The Spirit of Power

I'll pronounce it as my GPS pronounces it. Shubbable. Kelsey and I were laughing because the GPS, Google Maps, actually gets it right for Louisville. It says Louisville. And so when it said Shubbable, I'm like, have I always been pronouncing Shelbyville wrong? I know I'm from Ohio, but you'll have to forgive me for that one. But no, I got clarification from Paula and Mary that, no, it is Shelbyville, so it's okay. But I couldn't help but laugh. Kelsey and I were wondering about that. And it's good to see my mom and dad. I have to come down here to see them, so it's different. No, we invited them, of course. It's always great to be here, and we thought they would love to be down here with you, too, on this holiday. So we're going to have them. You have to say hi. They did an okay job with me, I think.

Well, summer's here, and with summer comes baseball. It's a fun time of the year. So I've got a baseball story we'll start out with a little bit today. Kind of set the stage for what I'm going to talk about. It's a story about a young man and his wife. The young man is an avid baseball fan, and his favorite team was wrapping up the season, and they were going to make the playoffs.

And this young man had never been to a playoff game before, so he wanted to go. And the team did a raffle, kind of, where people would submit their names, and people who were drawn out would have an opportunity to buy tickets to the playoff games to kind of make it fair, so that any fans would have an equal opportunity to go. And this young man put his name in, hoping that he'd have a chance, and his name was drawn.

And with that came the opportunity to buy up to three games of tickets, these playoff games. So the team was playing a five-game series, and he had an opportunity to buy three games' worth of tickets. Four tickets for each game. So he kicked it around and thought about it, and said, you know what? This is this young man, mind-thinking. I could maybe make some money, still go to a game and also make some money, maybe reselling some of the other tickets. So he called home and was discussing it with his wife, this idea. And she had some reservations because it was quite a bit of money that you have to put out front to get three games of tickets.

But he assured her, this is a locked deal. This can't fail. Everybody wants to go to these games. We'll go to one, and then we'll take the proceeds from the other two games, not only pay for those other two tickets, but probably end up paying for the whole thing.

So we get to go to a playoff game for free. And so she said, well, it's up to you. It's your decision. You can make it if you'd like. And so he says, I'm going to do this. This will be okay. So he bought tickets to all three games with the intent of selling two of them to other fans to make some money. And so the season wraps up, and of course the team makes the playoffs. And as they are getting ready to go to their first game, this young man decides to put the other two tickets on an online marketplace where fans buy and sell tickets to sporting events and things like that.

Just like you or I could put our tickets up there, and we can all buy them. And so they go onto their game, and they have a good night. It was a fun game. And so the next day he gets up and he goes to work, and he logs into this online marketplace to see if any of his tickets have sold. They haven't sold yet. And he said, that's okay. The game still is a few hours away.

It's going to be this evening, so it'll be fine. They'll sell by the time we get to the end of the day. But as the day keeps going, nobody really is interested in his tickets. And so he was able to find someone in the office who wanted to go and pay face value for two of the tickets, but he was still stuck with two others for that game. So he decided, well, the end of the day comes. You can't sell them.

So he decides, well, I'll just go, I've still got one other day and four other tickets. Maybe those will sell. It'll be okay. Everything will work out. Maybe I can now break even. Just break even now. No profit-looking. He's not a greedy guy. And now he's just looking to make it even. And so the next day comes around, and he's looking at it and logs on again. This is the day of the third game. Fast day for those last four tickets to go. And he gets a sinking feeling in his stomach. Because when he logs on, he sees other people who've had the same idea he had, right?

But their tickets are not selling either, and so they start to drop their prices. And all of a sudden he realizes, I'm going to get stuck with these tickets. This is not the plan that I told my wife and how it would be. And assured her that it was just a locked-up deal. And so this young man is looking at the prices, dropping all day. And the sinking feeling in his stomach gets bigger and bigger. And he decides he's going to have to call home and just tell his wife what happened.

And he picks up that phone, and he's realizing and thinking his numbers are dialing, and it's ringing. And he's thinking, if the shoe was on the other foot, how would I have responded? And he's not feeling really good right now, because he knows probably what he would say. Had he warned his wife, this might not work out, this could happen, and then she made a decision. He's just putting himself in her shoes and saying, this is a tough one to swallow. This one is not going to be fun.

And the wife answers the phone, and he takes a breath and starts explaining what's happened, and with the tickets. And that none of them are selling, and the prices are dropping. And that all this money that they had invested into these tickets, it's not going to come to fruition. And when he gets done explaining this to Pauls, and he's waiting for it, but on the other end is a calm, pleasant, patient voice.

