**Summary:**

Today, we explored the profound truth of living a life led by the Holy Spirit. We began by reflecting on the inspiring work of Greg and Michelle, missionaries in Chiapas, Mexico, who have dedicated their lives to spreading the gospel and establishing churches in remote areas. Their commitment challenges us to consider how we can support their mission, such as through the backpack initiative, which brings joy and the message of Christ to children who have very little.

We then delved into the essence of the Christian life, which is not about adhering to a set of rules but about experiencing the life of Jesus through the Holy Spirit. The Apostle Paul, in Romans 7, shared his struggle with sin, highlighting that our own strength is insufficient to live a righteous life. Instead, we are called to "walk by the Spirit," as Paul instructs in Galatians 5. This means living with a constant awareness of God's presence and relying on the Holy Spirit's power to guide us.

Walking in the Spirit involves choosing dependence on God over our own strength. It's about acknowledging our weakness and allowing Christ's strength to work through us. This approach transforms our response to temptation and sin, shifting from self-reliance to reliance on the Spirit. The fruit of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control—naturally flows from a life led by the Spirit.

Ultimately, the Christian life is about living in the freedom and joy that comes from the Spirit's presence. It's not about trying harder or making deeper commitments but about surrendering to God's power and allowing Him to live through us. As we embrace this truth, we experience victory over sin and a deeper, more fulfilling relationship with God.

**Key Takeaways:**

1. **Mission and Surrender:** Greg and Michelle's dedication to their mission in Chiapas exemplifies a life fully surrendered to God's calling. Their work reminds us that true fulfillment comes from serving others and spreading the gospel, challenging us to consider how we can support such missions in our own lives. [46:34]

2. **Life Through the Spirit:** The Christian life is not about following rules but about experiencing the life of Jesus through the Holy Spirit. This life is characterized by a moment-by-moment awareness of God's presence and reliance on His power to guide us. [49:59]

3. **Dependence Over Strength:** Walking in the Spirit means choosing dependence on God over our own strength. By acknowledging our weakness and relying on Christ's strength, we can overcome temptation and live a life that reflects His love and grace. [52:22]

4. **Freedom from the Law:** Being led by the Spirit frees us from the constraints of the law. This freedom allows us to live a life of joy and victory, not through our efforts but through the Spirit's work within us. [57:33]

5. **Fruit of the Spirit:** The qualities of love, joy, peace, and others are not achieved through our efforts but are the natural result of a life led by the Spirit. As we walk in the Spirit, these fruits become evident in our lives, impacting those around us. [01:06:15]

**Youtube Chapters:**

- [00:00] - Welcome
- [46:34] - Missionary Work in Chiapas
- [47:54] - Thanksgiving Reflections
- [49:59] - Life Through the Spirit
- [52:22] - Walking by the Spirit
- [53:11] - Dependence on God
- [54:18] - God's Unconditional Love
- [56:04] - Flesh vs. Spirit
- [57:33] - Freedom from the Law
- [58:00] - Choosing Weakness
- [59:40] - Joy in Victory
- [01:01:07] - Loving in Disagreement
- [01:02:00] - Fruit of the Spirit
- [01:06:15] - Source of Spiritual Qualities
- [01:07:48] - Walking in the Spirit
- [01:09:44] - Closing Prayer and Announcements

**Bible Study Discussion Guide**

**Bible Reading:**
- Romans 7:18-19
- Galatians 5:16-25

**Observation Questions:**
1. What did Greg and Michelle accomplish in Chiapas, and how does their work challenge us to think about our own contributions to missions? [46:34]
2. According to the sermon, what does it mean to "walk by the Spirit," and how does this differ from living by our own strength? [52:22]
3. What are the "fruits of the Spirit" mentioned in Galatians 5, and how are they described as being produced in a believer's life? [01:06:15]
4. How does the sermon describe the relationship between the law and living by the Spirit? [57:33]

