jobs that no one else wanted to do. Jobs like rattle snake catcher, roadkill collector,
shark attack suit tester, maggot farmer, spider venom collector, and septic tank cleaner.
The show's main message was that work is good, even dirty jobs. Work with dirty jobs was good,
and Mike, the host, said that he had, in fact, witnessed many people doing all kinds of odd and
dirty and hard work and yet enjoying it. And that rings true with the message that I preached last
week about the dignity of all work, because each one of us has been assigned our vocation by God to
work out his purposes in this world. When you watch the show, though, it's obvious that while there are
many positive aspects with the dirty jobs that Mike trials, there's also the negatives in some
of the work. Like when he listed the requirements for roadkill collector, the negatives were that
you need to be able to brave on oncoming traffic, especially if the roadkill was not quite dead yet
and you needed to dispatch it or something. And also, you need to have a strong stomach.
Like, the positive is that you get to work outdoors. Now, I'm not sure if the positive ultimately
outweighs the negatives in those sort of work, but anyway. But it doesn't matter whether whatever
your frontline is, whether it's at home, it's in a classroom, it's on a factory floor, it's in a
national park, in an office cubicle. Work can be a source of great purpose and dignity,
but also a source of great frustration in our lives. Dealing with difficult customers, a demanding
boss, inclement weather, a family's mountain of laundry, a two-year-old, an elderly parent,
lingering unemployment, underemployment, overemployment. It can all be a huge pain.
And so it's pretty important for Christians, I think, to understand and to hold in tension
both what the Bible says about creation, as we looked at last week, and what it says about the
fall and the destructive consequences of sin. That is, it's important to hold in tension both the
dignity of work and the difficulty of work, the dignity of our vocation, where God's put us, and the
difficulty of our vocation. And that is why so many Christians inhabit the extremes of idealism and
cynicism, or even ricochet between idealism and cynicism on a regular basis. Idealism says,
through my work, my vocation, my station in life, I'm going to change the world. I'm going to make a
difference, I'm going to accomplish something new, and I'm going to bring justice to this world. I'm
going to do everything that previous generations did not do, and failed to do. So idealism is probably
more prevalent amongst those who are younger amongst us. Cynicism says nothing really changes,
don't get your hopes up, do what it takes to make a living, don't let yourself care too much,
get out of it whatever you can. And so cynicism is probably prevalent amongst those who have got a
few more runs on the board advancing in years amongst us. But either way, we can be jumping
between the two. Christians have, through their hope in God's story of redemption for the world that he
created a deep contentment that enables them to work with all their being and never be ultimately
discouraged by the frustrating reality of this world. And our concern in this series is how,
in this context of both purpose and difficulty, that we might pursue our vocation in line with
Colossians 3. Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart as working for the Lord, not for men,
since you know that you'll receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ
you are serving. That is, you are in the midst of your vocation, and with all the difficulties
associated with it, still being able to look forward with hope, because God has a great eternal plan
that he's working out through you. So how do we live out, Colossians 3, in the ordinary,
of Monday to Saturday, even on front lines that make no reference to God whatsoever?
And one way is to live lives transformed by Jesus on those front lines. That is to model godly
character, our concern for tonight. Character, it's true, the character shines through in all that we do.
And in thinking about modelling godly character, I'm thinking about more than just being nice.
I'm thinking about something that's much more than middle class, North Shore, nice values. I'm thinking
something a lot more than just being Canadian and just being nice. I'm thinking something a bit more
than just hovering around in the world with this divine grin on your face. Modelling godly character
is so much more than just niceness, in the same way that real love is so much more than niceness.
Love requires courage, determination, and sacrifice. All the things that you husbands put into
Valentine's Day today. Love, courage, determination, sacrifice.
Because there's a few... Oh, hang on, Valentine's Day? It's Valentine's Day, is it? Forgot that one.
