Getting Real About My Virtues & Vices pt 2

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Galatians 5:19–26 NASB95

19 Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, 21 envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. 26 Let us not become boastful, challenging one another, envying one another.

Paul continues to present a gospel free of perversions, that challenge us at our core to be formed into the image of Jesus Christ

Galatians 4:19 “19 My children, with whom I am again in labor until Christ is formed in you—”

It’s hard, I dare say impossible, for Christ to be formed in you, while the flesh is allowed free reign in you life

Paul recognizes that the flesh, a constant foe and opponent, is a possible threat to the achievement of God’s will in our lives

Paul gives this catalog as a basis for assessing if I am walking in the Spirit or if I’m walking by the flesh.

Last week we highlighted three (3) deeds of the flesh: IMMORALITY, IMPURITY & SENSUALITY

Fleshly vices of a sexual and senusal nature

If last week was not your week, if Paul did not confront you directly last week, maybe he might today.

We highlight today, two equally deceptive and destructive works of the flesh: IDOLATRY & SORCERY.

Like the others, they stand to turn us away from God, the example of Jesus, and the work of the Spirit

Like the others, if we make our living in them, we will reap corruption and we will forfeit our inheritance. We are encouraged to resist, flee, give up, move away from these, and keep in step with the Spirit.

We are reminded that the flesh wants to rule, it wants indulgence, and it will have it through Idolatry and Sorcery.

But, if by the Spirit, we walk, we will not fulfill the desires of the flesh

#1 Idolatry

The Greek term behind this word is eidololatria

It refers simply tp, the worship or service of idols

It is the practice putting something in place that competes with my love, loyalty, devotion and dependance in God

It is looking to something or someone else for blessing and favour, rather than looking solely at God

It is not always a replacement of God but it could also be a placement of God alongside the idols that amounts to idolatry

Consider how this practice is viewd by God in the testimony of Scripture:

It must be noted that this was soemthing explicitly forbidden by God when He gathered the Israelite nation. It primarily referred to graven images, physical representations of other Gods and YHWH Himself. God is not common and cannot/should not be relegated to an image from man’s imagination.

Exodus 20:3 “3 “You shall have no other gods before/besides Me.” Exodus 20:5 “5 “You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me,”

Do not worship - bow down, give honour, value, give homage, obeisance

Do not serve - work for them, expend energy and intensity to perform a function for them, do not be their servant

Leviticus 19:4 “4 ‘Do not turn to idols or make for yourselves molten gods; I am the Lord your God.” - to turn meant to “pivot and change direction toward something. Scholars suggests that this word might even mean to face, turn your face toward (attention, concern, favour, loyalty). Leviticus 26:1 “1 ‘You shall not make for yourselves idols, nor shall you set up for yourselves an image or a sacred pillar, nor shall you place a figured stone in your land to bow down to it; for I am the Lord your God.”

God did not want this in the land because He was in the land, and God and idols cannot coexist.

God shows the folly of idolatry - Psalm 115:4–8 “4 Their idols are silver and gold, The work of man’s hands. 5 They have mouths, but they cannot speak; They have eyes, but they cannot see; 6 They have ears, but they cannot hear; They have noses, but they cannot smell; 7 They have hands, but they cannot feel; They have feet, but they cannot walk; They cannot make a sound with their throat. 8 Those who make them will become like them, Everyone who trusts in them.”

Isa 44:9-20. [note this passage]

Psalm 96:4–5 “4 For great is the Lord and greatly to be praised; He is to be feared above all gods. 5 For all the gods of the peoples are idols, But the Lord made the heavens.”

What God also highlights in Scripture is that idolatry, though manifested in a multiplicity of ways, it stems from the heart. Ezekiel 14:4–5 “4 “Therefore speak to them and tell them, ‘Thus says the Lord God, “Any man of the house of Israel who sets up his idols in his heart, puts right before his face the stumbling block of his iniquity, and then comes to the prophet, I the Lord will be brought to give him an answer in the matter in view of the multitude of his idols, 5 in order to lay hold of the hearts of the house of Israel who are estranged from Me through all their idols.” ’”

This means that Israel became strangers to God. God became a stranger in His own house - through idolatry. Emp. here is the weakness and worthlessness of idols.

Idolatry is so subtle that something that is/was good can be turned into an object of idolatry. 2 Kings 18:4 “4 He removed the high places and broke down the sacred pillars and cut down the Asherah. He (Hezekiah) also broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made, for until those days the sons of Israel burned incense to it; and it was called Nehushtan.” - Something that once brought them salvation now became an object of idolatry.

The author of Kings would evaluate the success of kings by how they dealt with idols and high places

Idolatry therefore is a threat to the glory, preeminence and the sovereignty of God

It has the capacity to turn one’s heart away from the one, true, and living God. We lose sight of God

What exactly does God not want us to lose sight of?

His Character - We were made to bear the image of God and it’s important that we know the nature of the God who’s image we are designed to model

His Will - This is the will, that makes God happy the “thelma”, it is what satisfies God

His Power - Only God has real power, power of everything above, on or under the earth. Ps 68:34-35.

