Introduction
In our studies we have visited the idea that the Holy Spirit is the answer of the promises of God made throughout the Old Testament, culminating at Pentecost. The Holy Spirit is a divine person. The Holy Spirit is the source of enormous blessings in our life, and we walk daily with Him, even if we remain unaware of His presence.
We are on the cusp of a new year - 2024 - and with that new year comes a multitude of unknowns. There could be dramatic changes in any area of our life. Rather than tiptoe into the new year in fear, however, we should stride in with confidence because of the Holy Spirit who walks with us into unknown territory.
We can allow the Spirit to guide our new year by doing two things: Yielding and Pursuing.
Yielding. In one sense, the more we yield to the Spirit, the greater leeway He has to develop within us the character of Christ - we seek not to quench the spirit but instead to open the door of our hearts and minds to Him.
Pursuing. We are not being called to be bland banana babyfood Christians - just sitting here waiting for something to happen! We need to act! Pursue the things of God!
This is an exercise of the principle of Scripture that “whatever a man sows, that he will also reap (Galatians 6:7-8). Stott: “it is an inflexible principle of all God’s dealings, a loaw of his own consistency, in both the physical and the moral realms, in both nature and human character. Always, invariably, we reap what we sow. … If the Holy Spirit is to produce good fruit in our lives, then we have to sow good seed.
Sow a thought, and you reap an act;
Sow an act, and you reap a habit;
Sow a habit, and you reap a character;
Sow a character, and you reap a destiny.
This is how I want to approach the Fruit of the Spirit tonight - as a pathway to a new year of growth, development, strength, and closeness to God.
1. The Fruit of the Spirit is juxtaposed to the Works of the Flesh. (Galatians 5:16-21)
Galatians 5:16-21 ESV But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 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. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
While we are not here to study this list - it is a familiar list to all of us.
“Satan does not need to have anyone come in and lecture to the people and plead with them to practice such things. The works of the flesh spring up from the soil of the heart itself. They just flourish like briars and weeds and bushes and whatever obnoxious thing there is that may grow to hinder the production of a crop. … They do not have to be planted, do not have to be cultivated. They do not have to even be wanted…they are always present.” - Gus Nichols
These are the things that work against us throughout our lives - the tendency to follow the flesh rather than the Spirit. Stott: The works of the flesh “...are deeds we do naturally when left to our own resources.”
Romans 7:21-25 So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22 For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; 23 but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. 24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? 25 Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!
2. The Fruit of the Spirit: Nine Qualities that Define the Christian Life
Galatians 5:22-25 ESV 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. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.
Galatians 5:22-25 AMPC 22 But the fruit of the [Holy] Spirit [the work which His presence within accomplishes] is love, joy (gladness), peace, patience (an even temper, forbearance), kindness, goodness (benevolence), faithfulness, 23 Gentleness meekness, humility), self-control (self-restraint, continence). Against such things there is no law [that can bring a charge]. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus (the Messiah) have crucified the flesh (the godless human nature) with its passions and appetites and desires. 25 If we live by the [Holy] Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. [If by the Holy Spirit we have our life in God, let us go forward walking in line, our conduct controlled by the Spirit.]
The indwelling Spirit encourages and creates these perspectives as we allow Him. Some observations about these qualities….
-This is not a progressive list, where one might get one accomplished and then move to the next.
-There is an interdependence of the qualities, each one also empowers you to do the others.
-The fruit of the Spirit is a catalog of qualities that form our disposition - the viewpoint that influences our attitudes and actions.
-The fruit of the Spirit are all demonstrated in the life of Christ. A good exercise would be to write in a journal the qualities listed and stories in the life of Jesus that form the examples of them.
“The mere recital of these Christian graces should be enough to make the mouth water and the heart beat faster. For this is a portrait of Jesus Christ. No man or woman has ever exhibited these qualities in such balance or to such perfection as the man Christ Jesus. Yet this is the kind of person that every Christian longs to be.” - John Stott
-The fruit of the Spirit spring from belonging to Christ and crucifying the flesh.
-Part of walking in the Spirit is self-denial, which results in experiencing growth in each area. Nichols: “But the fruit of the Spirit has to be planted. It’s fruit has to be cultivated.
-The fruit of the Spirit points the way to keeping in step with the Spirit.
-These are not steps in the sense of accomplishments of goals, they are steps interms of our daily walk. Stott: “...The fruit of the Spirit is supernatural in its orgien. … They are the harvest that he grows and gathers in the lives of the people he fills.”
-The fruit of the Spirit is love - and some believe the rest of the qualities all relate to a life of love.
-The fruit of the Spirit are without measure - they are not conquerable - they remain as achievements without being able to say we’ve done it!
-The fruit of the Spirit provide ongoing challenges to human nature and we cannot achive them on our own, nor can we achieve them without intentional pursuit.
-The Fruit of the Spirit outlines relationship principles that can impact our marriage, parenting, church relationships, and any relationship.
-The first three relate to God - who God is and how we regard Him. The second three relate to fellow human beings - how we treat them when there is friction. The third three relate to the inner self, how we conduct ourselves.
3. How can I use these in the new year?
I could emphasize one each week in prayer, purposeful activity, and study. At the end of nine weeks, begin again and journal what you have learned along the way.
I could take one per month - and at the end of nine months attempt to measure in some way how I’ve grown - but to be honest, it’s a long time between love and self-control… you might need that sooner!
I think this is a daily list, ultimately. We can study them one by one, but we need to be aware of each one’s presence in our life.
I think this involves some specific steps.
Memorization - we really can remember what is most important to us - especially when we seek to grow in each of these areas. Place them where you can see them, repeat often.
Prayer - praying through the Fruit of the Spirit is profitable. Pray through them every nine days or include them in your daily prayer.
End of day contemplation - how did we show the fruit of the Spirit today? Ask God to show you where you failed to live by the Spirit,l and ask Him to make you stronger in that area.
Study each one by following their mentions in the Bible using a concordance.
Seek God’s grace as you do better at times with them, than at others.
Conclusion
The Fruit of the Spirit is not some disconnected list of duties - it is to be found in the fiber of the life of Jesus, the teachings of the Old Testament, and all of the writings of the New Testament. Whatever you do, do not call these “resolutions”. They are more than that.
They are not decisions - we are not trying to figure out if we want to live by them - these are the natural result.
They are results - of the Spirit’s presence.
They are recurring themes of daily discipleship.
They are the reality of the pursuit of Christ in your life.
They are the resources provided to you by an indwelling Spirit who loves you and points you to Jesus.
A prayer that John Stott prayed every day when he first woke up (Via Wright)
Heavenly Father, I pray that this day I may live in your presence and please you more and more. Lord Jesus, I pray that this day I may take up my cross and follow you. Holy Spirit, I pray that this day you will fill me with yourself and cause your fruit to ripen in my life: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control.
BONUS STUDIES! 9 Videos from Christopher Wright on the fruit of the Spirit:
https://us.langham.org/fruit/
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Resources
Nichols, Gus. Lectures on the Holy Spirit. Southern Christian University, 1994.
Stott, John. Baptism & Fullness: The Work of the Holy Spirit Today. InterVarsity Press, 2021.
Wright, Christopher J. H. Cultivating the Fruit of the Spirit. InterVarsity Press, 2017.