Don't worry, as I said this morning, I bought a $2 bag of heart-shaped chocolates,
which my girls devoured before Nat got one. Galatians 5 says the godly character is the fruit of God
working in our lives by His Spirit. Verse 22 in Galatians 5. Grab your Bibles, smartphones,
as Sam said, whatever. Get to Galatians 5, verse 22. It's a list of traits that God is working out in
His people. The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
gentleness, and self-control. Some paraphrase the list of this fruit as love, joy, peace,
patience, kindness, integrity, courage, humility, and self-control. Now, either way, it's a pretty
daunting list. It's an impressive list. It's not an exhaustive list of all the things that God's
working out on you, but it's pretty impressive and daunting. Love. It's the Christ-like reaction
to malice. Joy. The Christ-like reaction to depressing and difficult circumstances. Peace
as the Christ-like reaction to troubles and threats and anxiety. Patience as the Christ-like reaction to
all that raises your blood pressure. Kindness as the Christ-like reaction to all who are unkind and cruel.
Goodness is the Christ-like reaction to bad people, naughty people, and bad behavior. Faithfulness is the
Christ-like reaction to lies and distortions and untruths. Gentleness is the Christ-like reaction to
anger. Self-control as a Christ-like reaction to every situation where you want the
sinful nature to take over and lead. That's pretty daunting. It's not niceness. It's not what we're
talking about. Now, my focus here is not to unpack each one of those, but to go much broader.
I want to say two things, two things about the fruit of the Spirit with 12 to 15 sub-points under
each thing. No, it's not quite true. Two things. The first is the fruit of the Spirit is about
supernatural internal transformation by God and not external moral constraint. That's the first thing.
I'll unpack that in a minute. The second thing I'm going to say is that unless the fruit of the Spirit
are growing together, then none of them are there in their supernatural form.
That's the two things. And then I'm going to talk about how do we grow under Spirit.
Okay? So let's understand the Spirit, the fruits of the Spirit. So having listed the fruit in verse 22,
at the end of verse 23, it says, against such things, there is no law. There's a list of the nine
traits. And then it says, against such things, there is no law. And now that is pretty significant.
And so I need to explain what that little bit means just there. Imagine New South Wales Parliament
passed the law against joylessness and anxiety. It is now against the law in New South Wales to be
joyless and to be anxious. That would be pretty useless as a law. Because law is a form of moral
constraint that is essentially negative in its nature. Law works to stop the results of a messed up heart,
but it can't get into the inside and deal with the messed upness of the heart.
You see, a well-enforced law might stem the tide of murder, might even stamp out murder.
But it can't reach in and get to the anger which is in a heart, which is the root of murder.
Murder is the consequence of a problem in a heart. Against pride and anxiety and joylessness and fear
and all the other root problems in your heart and my heart, law is useless. Law cannot get into the
heart where the root problem is. And so it cannot constrain my heart.
The answer to that is in verse 24 and 25. The Holy Spirit. The Spirit can go where the law can't go.
You see, the Holy Spirit and the law working together can constrain you externally, but only the Spirit
can go internally and bring transformation in the root problem. Only the Spirit can deal with the
internal problem of messed up heart. And the practical difference between the law and the Spirit is
enormous. The difference between an external moral constraint of the law and the internal
transformation, supernatural transformation of the Spirit is very significant. The British have a
saying, no man is a hero to his valet. No man is a hero to his valet. Now I've watched Downton Abbey and so
I know what a valet is. A valet is a wealthy man's personal male attendant who's responsible for his clothes,
for his appearance, for his personal details like his bank accounts and running his bath and sponging
his back. All sorts of stuff like that. What the saying means is that no matter how grand your public
persona is, in private your valet sees warts and all. He sees what you truly are like and what you truly want
to be. The valet sees the impatience, the selfishness, the irritability, the pettiness, the anxiety, the
jealousy, the joylessness. And so no man is a hero to his valet because his valet sees what he's really like.
And what this means is that when you use the law to constrain a person morally, externally, you do it at the
expense of joy and peace. Which themselves are two fruits of the Spirit, you might notice.
Law externally constrains you from doing what you want to internally do. And so it constrains you
and locks you to a position of joylessness and peacelessness.
Think about how you raise a child. You get them and you say to them,
we don't want you to do this or this or this or this or this or this or this or this.
And you had
better not do it because firstly,
you'll get caught.
God will catch you,
police will catch you or I will catch you.
And secondly, you better not do it because
what will people think of you?
