Dancing With The Star
Galatians 5:24
16 So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. 17 For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law. 19 The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.
In the past couple of years a reality show has really caught on called “Dancing with the Stars”. If you are not familiar with the show I’ll give you the gist of it, because that is about all I know. I am not a fan. It is a dancing competition which pairs up a celebrity or star from some other field with a professional dancer. The professional dancer will work with the star over the course of several weeks to teach them to do a different type of dance each week, and they are competing with others doing the same. In dancing one usually takes the lead and the other follows, and this is especially true when one dancer is a pro and the other is a total novice. This is a great illustration of walking in step with the Spirit. Walking with God is not just about doing religious stuff, but about a dynamic relationship with God. Religion is about doing all the right stuff, but you can do it without really walking with God. The stuff I’m speaking about is attending church, small groups, doing service projects, reading the bible, praying etc. Jesus said some would do stuff and still never know him. My great uncle Tommy Music was the church janitor, attended every service, rang the church bell, but was not saved until up in his 70’s.Christ followers may do the same stuff, but it comes out of a relationship not religion.
Back to the illustration. The novice dancer must constantly keep their eyes on the pro, listen to the pro, and move to every prompting the pro gives. They are to mirror the movements of the pro. At first the pro may have to stop the music and loudly explain what they want, but over time the novice will learn to respond to the slightest head nod, or gesture, of the pro. They can be moved by just the eyes, and later almost know what the pro is wanting even before they convey it. Walking in step with the Spirit is like dancing with THE Star. The one and only.
For those of you who are uncomfortable with this illustration you can understand it by watching pairs figure skating. They had a show called Skating with the stars,. Both skaters must move perfectly together in rhythm and sequence in order to succeed. Although here both are usually pros, except the Skating with the stars reality show. It didn’t last long. I think it was a little to difficult to learn so quickly, and the risk of injury was too great
Another example is the relationship between a Nascar Driver, and his Crew Chief and spotters.
The difference is the distance between them on the track, and they can’t see them -only hear them.
Becoming a Christian or a follower of Christ is not just adding Jesus and church to your life on Sunday morning, and your life remaining just as it was before. If you were truly born again and God lives in you, you will never be the same. Jesus sent his Holy Spirit to live in you and be the Professional who knows how to walk in God’s will, and you are the novice who must learn to walk in step with his directing. When you get out of step He will gently get you back in step.
My Band performance in the parades-out of step
It all comes down to one question-
So Who are You being Led by?
(Who are you trying to stay in step with?)
I If you are led by God you will mirror Jesus. (V22-23 Fruit of the Spirit)
II Being led by God will cause you to conform to his way of thinking, and adopting Kingdom Values and rejecting worldly ones -Like the novice dancer - you will become more like the pro instructor.
-It is a process the bible calls discipleship.
All material things will burn up - so not so important vs Things are everything
All things end with the grave - Now it is important
Only people and relationships go into eternity
-Material things are mine- v/s Stewardship - It’s all God’s and I must give an account for it
-Envy the lifestyle of the rich and famous v/s no desire
-Lover of money vs lover of God
-Be sexy v/s being modest
-Get even -vs don’t retaliate
-Make others jealous of your stuff vs share and serve others
-Happiness comes from getting your way v/s Happiness comes from serving God
SIZE MATTERS (country song) to the worldly minded -Love is measured by how big the rock, house, car etc. v/s size of commitment.
-Think on Good things v/s Think on Sinful Things
-Sex is God’s wedding gift to couples v/s sex is for personal pleasure anytime
-sex is ok if your in love, going to get married, etc.
-We’ve been brain washed - Porn and Prostitution is mainstreamed
III If you are being led by your sinful nature it won’t look like Jesus
(Fruit of the sinful nature v19-20)
a. Your sinful nature is prompted into action by the tempting of Satan. (examples)
-Your hurt -Satan says get even
-Your spouse don’t make you happy -Satan says get a divorce and find a better one.
-Your boyfriend wants to have sex - Satan says go ahead or you will lose him
b. Your sinful nature responds to the call of the World
(examples)
-One of the cool guys /girls invites you to a party with alcohol - You say I would be cool to go.
-All the cool kids listen to music that is ungodly, but you want to fit in
-A Rated R movie promises nudity and you say I want to go for the story line.
-All the guys are going to a strip club after work and invite you.
-Your best friend is having a Bachlorette party with a stripper and you are
Several years ago there was a very charismatic leader by the name of Jim Jones who founded a religious community called Jonestown in Guyana. Most of us know the tragic story of how this man somehow led a community of over 900 people to drink a cyanide-laced punch, mistakenly believing that somehow it was in the will of God. In late March of 1997, a man named Michael Applewhite led a group of misguided stargazers into believing that a spaceship was traveling behind the Hale-Bopp comet, just waiting for them to join in on a journey to heaven. The sad result was that 39 members of the group drank a deadly mixture of phenobarbitol and vodka, thinking that suicide was the only way for them to reach this “higher plane of existence.” On September 11 last year, 15 members of the Al-Qaida terrorist organization hijacked four airliners on a mission that they fully believed was not only God’s will, but was an action for which they would be rewarded with 72 virgins in the afterlife.
