1099. The Fruit of the Spirit pt. 2

Welcome to The Daily Platform from Bob Jones University in Greenville, South Carolina today on The Daily Platform for continuing a study series entitled walking in the spirit which is a study of Galatians chapter 5 through the study will see how believers can have freedom in Christ as they walk with him each day. Let's listen to today's message where Steve will continue his teaching about the fruit of the spirit from Galatians chapter 5 mass you take your Bibles this morning, and please turn to the book of Galatians Galatians chapter 5.

So this morning we're going to look at the other specific manifestations of the fruit of the spirit in the believer in the believer's relationship with God with others and with himself. So let's look this morning at verse 22 and notice what Paul says, he says, but the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance, against such there is no law. The first specific manifestation of the fruit of the spirit in the believer's relationship with God unlike us a look that at this morning is the quality of joy. What is joy, let me ask you a question.

What do you enjoy or what is a delight to you. I'm often asked the question what do you do for fun, as if what I'm doing is not fun and something else is more fun now understand the nature of the question. So I would like to say there are things that I do like to do. I like to exercise.

I like I like sports I like watching soccer. I have a favorite soccer team that I pull for in the English Premier league which is Manchester United. Perhaps you like and perhaps you don't. Maybe your Chelsea fan, which is a girl's name by the way, or maybe your your your a fan of liver sees me lose your pool or something like that so I like sports I enjoy it. I enjoy playing music. I enjoy music. I enjoy playing instrumentally. I enjoy the time that I can have with my family. It's always a delight to be with them. However, I would like to say that my favorite time of the day is when I get up in the morning to make coffee and spend the first hour of the day and my time with God in the morning reading and meditating on the word of God and over the last 38 years of my Christian experience, I found that that is the most delightful time of the day and sometimes it goes downhill real quick. After that, and I've learned that Joe Loy is a growing delight in the Lord and in his presence there. Paul says that we find joy in serving others. He says in Philippians 125 and having this confidence.

I know that I shall abide and continue with you with you all for your furtherance and your joy of faith that your rejoicing may be more abundant in Jesus Christ for me back by my coming to you again Paul found the joy and the delight in helping other Christians grow in their faith and I could say in my own personal life. My own experience joy in the word joy and fellowship with God and his people joy in watching others grow and then also let me say it's choosing to rejoice in the hope that we have in the gospel in light of hard and difficult circumstances. James is my brother and count it all joy when you fall into divers temptations rejoice in the Lord always, Paul says, and again I say rejoice as we understand the gospel in its fullness as we come to understand that God's plan started in eternity past, and it will culminate in eternity future God is going to accomplish his purpose. If we know that God is called us to salvation because he chose us to salvation. If we know that he is justified us in. Then he will inevitably glorify us that no matter what takes place in my life. God is going to fulfill his purpose and plan is going to work all things for my good and so therefore my joy is not based on circumstances what's going on on the outside but it is snowing internally in my heart that God is in control of all things. So what is joy. It is a growing delight in the Lord in his presence, and even in his providence providences in my life. So I ask you this morning are you growing in your joy in the Lord, are you finding delight in who years in in his presence.

That's one of the manifestations of the fruit of the spirit in the believer's relationship with God and then notice the next one and that's the word peace the word peace comes from the Hebrew word shalom and the word is the idea of wholeness or wellness. For example, in contrast to being sick. Sometimes people ask you, how are you doing in a typical answer would be fine and that's really the idea of shalom.

I'm good, I'm fine. Everything is well and for the believer, the peace that God gives is first of all, a right standing before a righteous God is really not something necessarily. I feel but it is an objective peace, one that is right in my standing with the Lord. Therefore being justified by faith. Romans 51, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. It is snowing in understanding the gospel. The doctrine of justification, that through Jesus's life and death, and in Jesus Christ, I stand before God in him.

Therefore, I stand before God righteous. Therefore God is given me eternal security.

I do not live in fear that I am going to stand before God and be rejected because I cannot be rejected if I am in his son is a piece that I have with God.

But it is also a subjective peace and emotional tranquility that God gives to his people. It is giving you a call in the midst of the storms of life. Paul tells us in Philippians 4 verse six be careful for nothing.

