Galatians 5:16-17
“So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature.”
Archive for October, 2010
The wonderful fact about all of these 9 qualities is that they have perfect integration with one another. All of these qualities work with each another, and not against. Each quality helps to enhance or produce the other. It’s no coincidence that we talked about love when we studied joy, or that we talked about patience when we studied self-control, or that we talked about peace when we studied gentleness.
So we know what the Fruit of the Spirit is. We’ve studied the 9 different qualities. But, how do you have the fruit of the Spirit in your life? Well, let’s start with the Spirit, which is the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit is the part of the trinity of God that dwells in us after we accept Jesus as Lord and Savior.
Romans 8:9 says, “You [meaning believers in Christ] are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you.” According to this verse, if I am a believer, if I have accepted Christ as my savior, the Spirit of God dwells in me. Paul reiterates this message in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20. We, as believers, are the Spirit’s dwelling place.
But that’s Paul . . . let’s read what Jesus says.
In John 14, Jesus is telling the disciples that he will be going away. But he reassures them that he will not leave them alone. In verse 16 Jesus says “he [meaning God] will give you another Counselor to be with you forever— the Spirit of truth.”
In this case, when you study the Greek word ‘another’ that is used in this passage, it means ‘something that is just like the first’. (as opposed to another that is different than the first). So, Jesus is saying that the One that God is sending us, the Holy Spirit, the Counselor, will be just like Jesus. Wow, have you ever thought about the significance that the Spirit is like Jesus?
In John 16:7, Jesus goes as far as to say that it is our advantage that He leaves, so that the Holy Spirit can come. Here’s the scripture, “But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.”
These pieces of scripture assure us that, as believers, we have the Holy Spirit. But the question still remains, how do we produce the fruit of the Spirit? Because, if we’re honest with ourselves, there are plenty of times, too many in fact, where we DON’T seem to have the fruit of the Spirit. How can that be? Does the Spirit leave us at times, and then come back to us? Nope. It’s all in our decision to live in obedience to God. We have the choice to live according to the Holy Spirit’s leadership and direction (which is living obediently to God), or to live according to the desires of our sinful nature. (When we studied self-control, remember that we studied how Jesus has given us power over our sinful nature. But our sinful nature won’t ever go away, and it’s going to battle for our hearts and our minds always.)
When we come to Galatians 5, Paul is addressing this very issue as he is leading up to the fruit of the Spirit. In Galatians 5:16-21, Paul says this, “So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. 17For 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. 19The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery;20idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.” So, that’s what you get when you live according to your sinful nature.
Living by the Spirit means to live according to the direction of God, the leadership of God, to live obediently to His word. When we do this, when we live by the Spirit, we will produce love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
So again, ask yourself if the fruit of the Spirit is evident in your life. If it’s not, or not as much as it should be, ask yourself why. There’s only two directions we have in this life, obedience and disobedience. If we don’t have the fruit of the Spirit, then it must be because we are overrun by our sinful nature. Spend time with God, asking him to pinpoint those things in your life that are stopping you from living according to the Spirit. Be humble before your Savior and begin the process of ridding your life of the ruin that sin can bring, and tap into the power that Jesus gives us to overcome those sinful desires. You are a new creation, raised from death to life in Christ. Live your life in Him.
Today’s Scripture:
Romans 8:9
1 Corinthians 6:19-20
John 14:16
John 16:7
Galatians 5:16-23
John 16:33
As simple as it can be said, Self-Control is making the right decisions according to God. But it’s also deeper than just making the right decisions. It’s facing temptation, but choosing not to sin. It is controlling your actions and your reactions so that you will act and respond with a Christ-like attitude. Self-control is allowing God to be in control of your heart and mind and seeking the Holy Spirit to enable us to make correct decisions based on God’s Word and direction. Self-control will enable us to have discipline in our lives and live in obedience to God. Think about it like this, self-control is how we make the decision to apply God’s word to our life.
So, maybe your first reaction to this self-control talk is, “I can’t help it. I just can’t stop sinning.” Well, let’s just see what God’s Word has to say. We know that 1 John 4:4 reassures us that the spirit of God, which is in all believers, is greater than anything in this world. And Jesus himself tells us in John 16:33, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” That sounds like we definitely have access to the power that can help us turn from sin and maintain discipline and self-control.
But let’s look at Romans 6. Paul gets very specific about the power that we have over sin. Starting in verse 2, let’s read, “2We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? 3Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.” Ok, let’s break this down real quick. Paul is telling that when we accepted Christ, when we became Christians and turned our lives over to Jesus, we shared in the death that he suffered on the cross. Our old lives, which were controlled by sin, were put to death. And, just as Christ was raised from the dead, we too shared in his resurrection, and now, through Christ, we live a new life in Him, no longer controlled by sin.
Have you ever just stopped and though about the power that Christ gives us? These words in the Bible aren’t just made up stories. It’s real life, and it involves each of us.
Let’s continue, Romans 6:5, “ 5If we have been united with Christ like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection.6For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with,[a] that we should no longer be slaves to sin— 7because anyone who has died has been freed from sin.” Are you following? Paul said in verse 7 that anyone who has died, meaning anyone who has accepted Christ and therefore been a part of his death, has been freed from sin.
Verse 8, “ 8Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. 10The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.
Now, in verse 11, Paul addresses us specifically, “11In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. 12Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. 13Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness. 14For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace.”
Ok, so let’s take a deep breath and reset, God gives us the power and the strength to have self-control. Through Jesus, we have victory over sin, and therefore, we have the ability to choose not to sin.
