Cold Open And Start

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The ear. No, I'm not doing that. That's not my thing. That's not my thing. I can't steal that from PC. That's not my thing.

Convenience Culture Vs God’s Pace

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But today, we are continuing in our 5G series. And specifically, we're gonna talk about growing in God's goodness. You know, Skylar and I have talked a lot recently about the word convenience. And I don't know if you guys know this. If you live in Nebraska, it can take you up to three days to get an Amazon package. Like we don't have that here. If it's not by on my doorstep the next morning, I'm frustrated. But we live in this world, right, where everything's kind of at a click of a button. You know, if you forget an ingredient for dinner, you can have Instacart bring it to you in about an hour. And if you forget to make dinner at all, you could have DoorDash bring it to you in about 30 minutes. And if it's the middle of the night and you're out of diapers, and trust me, I've been there recently, Amazon's gonna have a package of diapers on your doorstep the next morning. And I'm not saying that convenience is a bad thing, because sometimes you really need that package of diapers. But because of these instant results that we can manufacture with this click of a button on our phone or on a computer or on our iPad, we start to look for the same type of interaction with God. We want instant transformation when God has chosen gradual formation for us. You see, I've got some bad news today for the impatient people here. And I'm one of them, so it's bad news for me too. But God doesn't work like a magician, guys. Most of the time, he's gonna work like a farmer. You see, farmers understand something that our culture has largely forgotten. The best things grow slowly. You know, here in the Midwest, especially in the fall, we love to go to a pumpkin patch or an apple orchard, right? We love to hop on a hayride and go pick a pumpkin, we love to walk down a line of apple trees and pick a bushel of apples. But when you're there, how often do you think about how long it took that fruit to grow? I don't. I think probably just the farmer does. But if you guys didn't know, fruit does not become fruit trees don't become fruitful overnight. You see, the farmer plants the seeds, he tends the soil, he waters faithfully, he waits patiently, and he trusts the process. For months, there's gonna be very little evidence of growth. The roots are gonna grow before we see any fruit at all. The tree is gonna be strengthened before the harvest arrives. Most of the growth is happening underground. And that's exactly how God works in our lives most of the time. You see, many of us want God to change what people see, but God often begins by changing what nobody sees. He starts in the hidden places, he starts with our motives, our attitudes, our desires, our thoughts, our character. Because God's primary goal is not to simply improve our behavior. No, his primary goal is to transform our nature. The evidence of that transformation, guys, is fruit. It's not gifts, it's not talent, it's not our charisma, it's fruit. Anybody here can create hype and draw attention to themselves. Anybody can stand and shout for 15 minutes. We can all have an emotional moment during worship, and we can all look spiritual for a season, right? But can we love difficult people on a Tuesday morning? Can we demonstrate patience when our plans fall apart? Can we show kindness to others when they don't deserve it? Can we remain faithful to Him when nobody notices it? You see, that's the kind of work that only the Holy Spirit can accomplish.

Five Truths About Spiritual Fruit

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Today, we're gonna try to see five simple truths. First, fruit is produced by the Holy Spirit. Second, fruit comes before our gifts can flow. Third, fruit reflects the character of Jesus Christ. Fourth, growing good fruit takes time. And finally, fruit is for others. And woven through all of this is the goodness of God. Because the God who saves us is also the God that patiently forms us. You guys, before we go any further, I think it's important to ask a question. What does any of this have to do with the goodness of God? Because if we're not careful, I think we can hear a message about the fruit of the Spirit and immediately turn it into this self-improvement project. I'm sure many of you guys have figured out, but our main text for today comes from Galatians chapter 5, verses 22 and 23. I know my young adults have their Bibles. If you got your Bible, get it out. One thing I love about our young adults is they all bring their Bibles every Sunday, every Wednesday. I love it. Alright, Galatians 5, 22 to 23. But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things. I think it's easy to hear these nine attributes that Paul shares and think, I just need to be better, or I just need to try harder, or if I just got my act together, these things would come to me. But that's not how salvation works. People don't become good enough for God. God wants to transform people who could never transform themselves. The fruit of the Spirit is not evidence of our goodness, it's evidence that got of God's goodness at work in us. The fact that God doesn't abandon us when we're immature is his goodness. The fact that he doesn't quit on us when we're growing slowly is his goodness. The fact that he continues to shape us and prune us and correct us and patiently form us in the image of his son Jesus Christ is his goodness. The fruit of the Spirit is growing, growing in our lives as evidence that God is still working in us. Evidence that he is still patient and faithful and good.

