THE SECRET OF THE FRUIT—GALATIANS 5:13-26
“MY DESIRE, TO BE LIKE JESUS;
MY DESIRE, TO BE LIKE HIM.
HIS SPIRIT FILL ME,
HIS LOVE O’ERWHELM ME,
IN DEED AND WORD,
TO BE LIKE HIM.”
--Lillian Plankenhorn, 1946
Is that your heart’s prayer? How can one ever be like Jesus? The secret to being Christlike is found in the Fruit of the Spirit as shared by Paul in Galatians Chapter Five.
The Holy Spirit grant both Spiritual Gifts and the Fruit of the Spirit to every disciple of Jesus Christ, and both the gifts and the fruit of the Spirit are vital in the life of every Christian. Spiritual Gifts are given by the Holy Spirit to each Christian not because a believer prays, asks, for begs Him for a particular gift but according to the Spirit’s Divine purpose and plan. Each Christian is given one or more gifts by the Holy Spirit for the purpose of ministry and building up of the Church of Jesus Christ as Paul clearly teaches in Ephesians 4:11-13, “The gifts He gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ.”
The Fruit of the Spirit are the qualities and characteristics the Spirit cultivates in us to make us like Jesus. While the Spirit never gives anyone all of His Gifts, it is His will to develop all of the Fruit of the Spirit in each of our lives. It is the Fruit of the Spirit that empowers each of us to be like Jesus in deed and in word.
If there is one sign, evidence, or proof of the Spirit filled life, it is the Fruit of the Spirit and never one particular Spiritual Gift some Christians may have while others lack. The Bible never says: "By this gift you will know them," but Jesus says on two different occasions, "by their fruits you will know them" and "By this shall all know that you are My disciples if you have love for one another."
Over these next ten weeks we are going to look closely at each Fruit of the Spirit, but today we want to discover “The Secret of the Fruit,” to learn just how as His Disciples we can each become like our Master. Jesus Himself tells us in Matthew 10:24-5, “A student is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for the student to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master.” As servants of Jesus, we can become like our Master.
But again, how is that possible? The Secret of the Fruit begins to be revealed as we look at verse sixteen. Here we have a commandment to obey and a promise to claim: “So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.” The fruit of the Spirit matures and grows in us as we live under the Spirit’s control. Throughout this fifth chapter of Galatians Paul contrasts our sinful nature and the spiritual nature as directed by the Holy Spirit. The two are opponents in battle for control of your life and mine. This first becomes evident in verse seventeen: “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 we obey the commandment, we receive the promise. When we “Walk by the Spirit,” we will never fulfill the desires of the flesh. Flesh in this context is not human skin; it is our sinful nature. To be like Jesus I must walk in the power of the Holy Spirit. The original Text makes it clear that Paul is speaking here about a life style that we are to live under the guidance, direction, and power of the Holy Spirit. Walking in the Spirit describes a continuous movement that begins in a present moment and continues into the future.
To be like Jesus, I must always continue to walk, not in my own strength and power, not by my own desire, but by the power of the Holy Spirit, under His control, surrendered to His will each and every day, each and every hour, each and every minute, each and every second for my entire life. If I am going to be victorious over the desires of the flesh, the Holy Spirit must always have absolute, total control of all my life. Walking in the Spirit means He controls and directs all my attitudes, personal decisions, actions, thoughts, plans, the words I speak. He controls everything I am and do.
But how does the Holy Spirit gain such control over my life? Paul shows us how in verse 24 of our text: “Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified (an act of obedient surrender) the sinful nature with its passions and desires.” Self crucifixion is a repeated theme in Galatians. Paul first brings it up in Galatians 2:20, “I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” In Galatians 6:14 he testifies, “May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” This is total abandonment and surrender of self to the Lordship of Jesus Christ under the Spirit’s control.
To be crucified with Christ means I obediently allow the Holy Spirit “to put to death all sinful desires” in my life that are not in harmony with the holy character of Jesus. In testifying he has "been crucified with Christ” Paul affirms he has surrendered all his sinful tendencies to the Holy Spirit’s control. This is something that begins in an instant but continues the entire life of every disciple who truly wants to be like Jesus. In our text the act is instantaneous: “Those who belong to Christ Jesus HAVE CRUCIFIED the sinful nature with its passions and desires. “ The verb “have crucified” speaks of an action that took place at a specific point in time. In one specific moment I surrender my sinful nature with its passions and desires to the Spirit’s control; I give all my sinful tendencies to Him, but that is only the starting point in my life to becoming like Jesus.
In both Galatians 2:20 and 6:14 the “have been crucified” describes a process that began in the past but is continuing into the present and future. Each day we must surrender anew any sinful passions, desires, and tendencies the Holy Spirit may reveal to us which are not in keeping with the character of Jesus. Verse 25 summons up the passage well: “If we live by the Spirit, let us also be guided by the Spirit.” Literally this means, “If we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.” This word picture is of a military unit or a marching band and reminds me of my days as a “Marching Marion Wildcat.”
A band or military marching unit lines up side by side in horizontal rows or ranks. Your rank must march in a straight line. In order to keep your rank straight, the person farthest on the right is your “right guide.” Everyone in each rank lines up with their right guide.
Also in marching, you march by the cadence, “left, right, left, right, left” according to the beat of the percussion unit. Sometimes you get out of step, and have to get in step again. Sometimes you get “out of line” and have to realign yourself using your right guide as your reference point. The Holy Spirit is our percussion unit to keep us in step with Jesus; He is our right guide to keep us in line with Jesus; He is our reference point to mold us into the image of our Master, to make us like Jesus.
What is the Secret of the Fruit? Who is it that makes us become like Jesus in thought, character, attitude, word, and deed. It is the Holy Spirit! Surrender all your sinful tendencies to Him, and ask Him to produce in you the Fruit of the Spirit, to make you be like Jesus. Maybe you need to do this for the first time in your life right now. Maybe you have made that original surrender to the Holy Spirit, but you need to renew that commitment for the power to live and be like Jesus today; you need to let Him guide you over the rough spots you now face. Whichever the case may be, the Holy Spirit is here to meet your need right now.
“So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.” Whose desires do you want to gratify, that of the sinful nature, or that of the Holy Spirit? An elder from the Cherokee Nation was teaching his grandson about life:
"A fight is going on inside me," he said to the boy.
"It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves.
One is evil and ugly: He is anger, envy, war, greed, arrogance, self-pity, sorrow, regret, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, selfishness and ego.
The other is beautiful and good: He is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, justice, fairness, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, gratitude, and vision.
This same fight is going on inside you, and inside every other person, too."
The grandson paused deeply in reflection about what grandfather had just said. Finally he cried; "Oyee! Grandfather, which wolf will win?” The old Cherokee replied, "The wolf you feed." (http://www.rainbowbody.net/Ongwhehonwhe/cherokee.htm).
Which wolf are you feeding? May each of us always “live by the Spirit, so that we will not gratify the desires of our sinful nature.” “In deed and word” may we always be like Jesus as we continually allow the Holy Spirit to grow and mature the Fruit of the Spirit in us every day.
