The Spirit of Power

Morning, Happy Sabbath! Okay, so who's ready to go to camp now? It is always an adventure every year. We have not... I have not done a teen camp yet. I've done multiple pre-teen camps. That's why I've met some of you wonderful people, and our daughter has had an opportunity to meet fellow teens from Michigan. We've been over at Buckeye for a few years, and if you've ever wanted to go to camp, I highly recommend figuring out how to make it fit into your calendar.

Even as an adult, it is a wonderful opportunity to go and serve, and there's so many areas. It is truly neat. Bring greetings from Cincinnati. Many, when they hear we're coming up here, want us to pass our greetings on to you.

It's our home for now, but it won't be for much longer. We're still trying to sell our home and to get up here, and so any prayers you could offer and send up to our great Father, we would be so welcome to have those.

It's not a problem or anything. We feel like it's His timing. We know that when everything works out and to His plan, that we'll be up here. We're trying to get Laura through ABC, and me still, I'm at the home office five days a week helping out with Steve Myers. And so we're trying to find the time and the evenings, but as you know, when two people, a husband and wife, are leading both busy lives, evenings consist of getting food on the table, getting food from the grocery to put on that table, getting laundry done.

It's all just the necessities of just keeping the family running. So we're trying to squeeze in time when we can, but we know that God will make it all happen when His timing is what it should be. But we're excited, very excited to make our way up here. I'm still trying to figure out what this climate is going to bring as far as my garden goes. So that's going to be a tricky one for me. I've always loved gardening, and I've got it finally figured out in Cincinnati, the time of the year to plant, what to plant when, gets it all ironed out, and then guess what happened?

God says, you're going to Michigan. So we're going to have to figure out how things work up here. I know you can grow tomatoes, so that's going to keep me happy. So we'll have to figure this all out. We're not quite into summer yet, but as every year brings, baseball is here.

We're about 20 games in, and Cincinnati is already back in, I think, fourth place. They started out strong, but it's a young team. But I do want to make sure everybody realizes that Detroit is my favorite American League team, so I've got my favorite National League, and I've got my favorite American League team. And that's the truth. I'm not following anybody else, but Cincinnati and Detroit. We went to our first Tigers game, I think, a couple years back, and it was a lot of fun to go, and I've got my Detroit hat, so they're my team now.

But with baseball in mind, I'd like to begin the sermon with a story, a baseball story. It's about a young man and his wife and his favorite team that made the playoffs. So we're talking further into the summer. The season had wrapped up. His team made the playoffs, and he's excited to hopefully go to his first professional baseball playoff game. And so the team announces when tickets are going to go on sale, it's a lottery system, so you put your name in, and if your name's drawn out, you get the opportunity to buy tickets.

So this young gentleman puts his name in, his name is picked, he gets sent an email, and he gets sent the link so he can go buy tickets to the playoff game. And when he logs in, he realizes he can buy more than just one game's worth, because, you know, it's a series, it's a five-game series. And so this young man gets this bright idea that I can buy not just one game's worth of tickets, but I'll buy all three ticket games I'm available to buy, this person thinks.

And then they decide, you know what, with those other two games, I'll sell those tickets and make a profit, right? Because this young gentleman was one of them who got through the lottery, was able to buy tickets, others couldn't, so there has to be demand on the market for these other games. So he's thinking through this idea, and he calls home to his wife and talking the idea through her, and she's supportive of, of course, going to one game.

But she's a little leery of buying, spending all that money to buy extra tickets to sell just to make a profit. But the young man assures his wife, this is a lock deal, this is pretty much guaranteed. You can't lose money, because there's going to be people. Worst case, sell them for face value, right? Somebody will buy them for face value. So the young man goes and he buys three sets of tickets to three different games.

And as the month concludes, the season wraps up. The first game is coming around, and this young gentleman takes his family, and they go to the game, and it's, even though his team doesn't win, it's a good night. Good night at the ballpark. And so this young man decides he's going to put these tickets onto a web marketplace, one of these online marketplaces where you can sell your tickets as an average Joe. And so he does. And the first day, this is now the first set of tickets he's trying to sell, the day's going on, it's not looking too good.

