Express the Spirit's Delightful Fruit

---

Engage the Spirit #5

Pastor David Staff

Express the Spirit’s Delightful Fruit Galatians 5

On the east end of Constitution Avenue in Washington, DC, you’ll find the imposing structure of our US Capitol, behind it the US Supreme Court building and the Library of Congress. But walk west down Constitution Avenue, midst the beautiful landscaping, trees and flowers, you pass the National Gallery of Art on the left, and our National archives on the right. You pass several of the Smithsonian museums, but within 10 minutes, suddenly you see a structure like none other. Is it a museum or a ship? Stepping into the lobby you see beautiful sculptures. You’re greeted warmly at the information desk, given a map of the museum, and then instructed to go around to the escalator, down to the next level, where elevators will take you down even further. At the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, you begin at the bottom, and slowly – through countless exhibits and years – come up from the depths. Slavery—enslavement; The history of the TransAtlantic Slave trade.   

Beginning in the 1400’s, over 400 years 20 million made-in-the-image of God human beings were captured, boxed like so many sticks on 3 levels of slave ships, and transported to Brazil, the Caribbean, and the North American Colonies. The brutality, the filth, the treatment was unthinkable. They were – to say the least – ships full of sorrow. Death, violence, unspeakable brutality were an every day slave reality. This picture was drawn by someone sitting nearby watching the flogging of a female Negro slave. Whips cut and cracked like the “sound of a pistol.” One large room is dedicated to the thousands that were lynched. “For the hanged, burned…for the shot, drowned, and burned. We will remember…with hope, because hopelessness is the enemy of justice.”

The museum finishes in an upper room with a beautiful circular waterfall, a place for contemplation and reflection. Martin Luther King’s 1955 statement in Montgomery, Alabama: "We are determined here in Montgomery to work and fight until justice runs 'down like water, and righteousness like a mighty stream.' "i SLAVERY is a horrible reality, not only one of the past, but persisting in the present.ii Today as many as 50 million (20 million in Asia alone) are enslaved today in ways that are equally indescribable. You wonder, Why are we focused on slavery this morning? What does enslavement have to 1|P a g e

o f

E x p r e s s

t h e

S p i r i t

# 5

do with the Holy Spirit in my life? Here’s why – If you and I are not living under the flowing, controlling, leading, renewing presence and power of the Holy Spirit, chances are you are enslaved. May I repeat that? If you and I are not living under the flowing, controlling, leading, renewing presence and power of the Holy Spirit, chances are you are enslaved I wouldn’t be overly surprised if you scoffed at that, or even dismissed it. But your mental “wave of the hand” does not make it any less true! You see, True freedom is found only here: There is freedom alone in Christ, a freedom experienced only through the Holy Spirit. Galatians, NT Letter (p.972) For just a few minutes today, let’s dig into a letter Paul wrote to a group of young Christians who lived in the region of Galatia. Paul and Barnabas had traveled there. Preached Christ. Saw hundreds come to faith (even a young man named Timothy). Established several churches. Some of these new believers had come out of O.T. Judaism; others out of paganism. Now…the gospel of Jesus had set them free! But there was a problem; their mentors in religion and paganism counter-attacked, luring and leverage them back into their old ways, into their former “enslavement.” And…they were tempted. But Paul writes a letter and pleads with them – don’t go back to enslavement. There’s no life there. There’s no power there. True freedom alone is in Christ—when Christ by the Spirit is being formed in you--a freedom experienced in the Holy Spirit. In this important letter, Paul outlines 3 aspects of our new freedom in Christ by the Holy Spirit. First, In Christ, through the Spirit, we are freed from enslaving religiosity Galatians 4:1-9 (p.974) Let’s read a portion of Paul’s letter here, and I’ll try to keep us out of the weeds: Galatians 4 I mean that the heir, as long as he is a child, is no different from a slave, though he is the owner of everything, 2 but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by his father. 3 In the same way we also, when we were children, were enslaved to the elementary principles of the world. 4 But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive 2|P a g e

o f

E x p r e s s

t h e

S p i r i t

# 5

7

adoption as sons. 6 And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God. 8 Formerly, when you did not know God, you were enslaved to those that by nature are not gods. 9 But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world, whose slaves you want to be once more?

