powerlessness apart from the spirit] recap of galatians...

1

Life Change from the Heart

“Powerlessness apart from the Spirit”

Romans 3:9-12, 7:15-25, 8:1-12

Kevin Haah and Manny Chavarria

October 2, 2016

[Slide 2: Powerlessness apart from the Spirit]

Recap of Galatians 5

Good morning, New City. Last week we started a new series called “Life Change from

the Heart”. Kevin kicked off the series by explaining that deep life change starts from the

heart and begins to happen as we live by the Spirit. He referenced Galatians 5:16-17, and

22-23 to demonstrate that as we live by the Spirit, we experience the fruit of the Spirit:

love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

In some way, shape, or form; this byproduct of a life by the Spirit is what we all of really

want. When we talk about the need for life change, it is usually in the context of a desire

to be filled by these essences to a greater extent.

John 15:5 – Being in the Vine

In John 15:5 Jesus says, I am the Vine, you are the branches. If you remain in me and I

in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.

As our maturity in the Vine deepens, our experience of the Spirit’s fruit deepens. The

overarching thesis of the series is that we need to shift our heart’s pursuit of fulfillment

from the things of the flesh, things like greed, lust, perfection, being recognized by

others, drugs, alcohol, self-righteousness, and so on. We need to shift our hearts pursuit

of fulfillment from these things to the Spirit. That when we pursue fulfillment by the

Spirit, the life transformation that we are really after, begins.

That’s fantastic! Now what the Heck does it mean?!?!

That’s fantastic! Now what the heck does it mean? For me, there were times I knew

something needed to change in my life. Recognizing this, Christian brothers and sisters

would reach out to me and say things like; you just need to “live by the Spirit”, “be in the

Vine”, “surrender”, or “give it over to God”. What the heck do those things mean? I

know these people meant well, but to me these expressions were too abstract, too

intangible. They were just the churchy things we’re supposed to say when a brother or

sister needs help. But practically speaking, what does it mean to live by the Spirit, or to

be in the Vine? I want some of that.

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Romans 3:9-12, 7:15-25, 8:1-12


October 2, 2016

Enter the 12-Step framework

As Kevin kicked us off last week he recognized that the 12-step recovery program

provides us with a practical framework to help answer these very questions. He

explained that the 12 steps themselves were nothing more than a practical demonstration

of the things one does when she lives by the Spirit. They’re a practical application of

what it means to work out the gospel. At that point he turned it over to me to walk us

through the Biblical origins and inspiration of the 12 step program. I also discussed the

three principal elements which comprise such a program—sponsorship, daily

suggestions, and the 12-step framework.

This is not a sermon series for “them”

One of my goals was to communicate that this is not a sermon series for “them”, that the

reality of the 12-step framework is that it is a practical tool of which we should all take

advantage. The fact that it is relied upon as a life-saving tool within the recovery

community merely demonstrates the power of the Spirit. It demonstrates

That after knowing nothing but loneliness and rejection, the deepest Fatherly love awaits

That even in the most difficult and traumatic conditions, joy will abound

That even amidst the most furious war of evil and persecution, you can be cloaked in the serenities of

peace, kindness, and goodness

That while unemployed in a downtrodden economy, the calmness of patience and security of

faithfulness can persist

That under the heaviest of pressures, the delicacy of gentleness can prevail, and

That amidst the fiercest firestorm of temptation, the security of self-control can be imposed

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Romans 3:9-12, 7:15-25, 8:1-12


October 2, 2016

Back to the flowchart

And then it happened. I introduced you to the goodness of flow charts and process maps.

I presented you with a flow chart illustrating the process of reverse engineering the term

recovery back into its Bible origins. This process was based upon the fact that the

ultimate objective of the 12-step program is a spiritual experience, as well as the fact that

the 12-steps are based upon the Bible. Our goal is to reverse engineer the 12 step

framework so that we can pursue and encounter the Spirit, much in the same way it was

pursued and experienced by the pioneering members of AA.