Nobody's really buying tickets to this playoff game, and it's kind of surprising. He finds somebody in his office that'll buy two of the tickets at face value, but nobody buys the last two. So he ends up just going him, taking him and their child with them to the ballpark, and they enjoy a second game. But now, this young man's getting a little nervous because he's got only four tickets left on that fifth game to sell, to recoup any money, much less make a profit at this point.

So that day comes, and he's watching the online marketplace, and much to his dismay, everybody's dumping their tickets. Because he wasn't the only one that got this idea of getting tickets, putting them online to make a profit, and now everybody's starting to get nervous with the market. And so people are dropping their prices, not just to face value, but below face value. And this young man's getting a sick feeling in the stomach, because not only did he think he would make a profit or at least break even, but now he's going to cost his family money because of this bright idea that he got.

And he knew that he needed to inform his wife. He can't just keep secrets, so he picks up the phone, and the phone is ringing, and the sick feeling is still in his stomach, and he's wondering how this is going to go. And so, as he's recounting back, she was the one that said she wasn't sure this was a bright idea. It was quite a bit of money, but he assured her, didn't he?

And so she picks up the phone, and he begins explaining the situation. And as he starts to get the story wrapped up, he's waiting for that feedback. Here it comes. It's going to come because he's putting himself in his own shoes, thinking, what would he say if the shoes were on the other foot? And so, on the other side, on the other end of the line, is a calm, patient, loving voice that is walking him through the situation, talking to him about other options. And she assures him, you know what? Sell him for whatever you can get, because any money is better than no money.

And this young man is sick to his stomach still, because he goes, I know, but I told you what I would do. But he's still upset. And she says, it's okay. We'll make it work. And so he hangs up the phone, and they go ahead, and he starts dropping the price. And he drops it again, and he drops it again. And they finally do sell, but at a fraction of what he originally paid for him.

And so, this young man goes on through his day, and he's thinking back on just how everything transpired, what he thought would work, what he thought would go well, didn't. But the thing he kept getting back to in his mind was his wife. Her calmness, her patience, her loving tone with him on the phone, because he couldn't move beyond the fact that had the shoes been on the other foot, that conversation probably wouldn't have went the same way. It's an interesting story when we think about it of our life.

We have these things that come up from time to time. It's difficult, but we can help encourage each other, and we can help be that encouraging person when these things come. The lesson of the story is baseball. It'll get a man into trouble. But the story 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 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, to grow fruit reflective of the character of God the Father and his Son, Jesus Christ. This fruit, while not containing supernatural power in of itself, it can impact people's lives in a very powerful way. So today, let's look at how the fruit of the spirit can leave a powerful mark on our own life, on the lives around us, and on the whole world. So 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.

As a starting point, let's review the power of the Holy Spirit. We understand that the Holy Spirit is given to those who believe in Jesus Christ, who repent of their sins, become baptized, and have hands laid on them and receive the Holy Spirit.

Let's read this in Acts 2, verse 38. Many of these things we know, but it's always good to make sure that we're going straight to God's Word when studying this aspect of baptism and the receiving of the Holy Spirit. So we see in Acts 2, verse 38.

Let's flip ahead to Acts 8 to further see this explained. Acts 8, verses 14 through 17.

This is Acts 8, verse 14.

And verse 17.

The Holy Spirit was given to the apostles at Pentecost in AD 31. The Holy Spirit was also given those added to the faith after them. And it's the same Holy Spirit that's been given to us today as we have each repented of our sins and made the same commitment to God and to Jesus Christ. As we understand, the Holy Spirit truly impacts our lives in a powerful way. Paul speaks to this in 1 Corinthians 2.