It's a loving voice that understood the difficulty that he was in. And the person, his wife, had some gentle attitudes, some kind words, some encouragement, because she lost her husband. And as they talked about it, she encouraged him, well, just do what everybody else is doing. Drop your price, get any money, because any money is better than no money for these tickets. And so he wasn't comfortable with that, but what other option was it? So he hung up the phone and started dropping his price, and kept dropping it and dropping it. And when he finally did sell those tickets, it was for a fraction of what he'd actually paid. And so he tried to move on, but the thing that kept sticking with him through that day, he couldn't get out of his mind, was that gentle patient, that kind, that loving voice that was on the phone. And the thing that just kept going through his mind was, would I have done the same? Would he have done the same? And so he went on and had left an imprint with this young man up to this day, still. And so what is the moral I'd like to share with you? Baseball gets a man in trouble. That's not the message for today. I share this story because it demonstrates a contrast in approaches between the demonstration of the fruit of the spirit and our own human nature. Each of us have two natures warring inside of us. One is our own human nature, and the other is the nature of God through his Holy Spirit. With God's Holy Spirit inside us, we are expected to heed its guidance and to grow fruit reflective of the character of God, the Father and his Son, Jesus Christ. This fruit, while not containing any sort of supernatural power, not like the Holy Spirit does itself, the Spirit doesn't hold any kind of special power, but it can leave a powerful impact on others. So today, let's look at how the fruit of the Spirit can leave a powerful mark on our own life, on others' lives around us, and on the whole world. How the fruit of the Spirit can leave a powerful mark on our own life, others' lives around us, and the whole world.

So as a starting point, let's review some of the aspects of the Holy Spirit. As we understand, the Holy Spirit is given to those who believe in Jesus Christ, repent of their sins, are baptized, and have hands weight on them. And we get this from Acts 2, verse 38.

Let's go ahead and turn to Acts 8, and we'll dive into this a little bit further of some of the apostles actually baptizing and laying their hands on those who are being baptized.

This is in Acts 8, verse 14. Acts 8, verse 14.

So we see that an important part of it is the laying on of hands to receive the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit that was given to the apostles on Pentecost in 31 A.D. is the same Spirit that was given to the followers who followed after them. And it's the same Spirit that we have received today as we have repented and made the same commitment to God the Father.

And as we understand, the Holy Spirit truly impacts our lives in a powerful way. We all have stories. We all have examples that we could stand up here and share of the Holy Spirit working mightily in our lives. Paul speaks to this in 1 Corinthians, verse 2. We'll flip there as well.

1 Corinthians, chapter 2.

And we'll read 1 Corinthians, chapter 2. And we'll read verse 12 and 13.

The ability for us to read and understand God's Word is truly a miracle in itself. It just simply is a miracle to have a mind's open that can understand His way. We all know and we've read maybe books of biblical scholars who know the Bible inside and out. They can paraphrase it. They know parts of it by memory. Yet, they don't have that converted heart to follow what they know and what they've read.

And that ability to have a heart that wants to follow is God's calling. And it's a miracle to have that change of heart.

When we have the Holy Spirit working in us and we study God's Word and we pray for understanding, we are able to read and understand things in a deeper, more meaningful way than we ever had before. Things come alive in a way that just sometimes leaves us in awe of God and His purpose and His plan. And it leaves us in awe that He's welcomed us in to share that with Him and to understand it. There's so many times that as I read, I'll have to just pause and get down on my knees and just thank God for helping me to understand this. Things that maybe I'd read before but didn't get. And those moments are precious and they're important to God. And He wants us to say, like, thank you when we come across those. Because it truly is through His hand and His power that we have this ability.

The Holy Spirit is the power of God that can work in our lives to change our hearts, if and when we submit to it and allow it to lead us.

Let's turn to Galatians 5.

Galatians 5. This power that can change lives is what we have and what we have working inside of us. Galatians 5 and we'll read verses 16 and 18. And then we'll jump down a little bit.

I say then, walk in the Spirit and you shall not fulfill the lusts of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh. And these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. And then verse 24 and 25.

And those who are Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

And when teaching the apostles after his resurrection, Christ explained more about the Holy Spirit and what it would do in their lives. We see this from Acts 1. I'm jumping around quite a bit, but it really sets the stage for understanding the Holy Spirit and how the fruits of the Spirit will play into this. This is Acts 1.

You will read verses 4 and 5 in the name.

Acts 1 verse 4.

And then verse 8.