**Interpretation Questions:**
1. How does the struggle Paul describes in Romans 7 relate to our own experiences with sin and temptation? [49:59]
2. What does it mean to live with a "moment-by-moment awareness of God's presence," and how might this change our daily lives? [52:22]
3. In what ways does the sermon suggest that dependence on God can lead to freedom and joy, rather than trying harder on our own? [58:00]
4. How does the concept of "choosing weakness" challenge common perceptions of strength and self-reliance in the Christian life? [53:11]

**Application Questions:**
1. Reflect on Greg and Michelle's dedication to their mission. How can you support missions in your own community or abroad, and what steps can you take this week to get involved? [46:34]
2. Identify a specific area in your life where you have been relying on your own strength. How can you begin to depend more on the Holy Spirit in that area? [52:22]
3. Choose one aspect of the fruit of the Spirit to focus on this month. What specific action could you take to cultivate it as part of your interactions with your family? [01:06:15]
4. Think of a recent situation where you faced temptation. How might approaching it with a mindset of "I am weak, but He is strong" change your response? [58:00]
5. How can you practice living with a moment-by-moment awareness of God's presence this week? What reminders or habits can you incorporate into your daily routine? [52:22]
6. Consider a relationship where you often find yourself in disagreement. How can you show love and understanding, even when you don't see eye to eye? [01:02:00]
7. Reflect on the idea of freedom from the law through the Spirit. How does this freedom impact your view of obedience and grace in your spiritual journey? [57:33]

Day 1: Mission and Surrender: A Call to Serve

Greg and Michelle's dedication to their mission in Chiapas, Mexico, exemplifies a life fully surrendered to God's calling. Their work in spreading the gospel and establishing churches in remote areas challenges us to consider how we can support such missions in our own lives. The backpack initiative they lead brings joy and the message of Christ to children who have very little, reminding us that true fulfillment comes from serving others. This example encourages us to reflect on our own lives and how we can contribute to the mission of spreading God's love and message. [46:34]

"And he said to them, 'Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.'" (Mark 16:15, ESV)

Reflection: Who in your community or beyond can you support or serve today, and how can you take a tangible step to do so?


Day 2: Life Through the Spirit: Beyond Rules to Relationship

The Christian life is not about following a set of rules but about experiencing the life of Jesus through the Holy Spirit. This life is characterized by a moment-by-moment awareness of God's presence and reliance on His power to guide us. The Apostle Paul, in Romans 7, shared his struggle with sin, highlighting that our own strength is insufficient to live a righteous life. Instead, we are called to "walk by the Spirit," as Paul instructs in Galatians 5. This means living with a constant awareness of God's presence and relying on the Holy Spirit's power to guide us. [49:59]

"For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God." (Romans 8:14, ESV)

Reflection: How can you cultivate a greater awareness of the Holy Spirit's presence in your daily routine today?


Day 3: Dependence Over Strength: Embracing Our Weakness

Walking in the Spirit means choosing dependence on God over our own strength. By acknowledging our weakness and relying on Christ's strength, we can overcome temptation and live a life that reflects His love and grace. This approach transforms our response to temptation and sin, shifting from self-reliance to reliance on the Spirit. The fruit of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control—naturally flows from a life led by the Spirit. [52:22]

"But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me." (2 Corinthians 12:9, ESV)

Reflection: What is one area of your life where you are relying on your own strength? How can you invite God to work through your weakness today?


Day 4: Freedom from the Law: Living in Joy and Victory

Being led by the Spirit frees us from the constraints of the law. This freedom allows us to live a life of joy and victory, not through our efforts but through the Spirit's work within us. The Christian life is about living in the freedom and joy that comes from the Spirit's presence. It's not about trying harder or making deeper commitments but about surrendering to God's power and allowing Him to live through us. As we embrace this truth, we experience victory over sin and a deeper, more fulfilling relationship with God. [57:33]

"For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death." (Romans 8:2, ESV)

Reflection: In what ways are you still living under the constraints of self-imposed rules? How can you embrace the freedom offered by the Spirit today?