Well, last week you seemed to thoroughly enjoy the flow chart, so, because I love you

guys, we’ll go ahead and bring it back… As well as the laser pointer

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Romans 3:9-12, 7:15-25, 8:1-12


October 2, 2016

[Slide 3: the flow chart]

5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. –John 15:5

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. –Galatians 5:22-23

9 I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture.

10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that

they may have life, and have it to the full.—John 10:9-10

9 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.—Romans 10:9

Spiritual awakening

Living by the Spirit

Being in the Vine

Entering by the Gate

Being savedWhat is

recovery?

What are the basic

elements?

Confess that Jesus is Lord

Believe with your heart

What are the implications? What do they

mean?

AA terms for recovery

Fruit of the Spirit

Bearing much fruit

Life to the full

Biblical equivalents to AA terms for recovery

Steps 2 – 12

Start of the Biblical foundation for recovery

Resulting from?

Resulting from?

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Romans 3:9-12, 7:15-25, 8:1-12


October 2, 2016

Introducing Powerlessness to the flow

Today, we’re going to actually look to the left of the first question in our flow chart.

We’re going to consider a reality which leads us to need transforming fulfillment from

the Spirit. What I’m referring to is the reality of Powerlessness.

To help us examine this reality we’ll be focusing on a few segments of Paul’s letter to

the Romans. In Texas speak, you might say this particular letter is a bit of a doozy.

Because of this, we’re only going to say a little about the context of the letter before

moving on to the passages of interest.

Overview of Romans

The letter is written by the Apostle Paul to “all in Rome who are loved by God and called

to be His holy people.” Within the first half of the letter, Paul devotes a significant

amount of time to demonstrating that righteousness is a matter of faith in Christ as

opposed to devotion to the Law. In building this case, he points out that this is true for

both Jews and Gentiles alike, because all are under the power of sin. This is actually the

launching point for our sermon today. To emphasize his point about all being subject to

the power of sin, Paul uses the language of the Old Testament. In chapter 3, verses 9

through 12 he says

[Slide 4: No One is Righteous]

Romans 3:9b-12 (no one is righteous)

9b For we have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under the

power of sin. 10

As it is written:

“There is no one righteous, not even one; 11

there is no one who understands; there is no

one who seeks God. 12

All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there

is no one who does good, not even one.”

Is this really true? C’mon. No one is good? Not even one? Is anyone of you good? Or

are we really all under the power of sin?

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Romans 3:9-12, 7:15-25, 8:1-12


October 2, 2016

So just what does it mean to be under the power of sin? Paul elaborates on this, making

an example of himself in chapter 7. FYI In very academic theological circles, this

passage is sometimes referred to as the dooby dooby do of Romans.

[Slides 5-6: Dooby Dooby Doooooo]

Romans 7:15-25 (dooby dooby doo)

15 I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I

do. 16

And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. 17

As it is, it is no

longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. 18

For I know that good itself does not

dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I

cannot carry it out. 19

For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to

do—this I keep on doing. 20

Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do

it, but it is sin living in me that does it. 21

So I find this law at work: Although I want to

do good, evil is right there with me. 22

For in my inner being I delight in God’s law;23

but

I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me

a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. 24

What a wretched man I am! Who will

rescue me from this body that is subject to death? 25

Thanks be to God, who delivers me

through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but

in my sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.

Powerlessness

Within this passage Paul describes his inability to do the very things that he means to do

in his heart of hearts. Instead, he does the exact opposite. Even though he has the desire

to do what is good, for some reason he cannot carry it out. And it’s not just that he can’t

carry out what he really wants to do. No! Against his desire, he does the exact opposite;

he does the evil that he doesn’t want to do. And this keeps happening again and again!

On his own, he has no power over the matter. He is powerless to sin.

Has anybody in here ever this type of experience?

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October 2, 2016

In a separate context, Jesus echoes this reality of powerlessness to sin in John 8:34

34Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin.”

Earlier in chapter 3, we read that no one is good? A little later in the same chapter, in

verse 23, Paul says that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

So does this enslavement really apply to all? Is this a sermon series for only alcoholics

and addicts?