This word for power in the Scripture is Strongs 1411, which in the Greek is pronounced Dunamis. It's spelled D-U-N-A-M-I-S. This word for power here. And this word Dunamis is used throughout the New Testament, referring to this power. Dunamis means Force, Ability, Abundance, Might, Power, Strength, or Mighty Wonderful Work. It's also the origin for our English words Dynamic and Dynamite. You might have heard that before as well. This is that dynamic power that exists inside each person who God has given His Holy Spirit to. It is a spirit that Paul references when encouraging Timothy in 2 Timothy 1 verses 6 and 7. You can just add that to your note and I'll go ahead and read that. 2 Timothy 1 verse 6 and 7.

This is some three components that the Holy Spirit gives those who follow God and have God's Spirit given to them. Power, love, and of a sound mind. The Holy Spirit imparts to us the power of God, the love of God, and the mind of God. This is in complete contrast to the nature of man, which we also have inside of us.

So the question is posed to each one of us every day. Which nature will I listen to and which nature will I submit my life to? We each have to ask ourselves that.

Now that I've played this framework, let's step into Galatians 5 and read about the fruit of the Spirit. Since the Holy Spirit inside us is a power to help us follow God's way, there is also a power in the fruit of the Spirit as well.

As I said before, just to be clear, the fruit doesn't itself have some kind of supernatural power like the Holy Spirit does. But it can impact us and others in a powerful way as that fruit is developed.

This is in Galatians 5. We know what? I'm going to get to that in just a minute because I'd like to lay out three points. Keep your fingers in Galatians 5 because we're not going anywhere. But as we work through this message today, we'd like to look at the fruit of the Spirit as it relates to three groups of people.

Ourselves being number one, those that we interact with, those that we come in contact, but then the whole world. The whole world meaning people we don't come in contact with. The three groups that we're going to look at and how this fruit can impact people in a powerful way as ourselves. Others we come in contact with, and the whole world.

In Galatians 2, Paul outlines what happens to our own human nature and works that flow from it. And in verse 22, he goes on to outline the fruit of the Spirit that is reflected in us when we submit to the guidance of the Holy Spirit. So let's go ahead and look at Galatians 5, and in verse 22. And we'll read 22 through, I believe, 25.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. And if we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. We read that a little bit ago, but it's always a good one to repeat.

Here we have nine individual components that represent different attributes of the character of God. Nine different ones. Sometimes when thinking of a big topic, it's difficult to truly grasp and understand it and bring it down to our earthly minds to understand. It's kind of like trying to, if somebody came up to you and said, well, describe to me the greatness of God. Where do I start trying to describe that to someone? Or tell me something, tell me how would you describe the love of God?

Once again, these are huge topics that you can't just say in one sentence. This is what it is. But here we have an opportunity by seeing the fruit of the Spirit to break into God's character into nine different ways that we can start to see the character of God and to define it and to examine it in a little bit of a different way.

An interesting analogy is that of a prism. We've all seen a prism that might be hanging in a window or as light shines through a glass of water and you can see a little bit of a rainbow of colors. That is similar to what we have here in Galatians 5, is seeing the character of God. The light of God is almost like the light entering the prism and splitting into the colors of the rainbow, where you can see the purple and the blue and the red and the orange. Here we have an opportunity to see parts of God's character in the fruit of the Spirit. It's a neat opportunity to look at it, to consider each one, or to think on it. We're not going to dive into every single one of these today. But it's a great study. I'll reference a booklet that we have later on. It's really good if you want to dive into that more.

But as God's character would pass through this prism, per se, the different attributes of His character, the fruit of the Spirit, split out so that we can see them more clearly. Let's turn to 2 Corinthians 4, verse 6. We're going to read a little bit about the light from God.

2 Corinthians 4, verse 6, and 7.

Verse 6, For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shown in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthly vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. We were all once in darkness, but our minds have been open to see and understand the light. As God's light enters our hearts, the attributes of God are also written on our hearts. As we submit more and more to His way. This is what is so powerful about each one of the attributes of the fruit of the Spirit. These attributes radiate from us in ways that are just not natural for man. When people see these fruits radiating from us, they notice that we are different.

How are we different? Let's look at point one, and how developing the fruit of the Spirit affects our own lives in a powerful way. I think when many times, when people start looking at the fruits of the Spirit and deciding to develop them in their lives, and they're interested in it, it comes from probably an inward focus. Something that says, you know what, these are good. These are good for me. I would like to have them because I'll live probably a happier life. I'll be more content.

I'll have more joy in my heart and things like that. And that's a good way to look at it. There's nothing wrong with having an inward focus on why you would want to look at these fruits and to develop them in our lives. Because we can think, if I have more fruit, I can become more righteous before God. Add more of His attributes to who I am. Or I might become more joyful. That's always good for me to have a joy that is beyond earthly limits, a joy for God and His kingdom.