Day 5: Fruit of the Spirit: Evidence of a Spirit-Led Life

The qualities of love, joy, peace, and others are not achieved through our efforts but are the natural result of a life led by the Spirit. As we walk in the Spirit, these fruits become evident in our lives, impacting those around us. This transformation is not about trying harder but about allowing the Spirit to work within us, producing these qualities naturally. As we surrender to the Spirit's guidance, we find ourselves living a life that reflects God's love and grace to those around us. [01:06:15]

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law." (Galatians 5:22-23, ESV)

Reflection: Which fruit of the Spirit do you feel is lacking in your life right now? How can you invite the Holy Spirit to cultivate this fruit in you today?

"Greg and Michelle are missionaries. I've known them for probably 25 years. And they've been doing this very same thing for over 25 years down in Chiapas, Mexico. And they're the real deal. They go down, I mean, they have completely surrendered their lives, obviously, if they've done it for 25 years." [00:44:32] (17 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


"What you and I needed was life. A new life, His life, so that we could live His life through us. I don't know about you, but that's good news. Is that good news to you? All right. Because most of us have, we've realized that if left up to us, if we go through life in our own strength, and in our own willpower to live the Christian life, I mean, it's just not going to happen, is it?" [00:49:16] (25 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


"Paul says, but I say walk by the spirit underline that would you walk by the spirit when you walk by the spirit you will not carry out the desire of the flesh you will not carry out the desire of the flesh walking by the spirit or you could say walking in the spirit you maybe you've heard that as well walking in the spirit walking by the spirit and that means this living your life with a moment by moment awareness of god's presence depending on the promptings and empowerment of the holy spirit." [00:50:39] (31 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


"God loves us no matter what we do. Certainly he wants us to walk with him and obey him and do the right thing, but he doesn't keep score aren't you glad aren't you glad but god says hey carl instead of doing that just learn to do this one thing live today like you know i'm with you and depend on my power not on your power to get through the day simply put i'm weak but you are strong." [00:54:24] (32 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


"His answer is not make a deeper commitment. Even though He wants us to be committed, so don't get me wrong there. The answer is to walk according to the Spirit. Or walk in the Spirit. Live with a moment -by -moment awareness that God is with you and depend on His power to say no to sinful desires." [00:55:42] (22 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


"When you and I are faced with temptation, it's always flesh against spirit. Always. It's always the devil's intentions against God's intentions. And when we look at temptation through the eyes of, I can't give in, I gotta be strong, I can't let God down, it can easily be a lose -lose situation." [00:56:18] (22 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


"Paul says when you walk by the Spirit, you're set free from the battle. Then when you hit the wall of temptation, there won't be a devil on one shoulder and an angel on the other asking you, or you're asking, which one should I choose? Because you don't have to be a devil. You don't have to make the choice." [00:57:33] (17 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


"The God of the universe, the Holy Spirit, the power of the Holy Spirit, the very same power that rose Jesus from the dead has just flowed through you. Amen. That's good stuff right there." [00:59:54] (15 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


"The fruit of the spirit isn't being right it's not being a good debater it's not getting into somebody's face and talking them in to accepting christ it's how do i love somebody that i disagree with now here's a thought maybe that's why some people don't want to hear about jesus because they've met christians over the years who instead of showing love to him they were hell -bent on convincing them about jesus and that's all they ever did that's all they ever did instead of loving him like christ loved us walking in the spirit is loving people that you disagree with even if they don't see things your way." [01:02:31] (41 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

**Greg and Michelle are missionaries.**

I've known them for probably 25 years, and they've been doing this very same thing for over 25 years down in Chiapas, Mexico. And they're the real deal. They go down; I mean, they have completely surrendered their lives, obviously, if they've done it for 25 years.