1 Corinthians 2, and we'll read verses 12 and 13.

The Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. The ability for us to read and understand God's Word is truly a miracle in and of itself. To have our minds open to not only read and understand the words in our Bibles, but then to say, I need to change. I need to act on these words is a miracle. We know that there's Bible scholars that have memorized large portions of God's Word. They can teach it forwards and backwards. They know exactly what it says, but yet they don't choose to make a choice to change their lives. They don't let the power of what's in these words manage and adapt their lives to it. It's not because they don't want to, it's because the miracle hasn't happened of the calling from God. It truly is a miracle when our minds are open and God begins to work with us. It's a gift from God. When we have the Holy Spirit working on us, when 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 ever before. Things come alive that at times just kind of takes our breath away, doesn't it? Things maybe we've read over before and read over previously, but yet this fourth time, this eighth time, this twentieth time, something pops out to us and we're like, oh, wow, I never picked up on that before. Or, wow, this time it cuts me to the heart because of our life experience, something we're going through. This is the power of God's Word, and this is the power in the miracle when our minds are open that we can have that transformed heart. 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. We're going to spend quite a bit of time this afternoon in Galatians 5. We'll be flipping back and forth.

So if you want to put your finger here or put a marker here, we'll be back. Galatians 5, and this is what we read verses 16 through 18. So, Galatians 5, verse 16, Meaning you're not under the penalty of the law. Let's flip forward to verse 24.

When teaching the apostles after his resurrection, Christ explained more about the Holy Spirit and what it would do to their lives. Keep your fingers here and let's go back to Acts, Acts chapter 1.

This is Acts 1, and we'll start in verse 4.

The word for power in this scripture is called the Holy Spirit. The word for power in this scripture is Strongs, number 1411, which in the Greek is pronounced Dunamis. Dunamis is a word for power in the Holy Spirit. The word for power in this scripture is Strongs, number 1411, which in the Greek is pronounced Dunamis. It's spelled D-U-N-A-M-I-S. Dunamis. It means force, ability, abundance, might or power, strength or mighty wonderful work. It's the origin of our English words, dynamic and also dynamite. I'm sure this is nothing new that you haven't heard before, but these words, dynamite and dynamic, convey a sense of power.

You don't think of a stick of dynamite as being this little firecracker that goes off. You think of this powerful substance that can do damage or move mountains. This is that dynamic power of God that does not have power in the Holy Spirit.

This is that dynamic power of God that exists inside each person who has received His Holy Spirit. It's a spirit that Paul references when encouraging Timothy in 2 Timothy 1, verses 6-7. He 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. That is 2 Timothy 1, verses 6-7. The Holy Spirit imparts to us the power of God, the love of God and the mind of God. This is a complete contrast to the nature of man which we also have inside of us.

So the question is posed to each of us every day of our lives. Which nature will I listen to? Which nature will I submit my life to? Now that the framework has been laid, let's step back into Galatians 5 and read about the fruit of the spirit. Galatians 5, verse 22 is where we're going to get to eventually. Today we're going to look at three aspects as it relates to three groups of people. Ourselves, others we come in contact with, and the whole world.

Since the Holy Spirit is this power that allows us to follow God's way, there is also power in the fruit of the spirit as well. Just to be clear, as I said at the beginning, this power isn't a supernatural power that we can control or turn on or off. The fruit of the spirit doesn't convey a sense of power that we get to control, but it can, the fruit of the spirit working powerfully in our lives, can impact others.

It's seen. It is felt by others. It is dynamic, and it impacts our lives and others in a powerful way. Here in Galatians 5, Paul outlines what happens when we listen to our own human nature and the works that flow from it. In verse 22, he goes on to outline that the fruit of the spirit is reflected in us when we submit to the guidance of the Holy Spirit. In Galatians 5, verse 22, But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such there is no law, and those who are Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and its desires.

If we live in the spirit, let us also walk in the spirit. Here in Galatians 5, we have nine individual components that represent different attributes of the character of God. Sometimes when we're thinking about the character of God, it's a concept that's hard to wrap our mind around. It's kind of like trying to think through or explain to someone, what is the greatness of God?

Or what is the love of God? Where do you start to explain what the love of God is? It's such a large concept. Sometimes when we get into the character of God or the fruits of the spirit, it seems like too much for us to be able to explain to someone. But it's good, as we often do in these types of scenarios, to take a concept and then break it down into smaller pieces. That's what we have here with this list of the fruit of the spirit, because we can better understand the whole when you look at the pieces.

So examining the fruit of the spirit helps us to understand better the character of God. An interesting analogy would be that of a prism, a prism that you might hang in your window, in your kitchen or something like that.

