Transformative Growth: Living by the Spirit
Summary
In Galatians 5:16-18 and 22-23, we are called to live by the Spirit, which leads to a transformation that is gradual, inevitable, internal, and symmetrical. This transformation is likened to the growth of fruit, emphasizing that Christian change is a process that cannot be rushed or forced. The metaphor of fruit is used to illustrate that change is gradual, much like the slow and steady growth of a plant. This growth is often invisible and mysterious, requiring patience and faith. However, it is also inevitable; if the Spirit of God is within us, change will occur. This change is not just about external actions but involves a deep internal transformation that aligns with the Spirit's work in us.
Christian growth is not mechanical but organic, meaning it is not about accumulating good deeds or religious activities. Instead, it is about the internal development of character traits such as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. These traits are interconnected and interdependent, forming a symmetrical whole. True spiritual growth involves all these traits developing together, rather than in isolation.
The Spirit's work in us is compared to the power of an acorn that, over time, can split a marble slab. This illustrates the power and inevitability of spiritual growth. We are encouraged to examine our lives for evidence of this growth, understanding that while we are not saved by our works, true faith will inevitably produce fruit. The Spirit desires what is contrary to the sinful nature, and we are called to crucify our sinful desires and keep in step with the Spirit. This involves a deep love and desire for Jesus, allowing His beauty and truth to transform our hearts and lives.
Key Takeaways:
- Gradual and Mysterious Growth: Christian change is gradual and often invisible, much like the growth of fruit. It requires patience and faith, as we may not always see immediate results. However, this growth is inevitable if the Spirit of God is within us. [03:13]
- Internal Transformation: True Christian growth is internal and organic, not merely about external actions or religious activities. It involves a deep transformation of character traits such as love, joy, and peace, which are interconnected and interdependent. [12:21]
- Symmetrical Development: The fruit of the Spirit is a singular concept, indicating that all the traits develop together. Real spiritual growth involves a balanced development of all these traits, rather than focusing on one at the expense of others. [16:06]
- Power of the Spirit: The Spirit's work in us is powerful and inevitable, much like an acorn that can split a marble slab over time. This illustrates the transformative power of the Spirit in our lives, leading to inevitable change. [08:43]
- Desire for Jesus: To grow spiritually, we must crucify our sinful desires and cultivate a deep love and desire for Jesus. The Spirit helps us see the beauty of Christ, which transforms our hearts and aligns our desires with His. [29:15]
Youtube Chapters:
- [00:00] - Welcome
- [00:11] - Introduction to Galatians 5
- [01:20] - Understanding Christian Change
- [02:13] - Nature of Christian Change
- [03:13] - Gradual and Mysterious Growth
- [05:36] - Patience in Growth
- [07:15] - Inevitable Change
- [08:43] - Power of the Spirit
- [11:23] - Internal Transformation
- [15:52] - Symmetrical Development
- [18:27] - Peace and Humility
- [21:32] - Interdependence of Graces
- [24:56] - True Joy and Faithfulness
- [29:15] - Desire for Jesus
- [31:17] - Closing Prayer
Study Guide
Bible Study Discussion Guide
Bible Reading:
- Galatians 5:16-18, 22-23
Observation Questions:
1. What does it mean to "live by the Spirit" according to Galatians 5:16-18? How does this relate to the desires of the sinful nature? [00:11]
2. In the sermon, how is the metaphor of fruit used to describe Christian growth? What are the characteristics of this growth? [02:32]
3. What are the traits listed as the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23? How are these traits described in the sermon? [00:45]
4. How does the sermon illustrate the power and inevitability of spiritual growth using the acorn and marble slab metaphor? [08:12]
Interpretation Questions:
1. How does the concept of gradual and mysterious growth challenge our expectations of spiritual development? What might this mean for someone who feels stagnant in their faith? [03:13]
2. The sermon mentions that Christian growth is not about external actions but internal transformation. How can one discern between the two in their own life? [12:21]
3. What does it mean for the fruit of the Spirit to develop symmetrically? How might focusing on one trait at the expense of others affect spiritual growth? [16:06]
4. How does the sermon suggest we can cultivate a deeper desire for Jesus, and why is this important for spiritual growth? [29:15]
Application Questions:
1. Reflect on a time when you expected immediate change in your spiritual life. How can you practice patience and faith in the gradual process of growth? [03:56]
2. Identify one trait of the fruit of the Spirit that you feel is lacking in your life. What specific steps can you take this week to cultivate this trait? [12:21]
3. The sermon emphasizes the power of the Spirit in our lives. How can you become more aware of the Spirit's work in your daily routine? [08:43]
4. Consider a sinful desire that you struggle with. What practical steps can you take to crucify this desire and align your heart with the Spirit? [27:22]
5. How can you create an environment in your life that allows the fruit of the Spirit to grow, much like a gardener tends to a garden? [29:54]
6. Think of a person who challenges your ability to show love or patience. What is one way you can intentionally demonstrate these traits in your next interaction with them? [10:06]
7. Reflect on the sermon’s call to desire Jesus deeply. What is one way you can cultivate this desire in your daily spiritual practices? [29:15]
Devotional
Day 1: Gradual and Mysterious Growth
Christian transformation is a process that mirrors the growth of fruit, requiring patience and faith. This growth is often invisible and mysterious, much like the slow and steady development of a plant. It cannot be rushed or forced, but it is inevitable if the Spirit of God is within us. The metaphor of fruit emphasizes that Christian change is gradual, and while we may not always see immediate results, we can trust that the Spirit is at work within us. This transformation involves a deep internal change that aligns with the Spirit's work in us, leading to a life that reflects the character of Christ. [03:13]
"But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day." (Proverbs 4:18, ESV)
Reflection: In what area of your life do you need to exercise more patience and faith, trusting that God is at work even when you cannot see immediate results?
