On Sunday, August 29, 2021 at Wildwood Community Church, I preached a sermon based on Galatians 5:19-26.  This message was part 4 in the “New Power” sermon series.  Below you will find questions related to the sermon for personal reflection or group discussion.  You will also find the audio and video of the sermon to listen to/watch, download, or share.

Sermon Questions:

1. Pray
2. Read Galatians 5:19-26
3. What are some examples of your ability to identify somethings “true colors” by the “fruits” it produced?  
4. As we saw last week in Galatians 5:17, a battle rages inside every Christian between competing desires:  the desires of the flesh and the desires of the Spirit.  Think of your personal experiences in life.  Where have you been negatively impacted by OTHERS works of the flesh?  Where have you been positively impacted by OTHERS fruits of the Spirit?
5. If you were to ask those who know you best, what “fruit” are they picking from your life?  Are you producing more “works of the flesh” or “fruits of the Spirit”?
6. What fleshly acts/temptations/desires do you need to nail down tight in your life right now?
7. What are the next few steps the Spirit is leading you to take in obedience to Him?
8. Pray for the Lord to empower you as you nail down tight certain behaviors and begin walk upright following Him.
9. What stands out to you most from this message?  Any particular takeaway?

To access these questions in pdf format, click here.

 

To listen offline, click the link below:

The New Power #4 8.29.21

 

To listen online, use the media player:

 

To watch the stream, use YouTube online:

 

I am no botanist.  I cannot look at a tree from a reasonable distance and tell the difference between an elm and an oak … a sweet gum and a sycamore.  They all simply can be described as “tree” in my book.  While this may be technically accurate, it does not tell the whole story.

Even my untrained eye, however, can differentiate certain trees as I get closer.  I identify a sweet gum tree by looking at the God-forsaken prickly cones it produces.  I can tell something is an oak if I see an acorn.  And don’t even get me started about apple trees (or any fruit tree for that matter) … when the fruit is on the vine, the tree reveals its true colors.

None of us are God.  None of us see the inside of people’s souls.  We do not know what is fully going on inside a person from a distance.  Therefore, we cannot tell what someone really believes and who is their ultimate authority, just by looking at their outside.  After all, people of all different belief systems have different skin colors, hair colors, heights, weights, and speak different languages.  From a distance, we all just look like “people.”  While this is technically accurate, it does not tell the whole story.

Even to our non-divine eyes, however, we can differentiate between people the closer we get.  Who people really are, who they really follow, and what they ultimately believe becomes evident the closer we get to someone.  And … for the Christian who is trusting in the Holy Spirit and living in obedience following Jesus, there is a definite difference in the appearance of their life.  

At least there should be.

That is the argument Paul makes in Galatians 5:19-26.  Most people live for people … more accurately, most people live for themselves … but not the people who are following Jesus Christ and empowered by His Spirit.  If we are following Him, we are NOT living for ourselves, but we are living our lives for Christ AND AS A RESULT, living our lives in service to others.

If we are following Jesus, and dependent upon the Spirit, our lives will produce certain “fruits” that will nourish and bless those around us.  And in so doing they will reveal who we really follow.

Join us this Sunday at Wildwood Community Church as we wrap up our “New Power” sermon series by looking at the end of Galatians 5 in our 8:30, 9:45, and 11:00 worship services (or online in the stream – beginning at 9:45 CDT on August 29 at this link).  Hope to see you there as we reflect on these crucial verses together.

On Sunday, August 22, 2021 at Wildwood Community Church, I preached a sermon based on Galatians 5:16-18.  This message was part 3 of the “New Power” sermon series.  Below you will see a set of questions related to this message for personal reflection or group discussion.  You will also see the sermon audio and video to listen to/watch, download or share.

 

Sermon Questions:

1. Pray
2. Read Galatians 5:16-18
3. Tell the story of how you came to follow Jesus?  As you have followed Him, have you experienced times of “camp highs” followed by “lows”?  How does this passage help you understand these dynamics?
4. In what way do you relate to the language of a “battle” being waged inside you between the desires of the Spirit and the desires of the flesh?
5. How does remembering the presence of the flesh impact the way you live out your “freedom in Christ” and your expectations as you relate to others in the world?
6. Who is leading you (in your decision making) most often?  Your flesh or the Spirit?
7. Which direction are you walking (or which direction is your life headed)?  Do you need to/want to stop, turn around and go a different path?
8. Are you relying on the Spirit to guide you day by day?  What would that practically look like in your life?
9. What stands out to you most from this message?  Any particular takeaway?

To access these questions in pdf format, click here.

 

To listen offline, click the link:

The New Power #3 8.22.21

 

To listen online, use the media player below:

 

To watch the stream, use YouTube online:

 

I want to be honest with you for a moment.  I have written and rewritten a preview for this Sunday’s message 5 times already today. That is not an exaggeration.  But each time I delete it and start over.  This is not because I find this passage hard to understand.  The passage is actually straight forward and self evident.