Because as white light enters that prism, what happens? That rainbow breaks out. And you see that rainbow where before there was just one substance, that white light entering the prism. But after it passes through, we're able to see all the different colors. In this analogy, God's character is the white light that enters that prism. And as God's character passes through, the different attributes of His character, the fruit of the spirit, is split out so we can see them more clearly. Let's turn to 2 Corinthians 4, verses 6 through 7 as we read about the light that comes from God. 2 Corinthians 4, verses 6 and 7.

2 Corinthians 4.

And we'll start reading verse 6. verse 6.

And we'll start reading verse 6.

When people see these fruits reading from us, they notice that something about us is different. Often they can't put their finger right on it, but something is different about people who are allowing the fruit to develop. When we first begin to understand, and this is looking at the aspect of how the fruit of the spirit impacts our lives individually, when we first begin to understand the spirit, oftentimes we would look at it as something that we could desire for ourselves. Something that we wanted to bring into our lives. Try to think back, and it's difficult, I can't think back to the perfect time, but what was the first time that you read through that list and you started learning about the fruit of the spirit?

What was going through your mind, most likely at that time? For me, trying to think back, it was probably a list that seemed appealing. Something that I wanted to have in my life.

Because who doesn't want to have joy, love, or peace, right? I probably looked at it and thought, yeah, I could use more of these things in my life. I could use more joy.

People who are joyful are fun to be around. I'd like to be somebody who's fun to be around. Or maybe you got to the faithful part and you said, you know what? I want to develop more faith in God. Oftentimes, we do approach this, probably early on, we approach this list from an inward focus, from something that we could add to our lives that would be beneficial for us. And that's okay, because all of this is true. All this fruit developed in our lives is beneficial to us. One of the aspects of developing the Fruit of the Spirit is the impact that it does have on our own lives.

The resulting peace of mind and the result it has on our body is great. And that's why God wants us to develop these fruit. Drawing near to God and allowing fruit to develop does affect our lives. I know personally, when I've been annoyed by someone or somebody's bothered me at different times in my life, I begin to have senses that my body is beginning to react to that annoyance. Or that person that's bothering me.

Maybe my heart rate starts to increase. Or you can maybe even feel the blood start pumping. Or maybe sweaty palms. Sometimes I would get that out of nerves and things like that because this person is pressing me. This person is pushing me. And I could feel maybe my body start to tense up. Maybe even my face muscles. The smile goes away. Maybe even cross my arms. Things like this. These are all reactions that many times we do have because this is how our body and we start thinking and we start getting bothered by it.

And maybe even words come out of our mouth that we can't take back. I know that's happened to me from time to time. And those are negative aspects. Those aren't positive. That's not good for my body. It's not good for my mind. It's hurting me. And it's hurting, oftentimes, if I let my words out, those around me. So that's not what we're going after in our lives. But in that same scenario, which we each have been in, when we've allowed the Holy Spirit to work powerfully, we may still feel changes start happening to our body.

But we quickly start to push them out. And when we do, those change. Then our body goes through a second set of changes of peace, of gentleness, of kindness, and turning our minds and things. And we may still have to work. We may still be working very hard, actually, as we repeat words of, okay, patience, peace, gentleness, self-control. And we may have to repeat these words to ourselves. Peace, patience, gentleness, self-control. And we may have to repeat them over and over. And we may be working really hard at that instance, working with someone, to try to allow the fruit of the Spirit to change our natural reaction to something.

But we can do that. And when we do, that is more healthy to our body. We're not feeling the blood pressure rise. We're not feeling this anxiety take us over. And hopefully, having this working in our lives, we handle ourselves in a different way that leaves a different imprint on that other person, and a different imprint on our lives when we walk away.

Not huffing and puffing, not letting it eat us up eight hours later, but to realize this is the better way to work, as we let this fruit work in our lives. Barnes Notes on the whole Bible has an interesting comment on gentleness and meekness and the effects that it has on our body. So this is from Barnes Notes. Aitness produces peace.

It is 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. He that is constantly ruffled, and this is the part I really like, 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 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 really like that quote because it really does describe the effects that we can allow to develop in our lives as others ruffle our feathers, as we allow others to say things that hurt us or to get under our skin. And some people do walk around very sensitive to what others say and what others impact on their lives. But as we read through the accounts of Jesus Christ's life on this earth, we don't see him getting his feathers ruffled over little things.

