Sermons from October 2021

We have spent two months examining the individual characteristics Paul included in his “fruit of the Spirit” list in Galatians 5:22-23. We have dedicated time to considering that list because it offers a portrait of the character that God wants to define His people, a character that reflects His own identity and that enables people to be His image-bearers in the world. In this lesson, we will consider the final item in Paul’s list – self-control – and the place it ought to have within our lives.

“You’ve got to ask yourself one question: ‘Do I feel lucky?’ Well, do you, punk?” Clint Eastwood’s character “Dirty Harry” voiced that now-popular phrase in the 1971 movie by the same name. The movie follows Eastwood’s character, a police officer in San Francisco, as he tracks down a psychopathic serial killer named “Scorpio”. Even though Eastwood’s character behaves in ways like the movie’s villain, the film casts his willingness to bend and break the rules and to use violence to stop Scorpio as misunderstood, but necessary, heroic behavior. Dirty Harry represents a common motif in American cinema – heroes do whatever it takes to stop the bad guy. That motif, however, stands in stark contrast to the gentleness Paul said ought to characterize Christians. This lesson continues our survey of the fruit of the Spirit Paul lists in Galatians 5:22-23 by considering gentleness and its place in our lives.

Amy bought me a t-shirt that has the phrase “do good” printed on the front. I love that shirt (I love it so much I bought a second one in a different color). The ‘slogan’ is a positive version of the often mocked “Don’t be evil” motto that Google adopted in the early 2000s. Both phrases – ‘do good, “don’t be evil” – acknowledge the importance of moral behavior. Problems, however, arise when one tries to define “goodness” because it has a flexible meaning determined by the ever-evolving tastes of our society. The Bible similarly emphasizes the importance of goodness. Paul, for example, wrote that Christians should “learn to devote themselves to good works” (Titus 3:14). Unlike our culture, the Bible offers a fixed understanding of goodness based on the identity and behavior of God. We will consider the goodness in this lesson as part of our ongoing exploration of the “fruit of the Spirit” Paul lists in Galatians 5:22-23.