Getting Real About My Walk

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Galatians 5:16–18 NASB95

16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. 17 For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law.

Paul is explaining that there is liberating power that is effectual in the gospel.

This gospel that liberates, liberates to live in the Spirit, not another form of bondage, not in sin and unrighteousness, not in isolation from each other, not in the Law.

But for the Spirit, so He can reside, and rule in your heart and change you from the inside out.

Paul is not just being theological and technical, he wants this to be practical

He wants the richness of being saved to be grasped by the Christian, so they can understand what God is desires of them, and, what He wants their life to look like.

Here’s the issue. . .

We have done a great job faking it, until I make it, in my Christian walk.

Where am I trying to make it to?

How is my faking it, helping me?

We’ve put on the facade of looking like we don’t need change for so long, we actually believe we don’t need to change - it’s always the other person/it’s always something else.

We have tied Christianity to what is displayed on Sunday morning and midweek sessions, and whenever I am around other believers so much, that we believe those events make up the entirety of our Christian conduct.

If we are serious about our growth, deepening my dependence on God, increasing my resilience when trouble hits, being victorious in my battles with sin, becoming a useful vessel in God’s kingdom

“We need to get real, about our Walk”

I need to be honest, I need to be open, I need to be willing to look into the mirror of God’s word unattached from preconcieved ideas and opinons and ask God to help me deal with whatever is staring back at me.

Vs. 16 begins with the contrastive conjunction “but”

This means Paul is placing what he just said, next to what he is about to say for comparative reasons to highlight a major DIFFERENCE.

Vs. 13-15

They had used their freedom as an opportunity to serve the flesh

They were not using it to serve each other

They were not fulfilling the law of love

As a result, they were behaving like wild animals in a cage “biting and devouring each other - meaning, instead of them getting better, they were getting worse

They were so devoted to law, they had no time to love!

They began by the spirit, but began trusting in Law/legalism to finish - this was not working out

The horrible conduct in the previous verses, is met with a high call in the proceeding verses.

#1 - In/By The Spirit, Walk

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

In the Greek text, Paul actually says, “by the Spirit” - WALK!

It almost as though Paul wants to get somethign clear first before he moves on.

Paul gives us the condition first, before he tells you what to do in this condition.

Paul sets the perimeter for your “walk” leaving room to “walk” no other way

“By the Spirit” becomes the default of our walk.

Sometimes in pain, struggle and stress, I don’t always feel like walking by the Spirit.

He is not only the source (baptism) He is the sustainer (eternal life)

But if this is my default for the walking, I’m doing this for every aspect of my life - there is no aspect of your life you are allowed to lead, it’s all Spirit.

“By/in” a dative of means

By/in indicates a emphasis on agency or means

What’s being emphasized is the process not the tool

ANALOGY: A sculptor works on a piece of stone, until it becomes a beautiful statue. His tool is the chisel, the sculpting is the process

The tool is the gospel - Gal 1:6-9 “a different gospel”

The process is what the Spirit is doing when the Gospel is inside you

“By” indicates I’m going through a process - and the process is ongoing because the command of “walking” is also in the imperative

As I walk, the process continues

This also implies that the Holy Spirit works and operates in my life

But, you can quench that work when you harden you heart to the word and resist the word God is trying to speak ito your spirit.

APPL. When you fight and resist the word, you fight and resist the Holy Spirit

Rev 3:6 - Jesus instructs the angels to “write” but at the end of the message Jesus doesn’t say listen to the sermon or the lesson

He says, “hear what the Spirit says”

The Spirit is taking you through a process when you walk “by” His Guidance

Galatians 3:3 “3 Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?”

By the Spirit “walk”

To walk is a metaphor that indicates the way you live, it is in the present tense, meaning walk, or continue to walk.

