The Fruit of the Spirit

Just a simple sermon today, what we might call the basics. Nothing complicated, nothing real strong in theology or some of the topics that I occasionally like to cover. We're here in the heart of summer, and I would like to remind us today very simply of our calling. Our calling is comprised of two things. One is support for the work of God, preaching the gospel throughout the world and making disciples. And we support it financially. We support each other by coming here every Sabbath and fellowshiping together and worshiping our Creator with other people of like mind. And the second thing that we do that's very important, an important part of our calling, is to support the work that God is doing inside of you as an individual. And this is an ongoing work that God has throughout the rest of our physical lives. And He gives us a gift. He gives us something to help us known in Scripture as the Holy Spirit. And it's this Spirit that helps transform us from our carnal selfish desires and me wanting what I want, transforming us slowly but surely for working with that Spirit into having the mind of Christ.

It's summertime. It's the time of year when most of us love to eat natural apples, peaches, pears, cherries, plums. We recently got a little peach tree and it's not very tall. It's only about that tall and we planted it. It had two little peaches on it. And we watched it every day because I was afraid the deer were going to feast on it like they do the other half of my garden. But sure enough we were able to pick those two peaches and enjoy them. In the heart of summer it's the time when a good tasting fruit, whatever it may be, is something to be enjoyed. And the Bible often uses a figurative expression of a beautiful and delicious fruit as something that's beneficial to us, as something that's enjoyable. And Scripture uses the analogy of fruit, the kind of fruit that we grow in our gardens, to picture the spiritual growth that God desires in each of us. Jesus often talked about fruit, bear fruit, he would say. You will know them by their fruit. It's a very powerful metaphor or analogy that Scripture has regarding the fruit of the Spirit. We're given the Spirit of God for the express purpose to develop godly character by the fruit of the Spirit. So today I'd like to give a brief review. Don't have a lot of time, but a brief review of the fruit of the Holy Spirit. And we can't go into this in tremendous detail, but we will touch upon the nine qualities or traits of the Spirit. Let's begin by taking a look at Galatians chapter 5 and verse 22, where Paul outlines them. Of course, we know the Holy Spirit is offered as a gift that none of us deserve. The Spirit is the actual power and presence and influence of God. His Spirit unites with our human spirit, our own consciousness. The Holy Spirit unites with that when we receive it, to transform our minds into being new creatures, something new and different that we were not before. And as free moral agents, we can choose to allow God's Spirit to nurture and change us. Or we may go through periods of our life where we ignore this powerful gift. We can create a barrier with God's Spirit to our own selfishness, through our own personal neglect of using the Spirit. Paul warned that we shouldn't grieve the Holy Spirit. That's Ephesians chapter 4 and verse 30. And if you look at the Greek word, it means heaviness. Don't bring heaviness, sorrow upon the Holy Spirit that's trying to work with us. And obstructing God's Spirit limits God's will to make us the very best we can be. Each moment of every day, we are being prepared for leadership positions in the kingdom of God. And it's important to remind us, I think, that we need to develop the fruit of God's Spirit. Galatians chapter 5 verse 22. Here's what Paul says. But the fruit of the Spirit, that's singular, is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such, there is no law. There's nothing that says you should not develop these. They should not become part of your life. And those who are Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. In other words, let us lead by example. Let us walk as if we have the Spirit dwelling in us. Live our lives. Think and act. Have action as if that Spirit is dwelling in us. Verse 25, I'm going to read from the New Century version. It says, we get our new life from the Spirit, so we should follow the Spirit. So we're going to touch upon these fruit. Every major translation of Scriptures refers to all nine traits of the fruit as singular. Now, by force of habits, we often say the fruits of the Holy Spirit, and that's not necessarily bad, except that technically it's regarding one singular fruit and the traits and the desirable aspects of that fruit.

