The Spirit Within: How God Shapes Us from the Inside Out – Sermon – Pastor Marlee Page

I. Walking by the Spirit (Galatians 5:16-18)

Paul starts with this challenge: “Walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.” (Galatians 5:16).

Flesh in the Greek is the word sarx, meaning it represents human nature, particularly in its fallen or carnal state.

In other words, when we let the Holy Spirit guide us, we don’t fall into the same old traps of selfishness, anger, and temptation. The battle between our human desires and the Spirit’s leading is real, but the key is making a daily choice to follow God.

Jesus explained this in John 14:26, saying,

“But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.”

He knew we couldn’t do this on our own, so He sent the Spirit to guide and strengthen us. Living by the Spirit isn’t about trying harder to be good—it’s about staying connected to Jesus and letting His power flow through us, always molding us to be more and more like him.

Jada Edwards wrote about this passage that:

“The freedom of Christ doesn’t lead to self-indulgent or self-sabotaging behaviour, but rather the empowerment of the Spirit to live and serve others.”

Illustration: The Life of George Müller

George Müller (1805-1898) was a German-born Christian evangelist and philanthropist who became well-known for his work in founding and running orphanages in England. He is often regarded as one of the greatest examples of faith in the 19th century, relying solely on prayer for the provision of his needs and the needs of the thousands of children he cared for.

Müller was born in Kroppenstedt, Germany, and grew up in a Christian family. His early life, however, was marked by a period of rebellion and selfishness. After attending university, he became deeply convicted about his sinful lifestyle and committed his life fully to Jesus Christ. This marked a turning point in his life, and Müller became a devoted man of prayer.

In 1836, Müller and his wife, Mary, opened the first of what would become several orphanages in Bristol, England. Over the course of his life, he cared for over 10,000 children and provided a Christian education to them. Now here’s the truly remarkable part of the story, Müller never asked anyone for money; instead, he trusted God to provide for the needs of the orphanages, and he kept a detailed record of every prayer request and its fulfillment. His reliance on prayer for provision became famous worldwide, and many people were inspired by his unwavering faith and trust in God.

George Müller’s life was a shining example of a Spirit-led life that bore fruit in abundance. His faithfulness, patience, kindness, and gentleness were all visible in how he served God and cared for the orphans.

II. The Works of the Flesh (Galatians 5:19-21)

Now remember a moment ago when I said Müller went through a time in his life where he was fairly rebellious before he became convicted of the Holy Spirit? Paul doesn’t hold back when he describes what happens when we live by our own desires: sexual immorality, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfishness, and more. These behaviours pull us away from God and lead to broken relationships, guilt, and regret. Paul even warns that living like this separates us from God’s Kingdom.

Jesus also addressed this issue in Mark 7:20-23, saying,

“What comes out of a person is what defiles them. For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and defile a person.”

In other words, sin starts in our hearts. That’s why real change has to begin from the inside out.

Even though we struggle, Jesus gives us hope.

In Matthew 26:41, He told His disciples,

“Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

He gets it. Our human nature is weak, but through prayer and relying on the Spirit, we can overcome temptation.

III. The Fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23)

Now, here’s the good part; when we live by the Spirit, our lives start producing incredible things.

The challenge when dealing with such a well-known Bible passage as this, is that it’s easy for us to become overly familiar with them. We’ve heard so much about the fruit of the Spirit that we don’t take the time to meditate upon them and consider what they mean for us.

And when we become overly familiar with them, they become less present in our lives. The reality is that when the fruit of the Spirit is present in our lives, it’s an incredible, life-changing thing.

Love – Caring for others like Jesus does.

Joy – A deep, lasting happiness that doesn’t depend on circumstances.

Peace – A sense of calm, even in the middle of chaos.

Patience – The ability to endure difficulties and be gracious with others.

Kindness – Being compassionate and caring.

Goodness – Living with integrity and making the right choices.

Faithfulness – Staying loyal to God and others.

Gentleness – Responding to people with humility and grace.

Self-control – Having discipline over our emotions and desires.

Paul says, “Against such things there is no law” (v. 23), meaning there’s no limit to these qualities. The more we grow in the Spirit, the more these things become a natural part of who we are.

It’s so important- almost essential to remember that the fruit of the Spirit is not simply a group of moral commands. It’s not nine different ways to live a better life. It is not just a call to live an upright, good, moral life. It is so much more than this.

One of the most interesting, and often misunderstood, aspects of the fruit of the Spirit is that the Bible teaches that it is one fruit with many characteristics.