Fruit Comes From The Holy Spirit

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Our first truth this morning is fruit is produced by the Holy Spirit. When we're reading this verse in Galatians, one of the first things we need to notice is Paul's language. Because he doesn't say the works of the Spirit, right? He says the fruit of the Spirit. And that distinction matters. You see, machines can make thousands of identical objects every day, but fruit is only formed out of life. When we we hear the word works and we hear it throughout the Bible, we think of effort, right? We think of labor and strain and performance and finally hopefully achievement. But when we hear the word fruit, we think of life, of growth, of something unfolding naturally because it's connected to a living source. You see, the flesh produces works, but the spirit produces fruit. And Paul has already shown us what the works of the flesh look like early in Glacier earlier in Galatians 5. We read that in verses 19 through 21, which says this when you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear. You see, nobody has to teach us how to be selfish people. And nobody has to teach us how to hold grudges against our brothers and sisters. Nobody has to teach us how to become impatient. Those things come naturally to us, unfortunately, right? But there's one, but here's the thing, guys. Love doesn't always come naturally to us. Joy doesn't always come naturally to us. Patience and peace don't always come naturally to us. Those things are supernatural. That's why Paul doesn't call this the fruit of self-discipline or the fruit of determination, the fruit of trying harder. No, he calls it the fruit of the Spirit. Because the source matters. You see, the legalists can avoid certain sins for a moment, and if you read the Bible, the Pharisees were really good at keeping up appearances. But negative goodness is never gonna be enough. Committing to following Jesus is not merely avoiding evil. No, committing to following Jesus is walking with him day in and day out with the goal of becoming more like him. You see, the flesh can imitate fruit for a moment, and we can put on this performance. We can try to counterfeit it, but it's only gonna last for a fleeting moment. Only the spirit produces fruit. You see, the flesh can act patient, but only the spirit creates patience. The flesh can act loving when it's convenient, but the spirit produces love when it's costly. The flesh can be kind when it benefits yourself, but the spirit produces kindness when nothing is gained. One comes from our self-interest, the other comes from the transformation that Christ is doing in you. This is why becoming a Christian is not just a behavior modification, it's a transformation of the heart. God is not interested in creating religious actors, guys. He's interested in creating people who increasingly reflect the character of his son.

Gifts Impress But Character Sustains

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Our second truth this morning: fruit comes before gifts can flow. I thought I drank enough water before this, and I didn't. One of the great dangers in our church, I believe, is that we often celebrate gifts while we neglect character. We are impressed by talent and we admire others' charisma. We celebrate the ability of others. And praise the Lord, people have abilities because I'm thankful I wasn't asked to sing this morning because you all would have left. You would have. It's bad. It's bad. But gifts are not the ultimate evidence of spiritual maturity, guys. Fruit is. Because a person can be gifted and still lack to mature. A person can be talented and still be very prideful. A person can be influential but still lack love. A person can lead crowds and still struggle deeply with their character. One of the great dangers in the modern church is that we often celebrate what God can do through people more than we celebrate what God is doing in people. And don't get me wrong, guys, gifts matter. Gifts are important. They were given to us for a reason. We read this in 1 Corinthians 12, 4. There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same spirit is the source of them all. So the same spirit, the Holy Spirit, that produces fruit, also distributes spiritual gifts. And if the Holy Spirit is handing out gifts, they've got to be pretty important, right? We've got to treasure them and hone them, use them and serve with them. But gifts are not the ultimate evidence of maturity. Because gifts can operate before character is developed. That's why God is so concerned with fruit. Because gifts reveal ability, but fruit reveals our identity. Gifts reveal what you can do, fruit reveals who you're becoming. And here's where it can get dangerous, guys. If our gifting grows faster than our character develops, eventually the weight of our gifting will expose the weakness of our character. You see, gifts might open the door, but character is what keeps you in this room. Gifts are gonna impress people, but fruit is what nourishes people. Gifts can create a platform, but they can't sustain a legacy. Fruit does that. And if we're not careful, we can spend our lives developing our God-given abilities while completely neglecting the character of which those flow. The Holy Spirit isn't just interested in using us, he's interested in transforming us. You see, if the Holy Spirit only wanted to use us, there would be no use for this part of the letter from Paul. He could just use our gifts, right? But God so badly wants to not just use our gifts for his glory, he wants to transform us for his glory. And you know, if I had to choose between being a gifted servant and a fruitful servant, if we had to choose between being a gifted church and a fruitful church, I pray that we would choose being fruitful every time. Because giftedness draws people into this house, but fruit is what keeps them here. Alright, our third truth. Fruit