But it is amazing to see what God does through them and through these backpacks. You know, pastor, little churches are started. I think he said, I don't know, I don't know. He said 44, right? 44 new churches. And those churches are like 10, 15, 20 people, like what we would consider to be a small group. But they start churches in these remote places in the mountains of Chiapas. And it's just, it's absolutely incredible to go down there. Maybe one day we can go down there and check it out.

But they do this once a year. And it's, I mean, you saw the backpacks piled up, right? I mean, it's just, I'll say amazing one more time. It is amazing to see what God does through these backpacks.

So what we've said, what we've told Greg and Michelle that we're going to do is we're going to promote it to you guys. And instead of sending $10 out directly to them, what we'd like you to do is to write a check for $10 to CBC Northwest, and we will find out how many, and we'll tell you next week how many backpacks. I think we can do a hundred backpacks. What do you think? So we'll find out. It's the only way we can find out is if, if we, you know, you make the check to us. So we want to write one check to them.

So, you know, these cool little backpacks, what is this? What does this say? Christ loves me, right? So this is a Chips Ahoy. We got crayons in here. We got pencils. We've got a strawberry shortcake doll. And, you know, literally these dolls, especially these little kids walk around with a blanket and they pretend like that's their doll. They have absolutely nothing. And to see this, you know, that's just, that's the greatest thing in the world to them.

So ask God, you know, God, what do you want me to do? How many backpacks? If it's one, that's wonderful. If we all did one, we'd have over a hundred. So you search the Lord's heart on that. What He leads you to do, all right? All right, super deal.

Well, good morning, good morning. So glad to see you. I hope you had a good Thanksgiving, everybody. Yeah, yeah, welcome online. I hope you had a good Thanksgiving. I don't know about you, but I stuffed my face. I mean, I ate so much that I thought I was going to get sick.

Let me see, two pieces of key lime pie, about five bites of everybody else's pie, probably 10, what do you call those kind of cookies? Caleb cookies, but anyway, they're great cookies with chocolate in them and everything, and then two helpings of turkey dressing. And I mean, you guys know I don't eat that much these days, certainly not that much, but I stuffed my face, and I hope you got to stuff your face.

If you stuffed your face, turn to your neighbor and say, "I stuffed my face." I stuffed my face, my ever-loving, beautiful face. Now turn to your other neighbor, your second choice, and ask him, "Working your mouth out, yeah." That's a good one.

Hey, Jesus came to earth so that we could have life, real, real life, life to the fullest. And to do that, He not only gave His life for us, but He gave His life to us, and He did that by leaving the Holy Spirit on us, or in us, on earth when He came, and then when He left.

The Bible says that when you put your trust in Jesus, the Holy Spirit moves into your life, and the moment that that happens, He brings with Him the very life of Jesus Christ. Did you know that? Do you believe that? All right. And He did that because we don't need another set of rules, do we? No, we don't need another set of rules to explain how to obey the rules that we already have.

What you and I needed was life. A new life, His life, so that we could live His life through us. I don't know about you, but that's good news. Is that good news to you? All right. Because most of us have realized that if left up to us, if we go through life in our own strength, and in our own willpower to live the Christian life, I mean, it's just not going to happen, is it? I mean, we crash and burn.

We can do, or I can do pretty good for what? Three hours? Four hours? You know, I'll get some thought, I'll be driving and want to, you know, give somebody the deal on 1604, and then I lost it, you know? I can't depend on myself; I've got to depend on Christ. And you can relate to that because we've all tried to do it in our own strength.

For years, what I was supposed to do, I thought I knew what I was supposed to do, but I just couldn't find it in life. If you can relate to that, don't be discouraged, because the great Apostle Paul had the same problem. And he said this in Romans 7, and don't turn there, I'll just read it for you. Romans 7, 18, you can write that down. Paul said, "And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature." Or you could call that the flesh, okay?