He maintains a peace, a calm and a gentleness, a self-control even in the midst of great attacks and insults. We have a description of this in 1 Peter chapter 2. Here in 1 Peter 2, we have Peter describe an example that we have in Jesus Christ.

And we're going to break into the thought of verse 20. This is 1 Peter 2 verse 20, breaking into the thought. When you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God. We see another instance of Christ's meekness, gentleness and self-control in Matthew 27. Let's flip backwards to Matthew chapter 27. Here in this account, this is when Christ was standing before Pilate. I tried to put myself in Christ's shoes here, and I struggle to envision if I would have handled it the same way. Because it's difficult to have insults and to have false truths thrown at you and to say nothing. But here in Matthew 27 verse 11, we see Christ do exactly that.

Imagine the governor marveling like I've never seen somebody come before me and have accusations thrown at him. I've never seen somebody not reply. Even if they were guilty, they would still have an answer, wouldn't they? He must have marveled because he knew that a lot of this wasn't answering up. He could see funny things in their accusations, but yet Christ did not answer not one word. What an example our Savior has given us! 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 of 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 this fruit to develop in our lives is a good thing. But I hope to show you that as we go through this, the even larger benefit this fruit has is on others. So now let's look at point 2 and how the fruit of the Spirit affects others around us in a powerful way. We have all been around people who are just enjoyable and pleasurable to be around. They will encourage us, they'll make us laugh, they always have something kind to say. You see them with their children, or you see them with other kids, making them happy, making them smile. They may even be a great player when playing cards. You're always hoping that you get them to be your partner, because they're just fun to be with, and more times than not, you win with them. But these people are special, and they leave an impact on our lives. There's something about that person that brightens our day. There's something about them that just makes us feel special. And when we really stop and we think about this person, what is it that's different with them? It's because they're displaying the fruit of God's Spirit, because they have allowed it to leave an imprint on their lives, and now it's impacting ours as well. This is how the fruit of the Spirit can powerfully affect others. We know from 1 John 4, verse 12, 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 who reaches out to put a gentle hand on your shoulder when you need that touch. Maybe it's a kind word when all that we've heard lately are harsh words from our co-workers, or possibly even our own family. These are the outward expressions the fruit of the Spirit can have in others in a dynamic way. Let's look at 1 John 4, verse 12.

This is 1 John 4, verse 12. 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 His Spirit. This passage connects not being able to see God with being able to see Him by experiencing His love abiding in ourselves and in others. When we see His love flowing outwardly from ourselves or from another person towards us, we actually get to experience and to see God's love. I'd like to look at a situation that many of us have gone through in our lives, that have impacted our lives and impacted others around us. That's when we've gone through health trials. Most of us have gone through a health trial of some degree, and when we're in the midst of them, they are never easy. They are often extremely hard. At times, you don't see the end. You don't know how it's going to completely work out. They may be short-lived, or they may be long-lived. They may last the rest of your life, or they may impact someone you know closely for the rest of their life. Coming to grips mentally and emotionally with a health trial is something just as hard at times as the physical aspects that it has on your life. It weighs on our mind and on our body. Let's think back to a moment to point number one, where we're talking about the impact that the fruit of the Spirit has on our lives. Drawing near to God during a trial will also bear fruit. We can have a Godly peace that calms our soul.

We know this from Isaiah 26, verse 3. Let's go ahead and turn there. It's a short scripture, but these are ones that we need to be reminded of from time to time, because these offer strong encouragement for those going through trials. There's many of them. Too many to list.

Too many to share in a sermon. We could try to list them all out. It is possible. This is Isaiah 26, verse 3.

You will keep him in perfect peace. Think about that for a moment. What is perfect peace? What does perfect peace mean to you? Because that's what it's being promised here. You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on you because he trusts in you. It's easy to read this when you're healthy. It's easy to read this when you don't have a health trial going on. But when you read this when you are going through a difficulty, it takes on a whole other meaning. You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on you because he trusts in you. It can also give us strength when we have to be patient and endure for an undetermined amount of time. Scriptures like this one. To keep your mind focused on God. To continue to think, how am I supposed to handle this? What fruit should I be developing as I go through this? Paul had a similar feeling in 2 Corinthians chapter 12. Because we know he went through health trials. He went through difficulties. And here he's speaking specifically of his infirmity. This is 2 Corinthians 12 verses 9 and 10.

