We’ve all got a RED BUCKET and a BLUE BUCKET.
THE RED BUCKET - It’s red because it’s filled with gasoline. When you pour gasoline on a fire: Things escalate quickly. People end up getting hurt.
THE BLUE BUCKET - It’s blue because it’s filled with water. When you pour water on the fire…the fire is defused. It brings peace and relief. It reduces the heat and the hate.
And we’ve all got both buckets in your hands. The only question is: In the midst of all of this outrage…which bucket are you using?
And just as a refresher…
A Christian is someone who WALKS according to the WAYS of Jesus.
A Christian is someone who LIVES according to the WILL of the Holy Spirit.
A Christian is someone who OBEYS according to the WORD of God.
Anyone can vent / spew / dump gasoline on the fire. But Christians are called to respond differently.
How do we do that? How…in a culture bent on hate / division / incivility / outrage…do you and I find the power to respond differently?
We do it through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Think about this:
- Luke 1:35 tells us that Jesus was born of the Spirit.
- Hebrews 9:14 says that Jesus lived a sinless life in the power of the H.S.
- Acts 10:38 says Jesus was anointed and fitted for service by the H.S.
- Luke 4:1 tells us that the H.S. led Jesus while He was on earth.
- Matthew 12:28 says that Jesus worked His miracles through the H.S.
- Romans 8:11 says Jesus was raised from the dead by the power of the H.S…and that that same H.S. now lives in you and me.
Without the Holy Spirit’s power…you and I cannot fulfill His purpose. The daily infilling of the Holy Spirit is the most crucial experience of your daily life.
With that in mind…let’s look at Galatians 5:13-26.
Context?
v.13 - “You have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love.”
As believers…we have a freedom that liberates us from the guilt and slavery to sin. True freedom begins when a person accepts God’s forgiveness and enters into a personal relationship with Jesus.
Paul explains this freedom. It’s not a freedom that permits us to do whatever we want. Instead, it’s a freedom that enables us to do what we should do.
Spiritual freedom should never be used as an excuse to justify behavior that is contrary to God’s Word.
Paul begins this passage by immediately beginning to compare and contrast the sinful nature (flesh) with our new nature (life by the Spirit).
Paul continues, “For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ (v.14)
In the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10)…Jesus explained that our neighbor is anyone around us…regardless of their ethnicity, religious beliefs (or lack of them), socio-economic status, or even political persuasion.
And then He warns us in verse 15 - “If you are always biting and devouring one another, watch out! Beware of destroying each other.”
Paul says, “okay folks…you had better take this seriously…if you are always attacking each other…if all you have is outrage…nobody wins…everybody loses.”
And then Paul points us in the right direction…He carefully lays out and contrasts two ways of living. One…living according to the flesh (sinful nature) and Two…Living by the Spirit.
Verse 16 - “So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves.”
Notice that the Holy Spirit doesn’t force Himself to be your guide. That’s something you have to let / allow / permit Him to do. It’s a decision to surrender your will to His. Paul says if you do that…the result will be: you won’t do what your sinful nature craves.
Sometimes I just crave something…usually a certain food / snack. Remember that after school PSA they used to run, “Hanker for a hunk of cheese.” I don’t know about cheese…but I hanker for bacon burnt ends sometimes. A craving is hard to control. If it’s strong enough…you’ll go to great lengths to satisfy it. Our sinful nature has a craving…and without the Holy Spirit…we’ll cave in every time.
And Paul then paints a word picture. It’s a heavyweight bout between the flesh and the Spirit. Verses 17,18 say, “The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants.” In this corner…the sinful nature. In this corner…the Spirit nature.
“And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires.” Any desire that runs contrary to your sinful nature was given to you from the Holy Spirit.
“These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions.” So there is this battlefield within us. Paul is saying, fulfilling your “good intentions” doesn’t just happen. You may want to carry them out…but…There’s a war raging. There are no cease fires. There will always be a fight for allegiance. Will I give into my own sinful desires or will I surrender to the leading of the Holy Spirit? Every day…all day long…with the help of the Holy Spirit…I must crucify the flesh. I must take captive every thought and make it obedient to Christ.
The passage continues: “But when you are directed by the Spirit, you are not under obligation to the law of Moses.” This is incredible news. The Law cannot condemn me…because Jesus already paid the penalty of the Law. The Law is fulfilled in Jesus as we walk by the Spirit rather than depending on ourselves.
Paul then explains in verses 19-21 what living according to the flesh / sinful nature looks like.