Two laws at conflict

Paul attributes this enslavement to a conflict between two laws at work within him. One

law, is the law of his mind’s desire to delight in God’s law. But there is this other law at

work within him too. It wages a war against his mind’s desire to do what is right. This

other law makes him a prisoner to the power of sin.

This description of powerlessness to sin is the very reason we need a solution.

Present tense perspective

It is interesting that many Christians in the addiction community proclaim that the law of

powerlessness in them was essentially annihilated, the moment they gave their lives to

Jesus. What makes this interesting is the observation that Paul writes about his own battle

with powerlessness, in the present tense. One might conclude that Paul believes after

surrendering to Christ, we don’t get zapped into perfection, which is what would happen

if the law of sin were annihilated within us.

As an addict or alcoholic, this should raise an eyebrow. If Paul (you know the guy who

wrote most of the New Testament) still grappled with powerlessness after devoting

himself to the Lord, is there any hope?

The wretchedness of Powerlessness

In verse 24, Paul dramatically raises his own eyebrow when he says. What a wretched

man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death?

The solution

Immediately following this, in verse 25, he reveals the solution in Christ. Thanks be to

God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!

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Romans 3:9-12, 7:15-25, 8:1-12


October 2, 2016

Re-iterating the reality of powerlessness, even after Christ

Immediately after this, Paul again seems to describe powerlessness as something that still

needs to be addressed, even after one devotes herself to Christ. Immediately after

praising God for delivering us through Jesus Christ, goes write back to his battle with

powerlessness. Verse 25 continues,

…so then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful nature a slave to

the law of sin.

Living the solution vs. adding fuel to the problem

After this Paul wastes no time in getting back to the solution, one that is made possible by

Christ and which is enacted when we live by the Spirit.

[Slide 7: The Solution comes THROUGH Christ]

Romans 8:1-4

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2

because

through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of

sin and death.3

For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the

flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin

offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh,4

in order that the righteous requirement of

the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to

the Spirit.

Let’s pause here for a moment. It is really important that we recognize that Paul is

describing how this solution is only possible because of God’s Grace. That apart from

this Act of Grace, there is nothing we could do to be freed from the power of sin.

Enacting a life according to the Spirit wouldn’t even be possible without this Act. It is

only through Christ Jesus that the Spirit can set us free from the laws of sin and death.

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Romans 3:9-12, 7:15-25, 8:1-12


October 2, 2016

Substitutionary Atonement

The basic idea is that God came to us in the flesh—you know, the Incarnation we

celebrate at Christmas. In doing so, Paul says He came in the likeness of sinful flesh.

And Hebrews 4:15 says

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we

have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are….

He did this so He could conquer the law of sin through a life without sin, something that

we are incapable of doing, as we saw in Romans 3. Then, He subjected Himself to the

physical reaction which comes because of sin. He subjected himself to death, even

though He conquered the very thing which causes it. He did that, so He could conquer

death through His Resurrection—you know “Easters”.

He did all of this, so that we could have a choice through what He did. We can either

face the inevitable physical consequences that come by sin, or we can accept His death

and resurrection, as a substitution. When we do so, this opens the gate for the work and

power of His Spirit.

It is only after we accept this act of Graceful Substitution that we can begin to talk about

living out the solution to this issue of powerlessness. By the way, Kevin will be talking a

lot more about this foundation in the next two sermons.

Now, then, about this activity that is living in the Solution….

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October 2, 2016

[Slides 8 – 9: Actively living by the Spirit vs. Actively living by the flesh]

Romans 8:5-6, 10-13

5 Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but

those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit

desires. 6

The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is

life and peace.

10 But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin,

the Spirit gives life because of righteousness. 11

And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus

from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to

your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.

12 Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live

according to it. 13

For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit

you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.

This passage contrasts two activities of active engagement. These activities are the active

demonstrations describing the way we live and the foundation s upon which we live

them. On the one hand there is the life that is lived in accordance with the Spirit. On the

other hand there is the life that is lived in accordance with the flesh. When we do this

thing called living by the Spirit, we are able to put to death the misdeeds of the body.

