9 Ways to Clean Dirty Deeds (Part 1 of 2)
Gal. 5:19:21Aug. 14, 2005 FBC, Chester Mike Fogerson, Pastor
Introduction:
SheeP: clean animal, avoids garbage
Hog: Unclean, wallows in filth
A Noah, after the rain stopped, sent a raven from the ark which never came back. Then it came about at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made; 7 and he sent out a raven, and it flew here and there until the water was dried up from the earth. Gen 8:6-7 (NASB)
1 The raven was a carrion-eating bird & found plenty to eat.
2 But when Noah released the dove (clean bird) it came back. Why? It doesn’t eat dead flesh or foliage.
3 The last time Noah released the dove, it didn’t return. Why? It found a clean place to settle down, therefore, the waters had receded.
B Our old nature is like the hog/raven, always looking for something unclean to feed on (total depravity: man is born basically good or bad. Scripture maintains that humankind is inherently corrupt and depraved).
1 Our new nature in Christ is like the sheep/dove, yearning for what is clean and holy.
2 No wonder a struggle goes on in the life of a believer. For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please. Gal 5:17 (NASB) OPPOSITION
3 A lost person knows nothing of this struggle because he does not have the Holy Spirit. However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him. Romans 8:9 (NASB)
Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, 21 envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. Gal 5:19-21 (NASB)
ETS: Believers in Galatia were to have lifestyles that made it easy to believe they were believers.
ESS: A believer sins less after they get saved.
OBJ: I hope my listener will sweep their hearts for dirty deeds.
PQ: When was the last time you made a significant revitalization in your life?
TS: Let’s look at two areas of deeds done in the flesh that can help us as we sweep our hearts for dirty deeds.
I The first area is...the flavor of the deed.
A The Judaizers Paul was confronting in Galatia were stressing behavior/works over grace. (Yet, Paul didn’t advocate sinful lifestyles, either).
1 Paul lists 15 specific flavors of deeds done in the flesh (most commentaries put these sins into 4 catagories).
a Category One: sexual sins v. 19 Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality Gal 5:19 (NASB)
aa Immorality: adultery, fornication, homosexuality, incest, prostitution (fornication is to single people what adultery is to married people).
bb Impurity: filthy uncleanliness in our thoughts, life, speech, actions.
• If you were impure, you couldn’t come into God’s presence.
• Medically refers to a pus-oozing, infected sore
cc Sensuality: gay pride, boast of your sexual sin.
• Also, the guy/girl who brags of their sexual exploits, and flaunts their lifestyle.
• Don’t care what people (or God) thinks
b Category Two: religious sin v. 20a idolatry, sorcery Gal 5:20 (NASB)
aa Idolatry (bowing to a pagan god/idol):
• Simply, putting anything ahead of God
• Jesus tells us that whatever we worship, we serve. Then Jesus said* to him, "Go, Satan! For it is written, ’YOU SHALL WORSHIP THE LORD YOUR GOD, AND SERVE HIM ONLY.’ " Matt 4:10 (NASB)
bb Sorcery (pharmakeia): In Paul’s day, drugs were used to bring about their evil effects (potions, poison).
c Category Three : societal sins (when the flesh controls us, interpersonal problems are the result). v. 20b-21a enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, 21 envying Gal 5:20-21 (NASB)
aa Enmities: hateful attitude, opposite of love/freindship
bb Strife: Outward working of hatred
• Wrong attitudes=wrong actions
• Ever know someone who likes to stir the pot just to catch people get angry, worried...that person has this sin.
cc Jealousy: a form of anger/hateful resentment caused by coveting for oneself what belongs to someone else.
• I see this played out when a Christian competes with another to try and make one another look bad in the eyes of others.
dd Outbursts of anger: unrestrained expressions of hostility toward others.
(IL) Mount St. Helens-blow your top with little or no provocation or justification and you show your ash to everybody.
ee Disputes, dissensions, factions, and envying
• Animosities between individuals/groups that can fester long after the conflict that caused the animosities has passed.
• (IL) Hatfields and McCoys
• Church leaders insisting that people follow them, not the Lord.
d Category Four: Alcohol-related sins
aa Getting drunk and acting stupid (10 ft. tall & bulletproof)
bb Rowdy, crude behavior
cc Popeye Picnic, graduations, prom, parties
dd Carousing is getting drunk and engaging in category one sin.
(IL) Greco-Roman world, pagans participated in drunken orgies.
2 Paul’s list of deeds in the flesh is not an exhaustive one.
a "...and things like these..." v.21
b Jesus has made it clear to us, just like Paul, that our basic problem is not what is outside of us, but what is inside of us. And He was saying, "That which proceeds out of the man, that is what defiles the man. 21 "For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, 22 deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness. 23 "All these evil things proceed from within and defile the man." Mark 7:20-23 (NASB)
B We read if we do these things we "...shall not inherit the Kingdom of God." v.21c
1 I’m scared because I’ve done some of these things (still do occasionally) since I’ve been saved.
a Am I going to lose my salvation?
b If these traits are in your/my life, then we are one of two things:
aa First: not saved, and the Spirit of God is not in us.
bb Second: Saved, but we’re not being led by the Spirit of God.
2 Kingdom of God is now & later
a Now, in the hearts of believers, later, God’s established kingdom.
b When we sample the flavors of the deeds in the flesh, we’re removing God’s reign from our hearts.
aa We’re supposed to worship God, love others, use things.
bb When we sample the flavors we worship things, use people, and love self...God is removed from the picture.
TS: Now that we’ve looked at the flavor area pertaining to the deeds of the flesh, let’s look at the last area we’ll cover today.
II The second area is...frequency of the deed (practice). ...and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
A Paul’s use of the word "practice" (present, active participle of prasso) means an ongoing, continual, habitual action or practice.
1 Paul stresses that the believer’s default mode is to do the fruits of the Spirit.
a Believers will occasionally fall into sin, unbelievers will occasionally do humanly good things.
b Every person possesses the flesh, which is sinful, and it will manifest itself with sinful behavior.
aa These deeds of the flesh are normal & continual behavior for the unbeliever.
bb Once a person gets saved, these deeds become abnormal & interruptive.
2 You & I will never be sinless, but we should sin less.
B The frequency of our sin should decrease when God leads us.
1 We’re not going to be perfect until God is done with us.
a Scripture always assesses a person’s character on the basis of his/her common, habitual actions, NOT occasional ones.
b David: was a man after God’s own heart, but he was a adulterer, liar, accomplice to murder.
Moses: walked with God, but he was a murderer, hot-tempered.
Elijah: was carried into heaven by a chariot of fire, but he doubted God sometimes.
Abraham: has blessed the entire world through his faithfulness, also slept with his wife’s servant girl, Hagar.
Paul: Wrote most if the New Testament, had a bad temper occasionally & ran people out of the ministry, wasn’t the easiest person to get along with.
2 If you participate in the deeds of the flesh with the same frequency as you did before coming to Christ, something’s wrong.
a We won’t be perfect, but we should be different.
b Serve God with everything you have-hold nothing back (mind, soul, strength!)
Conclusion:
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Respectfully,
Mike Fogerson
