Springs Sermon 2023-03 (1)
1 Corinthians 6:9-20
Matthew 5:27-30
Galatians 5:19-23
What is the difference between kindness and goodness as mentioned in Galatians 5:22?
- Kindness implies being generous and considerate
- Goodness implies moral integrity – purity – being virtuous: no corruption – no adulteration – nothing fishy – nothing messy – nothing dodgy
- Purity (moral integrity) is desirable and achievable, even in this crooked and perverse generation, Philippians 2:15
- The pursuit of purity is a trademark of true believers
- Goodness (moral integrity, purity, being virtuous) is a fruit of the Spirit and an evidence of Christian spirituality
What is the relationship between faith and faithfulness as mentioned in different versions of Galatians 5:22?
- Faithfulness is faith in action
- Faithfulness is keeping faith
- Faithfulness is staying true to the course until you finish the race
- Faithfulness is obedience to God, His Word and His Spirit
- Faithfulness is commitment, diligence, loyalty, reliability and dependability
- Faith and faithfulness are two sides of the same coin
- Faithfulness is a fruit of the Spirit and an evidence of Christian spirituality
What is meekness as mentioned in Galatians 5:23?
- Meekness is humility
- Meekness is gentleness as opposed to arrogance
- Meekness is power under control
- Meekness is a fruit of the Spirit and an evidence of Christian spirituality
What is the importance of self-control as mentioned in Galatians 5:23?
- Every sin is a product of gratifying the desires of the flesh as opposed to the Spirit, Galatians 5:16-17
- Every sin results from the lack of exercising self-control
- Every temptation is a provocation to lose control and be out of control
- Self-control is refusing to yield to provocation. You may feel like yielding but you don’t have to!
- Self-control is refusing to yield your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin, Romans 6:12-13
- Self-control is refusing to give in to your ‘desires and feelings’ when they contradict righteousness and godliness
- Self-control is a fruit of the Spirit and an evidence of Christian spirituality
How can I produce the fruit of the Spirit rather than the works of the flesh as mentioned in Galatians 5:19-23?
- The fruit of the Spirit starts with the love of God shed abroad in your heart when you got born again, Romans 5:5
- The fruit of the Spirit grows as you grow spiritually. This is achieved by regularly feeding on the Word of God and drinking of the Spirit of God
- The Word renews your mind to think righteous and holy, Romans 12:2
- Renewing your mind includes attendance and positive engagement at church meetings
- As you keep yielding to the Word and the Spirit, the love of God continues to work in you, helping you to become more loving, more joyful, more peaceful, more patient, more kind, more virtuous, more faithful, more humble and more self-controlled, Galatians 5:22-23
To find out more, listen to the audio sermon