Self-Control And Christlike Maturity

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reflects the character of Christ. When Paul gives us these nine attributes that make up the fruit of the Spirit, he isn't giving us this random list of virtues. He's really giving us a portrait of Jesus love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. You see, this is what Jesus looked like when he walked the earth, and this is who Jesus still is today. In many ways, the fruit of the spirit is simply the life of Jesus being reproduced and the people of Jesus. The Spirit's goal is not merely to make us more spiritual, no, the Spirit's goal is to make us Christ-like. And before we dive in any further, I think I gotta tell you guys, Mom, you got this wrong when you texted me this morning. He said, I love the fruits of the Spirit, and it's the fruit of the Spirit. You know, we we think it's nine different virtues, nine different attributes, right? But these are a packaged deal. It's like an orange. You know, joy doesn't come without peace. And we don't get goodness without faithfulness. You know, it's these mini segments that come together to make one fruit. So we've got joy and love and peace. Love that sacrifices and joy that remains steady despite our circumstances. It's peace that survives storms, it's patience that endures opposition, kindness that serves others, goodness that actively pursues what is right, faithfulness that remains dependable, gentleness that uses strength wisely, self-control that masters desires instead of being mastered by them. Now, I think you guys would like me to skip over self-control for a moment. But that's the one we're diving deep on. Not because you need it, because I need it. Do you guys realize that the only control God told each of us to have is self-control? That's it. Think about it. Not control of your spouse, not control of your kids, not control of your boss, not control of the Republicans, not control of the Democrats. Nope. It's just self-control. And isn't that where so many of us struggle? We spend so much energy trying to manage everybody else's thoughts and intentions and behaviors. Skyler, if you would just understand that I'm never gonna load the dishwasher correctly. Ford, if you would just say yes instead of no for once. If my boss would just stop micromanaging me, right? But meanwhile, the Holy Spirit keeps bringing us back to the same place. What about you? What about your heart? What about your attitude? What about your response? Because spiritual maturity is not demonstrated by how well you can control your environment. No. Spiritual maturity is demonstrated by how surrendered you are to the spirit in the moment. The fruit of the spirit is not control over other people, it's self-control. It's the ability to submit our desires, our emotions, our reactions, impulses, and our appetites to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. We can all react. We can all lash out, we can all lose our temper and demand our own way. But spirit-produced self-control is evidence that God is changing us from the inside out. These qualities don't come naturally, like we said earlier. Human nature is always going to gravitate towards yourself, my desires, my preferences, my comfort, my rights, my reputation. But the spirit, when we surrender to it, continually will turn us outward, toward God, toward others. And over time, his work becomes visible in us. Not instantly, but gradually.

