Introduction:
A. This morning I want to begin by showing you something amazing – did you know that I own a magic glove?
1. Here is my magic glove – it is amazing because it can pick things up.
a. When I drop something, all I have to do is tell it to pick it up and it does it.
b. Do you want to see it work?
2. (Drop a hymn book or a Bible on the floor, and then say:) “Watch this: Magic glove please pick up the book.”
a. (When it doesn't move, say:) “Come on magic glove, don’t embarrass me in from of the congregation! I am so sorry, I don’t know what is wrong, I’ve seen the magic glove pick up books before. Maybe it thinks the book is too heavy, so let’s try a smaller book.”
b. (Drop a smaller book on the floor and say:) “Magic glove please pick up that smaller book.”
c. When it still doesn't work, apologize again and I move on to a piece of paper.
d. (Drop a piece of paper on the floor and say:) “Magic glove please pick up the piece of paper, surely you can do that!”
3. (Apologize again and ask:) “Does anyone have any idea what might be wrong with my magic glove and why is can’t do anything of the things today that it usually can do?”
4. (Someone will likely say:) “You have to put on the glove for it to work.”
5. Say: “Oh, yeah, that’s what I forgot to do – A glove can’t do anything without a hand inside it!”
B. Can anyone guess what lesson I want us to learn from this object lesson?
1. We are the glove and the Holy Spirit is the hand inside the glove.
2. Just as a glove can't pick anything up without a hand inside it, we can't do anything significant unless the Holy Spirit is inside us helping us.
3. That is how much we need the Holy Spirit.
C. But ask yourself this: How many times do you try to do things without the help of God?
1. How often do you try to deal with your sin struggles without calling upon the Holy Spirit?
2. How often do you try to handle your personal problems without getting guidance from the Holy Spirit?
3. How often do you try to serve God without looking to the Holy Spirit for the power and wisdom necessary?
4. Expecting that we can do any of those things without the Holy Spirit is just as silly as expecting the glove to be able to do anything without a hand in it!
D. Today, as we return to our study of Galatians, and we come to the second half of chapter 5, we see Paul explaining three ministries of the Holy Spirit that enable the believer to enjoy the freedom that we have in Christ.
1. The false teaching legalists that Paul was combating in this letter taught that the way to overcome the flesh and live a life that pleased God was to make a lot of laws and follow them.
2. But Paul has made it clear in this letter that no amount of legislation can give us freedom from sin and the Law.
3. Ultimately it is not Law on the outside, but the Spirit on the inside that makes the difference.
4. We need the direction and power of the Holy Spirit within to help us overcome the desires and bondage of the flesh.
5. Let’s work through our Scripture section for today and learn how the Spirit helps us live a life that is worthy of our Gospel freedom.
I. The Spirit Enables Us to Fulfill the Law of Love (5:13-15)
A. Our Scripture section begins: 13 For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. 14 For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 15 But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another.
B. Last week we talked about Gospel Freedom - We have been set free!
1. And what have we been set free from?
a. We are free from the guilt of sin, the power of sin, and the penalty of sin.
b. We are also free from the power of the Law to condemn us.
2. Our freedom is a spiritual freedom that opens up a new and everlasting relationship with God.
C. But Paul is quick to point out that our Gospel freedom can be abused.
1. We, humans are prone to extremes.
2. On one extreme is legalism – a bondage to the Law.
3. Once we are set free from legalism, the pendulum has the tendency to swing in the opposite direction and we end up in the extreme of license.
D. So having explained our calling to freedom, Paul issued a warning: “Don’t allow your liberty to degenerate into license.”
1. Our freedom in Christ is not a freedom to do anything we want and to sin any way we want.
2. Paul said, “Do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh…”
3. The Greek word used here for “opportunity” literally means “a place for jumping off.”
a. It was a favorite word of Paul, and he alone of the NT writers employed the word.
b. The word often had a military application that referred to a base of operations that an army established in enemy territory.
c. From this base of operations the army could then launch attacks in various directions.
4. Paul knew that if freedom was interpreted merely as the removal of restraint, then sin would seize the opportunity and use the weakness of the flesh to launch an attack against the Spirit.
5. Paul has more to say about the conflict between the flesh and the Spirit in the next set of verses and we will say more about it then.
E. But for now it is important to see that Paul contrasted using our freedom to indulge the flesh and using our freedom to serve one another in love.
1. Those are our two choices.
2. This contrast characterizes the flesh as selfish, and it certainly is that.
3. One writer defined the flesh as “the inner desire for selfish gratification at the expense of God and others.”
4. That’s a good definition because it focuses on the selfishness of the flesh, which says to each of us when we are tempted to sin: “Go ahead. You deserve this. You’ve earned it. No one can stop you.”
5. The flesh part of us, which is much more than the physical part of us, loves to be pampered and it whines like a little baby when it wants something.