Key here is understanding the phrase “the elementary principles of the world.” What does Paul mean? That when we were “children,” we were “enslaved to the elementary principles of the world.” iii What are those? He says the same thing to the new believers in the city of Colossae: If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations—“do not handle” “do not taste” “do not touch (referring to things that all perish as they are used)—according to human precepts and teachings? (Colossians 2:20) Paul is referring to the insatiable habit of human beings create religions, wrapping themselves and many others in trying to follow all of the rules and requirements that just about every human religion has. According to some estimates,    

there are 4,200 different religions If you count include all the gods of Hinduism, the number is 320,000,000 Wikipedia has an incredible list of religions and spiritual traditions They all have their rules, their requirements, their demands

Elemental religious law-keeping principles, Paul writes, promoted throughout the breadth of humanity by (Colossians 2:20) elemental spirits of the world. Mark Twain once quipped, “Religion was invented when the first con man met the first fool.” Paul told the Romans that when men reject God’s selfrevelation to them, refusing to be thankful but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things. (Romans 1:22-23) The truth is that true freedom is not found in wandering through the maze of religions, trying to find one with the rules and requirements that you think might suit you. Religiosity enslaves. Jesus Christ sets free. #2 In Christ, through the Spirit, we are freed from enslavement to the flesh For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. 14 For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 15 But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another.

Gal 5:13

3|P a g e

o f

E x p r e s s

t h e

S p i r i t

# 5

16 But

I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. Such important verses. And, again understanding a key word here unlocks the meaning. The word “flesh.” When you find it in the Bible, it is used in a variety of ways iv – it doesn’t always mean in one place what it does in another. Here, Paul writes “flesh” to mean “the demands of my senses (i.e., body) for immediate, personal satiation independent of God’s will and wisdom.” More briefly, “to have what I want, when I want it…and no one insisting that I tap-the-brakes.” So what does it look like when the flesh enslaves? Please zero in on vs. 19 19 Now

the works of the flesh are evident – that is, these kinds of things will show up pretty regularly in your living sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. May I ask you, “Do you find your living in that list?” Recently, Rabbi David Wolpe wrote an insightful piece for TIME magazine, “Why Americans are so Angry about Everything” v

Americans are angry. They are angry about school shootings and taxes and mistreatm ent and undeserved privilege and discrimination and government. There are differences between groups, but as a recent Esquire/NBC survey finds, the overall presence of rage is clear. The November survey of more than 3,000 American adults found that about half are angrier today than they were a year ago.    

We are angry when we’re not physically healthy in an age of medical miracles We are angry when everything from inconveniences to catastrophes invade our lives We are angry or depressed when we don’t have as much as someone else We get frustrated when others don’t make our life easier Wolpe: Much of our frustration arises in an age of unlimited expectation…

Angry people are poor communicators and even worse listeners. Their empathy is foreshortened, and they have trouble imagining the other’s point of view. It makes people less healthy, and when both parties are angry, fewer are likely to find middle ground. If the only way people feel they will be heard is when they are angry, then our public discourse will be an arena for shouting past one another. One of the remarkable observations anyone can make when they read about the life of Jesus is that he was almost never angry. On rare occasions (e.g., hypocrisy of the Pharisees, the cleansing of the temple of marketeers) did he display zealous anger. Reason – our Lord was not enslaved to 4|P a g e

o f

E x p r e s s

t h e

S p i r i t

# 5

the flesh. He was full of the Spirit. Even when famished and tempted by the devil to provide for himself something to eat apart from the will of God, he said, “Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” There is freedom alone in Christ, a freedom experienced only through the Holy Spirit. #3 In Christ, through the Spirit, we are free to express delightful, life-giving fruit. .

But (please note the CONTRAST) the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. Galatians 5: 22-25

Have you ever wondered why God put it that way, “the fruit of the Spirit”? Why use that metaphor? There is a beautiful passage in the Old Testament that shed light on the “why.”