These are good things for me to have. Or if I have more faith, it will help me to put more of an importance on God and to follow Him more completely with my heart. And to fully commit my life to Him, knowing that He is God and He will take care of me. So this is the concept of internalizing and that being why, maybe the first reason why we want to develop these fruits on us, it's a good reason. And then it does change our lives. Drawing near to God and allowing fruit to develop does truly affect our lives. I know personally, when I feel like I've been offended, like maybe in a conversation or somebody says something, a lot of times I can start to feel my body change. Maybe my blood pressure starts to rise or maybe I get a little more anxious. I can feel some adrenaline coming out. And maybe it's just me. And you can start to realize your mind starts racing on how you're going to respond and things. You just start feeling this change inside of you. And it's difficult to sometimes put that down. And that's the bad nature coming back and trying to grab hold of us again.

Being in the state places undue stress on my body. And all too often, I end up saying something back to the person that I can't take back. As they say, once the horse leaves the barn, right? You can't take that back. But the contrast is what happens when the same event happens, but I submit to God's Holy Spirit working inside me. My first reaction may be similar because it's hard to just not be offended or not feel offended right off the bat.

But if immediately I recognize that I'm feeling these feelings, I can feel my adrenaline, and I start to realize, okay, how am I supposed to handle this? How do I want to handle this? And then you start to rethink this and you start thinking, okay, I'm going to be patient. I'm going to breathe. I'm going to try to be loving. I'm going to try to just put all these things into effect.

And I might have to repeat these several times, like patient goodness, gentleness, kindness. I might have to repeat these over and over. Patience, goodness, gentleness, kindness. And I might be working pretty hard at this, too. My mind might be racing, working hard at trying to push down these feelings that are starting to rise up to the top.

But how much different does our body react when we allow the fruit of the spirit to be our motivating force instead of our own human nature? That's what I've seen so many times. The adrenaline starts to calm down. The blood pressure, my face turning red, or my hands, maybe I was standing like this, but then I said, you know what? I'm going to relax a little bit. I'm going to let God work in me. I'm not going to let this old man come back up and grab a hold of me. This is, I know, a basic example, but this is how we can let the fruit of the spirit work inside of our lives and to leave an imprint on our lives. Because then we walk away from that situation, and maybe we didn't say what was on our mind. And we saved that insult that would have been an offense back to the other person. And we walk away and we're like, wow, that actually worked. I remember some of those things early in my life when they actually worked, and you're like, God's way works. And that's when he's starting to say, yeah, it does. Keep following it. Keep doing it. And it's an awesome opportunity that we have. There's a quote I'd like to share from Barnes Notes. He wrote an interesting comment on gentleness or meekness and the effect that it has on our bodies. Barnes Notes quotes, Meatness produces peace. It's a proof of true greatness of soul. It comes from a heart too great to be moved by little insults. It looks upon those who offer them with pity. And then it goes onto the contrasting side, the one I was just talking about. But he that is constantly ruffled, that suffers every little insult or injury to throw him off his guard and to raise a storm of passion from within is at the mercy of every mortal that chooses to disturb him. He is like the troubled sea that cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt. I like that because I think I've been on both sides of that quote before. There's been times where I've worked hard not to be moved by little insults. There's times I didn't work very hard. I was the one that was just allowing myself to get all worked up whenever anybody else chose to get me worked up. And so I like that. It spoke to me personally. As we read through the accounts of Jesus Christ's wife on earth, we don't see him getting his feathers ruffled over little things. He maintains a peace, maintains a sense of peace, a calm, a gentleness, and self-control, even in the midst of great attacks and great insults. We have a description of this in 1 Peter, verse 2. Start to turn there. 1 Peter, verse 2, where Peter describes the example that we have in Jesus Christ.

1 Peter 2, verse 20. We'll break into the thought on verse 20. But when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God. For to this you were called because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example that you should follow his steps. Who committed no sin, nor was deceit found in his mouth. Who, when he was reviled, did not revile and return. When he suffered, he did not threaten, but committed himself to him, who judges rightly. This is the example that we have of our elder brother, of our Savior, and the way that he handled himself as human on this earth. When we see another instance of Christ's meekness and gentleness in Matthew 27, when he was standing before Pilate, we'll go ahead and turn there as well. It's another solid example. Matthew 27.

This one has always amazed me because I, once again, put myself kind of in shoes if I was in the same seat as Christ standing before Pilate here. And I have to admit, I don't know if I could have answered the same way. I hope that I continue to work and build toward this. But this is a neat aspect because we see even Pilate's response. This is in Matthew 27, verse 11.