6. When our flesh throws a tantrum, we often quickly give in to it, but giving in leads to compromise and sin.
F. So, Paul’s caution is a valid one – Christian liberty is not a license to sin, but an opportunity to serve.
1. But here is the great irony: we are set free from our slavery to sin so that we can become slaves to one another in love for Christ’s sake.
2. But learning to serve one another in love is a far better kind of slavery.
3. I like the story told of a man who told his friend, “I have an extra day off this week, I think I’ll use it to fix my daughter’s bike and then take my son to the museum he’s been talking about.”
a. His friend replied, “Fixing a bike and visiting a museum hardly sound like exciting ways to spend your day off.”
b. The man replied, “It’s an exciting way to spend my day off, if I love my kids!”
4. The amazing thing about the law of love is that it takes the place of all the laws that God ever gave.
a. Think about this - The command: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” solves every problem in human relations.
b. If love is the law that guides our lives, then there is no need for any other law.
G. This short section ends with a solemn warning – “But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another.”
1. If we choose to use our freedom for sin and selfishness rather than to serve one another in love, then we risk destroying our relationships and tearing apart the family of God.
2. The picture here is of wild animals attacking each other.
a. Both extremes – the legalists and the libertines – can destroy the fellowship.
3. Unless the Holy Spirit of God is permitted to fill hearts with God’s love, then selfishness and destruction will reign.
4. Praise God that the Holy Spirit enables us to live the law of love.
II. The Spirit Enables Us to Overcome the Flesh (5:16-21)
A. Galatians 5 continues: 16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
1. These verses clearly describe the battle that all of us face on a daily basis.
a. There are two forces that are at work in every Christian – the Spirit and the flesh.
b. At each moment in our lives we are living by one of them and are not gratifying the other.
2. The Greek word sarx is translated “flesh” or “sinful nature” as some translations render it.
a. The “flesh” does not mean “the body,” but refers to the sin-desiring aspect of our whole being.
b. The sarx is our sinful heart and it is set against the Spirit.
3. The unsaved, non-Christian person knows nothing of this battle that we face because although they have the flesh, they do not have the Spirit.
4. When we become Christians, we are given the Spirit, but just having the Spirit does not remove the pull of the flesh.
5. This is the very battle that Paul discussed in Romans 7 when he said, “For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do…for what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do – this I keep on doing.” (vs. 15, 19)
6. We are all well acquainted with the battle between the flesh and the Spirit, right?
7. In one sense, we ought to praise God that we are experiencing this war within, because it is a sign that we have the Spirit and are the children of God.
B. Galatians 5 continues: 19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
1. Paul makes it clear that the works or actions of the flesh are evident and obvious.
2. The lives of those who walk in the flesh rather than the Spirit are filled with all kinds of evil.
3. A close examination of this list reveals that the various sins fall into several categories.
a. There are sexual sins: sexual immorality, impurity, and sensuality.
b. There are religious sins: idolatry and sorcery.
c. There are social sins: enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, and envy.
d. And there are sins of excess: drunkenness and orgies.
4. I wish we had time to study each of these works of the flesh, but that will have to wait for another time.
5. Notice in verse 21, Paul said: “and things like these.”
a. We note from that, that this list is suggestive, not exhaustive.
b. There are many other works of the flesh.
c. But however long the list may be, these sins are obvious - Living by the flesh always produces bad results.
6. Paul gives a stark warning for those who would live by the flesh – they will not inherit the kingdom of God.
a. Those who habitually live this way will not be going to heaven.
b. Those who live like hell will one day live in hell.
7. Praise God we don’t have to live that way! There is another, better way to live.
8. So, the Spirit enables us to fulfill the law of love, and helps us overcome the flesh.
III. The Spirit Enables Us to Produce Fruit (5:22-26)
A. Galatians 5 concludes: 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.
B. How wonderfully different are the results when a person lives a Spirit-controlled life! Amen!
1. It is one thing to overcome the flesh and not do evil things, but it is something else to be characterized by good and to do good things.
2. The legalist might be able to boast that he is not guilty of adultery or murder.
a. What good is it if I pat myself on the back because I don’t drink or chew or go with girls who do, but then I show no visible signs of the beautiful graces of the Spirit in my life?
C. Paul contrasts the works of the flesh with the fruit of the Spirit.
1. These are not “fruits” (plural) of the Spirit, but simply the “fruit” (singular) of the Spirit.
2. The nine graces listed here are like a cluster of ripe grapes.
3. Traditionally, these nine character qualities have been divided into three triads.
a. The first three have to do with our relationship with God: love, joy and peace.
b. The second three have to do with our relationship with others: patience, kindness, and goodness.
c. The final three have to do with our relationship with self: faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
4. Just like with the list of the works of the flesh, I wish we could spend a lot of time with each aspect of the fruit of the Spirit, but that will have to wait for another time.
