Dance Lessons: Fruitfulness
Galatians 5:22-26 (Part 1)
Chenoa Baptist Church
Pastor Jefferson M. Williams
5-24-2020
We’ve got a Banana Tree!
In 2014, we moved to Ft. Meyers, Florida for a dream job that ended up being a nightmare. We were only there eight weeks and lived in a church member’s condo during that time. After living nearly twenty years in the frozen tundra of Illinois, it was such a nice break to be able to swim in February.
I remember the first time I noticed it. I ran inside and got Maxine and drug her out to look at it. On the side of our condo was a tree…and it had bananas growing on it! It was a banana tree! Now, Maxine grew up in Florida so this was no big deal to her. But it was amazing to me!
I love bananas but I’d never really considered how they grew. They grow on trees! We had our very own banana tree in our yard! Here’s a picture of it. [slide]
One of the many sad things about our time in Florida is that I didn’t get to eat any of those bananas.
They one thing I didn’t notice was the banana tree trying to grow its fruit. We didn’t hear it grunting or groaning, straining and trying, until finally…pop…bananas.
It simply produced fruit because it was a healthy tree, with good roots, and adequate sunshine and water.
Over the next three weeks, we are going to take a look at some fruit that Christians produce as we submit ourselves to the control of the Holy Spirit.
The Lists
Last week, Paul transitioned from his warning about the false teachers to a warning to the baby Galatian Christians not to use their new found freedom in Christ to indulge the sinful nature but to serve others in love.
Why? Because the whole law is summed up in one command, “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
But Paul makes it clear that this journey will not be a cake walk. It will be a battle royal between our flesh, that sinful nature that still remains and is opposed to God, and the Spirit that now lives inside of us.
He then gives the Galatians two lists - vices and virtues. In the first list, Paul highlights 15 “works of the flesh” that are a result of allowing our sinful nature to have the upper hand:
[Slide] “The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like.” (Gal 5:19-21a)
Paul then gives them a warning that should make the hairs stand up on our heads:
“I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.” (Gal 5:21b)
Does this mean that if you have ever lost your temper or lusted or got jealous that you are going to hell?
Let’s look at at that phrase “those live like this.” This means that people whose lifestyles are defined by these acts. It is a habitual way of life. This is visible proof that the Holy Spirit is not in the person and they are not in Christ and will not inherit the promises of Abraham, eternal life.
But for those of us who do have the Spirit, when we fall (and we will), when we chose our flesh over submitting to the Spirit, we have a way back:
“If you confess your sins, He is faithful and just to forgive you of our sins, and cleanse you of all unrighteousness.” (I John 1:9)
If you didn’t get to watch last week’s sermon, it is on our FaceBook page along with all the other sermons from this series.
The Galatians were learning to dance to the rhythm of love, joy, peace, grace, and most of all freedom and Paul is going to give them some new dance moves in these verses.
[slide]Remember that those who dance are thought crazy by those who can not hear the music.
Turn with my to Galatians 5. We will be in verses 22-26 for the next three weeks.
Prayer
[Slide] Fruitfulness
The the book of Psalms begins with these words:
Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers. (Psalm 1:1-3)
Paul gives the reason for this fruit:
“So, my brothers and sisters, you also died to the law through the body of Christ, that you might belong to another, to him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God.” (Rom 7:4)
Jesus said that one of the ways you can recognize false teachers is by their fruit:
“Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. (Matt 7:15)
So what exactly is this fruit that Scripture talks about? We find it in Galatians 22-23.
These are some of the most famous verses in Galatians and all the Bible. Many people have it memorized or have it somewhere in your house:
[Slide] “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”
Let’s begin our time in these verses with introductory comments about the fruit:
What is the fruit of the Spirit? Alistair Begg defines the fruit of the Spirit as “a spontaneous product of the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives.”
[Slide] 1. These fruit aren’t something we try to grow ourselves. The would be like stapling a pear to this fake tree. The pear can not make the tree alive. But a pear tree that is alive and healthy will produce juicy pears.
This fruit is the product of the Spirit’s work inside of us and not a product of behavior modification on our part. We don’t try to be more loving. We trust Christ to work the fruit of love in us:
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5)
2 Corinthians 5:17 says that once we are in Christ, we are “new creations.” Part of this process of being a new creation is that God grows in us new character traits that proclaim Jesus to a lost and dying world around us.
[Slide] 2. The fruit of the Spirit and gifts of the Spirit are different things. Each Christian is given gifts of the Spirit but not all Christians have every gift.
The fruit are a package deal. It’s not like a buffet where you pick a little love and joy but leave gentleness and self control to others. God wants to grow well-rounded Christians.
