Friendship with The Holy Spirit pt 3: Walking and Fruiting

Friendship with The Holy Spirit Pt3:  Walking and Fruiting 

Introduction: There was a man who was born lame from his mother’s womb. He was carried to the temple and lay daily at the gate to beg for money (Acts 3:1-26). 

• We are not given the name of this person, but his situation is similar to some believers. 

1. This lame man had legs that came at birth, but these legs didn’t walk. 

• He was born with legs, but he lived his life crawling and being carried.

•  Legs were not given to us so that we can just have them, but so that they can carry us. 

The New Birth is walking in the Spirit, not a work of the flesh: “I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh” –Galatians 5:16, NKJV.

Just as with physical birth, we are not born walking. 

• None of us walked out of our mother’s womb. We had to learn to walk. 

• Some took longer to walk than others. The first few times it was hard. 

• We fell. We cried. We relied on adults who were good at walking to train us and be patient with us. 

  • Now, Today, walking comes naturally. 

In fact, we don’t even think about it; we just walk. And so is life in the Spirit. 

All Christians have the Holy Spirit, but the Holy Spirit doesn’t have all Christians. 

Some of us have gotten saved. We have the legs, but total surrender still hasn’t happened. 

• Therefore, we are like lame people who crawl in the flesh rather than walk in the Spirit. 

II. This lame person had legs, but legs must be used.

It speaks of a believer who has the Spirit, but the Holy Spirit doesn’t do anything in his life. 

• His life is summarized by his ability to operate in the natural.

• There is very little supernatural in his life—all his work is the result of hard effort.

• He doesn’t deny the Spirit, but he lives without relying on Him. 

• Results are minimal. Life is hard and at times exhausting. 

If we don’t walk in the Spirit, we will work in the flesh. 

• We will run and grow weary. We will walk and faint.

III. This lame man was sitting instead of leaping, and begging instead of praising. In fact, what he asked for was alms, but what he needed was to walk by faith! 

The Spirit-Led Life is a Walk in the Spirit. 

• Every Christian has the Holy Spirit, but the Holy Spirit does not have every Christian! 

• Every Christian has a relationship with the Holy Spirit, but not everyone has intimacy! 

• We get the Holy Spirit with salvation, the Holy Spirit gets us by surrender. 

  • A lame Christian has legs but lives crawling! 

  • Birth gives you legs, but walking requires practice, mentors, and time 

  • Salvation gives you the Holy Spirit, but walking in him takes time, practice, prayer, the word, and mentors.  

When you came to salvation in Christ, you got all of the Spirit, but the Holy Spirit did not get all of you! 

IV. How does God get all of you? 

• Walking in the Spirit requires two legs: Surrender and Submission 

• You cannot walk in the Spirit and continue to attempt to be in control 

  • You must learn to let go and let God concerning EVERYTHING! 

    • Your preferences 

    • Your individual decisions

    • Your desire to lead yourself and others. 

    • If you are to be spirit-led,  you cannot be you-led!  

LEG #1  Learn to Surrender!

• Paul tells us in 1 Thessalonians 5:19 not to quench the Spirit. 

• That means ignoring or disobeying His moving, directions, and activity. 

LEG #2  Learn to Submit! 

• We are exhorted also “to not grieve the Holy Spirit” (Ephesians 4:30). 

• Quenching happens when we limit his power. 

Walking in the Spirit begins with standing!

1. Next comes the steps: The Holy Spirit wants to empower and equip our character with His fruit. 

• His power calls for surrender, and His equipping calls for submission 

• I call this the two legs of walking in the Holy Spirit. 

2. There are nine gifts, but one fruit of the Spirit. 

• It’s interesting because Paul doesn’t call it the nine fruits of the Spirit, but he names nine characteristics and calls them the fruit. 

• “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control”(Galatians 5:22-23).

3. Compare that with the works of the flesh (plural) and the fruit of the Spirit (singular). 

• These nine character qualities of the Holy Spirit develop at the same time. 

• This fruit is what He produces. 

4. In our own strength, we can work on one trait of the fruit of the Spirit at the expense of another. 

• When we work on patience, we tend to lose sight of gentleness. 

• Or if we get better at long-suffering, we may lose joy. 

• I can’t work on all of the fruit of the Spirit at once. 

5. What is the Answer? It’s not the fruit of my efforts. 

• It’s not my work. It’s not called the fruit of my efforts, but the fruit of the Spirit. 

• Fruit is not developed by striving. 

  • Trees don’t strive to produce fruit. 

  • It’s intimacy with the Holy Spirit that brings fruit. 

  • Therefore, we don’t work on our fruit; we work on our relationship with Him, and fruit comes as a result. 

Conclusion: This may come as a shock to some, but we are not called to work on our character. 

• We are called to work on our relationship with the Holy Spirit, and He will work on our character in return. 

• Jesus told his disciples, “Follow Me and I will MAKE you…” (Matthew 4:19). 

• Their job was to follow; His job was to make. 

We are only branches. Our job is to remain and abide; His task is to produce fruit.

• That’s why in John 15:1-8, it says that a branch bears fruit, not produces it. 

• We hold that fruit, but the Holy Spirit produces it. 

• Our job is to cultivate intimacy; His job is to produce character

In other words, don’t work on your issues; instead, cultivate intimacy with God. 

• Remember, God is interested in spiritual fruit, not religious nuts. 

Life filled with the Holy Spirit is not you trying to live for God, but letting the Holy Spirit live through you. 

• Paul said, “It is no longer I but Christ who lives in me” (Galatians 2:20). 

We so often replace surrender with striving. 

• The fruit of the Holy Spirit is like having kids; children are the result of intimacy.

  • You can’t get pregnant because you came to the altar. 

  • You need to have a relationship and intimacy, and kids come as a result of that. 

Interestingly, all nine characteristics of the fruit that the Holy Spirit develops in us are attitudes, not actions. 

• If you remember the Ten Commandments, most of them are about doing this or not doing that. 

Why is the Holy Spirit more concerned with our attitude than our actions? 

• The fruit of His work in your heart is a change in your attitude toward life. 

That’s why I believe that the fruit of the Holy Spirit doesn’t make me better than you; it makes me better than me.

The Challenge of Authenticity

• Difference between true transformation and appearance:

• Some appear godly but lack real spiritual transformation

   

  • Analogy: fake fruit vs. real fruit (Bowl of Plastic Fruit)

    • One is a decoration and the other a disciple. 

    • You look like fruit, but others are not fed!

    • Instead of being fed, they are fed up with you! 

       

Warning of Fruit Inspection: “You will know them by their fruit” (Matthew 7:16