How to Change

Tim Keller - How to Change

Galatians 5:16-18, 22-25

16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.

Christian Change; must understand: Nature, Pattern, Process

Nature:

- the phrase “fruit of the spirit” implies 4 things

1. gradual

why does paul use fruit?

- Christian change is as gradual as botanical growth

- growth is hard to detect; can’t see it; mysterious

-- but can only be measured

must be patient; won’t see dramatic change overnight

- some have seasons that grow quickly, but have seasons (like winter) where they grow but it isn’t seen

so gradual that we can never feel it

- it may be tested/measured but not seen

- like a 16 year old boy who is faster than when he was 15

-- doesn’t feel faster, but he is

- growth is evident when faced with struggle

what is the seed that produces fruit?

- holy spirit

2. inevitable

- If I have the spirit of god, I will grow in love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control

acorn falls into crack on marble slab, eventually grows into tree and splits the marble slab

- at first acorn seemed to be no match, until it grew

-- if botanical growth has that power, what kind of power will spiritual growth have?

Saved by faith, not fruit; never saved by fruitless faith

- real faith will inevitably produce fruit

we all have quirks/issues

- many show our lack of fruit

-- unless we’re changing, we’re not saved (but it may be really slow)

-- mustn’t give up on change/growth/faith

3. internal

what is fruit of spirit?

- not counseling, editing, leading, intelligence, charisma

- diff between external/mechanical and internal/organic growth

-- throwing bricks on a pile isn’t growth; pile is bigger but just in quantity and not quality/complexity

- diff between religiosity and faith

-- growing in faith or resume?

--- It’s not about doing great things

--- possible to do good works but miss growing in faith

--- good works mean nothing without growing in fruit of spirit

I may be changing lives but is my life changed?

- fruit of spirit means my life is being changed!

- can’t judge my growth based how many other lives are changed or how the HS is using my efforts

4. symmetrical

fruit = singular

- did it on purpose

- showing us that real Christian change has us growing in all collectively, not individually

if you want to know it’s real, permanent, spiritual:

- fruit of holy spirit is concatenated

1. all the fruit go together

ex: pride and peace don’t go together; it’s counterfeit peace

- worry = arrogance; refusal to assume a humble position before God and trust God is in control

- worry = arrogance = pride

-- anyone who worries thinks they know how things have to be; not trusting in God

-- Pride and peace occurs only when things are going well (“I chose well”)

- will not last

- if I don’t have one of the fruits, I don’t have any

2. all fruit is interdependent

ex: self control and joy

- what creates real self control is joy

- addiction comes because of lack of joy; seeking joy in other places

- guys don’t cry as much of girls

-- when guys cry, they’re told to stop being a girl

--- told to be “superior” to girls

--- false self control because we need to cry, but that isn’t self control but restriction

ex: patience and faithfulness
- tolerance of others; accepting of others failures and short-comings
-- if I have patience but not faithfulness/integrity, then my patience is just a way to assuage my guilt over my shortcomings


How do I develop these things?
2 things for how to grow in grace:
1. crucify sinful nature with over-desires
- find things that are too important and remove it from the center
-- place those things back in their proper order
2. keep in step with spirit
- spirit yearns for Christ
-- points us to Christ; tells us to see Christ's
-- need to see Christ as so real that he becomes more desirable than anything else

Paul comparing fruit and works! (not weeds)
- works of flesh are things i do
- fruit is something that grows from a seed (holy spirit)
-- can only open myself to them
-- gardener creates conditions but does not grow the plants himself
-- cannot make myself more peaceful, patient, good, loving, etc