This implies that when we are not actively living by the Spirit, we are still at risk to the

powerlessness of the flesh. And because no one can live their lives in constant and

perfect accordance with the Spirit, it should be clear that powerlessness will always be a

reality. The risk of powerlessness will always be lurking behind our doubts and

weaknesses, waiting for us to step away from the Spirit.

So what the heck does it mean to live in accordance with the Spirit? This is what we’ll

be talking about for the remainder of the series.

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October 2, 2016

Isn’t this about the steps

Wait a minute! Isn’t this supposed to be a sermon about the steps? What do the steps

have to do with this business of powerlessness? Well, it turns out the recognition of this

powerlessness, as well as a little thing called unmanageability, is the entire point of the

first step. The first step reads,

[Slide 10: Step 1]

Step 1: We admitted we were powerless over alcohol—that our lives had become

unmanageable

So rather than focus on the entirety of sin, the first step focuses on powerlessness to

alcohol. The idea that Paul expresses about not being able to do the thing he wants to do,

and instead doing the very thing he doesn’t want to do; is at the heart of this step. The

work associated with this step is really simple and strait forward. I’ll walk you through it

and share with you an example from my own experience. I’ll also explain how you can

apply this exercise in your own life.

Give people a chance to leave

Now, if anybody has ever hinted that you might be powerless to something such as

alcohol, and it made you uncomfortable, you might want to go to the restroom while

explain the simplicity of the exercise. It’s okay, I’m going to turn around and point to the

projection behind me for a while so you don’t have to worry about me judging you while

you leave, ‘cause I will judge you, you know.

Traditional requirements for alcoholism

Now, about the exercises…. The work for the first step consists of making two really

simple lists. As I share with you about these lists, notice that the emphases of these lists

are powerlessness and unmanageability. They speak nothing of quantity consumed or

frequency of consumption. This is contrary to what most people tend to think are the

requirements for alcoholism.

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October 2, 2016

First step list

For the first list, I was to describe 5 times that I drank, when the occasion clearly called

for sobriety. These were occasions that common sense clearly informed me that I

shouldn’t do it, or else some sort of consequence would ensue. These were times that in

my mind I knew I shouldn’t do it, but the law of sin waged war against the law of my

mind’s desire to do right, and won.

Severity doesn’t matter—conversation with wife again

Now keep in mind, the severity of the consequences has nothing at all to do with this. It

might have been as simple as avoiding drinking because when you got home, if your wife

smelled it on you, you were going to have to have that annoying conversation again.

Severity doesn’t matter—study for an exam

It could have been that you clearly needed to be sober to study for an exam, or else you

would do poorly.

Severity doesn’t matter—probation

It could have been that you needed to stay sober because you were on probation, and if

you got caught you would have to face the consequences.

For the exercise, I simply needed to describe the event, explain why I should have

abstained, describe the consequences that ensued, and explain why I did it. I had to do

this five times.

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October 2, 2016

First step list example

In my case this was a pretty easy exercise. I had many many many many scenarios to

choose from. However, the example I like to share from my first step list is a really

simple one which didn’t result in any dramatic consequences.

There was this one particular Thanksgiving dinner I spent with my parents. On this

particular day, my sisters and their families would be coming over to my parents’ house

for dinner at around four in the afternoon. I was in town for the holiday and decided to

visit a friend about four hours before the meal.

On the way to my friend's place, I remember thinking that four hours should be plenty of

time to at least drink a 40. I knew I needed to be careful, though, as my family was super

uptight about alcohol. I knew it would be totally unacceptable to come home smelling of

alcohol and I had every intention of sticking to my plan. If they were to suspect

anything, I knew they would give me the look and say. There goes that Manny, again.

He’s so of the world. Mmm mmm mmm!

Unfortunately, my plan went out the window as soon as I got to my friend's place.

