Life In The Spirit

Life in the Spirit

Galatians 5:17-26

Introduction-

Good morning everyone… Glad you are here to join us.

Today we celebrate Pentecost - 50 days after the ascension of Jesus where the Holy Spirit of God fell upon waiting believers and God filled those believers with His Presence.

The indwelling presence of God into our life will transforms us and can change the world around us.

Think with me for a minute-

What would a perfect world look like?

Would there be violence?

Would there be racism?

Would there be injustice?

Would there be conflict?

Probably each one of us would have a slightly different idea of what a perfect world looks like-

A perfect world is perceived in different ways.

Someone greater than us would have to define what a perfect world would look like so we have something to measure it bye.

It cannot be our definition because it would be our opinions.

EVERYONE HAS AN OPINION ON EVERYTHING!

God Almighty, the creator of the universe and the creator of each one of us determines perfection.

He alone determines what our lives were created for and how we fit into that world.

In His perfect world, we were created to worship and love God, to have a meaningful relationship with Him and for Him to be our God.

He would be our strength and guidance every step of the way.

But sin got in the way of that and we decided we did not need or want God’s help with that, so now today… God, because of His love for us, has provided a way of redemption, a way of helping us through our days with the strength of His Spirit that is available to every believer that calls upon the name of the Lord.

WE HAVE A CHOICE- IT IS NOT DEMANDED AND FORCED UPON US.

WE ARE NOT MADE ROBOTS THAT MUST LOVE HIM BACK.

Galatians 5:1-

“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by the yoke of slavery.”

Listen, all truth does not set you free. Only THY TRUTH… (Jesus) the truth that died on the cross for your sins is thy truth. Your truth, your opinion is that…an opinion.

John 8:34- “Jesus replied, I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever, so if the Son… capital Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”

Apostle Paul writes these words to the church because they thought that living right was about wither they should get circumcised or not.

He tells them it is more than cutting some foreskin off the male’s, it is about living with the Holy Spirit of God directing their life and desiring to please God more than pleasing yourself or people around you.

Galatians 5:17-26 Read from the Bible

Paul says here he has told them before- remember last week in Colossians chapter 3 Paul warned us of things to get out of our lives and here again he is repeated them.

(14) “For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command, ”love your neighbor as yourself.”

Board meetings- you can disagree but it should never be an attack on one another. The person is not the enemy. The enemy to defeat is whatever keeps us from common ground.

Business meeting- able to disagree with the determination to come to an agreement instead of making a bridge so wide that no one can cross and worse yet the bridge is burned and no one can cross.

Every avenue of our life should be about loving others as much as we love ourselves… When common ground cannot be reached (That happens) we still love each other as a person, as a human being.

Sometimes leaving the rest to God and His mercy and justice.

(15) “If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.”

Backing a dog into a corner, nobody wins… there will be hurts. Both get bite and both will be hurt.

We destroy each other instead of coming to a solution that brings us together instead of division.

So in a perfect world determined by God, we would love God with all our hearts, mind, soul and body and we would love each other.

In this world, the sinful world where a lot have abandoned God or felt that He is unreachable, Jesus needs Christ followers, those that are called to be a light into this dark world…to walk in God’s Spirit.

(16) “So I say… (Apostle Paul under the anointing of God) “Walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.”