And thirdly, you better not do it because
you will end up
despising yourself. You'll have no respect
for yourself.
How are we making
kids moral at that point?
We're making them moral by
nurturing joylessness
and peacelessness and
anxiety and insecurity.
As the law establishes
external moral
behavior at the expense of
inner joy and peace,
it establishes fear
and pride
that reveals itself
where the valet
and only the valet
and you see it.
Or your spouse,
or your children,
or your parents,
or your team at work,
or the people who know you the best.
In the private place
is where you find out
whether you are morally
constrained
externally
or you're supernaturally
changed internally
by the Holy Spirit.
Only the Spirit will go deep.
Only the Spirit makes you
in your most private place
and private time
a person of joy
and calm
and peace
and mercy
and love
and patience
and kindness
and courage
and humility.
Or to put it another way,
if you are not
more of a hero
to the people
who know you
the best,
then you should
probably have
an alarm bell
ringing right now.
That is,
if you've got
this great persona
with some people,
great guy,
great at his work,
and yet the people
who know you the best
don't regard you
as a hero,
ding, ding, ding, ding, ding,
should be going off
right now.
So how are you getting on
on the inside?
Are you a hero
to those who know you
the best?
Or do they laugh
about you
over drinks?
That's a scary question,
I know.
But it's going to get
just slightly more scarier.
Because the second thing
to notice
is that the fruit
all come together.
If they are not
growing all together,
they are not
growing at all,
at least in their
supernatural form.
And I get that
from verse 22.
Notice the singular
statement,
the fruit of the
Spirit is,
and then goes on
and lists nine traits.
It doesn't say
the fruits of the
Spirit are.
The outcome
of the work
of the Holy Spirit
in your life
is nine traits.
They're not
separable traits.
They are dependent
on each other.
Interdependent.
The fruits of the Spirit
are all aspects
of the same thing.
You can't be patient
unless you're humble.
You can't be kind
with people
unless you've got
self-control.
You can't have
integrity
with this group
at work
and this group
at home
unless you have
tremendous amount
of inner peace
and security
with Christ
that just allows you
to flourish
wherever you are.
They have to be together.
If they're not
together
then they're not
there at all.
It's important
to grapple with this
so that you can
recognize
and evaluate
the work
of the Spirit
in your life.
The temptation
here
is to look
at this list
and to give
our scores
based on
how many
of these traits
we think we're good
at and how many
we're kind of okay
at and that one's
not so good.
And so we give
ourselves a score
and go six out of ten
or nine
and that's pretty good.
That's more
than a pass mark
so I must be okay.
And that would be wrong.
They are interrelated
and so they must
grow together.
Now let me just
take a little bit
of pressure off.
There can be
some lag here
where some
are growing
faster than others
but they
must all
be growing.
That's not just
Galatians.
That's a thrust
of it.
See,
long before Karl Marx
and Friedrich Nietzsche
said that people
followed moral behavior
out of fear
and pride
and desire
for power
over other people,
the Apostle Paul
said in 1 Corinthians 13
that it's extremely
possible
for people
to live
a moral life
without love
as the foundation
of that life.
That is
out of
self-interest.
That is
without a heart
that's being changed
by the grace
and love of God.
Now that's
really important
because it's
pretty typical
for people
who are kind
and gentle
and diplomatic
and just
so empathetic
not
to be
assertive,
to be bold
or to be
courageous.
They might
have gentleness
but they lack
probably
the best
translation
in the list
is faithfulness.
They aren't
good at
confronting
and courage.
On the other
hand,
there are people
who are very
bold and assertive
and directive
but tend
to be impatient.
A little
on the harsh
side.
They lack
empathy.
And in both
cases,
the character
traits are
more natural
personality traits
given by God,
I acknowledge,
rather than
inner transformation
of the spirit.
You see,
if your gentleness
and your diplomacy
were coming out
of a heart
that's transformed
by God
and radically
secure
in His love,
you would
be bold
because
you wouldn't
be afraid
of anything
or anyone
because you
know you're
secure in
Jesus.
And if
that's not
the case,
then the
gentleness
and the
diplomacy
is most
likely
a natural
temperamental
sweetness,
niceness.
Now,
that's good.