During the four hour period I put down two 40's, went to the bar for shots, and burned

one just before walking home. I only weighed about 135 lbs, so I was smashed. In my

brilliant mind, I justified everything by thinking the mile-long walk home would sober

me up and clear out any odors. The last thing I remember is my brother-in-law (sitting

across from me during the meal) simply looking at me and nodding his head in

disappointment.

So that was a simple example. What was I thinking? I knew I should not have drank at

all, and in my heart of hearts, I didn’t want to be the disappointment of the family again;

yet I still did it!

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October 2, 2016

What the exercise looks like for the non-addict and non-alcoholic

So what might this exercise look like for the non-alcoholic and non-addict? It looks the

exact same. The only difference is the form of self-indulgence. If you do not indulge

yourself through drugs or alcohol, what is it? Do you indulge yourself through pride?

Anger? Self-righteousness—Mmm mmm mmm? Food? Pursuing power or prestige?

Sex? Co-dependency?

When I did this exercise with my sponsor, he explained it similar to the way I explained it

to you. When I finished my list, though, there was a little bit of back and forth before I

finally had written what he was looking for. What I decided to do, as a result, was

simplify things for the people I sponsor. For them, I give them this sheet and tell them to

make 5 copies.

[Slide 11] List 1

List 1: Five times you indulged when you knew the occasion

clearly called for abstinence.

(Create 4 additional copies of this page to complete the exercise.)

a) A time I indulged when knowing that the occasion clearly called

for abstinence was the time (Be specific about the occasion—

when, where, event.)__________________________________.

b) I knew I should not have because (What was the reason that you

should not have indulged?) _____________________________.

c) As a result, the consequences that followed were (What

happened as a result of your decision to indulge?)

___________________________________________________.

d) Even though I knew I should not have, I indulged because (How

did you justify your decision to indulge?)

_____________________________________________________.

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October 2, 2016

Non-addict examples of powerlessness—work, anger, lust, etc.

When you get to the part about the consequences, give some thought to it. Should you

have come home from work, knowing that you could pick up where you left off the next

day, but instead chose to put in that extra two hours. Did your family miss out on having

a mom again because she’s addicted to her career?

Was it your outburst of anger? Did you alienate you kids? Was it your constant judging

of others? Is it looking when you shouldn’t? The task is to recognize your own

powerlessness?

The second list

The second list of the first step exercise was really similar to the first one. For this one, I

was to list five times I went in with a drinking plan, but ended up deviating. I said was

only going to have a few, but ended up closing the bar down. I swore it would never be

like that again, but there I was again.

In creating this list, I was to describe the occasion and original plan, explain what

resulted instead of the plan, and describe the consequences. For me this list was even

easier than the first, and the first one was easy. I always had a plan, and I never stuck to

it. I couldn’t, I was powerless.

Just as I did for the first list, I created a template based on what I recognized my sponsor

was trying to get out of me.

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October 2, 2016

List 2: Five times you indulged beyond what you had planned or in a

way you had intended never to do again

(Create 4 additional copies of this page to complete the exercise.)

a) A time I indulged more than I had planned or in a way in I had intended

never to do again was the time (Be specific about the occasion, i.e. when,

where, event) _______________________________________________.

b) Originally I intended to (How much did you originally intend to indulge?

What was the intended plan?) __________________________________.

c) My intentions were limited to this plan because (Why was there a limit to

your plan in the first place?) ___________________________________.

d) Instead I exceeded my plan by (To what extent- or by what amount- did

you exceed your plan?) _______________________________________.

e) As a result of indulging to this extent, the consequences were (What

happened because you exceeded the original plan?)_________________.

f) My reason for indulging beyond the original plan was (At the very

moment you decided to exceed your plan, how did you justify the

excess?)___________________________________________________.

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October 2, 2016

Unmanageability

So then, I haven’t really said anything about this business of unmanageability. The

unmanageability portion of this step is described by the consequences that result from

powerlessness. Just as it’s tempting to use quantity of consumption and frequency

as the defining criteria for alcoholism, it’s tempting to use the severity of consequences

as the criteria for being alcoholic. I was guilty of this.