His authority, this is what gives God the right to act according to His good pleasure

His power to do, create, deliver, heal and operate on my behalf. This makes it foolish to trust in any other power. No one else has power like God’s power

I am informed of those three through God’s revelation of Himself (through His word) so I cannot lose sight of that too

At the heart of idolatry, is also the threat of turning my heart away from God by serving and chasing after something/someone else

1 Corinthians 10:14 “14 Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.”

1 John 5:21 “21 Little children, guard yourselves from idols.”

Anything that successfully competes with/dethrones God has become an idol in our life, even if that thing might be a good thing.

Colossians 3:5 “5 Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed (covetousness), which amounts to idolatry.”

When the craving, desire, drive for it, becomes more that what’s given to God it’s getting into idolatry

And it doesn’t have to be something inherently evil

Job. Relationship. Pursuits (Academic, Career), Wealth

It just has to keep giving God the backseat

Then it begins to be the thing to think is giving you success

Then it becomes the thing you turn to for success, favour, direction

Then it starts to dictate and direct your paths

Then it complete dethrones God, He becomes a stranger, He becomes irrelevant because something else ended up in the higher place, that wasn’t God.

One of the biggest idols (there can be many) but I think one of the biggest is SELF

Men have become “lovers of themselves”

Pleasing, satisfying, indulging self, helping self, exalting self, affirming self

Not much room for people, no room for God

That’s why the first step to embracing discipleship is to “deny yourself”

Paul said, “I am crucified with Christ” , “Christ lives in me”

Idolatry says: God no longer satisfies you!

Paul is saying if this is your lifestyle, your practice, your way of living it will reap corruption and you forfeit your inheritance

# Sorcery (Witchcraft)

The term pharmakeia is used

This word referred to use of drugs or potions or spells for the purpose of seeking favours from spiritual beings (false gods/demons).

It was used as a way to circumvent God. At its core this is a turning away from God and not trusting God

Can you imagine a chruch, where its elders, minister, deacons, ministry workers, members - whose hearts are turned away from trusting God

A diviner, witch, necromancer sought things, supernatural things from beings that were not God

It had very close ties to idolotary, and is often used together as it is used here.

Sorcery is always used as a way to deny, reject and rebel against the WORD of GOD.

When Saul was rejected becasue of disobedience he eventually turned to a medium (witch) 1 Sam 28:7.

2 Kings 17:16-17. vs. 17 tells of the treachery, but vs. 16 attributes it to the forsaking of the commands of God

God also explicitly forbade this Exodus 22:18 “18 “You shall not allow a sorceress to live.”

Deuteronomy 18:10 “10 “There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, one who uses divination, one who practices witchcraft, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer,”

Such practices aimed to also dethrone God from the place of having all knowledge and all power

People sought favours, blessings, revenge, insight, knowledge from evil sources rather than trusting God

To chase after sorcery is to dabble in evil, unreliable, corruptible things that pale in comparison to the faithfulness of God

It was common in some places seen in Scripture

Acts 8:9 “9 Now there was a man named Simon, who formerly was practicing magic in the city and astonishing the people of Samaria, claiming to be someone great;”

Notice Acts 8:12-13. Conviction in God’s message trumped astonishment from the magician

Acts 13:8 “8 But Elymas the magician (for so his name is translated) was opposing them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith.”

This gives us insight as to the agenda of sorcery, it is to oppose God and God’s wisdom

Acts 19:11 “11 God was performing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul,” and Acts 19:18–19 “18 Many also of those who had believed kept coming, confessing and disclosing their practices. 19 And many of those who practiced magic brought their books together and began burning them in the sight of everyone; and they counted up the price of them and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver.”

Vs 20 says as a result, “the word of God grew mightily”

When the exorcists met Holy Spirit power they were no match, when people saw the difference, they burned their books and gave up their practices

This is tricky to talk about in present culture because so many people define it by their subjective experience

I’m not syaing that someone will nail your shadow to an avacado tree

I’m not saying someone will cast a spell by putting your name in an ice cube in the freezer

I’m not saying someone will silence you by putting a padlock on a frogs mouth

There is a warfare

2 Corinthians 10:3–4 “3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, 4 for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses.” 2 Corinthians 10:5 “5 We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ,”

John warned us

1 John 4:1 “1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.”

Paul taught us

1 Timothy 4:1 “1 But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons,”

I am saying the spiritual wickedness in high places are not passive, the cross and the resurrection dealt a significant blow to them, but they are not passive.

They seek to distract you, deceive you or delude you, which will eventually, DESTROY YOU!

The Galatians were acting crazy in the church and it had nothing to do with demonic possession, but they failed to adhere to the word!

That’s why the Ephesian converts burned their books, there was no room for sorcery and the Saviour.

No room to dabble in the demonic when you’re trying to devote yourself to doctrine.

There was no room for their former life and its guidelines to have priority with their new life in the Spirit.

That’s why Joshua said, “as for me”

Choose right

Choose the one that sustains you and saves you

That helps you and heals you

That directs you develop you

That is King of kings and Lord of lords

He alone satisfies

Psalm 4:6–7 “6 Many are saying, “Who will show us any good?” Lift up the light of Your countenance upon us, O Lord! 7 You have put gladness in my heart, More than when their grain and new wine abound.”

Psalm 16:2 “2 I said to the Lord, “You are my Lord; I have no good besides You.””

Isaiah 40:31 “31 Yet those who wait for the Lord Will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary.”

If this week is your week

Are you going to give Jesus your heart?

Are you willing to burn your books?

Are you willing to put your full weight, trust, and dependence on Jesus