Day 2: Internal Transformation
True Christian growth is not about external actions or religious activities but involves a deep internal transformation. This transformation is organic, focusing on the development of character traits such as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. These traits are interconnected and interdependent, forming a symmetrical whole. Real spiritual growth involves all these traits developing together, rather than in isolation. As we allow the Spirit to work within us, our character is transformed to reflect the image of Christ, leading to a life that is pleasing to God. [12:21]
"And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh." (Ezekiel 36:26, ESV)
Reflection: Which character trait do you feel the Spirit is currently working on in your life, and how can you cooperate with Him in this transformation?
Day 3: Symmetrical Development
The fruit of the Spirit is a singular concept, indicating that all the traits develop together. True spiritual growth involves a balanced development of all these traits, rather than focusing on one at the expense of others. This symmetrical development is essential for a healthy spiritual life, as each trait supports and enhances the others. As we grow in love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control, we become more like Christ and reflect His character to the world around us. [16:06]
"For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love." (2 Peter 1:5-7, ESV)
Reflection: Are there any areas in your spiritual life where you are focusing too much on one trait at the expense of others? How can you seek a more balanced development?
Day 4: Power of the Spirit
The Spirit's work in us is powerful and inevitable, much like an acorn that can split a marble slab over time. This illustrates the transformative power of the Spirit in our lives, leading to inevitable change. The Spirit desires what is contrary to the sinful nature, and we are called to crucify our sinful desires and keep in step with the Spirit. As we yield to the Spirit's work, we experience the power of God transforming our hearts and lives, enabling us to live in a way that honors Him. [08:43]
"Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us." (Ephesians 3:20, ESV)
Reflection: What is one area of your life where you need to rely more on the power of the Spirit to bring about change?
Day 5: Desire for Jesus
To grow spiritually, we must crucify our sinful desires and cultivate a deep love and desire for Jesus. The Spirit helps us see the beauty of Christ, which transforms our hearts and aligns our desires with His. As we grow in our love for Jesus, we become more like Him, reflecting His character and love to those around us. This deep desire for Jesus is the foundation of true spiritual growth, as it motivates us to live in a way that honors Him and brings glory to God. [29:15]
"Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever." (Psalm 73:25-26, ESV)
Reflection: How can you cultivate a deeper love and desire for Jesus in your daily life, and what changes might this bring about in your actions and attitudes?
Quotes
Christian change is as gradual as a turnip growing or a potato growing or a flower growing. It's gradual. Now Botanical growth you can never really see happen. You can know it's happening. You look at it. Well, actually, any kind of growth, not just Botanical growth. [00:03:10]
Growth is always so small, so gradual you can't see it. It can never be seen. It can only be measured. Growth is always very, very slow, and therefore it's very mysterious. Now, what does that mean practically? If why would Paul talk about love, joy, peace, patience, kindness as fruit? [00:03:32]
Christian change is gradual. It's mysterious. It's seasonal. It's slow. It's almost invisible. In other words, you have to be very careful not to be impatient. But on the other hand, here's the hard side of this: Christian growth is inevitable. If you have the spirit of God in you, there will be change. [00:07:18]
If Botanical growth has that kind of power in its gradualness, if Botanical growth has that kind of power, what kind of power will the spirit of God have? Because this is not just fruit. This is fruit of the spirit. And if the spirit of God is in your life, you will change. [00:08:43]
Real faith that brings in the spirit of God will inevitably lead to growth. And we have to ask ourselves some hard questions. In fact, no, no, don't ask yourself. You'll never know. Ask your friends. Go to people who've known you. Some of you have been Christians a long time. [00:09:56]
There's a difference between mechanical growth and organic growth. There's a difference between external mechanical growth and a difference between internal organic growth. If you keep throwing bricks on a pile, the pile is growing. That's not organic growth. The pile is growing, yes, but simply in quantity. [00:11:56]
You can teach. You may speak with tongues of men or Angels. You may teach. You may know all Mysteries. You may give your body to be burned. You may give your money away. He's talking about mechanical growth. He's talking about doing good and feeding the poor and evangelizing. [00:13:30]
If people's lives are being changed through you, but your life isn't being changed, fly to him immediately. A lot of you are looking at how people are being helped by you. You're counseling them, and you're loving them. Or maybe if you're leading a Bible study, you're doing all these things. [00:14:50]
All of these things are one. Years ago, Jonathan Edwards wrote a book, and in that book, he made one of his chapters this thesis. He says, where is it all? Yeah, pardon me. He says there is a concatenation of The Graces of Christianity. [00:16:30]
If you want to know whether the character growth that's happening in your life, if you want to know whether the love that's growing in your life is real spiritual love from the spirit, from the gospel, if you want to know it's real love, real Joy, real peace, real patience, and not a counterfeit. [00:16:56]
Real peace that will never pass away, the peace that passes all understanding, the peace that's perfect, is always connected to humility. But if you're a proud person, you have peace. It's not real peace. It's peace based on the fact things are going well for you. [00:19:29]
The spirit is always looking and seeing the beauty of Jesus Christ and saying the whole reason you don't have self-control, the whole reason you don't have love, the whole reason you're worried, you don't see how beautiful Christ is. You just don't see it. [00:29:15]
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