The Book Of Galatians – Chapter 5:16-25 - Message 20 – Walking By The Spirit Embracing The Fruit Of The Spirit – Not The Deeds Of The Flesh Series

THE BOOK OF GALATIANS – CHAPTER 5:16-25 - MESSAGE 20 – WALKING BY THE SPIRIT EMBRACING THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT – NOT THE DEEDS OF THE FLESH

[A]. WALKING BY THE SPIRIT OPPOSES THE FLESH

{{Galatians 5:16 “I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh,”}}

The first thing to note is that Paul says to walk by the Spirit and not “live by the Spirit” (Yes, I know verse 25). Walking is action and action results in deeds. In biblical terms walking is always understood as the code to which you subscribe. It is as if you have joined a certain following and then you walk with them.

Genesis 5:22 – “Enoch walked with God.” Genesis 6:9 – “Noah walked with God.” Genesis 48:15 “He [Jacob] blessed Joseph, and said, “The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked”. I won’t add more. The picture is plain and we have that all through the Old Testament.

In speaking of Israel’s future restoration we have this verse – {{Isaiah 30:21 and your ears will hear a word behind you, “This is the way, walk in it,” whenever you turn to the right or to the left.}} The principle was well understood as this verse shows – {{Mark 7:5 The Pharisees and the scribes asked Him, “Why do Your disciples NOT WALK ACCORDING TO THE TRADITION OF THE ELDERS, but eat their bread with impure hands?”}}

Walking is your way of life because we are on one of two pathways described by the Lord – {{Matthew 7:13-14 “Enter by the NARROW gate for the gate is wide and the way is BROAD that leads to destruction and many are those who enter by it, for the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life and few are those who find it.”}}

Someone may ask you, “How are you living for the Lord?” but more than likely the question will be, “How are you walking with the Lord?” Walking indicates a journey, and we are all on a journey from birth until death. That journey is along one path that is narrow or the other path that is broad. Narrow means not many are on it and broad means many are on it. It is another way of saying only a small minority walk the way of God.

The small church group I meet with holds our meeting in a community hall, and because it is a community hall, two groups that also meet there - both martial arts organisations – have a photo each of their “master” on the wall, whatever these heads are called, whose way these adherents follow. The Council allows that but we would not be allowed to place up a “Christian” photo. That is the way of the world. We walk according to the way of Christ; some walk according to the martial arts leaders; some walk according to humanism or socialism, or the way of Buddhism etc.

We walk by the Spirit; the Holy Spirit guides and directs those that are His to walk correctly in this world according to His word, the bible. The question then is, “How do we walk by the Spirit?” Maybe that can be answered by scripture itself. Here are two verses to ponder – {{John 14:16-17 “and I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper that He may be with you forever - that is, the Spirit of truth whom the world cannot receive because it does not behold Him or know Him, but you know Him because HE ABIDES WITH YOU AND WILL BE IN YOU.”}}

The second one is, {{John 16:8 “and He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin, and righteousness, and judgement,”}} and even though that is in the context of the unbeliever, it also has an application to the Christian. The Holy Spirit convicts a Christian if sin is in the life, and leads him/her in the paths of righteousness and makes him aware that we will all stand before the judgement seat of Christ.

The end of verse 16 here in Galatians mentions not carrying out the desires of the flesh. The flesh is the old nature with all its evil desires from a fallen life of sin. It will never be eradicated while we are in our bodies on earth. Those who preach sinless perfection on earth are wrong. It is an impossibility. Those who practise a monastic way of life to get away from sin are wrong. You just take the sin along with you into the monastery.

The desires of the flesh are very powerful because that is what we once were before conversion and the flesh does not want to let go. WALKING BY THE SPIRIT MEANS UNDER HIS CONTROL and to be fully under His control is not to be dominated by fleshly lusts. To be a worldly or fleshly Christian means you are walking according to sinful desires, or you are torn between one or the other. That leads us into the next verse –