Galatians 5:13-26

The Spirit ~ the Power behind Grace

Open your Bible to…

2Cor. 3:17 Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.

Pray

Intro

√ The Spirit ~ the Power behind Grace

The primary weakness of trying to live by the Law is that our success to not sin is dependant upon ourselves!

That is, our ability to keep the Law and say no to sin is only as good as the strength of our will…

…which means those who trust in the Law are doomed to fail because our will is compromised by our sin-nature!

The beauty of living by Grace is that we acknowledge our inability to keep the Law and look to the Holy Spirit living within us to strengthen us against sin!

Ap. The Holy Spirit

Don’t forget that the Holy Spirit is God! People wrongly think of Him as an “it” instead of a Person! The Holy Spirit is every bit as much “God” as the Father and the Son!

Remember, He came and set up residence in your life the moment that you placed your trust in Jesus.

One of the benefits of God living within us is that He is there 24/7 to guide us away from temptation and to strengthen us against sin!

So, you can think of the Triune ministry of God as…

What God the Father planned for you.

God the Son purchased for you on the Cross.

God the Holy Spirit personalized for you and applies to your daily life.

That should give us great hope because it means that it’s not up to us try and live a life pleasing to God!

He’s right here with us every step of the way and if we’ll let Him work in us He will give us power over sin!

So, in our text today Paul explains three ministries of the Holy Spirit that enable us to enjoy the liberty we have in God’s Grace!

Fulfill the Law (vs. 13-15)

Gal. 5:13 For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.

Gal. 5:14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

Gal. 5:15 But if you bite and devour one another, beware lest you be consumed by one another!

√ Fulfill the Law

It’s human nature to go to extremes! Very few people have learned to live a balanced life.

Ex. Over work vs. lazy

In the spiritual life it’s not any different.

You’ll find that one believer wrongly interprets Grace to mean license and believes that he can do whatever he wants.

Another believer will see that abuse of Grace and go to the other extreme and begin practicing some form of legalism.

The balance is liberty and that’s what Paul wants us to understand and practice.

Ex. Sparky

So, Paul begins by explaining how the Holy Spirit enables us to fulfill the Law by reminding us of our calling, gives a word of caution, and gives us a commandment to help us find that Biblical balance called liberty!

1) Calling

Note vs. 13…

“For you, brethren, have been called to liberty…”

When you gave your life to Christ you became a free person!

You’re free from the guilt of sin because you’ve experienced forgiveness!

You’re free from the penalty of sin because Jesus paid your debt on the Cross.

You’re free from the power of sin because of the indwelling Person of the Holy Spirit.

You’re free from the burden of the Law because Jesus fulfilled it for you!

So, we’re called to a life of liberty because God’s Grace has set us free!

2) Caution

But, that liberty doesn’t mean freedom to do whatever our old sin-nature wants to do, thus Paul cautions…

“…only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh…” ~ vs. 13

Ex. Freedom in America

We’re a nation of people that are passionate about our personal freedoms, yet we recognize that our freedoms have limits…

“Your right to swing your arms ends just where the other man's nose begins."

That old adage illustrates what Paul is writing, we have liberty in Christ but that doesn’t mean we can throw out the moral laws of God…

…and strike the “nose” of God!

Ex. Moral vs. ceremonial laws

When we read that we’re free from the Law it means we’re free from all the ceremonial laws given to Israel as part of the Old Covenant.

Sabbath keeping

Dietary laws

Clothing (mixed materials)

Sowing crops (mixed seed)

But nowhere will you find Jesus or His disciples encouraging us to break the moral laws of God that have been in place since Creation.

Worship only God

Don’t murder

Don’t steal

Don’t commit adultery

While it’s true that under Grace we find forgiveness for breaking the moral laws…

…Grace doesn’t give us license to purposely break them!

Ap. Important to distinguish between the moral & ceremonial law

Because the legalist will often blur the distinction to try and convince you that you’re required to keep the “whole” law, by saying something like…

“It’s not okay to murder is it? Well the same God who said, ‘thou shalt not murder’ also said to ‘keep the Sabbath holy’ therefore you should keep the Sabbath”

Sounds logical but the argument is flawed because it blurs the clear distinction that God makes in His Word between the moral law and the ceremonial law.