Good in
people and
good in
certain
circumstances,
but in a
significant
part,
it's most
likely
cowardly.
good for
many people,
but in a
way,
if your
boldness
and your
directness
were coming
out of a
heart that's
transformed by
God,
radically
secure in
His love,
you would
be empathetic
and gentle
and kind.
And so,
if you're
not,
then the
courage and
the boldness
and the
assertiveness
is most
likely a
natural
temperament
of assertiveness,
good for
many people
and situations,
but in a
significant
part,
most likely
arrogance.
All the
traits of
the fruit of
the Spirit
have to be
there in
order for
any of
them to
be there
in their
supernatural
God-transformed
form.
We are
only as
spiritually
mature as
our weakest
trait.
So go to
your weakest
trait.
That's the
level of the
work of the
Holy Spirit
in your
life.
Now,
some of us
here are
starting to
feel a little
uncomfortable,
I hope.
As I was
when I was
putting this
down on
paper,
go to
your least,
I mean,
the best thing
for me to do
is to go and
ask my
valet,
Nat,
I mean,
she's the
person who
knows me
better than
anyone else.
She's not
literally my
valet,
but please
don't repeat
that.
But to go
to her and
say,
which one
do you
think?
And it's a
scary thing
for me to
go to her
and say,
which one
do you
think?
I mean,
she might
come back
and say,
one.
I mean,
you know,
we're starting
to feel a little
uncomfortable,
and I expect
that's not
entirely bad.
Let me help
you out just
a little bit
here.
It's important
to remember
the growth
in the fruit
of the Spirit
is gradual.
Verse 19
says that the
acts of the
sinful nature
are,
and then it
goes a bunch
of lists,
an action
happens.
It's an
action.
It happens.
I mean,
some actions
might take a
bit longer,
but it's an
action.
Fruit,
on the other
hand,
is a character
trait that
builds.
It grows.
It comes
slowly.
See,
I've got a
tomato plant
over there in
my garden,
and I can't
tell the
difference between
yesterday and
today.
I mean,
I'm assuming
it's growing
because it's
not dying
yet,
and it has
grown over
time,
but I can't
see it.
I mean,
I can stick a
measuring stick
against it,
and I can see
it happen,
but it happens
slowly,
and I can't
always see it
working.
And every so
often,
God puts a
measuring stick
against us,
and we get to
check our
progress as to
whether we're
growing or not.
It might be
that you faced
a situation,
a familiar
situation to
you that you
faced 12
months ago,
and you look
at your
response to
it now compared
to then,
and you go,
oh,
that's different.
I wouldn't
have done
that 12
months ago.
Measuring
stick.
You're actually
growing at
that point,
and that's
God's grace
to us.
The last
sentence of
verse 17
is comforting,
I think.
Having talked
about the sinful
nature and the
spirit,
it says,
they are in
conflict with
each other,
so that you
do not do
what you
want.
And at the
very least,
it means that
a person
growing in
the fruit of
the spirit,
growing in
godly character,
can routinely
go through
seasons where
they are just
giving into the
sinful nature.
It seems like
there's not
progress
whatsoever.
Paul is
assuming here
that you will
feel like you're
not making
progress.
And more
significantly,
I want to
say that if
that is your
wrestle,
when you are
wrestling with
that,
feeling like
you're not
growing in
love or
patience or
gentleness or
boldness,
it is a
sign of the
spirit working
in you.
So hang in
there.
So there
are a few
things,
that's the
spirit,
work of the
fruit of the
spirit generally,
and there's a
few things about
how we might
grow the fruit
of the spirit
in such a way
that become a
hero to your
valet.
notice 24,
it says,
verse 24,
those who
belong to
Christ Jesus
have crucified
the sinful
nature with
his passions
and desires.
Since we
live by the
spirit,
let us keep
in step
with the
spirit.
The first
thing is
that we are
to crucify
the sinful
nature.
And what's
mentioned here,
what it means
by that,
is different
from what it
says in
Galatians
chapter 2
verse 20
and Romans
6.6,
where we
are united
with Jesus
through being
crucified in
his crucifixion
and for
our atonement
for our sin.
