Fight - 12 Rounds

Popcorn Prayer with your small groups to open up the Word. Hype up the invite cards.

Fighting is defined as “ taking part in a violent struggle involving the exchange of physical blows or the use of weapons.” “engaging in combat, aggression.”

We are all in a FIGHT! Whether that is fighting to keep your heart right, or fighting to stay on the right track. Maybe everyday you wake up and your fight is against the bed because it seems to have you in a sleeper hold and won’t let you go until you submit and fall back asleep. Or you might possibly be fighting heavier things like a secret addiction, like sugar, or porn, or lying. Whatever your opposition, you must come to realize two things. 1. “It” is against you. 2. You must fight back against “it”.

Over the past 3 weeks we have shared and heard your thoughts on this subject. We exposed who your enemy is, we talked about your training team. Show me your friends and I will show you your future! And last week we talked about the Corner Man. The Holy Spirit. All of that has been leading up to this moment. The FIGHT. Ladies and Gentleman It’s TIMEEEEEEE.

Galatians 5:16–26 ESV

But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.

Galatians 5:16-

Listen to me, in order to begin i need to step back for the sake of those that don’t understand spiritual matters. Before I draw some points out from this text, I need to qualify it by preaching Jesus on the cross of calvary. Listen, the audience that Paul was writing too already have come to place where they believed the truth of the gospel. That Jesus Christ, God in flesh, the Emmanuel, came down from heaven, lived a sinless life. 100% God & through an immaculate conception 100% man. He lived 33.5 years until he willingly gave up His life to be tortured and ultimately hung on a cross for our sins. Why? whats the big deal? so that all who believe in Him, shall not perish (burn in eternal hell) but have everlasting life. It was for love He died and 3 days later rose again! Conquering death, and giving us the hope of a future resurrection.

So, Galatians was written to those that align themselves, those that have placed there allegiance to the cross of Jesus. They still had some issues to work through, hence the reason for the letter, but ultimately, are receiving instructions from Paul by the Holy Spirit, for the purpose of the current fight they are in.

But if they are saved, and we are saved, shouldn’t everything be coo. Like no problems, or worries, or adversity?

Adversity was found int he ministry of Jesus, and will also be found in your ministry as well.

“Adversity Always Reintroduces a man to himself.”

As believers, Now understanding your place in Jesus. You have the Holy Spirit of God within you as you heard last week. He is our corner man. And His desire is to help us remember the words of Jesus, and to make us more like Jesus.

John 16:13 ESV

When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.

Round 1- Watch your footwork

Galatians 5:16 ESV

But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.

God does not force us to choose Him. He does not make you follow him. But He does give you a choice to follow Him. One of the fundamentals in fighting is footwork.

If you have bad footwork , you will have no power in your punches and your balance will be off.

If the enemy can get us here, in our footwork, he may knock us down. Some of you have been walking with God for a while but your balance is off. You haven’t been able to withstand the punches of the enemy. The temptations of the flesh may be too strong for you to overcome…

But I’m here to Echo Paul’s eternal words…WALK by The SPIRIT! When the Holy Spirit is leading you, training you, yelling at you to get up, convicting you, loving you, encouraging you everyday, your footwork will get better. And you will not gratify the desires of the flesh...

The Middle Rounds - The Strategy

Galatians 5:17–21 ESV

For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Here is the strategy of the fight. The opponent in this fight is the flesh. The flesh wants to keep you from doing what you want to do. Not just anything, but specifically doing things that would build your faith. I.e. prayer, sharing your faith, reading the Bible, going on a missions trip, etc.

The flesh has a mean counter punch. (Fortnite vs. prayer) (gossip vs. forgiveness)

The list of the counter punches of the flesh are heavy. The flesh desires these things: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

You may have been in this fight and have been knocked down to these very things over and over again. Maybe thats you right now. knocked out on a punch of anger to the gut. You blew it again and said somethings to hurt someone out of anger. Fits of anger lives in the flesh.

Maybe you have been jealous of someone for what they have…punch to the face. On the mat again!

Over and over again, you fall to sexual immorality and your hormone crazed flesh knocked you down again.

Here is the truth: The more you choose to walk in the flesh and not in the Spirit the more you will live in defeat and discouragement.

Over and over again, you fall to sexual immorality and your hormone crazed flesh knocked you down again.

Those that choose to surrender this fight to those things and live in this place of defeat. Paul boldly declares...I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

The Late Rounds-The Comeback

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.

When the Holy Spirit is your corner man and you are walking by His instructions. When your footwork is solid, when you understand how to set up a counterpuncher…listen to me. You can fight and win everyday no matter who, or what your opponent is standing across from you.

But the fruit of the Spirit is…So when your flesh throws out a jab of sexual immorality, you see it coming and boom counter with self-control.

When something hurtful is said and comes like an uppercut…weave it with patience and gentleness.

When the flesh comes out like a champion and maybe has knocked you down throughout the fight. Maybe you feel sometimes like why even bother getting back up and pursuing purity, pursuie holiness, pursuing Jesus…You listen to the voice of God declare the truth that it is NOT BY YOUR POWER OR MIGHT, BUT BY THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD. You look to the enemy and shout…you may have been kicking my butt this whole fight. But I just changed my strategy. Greater is He that is within me, than he that is in the world.

Worship team to go up on stage and play.

And as long as I keep in step with the Holy Spirit, I will overcome. I have the victory in Christ Jesus. And though the sorrow may last though the night…joy comes in the morning. Though you hurt me real good…I will keep moving forward. I will adopt the mindset up Andy Mineo that said…YOU CANT STOP ME! not because of me But because of Christ in Me the Hope of Glory!

So Tonight, I want to pray for those that have been on the mat…Altar call

Galatians 5:17–19 ESV

For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality,

Galatians 5:17-