If you envision a large single fruit, let's say you have this big red apple in your hand, and it's sitting there, it has many wonderful traits and qualities. It's beautiful. It's bright red. It has a crunchy sound when you bite it. It might be nice and moist. It tastes good. It has an appley smell, right? The one fruit has all of those desirable traits and qualities. And technically speaking, this is what Paul is saying about singular, the fruit of the Holy Spirit. They are all interconnected together. They're not independent of one another. We'll look at some scriptures, and we'll see in the scriptures when we're talking about one of the fruit of the Spirit. Paul mentions two or three others in the same sentence, because they all emanate from one thing, and what they emanate from first and foremost is the first fruit that's mentioned, and that is love. A Greek word is agape, and synonyms of this in English would be a deep foddness, a devotion, an affection, or holding something dear. In the Greek, it means an unconditional or sacrificial love. Very powerful. What did Paul say in 1 Corinthians 13? Though I speak the tongue of angels, right? Though I speak the tongues of men and angels, if I could speak 15 foreign languages, if I knew everything about prophecy and could tell you from the minor prophets to revelation, to the major prophets, Daniel Isaiah, who lay out all the prophecies and know all the prophecies, but don't have love, it's worthless. It means absolutely nothing. That's how important love is. He says, if I gave everything I had to feed the poor, if I become a martyr and my body is burned, but if I don't have love, he says, I'm absolutely nothing. That's why this is the first fruit that's mentioned. And it's different from other Greek words. Other Greek words for love are aros, which is romantic, passionate love, filia, which is friendship or affectionate regard between individuals. And then there's a word storge, which is family affection, especially parent and Greek love. Sorry, parent and child love. That's not a word you find in itself in the New Testament, but it is a Greek word for love. Love is the unselfish, loyal, and benevolent concern for the well-being of another. So how much do we love God and everyone that God has created? Let's take a look at number two. Is joy? The Greek word kara, synonyms, are cheerfulness, a calm delight, gladness, a cheerful attitude, a cheerful attitude or delight. Joy is the happy and positive mental state that results from knowing and serving God. It enables us to be satisfied with all that God has given us, to appreciate what we have. That means gratitude. And we learn to rejoice in our family, our physical family, our spiritual family, the food that we eat, our celebrations, our fellowship, our material blessings. As I've said in the past, it's the one fruit that someone can notice 10 feet away. It's the only one of the fruit of the spirit that someone can notice 10 feet away. When I walked in that back door today, 30 feet away was Mr. Scapura standing with a big smile on his face, radiating joy. And I didn't have to walk up and say, excuse me, are you joyful?

You could tell by his countenance that he has joy on the inside. He's entering a new phase in life. His life is changing, and he's going to be able to do and focus on his passions, rather than his responsibilities and needs to provide for a family and pay his bills. And it's a new stage in his life, and he was naturally radiating the joy of the opportunities now that are there before him. Jesus said in John chapter 15 and verse 9, that on his walk to Gethsemane, he said, and I'll actually read verse 11, these things I have spoken to you that my joy may remain in you and that your joy may be full. Here's a man who's a dead man walking. He's going to be arrested soon, heading to the Garden of Gethsemane, knowing exactly what's ahead of him. And he says, I want my joy, the joy that I feel right now to be in you, and not just a little bit of joy, partial joy. I want you to have full joy. The New Century version says, I've told you these things that you can have the same joy I have, and so that your joy will be the fullest possible joy. Again, that's verse 11 from the New Century version. The next one is peace. Synonyms for English would be a feeling of oneness, quietness, mental rest. This is internal contentment. It's the opposite of feeling anxiety. It's complete contentment. Peace is the spiritual sense of well-being and fulfillment that comes from God and is dependent on His presence in our lives. It's an inner contentment that our life is purpose, that God has plans for our future, that He's working with us each and every day. He loves us in spite of our flaws and weaknesses. It's a serenity that the Lord is our shepherd and our protector. Jesus said, blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. We all want to be the children of God. James wrote in chapter 3 and verse 18, he said, now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. Are we peacemakers or are we agitators? Do we mean by the fruit of sown in peace by the fruit of righteousness? Do we mediate different parties when they're not getting along? Or are we the one person that either person can go to for a mediation to sort things out?

Or are we the cause of some conflict that other people experience? Again, the fruit of peace. Number four, long suffering or patience. This is a Greek word magrothomia and its synonyms in English would be forbearance, fortitude, enduring something. Now, in the translations like the New International Version, the New Revised Standard Version, this Greek word is called patience rather than long suffering. It's enduring hardship.

