Open to Bibles if you would.
To Galatians chapter five, we're gonna continue our study. Today
we'll be looking at the last of the nine fruit of the spirit.
The nine things which comprise what's called the fruit of the
spirit. Singular because it's all the same in the sense of
like a cluster of grapes. On a vine, they're all grapes. So the fruit of the Spirit comes
from the Holy Spirit of God. All these things that are mentioned,
we try to do. in our lives, like we love our
families, we love, but this love that God puts in our hearts is
a different love. It's a love for Christ, it's a love for the
gospel, the joy, you know, people can be joyful who aren't saved,
but this joy is the joy of the Lord, which Zay and I said, the
joy of the Lord is our strength, and the peace, it's the peace
that passes all understand, that keeps our hearts and minds in
Christ Jesus. So all these, all these fruit
here, This is worked in as long-suffering, where now we're long-suffering
with people and with also just waiting for whatever the Lord
will do in this world while we're here. And then gentleness. We've been taken from heaven
being rebels in our minds, right, and in our hearts. Enemies with
God in our hearts and minds to now being gentle spirits, right? Now, do we still get angry and
mad? Yeah, all of us do. But see, the Holy Spirit's conforming
us to the image of Christ. All these things, Christ had
them all in abundance. He's the God-man. He's the sinless
one. And don't forget, we're being conformed to the image
of Christ, right? And then we see gentleness, goodness,
faith. Faith, we know, is a gift from
God. faith is a gift from God. Then meekness, which we looked
at last week. And that meekness is just being content with whatever
God has come to pass in our lives, right? And just resting and trusting
on Christ and Him alone. That's what we do now as believers.
Now we say, well, we know who's in control. The only way we can
say that is from God. I'll tell you, I talk to religious
folks all the time, and they're so tied up in knots about what's
going on in the world, and I'm like, well, God's in control.
And actually, one of my friends, Norm, talked to him. And he still
repeats what Norm said to him. We were over there talking at
McDonald's, and my one buddy, Gary, he was the only one left,
and Norm and I were sitting there, and Norm said, well, you know,
nothing catches God by surprise. And he's still thinking on that.
So even just a little thing like that, you can say to people,
nothing catches God by surprise. And they will think upon that,
I'll tell you what, oh my. And then today we're gonna look
at temperance. And then the scripture says,
against such there's no law. Let's read verses 22 to 26 here. It says, but the fruit of the
Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
meekness, temperance, against such there is no law. And they
that are Christ have crucified the flesh with the affections
and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the
Spirit. Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one
another, envying one another. So I looked up the English definition
for temperance, and it's moderation or self-restraint in action,
statement, in action or statement. So even having self-control when
you're talking to someone, and maybe they're getting angry,
and you're just being under self-control. What's the hardest thing for
us to control? What does James say? The hardest thing out of
our whole body to control. Yeah, that's right, sister. That
little member inside our mouth, right? So this is exercising
restraint and self-control, right? Whether it be in action or statement,
self-control, habitual moderation, and the indulgence of a natural
appetite or passion. We know that all things are lawful
for us, but some things aren't expedient for us, right? And even a good thing can become
a bad thing if it's indulged in too much. The Greek definition for this
word here is very similar, temperate, self-controlled, continuance,
temperance, self-control. It also has to do, as I looked
at the underlying, other underlying sections of this Greek word,
it actually has to do with content, just being content. Being content
where God's got you, just being content with what you have. See, the world wants more and
more and more and more, right? The believer's content with what
God gives us. We're happy. We're thankful. Whatever it may be, whether we
be rich or poor, no matter what our standing is in life, we become
content. Isn't that amazing? I'll tell
you what, I was discontent before the Lord saved me, were you?
I was, you know who the Joneses were for me? You never heard
of keeping up with the Joneses? You know who the Joneses were
for me? My two brothers. Who both had their own businesses
and then I had my own business. I just wanted to be just like
them. I wanted to keep up with them.