"I want to do what is right, but I can't. I want to do what is right, but I can't." Is good, but I don't want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway. Does that sound familiar? Yeah, I don't want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway. So no matter how hard I tried, you know, to do what was right, he couldn't do it, and neither can we. I mean, at least not for, you know, a long period of time.

So now if you got your Bibles, turn to Galatians 5, and we'll be there the rest of the day. Galatians 5, verse 16. Paul is writing the letter to a group of Christians that are really just like us, just like us. They struggle with the same things you and I do. If you're there, say, "I'm there."

Paul says, "But I say, walk by the Spirit." Underline that, would you? "Walk by the Spirit." When you walk by the Spirit, you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. You will not carry out the desire of the flesh. Walking by the Spirit, or you could say walking in the Spirit—you maybe you've heard that as well—walking in the Spirit, walking by the Spirit.

And that means this: living your life with a moment-by-moment awareness of God's presence, depending on the promptings and empowerment of the Holy Spirit. Do you get that? Let me say that again: living your life with a moment-by-moment awareness of God's presence, depending on the promptings and empowerment of the Holy Spirit.

So that's living every single day, every single moment, knowing that Christ is with me. And I'm depending on Him to give me the promptings to do what is right and to do what He wants me to do. That is walking in the Spirit.

So Paul says, if you and I will practice the presence of the Holy Spirit. And what I mean by that is if you and I will go through each day with this attitude: "Lord, I know how you want me to live, but I can't do it on my own. So, because I know you're here with me, please live your life through me."

Have you ever tried to not do something? And then that's all you can think about. And so you usually end up doing it. Yeah, it's like me telling you, "OK, don't think about a purple elephant." OK, really, a purple elephant. Don't think about a purple elephant. Don't just don't think about a purple elephant. OK. OK, now, what are you thinking about right now? Purple elephant. Yeah.

But if you and I go through each day with that attitude, the Bible says we won't carry out our sinful desires. If you and I can say, "Lord, I know you're here. I choose to depend on you. I choose weakness instead of my own strength." And I know that if I do that, I won't carry out my sinful desires.

For years, I thought even the Christian life was to get up every day and focus on what I needed to do and what I didn't need to do, or rather what I should do and what I shouldn't do, and do my best not to sin. And then at the end of the day, I would kind of score myself and say, "Well, I did good in this area," or "I didn't do very good in that area."

And if I didn't do good in one area, I would try to do some good things to kind of balance that out with God. So if I did bad over here, then I'd say, "I'd go do something nice for somebody," or "I'd help somebody," or "I'd open the door for him." And it's like God's keeping score, you know, of what we do.

Well, that's not true. God loves us no matter what we do. Certainly, He wants us to walk with Him and obey Him and do the right thing, but He doesn't keep score. Aren't you glad? Aren't you glad? But God says, "Hey, Carl, instead of doing that, just learn to do this one thing: live today like you know I'm with you and depend on my power, not on your power to get through the day."

Simply put, I'm weak, but you are strong. I'm weak, but you are strong. I don't know if you remember that old hymn, and if you know it, help me. If Jason's in here, "I am weak, but you are strong."

Anybody else? It works. Now, how does it go? "Jesus, keep me near the cross."

Today, say, "I am." If you're a Christian today and sinful desires are winning the battle, God has an answer for you. And it's not try harder. His answer is not make a deeper commitment. Even though He wants us to be committed, so don't get me wrong there. The answer is to walk according to the Spirit, or walk in the Spirit.

Live with a moment-by-moment awareness that God is with you and depend on His power to say no to sinful desires. And Paul goes on in verse 17. "For the desire of the flesh is against the Spirit, and the Spirit is against the flesh. For these are in opposition to one another in order to keep you from doing whatever you want."

When you and I are faced with temptation, it's always flesh against spirit. Always. It's always the devil's intentions against God's intentions. And when we look at temptation through the eyes of, "I can't give in, I gotta be strong, I can't let God down," it can easily be a lose-lose situation.

