Galatians 5:16-18

Galatians 5:16–18 KJV (WS)

16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. 17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. 18 But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.

Introduction

The Spirit protects us from the flesh.

The flesh and its desires are disastrous in their outcomes.

The flesh destroys the good things that God has designed for us.

Giving the flesh free reign in your life will corrupt you and your relationships with others.

You will become a source of pain rather than a source of blessing.

We don’t want this to happen, because we certainly love ourselves, and as Christians we are to love others as well.

All of us are connected to other people.

All of us affect other people through our actions.

So, what can we do so that we do not give in to the flesh.

Paul’s desire is that his readers would resist the lusts of the flesh.

Remember this is all written in response to the claim that liberty will lead to hedonism and lawlessness.

Paul knows that this doesn’t have to be the case.

The big reason for this is that while the believer stands IN the righteousness of Jesus, they also have the righteousness of the Spirit trying to work from within them.

I am in Christ and the Holy Spirit is in me!

Neither Jesus nor the Holy Spirit will lead the believer to sin.

James 1:13 “13 Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:”

The only thing we have to do is allow the Spirit to lead us.

Walking in the Spirit maybe doesn’t register the right image in your mind.

Maybe you think of someone with a spirited walk.

Maybe you think of walking with a friend.

These images really don’t capture what what Paul has in mind in this verse.

The greek word for in is actually the word en.

It could be used to describe to person entering in to a house.

It could be used by to refer to someone who is enclosed in container.

The point is that someone who is “in” the Spirit is no longer seen themselves, only the Spirit.

So, if you see someone who is “Walking in the Spirit” you actually don’t see them at all.

Instead you see only the Spirit.

You see the Spirit’s character.

You see his will being carried out.

You see actions that match what you would expect from the Spirit.

The really sad part about letting the Spirit lead is that all believers already possess the Spirit.

Yet, so few are actually walking in the Spirit.

He is a gift from God to His children.

He is already available to us as a source of guidance, strength, and truth.

All we have to do is yield to Him.

The Holy Spirit seek to work in a variety of ways.

When you interact with God’s word, the Holy Spirit seeks to teach and correct you.

When you are witnessing, the Holy Spirit seeks to guide your words to point people to Jesus.

When you are struggling with sin the Holy Spirit seeks to guide you away from temptation.

When you are ministering to the needs of others, the Holy Spirit seeks to strengthen you in what can be a very draining endeavor.

This is what it means to walk in the Spirit; you let Him do His work.

By letting the Spirit work, we can avoid fulfilling the lusts of the Spirit.

Lust…is there ever a good connotation for that word?

NO! Lust is an inordinate desire for something.

The flesh lusteth after the destructive works that we will get to.

Like I said last week, go ahead and read ahead in verses 19-21.

You struggle with any of these?

Walk in the Spirit and you won’t get trapped by these vices and sins.

There is a war between the flesh and the Spirit.

They are opposed to each other.

They are each looking to win.

They each want to have mastery over the other.

They are not looking to coexist or compromise.

Each one wants to be the dominant power in your life.

Whereas before you had only enslavement as an option, you now have the freedom to follow the Spirit.

They are opposite of each other.

If, as Paul says, the flesh leads to destruction, then the opposite is true of the Spirit.

Following the spirit leads to divine peace and reward.

It leads to wholeness and health.

The flesh is selfish, the Spirit is selfless.

The flesh corrupts, the Spirit makes whole.

As long as you waffle between who you will yield to, you will struggle to make any headway in your Christian life.

We must decide who we want to follow.

We must discover a motivation for continuing in this path.

The flesh wants to keep you from doing what God wants you to do.

The Spirit tries to draw you closer to God.

Ultimately, the Spirit’s leading acts like a type of litmus test.

The Spirit protects us from the law.

If you want to prove your liberty from the law, you will allow yourself to be led of the Spirit.

You will walk in the Spirit.

You will deny the lusts of the flesh.

Your life will be characterized by the Spirit.

Next week we are going to compare and contrast the acts of the flesh vs the acts of the Spirit.

Last week we established our motivation is loving service.

This week we are seeing the need for a decision to be made.

You cannot obey the flesh and the Spirit.

Application

Who are you walking with today?

Are you fulfilling the lusts of your flesh?

Are you walking in the Spirit?