Fruit Takes Time And Staying Close

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Our fourth fruit truth this morning is that fruit takes time. And you see, this is where many of us believers can become discouraged because growth often feels slower than expected. We think that if God is working, change should happen immediately. But fruit trees don't work that way. Nobody plants an apple tree and expects apples next week. The farmer understands the season and the process and the patience that's required. He understands that roots must grow before fruit can appear. And the same is true with us spiritually. Some of you may be discouraged today because you still see weaknesses in your life. You still struggle, you still battle temptation, you still find yourself fighting old habits. And because you aren't where you want to be, you assume God isn't working. But that's not the case. Growth is not gonna be measured by perfection, guys. Growth is measured by our direction. Are you becoming more loving, more patient, more faithful, more surrendered? Maybe it's slow, maybe it looks kind of imperfect, but are you becoming more like Jesus? That's the question. Because fruit develops over seasons. And sometimes God is doing his deepest work where nobody can see it. We don't celebrate roots, we don't post pictures of them on our Instagram, but roots determine fruit. Some of God's greatest work in your life may be happening beneath the surface right now. And the way you trust him, the way you depend on him day in and day out, the way you're surrendering to him in each moment, in your prayer life. The tree is growing long before the fruit's gonna ever appear, guys. And that's why we must learn to trust God's process. At this point, a question can naturally emerge. If I can't make the fruit, what's my responsibility? If the spirit produces the fruit, what am I supposed to do about it? Paul answers that a few verses later in verse 25 of Galatians 5. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. That phrase means to walk in line with, to abide by, to follow the leadership of the Spirit. In other words, fruit grows when we stay close to the Holy Spirit. We hear this from Jesus in John 15, 5 through 7. I am the vine, you are the branches. If you remain in me and I am you, you will bear much fruit. Apart from me, you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers. Such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you remain in me, and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. Jesus didn't tell us to try harder. He didn't say to work harder, putting some more sweat equity. No, he's simply telling us to abide in him, to remain in him. You see, the branch's responsibility is connection, the vine's responsibility is production. This is one of the greatest truths of our Christian life. Our responsibility is surrender. His responsibility is transformation. Our responsibility is obedience. His responsibility is fruitfulness. Our responsibility is abiding in him, his responsibility is producing life. So, what does it practically mean to keep in step with the Spirit? There's Sunday school answer, guys, but they're hard. Spending time in God's Word, prayer, worship, fellowship with God's people, removing the weeds that choke spiritual growth. Bitterness is a weed. Pride is a weed. Unforgiveness is a weed. Hidden sin is a weed. Anything that competes with the intimacy of God is a weed. And sometimes, sometimes we keep asking God for more fruit while refusing to remove the things choking it. You see, God's goal is not simply that we become better people. No, his goal is that Christ be formed in us. And that requires daily surrender. Not just Sunday surrender, daily surrender. The beautiful thing about fruit trees is that they don't wake up every morning and be more anxious about producing fruit. They just remain rooted, remain connected, remain alive. And over time that fruit's gonna appear. And the same is true for us. When we remain connected to Christ, filled with his spirit, grounded in his word, surrounded by his people, and surrendered to his leadership, fruit begins to grow. Slowly, quietly, until one day we realize God has changed us. Our

Fruit Is For Other People

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last truth for this morning is that fruit is for others. You see, an apple tree doesn't eat apples. It doesn't. Pear tree doesn't eat pears, an orange tree doesn't eat oranges. All the trees get is sunshine and water because the fruit isn't for the tree. Think about that for a moment. The tree doesn't spend years growing fruit for itself. The fruit is for everybody that passes by. The fruit feeds other people, it nourishes other people, it benefits other people. And spiritually, the same thing is true. God does not produce fruit in your life for your primary benefit. He produces love because somebody around you desperately needs love. He produces peace because somebody around you is overwhelmed by anxiety. He produces kindness because somebody around you is carrying wounds that nobody else can see. He produces goodness because somebody around you needs to encounter the goodness of God. We read this in Galatians 5.13, which is really a foundational verse here at Free Church. You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be set free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh. Rather, serve one another humbly in love. You guys, this is why some of us have had moments where we encourage someone else while we ourselves were struggling. You prayed for someone while carrying your own burden. You spoken hope into someone else's life while fighting discouragement in your own life. You've reminded someone of God's faithfulness and then hung up the phone thinking, God, I needed that as much as they did. Because God often allows fruit to flow through us before we truly appreciated ourselves. The fruit isn't meant to become some sort of trophy or some sort of prize, something we hang on the wall. No. It's meant to be nourishment. The world is not starving for more talented Christians. The world is starving for Christians who look more like Jesus. Are starving, starving for hope and peace and kindness and grace. And God desires to feed those people through his church through transformed lives, through ordinary believers like us in this room. When people encounter us, they should encounter something of Jesus. Not perfection, not performance, but evidence that Christ is changing us.

