Galatians 5:22-25 New King James Version
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 [a]gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. 24 And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
I. Holy Spirit:
a. He is God
Acts 5:3-4 New King James Version
3 But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the land for yourself? 4 While it remained, was it not your own? And after it was sold, was it not in your own control? Why have you conceived this thing in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God.”
b. He is President of the Church
i. Holy Spirit Speaks, Leads and Guides
John 16:12-13 New King James Version
12 “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come,He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.
ii. Holy Spirit Corrects and Affirms
John 16:8 New King James Version
8 And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:
c. He is Our Power Source
Acts 1:8 New King James Version
8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be [c]witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
II. How Does All of This REALLY Work?
a. Jesus is our model
John 14:12 New King James Version
12 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.
Acts 1:1-2 New King James Version
1 The former account I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, 2 until the day in which [a]He was taken up, after He through the Holy Spirit had given commandments to the apostles whom He had chosen,
i. Jesus Emptied Himself
Philippians 2:5-8 New American Standard Bible
5 Have this attitude [a]in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, as He already existed in the form of God, did not consider equality with God something to be [b]grasped, 7 but [c]emptied Himself by taking the form of a bond-servant and[d]being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death: death [e]on a cross.
1. Emptied – kenoo (G2758)
a. To empty, to make empty
b. To make void
i. Deprive of force, render vain, useless, of no effect
2. This means that while Jesus remained 100% God, He refused to access His divinity/divine privileges during His 33 years of life on Earth.
3. How many of us are trying to be our own God?
a. Empty yourself
b. Humble yourself to the point of death on a cross
Luke 9:23 New King James Version
23 Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross [a]daily, and follow Me.
ii. Jesus was Baptized by John the Baptizer and Filled with the Spirit
Matthew 3:13-16 New King James Version
13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him. 14 And John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?” 15 But Jesus answered and said to him, “Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he allowed Him. 16 When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and [a]He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him.
1. Jesus needed divine power to accomplish the will of the Lord, but emptied Himself of His divine privilege and power, even though He was 100% God, He behaved as 100% man filled with Holy Spirit.
a. He was showing us the way sons and daughters of God would be empowered by Holy Spirit
Matthew 19:25-26 New King James Version
25 When His disciples heard it, they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?”
26 But Jesus looked at them and said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
b. From this point forward in Jesus’ life, just for like us right now, Holy Spirit would be His President and Power Source
iii. Jesus Lived and Walked in the Spirit
1. Jesus had daily secret place time in order to connect with and hear the voice of God the Father
2. Jesus required daily secret place time in order to accomplish God’s will without accessing His divine power and privilege
Hebrews 4:15 New King James Version
15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.
a. Have you ever wondered how Jesus triumphed over EVERY temptation, trial, tribulation, testing, suffering, and persecution?
John 16:33 New King James Version
33 These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you [a]will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”
b. Jesus Practiced spiritual disciplines in the secret place which produced in Him the fruit of the Spirit/the nature of God
3. Operated in His spiritual gifts which produced the power of the Spirit
a. Jesus did miraculous works without accessing His divinity (He emptied Himself, remember?)
i. Instead He operated in the spiritual gifts He was given (all 21 of them)
b. Jesus did this also by getting into the secret place and asking Holy Spirit what the Father wanted Him to do or say
John 5:19 New King James Version
19 Then Jesus answered and said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.
John 12:49 New King James Version
49 For I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak.
III. Fruit is Foundational
a. The fruit of the Spirit is
i. Essential for overcoming the world and its tribulations, testing, temptations, trials, persecution and suffering.
ii. Necessary to serve as the support for your spiritual giftings
John 16:14-15 New King James Version
14 He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. 15 All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He [a]will take of Mine and declare it to you.
b. I do not care if you operate in the power of Holy Spirit, if you don’t bear His fruit, I am not impressed
i. It is like building a beautiful, massive, mansion of a house, on a foundation of sand
c. If you operate in the power of the Spirit, but don’t demonstrate the fruit of the Spirit, you are a danger to yourself and to those around you
i. King Saul was filled with the spirit and operated in the power of the Spirit
1 Samuel 19:23-24 New King James Version
23 So he went there to Naioth in Ramah. Then the Spirit of God was upon him also, and he went on and prophesied until he came to Naioth in Ramah. 24 And he also stripped off his clothes and prophesied before Samuel in like manner, and lay down naked all that day and all that night. Therefore they say, “Is Saul also among the prophets?”
1. However, because he did not possess the character/nature/fruit of the Spirit he got himself, almost all of his children, and many of his people killed
2. This is why Health is a value at BCF. Thoughts, feelings, and desires that reflect God’s
d. Possessing the power and not the fruit of the Spirit can discredit a GENUINE move of God
i. Take a moment and think about all of the spiritual leaders within the last two years who were exposed as sexually perverse, lacking faithfulness and self-control
ii. Moses was denied access to the promised land because he possessed the power of the Spirit without bearing His fruit.
Numbers 20:10-13 English Standard Version
10 Then Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock, and he said to them, “Hear now, you rebels: shall we bring water for you out of this rock?” 11 And Moses lifted up his hand and struck the rock with his staff twice, and water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their livestock. 12 And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not believe in me, to uphold me as holy in the eyes of the people of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land that I have given them.” 13 These are the waters of Meribah,[a] where the people of Israel quarreled with the Lord, and through them he showed himself holy.
iii. The Lord was angry with Moses because losing his temper reflected poorly on God.
1. What could have happened if Moses possessed longsuffering and self-control in this situation?
e. Jesus would be in the midst of operating in the power of the Spirit, stop, and go away to be by Himself so that He could pray and seek the Father’s face
Luke 5:15-16 New King James Version
15 However, the report went around concerning Him all the more; and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by Him of their infirmities. 16 So He Himself often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed.
Luke 4:40-44 New King James Version
40 When the sun was setting, all those who had any that were sick with various diseases brought them to Him; and He laid His hands on every one of them and healed them. 41 And demons also came out of many, crying out and saying, “You are [a]the Christ, the Son of God!” And He, rebuking them, did not allow them to [b]speak, for they knew that He was the Christ. 42 Now when it was day, He departed and went into a deserted place. And the crowd sought Him and came to Him, and tried to keep Him from leaving them; 43 but He said to them, “I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, because for this purpose I have been sent.” 44 And He was preaching in the synagogues of [c]Galilee.
IV. Time with Jesus in the Secret Place is the Key to the fruit of the Spirit
a. It is not the practicing of spiritual disciplines, but the time spent with Holy Spirit in the secret place that produces the fruit of the Spirit in our lives.
2 Corinthians 3:18 New King James Version
18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as [a]by the Spirit of the Lord.
Acts 4:13 New King James Version
13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus.
b. Holy Spirt will produce the fruit and do the work, if you surrender to Him in faith.
i. Empty and humble yourself
ii. Be baptized in the name of Jesus
iii. Receive Holy Spirit as president and power source
iv. Connect with Holy Spirit daily in the secret place