Because when you want to do what's right, but instead you do what's wrong, you end up not doing what you wanted to do. And when you want to do what's wrong, but instead you do what's right, you still don't get to do what you wanted to do. So it's lose either way you go. Either way you lose.

But the good news is this: there's another way to face temptation. There's another way. Verse 18: "But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law." How many, you remember how many laws the Israelites had with Moses? What was it? 600 some odd. So this statement here is pretty big for Paul to say that. So no longer are they under those 600 some odd laws. And no longer are we.

But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Paul says when you walk by the Spirit, you're set free from the battle. Then when you hit the wall of temptation, there won't be a devil on one shoulder and an angel on the other asking you, or you're asking, "Which one should I choose?"

Because you don't have to be a devil. You don't have to make the choice. You can say, "I choose weakness. I choose dependence." Not that I'm weak, but I am weak. But I'm strong in Him. Amen.

And you say, "I don't have the strength to do what's right." Well, Carl, what are you anyway? This doesn't sound like Christianity to me. Well, I'm sorry, but it is. Because if we try to live our life and depend on ourselves to get through it and to live a good Christian life, it ain't going to happen.

Turn to your neighbor and say, "It ain't going to happen." I mean, and let's be honest. You know, sometimes we believe and have the desire to do what's right, do we? When you're walking in the Spirit and you hit that wall of temptation, your response is not, "Which one should I choose?" It's, "I choose weakness. I choose dependence. I choose mercy. I choose grace, and I choose Jesus."

I am weak, but He is strong. Say that with me: "I am weak, but He is strong." Now say it directly to Him: "You are, or excuse me, I am weak, but you are strong." How about let's turn it around: "You are strong, and I am weak."

When you and I choose dependence, the Holy Spirit will fill that gap, and we will experience victory. So when you are down here and right here is the thing that we want to do, and we say, "Holy Spirit, I can't do it on my own. Please come, please come, please come meet me."

Then you have gone all the way to here. And then He comes down and He fills that gap. And He says, "Okay, we'll do it together." Does that make sense? Great.

And He won't just give you victory. Did you know that? He'll give you joy in the victory. Not just trying to do what's right. I don't really want to, but He'll give you joy in the victory because you have just experienced the Holy Spirit working through you.

The God of the universe, the Holy Spirit, the power of the Holy Spirit, the very same power that rose Jesus from the dead has just flowed through you. Amen. That's good stuff right there.

In the next verses, Paul gives us two lists. And it's important to know with these two lists, they're not a list of do's and don'ts. They're more of a list of results after you walk in the Spirit.

Here's a picture first of walking in the flesh. That looks like this. And here's why this is important. Some of you who've been Christians, if you've been a Christian for more than 10 years, raise your hand. Oh, wow. Very good. Super saints. You guys are.

If you've been a Christian for more than 10 years, you may have the tendency to think, you know, that being right and being biblically correct and being able to convince others about Jesus is what it means to walk in the Spirit. But it's really not. It's really not.

When Jan and I have a disagreement, I hope that it's not, you know, in the near future. But it has been in the past. But whenever we do, my flesh would kick into, "Hey, I'm right and you're wrong mode." I'm right. You're wrong. And I think of all the reasons why I'm right and why she's wrong. Does anybody else get into that kind of discussion when you're married? Okay. Most of us.

And I wouldn't let up on her until she agreed with me. And if that didn't work, I would use my pastor card. "Hey, you know, I am your pastor." So you need to submit to me.

But the point is this: instead of listening to the Holy Spirit saying, or instead, we need to listen to the Holy Spirit saying, "Hey, Carl, your goal should be, don't try to convince her who's right. Your goal should be, how do I love someone that I disagree with?" Amen.

It doesn't matter who's right and who's wrong. You know, when you're on your deathbed and you're asking your family to come around, is it going to be important to you at that point that your uncle or your aunt hurt your feelings on Thanksgiving in 2024? No, absolutely not.