Isaiah 27 In that day the LORD with his hard and great and strong sword will punish Leviathan the fleeing serpent, Leviathan the twisting serpent, and he will slay the dragon that is in the sea. 2 In that day, “A pleasant vineyard, sing of it! 3 I, the LORD, am its keeper; every moment I water it. Lest anyone punish it, I keep it night and day; 4 I have no wrath. Would that I had thorns and briers to battle! I would march against them, I would burn them up together. 5 Or let them lay hold of my protection, let them make peace with me, let them make peace with me.” 6 In days to come Jacob shall take root, Israel shall blossom and put forth shoots and fill the whole world with fruit. This beautiful prophetic word looks forward to the era when the Nation of Israel will blossom, put forth shoots, and fill the whole world with fruit. People worldwide will be nourished by the people of God. For that is what fruit is for. Fruit is produced to nourish others, to bless others, to bring them life and joy and health. It’s always been God’s purpose to bring life to others through His own people. That’s what happens through you, through me, when we are not enslaved to grinding out obedience to religious rules. That’s what happens through you, through me, when we are not enslaved to our demanding flesh. We are free to have lives that are full of God’s Spirit. Free to shed cheap sexual immorality and simply love (seek another’s best). Free to shed the shame of impurity and sensuality and simply express genuine joy. Free to shed enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, 5|P a g e

o f

E x p r e s s

t h e

S p i r i t

# 5

rivalries, dissensions and by the Spirit express peace, patience, kindness, goodness. Free to shed foolishness and express faithfulness and goodness. And suddenly, people around you experience Christ himself. CONCLUSION True freedom is found only here: There is freedom alone in Christ, a freedom experienced only through the Holy Spirit. Are you experiencing – I mean truly – the freedom of the Holy Spirit in your living? Frankly, some of you listening today need to start at the very beginning. It’s time for you to stop trying to be religious – as if your eternal destiny depended on whether you’ve followed enough of some god/religion’s rules – and make a decision to believe in Jesus Christ and to trust what He’s done for you (on the cross and in his resurrection) so that you could be set free. Graeme Keith served as the treasurer of the Billy Graham association and was Billy’s lifelong friend. Once on an elevator with Billy Graham, another man stepped in and then recognized the evangelist. “You’re Billy Graham, aren’t you?” he asked. “Yes,” Graham said. “Well,” the man said, “you are truly a great man.” Graham looked the man in the eye. “No, I’m not a great man. I just have a great message.” The Gospel is the greatest message in the entire world. That God the Son would take on human flesh. That God in human flesh would be crucified to satisfy the just wrath of God against sin. That anyone could be forgiven, changed from the inside out, freed from his/her enslavement, and headed into an eternity with God…simply by faith. Have you taken this simply faith step? For those here who are believers and disciples of Jesus, are you experiencing LESS of your flesh, and MORE of the Spirit of God? One day, as a result of poor planning, a man needed some same-day dry cleaning before he left on a trip. But he remembered one store with a huge sign, “One-Hour Dry Cleaners.” It was on the other side of down, so he drove out of his way to drop off his suit. After filling out the tag, he told the clear, “I need this in an hour.” Clerk: “I can get this back to you until next Thursday.” “I thought you did dry-cleaning in an hour?” he asked, a bit perturbed. “Oh no,” the clerk replied, “That’s just the name of the store.” When people encounter our name, “Bill’s a CHRISTIAN; Emily’s a CHRISTIAN,” what should 6|P a g e

o f

E x p r e s s

t h e

S p i r i t

# 5

they expect? Experience? Someone wrapped up with religion. Rules. Some mostly frustrated with the world, on edge over this, that, or the other thing?

Or can they, will they, taste the flow of the

Spirit, the control of the Spirit, the renewing and leading and the fruit of the Spirit? Will they experience Jesus in us? Of course, they can…because you’ve been set free. Copyright 2018 © David A. Staff All rights reserved

MLK,Jr. Montgomery, Alabama, December 5, 1955. Here, King borrows a verse from the Bible, the Book of Amos, which he frequently reused in speeches. Some estimate 50 million are in modern day bondage; 20 million in Asia alone. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9_0g7hRW4s See also What is slavery? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZdWKxLCYQw The Atlantic Slave Trade https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3NXC4Q_4JVg 25 Shocking facts about slavery https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9_0g7hRW4s iii Hermon Ridderbos in Paul: An Outline of His Theology (Eerdmans, 1975), 148-149 provides a very helpful explanation of the phrase “elementary principles” and “elementary spirits.” iv Cf. FF Bruce, Paul Apostle of the Heart Set Free (Eerdmans, 1977), 203-205. v http://time.com/4166326/why-americans-are-so-angry-about-everything/ i

ii

7|P a g e

o f

E x p r e s s

t h e

S p i r i t

# 5