits are not the marks of your salvation. People, through their own effort and discipline, can develop these traits over time.
I don’t want you to miss this. The difference between the well-disciplined person and the production the fruit of the Spirit in someone’s life is faith in Christ. The fruit of the Spirit is produced by the Spirit that resides in all believers in Christ – not by human effort. That does not mean we are passive in the process but ultimately it is the Holy Spirit that produces fruit from the root. I like how Charles Stanley explains this:
“The fruit of the Spirit does not pop out of believers through effort; Christians bear fruit through surrender. We "take root" in the Lord by meditating on His Word, praying, and serving. We reserve nothing for ourselves to control but fully rely upon Him. That's not passive living; it's an abiding life.”
If all we do is some sort of self-help humanistic exercise to demonstrate the fruits of the Spirit we will eventually become slaves to our own effort. The fruit of the Spirit will become for us a Law of sorts by which we judge, criticize, compete and/or become angry at others!
Again, the difference is the work of the Holy Spirit Who is producing in us the life of Christ. Don’t let that slip by you – the Holy Spirit is producing in you the life of Christ – He is making you more like Christ. And because you are free in Christ you can become like Christ.
Conclusion
Here is how I believe we should respond to this message today. We should pray a prayer of surrender. Because we have a free-will we can resist the working of the Holy Spirit in us. But why would we want too? I am asking you to come down front this morning and simply pray, “Lord, I surrender all of me to you and your will! Produce in me the character of Jesus Christ!”