[Slide} 3. The word “fruit” is singular as opposed to the “works” of the flesh. Think of these nine fruits as this bunch of grapes. It’s one bunch but has multiple grapes. Or a bouquet of flowers - one bouquet but multiple flowers. Or a precious gem that has nine facets.
[Slide] 4. This fruit grows gradually. Because of the crisis, we haven’t see the Goose in a month. [Slide] She came to visit this past weekend and we could tell she had grown. But if you ask her mom who sees her day in and day out, it’s hard to actually see her grow.
At our house in Pontiac, there is a tree in the front yard that was about six feet tall when we moved in in 1999. Now it looks like this. [show picture] It grew gradually, almost imperceptibly.
The process happens with a Christian. The growth is subtle, quiet, and sometimes seasonal. We go through times when it doesn’t seem like anything is happening spiritually and then we go through spiritual growth spurts.
I attended seminary at 26 years old. I had been a Christian for less than three years. It was a wonderful foundational experience for my faith. But I would get so much more out of it if I had done seminary at my age now. Why? Because I’ve grown a lot in the last 25 years. (I was an idiot at 25)
[Slide] 5. These fruit are inevitable. Tim Keller has said, “We are saved by faith and not by growing fruit. But our faith is not fruitless faith.” These fruit are simply the product of a normal Christian life.
Just like a healthy banana tree produces bunches of bananas, Christians submitted to the Holy Spirit’s work inside of us will produce these nine character traits more and more as they grow spiritually.
[Slide] 6. These nine fruits are actually what one commentator calls “a character sketch of Jesus Christ.” The Holy Spirit’s job is to glorify Jesus and mold us and make us into the likeness of our Savior.
As we go through these fruit, you may discover that you don’t really exhibit any of these and your life is characterized more by the list of the deeds of the flesh.
[Slide] “Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test?” (2 Cor 13:5)
These next three weeks could be God’s way of showing you that you need to stop trying to be good and simply trust Christ for your salvation.
Theologians have attempted to divide these nine into categories. We are going to follow John Stott:
Love, joy, peace - Attitudes toward God
Patience, kindness, goodness - attitudes toward others
Faithfulness, gentleness, self control - attitudes toward self
This week, we will look at the first three and the next two weeks we will work our way through the list.
What’s Love got to Do with It?
The first fruit of the Spirit that Paul highlights is love.
This world wants love desperately:
Foreigner sang, “I want to know what love is?” Tina Turner sang, “What’s love got to do with it?” The Bee Gees asked, “How Deep is your love?” And The Shirlelles asked, “Will You still love me tomorrow?
C.B. Cousar wrote:
“Love is not one virtue among the list of virtues, but the sum and the substance of what it means to be a Christian.”
In English, we use this word in so many different ways. I love my wife and I love Barry Manilow. I love my children and I love oatmeal butterscotch cookies.
In Greek, there were three primary words for love:
Philia - this is affection regard, friendship, usually between equals. It’s where we get the word Philadelphia, the city of brotherly love.
Storage - love and affection, especially between parents and children
Eros - sexual love, passion. This is where we get the word, “erotic.”
But when the New Testament writers wanted to convey the love of ?God, none of these worked.
They basically invented a word, “agape.” This is a selfless, sacrificial affection that enables us to serve one another in love.
Paul wrote in Romans 5:
“And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.” (Romans 5:5)
The entire Bible is a story of outpouring of this love toward us.
This kind of love takes the initiative:
Jesus said these famous words:
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)
God is extravagant in His love for us:
“See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” (I John 3:1)
This love is not about feelings but about our will and actions. Love is a choice. As John MacArthur writes, “It is the permanent priority of the Christian life.”
Because we have been loved like this, we can, with the power of the Holy Spirit inside of us, love God and others:
John wrote that
“Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” (I John 4:7-11)
We love one another when we serve those in need, forgive whether they deserve it or not, and, as we will see in chapter 6 of Galatians bear each other’s burdens.
This love is in it for the long haul. Jean (89) and Walter (91) Willard have been married 70 years. They were in quarantine over the past two months and haven’t been able to see each other. Their reunion this week made my eyes leak.
How can this fruit of love be expressed? Denis Waitly gives this helpful acronym: [Slide]
L - listening when another is speaking
O - overlook petty faults and forgiving all failures
V- Valuing others for who they are
E - expressing love in a practical way
On this Memorial Day weekend, we remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country.
Jesus said,
“Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” (John 15:13)
There is no greater act of love than the cross. Jesus died, in our place, for our sins, to redeem us from the bondage of sin and rescue us from hell. It was a rescue mission driven by love:
“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)
What if you sense that the fruit of love isn’t growing in your life? Be honest with God. Confess your lack of love toward others. Instead of trying to be more loving, simply focus your eyes on Jesus and His love for you.