My oldest brother collected wildlife art. I started collecting wildlife
art. Look what I got. I got this fella. It was awful,
though. And I realized there was no peace
in that. It was just all about me. You
see, these things here are not natural to us. What's natural to us, we're going
to close with. And then we're going to look
at what the Lord's doing in us. What's natural in us is wrath,
envy, strife. Those things are natural to us. But this, beloved, this last
fruit of the Spirit is being worked in us by God and all the
other fruits too. God's working them in us. All
because we're his born-again blood-washed children. All because of that. Because
God chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world.
We're a love gift to the Son from the Father. You ever think
of that? You ever think of yourself as
a love gift from God the Father to the Son? That's what we are. In love He gave us. In love He
chose us in Christ. In love He sent His Son into
this world to be born and to live a perfect life that we never
could. You talk about temperance, you
talk about self-control. Think of all them Pharisees coming
at Him. Think of all those people that hated him in that he never sinned. He's God. He's fully God and
fully man in the same person. The divine nature is within him.
In him, all the fullness of the Godhead dwelt bodily. We can't wrap our minds around
that, can we? And yet he's fully submissive to the Father's will.
He says, not my will, Father, but thy will be done in the garden.
And he goes to the cross and dies between two thieves to redeem
his people from their sins. And he does it perfectly. His
sacrifice is a perfect sacrifice offered up to God for us. We
who have sinned, we who have broken God's law. And he says,
it's finished. And then God the Father raises
him from the dead three days later. He's raised for our justification. You know where our King is right
now? He's seated at the right hand
of the Father right now. And we're on his mind. Did you ever
think of that? How do we know we're on his mind?
Scripture says he's interceding for us. Every one of us who are
believers. Isn't that amazing? To know that
you're on the mind of Christ as He sits in glory. Oh my. We were on His mind at
Calvary, weren't we? When He bled and died for us.
He's redeeming His bride. And now He's in heaven interceding
for us. What a glorious and great God.
To Him be all the glory, honor, and praise. Let's listen to verses
22 and 23 now. I'm going to read this in the
Greek literal Bible. You can follow along in our Bible,
but listen to this in the Greek literal Bible. But the fruit
of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience. So they change long-suffering
to patience in the Greek. Kindness, which is gentleness,
goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Self-control. So meekness is
also being gentle with those around us. Self-control, though,
temperance is translated in the Greek literal
Bible. And all that is is a Bible they've
taken. I use it all the time. They've just taken and they just
give you the literal reading of the text that underlies our
Bible in the Greek. And it says, against such there
is no law. So let's see there. The fruit of the spirit, the
last fruit we're going to look at, the fruit of the spirit is
temperance. Now temperance is self-control
or continuance or control from within. You remember before we
were saved, we may have thought we had a control, but you know,
we were ruled by our appetites. Whatever we wanted, we did. Right? It didn't matter what
it was. We wanted it. Or we would try
to do it. One way or another. But now, now we know what sin is. Now
we desire moderation in our lives. Right? I won't get into my past, but
there was times when I had my friends take me home because
I couldn't walk. I don't want that anymore. It was so empty. It was so empty, beloved. There
was nothing there except loneliness at the bottom of a bottle. But you know, God changes us,
doesn't he? We're not the same people we
were at one time. Now we're new creatures in Christ. And now, only by, now notice
this too, only by God the Holy Spirit can we practice moderation
and self-control. Isn't that amazing? Now, man can be very regimented. We can become very regimented.
