Please, Do Not Let Your Fruit Spoil (Gal 5:22,23)
Many believers are suffering needlessly because they are not allowing the Spirit of God to exhibit the fullness of the nine fruits of the Spirit in and through them. Consequently, many tolerate the leaven of neutrality, apathy and indifference that cause them to pervert (or fall short of the manifestation of the fruits of the Spirit). Many of the ideas for this message came from the "The Mind of Christ" by T. W. Hunt.
Illustration: Jesus said, "A little leaven leavens the whole loaf of bread."
We couldn’t figure it out. My son and I had purchased an old powerboat for fishing and couldn’t make it run properly. We were unable to get it up to speed, and it shuddered when we tried to go faster. We figured that the trouble was with the fuel system, so we adjusted the carburetor and changed the fuel filter. But that still didn’t solve the problem.
When we took the boat out of the water, my son found the cause of the trouble. One of the propeller fins had a 3/4-inch (2 cm) nick in it. That can’t be it, I thought. That nick is too small. But when we installed a new propeller, what a difference it made! We had been slowed down by a tiny nick.
A similar problem is often at work in our lives as Christians. Sinful practices like those described in Galatians 5:16-21 have their roots in the seemingly insignificant thoughts and attitudes of the heart (Matthew 5:28; 15:18-19). If we ignore or tolerate these "little" sins, they will eventually grow, corrupting more of our thoughts and actions—even harming people around us. Just as a little yeast leavens a whole lump of dough (Galatians 5:9), so also a "little" sin can eventually weaken our service for Christ and the ministry of His church.
Remember, little nicks can cause big trouble. —Dave Egner
One little sin, what harm can it do?
Give it free reign and soon there are two.
Then sinful deeds and habits ensue—
Guard well your thoughts, lest they destroy you. —D. De Haan (Our Daily Bread)
Little sins won’t stay little.
Here is the overview of how a failure to extricate even the smallest element of the leaven of apathy, selfishness and carnality deludes many. Leaven tends to cause one to think they have caused no harm to others and yet they are guilty of terribly offending God and doing pernicious harm to themselves:
1. The fruit of the Spirit is love; the opposite is hate but the perversion is possessiveness.
People who are not controlled by the Spirit begin to dominate those who they profess to love by controlling their time, activities and decisions. This leads to a perverse sense of cultic control over those who we believe we are loving. This often occurs when a husband tries to control his wife’s every minute by insisting that he be given information about her entire schedule. A mother often smother’s her children when she evidences possessiveness in her attempt to express too much fleshly oriented love.
2. The fruit of the Spirit is joy; the opposite is pain but the perversion is frenzied expressions that are out of control.
People who are not given over to the control of God’s word and His Holy Spirit often are hasty to try many things without experiencing the peace of God that passes human understanding. They are always in a hurry to go somewhere, do something without allowing the Holy Spirit to give them the calm to make solid decisions. They are often not able to say, "I have perfect peace because my mind is not stayed upon Jehovah." (Isa 26:3)
3. The fruit of the Spirit is peace; the opposite is war but the perversion is neutrality.
Many people believe that we should be at peace with everyone by assuming a neutral position with all people. However, there are numerous enemies of Christ that need to be confronted, contended with and opposed for the sake of righteousness, godliness and the gospel. Paul said, "Fight the good fight of faith." We do not war against the flesh but against spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." (Eph. 6:10-12)
4. The fruit of the Spirit is long-suffering; the opposite is impatience but the perversion is lenience.
People who are too lenient allow for the leaven of tolerance to reign over all their decisions, values and choices. Many believers are guilty of too much leniency in the kinds of televisions programs they allow themselves to watch. The Nielson TV ratings company has indicated that Christian families viewing habits are not distinguishable with those of most non-christian homes. This would indicate that the faith that Christians profess in public is often not lived out in the privacy of our homes because we are too lenient with ourselves, our children and those who pick up on our leniency that compromises our godliness.
5. The fruit of the Spirit is gentleness; the opposite is hardness but the perversion is softness.
To be to easy on sin often leads us into loving the world, its values and its perserve ways of viewing reality. God told Joshua, "Be strong and courageous and act. Do not fear or be dismayed for the Lord God goes with you. He will not fail you or forsake you until all the work of the house of God is completed." (Josh 1:9) To take possession of the higher ground that God wants us to inhabit often means we need to get tough and engage the enemy and not be soft with the opposition. Peter wrote, "Dearly beloved, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul."