Long suffering or patience is an active endurance of opposition. It's not just passive resignation. If we just get to the point where we don't care anymore, that doesn't require patience or long suffering. It's an active endurance, an emotional endurance of opposition. Its qualities include steadfastness, hanging on to your values, and what you know is right. Even if the world and everyone else around you is going in an opposite direction, you are continuing to suffer long for what you believe and what you know is true in spite of the conflict. Paul said in Ephesians chapter 4 in verse 1, he said, I therefore the prisoner of the Lord beseech you to walk worthy the calling in which you were called with all lowliness and gentleness, with long suffering, bearing with one another in love. Love, remember that? That's the first of the fruit that we talked about. Some people, because of their personalities, they're not pleasant, and we have to bear with them in love. They may be unpleasant. They may lack some qualities that are important to Christianity, but we are told to love them and to bear with one another in that love. That is the quality of patience, of long suffering. Number five, kindness or gentleness. Synonyms would be excellence in character or demeanor, a personal warmth. The New King James Version, New International Version, New Revised Standard Version, translate this Greek word as kindness. Some translations also call it gentleness. It's a genuine, caring attitude. Kindness or gentleness is possessing a friendly, generous, and warm-hearted nature. It's being considerate and sensitive to the needs of others, even if they're not sensitive to your needs. You're setting the right example. You're allowing yourself to walk in the Spirit. Paul wrote in Philippians chapter 4 and verse 4, be full of joy. Remember that fruit? Be full of joy in the Lord always. I will say again, be full of joy. Let everyone see that you are gentle and kind. The Lord is coming soon. Another aspect of the fruit of the Spirit. Number six, goodness.

The Greek word agatsone, its synonyms are virtue, integrity, beneficence. Some translations call this generosity. It's being honest, being giving, living a life of being virtuous. Goodness is the characteristic of those who seek to live their lives in accordance to God's will, emulating godly principles and values, desiring to constantly grow in righteousness. Paul tells us in Ephesians chapter 5 in verse 8, for you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk his children of light, for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness.

Are we willing to apply that to our lives? Are we a good people? Meaning we love God's law. One of the hymns we sang today, oh how I love thy law. Meditating on God's law. Are we doing that? Are we radiating goodness in our neighborhoods? Goodness in the workplace? Goodness to the stranger we meet at Walmart or anywhere? Are we reflecting the fruit of the Spirit to everyone whom we meet? Number seven, faithfulness or faith, coming from the Greek word pistis. The synonyms would be in English fully persuaded. Conviction of religious truth, reliance, constancy in a profession. Do you realize we're ambassadors for Christ? That's our profession, our spiritual profession. Are we constant? Being an ambassador? You know, ambassadors don't condemn their own nations. They're not critical of their own nations. Other synonyms, assurance, belief, fidelity. Some translations define this as faithfulness, others as faith. That's having a deep personal and unshakable conviction in who and what God is and His promises for us.

Faithfulness is the quality of being steadfast, dedicated, dependable, and worthy of trust. It's the absolute belief and trust in God's many promises, especially when there's no physical evidence. If we can touch it, taste it, see it, hear it, smell it, then we don't need faith anymore. We have proof. We have evidence if we can sense it with a human sense. But real faith is when there is no evidence and we still believe it. There's no physical evidence, but we still know God's promises to be true and to be sure. That was number seven. Number eight, gentleness or meekness. Comes from the Greek word poutes and its synonyms are humility and mildness. Some translations define it as gentleness, some as meekness. It means having a non-abrasive personality.

Gentleness or meekness is a personality trait of humility, of kindness, the opposite of which is pride. Meekness does not refer to being a weak person or being passive, but it means that we have a controlled inner toughness. We know what's right. We know what our values are, but we don't have to come across to others as a pit bull on steroids.

Colossians chapter three, verse 12, Paul says here, Therefore, as the elective God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, long suffering, that was fruit number four that we covered, bearing with one another. Once again, sometimes we may not click, we may not get along in our personalities because of our backgrounds or our thoughts, but still patiently bearing with one another, forgiving one another. If anyone has a complaint and gets another, even as Christ forgave you, so also you must do. Remember what Jesus sold his disciples 70 times seven, and he didn't mean 490 times. He meant as often as that person offends you, you need to forgive that person because God forgives us of each and every sin that we commit. Verse 14, But above all these things put on love, that was for fruit number one, which is the bond of perfection, and let peace, that's fruit number three, quality number three, of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body and be thankful.