Don't be anxious about anything but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known and to God what is he saying he saying cast your cares on me and I may times in my life I've experienced this overwhelming sense of burden or fear or anxiety and emotionally I just cannot myself handle it. And so I go and find a private place in just in prayer cry out to God, and cast my cares upon him. Why, because he cares for me. He is able to handle my burdens and I throw those weights on him. What does Paul say is the result of that. Philippians 4 verse seven and the peace of God which passes all understanding is beyond human comprehension shall guard your hearts, keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus water worries and burdens they are distractions away from the Lord. But when we cast our burdens upon him once he give us. He gives a piece in our heart is a counterpart verse to this in the Old Testament. Isaiah 26 three it says that will keep keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on the word perfect peace. The two words perfect and peace are the exact same words in the Hebrew, it says that will keep him in shalom shalom. Why does the Lord say the same word twice. Obviously he's not stuttering is a point of emphasis is the Hebrew way of putting something in bold font that will keep him in shalom shalom. If you want to have real genuine peace of heart and mind and soul is better than any kind of drug you could ever take that your heart and mind when it stayed on the Lord when your imagination is focused on the Lord, what is God giving gives us people peace in the in the fruit of the spirit in a believer's relationship with God. What happens there is an ever-expanding growing love for God and his people. There is a joyful delight in spiritual realities and there is a settled peace of heart and my relationship with God and circumstances, that is the fruit of the spirit in the life of a believer in his walk with God.

The notice, if you will please this morning, the second triad of of those manifestations of the fruit of the spirit in the believer's relationship with others. So first of all, with God, and now the way I relate with other people. The people around me and boy do we have an opportunity to grow in this area in our life.

You're the University. One of those three areas. He says number one, long-suffering, number two, gentleness, and number three goodness that is as we yield ourselves to the spirit of God number one.

It is going to develop in our life long suffering know what is long-suffering, meanwhile, is an interesting word. The word for lost is the word at pizza Mia the word for long-suffering is macro for Mia is the idea of a desire that is being stretched out is the concept of having to put up with people. How many of you have already met someone here at school that you find that they grind down you. You have to put up with them your emotions, your desires when you get with them are being stretched out, they they by whoever they are, however, they do it.

They irritate you. The word long-suffering means they have a long temper and not a short fuse is been devout defined as a state of emotional call in the face of provocation or misfortune it defers anger when provoked. It refuses to retaliate when mistreated, it rises above irritation when aggravated without complaint. That's one of the signs of the fact that you're a believer that you you re-act and in that reaction though you express the way that you feel.

Afterwords, there is this sense of guilt that I have reacted in a wrong manner that didn't mean that he shouldn't clean up his feed and there didn't mean that he could do a little bit better but my reaction revealed the problem, isn't it interesting that in the qualities of love in first Corinthians 13, the first distinguishable quality of love is that charity suffers long is that not one of our greatest challenges of life to put up with people whom we struggle with even Peter wondered about this he said, Lord, how often do I forgive any offer the suggestion. He said seven times wow that's putting up a lot with a lot. What did Jesus say he said no, you forgive 70×7. Question is that figurative or is that literal. What really doesn't matter if it's figurative been 70×7 is just a statement of perfection that our forgiveness should be like God, who is a perfect forgive her, but of his literal 70×7. That's 490 by if you forgive somebody 490 times for the same thing.

After a while it becomes a habit just becomes a part of who you are and as you are being stretched by people who are bothersome to you. God is really making you a spiritual person to notice a second word, the word gentleness word gentleness is a gracious caring attitude towards those that are around you is the attitude of kindness in Ephesians 432, where it says be ye kind one to another, is the word that Jesus used of his yoke. He said my yoke is easy and my burden is light. It means to be easy own people versus being hard own people is the difference between a good cup of coffee and a bad cup of coffee. I may have ever had bad coffee truck stop coffee you all can it smells bad. You drink it. It tastes bad, it goes down hard.

It comes back up hard is just nasty coffee. But when you get a good cup of coffee. What's the distinguishable characteristic of its mood is the idea.