This verse
is referring
to the work
that we do,
not the work
that Jesus
does,
who are now
united with
Jesus.
So it's very
similar to
Mark chapter 8
where Jesus
says,
you want to
come follow
me,
take a big
cross and
follow me.
It's Jesus'
very vivid
speech for a
life of self
denial.
And so here,
the apostle
Paul takes
Jesus'
call to
take up
our cross
and follow
him to
its logical
conclusion.
He wants
to make
sure that
as we
take up
our cross,
we actually
get to
the point
of execution.
He wants
to make
sure that
the execution
of the
sinful nature
actually takes
place.
So that's
the first
thing,
we crucify
the sinful
nature,
the work
that we
do.
The second
thing is
that we
live by
the spirit.
So let
us keep
in step
with the
spirit.
The Holy
Spirit works
through means
to crucify
the sinful
nature as
well as to
help us to
keep in step
with the
spirit.
The Holy
Spirit works
through means,
objective
means of
grace like
the Bible,
prayer,
worship,
Christian
fellowship,
as well as
subjective means
of grace
where we
open ourselves
to being
changed.
And,
you know,
things like
we're thinking
about where
we are,
listening,
questioning,
hearing the
critique and
admonition of
others,
examining our
hearts,
sharing our
hearts,
and weighing
Christian
brothers and
sisters'
response to
our lives.
to put it
simply,
Paul is
describing
here,
what he's
describing is
in crucifying
the sinful
nature and
walking in
step with the
spirit is a
life of
repentance.
That's what
he's talking
about.
We are
turning our
back on one
way,
enabled by the
Holy Spirit,
we're turning
our back on
one way of
life,
and we're
walking with
the Holy
Spirit into
a new way
of life.
But mark
this,
note this,
if you've
kind of switched
off a little
bit,
wake up at
this point.
This is
essential to
this life of
repentance,
and it's
this,
rejoice in
order to
repent.
Notice the
beginning of
verse 24,
very significant.
If you've
got your
Bible,
open it,
notice the
beginning of
verse 24.
It says,
those who
already belong
to Jesus
crucify the
sinful nature.
Only those
who are already
His can
crucify the
sinful nature.
Only those
who belong,
who know that
they belong to
Jesus, and I
would suggest to
the degree that
they know that
they belong to
Jesus, and
that they are
secure in
Jesus, they
are safe in
Jesus, will
then crucify the
sinful nature and
His passions.
Only
Christianity
says that.
Every other
religion says
that if you
crucify the
flesh, then
you belong to
God.
If you do
the right thing,
then you'll be
included.
If you do,
then you will
be.
And that's
not how the
Christian gospel
works.
Christianity
says, if you
be, then
you will do.
If you
understand that
in Jesus, you
already belong,
you're already
accepted, you
are already His
forever, you
will crucify the
sinful nature
with joy.
There's that
word joy back
in there again.
You will do it
with joy.
You see, there
is a way of
wounding the
sinful nature
with fear.
fear.
Moral
constraint
feeds on
fear.
You had
better stop
that, Steve,
otherwise God's
going to get
you and people
are going to
think you're
stupid and
you're really
going to be
kicking yourself
in the
backside.
That's
fear.
The only
way to
crucify the
sinful nature,
to truly
repent, to
walk in the
spirit is with
joy.
It is looking
to what God
has already
done for you.
You see,
the Christian's
motivation to
live a life
of love
and joy
and peace
and patience
and kindness
and goodness
and faithfulness
and gentleness
and self-control
and humility
and courage
is the radical
love that we
receive from God.
Instead of
saying to
yourself,
you had
better stop
that because
God's going
to get you,
you say,
you better
stop that
because you
have a God
who's already
got you.
A God
who has
gone for
infinite lengths
in order to
never reject
you and
you're
forgetting
the joy
that what
he has
given you
in order
to go after
something that
is just so
less valuable
than what you
already have.
You see,
if we're
impatient with
others,
God doesn't
so much say
to us,
stop it
or I'm
going to
get you.
he says,
Steve,
have you
forgotten
how patient
I am
with you?
One last
thing about
growing in the
fruit of the
Spirit and
godly character.
You're never
going to grow
by yourself
as an
individual
consumer.