That’s why we sang He Will Hold Me Fast to begin:
I could never keep my hold
Through life's fearful path
For my love is often cold
He must hold me fast.
Karl Barth, the famous theologian was once asked, “What’s the greatest thought you’ve ever had?” His answer: “Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so.”
[Slide] Brian Bill gives us four categories of people that we can show this love to:
Those closest to us
Those that are different from us
Those that disagree with us
Those that irritate us
[Slide] Joy to the World
The second fruit that Paul highlights is “joy.” We need to distinguish this right off from happiness.
Happiness is dependent on circumstances. When everything is going well, we are happy. When they are not, we are unhappy.
Joy, the kind of joy that Paul is talking about here, is very different than happiness. This is a contentedness, a deep seated joy in believing the Gospel.
Philip Ryken writes:
“Joy is the exhilaration of the heart that comes from being right with God.”
In other words, this joy comes from our relationship with Jesus Christ:
“Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.” (I Peter 1:8-9)
Our joy is wrapped up in being obedient to Jesus:
“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.” (John 15: 9-11)
Billy Sunday, the early 20th century baseball star turned evangelist, said, “The trouble with most men is that they have just enough religion to make them miserable. If there is not joy in your Christianity, you might have a leak!”
Paul doesn’t suggest that we be joyful:
“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” (Phil 4:4)
Easy right? Hmmm…
It’s not easy to be joyful when the diagnosis comes back and it’s not good, when the bank account is running dry, when your marriage goes south, or your kids go wild.
This is not a natural joy.
I heard a story this week of a man that was in the hospital with cancer and his nurse actually wrote on his chart that he was being “inappropriately joyful.”
This is a joy that only Jesus can give to you. It’s a supernatural joy:
Nehemiah 8:10 tells us: “the joy of the Lord is your strength.”
If we find ourselves losing our joy, we need to remember that God rejoices over us:
“The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.” (Zeph 3:17)
We need to fix our eyes on Jesus and remember that at the cross, He chose joy:
“For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:2)
I think that sometimes we have a picture of Jesus as a dour, super serious guy that rarely smiled. I don’t think that is true. This is why this picture is one of my favorites. [Slide]
We are forgiven and free. We are no longer slaves on sin, no longer fear hell, and are set free to love.
C.S. Lewis wrote:
“Joy is the enjoyment of God and the good things that come from the hand of God. If our new freedom in Christ is a piece of angel food cake, joy is the frosting. If the Bible gives us the wonderful words of life, joy supplies the music. If the way to heaven turns out to be an arduous steep climb, joy sets up the chair lift.”
Here’s a question for us - how many joyful people do you know? Are you one of them? Do you have the joy, joy, joy, joy down in your heart?
I am prone to depression. It’s genetic and I’ve learned to live with it. Medication helps but there are times when I literally have to tell myself that it’s a choice to rejoice.
When Martin Luther struggled with circumstances, he would say, “Let’s sing a Psalm and spite the devil!”
Let’s allow the Spirit to grow the fruit of joy in us!
[Slide] Peace of Mind
The third fruit of this triad is peace. This Greek word is “Irene,” which was Maxine’s middle name when I married her.
The Hebrew word is one that many are familiar with - shalom.
It is just more than the absence of conflict or trouble. It it is the presence of wholeness and everything that is necessary for the good of a person. It is a serenity of the soul.
In this context, this means the peace that comes from knowing that our sins have been forgiven and that we are no longer under the bondage of that sin. Our debt has been paid by Christ on the cross.
We need this peace, individually and corporately. This fruit will led to the peace with God, the peace of God, and peace with others.
Peace with God
We are by nature enemies of God and Paul says we are “objects of wrath.” (Rom 9:22). Our sin separated us from God and there was no way to reconcile the relationship on our own.
But when we placed our faith and trust in Jesus for the forgiveness of our sins, God changed our legal status from guilty to not guilty:
“Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand.” (Rom 5:1-2)
On the cross, Jesus redeemed us with His blood and made the way for us to be called children of God:
“For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.” (Col 1:20)
Do you have this peace with God?
Peace of God
Mental health workers are sounding the alarm during this crisis because people who normally don’t have issues with anxiety are experiencing symptoms and people who deal with it regularly are suffering from it.
The peace that Paul is highlighting here is not normal. It’s a supernatural peace:
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” (John 14:27)
When we feel this anxiety or worry rising in our souls, we need to remember what Paul wrote to the church at Philippi:
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Phil 4:6-7)
This doesn’t mean that everything will go perfectly but in the midst of trouble you can have peace:
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)
Do you have this peace of God? If not, my prayer for you comes from 2 Thessalonians:
“Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way.” (2 Thes 3:16)
Peace with Others
It’s been estimated that there have been 8,000 peace treaties signed in Europe over the last 100 years. Most of them have last less than two years.