It's the spirit of Joseph, who was kind to his brothers who terribly mistreated him. It's the spirit of Christ, the spirit of Stephen in the spirit of Paul who prayed for the forgiveness of those who would either murder or kill them or mistreated them.

If the idea of being gracious to people who are not gracious to you. Number of years ago we were down in Florida and we were traveling from one church to another church. It was our team. We travel with fifth wheel trucks and trailers resort look like a circus coming down the road and I pulled into a truck stop to get some diesel gas in and I always look for a big truck stop and I thought this might be a truck stop and it was and it was a little was a small gasoline station in it was really hard to get my trailer in so I sort of pulled in but didn't pull into the bay because I want to be sure I could get in and get out is complicated when his car pulls in behind me in a sort of sitting there waiting for me to make a decision and I jump out of my car to go see it my truck to go see if I can get in this bay. I just had to sort of get the right angle and the guy honked his horn at me obviously that he wanted me to move that could really move us in stock, and then he swung around me came riding by me and Joe drove right next to me and he cursed me out and I looked in name and I said that you want to get out of your car and come say that my face and then I thought all if you did get out of his car, what would I say God bless you, Jesus loves you, and in my reaction I was reacting like the old Steve the old Steve would've laid them out joyfully but obviously there was a lack of gentleness to those who were not gentle with me. This is a kindness that God displays to us as sinners. Titus chapter 2 verse four for we ourselves were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lust and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another, but after that the kindness and love of God our Savior towards men appeared not by works of righteousness which were done, but according to his mercy he saved the pivotal point between the wickedness of man and the grace of God is that kindness of the Lord, the way he treats us Mr. question.

Are you growing in kindness. Are you harsh sharp bitter, uncaring, unkind. We walk in the spirit, long-suffering were gentle.

The notice number three the word goodness goodness is giving with a generous spirit in practical ways that does good for people. This was the spirit of Christ and his merciful miracles.

Whether he fed the 5000 or healed blind Bart Emmaus or he raised Lazarus from the dead. It is doing beyond what is expected, but it is living my life so that I can have touches with people that make a difference doing things for others even though they can't pay you back is the concept of hospitality. The Bible tells us that pastors should be hospitable. I have I have well I should say I have long-suffering for pastors who are not hospitable, but sometimes I don't. As a pastor I should open up my home. I should invite you to come in fact is the Bible says in Romans 1213 we should be given the hospitality literally. That means to pursue to chase the month like you're going out to hunt an animal that's the way I should be with hospitality.

That's the way I should be in my attitude I should open up my house my bank account. My goods so that I can provide in helping serve to meet the needs of other people just being a good person. My wife is the queen of hospitality. She loves people may have a little sign on a refrigerator in our house. It says love people cook them tasty food. My wife is cooked hundreds of meals where she is fed. I think over process of time. Hundreds and hundreds of people to show them care and love and hospitality to be a giver and not a taker and show goodness to other people. That's the fruit of the spirit as we walk in the spirit as we grow. Thank God is patient with us.

There's long-suffering. This gentleness then there's goodness and then finally the specific manifestations of the fruit of the spirit of the believer's relationship with himself and noticed the three qualities faith or faithfulness, meekness, intemperance, faithfulness is somebody who is reliable, dependable, trustworthy, loyal, the entire basis of our faith is the reality that God makes a promise in God keeps his promise. Fact is the basis of my ultimate security for salvation is not a subjective emotion, but the fact that when God makes a statement and a promise he keeps it. Paul says something very interesting in second Corinthians 120 he says for all the promises of God in him are yeah and in him a man, unto the glory of God by us.

What Paul is saying is when God makes a promise he keeps it and then he is saying. That's the way I respond when I make a promise I keep it where there is a growing faith in God's word. There's a growing faithfulness to God's word. This is a person you can rely own.

They do what they are told when they're given a responsibility you can trust them to fulfill it. This is a person who thinks and plans ahead versus doing something at the last moment and doing it halfway. This is a person who is burdened about improving situations and circumstances. They are created with the responsibility their faithful person they are person who has a vision for their work. They don't just do the work and get by. Go home, but they want to advance the calls they are people who are problem solvers.