It doesn't matter who's right and who's wrong. Our goal should be how do we love somebody that we're disagreeing with? The fruit of the Spirit isn't being right; it's not being a good debater; it's not getting into somebody's face and talking them into accepting Christ. It's how do I love somebody that I disagree with?

Now here's a thought: maybe that's why some people don't want to hear about Jesus, because they've met Christians over the years who, instead of showing love to them, they were hell-bent on convincing them about Jesus, and that's all they ever did. That's all they ever did. Instead of loving them like Christ loved us, walking in the Spirit is loving people that you disagree with, even if they don't see things your way.

In John 13:35, it says this: "By this all people will know that you are my disciples if you have what? If you have love for one another."

All right, let's look at those two lists that Paul gives us. It's the flesh list first. Go back to Galatians 5, all right? Verse 19: "Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are..." And if any one of these describe you, just slip up your hand, okay?

Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are sexual immorality, impurity, indecent behavior, idolatry, witchcraft, hostility, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambitions, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness, carousing. And if that didn't catch them all, Paul throws in this: "and things like these."

Another translation would say, "It's not pretty, is it?" But you know the number one area of the flesh that is described in that that we all struggle with the most? What do you think? You think it's immorality? You think it's anger? You want to know what it is? Idolatry.

Well, Carl, what's idolatry? Idolatry is depending on things that you've created. Idolatry is putting your trust and confidence in things that you've created, like your job, your career, your 401k, your family, your children, your free time, your comfort—my, my, my, my, my. It's your focus on you; it's idolatry.

It's not necessarily bowing down to this weird-looking idol in Hawaii. Flesh says, "Hey, be aggressive, make things happen." Spirit says, "Wait on the Lord." Flesh says, "My way." Spirit says, "Your way." Flesh says, "Look out for number one." Spirit says, "Serve."

The flesh is always at war with the Spirit. And then Paul shifts gears. "But the fruit of the what? Fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control."

All right, they're the fruit of what? Fruit of the Spirit. Okay, now if you struggle with one of these areas, raise your hand. Maybe you'll be more apt to do it, okay? Let me read them one more time: the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

Man, you guys are super saints. Awesome. The source of all these qualities is the Holy Spirit. Amen? Not anything we work for or not anything we try harder to get. The source of all these qualities is the Spirit, not your circumstances, not your upbringing, not your discipline.

The source of all these things, the fruit of the Spirit, is Jesus Christ and the Spirit of God. Jesus in you results in you and I learning to walk in the Spirit. The world and the circumstances of the world can't beat your peace; it can't take your joy; it can't take your kindness; it can't take the love that you have for people because the root of all those things that I just said is the Holy Spirit. Amen?

If you're a Christian, say, "I am." And the reason this is so applicable is because when you accepted Christ as your Savior, you invited Him into your heart. So your heart has the Holy Spirit, and you can't beat your peace just because you do more Holy Spirit.

So you have all of these fruits of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control. Every single one of them. Jesus came to earth so that we could have life. Real life. Life to the fullest. And to do that, He not only gave His life to us, He gave His life through us.

And that's good news, isn't it? Verse 25: "If we live by the Spirit, let's follow the Spirit as well." Or you could say, "Let's walk in the Spirit as well." So what's our part in all this? What's our part? Walking in the Spirit, right? Walking in the Spirit.

It's not to promise God, "Oh God, I'll never do that again. You know, I'll show you more love next time, I promise. I'll be more patient next time." God says, "Look, when you started off by, if you're a Christian, say, 'I am.' When you started off as a Christian, you accepted the Holy Spirit into your life, right? So you depended on the Holy Spirit to save your life. So why in the world would we start depending on ourselves to get through life when we depended on the Holy Spirit to give us life?"

Doesn't make sense, does it? But yet I do it every day. If you're a Christian, say, "I am." You started out with, "Lord, I'm powerless to save myself from sin." That's just it right there. And I can't do it for myself.

