The Christian life is not a chore. It’s so much better than that.

Steve Brown:
The Christian life is not a chore, it’s so much better than that. Let’s talk, on Key Life.

Matthew Porter:
This is Key Life. We’re here to communicate the freeing truth that God’s not mad at his children. Steve invited our friend Justin Holcomb to teach us all this week. Justin is a priest, seminary professor, and he’s written, co authored, or edited more than 20 books.

Steve Brown:
Hey Justin. Boy, some good stuff on the Holy Spirit. But you know, you are quite religious, you’re the most religious person. You know, I was at your ordination and installation as a Bishop. And that’s, you know, that went on for a long time and you’re the most religious person that I know. But funny thing happened with you. You’re maybe the most fun person I know. How do those things go together?

Justin Holcomb:
I’m just, I’m a hypocrite.

Steve Brown:
No, you’re not.

Justin Holcomb:
My daughters, because I do a lot of religious stuff as a Bishop. I visit churches, I preach, I’m like, lots of stuff. And my daughters regularly say like, about once a day, if people only knew what their bishop was like at home. Because I’m, I laugh at things I probably shouldn’t laugh at, and I keep jokes going longer, just goofy, not terrible.

Steve Brown:
Well, I’ve got to say that you break the mold of my definition of a Bishop. But you’ve done that in a lot of ways since I’ve known you. Well, anyway, let’s get back to the subject of the Holy Spirit.

Justin Holcomb:
Yeah. So, you started last, ended the last episode talking about laughter and we’re going to talk about Fruit of the Spirit. Few things, usually the Fruit of the Spirit is when people make a list of love, joy, peace, patience, fill in the blank rest. And then so, here are some steps on how to be more loving. Here are the practical steps to be more joyful and kind. And it’s meaningless, I’m sure they’re true, but that’s not proclaiming good news of anything. It’s just giving, it’s putting a brick in a backpack and turning what’s an indicative, which is describing what God is doing, like the gifts, the Fruit of the Spirit, into an imperative, into a command. The passage on the Fruit of the Spirit is a description of what the Holy Spirit does in us as the gardener of the Fruit, not commanding us to be the gardeners of the Fruit. And so, what ends up happening is this wonderful passage about the Fruit of the Spirit, which we’ll read in a second, ends up taking the fork, which is to nourish us, and turns it into our own weapon where we stab ourselves in the head with it. And that’s what happens with the Fruit of the Spirit. So, listen to this passage, like this is, I’m going to read a little bit because we need to read it in the context. This is Galatians 5: verse 13.

You, my brothers were called to be free.

That sets the tone for what we’re about to hear from here on out.

Do not use your freedom to indulge in sinful nature, rather serve one another in love. The entire law is summed up in a single command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out you will be destroyed by each other. I say live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.

By the way, live by the Spirit means repent and trust in the work of Christ and ask the Holy Spirit to fill you and change you.

For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature.

That’s the war we talked about a few times ago.

And we are in conflict with each, they are in conflict with each other so that you do not do what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you’re not under the law.

And here’s the list, the acts of the sinful nature. You have to compare the sinful nature to the Fruit list.

The acts of the sinful nature, verse 19, are sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery, idolatry and witchcraft, hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissension, factions, enviousness, drunkenness, orgies, and the like.

That’s my favorite one is the and the like, like that wasn’t enough right there. There’s more just other things like this.

And then the Fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Jesus Christ have crucified the sinful nature with his passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking, and envying each other.

That passage is beautiful and descriptive.

Steve Brown:
It really is. And when you read it in context, you see it as a gift that it is. I can see how, and I suspect I’ve done it on occasion, over a thousand sermons I’ve preached. I’ve beat people over the head with it. It was never meant to do that.

Justin Holcomb:
It’s almost like the passage where Jesus says, Hey, abide in the vine. And because the whole point is abide in me, I’ll give you life.

Steve Brown:
And apart from me, you can do nothing.

Justin Holcomb:
And then what, what do people do is they end up telling you like, okay, abide, you need to wake up early. You need to journal. You got to make sure you read and pray and give and be in community and silence and solitude and… As opposed to, I mean, the picture of abide, I remember, I still remember when my daughter was born and Lindsey was feeding our baby. And I thought that passage was the Sunday passage. And I walked out watching my baby, Sophia, who could not feed herself being fed by another who was intentional and caring and gave life to her. During the abide passage, and I was like, that’s what abiding looks like. It means staying there, it’s like, where else are you going to go? You have the words of eternal life. So abide means stay because