All this,
what I've
talked about,
walking with
the Spirit,
crucifying the
sinful nature,
all gets
worked out
in community.
To be
effective for
God's glory
on your
front line,
you need
the Christian
community.
Notice
verse 15.
Sam read it
out.
One verse
sort of before
the main focus.
Verse 15,
if you keep
on biting
and devouring
each other,
watch out
or you'll
be destroyed
by each
other.
Notice
verse 26.
It's the
last verse
of this
section we're
looking at.
Let us
not become
conceited,
provoking and
envying each
other.
You see,
Paul sees
the community
believers as
the way that
you're going
to get all
this done.
All this
transformation,
the crucifying of
one and inner
transformation of
the Spirit.
It's the
Christian community,
it's the place
and the way that
you're going to
get it all
done,
and he sees
that getting
this done
as the way
to better
Christian
community.
The community
of God's
people is
essential for
growth in
godly character,
and that's
why it's
quite possible
to be part
of a local
church,
to sit in
a pew,
to not be
relationally
connected for
decades,
and not
grow in
the fruit of
the Spirit.
Get in a
community
group,
if you
want to
grow in
the fruit
of the
Spirit,
at least
as a
starting
point.
In the
frontline
course that
I've based
this sermon
series on,
there's this
little video
clip telling
the story of
a Christian
office assistant
who has a
real ogre as
a boss,
and the boss
is bad
tempered,
the boss
is irrational,
makes every
day a
complete nightmare
for this
poor girl.
The office
assistant
regularly prayed
for patience,
strength,
for character,
and also
prayed for
the boss
to change,
that he
wouldn't be
such an
ogre.
He didn't.
He never
changed.
After three
years of
praying for
support and
change,
she ended
up walking
away from
that job
feeling like
she didn't
make a
difference.
The boss
was still
the same.
She didn't
make a
difference.
She walked
away thinking
that she
had failed
in modelling
character,
the Christian
faith,
in her
workplace.
Three weeks
after she
quit,
the person
who replaced
her rang
up and
said to
her,
it's
incredible
that you
lasted for
three years.
I'm thinking
of quitting
after three
weeks.
This
bloke's a
nightmare.
She found
out during
the course
of that
conversation
that she
was known
in the
office as
a person
of great
patience,
integrity,
and courage
in the face
of a difficult
situation.
She walked
away thinking
she'd
fail.
She wasn't
convinced she
was growing
in patience,
in godly
character.
It's great to
hear that
because you
might be in
a similar
situation where
you're at
work or
you're at
home,
you're with
a group of
friends,
you're with
your neighbours,
whatever your
front line is,
and you're
wondering in
fact whether
God is
even at
work,
at all,
at work,
through you.
You may
get to the
end of your
day and
feel that
little has
been done
for the
sake of
the kingdom
of God
and for
God's
glory.
And you
think that
because there's
this battle
raging within
your own
heart,
between the
sinful nature
and the
spirit,
and you
look at your
results and
you think that
nothing's
happening in
the workplace,
nothing's
happening with
my kids.
I just want
to say to
you that it
doesn't mean
that God is
not at
work.
God is at
work in
the redemption
of his
world.
And I want
to say the
fact is God
has been at
work in
you.
If the
fruit of the
spirit is
working in
you at
all,
that fruit
will be on
display.
And you're
probably the
last person
who can see
it.
Because you're
aware of the
battle.
All of this
growth in the
fruit of the
spirit happens
in the frustrations
and the joy
and the
challenges of
just another
ordinary day.
It is no
small thing to
model Christian
character that
is being
counter-culturally
transformed by
the spirit of
God.
And there
will be a
future day
when all
will be made
new and God
calls us to
work towards
that day.
Even if we
don't immediately
see the fruit
of his work
in our lives
or in the
world.
But I
suspect just
like that
young lady
got a
phone call
one day
and if
you never
get that
phone call
but one
day at the
end of time
I suspect
you'll be
astonished by
the way that
God has
used you
for his
glory and
the joy of
many people
just by
living out
the inner
transformation
of our
hearts in
the ordinary
circumstances of
life.
Take courage,
keep working
on the
fruit.