I'm weak, but you are strong. I'm weak, but you are strong. That's the key to walking in the Spirit. Or maybe... Maybe you could say, "I can't, but you can." I can't, but you can. Amen?

Let's pray.

Father, we love you today. And Lord, we want so much to walk in the Spirit with you. Lord, help us to remember this, what walking in the Spirit is. That it's a daily reminder or a daily knowledge that you are with us, whether we feel it or not. That you're with us and we can depend on you to walk with us throughout the day.

And that you'll prompt us to do your will. Father, I pray for each one in here. That the fruit of the Spirit would just be all over their life. Lord, all these things, we've all messed up on them. But I pray that you would pick us up. And that you would give us the ability, that you give us the strength. And Lord, give us the wherewithal to depend on you.

Lord Jesus, we love you. In Jesus' name, Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.

I'm sorry. Backpacks. How would you like to hear about 13,000 more people accept Christ this year because of these? Wouldn't that be awesome? This time next year, we could say, "Okay. Thank you."

Well, because God used the ten dollars that I gave for that backpack to bring one child to Christ and maybe even his parents to Christ. So here's what we want you to do. Let me say it again. I want you to get out your checkbooks or cash and put it in the offering box. Just write out a check to CBC Northwest for ten dollars, twenty dollars. Or if you want to sponsor a thousand backpacks, I think that's what? Ten thousand dollars or a hundred. OK, that's silly. Anyway, we're not going to do that. Well, maybe, maybe.

Right. Have more. My faith is small, isn't it? But anyway, however many you can do, let's do it. All right? And then next week, we'll tell you how many backpacks we sponsor.

What's that? OK, that'd be great. If you give cash, find it. Well, actually, why don't we just say all the cash will go towards the backpacks? OK, well, that's a good idea. So if you have a bulletin, you have an offering envelope, right? Just put it, put the cash in there and write "backpack" on it.

OK, super, super deal. How many of you don't know that on January 1st, this congregation is going to be the Bridge Community Church? Yes. How many of you have not heard that before? A couple of you. Well, we are. We're changing our name. Isn't that exciting? We are.

I've been wanting to do that for a long time. But CBC, for you folks that haven't heard that and didn't want to raise your hand, the big CBC Community Bible Church on the other side of town has helped us with that cost. So we're going to get a new sign. We're switching everything over: bank account, I said the sign, all the graphics and everything.

January 1st, we're going to flip the switch, and our website will be the Bridge Community Church. I am so excited. Are you excited about that? I am, too. And I love that name. I love that name.

All right, so why don't you stand with me? Oh, my goodness. We've got a very important announcement next Friday. Everybody say, "Next Friday." Next Friday, December 13th, from seven to nine, we're going to celebrate the warmth of the holiday season. And we're going to have cookies and cocoa. Well, we're not going to—well, maybe we're going to have cookies and cocoa, maybe in this room, but definitely in the foyer.

All right. And we're going to show a movie. It's going to be a great movie. We're not going to show Elf, so don't worry, parents. We're going to show another good one. So we would love for you to come. It's just going to be a fun fellowship time. It's not going to cost you any money. So next Friday, the 13th, at seven o'clock. Make sure you're here, OK? The 13th. Is that what I said?

Oh, it's in two weeks. OK, good. Good. Sorry about that. All right. Women's conference. How many women in here? Raise your hand. All right. If you're a woman, there's a conference coming for you, and it's called Deeply Rooted to Floralism. You can regain your strength and courage to be the light of Jesus everywhere.

It's being held at CBC Central, and you can go online there. I'm sure it's in your bulletin, and you can register. I think that early registration might be over, but it's going to be an awesome, awesome event. Women's conference. Yes, ma'am.

So if you're happy and you know it, clap your hands. Why? If you love this church, clap your hands. Well, God bless you. We'll see you next week.