The Spirit’s Harvest
Galatians 5:16-25
A few years back I was riding the Metro subway in
Washington D.C., and sat next to a family from Japan, with Nikon camera’s
strapped around their necks, and a big fold-out map of the city spread across
their laps. Clearly they were tourists. Their animated conversation indicated that
there was some disagreement between husband and wife as to their exact location
and the approximate point of their destination; so their frustration was
mounting. I tried to intervene. Though their English was halting and my
Japanese non-existent, I was finally able to show them where we were; and what
stop they should get off so that they could get to where they were going. They were very thankful and bowed profusely
for my small kindness.
I know the feeling; for I also have been lost in strange
cities; and like all men, a bit reluctant to ask for directions. Maps are O.K.; but there is nothing that
beats the guidance of someone who’s been there before.
Sometimes I’ve heard preachers say, in fact I’ve said it
myself, that God’s Word is kind of like a map to lead us through life. God’s commandments stand sometimes as a Stop
Sign saying “don’t go this way”. Jesus
words often act a indicator that there are times when we should Yield to the
needs of others. Finally, at the end of
the Gospel Jesus said, “Go, into all
the world”. You get the
idea. There is a sense in which God’s
Word in black and white offers direction to help us make our way.
But, as that Japanese couple discovered; as I’ve realized
time and again, maps are O.K. but there’s nothing that beats the guidance of
one who’s been there before.
In today’s passage, Paul offers one bit of advice for
anyone who’s ever gotten turned around in life - “Walk by the Spirit”. If
you’re confused and not sure what to do - “Walk by the Spirit”. If
you have flat out just gone the wrong direction; turn around and “Walk by the Spirit.”
God sent His Spirit to serve as a guide to help us get to
where we should be going; to help us live the lives we should be living; to show us how to love the way we should be
loving, and give the way we should be giving.
The questions today are these: Are we willing to trust God’s Spirit to
lead us? If we are - How are we to
listen for and understand what God’s Spirit might be saying? These are weighty questions; so before we
pick them up, let us pray:
“Spirit of the
Living God, fall a-fresh on us we pray.
Spirit of the Living God, fall a-fresh on us. Melt, mold, fill, use. Help us to weed out the works of the flesh:
Immorality, Anger, Selfishness, Strife.
Let our lives be your Harvest.
Plant within us the seeds which will one day bear fruit: Love, Joy,
Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness,
Self-Control. Spirit of the Living God,
fall a-fresh on us. Amen.”
There is a real tension in the Gospel and in our lives that
stretches us between heaven and earth; between the Spirit and the Flesh. In fact, there rages within us all a kind of
“Holy War”; a battle between the hopes of the Spirit and the desires of the
flesh. The Spirit is centered in Love;
the flesh in only the fulfillment of personal desire; and these two sometimes
clash and come into conflict. Love
focuses on the other; but the Biblical understanding of “Flesh” directs all
your attention to yourself only; your wants, your desires. In this battle, sometimes the flesh prevails
and sometimes the Spirit revives.
In this letter Paul outlines an ethical system for living
which is not based upon the Law; but rather focuses on the Spirit. We are to do the right things, live the right
way, not because we are restrained by the restrictions of Law and Commandment;
but because we wish to embrace the Spirit of Christ in our lives. Those who “Walk by the Spirit” want to do the
right thing simply because it is the right thing. The goal is that we will, eventually, almost
by instinct, do what Jesus would do in any situation.
So, Paul says simply “Walk by the Spirit.” (5:16).
Let the Spirit be your guide. Let
the Spirit show you how to live. Now,
what does he really mean by that; and how do we know if we are really walking
by the Spirit of God; or whether we are really being influenced by other
“spirits?”
The Apostle John warned us, “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see
whether they are of God...” (1 John 4:1) And I have heard people like
Jim Jones and David Koresh and other lesser known religious frauds move in all
kinds of radical directions; claiming all the time that they were simply
following the Spirit of God.
Such false prophets were common in Paul’s day as well; so
he goes on to describe what a life in the Spirit will look like; and in
contrast, what a life dominated by the flesh will look like.
First, he begins with the negative. He calls them “works of the flesh”.
That is, they have nothing to do with God and everything to do with
sin. He offers a list, which at first
seems random; but upon closer examination may seem to have a subtle order. The list begins with “immorality, impurity, licentiousness.” (5:19)
These
works describe various forms of sexual sins.
To the people Paul was addressing; this negative description of sexual
practice which for them seemed ordinary, would be startling and even foreign.
The concept of
sexual expression being a blessing given by God to be enjoyed in the covenant
of marriage was totally alien to their culture. When Paul introduced this
understanding of God’s Will to people anywhere in the Roman world; it was
perceived as a radical paradigm shift, wholly different than the way they were
living.
Sexual needs were
perceived to be roughly on the same level as the need for food and water; and
so such needs were fulfilled with the same casual regard we would have for
picking up a sandwich at lunch time.
Paul, here indicates that such a casual attitude toward sexuality is a
reflection not of the Spirit, but of the flesh. So, in many ways the Roman
culture of Paul’s day mimics our own.
Paul then moves to the works of the flesh which corrupt
relationships with others. “idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife,
jealousy, anger, selfishness, party spirit, envy.” He had earlier referred to the real effects
on life consumed by these works. He wrote,
“if you bite and devour one another
take heed that you are not consumed by one another.” (Galatians 5:15)
I have a
suggestion. Take this verse and carve it in the stone above the Capitol
building in Harrisburg or in Washington D.C. For if anyone, needs to hear the
truth of this verse it is the people who have the responsibility to lead our
country and state. In politics “Biting
and devouring” is raised to almost an art form. These works of the flesh consume not only
those who work on the hill; but many in the offices in which you work.