This speaks to the character of a person who is “no longer a slave but a son” - Your status as a son, needs to show up in your stride

Walk means, Christianity is not just mental and intellectual - it’s not what you decides it means, it’s by the Spirit

It’s a decision that I make to

It speaks to:

The way you think

Objectives, goals, purpose

This is where envy, jealousy, pride, self-righteousnes is

The way you talk

Speaking the pure gospel, build each other up speech not break each other down speech, not provoking each other to anger speech

The activity you are involved in

Serving, ministry, sharing the gospel, restoring the lost

This is an IMPERATIVE, meaning that this is not up for discussion, this does not need your approval, it needs your obedience

This isn’t something you try out, it’s something you commit to

BY - putting this first Paul wants you to know how you walk is not something you are in charge off

Walk....would of left room for you to slip something between you and the Spirit

Walk by, opinion, then Spirit, tradition, then Spirit, liberalities, then Spirit

This walk is to significant to be left to our human faculties to bring it to perfection (Paul will later say the nature in us is at war with the Holy Spirit) - That’s why we need to get real about this walk and admit we need all the help we can get

By the Spirit. . . WALK!

Walk, and watch what happens

Something happens, when “by the Spirit, I walk”

“you will not carry out/fulfill the desires of the flesh”

There is a double negative here. This a promise we can stand on

If by the Spirit I walk, I absolutely will not bring to fruition the deeds of the flesh

This is a dichotomy, with nothing in the middle.

Either “By the Spirit, walk”, or deeds of the flesh will come to fruition in your life

This is exactly the problem the Galatians found themselves in

The walk was being halted by the leagalistic demands of the Judaizers

The walk was being suffocated by the liberalistic proclivities

The walk was giving way to the fighting among themselves

When things are going wrong in the church it’s a Spirit problem

How can I really have this victorious life? How can I improve in this walk?

Not degrees, not special seminars, not by your chipper attitude and magnetic personality

HOLY SPIRIT

There’s a War Happening

#1 - Spirit vs. Flesh

Galatians 5:17 “17 For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please.”

The reason why I’m telling you this is these two, do not agree

They don’t agree to disagree, no they are atagonistic toward each other.

#A. The Flesh is ANTAGONISTIC

Feeding the flesh is rebellion toward God

The hostility between the two is irreconcilable (You can’t mix flesh and Spirit you will have to choose)

This is why sin is so horrible, it’s not just some passive disposition where I can think “God understands”.

This is a war zone. They are adversaries with two completely different objectives and end goals.

You cannot escape or outrun it, That is why we need the Holy Spirit

This is why we need to Get Real with our walk

Some of us think we are impervious, and invulnerable....”flesh don’t bother me at all.....”

How’s your pride/ego?

How’s your jealousy?

How’s my unbelief?

How’s my idol of self-sufficiency

How’s my self-righteousness

What makes this really bad is that,

#B. The Flesh is ALLURING

Be real, it’s seductive and enticing. It makes you feel good! The devil knows this and he taps into it. He knows that if you get hooked on flesh, and you keep trusting in yourself to come out, you’ll fail every time

That’s why Paul says, “BY...THE SPIRIT....WALK”

This is why, it is not a hopeless situation, but it calls for an unwavering stance to always.....trust the leading of the Holy Spirit.

IF not, Paul says, “you will not do what you please”

Doing what you please, is not always pleasing, to God

#2 Spirit vs. Law

Galatians 5:18 “18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law.”

To support this Paul says, Romans 8:2 “2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.”

But if you are led (Mt 21:2 “the donkey led” Acts 21:34)

Are you surrendering to be led?

There’s an illusion or delusion of control that exists in our mind

We think they are tied to things like, money, position, status, intelligence, etc. But we control little, if anything at all.

Surrender control

Because under the law there is no gaurantee of being delivered from the flesh - You can substitute the grace for bondage and hope to beat the flesh

Romans 6:14 “14 For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace.”

2 Corinthians 3:17–18 “17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. 18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.”

You’re made to be an image-bearer of God

Made in the image of the Son

Developing what Paul would call, “the fruit of the Spirit”

The Call

If there are sins - it’s time to confess and repent

It’s time to stop giving in to sin and the flesh - it will only reap corruption and death

It’s time to surrender to God’s power so you can continue to walk in the Spirit