Before I knew anything of powerlessness, I thought the word alcoholic only applied to

people who were in what I perceived to be very dire circumstances.

In fact, when I first started going to AA meetings in Detroit, I started to feel a little good

about myself. These meetings were in tough parts of the city. The things people shared

about at these meetings seemed to always be about losing families, becoming

unemployable, going to prison, or facing homelessness. Sure, I had a bad habit of getting

arrested, and sure I’d had some problems with school, work, and relationships; but

nothing like these guys. And then it happened.

Shut up

At one particular meeting, I was stupid enough to voice my opinion about this. One

person’s immediate response was to give me the look and stand up. Another person

calmed him down and told me to shut up and listen.

He said, “Look. You may not be able to relate to everything we’ve been through. But

we can all relate to everything you’ve been through, kid.” And so I learned that the

unmanageability of alcoholism was like a timeline of consequences.

The beginning of the timeline

At the beginning of the timeline the consequences are on the lighter side. They’re things

like laughable trouble at school or work, little disagreements or arguments here and there,

and maybe some embarrassment.

Then things get a little more serious

But then they start to get a little more serious. They become things like failing a class,

blowing a job opportunity, getting arrested, losing a girlfriend, maybe getting in some

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October 2, 2016

fender benders. Then as more time passes, if left unchecked, things start to get real

serious.

The end of the timeline

At the end of the timeline you’ll find death, institutionalization, or insanity. There’s no

specific formula or specific sequence of events, and for some, the more serious events

come more quickly than for others.

The point

The point is that they start off insignificant at the beginning and get worse and worse over

time. And for all addictions, the end of the timeline holds death, insanity, or

institutionalization. If the point comes that you have entirely given your heart over to a

particular vehicle of self-indulgence, the end is the same. A great movie which

demonstrates this in the non-addiction sense is the movie birdman. But it’s rated R so

I’ve never seen it.

Back to the meeting—recognizing my blindness

At the meeting that I had been attending, the one where I was told to shut up, I had

already shared about a lot of stuff in the second category, the stuff at the beginning was

already a given. And though I hadn’t reached all of the really serious stuff that those

other people had reached, all of the people sitting with me had already been through my

portion of the timeline. They simply recognized my blindness. God bless them for

caring.

So if for some reason people are questioning whether you have a similar problem,

consider the lists we talked about and consider the timeline. Where are you? When will

it be enough?

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October 2, 2016

The Solution

24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to

death?

25 Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!

So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful nature a slave to

the law of sin.

But there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2

because through

Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and

death.3

After getting my sponsor, something I talked about in the previous sermon, I learned that

I needed to surrender to God, and that I needed to begin living my life according to

something different, according to the Spirit.

12 Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live

according to it. 13

For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit

you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.

Before going through all of this step work, I reached a point of self-loathing, a point

where death seemed the better option. Having gone through this discipleship, I can tell

that putting to death the misdeeds of the body is pretty amazing, yet it pales in

comparison to being filled by the fruit of the Spirit.

20



Romans 3:9-12, 7:15-25, 8:1-12


October 2, 2016

Ever-deepening fruit of the Spirit

One of the amazing things about the fruit of the Spirit is the reality that it truly is ever-

deepening. Though love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

gentleness, and self-control can be experienced through non-spiritual means; when they

are experienced apart from the spirit, their experience has an upper limit. When they are

experienced as the byproduct of a life by the Spirit their experience has no limit.

Example of love

I think the best example of this is seen in the example of the love one experiences

through romance, at first it is so inspirational it results in things like cheesy poetry and

songs. Eventually though, that inspirational effect begins to lessen. Though the love

may continue to mature, its ability to inspire wonder and bad poetry tapers off. Love

experienced by the Spirit, on the other hand, never loses its ability to inspire. After 15

years of going deeper and deeper into the Vine, it’s still easy to get absolutely lost in

wonderment while worshipping in praise—and this is in spite of the fact that my singing

voice makes the people in front of me cringe.

So for the rest of this series we’ll be talking about this idea of living according to the

Spirit.

powerlessness apart from the spirit] recap of galatians...

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