6. The fruit of the Spirit is goodness; the opposite is badness but the perversion is finicky in our niceness.
Some people are so mercurial in their treatment of people that they are undependable in their dispensing of favors to people in need. Their moodiness is apparent from day to day depending upon their mood of the day. To be finicky is to be over-particular in the way that we show kindness to people. Do not fiddle with people emotions but ask the Lord to give you a consistent attitude of benevolence to everyone regardless of your emotional disposition.
7. The fruit of the Spirit is faithfulness; the opposite is faithlessness but the perversion is legalism.
The Pharisees were legalistic because they preferred to trust in human rules instead of the Spirit of God for their directions. Solomon wrote to his son, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not rely on your own insight. IN all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths." (Prov 3:5,6) This wonderful truth has forced me to pray, wait and trust God for His directives in all aspects of my teaching ministry through the year so that I do not grow stale in my daily presentations to hungry students training for the ministry. Without the fresh illumination, inspiration and illustrations given by the Spirit, my teaching comes across at flat, dull and as dry as toast.
8. The fruit of the Spirit is meekness; the opposite is arrogance but the perversion is pretense of weakness.
Meekness is power under control but many assume that they have to act in a self-deprecating manner to gain the approval of others. False humility is displeasing to God because it is generated by the flesh instead of the Spirit. People who are Spirit filled are meek while at the same time respecting what God has made them to be as they exhibit a holy boldness, confidence and security that never puts down what God has created them to be, say and do.
9. The fruit of the Spirit is self-control or temperance; the opposite is be undisciplined but the perversion is to operate with fleshly effort.
We all have known Christians who are sincerely trying to do well but they do it under their own power instead of Christ’s power. Paul wrote, "God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, love and a sound mind." (2 Tim 1:7) People who are filled with the Spirit exhibit a self-control, temperance and stability that is consistent regardless of their feelings, circumstances or difficulties. They maintain a manner of discipline in their eating habits that is evident in the control of their weight. They speak with a manner that is worthy of one who is not harsh, rude or overly demanding. Self-controlled people exhibit the Spirit’s control that allows one to be salt and light regardless of the trials that come their way. They are not fair weathered believers as their energy, engineering and expressions are endued in them by the power of the Spirit of God and not of the flesh.
If we are not filled with the Holy Spirit’s fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control our heart will somehow make room for the leaven that causes internal damage like an unseen cancer to our mind, emotions and spiritual well-being. Even if we are only filled up 98% it leaves 2% of where the leaven of carnality, possessiveness, frenzied expression, leniency, inordinate softness, finicky niceness, legalism, pretentious weakness or fleshly efforts tend to germinate self-destructive tendencies. Ask the Lord to help search your heart and see if there be any of these wicked ways in you and lead you in the everlasting ways. (Psa 139:23,24)
Concluding Illustration:
The entirety of Your Word is truth, and every one of Your righteous judgments endures forever. --Psalm 119:160
Have you noticed that lies are being paraded before us in an endless, morals-destroying stream? Daniel Webster (1782-1852) predicted this when he stated, "If truth be not diffused, error will be. If God and His Word are not known and received, the devil and his works will gain the ascendancy. If the evangelical volume does not reach every hamlet, the pages of a corrupt and licentious literature will. If the power of the gospel is not felt throughout the length and breadth of the land, . . . corruption and darkness will reign."
We must proclaim the truth--truth found in the teachings of God’s Word. The psalmist declared, "The entirety of Your Word is truth, and every one of Your righteous judgments endures forever" (Ps. 119:160). Those timeless truths are needed in our world today. For example, we must proclaim the truth that as sinful people we need God’s forgiveness (1 Jn. 1:6-7). We must proclaim the truth that Jesus is the only Savior (Jn. 14:6).
As we stand against the tide of corrupt messages being printed and broadcast without restraint, we must proclaim the truth, promote the truth, and live the truth.
Truth is undeniable. Proclaim it in love and watch it make a difference in people’s lives. --JDB
Lord, give us courage to speak out
Against the evils of our day;
For only when the truth is known
Will sinners see a better way. --DJD
To proclaim the truth, you must know the One who is the truth. (Our Daily Bread)