We can control certain things in our life, but we can't control
this little thing here, can we? See, this moderation here is
in action and in speech. This self-control is in action
and in speech. We have a dear brother. who knows
how to control his tongue. Because I've talked to him, and
he's talked with people, and sometimes he says, I just have
to say, I'm not going to say a word. And I admire that. I admire that. Sometimes I say
things, I went, oh, why did I just say that? You know what I'm learning? I'm
learning to listen. You can learn a lot just listening,
can't you? You can learn so much just listening. It's incredible. My, oh, my. You all know I like
to talk, but I'm learning not to talk as much now. Oh, my. Self-control from within. And this, again, is worked in
us by God the Holy Spirit. And without questions, it's seen
in our natural appetites in moderation and eating and drinking. and
much more to temperance, to self-discipline. I know we sin all the time, but
now we're conscious of our sin, aren't we? We weren't conscious
of it before, right? And there's certain things now
we won't do. Why? Because the Holy Spirit's working
in us temperance, self-control. Our desires have changed. There's
still some things. Do we all have grave clothes?
Yep. Yep. Do we all have things we're
struggling against with our flesh? Yep. But praise be to God, the
Holy Spirit's working all these things that are called the fruit
of the Spirit in us. And we're being conformed to
the image of Christ. What believer doesn't want to
be conformed to the image of Christ? What believer doesn't
want to be more long-suffering with people? What believer doesn't
want to be more gentle? What believer doesn't want to
have more self-control? That's all worked in us by God
the Holy Spirit. When we try to do these things,
you know what's going to happen? We're going to fall flat on our
face. You know how I know that? because
of religion, when I was in religion. Oh, I wish I'd be more joyful. I'd just get mad at somebody. Oh, I want to be more long-suffering
with somebody. Somebody says something to you,
you don't like, go off like a cannon. Is it true? I'm speaking truth
here. We all know it. But see, God
works in us now. He works in us. This long suffering,
this gentleness, this meekness, right? Self-control. And we praise
his name. Now, again, we might not see
it in ourselves. The same brother I was telling
you about who who has such self-control often says, I'm struggling so
much. Is that not the truth with all
of us? Is that not the truth with all of us? Right? But we see the growth in others,
don't we? But we don't see it in ourselves. You know what's a jewel? Christian
contentment. Just being content. Just being
content where we are, being content with our station in life. Oh
my. And remember, we're kings and
priests, beloved. I don't know if you heard the
first Peter chapter two. We're kings and priests. Kings and priests, beloved. And
kings are men who reign. And who reigns in our hearts?
as believers. Who reigns in our hearts? Someone
tell me who reigns in our hearts. Amen, sister. Christ. Christ
now reigns in our hearts. He didn't before. Self reigned
in our hearts before we were born again. But all self's been
unseated. Right? Satan's been unseated. I like what Henry used to say.
The door to our heart says under new management. That's the Lord Jesus Christ,
isn't it? Look at this. Look at this in 2 Peter 2, starting
in verse 5 and going to verse 10. We're actually going to be
looking at this, too, with the stone that the builders rejected
in the main message. Look at this, though. Look at
verse 5. Did I say 2 Peter? I meant 1
Peter. 1 Peter, I'm sorry. 1 Peter 2. I did the same thing when I was
making my notes yesterday. The cross-reference was to 1
Peter and I went, oh, 2 Peter. Oh, no, no, no, no. Okay, 1 Peter
2, starting in verse 5. He also, as lively stones, that's
what we are, we're living stones, are built up a spiritual house
in holy priesthood to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable
to God by Jesus Christ, so through Christ. Wherefore, Also it is
contained in the scripture, behold, I lay in Zion a chief cornerstone,
this is Christ, elect, precious, and he that believeth on him
shall not be confounded. Look at that, isn't that wonderful?
Whoever believes on Christ shall not be confounded, shall not
be confused. And to you, therefore, which believe, he's precious.
He's not precious to unbelievers, but he's sure precious to believers.
But unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders
disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner. And the
stone of stumbling, look at that, and a rock of offense, even to
them which stumble at the word, being disobedient, whereunto
they also, they were appointed. but ye are a chosen generation,
look at this, a royal priesthood and holy nation, a peculiar people,
that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called
you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Oh my, and look
at this, which in times were not a people. Look at this, but
now the people of God. Here we are, we who are born
again with the people of God, which had not obtained mercy,
but now have obtained mercy. So every one of us can say we're
kings and priests and it's Christ who rules in us, but we've obtained
mercy haven't we? We've obtained mercy. Now turn
if you would to Revelation chapter 5. Revelation chapter 1, I'm sorry.
