How to live a spirit filled life Gal 5:24-26

Introduction

Over the last several weeks we have been looking at the fruit of the Spirit. We know that it is impossible to live out the 9 characteristics of the fruit in our own power. If we live a life after the flesh it is impossible to produce the fruit of the Spirit

We live a life in Christ vs. 14

If we want to live a Spirit filled life we must live a crucified life.

We must crucify the flesh with its affections and lusts

Crucify here means “In scriptural language, to subdue; to mortify; to destroy the power or ruling influence of.”

To live this type of life you must live out Galatians 2:20 every day.

Galatians 2:20 “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.”

To be crucified with Christ means that our old, sin nature is crucified. It no longer has power over us. When we get saved, the chains of the old man are loosed from us, but if we aren’t careful, we will hold on to them though they no longer hold us.

Romans 6:6 “Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.”

Dying to your flesh is a personal decision, it is a decision that must be made daily.

1 Corinthians 15:31 “I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.”

Dying to self and living unto God is required for a fruitful life

John 12:24 “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.”

J. Penn-Lewis said this “It is most important to understand what are the characteristics of the self life, and how impossible it is, when under its sway, to live a spiritual life, and wield spiritual weapons in the service of God. It is useless exhorting the ‘flesh’ to be ‘spiritual’; and yet the flesh, seeking to live a ‘spiritual’ life, and calling itself ‘spiritual’ is the meaning of the discrepancy in so many Christian lives of today”

It is just as impossible for the flesh life to be spiritual as a true spiritual life to live in the flesh.

Another word we can use for the flesh here is self.

When we die to the flesh, we die to self.

Lets look at John 12:23–26 “And Jesus answered them, saying, The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal. If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour.”

This is written as Jesus is coming into Jerusalem with his kingly welcome. There were some people who wanted to come see Jesus and Peter and Andrew went to Jesus and let him know and these were the words that he spoke. I want us to notice what he said

Christ was glorified in his death.

When we are crucified with Christ we are glorified with him in his death as well, as he became the substitute for our payment necessary to pay our sin debt.

Then he gives them a truth using a picture they would understand

When you put that seed of wheat into the ground if the outer shell of that seed doesn't die it remains a singular seed, but if it dies it brings forth much fruit

He then tells them that if they truly want to live they must love Jesus more than this life.

When we serve Jesus instead of self, we are promised to be honored by the father.

How many of us feel like the Apostle Paul in Romans 7:18–25 “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.”

When we start living a life after the flesh, we will notice that we do the things we don’t want to do and don’t do the things we should be doing.

Its a daily battle that we can only win by putting on Christ and living a life filled with the Holy Spirit.

That leads us to the second point

Walk in the Spirit vs. 25

Paul tells the church at Galatia, that while they are living in the spirit, they should walk in the spirit.

To walk in the spirit is the opposite of walking in the flesh.

To truly walk in the spirit you have to change your appetite to things that feed your spirit, rather than things that feed your flesh.

How do we feed our spirit?

It starts with our thoughts

We should fill our minds with things that make us think about God, rather than thing that make us think about our selves.

it matters what we read

The best book to read if you want to be filled with the Spirit is the Bible.

The things you read should feed your spirit and not your flesh

It matters who we hang around

We should hang out with people that strengthen our walk and not those who keep us from walking with God.

It matters how you spend your time

I heard someone say “show me your calendar and i’ll tell you if Christ is a priority of yours.

It isn’t bad to have hobbies, but when those hobbies start distracting you from God, they are no longer a hobby, but rather an idol.

So we must live a crucified life, we must walk in the spirit and then we must…

Change our desires vs. 26

Our desires should be for Gods glory and not for vain (empty) glory

Our desires should be to bring others closer to God and not push people away

Our desires should be to love one another and not be full of envy towards others

Conclusion

If we want to live a life that is full of the fruit of the spirit we must live a crucified life, walk in the spirit and change our desires.