Now Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor asked him, saying, Are you the king of the Jews? And Jesus said to him, It is as you say. And while he was being accused by the chief priests and elders, he answered nothing. Then Pilate said to him, Do you not hear how many things they testify against you? But he answered him not one word, so that the governor marveled greatly.

The governor marveled greatly. We've got to think, this is Pilate. This isn't the first time somebody had been marched before him, that somebody's life was in his hands, and he was going to make the decision. And do you think all those other people came before him and just kept their mouths shut, too? There's no way. He probably hadn't seen a one that would come before him and just stood there and took whatever accusations were thrown at him. They probably all had a defense. They all had an excuse. They all had a reason. Christ could have, but he didn't. Not a single word did he utter when they accused him of these many things. The strength that it took to do that is just amazing. But that example is what we have been given.

We must also strive for the same meekness, the same gentleness, and the same self-control. By submitting to the Holy Spirit, we draw near to God and reflect more on His character in our lives. This allows fruit to develop, and this fruit is beneficial to our lives. So having the original thoughts of wanting fruit to develop in our lives is a good thing to have. But I hope to show you that the even larger benefit is the impact that this fruit can have on others.

So now let's look at point two, how the fruit of the Spirit affects others around us in a powerful way. We have all been around people that are just a joy to be around. They walk in the room, and the room lights up. We walk in the room, and we see them, and joy fills our heart. We all know these people. Maybe they've got a great sense of humor. Or maybe they're always asking you, how are you doing? Or maybe they're just great at playing cards, and every time you're on their team, you just happen to win.

But these people can light up a room like no other. We all know them. Why do they light up a room? Is it just because they're just good people at heart? They are good people, but they also have this fruit that just comes out of them. These attributes that you can just see that they're different, and you can feel that they're different. These are the attributes of the character of God that just radiate out the fruit of the Spirit from these people that you can just see. You feel it, and it's amazing. We know from 1 John 4 that no man has seen God face to face. However, we can see the image of God's character when we see the fruit of His Spirit being demonstrated in others. Maybe it's someone reaching out to place a gentle hand on ours when we need that comforting touch. Or maybe it's those kind words that someone offers up to us when, you know what, all week we've only been torn down by others at work, others in the world. And that kind word just means the most to us at that moment. These are the outward expressions of the fruit of the Spirit, and they can impact others in dynamic ways. I'll go ahead and read 1 John 4, verse 12, so that we can get this in context. No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us. By this we know that we abide in Him and He in us because He has given us of His Spirit. This is what joins and connects us. The passage connects not being able to see God with being able to see God by experiencing His love abiding in ourselves and in each other. When we see His love flowing outwardly from ourselves or from another person towards us, we see God through love.

I'd like to look at another situation from real life that many of us have gone through, maybe directly in our lives or indirectly from people we know. And these are, I'm speaking of health trials. I think I mentioned health trials last time we hear it. It's something close to my heart. All health trials are difficult, and more times than not, they are extremely difficult to go through. They may be short-lived or they may be long-lived. Coming to the grips mentally or emotionally with a health trial is sometimes just as hard the physical aspects of the trial, the mental and psychological aspects. It weighs on our mind and body. And I'm going to detour back to point one for just a moment here. Drawing near to God during a trial will also bear fruit in our own lives. This is going back to its beneficial for us. There's a couple scriptures that you can write down in your notes that speaks to one of the fruit that is applied when we draw near to God. Let's write down Isaiah 26, verse 3, and Philippians 4, verses 6 through 7. So Isaiah 26, verse 3 says, You will keep him in perfect peace, peace being one of the fruit of the Spirit, whose mind is stayed on you because he trusts in you. We gain peace from God as we draw near to him. And then Philippians 4, verses 6 and 7 says, As we go through difficulties, whether it's a trial, it's a health trial, or whether it's a job, whether it's just something that's not going the way that you had planned and you had hoped, when we draw near to God, he gives us a peace that is beyond our understanding. It's beyond what man says we should have. They would say, well, just go fix it. Go do something else. Change your perspective. They don't tell us to go back to God to draw near to him, but he does. And he says, when we do, we'll have the peace of God as we draw near to him. And it surpasses all understanding. Whatever trials you may be dealing with, God has given you a mighty power, a dunamis, through the Holy Spirit to rise up and meet them head on. If you are baptized, like we heard in the offeratory message, the Holy Spirit is working inside of you to change who we are, to change who I am.