Baptist Pastor, Adrian Rogers tells us

“What is this fruit? Well, it’s described in Galatians 5:22. Look at it. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, self-control: against such there is no law.” Now, notice it doesn’t say the fruits of the Spirit are. So many people think these are nine fruits, and someone says, “Well, let’s see now. Love? Yeah, I’ve got that fruit. Joy? I’ve got that fruit. Peace? I don’t have that fruit. Longsuffering? I don’t have that one. Oh, gentleness? Yeah, I’m good on that. That’s one of my fruit. Goodness? Well, yeah. Faith? Well, I’ve got that. But there’s some of the fruit I have and some of the fruit I don’t have.” Don’t kid yourself, friend. These are not nine fruits; this is one fruit with nine flavors. Look at it. It doesn’t say, “The fruits of the Spirit are.” It says, “The fruit of the Spirit is, the fruit of the Spirit is.” These are nine characteristics that are to be being made manifest in the life of every Spirit-filled believer. The fruit of the Spirit. The presence of all of these characteristics (or flavours) provides evidence that a person is being controlled by the Holy Spirit.

The fruit of the Spirit is the result of the Holy Spirit at work in our lives.

When we invite Jesus into our hearts and accept and believe the Gospel, the Holy Spirit fills us and He begins to produce good fruit in us. He begins to work in us, sanctifying us and making us more like Jesus. As we pursue God and practice following our Rabbi with our whole hearts, the Holy Spirit continues to produce more and more good fruit in us.

IV. Crucifying the Flesh and Living by the Spirit (Galatians 5:24-26)

Paul wraps up by reminding us: “Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” (v. 24).

That means saying no to our old, sinful ways and letting the Spirit lead us instead. It’s not just a one-time decision—it’s something we do every day. Crucifying the flesh is an active process. It means identifying the habits, attitudes, and behaviours that pull us away from God and making a conscious decision to reject them.

Jesus Himself said in Luke 9:23, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.”

The Christian life isn’t about being perfect, but about continually surrendering to Christ and allowing Him to shape us. When we walk by the Spirit, we are no longer driven by selfish desires. Instead, our lives reflect the power of God at work within us. It’s a daily choice to let love, joy, peace, and the rest of the fruit of the Spirit define how we live.

Conclusion:

Living by the Spirit isn’t about trying to be perfect. It’s about staying close to Jesus and letting His Spirit change us from the inside out. To truly experience love in our lives—whether individually or as a church—we have to tap into the ultimate source of life: Jesus Christ. We need to learn to stay connected to Him, as Jesus says, “Apart from me, you can do nothing.” He is the vine, and we are the branches. Without Him, we can’t bear any fruit. Just like a branch needs to stay attached to the vine to grow and bear fruit, we need to remain in Jesus to see godly character grow in us. Jesus promises that if we abide in Him, we will bear much fruit, all for the glory of the Father (John 15:1-5).

This truth—that we must rely on the Spirit, not ourselves—is a message of incredible hope. It’s especially encouraging for those who may feel like Christianity is all about following a bunch of rules or for those who are constantly striving to live a perfect Christian life but feel like they can’t measure up.

It’s also good news for anyone who struggles with the gap between what they profess and how they actually live—those who know that their private lives don’t line up with what they claim to believe.

The Gospel tells us that through Christ’s death, we’ve been crucified with Him. That means that our flesh, with its passions and desires, has been put to death (Galatians 2:20; 5:24). But we don’t just die to sin; we are raised to new life by the Spirit (Romans 6:4).

Paul makes it clear: “We live by the Spirit” (Galatians 5:25). The Spirit is more than sufficient for life. You don’t need to follow the ways of the world or indulge the desires of our flesh. Instead, we are called to live in a way that honours God, reflecting His love and truth. To walk by the Spirit means to walk by faith. As we trust God, the Spirit is poured out into our lives. This is how we grow in Christ.

As Paul says in Galatians 5:5, “Through the Spirit, by faith,” we receive God’s empowering presence. Faith opens our lives to the Spirit’s work. And when we hear God’s Word and respond with trust, the Spirit fills us in a deeper way.

So, what does this look like practically?

1. Feed on the Word of God – The Word of God is nourishment for our souls. Faith feeds on the Word until it is full and finds joy and peace in God. When we are satisfied with what God offers us, we are less likely to be distracted by the desires of the flesh- like materialism, envy, jealousy etc. But if we aren’t regularly engaging with Scripture, we miss out on the strength and power that the Spirit provides. Without feeding on God’s Word, we can’t experience the life-giving power of the Holy Spirit in our daily walk.
2. Make Time for Worship and Community – It’s not just about personal Bible reading. The early Christians understood the importance of gathering together to hear the Word preached and to partake in communion. Worship services, corporate prayer, and fellowship are all means of grace that help us encounter God’s Word and receive fresh infusions of the Spirit. Whether through a sermon, song, or shared time of prayer, or just hanging out and having a meal together-the Spirit works when we encounter God together as a community.

Living by the Spirit isn’t just about trying harder to be good—it’s about being close to Jesus, uncomfortably close and allowing His power to flow through us. When we make God’s Word our daily bread, when we allow the Spirit to guide us, we open ourselves up to the Spirit’s work, the fruit of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control—naturally begins to grow in us.

Just as Jesus promised, when we stay connected to Him, we will bear much fruit for His glory.