3) Commandment

The balance between the two extremes, legalism and license, is found by putting into practice a new commandment…

“but through love serve one another.” ~ vs. 13

That is, our freedom in Christ isn’t to serve our sinful nature…

…it’s freedom to serve one another in love!

The beauty of being guided by love is that when we do so we will automatically fulfill all of the other moral laws!

As Paul writes in vs. 14…

“For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

What one word? Love!

√ Agape

The word that Paul uses for “love” is the Greek agapao, which is the God kind of love.

Love that is others-centered

Love that doesn’t seek it’s own

Love as described by Paul in 1 Cor. 13

The point is that when a person conducts themselves with that kind of love then they…

Won’t serve false gods because they love the true God.

Won’t steal what isn’t theirs because they love the person to whom the goods belong.

Won’t commit adultery because they love their neighbor and wouldn’t want to do anything to destroy his/her marriage!

So, love is the spirit of the moral laws of God and when we walk in God’s Grace He gives us the power to love one another with His kind of love!

Overcome the Flesh (vs. 16-21)

Gal. 5:16 I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.

Gal. 5:17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.

Gal. 5:18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

Gal. 5:19 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication (pornea ~ all sex outside of heterosexual marriage), uncleanness (filthy thinking), lewdness (filthy living & talking),

Gal. 5:20 idolatry, sorcery (pharmakea), hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies,

Gal. 5:21 envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

√ Overcome the flesh

The next benefit of a Grace relationship with God is that the Holy Spirit enables us to overcome our flesh!

By “flesh” Paul doesn’t mean our physical body for our bodies are neutral. For example, Jesus had a body of flesh but He certainly wasn’t sinful!

Rather, when the Bible speaks of the “flesh” it’s talking about the sin-nature that we’ve inherited from Adam.

We’re all born with a propensity to sin!

The sin-nature perverts the godly desires in our life and drives our fleshly bodies to try and quench those desires in ungodly ways.

Ex. Sex

God designed it! In the context of the relationship that God designed…

One man and one woman for life (ref. Gen. 2:21-24 & Mark 10:6-9).

…sex is a wonderful, fulfilling, physical, emotional and spiritual gift from God!

But, look at what our sin-nature driven along by the lies of Satan has done with it!

Our “flesh” has taken something beautiful and through all of the perversions that people have come up with made it ugly, demeaning, and even violent!

Paul’s point then to the Galatians is that their only hope to have victory over the sins of the flesh is to walk in the Spirit…

…because will-power alone isn’t sufficient to overcome the flesh.

Ex. Food

God gave us food to fuel our bodies and to enjoy, but our sin-nature perverts it to one extreme or the other making it sinful (gluttony and anorexia).

√ Walking in the Spirit

Paul’s solution sounds great, but what does it actually mean to “walk in the Spirit”? Look at vs. 18…

“But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.”

That literally means…

“But if you are willingly led by the Spirit, then you are not under the law.”

That is, victory over the flesh is obtained by surrendering our will to the Holy Spirit.

Ex. Jesus in the Garden

He was tempted to disobey the Father’s will and avoid the Cross.

The battle in Jesus’ mind was waged between His Spirit, which desired to obey the Father…

…and His body that desired to avoid the suffering of the Cross.

How did Jesus find victory? By surrendering His will to the Father’s!

“And He said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for You. Take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will.”

Mark 14:36

Here’s the connection to our study in Galatians…

Jesus faced temptations with the same power that is available to us, the power of the Spirit.

Just as Jesus found victory over temptation by surrendering His will to the Father…

…so we will find victory by surrendering our will and evil desires to the Holy Spirit.

How? Pray like Jesus did!

Ex. Temped to drink

If you struggle with an addiction like alcohol you know that you can’t will-away the desire to drink.

So, when that desire comes to you follow Jesus’ example and pray something like this to the Lord…

”I really want a drink, especially because of the day I’ve had…but I know that’s not what I really need. So, Lord my will is that I want a drink, but I’m surrendering my will to you and asking you to change my desire so that I won’t drink.”

