January 2, 2005

Animated by God’s Spirit

Text: Galatians 5:13-26

I’ve heard that the bumblebee is not built for flying because its body is inadequate to get it off the ground and into the air. But somebody forgot to tell the bumblebee it couldn’t get off the earth’s surface. Each day it spreads its inadequate wings and buzzes around the flower gardens of the world. God has put “something” inside these creatures to animate their being. God has given to the believers an extra “something” called the Holy Spirit to animate or bring life to help us soar to victorious Christian living. His Spirit helps us to live against the odds of temptation, sin, and Satan by giving us power to accomplish His plan for our lives. The desire of the Christian is to live in the absolute presence of the spirit of Christ.

I. The Spirit Animates Love in the Life of the Believer.

During the mourning days following September 11, 2001, first lady, Laura Bush spoke at a memorial service in Pennsylvania. During her remarks she stated, “One of last Thursday’s victims, in his final message to his family, said he loved them and would see them again. That brave man was a witness for the great hope of all---and that hope unites us now. You grieve today, and the hurt will not soon go away. But that hope is real, and it is forever, just as the love you shared with your loved ones is forever.”

Christ told his disciples he would not leave them without his constant Spirit wrapped in love (John 14:15-31). He would give them his Spirit to live inside them to give them strength and power in an anti-Christ-like world.

Rebellion perverts true love. It twists love inward toward carnality. Self-love overlooks the feelings, joys and satisfaction of others as their importance diminishes to nothing.

A new attitude develops in a person when God enters the heart. Agape love entrenched by the Holy Spirit laces the believer to God and like-minded believers. Others become the focus of the Christian’s attention.

Bishop William Quayle told of a woman sitting beside her ailing husband. As she gazed at him lying in his bed, he asked in a feeble voice, “What are you doing?” She replied, “Just loving you.” Bishop Quayle told his audience that when God looks at us and asks, “What are you doing?” our answer should be, “Just loving you.”
Paul writes, “But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love.” (Gal. 5:13b NIV).

II. The Spirit Liberates the Life of the Christian.

Paul’s concern was not about human psychology, but the divine work of cleansing from the dominion of sin in the life of the believer, which we call sanctification. This concept of sanctification includes the shaping and reshaping of the individual into what God wants in the believer’s life.

Huns Kung wrote, “…God’s Spirit can win power and dominion over man, so that he becomes man’s inner self, so that a man no longer lives by his own strength, but by God’s love. (cf Rom. 8:9-15, 21f)

Sin misdirects physical natural desires in the area of sexuality. Sin misguides faith in the realm of religion. Sin violates love through society and the church. Sin accesses self through indulgences. Outward sin results from the inner sin of carnality. Death to sin’s grip comes through the Spirit’s controlling force.
Church of the Nazarene founder, Phineas Bresee, said, “Carnality is such an element of weakness and blindness and hindrance that as long as it remains in the heart of a disciple, it prevents all larger growth and after a time, if not removed, causes paralysis and death.”

Paul wrote earlier in Galatians, “I have been crucified with Christ: it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me” (Gal. 2:20 NKJV).
God has sent His Spirit to liberate us to live like Christ.

III. The Spirit Speaks to the Life of the Christian.

The story is told of a man who lived in England many years ago and purchased a very expensive elephant from India whose name was Bozo. The elephant was a gentle and loving animal, but one day unexpectedly he turned wild. Nothing seemed to quiet the huge elephant. After exploring every avenue of finding help for his elephant, the owner concluded the only thing left was to have Bozo destroyed. It was a very difficult decision.

The desperate owner struck upon an idea to sell tickets to Bozo’s execution to recoup some of the money he was about to lose. The story spread, tickets sold, and the place jammed. Bozo was put in his cage with three men with high-powered rifles.

Just as the signal was about to be given to shoot, a small chunky man with a brown derby called out to stop the execution. The owner was upset and asked why the man had interrupted the proceedings. The man explained that Bozo was not a bad elephant and asked to be let into the cage for a few moments. He felt that he could help. Finally and reluctantly the owner agreed. A legal document absolving the owner of all damages if the man was hurt or killed was drawn up and signed on the spot.

As the man entered the cage, the elephant raised his head and was ready to charge. But before Bozo could charge, the man began talking to him, looking him straight in the eye. People up close could hear the man talking to the elephant, but not in English. As Bozo heard the words, he began to tremble, whine, and wave his head back and forth. The stranger walked up, patted the elephant, and was tenderly picked up by the huge mammoth. Everyone applauded!

The man diagnosed correctly the problem that Bozo had---homesickness. The elephant was homesick to hear his native eastern Indian language…one he could recognize. The stranger suggested to the owner that he find someone who could speak that language and have him talk to the elephant often. If there was any trouble the owner was to let him know at the address he wrote down, along with his name--

-Rudyard Kipling. God understands our hurts, frustrations, disappointments, longings and feelings.