“Enmity and strife, jealousy and anger,
selfishness and party spirit”, is just another day at work for many for
many of you. “Walking by the Spirit” in such an environment is difficult, at
times seemingly impossible. But, the end
result of such works is that we “consume
and devour” each other. We eat
our wounded and relish the taste.
Paul then warns, “those
who do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.” (5:21) That’s
a frightening verse. In fact, over the
years, I’ve had more than one person call me on the phone or visit me in my
office, terrified, petrified, mortified,
that they have done one of the things on the list I just went through. They got to verse twenty-one, and depending
on the translation you use; Paul says that they are now forever excluded from
the kingdom of God; no hope, “no very present help in times of trouble.” (Psalm
46) They believe they are now lost;
eternally rejected from God’s Kingdom!
If you’re one of those people; if you’ve done something
that made that list; don’t worry, don’t fret; the judgment Paul speaks of
focuses not on the occasional “doing” of
these things; but in the constant “practicing”
of these works. That is, Paul is really
saying that if your life is directed exclusively by these fleshly pursuits; if
your day is dominated by them; then you will probably be excluded from God’s
kingdom - not so much because God has shut the door; but because you have never
taken the time to ring the bell. Fleshly
people are bored by matters spiritual.
They give not a single moments thought to God or God’s Will throughout
their day. God is not a part of their
world; so they will not be part of God’s.
So, when someone
comes to me terrified that they are now excluded I always tell them that their
concern alone indicates that they are probably
not guilty of “practicing”
these things, even if they have been guilty of occasionally doing these
things. Their contrition is the first
step toward their redemption. Confession is the first step toward salvation.
The second step is to now deliberately turn away from these things and so begin
to “Walk by the Spirit”.
Paul then launches into another list; a counter-cultural
list which he calls the “Fruit of the
Spirit”. Where the “works of the flesh” were the result
of things we do; the “Fruit of the
Spirit” are the result of something God does in our lives. This Harvest begins with seeds planted within
us by God. “We love because God first loved us.” (1 John 4:19) “The joy of the Lord is our
strength.” (Nehemiah 8:10) “It
is God’s peace which passeth all understanding.” (Philippians
4:7) So, Love, Joy, Peace are blessings that God gives. They are the fruit of His Spirit working in
our lives.
But, this garden needs to be tended by each one of
us. So, to “Walk in the Spirit” means that we walk through our garden
weeding out the works of the flesh where we see them; and nurturing the fruit
when we find them.
“Patience,
kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control”: these are
matters of character. They are
attributes that we can cultivate; simply by thinking about them a little more
than we do; and by acknowledging those moments when we have been impatient or
unkind; or by recognizing those times when goodness and faithfulness were the
last things on our minds; and in confessing that we have at times been harsh or
out of control in the ways we deal with others.
These are steps we take in order to “Walk by the Spirit”.
God’s Spirit is not in our control. Jesus said, “The wind blows where it wills.”
(John 3:8) Yet, we can do certain
things, practice certain disciplines so that the Spirit finds in us a receptive
vessel. Prayer, Worship, Bible Study,
Meditation: these are simple tools; essential to our spiritual growth when
used; useless when kept in a box under the workbench; or brought out only on
Sunday morning. Paul concludes, “And those who belong to Christ Jesus have
crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” (5:24)
And so he brings us back to the Cross; because he began
to understand what God had known all along.
It would take something that dramatic, that profound to shake us out of
our spiritual lethargy, to wake us up from our apathetic slumber. When the sacrifice seems to great; and the
desires of the flesh too strong; Paul bids us to lift our eyes to the cross
once more. When you are ready to give in
and give up Paul calls our attention to Jesus who never gave in, and who never
gave up; but simply gave, his life, his blood, his spirit for us.
So, the question for each one who would “Walk by the Spirit” - “Am I willing to crucify the desires of my
flesh? Am I willing to take hammer and
nail to the pleasures of immorality, impurity, and licentiousness? Am I
willing to bring to the cross jealousy, anger, selfishness?” Or will I
squirrel these away to some corner of my life where no one sees; where no one
will know? Will I just try to
hide them away so that I can bring them out when no one is looking?
Well, the Spirit knows; and Jesus told us that when his
sacrifice was complete; the Holy Spirit would follow and “teach you all things and bring to your
remembrance all that he said. The Spirit will guide you to all truth. The
Spirit will convict you of all unrighteousness.” (John 14:26, 16:8,12)
And so the Spirit acts as the guide, as the one who is on
familiar ground; who whispers “this
way”; who encourages “you can
do it.”
Today,
this week, next week; many of you will get in a car, a canoe, or just find a
trail to explore; and enjoy the beauty of God’s creation which just explodes in
shades of crimson and gold. In your
wanderings; men, if you get a bit lost or turned around; don’t hesitate
for a moment to ask for directions from someone who knows. It will do wonders for your marriage; and
make the day more pleasant.
Today, this week, next week, next year you may find
yourself a bit lost or turned around; and life seems dominated by all the wrong
things; don’t hesitate to ask God for help; for God knows the direction you
should go. He promised to send his
Spirit to help you, comfort you, guide you, even convict you of you sin so that
He might plant those seeds to bring about a rich Harvest in your life.
When it’s all said and done; the important things in life
can’t be measured on a spread sheet or counted by trophy’s on a mantle. The real fruit; the sweetest fruit is Love,
Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and
Self-Control. This is the Harvest the
matters.
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