God Hath Spoken

by Harris J. Dark

6. Goodness. This means uprightness of heart and life—a constant desire and diligent effort, not only to abstain from every form of evil, but also to do good to the bodies and souls of all men.

7. Faith. The word faith is here used in the sense of fidelity, the character of one who can be depended upon to keep all his promises, to meet all of his obligations, and to be true to every relationship.

8. Meekness. Meekness is likewise a fruit of the Spirit. It is the very opposite of anger. Moses was called a meek man. Jesus said, “Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth.” And although Christ was brave and uncompromising, he was nevertheless one of the very meekest of men.

9. Temperance. Temperance means self-control. Remember this very chapter says, “Ye cannot do the things that ye would.” You cannot give free expression unto the passions of your body. Your body must be buffeted and brought into subjection as Paul did with his. We must learn to exercise self-control and to make ourselves do that which we know we ought to do.

These are the fruits of the Spirit. They are the characteristics that should be developed in your life if you are a Christian. I just want you to look at these two pictures—the fruit of the Spirit on the one hand and the works of the flesh on the other. They are contrasted in every sense of the word. They are incompatible and antagonistic. To the extent you have one you fail to possess the other.

Let me ask you this question: Do you believe the fruit of the Spirit will make anybody unpopular? Sometimes when people are unpopular and are being persecuted they say, “Oh, well, those who live Godly lives are to be persecuted.” That’s true. The Bible teaches it (2 Tim. 3:12). But I’m afraid that very often our persecution comes from other causes. We might be suffering because we have hatred, jealousy, and envy, and not because we have the Spirit of Christ. Before you take pride in your persecution you’d better examine the source of it. It might be coming from the wrong side of the fence.

Those who follow the Spirit are a living rebuke to those who fail to do so, and as such they will receive some degree of persecution. But I also contend that everybody in this world will have to admire a person who has the fruits of the Spirit in his life. His character presents a beautiful picture to all who know him. You just can’t help admiring him. Let us be very careful then about the cause of our persecution.

But I promised to talk to you about “And So Forth” or “And Such Like.” After the apostle Paul had finished naming the works of the flesh he said, “and such like.” He said that there were some things like those named which also belong in the same classification. Now suppose you were requested this morning to come forward and list in this blank column some things that are like those Paul named. What would you put in this column? There must be some things like these. The Bible says there are some things like them. Otherwise, there would have been no sense in saying “and such like.” What are those things which are like the ones named by Paul? The Bible itself mentions some others that could be put in this class. For instance, lying is a work of the flesh. It could certainly be included in the “and so forth” of Paul’s list.

But now I want to put some words in this blank column, and leave it up to you to decide whether they belong under the Fruit of the Spirit or the Works of the Flesh. From this point on, I’m going to let you preach this sermon. It’ll be your sermon from here on out. I shall not tell you where I think these words belong. Not that I’m afraid or ashamed to tell, but I want you to make your own decision. For after all, people will not do right until they decide to do so themselves. If I can provoke you to think and to resolve in your own heart that you will do right, then that will be much better than anything else which I might do for you today. The first word I’m listing is:

1. Dancing. I want you to decide for yourself which column it belongs in. Would you list it as a work of the flesh or as fruit of the Spirit? Into which list does it fit better? I’m not going to say. Decide for yourself. If you were called upon to classify it in one or the other of these groups, in which group would you put it? You may say it doesn’t belong in either. Well, I’ll still leave that up to your judgment. I’ll put another word up here.