“When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear (obvious): sexual immorality (The Greek “Porneia”. Sexual activity outside of the marriage relationship of a man with a woman), impurity (evil behavior and unGodly motives), lustful pleasures (selfishly following one’s passions and desires with no shame), idolatry (Giving anything equal or greater importance than God and His Word), sorcery (attempting to contact the dead, witchcraft, use of spells), hostility (thoughts, motives, and actions), quarreling (causing undue tension and disunity over opinions / perspectives), jealousy (resentfulness or envy of another person’s situation or success), outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension (causing divisions), division (destroying the unity of the church), envy (resentful dislike for someone who has something you desire), drunkenness (Greek is “methe”. Impaired mental or physical control as a result of consuming alcoholic beverages or intoxicating drinks / drugs), wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.”
Now…we’re not going to spent our time dissecting each of these items. I do want us to make note of a few things:
First off: The results of following the desires of your sinful nature are obvious. It’s not hard to recognize. Paul is making it clear…I may claim one thing…but the evidence is clear. You don’t have to personally pass judgement on anyone…you simply observe the fruit…and the truth is clear.
Secondly: Paul says anyone “living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.” This is speaking of a pattern of consistency…not a one time failure.
Third: Paul is telling us…he’s driving home something he has said on multiple occasions. He’s saying…this is super important…you can’t afford to ignore this: “It is absolutely possible to shut the door on entering the Kingdom of God if you engage in these sorts of evil behaviors.”
Okay…Paul isn’t through…He gives us the alternative option. Living By The Spirit.
Verses 22,23 - “But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!”
As you and I allow the Holy Spirit to lead and direct and influence our lives there are specific characteristics that will become evident in our lives. Characteristics that are in contrast to our sinful nature. Characteristics that are uncommon in our increasingly uncivilized society.
Love: The Greek word is agape. It refers to the selfless God-kind of love that cares for and promotes what is best for someone else without there being some sort of hidden / ulterior motive and regardless of the circumstances or challenges. To choose agape love is to choose to love people regardless of how they treat you.
Joy: It’s more than a feeling or temporary experience based on circumstances. It is instead, a deep state of well-being that transcends circumstances.
Peace: It’s an inner calm and contentment that is found only on the knowledge that you are in a right relationship with God and that God has everything under control. Let me just say: There will never be any amount of money, ability, or resources that will enable you to live at peace without God.
Patience: Means endurance, perseverance, and the ability to wait without becoming angry, annoyed, or upset. It includes the ability to tolerate being hurt or provoked without losing your cool. It is also…maintaining hope and not giving into despair.
Kindness: The Greek is chrestos. It means “goodness, kindness, generosity toward all people no matter what they have done to us.” It involves not wanting to hurt anyone or cause anyone pain. It was God’s kindness that led us to repentance. God has graciously shown His kindness to us…and with the Holy Spirit’s help…we are called to choose kindness towards others.
Goodness: This is an interesting word. We don’t have an English word that does it justice. In the original language, it means, “Goodness in action.” The Holy Spirit enables you and I to not just respond with kindness or goodness…but rather…to actually initiate goodness towards others.
Faithfulness: The Greek is pistis. It is a firm and unwavering loyalty and devotion to a person to whom you are united by promise or commitment. Encapsulated with this word is honesty and trustworthiness. It means not flaking out. Finishing what you started. It requires actively following through on your commitments.
Gentleness: The original word is praus. Again…we don’t have an English word that expresses what it means. It describes a person who controls his or her emotions no matter the circumstances. It is especially used in relationship to an enemy when harshness would be the expected behavior. Gentleness is one of the great hallmarks of a life led by the Holy Spirit.
Self-Control: The Greek is ekrates. It refers to someone who controls his or her desires, emotions, and passions…and tongue. It requires depending on God to overcome temptation and remain spiritually strong and pure.
Paul ends this list by saying, “There is no law against such things!”
Okay…let’s wrap this up.
Paul concludes by reminding us of our identity.
A Christian is someone who WALKS according to the WAYS of Jesus.
A Christian is someone who LIVES according to the WILL of the Holy Spirit.
A Christian is someone who OBEYS according to the WORD of God.
Verses 24,25 - “Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to His cross and crucified them there. Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading (The NIV says, “let us keep in step with the Spirit.”) in every part of our life. (We can’t live a compartmentalized life spiritually).
And then, one last call to civility in verse 26: “Let us not become conceited, or provoke one another, or be jealous of one another.”
When The Holy Spirit manifests His fruit in our lives…He makes us civil people in an uncivil society.
CLOSING:
When Paul wrote this letter…He didn’t include chapter and verse numbers. The entire letter would have been read by or to it’s intended recipients. As He begins to close His letter, Paul writes:
“Do not be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay (current) and death (eternal) from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life (now and forever) from the Spirit.” (Galatians 6:7-8)