Self-indulgence is the opposite of self-control. Self-indulgence is telling yourself, “there’s no way I’m going to be able to resist that buffet, or that drink, or that drug, or that guy or girl, so you throw self-control right out the window and indulge whatever it is that’s tempting you.”
Let’s stop telling ourselves that we don’t have what it takes to resist bad decisions, and let’s tap into the power that God has offered to us. Self-control is the key to inner strength that will help deliver us from fear, depression, harm, and the pain of life because self control will help us to remain focused on Christ and not our circumstances. The strength of Jesus that in us has overcome anything this world can throw at us.
Related Text:
Proverbs 25:28
Romans 13:12-14
Titus 2:11-12
2 cor 5:15-17
2 Corinthians 5:15-17, “And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”
Ephesians 4:1-2, “As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.”
Gentleness is the character that will show calmness, caring, tenderness and the Love of Christ in meeting the needs of others. It is more than just a personality trait, it is who we are from the work of the Holy Spirit within us.
Let’s turn to the book of Ephesians real quick. Ephesians was written by Paul while in Prison in Rome. He wrote it as a letter to the Church in the town of Ephesus. One of the main purposes of the letter was to encourage and strengthen the believers in their Christian faith by explaining the importance of unity in the church, (not just the local church, but all believers as well) Paul refers to all believers as the body of Christ. Basically, Paul is, once again, teaching us and instructing us how to live our Christian life in a way that honors God, and, in this case, in a way that unites believers instead of dividing believers.
In Ephesians 4:1-2, Paul tells us, “As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.”
No one is ever going to be perfect here on earth, Christians included. We must accept and love our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ in spite of their faults. And, when we notice faults in fellow believers, we must remain patient and gentle. This means that we shouldn’t gossip about how horrible we think they are or how we think their doing everything wrong. We shouldn’t develop a nasty attitude toward them, and we shouldn’t root for their failure. If there is someone who you just don’t click with, if there’s someone who annoys you or gets on your nerves, don’t just dwell on their faults, instead, pray for them and pray for God to give you patience and gentleness toward them. Ask God for the strength to spend time with them and get to know them, and love them with the love of Jesus that dwells in you.
Gentleness allows us to be caring and nurturing to others. It helps us stay calm and not escalate problems or push people’s buttons! Proverbs 15:1 says, “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” Now, we could spend a week on pushing people buttons. We’ve all pushed someone else’s buttons before, so don’t act like you have no idea what it means. And, the pitiful thing is, the button that we know best are belong to the people who we are closest to. We know them so well that we know how to stick it to them when we’re upset. BUT, a gentle anger truly does turn away wrath. Gentleness calms the situation, and, it can keep the situation from escalating.
Like all of the qualities of the fruit of the spirit, gentleness allows others to see God’s love in us. Gentleness helps us to build others up, by encouraging them and allowing them to grow. It places the other first, it’s being selfless and humble.
When we are too full of pride, or arrogance, or rudeness (which are some polar opposites of Gentleness) we cannot be gentle with others; we cannot be a friend, we cannot be encouraging, and we cannot be a witness for Christ. Because all we will do is hurt them and push them away.
What we must do is look to Jesus who modeled ultimate gentleness and care. He takes to time to nurture others even when they make mistakes and fail. He helps them up and puts them back together.
Philippians 4:4-7 says, “4Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, 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.”
If gentleness is something that you’re struggling with, go before God and ask for His help,a dn open up your Bible and read through the Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Jesus was an example, among other things, of gentleness, and He is our model for every corner of our life.
Related Text:
Matthew 11:29-30
Colossians 3:15-17
Hebrews 11:1
“ Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see.”
Faithfulness is authenticity before God. Think about that for a minute. . . What does it mean, as a person, to be authentic? Our church has a sign above the doors to the sanctuary that says, “A Growing Family of Authentic Christ Followers”. Authentic is real, authentic means we don’t have a hidden agenda, authentic means that we’re not just going through the motions while we’re at church or in a bible study, we’re not acting or putting on a show or pretending to be Christians. If we pretend, we will eventually fool ourselves. When this happens, it will be near impossible, short of some kind of spiritual intervention, to see the error in how we are living.
Interesting definition, – Authentic is “conforming to an original so as to reproduce essential features”. In this case, the original is Jesus, and as Christians we should follow and be obedient to God’s Word, and in doing so, we will reproduce the lifestyle that Jesus taught us.
Paul gives us great advice about how to go about living our life as Jesus taught us. He says in Romans 12:1-2, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual[a] act of worship. 2Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” When we allow God to transform our hearts and our minds, when we really buy into his Word, our lives will change! Completely! We won’t be going through the motions just to keep up appearances, instead, we will be faithful disciples of Jesus who want to be obedient, who want to follow Him and grow closer to him, maturing spiritually and having a better understanding of what it means to love and to serve and to persevere.
Faithfulness means that you’re not talked into or guilted into being obedient to God, Faithfulness is living for God because you love Him and you want to honor him by being obedient.
Faithfulness is the power and motivation for Christian living. It is taking God at His word, trusting that what He says is the truth, and living according to his commands and instructions (not out of obligation, but out of love and faith).
Faithfulness is life-application of the Bible. Now, how big is that? What good does the Bible do for us if we read it, but never apply it to our lives, never do what it says?
James chapter 2 says faith without deeds is dead. What that tells me is that Faith in God will change your life so completely, that the faith you have in Jesus will be evident in everything that you do, from the way you handle frustration and excitement, to failure and success, to hardships and victories, to serving and loving others, and following God’s teaching.
Faith cannot be faked.
Hebrews 11:1 says, “Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see.”