And if you're not yet baptized, the Holy Spirit is still working with you externally to guide and to lead you still. God is always working with every one of us in his own way. This can strengthen our faith knowing that we are in God's hands. The Holy Spirit works inside of our heart to give us strength and to lift us to a better state of mind where we can have a Godly peace.

Not only is it healthier for our minds to operate according to the fruit of the Spirit, but as we talked about earlier, it's also healthier for our bodies when we operate according to God's peace, whether than allowing the thoughts of our human nature to run rampant. When we just hand it over to God, how many times has that just been a weight lifted off of our shoulders? It's not easy to do. I'll be the first to admit it. But there does come a peace that doesn't make sense. It's a peace beyond what we can get ourselves, a peace beyond what we can create ourselves. Because God says He would give it.

It's a promise. So now let's go back and think about point number two in relation to the same example. When we allow the peace of God to ruin our hearts, what happens to our interactions with others? How many times have we talked with someone that we knew was going through a difficult health trial, yet when we walked away, we were the one encouraged?

That's not supposed to happen that way, is it? Because our heart said, I'm going to go and I'm going to try to help someone out. I know they're going through something difficult. I'm going to talk to them. But yet when we walked away, we realized we were the ones encouraged because they were encouraging us through the lessons they've learned, through their faith in God, through the hope that they have. Knowing that this trial is temporary, even if it takes their life, it's still temporary.

They know that they have their vision on God, the Kingdom. That's the end, not just the world that we happen to live in right now. And going back to where we read in Philippians, you don't need to turn to Philippians 4, where it says, the peace of God which surpasses all understanding. Once again, it doesn't make sense that the person who's going through this difficulty is the one that's encouraging us.

That's beyond understanding. No one else would think that was okay, or that was normal. How does that happen? This is what is so powerful about the fruit of God's Spirit. We are seeing and sensing in that person the power of God, God's characters beyond human comprehension and beyond human logic. In the midst of health trials, our human mind tells us to be scared or to be depressed, because after all, we are human.

It's natural to have some of these feelings in our mind. But when we submit to the Holy Spirit and allow its fruit to develop, we can feel different. Instead of being inwardly focused, we can focus on others and leave them with joy, kindness, and ultimately God's love.

This doesn't make our health trial disappear, but it brings us to an uplifted state of mind where we focus on others and allow the attributes of God's character to shine forth from our hearts. This fruit of the Spirit has an outward component that is so powerful. So powerful. It's not just for me, but it can also have a huge impact on others. This is something the Apostle Paul realized when he found himself in the midst of various trials. Let's turn to Philippians 1, and we'll read about one of these instances in his moment when he had clarity to understand the impact that it can have on others around him. Philippians 1. Philippians 1.12 Paul saw that through his example of bearing through his trial, others were encouraged.

The Gospel was being preached further because of the trial that he was in. It just reminds me so much of when someone is going through a difficult trial, and they are the ones encouraging others. That is the fruit of the Spirit. That is God moving his plan forward. That is his plan. That is his plan. That is his plan.

That is him moving his Gospel message forward when that person is living that life. I'm not going to joke and say it's easy to have an upbeat attitude. You don't always have an upbeat attitude when going through those things. But if you, once again, like I was saying about that, when I become offended, I can react one way or I can choose to react another way. When going through these things, when we decide we're going to react differently, we're going to allow the fruit of the Spirit to just flow from us when we interact with others. That is powerful. That is doing God's work. That is sending an important, powerful message and being an example that everyone sees.

Now let's look at point number three and how the fruit of the Spirit affects the world in a powerful way. First, we looked at how it impacts our lives powerfully, the lives of those we come in contact with powerfully. Now let's look at how the fruit of the Spirit affects the world in a powerful way.

As I introduce this third concept, I'd like us again to consider the specific trait of generalness or meekness as it's also translated. There are many definitions for meekness, but the one that I personally like, it might be a guy thing, but the one I personally like is strength under complete control. Strength under complete control.

It really made sense to me when I started to understand that this strength, but it's under complete control.

This applies both to mind and to action. God has given man a mind and an intellect unlike any other creature, but when we give into our human nature, we sin, which ends up hurting ourselves and oftentimes others around us. When we lose control of our strength, we fall short and we lose control of that strength. That's where the helper of the Holy Spirit comes in. When we submit to the Holy Spirit, we are in complete control of our strength. As we discussed earlier, Christ is our perfect example of meekness and gentleness. We could also describe Him as having strength under complete control. Christ had all the power and authority to do great works and impact lives. He also had the power to call fire down from heaven if He so chose. But He didn't. He didn't. He knew His position and He knew His responsibility, and He maintained strength under complete control.