Oh boy, I'm really spinning the cross references today aren't
I? Revelation chapter 1. verses 4 and 5, again telling
us that we're kings and priests. John verse 4, John to the seven
churches which are in Asia, grace be unto you and peace from him,
which is, which was, and which is to come. There's a declaration.
Christ is God. He's God, which was, which is,
and is to come. You know what the blessed thing
is for the believer? God never changes. He never changes his mind about
having saved us. Isn't that wonderful? Isn't that
wonderful? We can choose and pick who we're
gonna be friends with, right? And sometimes somebody tick you
off, you're like, I'm not gonna hang out with that guy anymore.
Right? Remember when we were kids and
young people? Nah, I'm just gonna go on. God never does that to His people.
We're His chosen people. And He never changes. Look at
this, He is the one who is, and was, and is to come. He's coming
again. And from the seven spirits which
are before His throne, and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful
witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of
the kings of the earth, unto Him that loved us and washed
us from our sins in His own blood. Look at that, He did that. Christ
did that for His people. and hath made us kings and priests
unto God and His Father. To Him be glory and dominion
forever and ever. Amen. So kings are men who reign
among men. And the Lord Jesus Christ reigns
within our hearts, doesn't He? He's our ruler. He's our king. My, He's been, He, He gives us dominion over our
passions by the Holy Spirit. The only way we can be temperate
and have self-control is through the God, the Holy Spirit. Left
to ourselves, beloved, we will have no self-control. None. And he also He's king over all
the world, he's king over death, and he's king over all who are
born again by the Holy Spirit of God, and he's king over the
saved and over the lost, isn't he? Is he being controlled by anything
or anybody in this world? This week I had quite the interesting
conversation with someone. They said they were coming down
on what we believe here. I told him, I said, you be careful
what you say about the gospel. You be careful. He was really
being, and his wife was even literally saying, shut up to
him. I was talking to my buddy who
was sitting beside me, and I said, do you know the phrase, let Jesus
in your hearts, not anywhere in the scriptures? And I just
left it there. Well, that fellow called me that
night, and he goes, I didn't think about that. He goes, I
think, in my mind, I thought, that's the problem right there,
I think. Right? It's, thus saith the Lord,
is what we abide by. Not, I think, by someone. So
the next day I meet him again. And he says, well I think it
means, when it says let Jesus, it means this and this. And I
said, let's just look up one phrase. Let Jesus. And I always
had my Bible with me on the phone, and I put in let Jesus, and I
hit for that exact phrase anywhere in the Bible. And I said, look
what it says. And he goes, it says zero. And I said, yep. And then I put
into your heart. And I said, oh, how many times
does it say that? And he said, Cyril. And I said,
that's the tradition of man. That's a man-made thing. Right
there. It proves it. Now this fellow claims to totally
believe the Bible, so that's the way we have to approach folks
is with the scriptures. What does the Bible say? See,
there's all these phrases in Christianity out there that aren't
even in the Bible. And that's one of them. Just
let Jesus into your heart. Nowhere, it's just not found
in scripture, beloved. It's just not found there. Now,
scripture says the Lord opened Lydia's heart, didn't he? Did
God open our hearts? Amen, brother. We're born again,
weren't we? And then he gave us a new heart,
didn't he? That hungers and thirsts after
righteousness. And that's what my buddy ended up saying, not
the one that was talking about what we believe, but the other
guy. He finally said, he goes, God gives us a new heart, doesn't
he? And I said, that's right. That's exactly right. And you
must be born again, right? You must be. And God can save
you just like that. You need to have people, you
need to talk to Brian, ask him when the Lord saved him. And
it was just like that. Sister Diane, too. Just like
that. Now, I can't put an exact date
on when the Lord saved me, but I just know I'm saved. He saved
my soul, and I'm happy about that. I'm just trusting the rest
in the crucified world. There was a day when I didn't
believe, and now I believe. And it was the work of the Holy
Spirit of God. And now He's working these wonderful things in us.