Geo-politically peace is hard to come by. It’s even harder in our homes, our churches, our schools, our neighborhoods.
But Paul says that this fruit of peace should help us to stand out. In a world that is itching for a fight we are to be known as the “peacemakers.” (Matt 5:9)
As a baby Christian, I was challenged to memorize Romans 12:18:
‘If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.” (Rom 12:18)
This is so important during this time of uncertainty and fear.
A pastor I follow on Twitter tweeted this at 2:00 am because he couldn’t sleep:
I hate what COVID-19 has done to Christian civility. Since I'm not sleeping, let's walk through some of the debates that have happened:
1. First we got to fighting about the very idea of churches closing
2. Then we got fighting about whether online services are actually church gatherings or not.
3. Then we got to fighting about whether Romans 13 or 1 Pet and their respective warnings apply to obeying stay at home orders
4. Of course we have to shout out the conspiracy theories that fly around…
5. Now folks are fighting about whether other churches should reopen or not.
He then quotes Romans 14:19 and begs Christians to consider living this verse out:
“Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification.” (Romans 14:19)
Do you have this peace with others?
We are to seek to live at peace with everyone. If you find yourself in conflict a lot, there is something wrong. Ask God to grow the fruit of peace in your life. We don’t become more peaceful by trying but by fixing our eyes on Jesus, the “Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6)
Trust the God of peace (Rom 15:13) to do the work in you:
“He will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.” (Isaiah 26:3)
The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, and peace. Next week, we will look at patience, kindness, and goodness.
Application
Ashley Huizer grew up without knowing who Jesus was. Her family introduced her into pornography at the age of 11. At 15, she became very rebellious, promiscuous, drinking and partying.
Soon after that, she began to dabble in New Age, Hinduism, Buddhism, The Occult, Yoga, Shamanism, and other dark and deceptive false religions.
[slide] At 16, she started going into the desert to attend raves where she would do drugs to try to reach God. This went on for several years. She was sexually assaulted by multiple men, began to sell herself online, and nearly died of a drug overdose.
One night she happened upon a Tube video in which the speaker said,
‘’All of the yoga, chakras, Hinduism, and meditation are HIDING Jesus from you. It is blinding you to the truth.’’ I began to weep and pace back and forth saying to myself, ‘’No way. There is no way this 'spiritual' life I have been living is a lie.’
I started to become very attracted to Jesus’ name. I first began to see His Hebrew name, Yeshua. I kept saying, ‘’Who is this Yeshua?’’ After days of studying Gnosticism, I was on my knees by my bed and was weeping. All of these false religions had no foundation. They were confusing and all I could think was, ‘’I have been searching to find something spiritual for 4 years now, I am so sick of seeking.’’ I began crying out to the God I did not know at the time, but He knew me. I was crying on my knees just yelling, “PLEASE GOD, I don’t know if you are real, but WHO are you…Please, I need you. I am so broken.’’
She continues:
“Perhaps a day or so later, in God’s sovereignty I come across another YouTube video like before. This time it was all about how God is sovereign, how He is in control of all things, and how Jesus alone is the truth, the way, and the life. I began to cry so much. I am talking about intense tears, but this time tears of joy. Tears of astonishment. My blinders were lifted this day by the Holy Spirit. He opened my eyes to the truth of Jesus, and I felt a huge weight lift off of me. I kept my eyes above towards heaven and kept saying, ‘’Thank you.’’ With tears in my eyes I thanked God.”
She found a friend that was a Christian and he explained the gospel to her and she committed her life to Christ. She trashed all of her New Age material and her grandmother responded, “You can’t just change like that.”
[Slide] Ashley responded "I looked up toward the sky and said, ‘’This is the truth. Yes I can.’’ Because it was all the Lord. He opened my eyes. He gifted me the gift of faith, repentance, and supernaturally caused me to be born again.”
Ashley was changed by the love of Jesus and now she loves others who are just as lost as she was. And she has, through the Spirit, experienced the fruit if joy and peace in her life:
In 2018 the Lord freed me from sexual immorality and addiction to pornography after about seven years. He freed me from drug addiction and healed many wounds in my heart that year. I had many restless and sleepless nights because of spiritual attacks, many flashbacks in dreams, but I continued to fight in prayer on my knees, and continued to renew my mind through the daily reading of His Word, meditating on His Word, continual worship, praise, and abiding in Him through joy, sorrows, or anguish. He continues to show Himself faithful to me, and cause my heart to overflow with love, and adoration of Him. It is a daily fight to stay in His presence and abide in Him, but it is the only fight that is worth it…He died for me, now I live for Him! [ Slide]
Benediction
“For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work…” (Col 1:9-11)
