Impact, Part 3- A Life Prepared for Impact
We are in a series of messages called, “Impact: It Is What You Were Created For” The first week we dealt with the issue purpose and what our purpose is as followers. We concluded that our mission was the same as Jesus’, “to seek and to save the lost.” Jesus transferred this mission to us in the great commission: Go and make disciples of all nations. Last week we talked about spiritual gifts and trying to discover what gift(s) Go had given to us as a church.
We discussed how the Body of Christ (the church) has been uniquely designed by God to be unified, equipped, and serve with a variety of spiritual gifts. I asked you to write down the gifts of the Spirit you each felt like you had or would like to have and turn those in. We created a chart with all of the information on it, except your names. I am very excited about the potential of this chart. It recognizes our desire to be used by God. Think of the potential represented by theses gifts. It is wonderful news.
When I look at my own life I see some areas of deficiency. I see many areas in which I do not meet the mark. I do not love as I should love. I am impatient and proud. I too struggle with issues of sin. (I hate to disappoint you, but it is true.) I too often do what my fleshly desires tell me to do rather than listening to the voice of the Spirit.
The Bible says we are all sinners. The Bible says if we say we have no sin we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. We all struggle with this problem of sin. Our flesh, our earthly desires, want to dominate our spiritual desire to serve God. It is a constant battle each of us face. Do we discipline ourselves or do we give in and follow the desires of the enemy. His mission is to destroy the work of God in us. He tempts us to sin and render our witness ineffective. We know the good we should be doing but it seems we cannot prevent ourselves from defeating ourselves.
The Scriptures talk about this. In Paul’s letter to the Galatians he lists what the acts of the sinful nature are
Galatians 6:19-21
19 The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
I am not going to spend a long time talking about each of these proving that these are not beneficial to the Kingdom. It is obvious that these acts of the sinful nature have no place in the believer’s life. Last week we talked about the gifts of the Spirit. Today we want to talk about the fruits of the Spirit.
Galatians 5:22-23
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
All of these things are good and admirable. As the Scriptures so clearly state, “Against such things there is law.” Who can complain about love? Joy? Peace? Patience? Kindness? Goodness? Faithfulness? Gentleness? Self-control?
This lift of fruits could also describe what Jesus is. We could say that because Jesus is loving we are loving. He is peaceful, we are peaceful, etc.
These fruits are the attributes God lives. Also, “fruit” in this passage is a singular noun. This indicates they are to be lived as a whole unit. One cannot pick and choose which one to live. We should live by all of them. The fruit of the Spirit links Jesus personality with our personality. The more I become like Jesus, the more fruit of the Spirit is in my life.
But the question is, how do we quit doing the acts of the sinful nature and start exhibiting the fruits of the Spirit?
Galatians 5:16, 24-25
16 So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.
Live by the Spirit. That is the key to not gratifying the flesh’s desires. The Spirit desires good things for you and your life and testimony. If we will follow his voice and obey we will not gratify the desires of the flesh. The fruit of the Spirit are developed over time. You don’t plant a seed and expect to immediately produce fruit.
Verse 24 here talks about crucifying the sinful nature with its passions and desires. The word “crucified” refers to a single crisis experience in the past. For the believer, the crucifixion with Christ represents the definitive break with the flesh. This idea was introduced earlier in the book of Galatians.
Galatians 2:20
I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
Paul says that our old life has already been crucified with Christ. We no longer live, but Christ lives in us. As people of the Spirit, we need to make a clean break from sin, the world, and the flesh. But in what sense have we been crucified? How does this crucifixion take place? What is our role in this crucifixion?
Our crucifixion is always related to the cross of Christ. We have not crucified ourselves, but we have been crucified in Christ. By faith we are able to participate in the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. Christ’s experiences have become our experiences.
The Ephesians were told to put off the old self and put on the new self. The Romans are exhorted to stop offering the members of their body as instruments of unrighteousness. They must not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit. The object here is to live in holiness as a way of life; to live according to the Spirit.
What does all of this have to do with IMPACT? We said you were created for impact, gifted for impact, and now we are saying you need to be ready for impact. If your life does not reflect the character and attributes of Jesus, our impact will be rather small.
The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch. Sometimes we really do not act very much like Christ. When people see us today, what do they see? We must continually put to death the desires of the flesh because Jesus has already given us the victory in these areas.
There is a way of escape from every temptation. We can exhibit the fruit of the Spirit in our lives. The sinful desires of the body must be crucified with Christ.
What would it be like if you refused to give in to temptation? What would it be like if you were patient, if you were gentle? What would it be like in your family if you showed more goodness and kindness? Imagine the difference we could make in our work place by having and exhibiting joy.
What if we would all better reflect Jesus? What if we all lived according to the Spirit? What if we all had more of the fruit of the Spirit in our everyday lives?
REFLECTION TIME
How does having the fruit of the Spirit in our lives help us impact our lives?