Look at this in Revelation chapter 1. chapter one again unto him
that loved us and washed us from our sins in his blood and hath
made us kings and priests unto God and his father to him be
glory and dominion forever and ever amen look at that washed
us from our sins in his own blood that's what christ did for his
people that's what he did right there now this fruit that we're
looking at this fruit of the spirit which are, again, it's
contrary to our nature. It's not something we're born
with. It's not produced by us. It's produced by God, the Holy
Spirit, and it's a result of the new gift, which also faith
is a result of the new gift and repentance. Remember I said that
faith and repentance are like the same piece of paper. You
can't have one without the other, right? When God gives us faith,
he also gives us repentance before God. They just go together. They just go together. Oh my. And if it is ours, it's only
ours by the fruit of the Spirit. If we have the love mentioned
here, the joy and the peace and the gentleness and long-suffering,
the goodness and the temperance and the meekness, it's only because
that God's worked it in us. Right? It's by nothing we do.
This fruit of the Spirit is not natural to us. We can't produce
it. You have people trying to produce it. No, you can't produce
it. It's newly planted seed in the heart. When we're born again,
and for some, it's matured more, and for others, it's just a little
seed now starting to grow, right? When we're first born again,
it's just a little seed. And then as we grow in grace,
God the Holy Spirit's working this in us. But all these fruits
are in us. Every single believer, whether
we see it or not, it's in us. Don't go looking for it, because
you know what'll happen? You'll go, I'm no good. And I'm not very long-suffering
people, and I'm not this and that. I have no self-control. Oh no, God's working in us. He
works that in us, beloved. We admit that we don't have that,
don't we? But don't despair. If you're
born again, God's working this in you. He is. This is a work
of God the Holy Spirit. Oh my. And also the fruit of
the spirit is directly opposed to the fruit of the flesh. Think
of this, love is opposed to hatred, right? Joy is opposed to emulations
and strife. Peace is opposed to variance,
strife, and seditions. Long suffering, gentleness, goodness,
and meekness is opposed to wrath and murder. Faith is opposed
to idolatry, or witchcraft, or heresies, or will worship. Temperance is opposed to adultery,
fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, drunkenness, revilings. So we
see that the last thing that's listed as the free of the spirit
here is temperance. In the word again, temperance
means self-control, moderation. In the grace of God, one thing
we have to say here is the grace of God should never be used as
a license for sin. Have you ever heard people say
this? If I believed like you, I could do whatever I wanted.
You ever heard that? Sister, you heard that, haven't
you? Oh my gosh, it's awful. People don't know what they're
saying. Because you know why? We don't live however we would
want to. Number one, we don't want to
live the way we used to live. Number one. And number two, the Holy Spirit's
working temperance in us. Self-control. So the things we
once loved, now we hate. Right? Do you love sin or do you hate
it, beloved? We hate it, don't we? In ourselves more than anywhere
else. We mourn over our sin. But praise
be to God, it's all forgiven. Right? Oh my. Let us ever be careful, as even
things that are lawful can become sinful if not done in moderation. And anything we do that causes
us to naturally be absent from worshiping Christ is, on a regular
basis, is sinful. Right? Oh my! God's children are under the
law. We're not legalists. Let us do all things in moderation,
beloved. James says this, therefore to
him that knoweth to do good and doeth it not, to him it is sin. We now know what sin is, don't
we? We now know what it is. Let's read our text again, it
says here, but the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering,
gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance, against
such there's no law. Now, look at the very end of
this verse, it says, against such there's no law. Well, beloved
God, if you be led of the Spirit, you're what? You're not under
the law, are you? Law, or love, love is the fulfilling
of the law, isn't it? How can there be a law against
these things that are good? These things that are worked
in us by God, the Holy Spirit. How can there be a law against
the fruit of the Spirit? God is pleased when we do these
things that are good for the glory of his daughter and son,
the Lord Jesus Christ, but he's not pleased with those who are
trying to earn rewards or trying to muster up this fruit by themselves
and by their own works. He's not pleased with that. People who are trying to get
to heaven by what they do, God's not pleased with that. He's not
pleased with that at all. He's only pleased with the sacrifice
of his son, the Lord Jesus Christ. And people who are trying to
become more holy by certain things they do or don't do, now there's
things we shouldn't do. And we know that as believers.