I have struggled to write the preview today, because there is so much I want to say about these three verses, that it is hard to boil it down to one illustration!

So, rather than me giving you my words today, I want to just give you the words of Galatians 5:13-15 … the three verses I will be preaching from on Sunday.  Read them.  Read them again.  Read them again.  Memorize them.  Meditate on them.  Ask the Spirit to bring them into a reality in your life and in mine … then come Sunday at 8:30, 9:45, and 11:00 and let’s talk about them together at Wildwood Community Church.  Or if you are not able to join us in person, join us online at 9:45 (or anytime after) at wildwoodchurch.org/live .  Read these verses printed below, and I’ll see you Sunday, August 15!

“For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another.” – Galatians 5:13-15

On Sunday, August 8, 2021 at Wildwood Community Church, I preached a sermon based on Galatians 5:1-12.  This message was part 1 of the “New Power” sermon series. Below you will find questions related to this message for personal reflection or group discussion.  You will also find sermon audio and video to listen to/watch, download or share.

Sermon Questions:

1. Pray
2. Read Galatians 5:1-12
3. What are some “new” products you have interacted with that were TRULY “new”?  Can you think of anything “new” that really is just a slightly different VERSION of something old?
4. In what way is the Gospel of Jesus Christ bringing in something really NEW (based on your understanding of Scripture, as well as our study of Paul’s letter to the Galatians?)
5. What are some of the “one more things” that people want to add onto the Gospel in our culture today?  Paul is clear that salvation is through faith in Jesus alone … what are some things people want to say salvation is through faith in Jesus alone PLUS ________?
6. Which path have you chosen?  The Jesus only path, or the Jesus PLUS path?
7. The Holy Spirit  has come into the lives of ALL believers!  Take a moment and PRAISE GOD for this provision!
8. For those who have placed their faith in Christ, they are WAITING for something amazing.  In your understanding, what do Christians have to look forward to in the future?
9. While we are waiting, we are to work out our faith in love for one another.  Where does your love need a “workout” today?
10. 10.What stands out to you most from this message?  Any particular takeaway?

To access these questions in pdf format, click here.

 

To listen offline, click the link:

The New Power #1 8.8.21

 

To listen online, use the media player:

 

To watch the service, use YouTube stream online:

 

Every fall, a new Apple falls off the tree.  By Apple, I don’t mean Honey Crisp or Red Delicious … I mean iPhone.  Each year a “new” iPhone is released.  I intentionally put “new” in quotes because (for the most part) the “new” phone is the same as the “old” phone.  The capabilities are roughly the same.  Both can make calls.  Both can send text messages.  Both can take pictures and video.  Both can run a variety of apps.  They are MOSTLY the same.  Instead of thinking of these phones as NEW, it really would be better to think of them as iterations or versions of the old.  An iPhone 1.12, instead of an iPhone 12 (if you will).  Sure, the cameras are better, the processors faster, and the networks more advanced … but they basically still do the same stuff.  Even their appearance is hard to differentiate at first glance.

I say this today because inside our Bibles there is a change that is called “New.”  The “NEW TESTAMENT” or “NEW COVENANT” describe a change in operating system governing the relationship between God and man.  The “NEW TESTAMENT” or “NEW COVENANT” (of course) replaced the “OLD TESTAMENT” or “OLD COVENANT.”  Given our experience with our phones, though, we must ask … in what way is this “NEW COVENANT” really NEW?  Is it really bringing new capabilities and a new operating system, or is it just an iteration on the old?  Is it OT Law 1.2 or is it an overhaul.

Throughout Paul’s letter to the Galatians, he has argued emphatically that Christianity is not just OT Law 1.2.  It is something NEW.  Jesus normalized a New Covenant for how people connect to God … and that New Covenant gave a New Way for living life through Jesus.  Throughout 2021 at Wildwood, we have been walking through this epic letter and highlighting these truths.  If you want to review, feel free to go back and see our “New Normal” and “New Way” sermon series, found on my blog and on our podcast from January/February and May/June respectively.  In Galatians 5, however, the Apostle Paul goes a step further to identify WHY the New Covenant is so NEW.  What makes the current era in which we live so special?

Well, the short answer is because of the presence of a New Power that is available for all who are in Christ.  By “New” I don’t mean that this Power just came on the scene – as the Power described has actually ALWAYS existed.  By “New” I mean it is “Newly” installed permanently in our very souls.  Not only has the operating system been updated, but the battery has been revolutionized as well!  

This power source I am referring to is the Holy Spirit … the third member of the Trinity … that God has implanted inside those who trust in Christ.  And this NEW development changes everything.

This Sunday, we will kick off our study of Galatians 5 in part 1 of a 5 week series entitled “The New Power.”  This week, we will be looking at Galatians 5:1-12.  Hope you make plans to join us at Wildwood in our 8:30, 9:45, or 11:00 worship services (or online at 9:45 in our livestream) as we launch into this study together.  See you there, and bring friends!  This is an upgrade all of us need.