And he said to me, and this is Paul speaking, My grace is sufficient for you. Actually, this is Christ speaking to Paul, where he says, My grace is sufficient for you, for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Therefore, most gladly, I would rather boast in my infirmities that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore, I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong. Paul understood the need to have fruit developing in his life. And he knew that if he kept his vision on Christ, and on God, and on how he should be handling his life, he'd be strong. He'd be okay. Whatever trials you may be dealing with, God has given you mighty power. He's given you dunamis through the Holy Spirit to rise up and meet them head on. If you are baptized in the Spirit of God, He is working within you to give you strength, to give you encouragement. If you're not baptized, it's working with you, around you, in the circumstances of life, and in decisions you still have to make, to help, and to guide. The Holy Spirit can strengthen our faith, knowing that we are in God's hands. And it works inside our heart to give us strength, and to lift us into a better state of mind where we can have a godly peace about everything that we are going through. So it's not only healthier for our minds to operate according to the fruit of the Spirit, but as we talked also about, it's healthier for our bodies when we operate according, and allowing this peace to affect our thoughts and our mind. And we push away our human nature, because we all know where the human nature side wants to go. It wants to grab this. It wants to control these types of situations in our life. And we do have to make choices with our health when going through these types of trials. But so many times we want to grab the steering wheel of it, and we want to drive it, and we want to control everywhere it goes. But when we hand our trials over to God, He takes them from us, and then He's the guide. And when we do that, fruit of the Spirit can develop. So now let's think about point number two in the relation to the same example, same health trial. But what were we talking about in point number two, the impact that the fruit of the Spirit can allow to have on others? When we allow the peace of God to rule our hearts, what happens when we interact with someone else? How many times have we sat down with somebody going through a difficulty to encourage them to be a listening ear? But then we walk away the one encouraged. It's happened too many times to count. And I'm always, I don't know why I'm always in awe, because that's how God works. But so many times that's what we're doing. We're wanting to go lend them a hand. We're wanting to say something encouraging and to let them know we're here. And yet they have an amazing story, an amazing testimony to share back with us. And their heads are high, and we can't understand why. But that's now impacting our life. We're walking away a different person than when we walked up to them. And that's powerful, and that's awesome. Philippians 4. Let's turn to Philippians 4.

Because we see here in Philippians 4 how this can actually happen, how somebody going through such a difficulty can be encouraging to others. Philippians 4 verse 6.

How does this happen? How does this happen? It says right here, And the peace of God which surpasses all understanding, it doesn't make sense. It doesn't add up. How could they be encouraging me? But they are, and it surpasses all understanding. This is what's so powerful about the fruit of the Spirit working powerfully in someone's life. We are seeing and sensing in that person the power of God, God's character which is beyond human comprehension, and it's also beyond human logic. But that's the power it has as it works in our lives. In the midst of a health trial, our human mind tells us to be scared, to be depressed, because after all, we're human, right? It's okay to have those feelings, but when we submit to the Holy Spirit and allow its fruit to develop, we can feel different. Instead of being inwardly focused, oftentimes we can turn that focus on those around us and leave them with joy, leave them with imprints of kindness, with gladness in their hearts. And ultimately, we leave them with God's love after that interaction. This doesn't make our health trial disappear, but it brings us to an uplifted state of mind where we can focus on others and allow the attributes of God's character to shine forth from our hearts. The fruit of the Spirit has an outward component that is so powerful. It's not just the fruit, it's for me, but can have a huge impact on others. This is also something that the Apostle Paul realized when he found himself in the midst of various trials. In Philippians 1, we see that. Let's turn back a couple pages, just to Philippians 1, verse 12.

