Cross Church Winnipeg Sermon Podcast

After the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the disciples thought that Jesus was about to free Israel and establish His Kingdom in Israel. But Christ had other plans. Before Christ ascended into Heaven—which is God’s Holy Presence—He gave what is known as the Great Commission, a variation of Matthew 28:16-20. Acts 1:7-8 reads, He replied, “The Father alone has the authority to set those dates and times, and they are not for you to know. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” We have work to do until Christ returns.

The birth of the Church is known as the Day of Pentecost. It is 50 days after the resurrection of Christ from the dead. Jesus anticipated this important date and gave clear instructions to His disciples about what they must do. Acts 2:4-5 reads, “Once when he was eating with them, he commanded them, ‘Do not leave Jerusalem until the Father sends you the gift he promised, as I told you before. John baptized with water, but in just a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’” The disciples do not know what is about to happen, but they will discover that followers of Christ must be empowered by the Holy Spirit in order to do the work that Christ commands us to do.

The last characteristic listed in Galatians 5:22-23 as a fruit of the Spirit is self-control. The fruit of the Spirit is the change in our character that happens because of the Holy Spirit’s work in us. We do not become a Christian on our own, and we cannot grow on our own. Paul tells us in Philippians that "it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure." Every good thing we do is the fruit of the Spirit’s work in our lives. Self-control or “temperance” in the KJV, is, of course, the ability to control oneself. It involves moderation, constraint, and the ability to say “no” to our evil desires and carnal lusts. One of the proofs of God’s working in our lives is the ability to control our thoughts, words, and actions. It’s not that we are just naturally weak-willed, but rather our fallen nature is under the influence of sin.

The Holy Spirit works in us to be more like Christ, and part of the Fruit of the Spirit, or results, of that work, is gentleness. Gentleness, also translated “meekness,” does not mean weakness. Rather, it involves humility and thankfulness toward God, and polite, restrained behavior toward others. The opposites of gentleness are anger, a desire for revenge, and self-aggrandizement. It takes a strong person to be truly gentle. Jesus gave us the perfect picture of gentleness: “See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey,” and now He offers us His gentleness as a gift. If we allow the Holy Spirit to lead us, we will be filled with the fruit of gentleness.

The Fruit of the Spirit - Part 7: Faithfulness The Faithfulness in the fruit list can be described as steadfastness, constancy, or allegiance; it is carefulness in keeping what we are entrusted with; it is the conviction that the Scriptures accurately reflect reality. Biblical faithfulness requires belief in what the Bible says about God: His existence, His works, and His character. Faithfulness is the result of the Spirit working in us. But the Spirit is also our seal of faithfulness. He is our witness to God’s promise that if we accept the truth about God, He will save us. Faithfulness is believing that God is Who He says He is and continuing in that belief despite the vagaries of life. Functionally, that means we trust what God says in the Bible, and do what he says! This means that we do not necessarily believe what the world, or our own eyes, tell us.

The Fruit of the Spirit - Part 5: Kindness The fifth fruit in Paul’s list is kindness. In the King James Version, kindness is called “gentleness.” The best way to understand this is by looking at the One who is perfect kindness, namely, Our Father in Heaven. Kindness is the characteristic that led God to provide salvation for us. Kindness leads God to give us green pastures, quiet waters, and the restoration of our souls when we’re weary. God’s tender care makes Him want to gather us under His wings, to protect us and keep us close to Him. And when the Spirit works in us, the resulting character is of one allowing the Holy Spirit to develop maturity in their life. The Greek word for “kindness” means “benignity, tender concern, uprightness.” It is the kindness of heart and kindness in action.

The Patience in Galatians 5:22 literally means “long temper,” in the sense of “the ability to hold one’s temper for a long time.” The King James Version translates it as “long-suffering.” A patient person is able to endure much pain and suffering without complaining. A patient person is slow to anger as he waits for God to provide comfort and punish wrongdoing. Since it is a Fruit of the Spirit, we can only possess patience through the power and work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. James urges believers to be patient and not to complain as we wait for Jesus to return. James holds up the prophets as models of patience. The opposite of patience is agitation, discouragement, and a desire for revenge. God does not want His children to live in agitation but in peace.

We are born at war. At birth, our sinful nature has already declared war on God and His truth. Our heart’s desire is to be separated from Him, and if we persist in this desire until death, He will give us what we want. In Romans 12:8, Paul exhorts, "If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men." This Spirit produces the fruit of peace in us as we yield our will to His leading and our actions to His Word. Only God can create peace in our lives through the work of the Holy Spirit. *And* the peace mentioned in Galatians 5 is the peace of a harmonious relationship with God.

The "Fruit of the Spirit" is what happens when the Holy Spirit indwells a believer. The "fruit" is the product of the Holy Spirit’s cultivation of character in a heart. The second characteristic listed is joy. Joy expresses God’s kingdom—His influence on earth. The Spirit’s production of joy can manifest in several different ways: the joy of deliverance, the joy of salvation, the joy of spiritual maturity, and the joy of God’s presence. The Greek word for joy is *chara* and is closely related to *[charis], which means “grace” or “a gift.” Chara is the normal response to *charis*—we have joy because of God’s grace. The next step in the progression is to allow our joy to become an action as we express it.