Number nine is self-control. Some translations call it temperance from the Greek word encratia, and the synonyms in English are refraining from passions, having willpower, having restraint, stopping ourselves, controlling ourselves. This is the modern translation term for several Greek words indicating a sober and temperate, calm and mature approach to life, one in which we have learned to master our own passions. And before sputtering a word that's going to get us in trouble or embarrass us, before doing some knee-jerk action that's going to humiliate us, that we stop ourselves. We control ourselves, inhibit ourselves. This is the mastery of self. 1 Thessalonians chapter 5 and verse 5. 1 Thessalonians chapter 5 and verse 5. So we see today Paul writes himself on this issue and many other of his writings as he does the fruit of the spirit. 1 Thessalonians chapter 5 verse 5. You are all people who belong to the light and to the day we do not belong to the night or to darkness. So we should not be like other people who are sleeping, but we should be alert. In other words, we need to be, we need to wake up and not just be in spiritual slumberland. We should not be like other people who are sleeping, but should be alert and have self-control. Those who sleep, sleep at night, those who get drunk, get drunk at night, but we belong to the day. The light is shining on us. Everything we do is exposed to God's sight. Can't hide anything. We belong to the day so we should control ourselves. We should wear faith. That was another trade of the fruit we spoke about earlier. And love, the very first fruit we spoke about today, quality of the fruit of the Spirit to protect us, and the hope of salvation should be our helmet. God did not choose us to suffer his anger, but to have salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. So how do we develop the fruit of God's Spirit? It's not that complicated, but it's hard. Not complicated, but hard. We let go of our attitude of self-reliance and allow ourselves to be led by God's Holy Spirit. Most of the time we don't want that. We're Americans. We value our independence. We even celebrate 250 years of independence.

We want to lead. We don't want to follow. But in order for God's Spirit to do its work in us, we have to strip away our human pride. We have to listen to that still, small voice, that conscience, that voice that tells us and reminds us and encourages us and inspires us, and yes, sometimes corrects us to do something valuable with what we're hearing, with what we're reading every day and in Sabbath services, with the words that are coming out of our mouths to our great God, to turn all of that into action, change, becoming more of a new creature in Christ. We must let go of self. That's the only way that God can do his work in us. Simple, but very hard to do because we are human. Our final scripture today, James chapter 4 and verse 5. James chapter 4 and verse 5.

If we, unfortunately, allow our ego to get in the way, if we refuse to be led and we want to be the leader all the time, if we want to make all of our own choices and do what we want to do, contrary to that gift that God has given us, we run the risk of what James talks about here in chapter 4 and verse 5. He says, or do you think that the scripture says in vain, the spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously, but he gives more grace. God's spirit in us wants to do so much in our lives wants to transform us in much greater way than we know or understand.

We are the barrier. Our vanity, our pride, our need for independence, our desire for control of everything, the desire for power, self-will. This is the barrier that stops us from being all that we could be. And what does that do to that gift that God gave us? It grieves that spirit. It's jealous of the time that we spend on worthless or temporary interest in life. Now, that doesn't mean we can't have hobbies. It doesn't mean that we can't enjoy our passions. It doesn't mean that we can't take time and watch a movie and entertain ourselves. But the question is, do we do all of those things and forget to nurture the spirit within us?

Are all of those other things our priorities and our lives surrounded on all of these other things? And oh, I've been praying in a week. Oh, that voice has been telling me over and over again that I need to make this phone call. Or I've got this problem and I need to see a counselor about this problem. Or I need to talk to someone about this problem and I keep pushing it aside and I keep submerging it and putting it down. If we do that, the Holy Spirit yearns jealously saying, I want some of your time. I want a part of your life. I want to live with you and help you to transform into something new and wonderful and spiritual that can be used for all eternity. God's Holy Spirit longs to lead us and do a great work in our lives. And I hope this summer that we will think about how each and every day we can continue to develop the gift of the fruit of the Spirit of God. That we can yield ourselves to the direction and power of the Holy Spirit within us. So let's not just slack off in the dog days of summer and sit out in the pool too long. Not that I've done that. Oh, maybe only about 16 times. But not to lay out in the pool too long or get too much sun. It's just, oh, life is so good and wonderful and it is good and wonderful. But let's not do all of those things and neglect the very powerful gift that God has given us. That is the gift of this Holy Spirit. I wish all of you a wonderful Sabbath.