October 18, 2020
Morning Service

Gal 5:1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.

          Paul is encouraging the Galatian church to remain free from becoming entangled again in the bondage of following the law.  We are to stand fast in the liberty that was given to us by Christ paying for our sin in full, leaving nothing else for us to do but follow faithfully.  Our works do not “earn us” salvation, but the good works that we will produce are a “result” of our salvation and the change that has occurred in our lives.  We are free to worship the Lord with a true loving heart, not out of guilt or duty (children not slaves).  Paul now begins to weave this letter together spelling out for us clearly what is expected of us in our new positon of being the children of God.

 

Gal 5:13-15 For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.  (14)  For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: "YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF."  (15)  But if you bite and devour one another, beware lest you be consumed by one another!

          Though we have been granted the liberty of enjoying a new relationship with God as is children, that is no reason to take advantage of it.  If we use our liberty to indulge ourselves in sin, then we become enslaved to Satan and enter into bondage again.  When we accept the invitation to follow Jesus it brings with it a responsibility.  It is not a responsibility to follow a set of rules and regulations as it was with the law, but a responsibility to imitate our Lord and do our best to walk as He did.  Paul begins with the basic element that must be present in our lives as we follow Jesus and that is love.  It is not only a love for God, but a love for all those around us.  It is a sacrificial love that allows us to love, serve, and care for our neighbors as we do ourselves; to love as we have been loved.  Jesus said this:

 

Joh 15:12-13 This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.  (13)  Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends.

          This is our challenge in life to follow the example of loving each other as Jesus loved us.  When you focus in on the love Jesus has given to us, we have to realize just how far we have to go.  It may seem like an impossible task if we have to do it on our own, but we are not alone on this journey.  Paul continues:

 

Gal 5:16-18 I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.  (17)  For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.  (18)  But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

          All of us who have accepted the invitation to follow Jesus and been baptized for the remission of our sins, has “received the gift of the Holy Spirit.”  A portion of God’s Spirit now lives inside of us empowering us to do things that are beyond our own ability (Phil. 4:13).  It is impossible for us to truly and honestly love our neighbors on our own, but with the Spirit, we are able to do it.  Walking in the Spirit involves a desire to hear and a readiness to obey God’s Word.  This allows us to the ability to discern between our own feelings (the lust of the flesh) and the guidance of the Holy Spirit.  Walking in the Spirit is yielding our will to His.  His words and commands will be on our mind and in our heart allowing them to be demonstrated in our actions.  The love of Christ will be the base for all we do and the Spirit will empower us to be able to resist the temptations of the flesh and walk in obedience to His Word.

          Paul describes for us the two forces that are fighting within us; our own sinful nature (the flesh) and the biddings of the Holy Spirit to line up with all that God wants us to be.  There is a battle raging in each one of us with the forces of evil and the power of God.  To walk in the Spirit means that we surrender ourselves in order to be free.  Allowing the Spirit to lead us gives us victory in this battle.  We are now free to serve God with our heart which belongs to Him and is controlled by the Spirit.  Paul now goes into detail to describe what are the “Works of the flesh.”

Gal 5:19-21 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, (20) idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, (21) envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

          These are all things that are not to be present in our lives.  The list includes some obvious sin that doesn’t surprise us; sexual relations outside of marriage, impure thoughts, eagerness for lustful pleasure, idolatry, and demonic activity.  Sexual immorality and pornography are two of the biggest battles our society today is fighting.  The world encourages us that “if it feels good do it” but that approach certainly is not what God desires for us.  Sexual purity is to be our goal.  We must always be on guard against idolatry, which is putting something in the place of more importance to you than God.  We also need to be on guard against the forces of evil that surround us and steer clear of them.  We seem to think we can play with fire but not get burnt; think again!

  Paul’s list also includes some less obvious sins such as hatred, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of wrath, envy, drunkenness, and wild parties.  These are all things that we have to come to grips with in our lives and do our best to “crucify them upon the cross of Christ” putting them out of our lives.  Avoid putting yourself into situations where these sins become temptations but when we are confronted rely on the Spirit to help you be and overcomer. When we do fall in these areas, it is vital that we quickly admit and own our failure and honestly ask God for forgiveness (I Jn. 1:9).  Our failures should renew our determination to remove these works of the flesh from our lives and strengthen our knowledge that we need the Spirit’s help to do it.  There are times that you may also need to include a trusted brother or sister into your struggles to hold you accountable.  We are better together, even in our failures.  I encourage you to reread this list this week and ask the HS to shed light on any areas that you need to address and then do it.  Now Paul lists for us the things that should be present in our lives as we walk in the Spirit; the “Fruits of the Spirit.”

Gal 5:22-26 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, (23) gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.  (24)  And those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.  (25)  If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.  (26)  Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.

          These fruits are not our own “good” selves coming out of the darkness, it is the manifestation of the Spirit being in control of our lives.  It is the Spirit that produces these character traits that are found in the life of our Savior.  They are not attained by our trying to do it ourselves not by the power of positive thinking or some self-help program; it is the Spirit working in our lives transforming us to His image.   If we want the fruit of the Spirit to grow within us we must join our lives to His giving ourselves to Him as “living sacrifices.”  We must know Him, love Him, remember Him, and imitate Him.  When we do those things, all relational, then the fruits will come naturally for us.  It changes from what we do to who we are.  Review this list as well and look for the fruits that are present in your life and the ones that are missing.  These fruits are what makes serving the Lord such a pleasure to do.  We are controlled by the Spirit and can fully enjoy God’s presence in our lives as we see Him working in us and through us.