If that was just wishful thinking, or positive self-help mumbo jumbo you wouldn’t find any victory over your sin.

But, it’s none of that, instead it’s a prayer to the God of the universe who wants to help you, has the power to help you, and loves you so much that He will help you!

Ap. Are you ready to surrender your will?

Most of the time I find that Christians who don’t find victory over their fleshly desires aren’t really serious about being set free from their sin!

They still like their sin enough that they aren’t willing to surrender it to the Lord.

In those cases the sad reality is that God often has to let that person hit rock bottom before they’re ready to surrender their will to Him.

√ The works of the flesh

Paul lists 17 sinful activities, activities that Christians are not to be involved in nor are we to use Grace as to excuse our sin!

It’s sad that he has to actually define sin but it was necessary because those who misinterpret Grace thought that they could do these things without consequence!

But, as Paul clearly states in vs. 21…

“…that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.”

Paul is not talking about an act of sin for Christians certainly do sin and sometimes greatly.

Rather he is speaking about those who habitually sin and his warning to them is that they have a false assurance of salvation!

That is, the person who has a life-style of sin and feels no remorse cannot claim Grace as their free pass to heaven!

The reality is that a person who is saved by faith and walking in Grace will be known by their changed life…

…a life that is characterized not by the works of the flesh but instead by the fruits of the Spirit.

Ap. Look at the list honestly

If any of the sins listed here describe your conduct, your habit, and the characteristic of your life…

…today is the day to surrender them to the Holy Spirit and ask Him to set you free from the works of the flesh.

Produce the Fruit of the Spirit (vs. 22-26)

Gal. 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

Gal. 5:23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.

Gal. 5:24 And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

Gal. 5:25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

Gal. 5:26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.

√ Produce the fruit of the Spirit

The third way in which the Holy Spirit ministers in us is that He enables us to produce the fruit of the Spirit.

Did you catch the all important distinction between the characteristics of the flesh and the Spirit?

The sinful activities of the flesh are called “works” while the godly characteristics of the Spirit are called “fruit”.

Note vs. 19 and 22…

“the works of the flesh” ~ vs. 19

“But the fruit of the Spirit” ~ vs. 22

The point is that works are something we do (either good or bad) while fruit is something the Spirit grows in our lives!

Ex. Factory vs. farm

Factories are filled with machines that work to produce a product while farms have trees that grow fruit.

You can’t grow fruit from machines.

Fruit can only be grown from a living tree!

The same is true with regard to our lives!

Our flesh can only produce works, dead works, but it can’t grow godly character in our lives.

Fruit grows from a relationship with the Spirit who is the life-giving power that transforms our old nature into the nature of God!

That’s not to say that legalist people can’t counterfeit the fruit of the Spirit in their lives…

…but a closer look reveals that the “fruit” in their lives is only skin deep ~ their hearts haven’t changed.

It’s like the plastic fruit you can by at Hobby Lobby, from a distance it can fool you cause it looks so real…

…but when you pick it up you can tell by the feel and smell that it’s not real!

You certainly wouldn’t want to eat it!

That’s what Paul is telling us!

Real godliness isn’t something we can work up in our lives it can only be produced by the life-giving power of the Holy Spirit within us!

How does that fruit grow?

By abiding in a relationship with God (ref. John 15).

It doesn’t come from works of flesh, it grows naturally as a result of the relationship we have with God the Holy Spirit.

Ex. Factories vs. farms

I’ve worked in many factories and they are always characterized by lots of…

Activity (and stress!)

Noise

But if you walk out on a farm and sit under a tree you won’t hear the tree working to produce fruit!

It just grows because that’s the way God made the tree!

Ap. Our lives

A life lived by works is like that factory…

Lots of noise, activity and stress and no fruit!

A life lived by Grace is like the tree…

Peace, rest and quiet and lots of fruit!

Our job is simply to spend time with Jesus and let His Spirit work in us to change us from the inside out.

Close

√ The Spirit ~ the Power behind Grace

The Holy Spirit who dwells within each believer enables us to….

Fulfill the Law

Overcome the flesh

Produce the fruit of the Spirit

And, that power is only available through Grace!