Separation Of Church And Hate: Living By The Spirit Series

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.