They just don't dump the problems on others so that the other person. It will have to do it, but they are there to help with solving the issue there person who finishes what they say what they start there person who supports leadership. They understand the necessity of leadership and they supported their PIP person who keeps their promises when they when they have a contract and they fulfill it lately. They fulfill what they say they're going to do. They are loyal, dependable people, and the spirit of God is going to work in you. This kind of faithfulness as God keeps his word.

You keep your then notice the next word meekness was it mean to be meek, you probably heard the statement. Meekness is not weakness. Why do people say that because it rhymes no because people who are meek can appear to be weak. Why because it's manifested in the way people respond and react. Probably the best illustration is a horse whose will is been broken, a horse is a powerful steed.

It can easily box someone often stop at the death but a horse is valuable when it's will is broken so it can take a bit in its mouth reigns around its neck and you can take a little seven-year-old girl and put it on top of what will that horse to that horse will do what it's told that broken horse is a picture of strength under control.

That's meekness a meek person is one is not reactionary and rebellious is a person who does not retaliate but they sweetly submit to the will of God. They accept God's control over their life and accept the authority God's placed over their life and their submissive they submit even the painful and difficult circumstances of life and they don't get bitter in reaction and react against God. They even go through the daily frustrations of life they live with it in humble submission to the sovereignty of God. They have a teachable spirit to those who are in authority over them as they touch their lives. It is strength under construction under control. Meekness is the distinguishable characteristic about spiritual leader what is Moses say Moses said about himself. He was meek, the meekest man on the earth. Jesus said I am meek and lowly of spirit.

Paul said that I serve in the gentleness in the meekness of Christ, a real spiritual leader is not a reactionary person who is out to retaliate, but they sweetly and humbly submit to the will of God, and they seek to do what is right in the do what is right for other people.

How do you respond to authority. How do you react in difficult circumstances. It manifests whether or not you're in the spirit of the flesh, and finally the word temperance nor temperance mean self-control controlling those inward selfish impulses that I have. We see this in Joseph and Joan.

In Genesis 43 in verse 31, Joseph sees his brothers and he can't contain himself. He goes in his bedroom and he weeps. But when he comes out to meet his brothers.

The Bible says that he watches his face and he goes out and he refrains himself.

The word reframe means temperance in second Peter chapter 1. It's the midway point between moral and spiritual progress in the life of the believer between faith and in the culmination of love add to your faith virtue knowledge temperance patients. What is temperance is saying no to what the flesh wants to say yes to. It includes different areas of self-control.

Controlling my time.

You are under time constraints here to get things done. You learn to use your time wisely.

That's being spiritual, controlling your thoughts bringing your thoughts into obedience to Christ controlling your tongue thinking before you speak. Not reacting but controlling what comes out of your mouth, responding correctly and troubles, and learning to rejoice and not given to by a motion learning to control my treasures, my finances, my spending habits, my credit card bring all things under the controlling constraint of the Holy Spirit of God and these are the evidence signs that a person is growing in Christ likeness for these qualities represent Jesus Christ and notice as we conclude in verse 20. In verse 23 says against such there is no law literally with respect to these virtues, there exists no law there is no all that is against these virtues and there's no law that can create these virtues, I discovered something that law oriented people can over time if they're not careful become critical, inpatient, severe, unforgiving, harsh, angry, hypocritical and B-flat honest unhappy people. But when a person walks in the spirit in the spirit there is a balance in their relationships with others in a relationship with God and in their relationship with themselves. That's why walking in the spirit is the only way to live the Christian life and nothing else is going to work. May God help us to have the fruit of the spirit in our life. Father, thank you for your word blessed.

Now we pray. Amen. You been listening to a sermon from the study series in Galatians chapter 5 by Dr. Steve Pettit, president of Bob Jones University. For more information on Dr. Pettit series, visit our website The Daily Platform.com where you can get a copy of Steve's study booklet entitled walking in the spirit. The Kindle version is also available.

Thanks for listening and join us again tomorrow as we study God's word together on The Daily Platform