Philippians 1, verse 12. But I want you to know, brethren, that the things which happened to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel, so that it has become evident to the whole palace guard and to all the rest that my chains are in Christ. And most of the brethren in the Lord, having become confident by my chains, are much more bold to speak the word without fear. Notice that last sentence. Most of the brethren in the Lord, having become confident in my chains, are much more bold to speak the word without fear. Because Paul acknowledged that his trials had a result of the furtherance of the gospel. Because of what he went through, his trial, others were more bold to speak of Christ without fear. How often when others are going through health trials, and we witness that encouragement that they give us, do we then go and share that story with others? Many times we do, because it's so encouraging to us, we just want to share that. That they are being encouragers to us. And that is a powerful example, and it just impacts others. So then it starts to spread, and then we start to be uplifted. Just as they were more bold for the furtherance of the gospel. The example Paul left with the palace guards was the image of God's character. Paul said it was evident that his chains were in Christ, and so we can allow fruit to shine forth in our interactions with others, every day, with everyone. So now let's look at point three, and how the fruit of the spirit affects the world in a powerful way. As I introduce a third concept, I'd like us to again consider the specific traits of generalness and meekness, as it is also translated. There are many definitions for meekness, but I like the definition, strength under complete control. Strength under complete control. It's probably a man thing. I like to be strong, and then strength under complete control. But this applies both to our mind and both to our actions. God has given a man a mind and an intellect, unlike any other creature.

But when we give into our own human nature, we send, and we end up hurting ourselves and oftentimes others. When we use control of our strength, we fall short. That's where the helper, or 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 power and authority to do great works and to impact lives. And how did He handle His strength? Did He go around calling fire down from heaven? He could have. He had that power. But how many times do we read and see the gentle ways He handled children? Those whom He healed, those whom He corrected. He corrected the disciples in a gentle way, and He corrected sinners with the same gentleness. We know the story of the woman caught in adultery, brought forth in sin. They wanted her death to happen. They wanted her to die for her sins, because this would catch Christ in a conflict. They brought her and they explained it. What did Christ do? Ultimately, He said a few words, cut them to their heart, and they dismissed themselves. They walked away. But what did He say to the woman? He said, Neither do I condemn you. Go and sin no more. He was gentle in His approach. He didn't sugarcoat the truth. He didn't just say, Don't worry about it. He did call it a sin, but He handled her in a gentle way. Neither do I condemn you. Go and sin no more. He was approachable, and many people sought Him out. He taught in a way that pointed people to God the Father, and He encouraged and provided hope when teaching about the Kingdom of God. Christ's actions were always done through the power of the Holy Spirit. We also have a responsibility to preach the gospel to the world, and how we handle this responsibility greatly impacts on how it's received. As we draw close to God and we develop fruit, we develop an ability to preach the gospel in an impactful way. No, we don't, as I said, not as Christ did. We today do not sugarcoat the truth, but we share it in a way that will gently lead them to God and allow them to receive it. I'm reminded of an example that I've seen many times when I was back in college. Every year, springtime comes around about now, and the college green starts to brighten up the grass, brightens up, flowers pop up, and along with the green grass and the flowers are the brimstone and fire preachers that would also show up on the campus to condemn the student body. I don't know if you've ever seen that, but back when I was at Ohio University, there was one... I should probably hold his name.

I see he's made his rounds here, too. His name was Brother Jed. Every spring, he would show up on campus. You could tell by the screaming voice and by the crowd that would start together around him that he had arrived. He would usually get on the sidewalk because he'd make sure he stayed on public property, and he'd have his little soap button that good early. It was a box he would stand on. From there, he would just cast out every vile word he could say to condemn any student who was within earshot. He would do this year after year. He had a preaching style termed Confrontational Evangelism. That's a whole preaching style out there. If you want to Google it sometime, do it. He would shout at students saying that their lives were going to lead them to the wake of fire. He would use other words than like a fire, but you know where I'm going. You have to think about what was the reaction the students gave him. He had people listening, but they were ready to fight him. Some would even make signs because he would have his own signs. Some would make their own signs to show back at him. Christ loves me. They would do things whatever they could to try to minimize what he was saying. They would even throw insults back at him. The point is, what impact did he have on their lives with this speaking style? Did he turn their hearts? Was what he was saying true? For some, it was. Maybe for a lot of the students, because he'd be talking about their drinking, their nightly activities, things that they would be running around doing, their behaviors. Was it true? For some, it was. But was the style helpful? Did it draw them into God? Or did it actually build a wall between them and God? Because they would have to admit that he was right. Think about that for a moment. Think about how difficult it is. Because he would use those shocking words, descriptive words, to grab their attention. He'd go over and over and over again how their lifestyle was going to lead them to a lake of fire and keep them from God.

