Welcome to the NWHills Christian Church Sermon Podcast. Each week you’ll hear biblical, Christ-centered teaching designed to help you know Jesus more deeply, grow in your faith, and live out the Kingdom of God in everyday life. Whether you’re part of our church family in San Antonio or listening from somewhere else, we’re glad you’re here.
New sermons are typically published every week.
Learn more about NWHills Christian Church at mynwhills.cc
This week at Northwest Hills Christian Church, we’re excited to welcome special guest speaker Tony Wolf!
Tony is a nationally recognized Christian speaker, author, comedian, and musician who combines humor, storytelling, and biblical encouragement to connect with audiences of all ages. He has shared the stage with Christian artists including MercyMe, Jeremy Camp, Chris Tomlin, and Michael W. Smith.
Beyond the stage, Tony is a passionate advocate for vulnerable children around the world. Through his speaking and humanitarian efforts, he has helped raise millions of dollars to support children and families facing poverty and crisis.
Join us for a special message from Tony Wolf as he shares his heart, faith, and passion for making a difference.
Learn more about Tony: https://tonywolf.com (https://tonywolf.com)
Northwest Hills Christian Church
San Antonio, Texas
25 Oct 2026
Fruit Full | Galatians 5
Series: Fruit Full: The Fruit of the Spirit
What does it actually take to become more like Jesus?
We’ve spent eight weeks exploring the Fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
But knowing what the fruit looks like isn’t the same as growing it.
And there’s a danger in trying to manufacture these qualities ourselves.
We can end up looking like decorative fruit. Beautiful on the outside, but unable to feed anybody.
Jesus never called us to become better decorations.
He called us to bear real fruit.
In this final message of our Fruit Full series, we discover why spiritual growth isn’t about trying harder to become a better person. It’s about remaining connected to Jesus and allowing His Spirit to form His character within us.
In this message you’ll discover:
Why the Fruit of the Spirit cannot be manufactured through willpower or religious effort.
What Jesus’ parable of the growing seed teaches us about God’s role in spiritual growth.
Why Paul’s statement that believers have crucified the flesh describes something Christ has already accomplished.
What Jesus means when He tells His disciples to remain in Him.
Why the branch’s responsibility isn’t to produce fruit, but to stay connected to the vine.
How God’s Word prunes and shapes our lives without requiring us to interpret every tragedy as something God caused.
What it means to keep in step with the Holy Spirit in everyday life.
Why spiritual practices like Scripture, prayer, rest, and gathering with other believers aren’t ways to earn God’s approval.
Why spiritual formation was never intended to happen in isolation.
How all nine qualities of the Fruit of the Spirit reveal one beautiful picture of Jesus Christ.
Scripture: Galatians 5:22–26; Mark 4:26–29; John 15:1–8; 1 Corinthians 10:16–17
Here’s the good news:
You can’t make the fruit grow. But you can stay connected to the One who does.
Jesus said, “I am the vine; you are the branches.”
Branches don’t produce fruit by straining harder. They bear fruit because they’re connected to a living vine.
And the same is true for us.
Spiritual disciplines aren’t a sticker chart God uses to measure our performance. They’re practices that make room for the Holy Spirit to work in our lives.
And we don’t do this alone.
The fruit of the Spirit was never just about making us better individuals. It’s about forming a people who reflect the character of Jesus to the world around them.
Because real fruit doesn’t exist merely to look beautiful.
Real fruit feeds somebody.
As we conclude this series, we return to the truth we’ve repeated every week:
One fruit. Nine flavors. Grown by one Spirit.
And every one of them looks like Jesus.
The Spirit grows one fruit, the life of Jesus. Our part is to stay connected to Jesus and keep in step with His Spirit, together.
Northwest Hills Christian Church
San Antonio, Texas
18 Oct 2026
Self-Control Keeps You Free | Galatians 5
Series: Fruit Full: The Fruit of the Spirit
What if the very thing you think is limiting your freedom is actually what keeps you free?
We live in a world that celebrates doing whatever feels right. Follow your heart. Do what makes you happy. Don’t let anyone tell you what to do.
But there’s a problem with that kind of freedom.
Do whatever you want long enough, and eventually it isn’t a choice anymore.
In Galatians 5, Paul ends his list of the Fruit of the Spirit with something that seems almost contradictory: self-control. It’s the only fruit with the word self in it, yet Paul insists it’s something the Holy Spirit produces in us.
Because self-control isn’t the enemy of freedom. It’s what keeps you free.
In this message you’ll discover:
Why Paul places self-control at the end of the Fruit of the Spirit.
What an imprisoned Paul and a powerful Roman governor teach us about the difference between freedom and slavery.
Why biblical self-control is about more than willpower, discipline, or resisting temptation.
How Paul’s illustration of an athlete reveals the purpose of spiritual discipline.
Why self-control is practiced privately but affects everyone around us.
What Israel’s wilderness failures teach us about the danger of letting our cravings take control.
How the Holy Spirit restores our humanity by helping us rule our desires rather than being ruled by them.
Why Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness shows us a better way to confront our appetites.
How to recognize the moments when you’re most vulnerable to temptation.
Why God’s promise of a way out doesn’t eliminate our responsibility to take it.
Scripture: Galatians 5:22–23; 1 Corinthians 9:24–27; 1 Corinthians 10:1–13; Luke 4:1–4
God created human beings to exercise authority over His creation, but something has gone terribly wrong when the things we’re supposed to rule begin ruling us.
Our appetites aren’t necessarily the problem.
The problem is when our appetites take the throne.
And the answer isn’t simply trying harder.
Jesus entered the wilderness hungry, exhausted, and facing temptation. But He didn’t overcome it through willpower alone. He was full of the Holy Spirit, led by the Spirit, and grounded in His Father’s Word.
Willpower runs out. The Spirit doesn’t.
Whatever you’re struggling with, you weren’t meant to fight alone.
God is faithful. He provides a way out. And sometimes that way out looks like a friend, a counselor, a community, or someone willing to walk alongside you.
The question is whether you’ll take it.
Don’t wait until it’s convenient. Identify your way out before you need it, and tell someone who can help you walk through it.
One fruit. Nine flavors. Grown by one Spirit.
Self-control isn’t the enemy of freedom.
The Spirit grows it in you so that nothing gets to rule you but the One who set you free.
Northwest Hills Christian Church
San Antonio, Texas
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