How many times do we read and see gentle ways that He handled children? Those that He healed and those whom He corrected. He corrected the disciples in a gentle way and He corrected sinners with the same gentleness. We'll look at John 8, verse 3. This is the woman who was caught in adultery.

John 8, verse 3.

John 8, verse 3. Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, they said to Him, Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery in the very act. Now Moses in the law commanded us that such should be stone. But what do you say? Let's skip on down to verse 10. When Jesus had raised Himself up, because we know the rest of the in-between parts of the story, but when Jesus raised Himself up and saw that no one but the woman, He said to her, Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you? She said, No one, Lord. And Jesus said to her, Neither do I condemn you. Go and sin no more. This is a powerful example of someone who was caught in sin. Game over, done. There is no question about what had happened. And Christ didn't just say, Well, just don't worry about it. It's no big deal. No, He gave instruction. He didn't sugarcoat the truth. He told her to go and sin no more. He called it a sin. But He also did not have the same attitude that the Pharisees and the scribes had when they brought her before Him. Their attitude wasn't one of gentleness, of love. Theirs was one of human nature coming out, trying to make a big point, trying to test Christ. And He showed them that it was better, in this example, to be gentle in understanding and teaching at the same time. He did not teach. He did not not teach. He taught. But He was gentle in His approach.

We have a responsibility to preach the gospel to the world. And how we handle this responsibility greatly impacts how it is received. As we draw close to God and develop fruit, we develop an ability to preach the gospel in an impactful way. No, we don't sugarcoat the truth, like I said before, but we share it with others in a way that will gently lead them to God and allow them to receive it. This reminds me of an example that I've seen in real life firsthand. When I went to college, every spring brings beautiful flowers to the lush college greens, the beautiful place to be. But it also, every year, brings a certain person who wanted to, let's say, have him describe it. He was a preacher who believed in a style called Confrontational Evangelism. I always trip open that word. Confrontational Evangelism. What that means is he would come to the college green, set up a box, stand up on it, and start condemning anybody who walked by of all their sins. Not knowing them personally, not knowing anything about them, but just saying, well, on a campus, we have drunkards, we have people who are caught up in sexual sins, we have people who are lying, people who are cheating in class, and he would just start going through all these things.

I'll say this name, just in case he's listening. But he would do these things. And the students, because you would see him every year, so he'd stay here for about a week, and then he'd move on to another campus and do the same thing and move on. This was his ministry. This is what he taught move to do. And so, when the first day he shows up on campus in the spring, every year, doing this, students are just walking by. He's this crazy guy, but the ones who had seen him the years before started to roll... I'll change his name. Brother Bob is back. Brother Bob is back. And so, the next day usually was a little more eventful, because people would show back up where Brother Bob was at the day before with signs. Because now they want to argue back, right? Because here was Brother Bob condemning them of everything that he thinks that they were doing, which, of course, is it true? Was there sin going on in campus? Of course. Are there drunkards and are there sexual immorality going on? Of course. It's the world. You can't just find any area of a college campus and say, well, it's perfect. It's not true. So, some of his words are true. Some of it was accurate. But the way that he was going about it, the way that he was just condemning everyone that walked by and pointing out all their sins, which he had no idea about. And so the next day, in the next few days, people would show back up with signs. And some of them had scripture on them. Like, Jesus loves me. That's true, too. And so they would get in this argument with him. And they would start to even yell back things. And he would say, well, that would just rile him up more, of course, right? And so he'd get this crowd going. And this impact would be there. And, of course, being a public campus, they can't move him off. They can't kick him off. He's on a public sidewalk and things. But he would do this for a week at a time, every spring, on our campus. Then he'd move on to the next location, move on to the next location. And when I would walk across the green on the way to class, I'd always think, like, is he really changing people's hearts? Is he really speaking to them in his style that they're going to say, oh, wow, you know what? I am a sinner. I should be changing my life. You're right. Yeah, you're right. Is that what he's getting out of this? Or is he just hardening people's hearts towards God? I mean, some of his words were accurate. We can't deny that. But his approach was all wrong. That's what was doing damage to God's work. Was he building bridges to God in his approach? Or was he building walls between those students who had a relationship with God? Was he building some of them? Was he building walls between them and God that now God is either going to have to tear down in this life or in a future life when they have an opportunity to know his truth? That's what I'm kind of getting at today when the fruit of the Spirit can impact the world in a powerful way, depending on our approach. We never sugarcoat the truth. That is not part of our calling. God outlines sin. He outlines righteousness. And we follow that. And we preach that. But we can also do it in a way that allows the truth to touch people's hearts, to convict their hearts. We have to understand where they're coming from and work with them where they need help. Let's look at how Paul described the way he and others preached the Gospel. This is in 1 Thessalonians 1, verse 5. 1 Thessalonians 1, verse 5.