We are to use God's Word in a way that edifies and builds people up. We are also to state the truth and to not sugarcoat it. Was Brother Jed creating an environment where it was easier or more difficult for God to reach and change these students' hearts? Let's look at how Paul describes the way he and others preach the Gospel. 1 Thessalonians 1.

Just a few pages further, or forward. 1 Thessalonians 1, verse 5.

1 Thessalonians 1, verse 5. 1 Thessalonians 1, verse 5. 2 Thessalonians 6, verse 6.

3 Thessalonians 6, verse 6.

I think we could say that this could be written today.

My prayers that the same power will be turned on in our time for us to proclaim the Gospel as it was done after Pentecost, AD 31. As God turns on the power of His 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 prayers that we step up to the challenge. He continues. He says that we need to 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? He concludes it with, I want to be part of something great that God is doing on this earth.

Isn't that what we could say, too? Don't we want to be involved and helping in a powerful way with what God is doing on this earth? It is an exciting time to be part of the Church, and we have this responsibility and this opportunity to be part as God's Word continues to be spread. We can also think about how we can impact the world on a personal level every single day. We leave a positive mark on everybody as we interact with them, our co-workers, those in class with us. When we explain the Word of God in an effective and in an edifying way, it removes some of the barriers that exist between others and God. But when we used incorrectly, it can build walls that God has to remove or break down, either in this life or maybe in the next. We are given instructions on this in the New Testament, which clearly outlines how we are to approach others with the Word of God. Let's look at a couple. First is in 1 Peter 3.

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. It would be a great sentence if that's all the way that's just stopped right there, period. But it doesn't. Two key words are left in this. With meekness and with fear. We must never forget, as we share the Word of God with others, and we'd explain why we keep the Sabbath. We explain why we keep the feast days. Why we do these things, that we are to do it with meekness. Strength under complete control, even if they're shouting accusations or they're coming with an agenda and asking these questions. Strength under complete control and fear, because it's not our wisdom, it's not our logic, it's not something that we have generated. We didn't write the Bible. This is God's Word that we're sharing with Him, and we have to have all reverence and honor to God as we share His Word with others. With meekness and with fear. Let's also look to Galatians 6 and verse 1. As another example of the way we are to share the Word of God with others.

Galatians 6 verse 1. It says, Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted. And this is talking primarily about those in the Church. If a brother is overtaken in a trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in the spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted. So not only do we have to share God's Word in the right way with those outside of our walls, but we also have the responsibility to share His Word in corrective ways, internally, in a gentle way, in a loving way. In an encouraging and edifying way. So it's this way that we can impact the world powerfully. We can impact others powerfully through the fruit of the Spirit that is developed from the Holy Spirit, living powerfully inside of us. So today we have read about the dynamic, life-changing power of the Holy Spirit. We've also talked about how the fruit of the Spirit working powerfully in us can leave a mark on our own lives. Lives around us and those in the world. The Church has a great booklet. It's an e-booklet now, but we can also get reprints. If anybody would like a reprint, let me know. It's entitled, The Fruit of the Spirit. It's primarily authored by Don Hoosier, who is a long-time writer for the Church, and he goes through each aspect of the fruit of the Spirit in a detailed way. It's a great reference if you'd be interested in either downloading it from our website, or let me know, and I could always bring copies up in the future. It's a great booklet. As Paul reminded Timothy in 2 Timothy 1, verses 6 through 7, God's Spirit is a spirit of power, and we need to stir it up to fan the flames. I'm going to read it one more time. We've turned to it already, but I'm going to read it one more time. 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. Just before his betrayal and arrest, our Savior and our friends spoke these parting words in John, Chapter 15.

This is 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 the things that I have 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. In the power of the Holy Spirit, let us each go out and bear fruit that remains, so that we can leave a powerful mark on our own lives, on those around us, and on the entire world.