Being a good son or daughter does not come easy to children. Our sinful, selfish nature needs training and instruction. Therefore, we are called to imitate Christ in all things; this is what it means to deny ourselves and take up our cross and follow Jesus. With this in mind, Paul tells children, And further, submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. Children, obey your parents because you belong to the Lord, for this is the right thing to do. “Honor your father and mother.” This is the first commandment with a promise: If you honor your father and mother, “things will go well for you, and you will have a long life on the earth.” Children are prepared for Christian adulthood through learning to respectfully submit to their parents.

Being a good father does not come easy to men. Our sinful, selfish nature needs training and instruction, because by nature we can be impatient, angry, and even vengeful. We are called to imitate Christ in all things; this is what it means to deny ourselves and take up our cross and follow Jesus. With this in mind, Paul tells us 21 And further, submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger by the way you treat them. Rather, bring them up with the discipline and instruction that comes from the Lord. It’s interesting to note that Paul does not give the same instruction to mothers. As fathers exercise their authority and give leadership in their homes, they are to be mindful that their authority is to be used lovingly and gently, but firmly, just as God is loving and firm with each of us.

Being a good wife does not come easy to women any more than being a good husband comes easy to men. Our sinful, selfish nature needs training and instruction. We are called to imitate Christ in all things; this is what it means to deny ourselves and take up our cross and follow Jesus. With this in mind, Paul tells us, 21 And further, submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. 22 For wives, this means submit to your husbands as to the Lord. 23 For a husband is the head of his wife as Christ is the head of the church. He is the Savior of his body, the church. 24 As the church submits to Christ, so you wives should submit to your husbands in everything. **33** So again I say, each man must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband. Paul is assuming that the man in this marriage is the chief servant in his home, faithfully laying down his life for his wife and children, just as Christ did for the church.

Being a good husband does not come easy to men. Our sinful, selfish nature needs training and instruction. We are called to imitate Christ in all things; this is what it means to deny ourselves and take up our cross and follow Jesus. With this in mind, Paul tells us, "And further, submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. As the Scriptures say, “A man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.” This is a great mystery, but it is an illustration of the way Christ and the church are one. So again I say, each man must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband." It is always easy to respect anyone who is utterly unselfish and totally devoted to serving others.

Let’s be blunt, the Apostle Paul could not have done his great work without the generosity of Christians. He closes this letter with these words: Even so, you have done well to share with me in my present difficulty. As you know, you Philippians were the only ones who gave me financial help when I first brought you the Gospel and then traveled on from Macedonia. No other church did this. Even when I was in Thessalonica you sent help more than once. I don’t say this because I want a gift from you. Rather, I want you to receive a reward for your kindness.  At the moment I have all I need—and more! I am generously supplied with the gifts you sent me with Epaphroditus. They are a sweet-smelling sacrifice that is acceptable and pleasing to God. And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus. Now all glory to God our Father forever and ever! Amen.

Paul shares his secret of contentment, regardless of circumstances. He says, "How I praise the Lord that you are concerned about me again. I know you have always been concerned for me, but you didn’t have the chance to help me. Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength. A life lived in union with Christ produces contentment and confidence that Christ is all we need!"

Practical Christianity is not complicated. It just means that we must be united with Christ in our attitude and in the way we think. Paul says, Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice! Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon. Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.  Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.

Paul addresses a feud between two women in the Philippian Church. He calls on the whole church to assist in bringing peace so that the advancement of the Gospel is unhindered. He says, Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stay true to the Lord. I love you and long to see you, dear friends, for you are my joy and the crown I receive for my work. 2 Now I appeal to Euodia and Syntyche. Please, because you belong to the Lord, settle your disagreement. 3 And I ask you, my true partner, to help these two women, for they worked hard with me in telling others the Gospel. They worked along with Clement and the rest of my co-workers, whose names are written in the Book of Life.

When life is easy and good, it’s easy to forget that this world is not our home. Paul reminds the church for the second time in this letter, that our citizenship is not in this world. He says, Dear brothers and sisters, pattern your lives after mine, and learn from those who follow our example. For I have told you often before, and I say it again with tears in my eyes, that there are many whose conduct shows they are really enemies of the cross of Christ.  They are headed for destruction. Their god is their appetite, they brag about shameful things, and they think only about this life here on earth. But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior. He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like his own, using the same power with which he will bring everything under his control.

Paul wants us to understand that this world has nothing to offer us; that what must occupy our desires and pursuits is the Kingdom of God. But it means that we must forget the past and keep our eyes on Jesus. He says, I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us. Let all who are spiritually mature agree on these things. If you disagree on some point, I believe God will make it plain to you. But we must hold on to the progress we have already made.