IV Crucifixion Precedes Keeping in step with the Spirit
You say I’ve tried but failed at this. Notice the verse before our text. The sinful nature must be put to death or it will keep getting you out of step with the Spirit. But we want to try anything but dying to the old self. Anything but God’s way. An example of how far we will go to avoid God’s way of death.
Joanne Zansky, a 57-year-old woman from West Easton, Pennsylvania, went to psychic named Peaches Miller, who advised her to buy several “magic wands” to solve her problems. Zansky was told the first wand would rid her of negative thoughts. She went back a second time to purchase one to help her nephew. She went back a third time to help her dead mother “get out of limbo and go to heaven.” The total cost of the “magic” wands was $5,400. Only then did she start to think that she may have been swindled. She wasn’t sure, so she called her sister and asked her about it. Her sister told her to call the police. The police have told the media that they are investigating, but the only law that may have been broken was the law of common sense. Actually, the wands did have some magical power — they made her money disappear.
A. When you were saved -your sins were forgiven- and you recieved the Holy Spirit into your life-
And your life got a lot better.
B. However, you also discovered something else inside you that rebelled against following God. That is the sinful nature. It can’t ever submit to God.
C. It must be crucified or put to death. You must surrender your life completely to God and ask him to put to death the sinful nature. So you can walk in victory. If not is it like dancing with the Spirit and listening to the prompting of another instructor at the same time.
Paul already testified to living a crucified life in Galatians 2:20 and now he is calling his hearers to do the same.
GALATIANS 2:20
"I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. "
Luke 9:23 And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.
In Galatians 6:14 he testifies again about being crucified to the world and the world to him.
A.W. Tozer says that people who are crucified with Christ have three distinct marks:
1. They are facing only one direction,
2. They can never turn back, and
3. They no longer have plans of their own.
"There is a great difference between realizing, On that Cross He was crucified for me, and On that Cross I am crucified with Him. The one aspect brings us deliverance from sins condemnation, the other from sins power."
(from J. Gregory Mantle)
1. His hands, and feet were crucified. Are your hands and feet crucified ?
2. His will was crucified ! Are we allowing our will to be crucified ?
3. How Crucified Are Our Ears ?
4. How Crucified Is Our Tongue ?
There’s alot of piercing going on these days ! I see even tongues pierced, but most of our tongues need to be crucified. Amen ? Some of us need to crucify our tongue because it curses...the tongue that gossips needs nailing to the cross ! The tongue that speaks bad about the neighbor, and about the church needs to be crucified ? How crucified is your tongue ? Is it crucified to the point to where it lives to share the gospel ? How long has it been since we shared the love of God with someone ? Have you tried to win a family member, friend or neighbor to the Lord recently ? How crucified are we ?
5. How Crucified Are Our Eyes ?
6. The Mind Of Christ was crucifed. How crucified is our mind ?
Paul wrote Phil 2:5-8 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who being in the form of God thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
7. His Affections Were Crucified ! How crucified are our affections ?
Arthur Pink, a theologian from another generation, talks against those who preach about Jesus as a savior from hell rather than a savior from sin. He explained that there are many who are dangerously deceived by this, because there are many who desire to escape the flames of hell, but have no desire to be delivered from their sins. I believe he is right. So many today think they can love God and still live in their sin. It cannot be done. You have to make a choice. It must be God or your sin. You can’t have both. You can’t love both. You have to die to your sin in order to come alive to God. Jesus stated an important kingdom principle with these words: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it” (Matthew 16:24-25).
In his classic novel, The Robe, Lloyd C. Douglas tells the story of Jesus from the viewpoint of several eyewitnesses. One of the characters is named Marcellus, a Roman who had traveled to Israel. He had become captivated by Jesus. Being far from home, Marcellus writes letters to Diana, his fiancé who is living in Rome. He tells her about Jesus’ teachings, the way he miraculously fed the multitudes and healed many of their diseases. Finally, he told her about Christ’s crucifixion, and the stories of his resurrection. At the end of the letter, he told her that he had decided to become a disciple of Jesus. When she wrote back to him, she said: “What I feared was that it might affect you. It is a beautiful story. Let it remain so. We don’t have to do anything about it, do we?” Actually, Diana, we do. We all have to do something about it.
Conclusion: As we close in prayer I encourage you to ask God to show you if you are in step with the Holy Spirit or not. If not you can get back in step right now. Have you been crucified with Christ so that you can walk in step with the Spirit on a regular basis, or does the sinful nature still alive within keep pulling you out of step. You can have God put to death the sinful this morning as well. It is up to you.
* Some material came from various sermons on sermoncentral.com