But if someone's trying to make themselves more holy before God,
by something they do, by some righteous deed that they do,
or trying to get more jewels in their crown supposedly, God doesn't, he doesn't accept
that. Who does God accept as a substitute
for our sin, beloved? Amen. The Lord Jesus Christ. Period, right? You've heard me say it's Jesus
Christ plus nothing? I'm gonna stop saying that. It's
just Jesus Christ, there's no plus. Right? I know some of you say, that's
just semantics. No, it's just Jesus Christ. It's just Christ,
there's no plus. Salvation comes by the full atonement
of the Lord Jesus Christ in and through the Lord Jesus Christ
with no plus after it. Not by works of righteousness
which we have done but according to his mercy he saved us. It
says, against such there's no law, so that we who are the redeemed
of the Lord never forget that our reward is Christ. He's our
reward. He's our exceeding reward. And He's the only one worthy
to wear the crown of glory. And those who have the fruit
of the Spirit worship and serve King Jesus, why? Because of the
love He put in our hearts. And against such there's no law.
There's no law. Oh my. Paul's declaration here
refers not only to the fruit of the Spirit, but to those whom
in this fruit is found. Right? Because there's therefore
now no condemnation to them who walk. Or to them in Christ Jesus
who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. No condemnation. Works of the flesh and those
who live after the flesh are under the curse of the law. But
if you believe the Spirit, you are not under the law. That's
good news for sinners, isn't it? Now let's read. We're gonna quickly, we're gonna
go a little bit longer, but let's, we didn't start till a little
bit later. Let's go to Galatians 5. We're
gonna read verses 16 to 26. Close out the chapter. So now we're gonna see that which
is natural to us. that which is natural to us.
Verse 16, this I say then, walk in the spirit and you shall not
fulfill the lust of the flesh. Very excellent exhortation there. For the flesh lusts against the
spirit. We all know that, don't we, who are born again? And the
spirit against the flesh, and they are contrary one to another,
opposites, they're opposed to one another, so that you cannot
do the things that you would. But if you be led of the spirit,
you are not under the law, hallelujah, what a declaration. Oh, praise
God's mighty name, we're free, we have liberty. Now the works
of the flesh, this is what's natural to us. are these adultery,
fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred,
variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,
envies, murders, drunkenness, revilings, and such like, of
the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in the
times past, that they which do such things shall not inherit
the kingdom of God." Okay, that's natural to us, right? But look
at this, beloved. We're going to close with this,
because this is wonderful. That which is not natural to us, God
the Holy Spirit works in us. Oh, this is wonderful. If we're
alive, he's still working this in us. We're a working project,
a work in progress, beloved. That's what we are. Oh my. No, what the Holy Spirit of God
says, he's working in us here by his almighty power. Now we've
been granted faith to believe and trust the Lord Jesus Christ.
Look at this. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,
long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance. Against such there's no law.
And they that are Christ have crucified the flesh with the
affections and the lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let
us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not be desirous of vain
glory, provoking one another, envying one another. My, that's
all worked in us by God the Holy Spirit, beloved. And what do
we say? Praise the Father, praise the
Son, and praise the God the Holy Spirit for his mighty work in
us. Oh, it's wonderful. For us and
in us. What a great God we have. Brother
Travis, can you close us in prayer?