The Chrysalis And Invisible Change

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As I close today, I'm gonna talk about my son for one more minute. Ford is two and a half, and if you've talked to Ford, many of you've met him here, but if you've talked to Ford, you can't really talk to him and not talk about animals. He's gonna either tell you about one of his stuffed animals or his new dinosaur or what animal he saw at the zoo or the aquarium last week. But thanks to my mom, something he's gotten into recently is the transformation from a caterpillar to a butterfly. And my mom is a very naturey person, so she's actually gone to the extent of capturing a caterpillar and putting it in a jar, and now it's formed in a chrysalis, and we're waiting for the butterfly to happen. And we get video updates every day. But if you guys don't know about that transformation, it's actually kind of crazy. I actually read up on it, and it's kind of crazier than you think. You see, when a caterpillar is hatched out of an egg, it eats rapidly for about two weeks. And from the time it's hatched out of the egg until the time it forms a chrysalis, it actually grows 2,000 times its size. Which is pretty crazy. But here's the thing. Son, you listen to this. Listen to it. Because you're in the chrysalis right now. You are. And every time I've written this and worked on this, I've thought of you. You're in the chrysalis right now. Listen to this. So after it grows 2,000 times, it forms this chrysalis. And then it begins to metamorphosize because it's trying to change into a butterfly. And while it's in there, it releases this enzyme that dissolves most of its old body. So it can turn into what it's supposed to be. But for a couple weeks, it's kind of just this pile of goop. If you guys have watched the show Sweet Magnolias, they talk about this and they call it living in the soup. And the more I read about that process, the more I thought about spiritual growth. Because before it becomes a butterfly, it doesn't look finished. It doesn't look beautiful. It doesn't even look recognizable. And I wonder if that's where some people are here today. Maybe you're frustrated because you don't look like who you used to be, but you also don't yet look like who you're becoming. You feel stuck somewhere in the middle. The old life is dying, the new life isn't fully visible. And if we're honest, that middle space can feel pretty uncomfortable, pretty messy, confusing, probably a bit discouraging. But here's the good news God does some of his greatest work in the middle. The caterpillar doesn't become a butterfly by trying harder. Transformation is happening from the inside out. And that's exactly what the Holy Spirit is doing in us. Not just improving us, but transforming us. Not just making us better, but making us new. Church, maybe you don't see much fruit today. Maybe the growth in your life feels slow. Maybe progress feels a bit invisible. Maybe you're tired of the process. But don't mistake God's patience for God's absence. The same God who planted the seed is still tending the roots. The same God who began the work in you is going to complete the work in you. The same God who saved you is still going to transform you. Because the goodness of God is not that he forgives us. The goodness of God is that he refuses to leave us where he found us. Let's pray.

Prayer And Final Encouragement

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Heavenly Father. Man, it's hard to be impatient. It's hard to be patient, but I'm thankful for fruit. I'm thankful for transformation. I am thankful for this house and the opportunity to come together as a family of brothers and sisters in Christ and grow together in you, Lord. Lord, I just pray this morning that we would stop trying harder. Stop trying to make it all about us. Stop trying to force something, Lord, and just let you work through us seasonally. It might not be tomorrow, but it's coming, Lord. Transformation is coming, change is coming. The completion of your work in us is coming, Heavenly Father. Lord, we just give you this Sunday. Thank you for the opportunity to have a baptism Sunday today, Heavenly Father. We are so thankful for those that are baptizing and declaring publicly their decision to follow you. In your name we pray. Amen.