D. Paul always chooses his images carefully and the fact that he used an agricultural image for the way the Spirit works in our life is important. Paul wants us to understand three things.
1. First, Paul wants us to know that the growth of the fruit of the Spirit is gradual.
a. If you go and sit by a garden, you won’t be able to see the tomatoes or the beans grow.
b. You can only measure their growth after a time.
c. The fruit of the Spirit grows in our lives just as gradually and unperceptively.
d. We don’t realize we have grown until we face something and then we realize, “Wow, a couple of years ago, I would never have been so patient or self-controlled in that situation.”
2. Second, Paul wants us to know that the growth of the fruit of the Spirit is inevitable.
a. As long as we stay connected to the vine, then we know that we will have the resources necessary for fruit to grow.
b. Healthy plants grow and produce fruit, but unhealthy ones don’t.
c. If we have the Spirit and allow the Spirit to work, then the fruit will grow.
3. Third, Paul also wants us to know that growth of the fruit of the Spirit is symmetrical.
a. Paul deliberately used the singular word “fruit” to describe a whole list of things that grow in the Spirit-controlled person.
b. The real fruit of the Spirit always grows up together.
c. You do not get one part of the fruit of the Spirit growing without all the parts growing.
d. When we look in our own lives and see that we have some stronger traits than others, it is because of our natural temperament, not because of the Spirit is stronger or weaker in one area or another.
Conclusion:
A. I want to conclude this lesson by focusing on some things for us to do.
1. Spiritual transformation and the growth of the fruit of the Spirit are not things we can manufacture on our own.
2. We need God to be at work in us providing power in our inner being to cause us to grow and change.
B. That being said, there are things we must do to cooperate with God in that process.
1. Let’s focus on two things we must do that Paul pointed to in today’s text.
C. First of all, we need to keep the flesh crucified.
1. In verse 24, Paul said: “And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.”
2. Many of us have attempted to crucify the flesh. We have said, “That’s, that, I’m done giving in to the flesh, the desires of the flesh are dead and gone.”
3. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work that way. Even though we crucified it when we became Christians, it isn’t dead yet, and it won’t be done and over until we leave this world.
4. That’s why Jesus has told us that we have to take up our cross daily and follow him.
5. The flesh has to be re-crucified every day.
6. We have died to sin and we must die to sin again and again.
7. Martin Luther compared the flesh to a man’s beard.
a. What happens when you shave on Monday? The beard grows back on Tuesday, right?
b. If you shave it on Tuesday, then it grows right back on Wednesday.
c. Crucifying the flesh is like the need for our daily shave.
8. If we stop shaving for even a few days, the beard reappears.
9. If we stop daily crucifying the flesh, it comes back just as big and strong as if it had never been crucified.
D. Second, we need to keep in step with the Spirit.
1. In verse 16, he said, “Walk by the Spirit.”
2. Then in verse 25, he said, “Live by the Spirit” and “keep in step with the Spirit.”
3. To keep in step comes from a Greek word which means to walk in an orderly way.
4. It is a military term that describes a soldier marching in the ranks.
5. Can’t you hear the drill sergeant calling out the cadence: “Left, left, left, right, left…?”
6. The good soldier focuses on this commanding officer and keeps in step with his lead.
7. He doesn’t lag behind, nor does he get ahead, rather he keeps in step and follows his leader.
8. The works of the flesh will force us to get out of step, and will lead us strait to hell.
9. The Holy Spirit wants to call the cadence of our lives.
10. By keeping in step with the Spirit, we will march our way right into heaven.
11. One day a man was talking with a friend when a stranger walked past them.
a. “That man has been in the army,” he said, “I know a soldier by his walk.”
12. It ought to be obvious that we are in the Lord’s army by the way we walk in step with the Spirit.
E. Let’s live a Spirit-controlled life by walking in the Spirit, living by the Spirit, and by keeping in step with the Spirit.
1. That is the best kind of freedom!
2. Only through the Spirit can we fulfill the law of love, overcome the flesh, and bear fruit.
3. I hope and pray that we will yield to the Spirit and let Him work in our lives?
4. Remember: without the Spirit, we are just a lifeless glove.
Resources:
Galatians, The NIV Application Commentary by Scot McKnight, Zondervan, 1995
Galatians For You, Timothy Keller, The Good Book Company, 2013.
Galatians, Maxie Dunnam, The Communicator’s Commentary, Word, 1982.
The Letters to the Galatians and Ephesians, William Barclay, The Daily Study Bible Series,
Westminster Press, 1976.
Be Free – Galatians, Warren Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, Victor Books, 1989.
Risky Business: The Other Side of Christian Freedom, Sermon by Ray Pritchard, keepbelieving.com
Full Speed Ahead One Step at a Time: How You Can Walk in the Spirit Every Day, Sermon by Ray
Pritchard, keepbelieving.com
Does Jesus Live in Oak Park? Sermon by Ray Pritchard, keepbelieving.com