And the way they preached was in power through the Holy Spirit.

1 Thessalonians 1, verse 5. For our Gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, same dunamis, and in the Holy Spirit, and in much assurance, as you know, what kind of men we were among you for your sake.

They came in power and in the Holy Spirit, and in much assurance. The power of the Holy Spirit allowed him to be the kind of man he was for the Gospel to be further preached through his example.

When we allow the fruit of the Spirit to emulate from our lives, we can positively impact others with the Word of God. We do this both on a church-wide level, but also on a personal level.

I'd like to share a few lines. Let's see if I can find my article.

There's an article Mr. Kubik wrote a couple years back on June 4, and he titled it, The Amazing Events of Pentecost. As we work through the impact that we can have on the world, I'd like to reference a few things that he wrote in his article.

If there is any time in the course of human experience that the Word of God needs to do its work, it's now. As it was necessary to have the resources and manpower and support in the start-up Jerusalem church to reach out to the world, it is likewise necessary for us to have the resources to reach our world. But notice that the growth was contingent on power that was to be given to it through the Holy Spirit.

Power was not from the apostles or the people. It came externally from God, who had his purpose in doing his work. My prayers of the same power also be turned on in our time for us to proclaim the gospel as it was done after Pentecost, A.D. 31. And he goes on to say, As God turns on the power of the Holy Spirit in stepping up our work, we all need to be prepared to provide a place for those whom God calls. I believe that we are ready. My prayer is that we step up to the challenge. Yield our lives to our Savior, Jesus Christ, and ask him what he wants us to do. The day of Pentecost was a milestone of growth in the history of the church. Can it be again? I want to be part of something great that God is doing on this earth. I remember that from a few years ago, and it still holds true today, that I want to be part of that work. Everybody here wants to be part of that powerful work of impacting the world through our example, but also letting them see God's truth come through. It's an exciting time in the church. It is. And we have the opportunity to be part of it. We can also think about how we can impact the world on a personal level every day, as we heard in the offeratory message. Christianity is not just a one-day-a-week job. It's a seven-day-a-week job. We must live this, always, regardless of whether we're with each other, or with our family, or we're with our co-workers, or we're with people at the gas station that we bump into at the grocery store. We can leave an imprint on them, no matter where we go. When we explain the Word of God in an effective, edifying way, it removes some of the barriers that exist between others and God. But when we use it incorrectly, it can build walls that God has to remove or break down, as I said, either in this life or in their necks.

We are given instructions on this in the New Testament, which clearly outlines how we are to approach others with the Word of God. This is in 1 Peter 3, verse 15. 1 Peter 3, verse 15. 2 Peter 3, verse 16. But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you. Now, we could have... I mean, the Scripture could have ended right there, and that would have been a good Scripture, right? It says everything true. It's a good Scripture for us to know. But what's the last four words? With meekness and fear. We are to give a defense. Be ready for a defense to everyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you. With meekness and fear. We also see, and I'll reference this one, we also see a similar passage in Galatians 6, verse 1. And that reads, and we have to remember that.

This booklet, it's an e-booklet. I don't know how we came across an actually printed copy. But it's a good news, and they call it an article reprint. It's called The Fruit of the Spirit. It's written by Don Hoosier. So if you ever want to, they're online, all these articles are. But what he does, Don Hoosier is a long-term elder and writer for the church. And he went through each one of the fruits of the Spirit and wrote a description and a way to... a lesson, an article, and each one, what it means and the words behind it and how we can apply these to our lives. It's a really good article if you're looking for something to learn more about the fruit of the Spirit, what each one represents. It's a really good article. It's a series of articles. It's a e-booklet. But it's really good. As Paul reminded Timothy in 2 Timothy 1, verses 6 and 7, we read this earlier. It's already in your notes. God's Spirit is a spirit of power and we need to stir it up to fan the flames. 2 Timothy 1, 6 says, Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. And just before his betrayal and arrest, our Savior spoke these parting words in John 15, 15, verse 16. We'll go ahead and turn there to John 15 as we finish up here today.

John 15, and we'll read verses 15 and 16. No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing. But I have called you friends, for all things that you heard from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you, that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain. That whatever you ask, the Father in my name he may give you. In the power of the Holy Spirit, let us all go and bear fruit that remains so a powerful, powerful mark may be made on our lives, on those we interact with, and on the entire world.

Please turn to page 70, and we'll give thanks unto our God.