Steve Brown:
don’t run

Justin Holcomb:
because you found where life is. And it’s similar here is, the Fruit of the Spirit is not about, primarily about how do you cultivate the Fruit of the Spirit. This is what the Holy Spirit does in us, our job is to repent and trust in Christ and ask the Holy Spirit to change and dwell in us. And then we get up and walk in the Spirit. We walk in faith. It means we just go about our life and, but this is what God’s doing. So, the Holy Spirit, when you see it, there are certain places where you are, people you’re with, certain, you know, congregations that exude love and joy, huge markers. These are markers that the work of the Spirit is being done. If you are with someone or in a church that does not have love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self control, that’s a pretty diverse list. Patience and self control, kindness, I mean, it’s not just all nice stuff, I mean, self control’s in that, like, and so, you can look at this list and say, where do I lack self control? Holy Spirit, change my life. I would like some more self control. That’s the work of the Spirit to even ask. When you realize, I am horrific, I’m not kind, I’m not patient, I’m not loving. Well, the first part is the conviction of that, but the second is the Holy Spirit loves to answer that prayer, and to change your heart, and to change so you and your relationships in your church are actually have characteristics of the works of the Spirit.

Steve Brown:
You know, the good news of this too, is that we’re going to get better.

Justin Holcomb:
Mm hmm. And this is what it

Steve Brown:
Yeah, exactly. And that’s the way. And it’s not going to be us, it’s going to be him. And we need to quit obsessing about it. We need to abide, hang out with, be a part of, party with Jesus, that’s what abiding is. And the other stuff, believe it or not, will take care of itself. We don’t do that. We make our faith a faith that is hard work, so you can be more and more like Jesus. No, it’s not. It’s what Jesus does, and he does it with great joy in our lives. And so, the message to every Christian is look, quit obsessing on it. You’re going to get better and you can’t even help it. You’re going to get better.

Justin Holcomb:
There’s a quote. I don’t remember some Lutheran pastor who said.

The seed that keeps on being dug up and examined can not grow.

And where people are hearing us and being like, so you’re just going to go about life living. Well, the two people talking to you right now are probably the two most obsessive, self critical people that they would know if they knew us. So, we’re saying this because both of us are like, I’m not changing. I’m not changing. And then we overthink it and God’s going, Hey, Steve, Hey, Justin, I’m working on you. Look at this, this is about my faithfulness. Get your eyes off yourself. It’s actually when we obsess on our own sanctification and fruit growing, we’re actually dishonoring the Lord because he says, no, get your eyes fixed on Jesus, not yourself. You’re curved inward and Luther said.

That the phrase for sin was the curve inward.

And so, our self obsessing about ourselves is actually the most dishonoring thing we can do. Of course, do some introspection, but the obsessive introspection actually ends up digging up the seed. And so, I dig up my seed of fruitfulness on a regular basis. When God wants me to just do the ordinary life of reading my Bible, going to church, being around others, confessing my sins, and crying out for God and groans that I don’t even know how to articulate half the time.

Steve Brown:
Somebody said, I maybe got their quote from you.

That God doesn’t look for people who love him and then he creates them.

Justin Holcomb:
That’s the Heidelberg Catechism from Luther.

God does not search, or God’s love does not search for what is good, but creates what is loving.

Yeah, doesn’t search, but creates.

Steve Brown:
And that’s what God’s doing in my life and in your life and in the lives of your brothers and sisters in Christ. It’s what makes the Christian faith delightful and a whole lot less dull and depressing and religious in the way we make it.

Justin Holcomb:
And this is what he originally intended. The garden was a party. It was together in fellowship with God and one another, in love and mutual love, care and honor and worship of God. And that’s what he’s returning everything to. He’s making all things new to the joy and celebration of that garden party.

Steve Brown:
And that’s why we call it the Good News. You think about that. Amen.

Matthew Porter:
Thank you Steve and Justin. That was Steve Brown, along with one of our voices of Key Life, Justin Holcomb. They’re teaching us all this week about the Spirit that gives life. Still one more day with Steve and Justin tomorrow. Will you join us then? Wouldn’t be the same without you. Well, if you’re a regular listener to Key Life, then you’ve probably heard Justin before. Super smart guy, actually very funny too. So, you may be interested in reading some articles he’s written on our website. Just go to keylife.org and then on the left hand menu click the Authors button. Then just scroll down until you find Justin’s name. And as you’re there you’ll also see info and articles from all of our Key Life contributors. It’s a terrific way to really drill into the content that ministers to you the most. And great news, all of our website content is still free thanks to the generous support of listeners just like you. If you’d like to donate, just call us at 1-800-KEY-LIFE that’s 1-800-539-5433. If you’d like to send your donation by mail, just go to keylife.org/contact to find our mailing addresses for the U. S. and Canada. Or e-mail [email protected] you can charge a gift on your credit card or include a gift in your envelope. And of course, you can now give safely and securely just by texting Key Life to 28950 that’s Key Life, one word, two words. It doesn’t matter. Just text that to 28950 then follow the instructions. Key Life is a member of ECFA in the States and CCCC in Canada. And as always, we are a listener supported production of Key Life Network.