The Fruit of the Spirit: Starving for Freedom
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16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 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. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 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. 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 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 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. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 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. 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 And 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 keep in step with the Spirit.
16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 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. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 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. 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 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 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. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 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. 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 And 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 keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.
Gal. 5:1
We are launching a new series today that will lead us through the summer on the Fruit of the Spirit.
First question.....can you name the fruit of the spirit?
give me one
love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness faithfulness, gentleness, self-control
Well done?
16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 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. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 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. 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 And 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 keep in step with the Spirit.
Gal 5:16-2
PRAYER
OK, I have some jelly bellies. Does anyone here like jelly bellies.
I am going to invite you to take one, but don’t eat it yet. You will be able to eat it in a moment but just let me explain something first.
These jelly bellies come in all sorts of flavours.
gum, berries, ..........enjoy!
AFTER THEY EAT
OH, I forgot to mention …although all these jelly Beans look the same, some of them are actually flavoured differently
So in a moment, I am going to invite you to eat
Some of you may have had dirt flavour, or diaper, or booger!!
If you had one of those flavours put your hand up!
(offer gum)
In the test we read this morning, the Apostle Paul writing to a small church is explaining to them that they have an option in front of them.
He calls it walking in the Spirit, or walking in the flesh.
When he says walk in the Spirit, he means to walk in a way where the Spirit of God has ultimate say in our lives.
When he says the flesh he is referring to those things that are destructive to us and others; those things that look good on the outside but in reality are dangerous and fruitless.
Here is the thing: Both offer the same thing: The promise of freedom, purpose and ultimate life.
But Paul is saying that although they both promise freedom, and purpose, and life, ONLY ONE OF THEM CAN TRULY DELIVER IT.
And Paul’s point is this......
life outside of the Spirit is a life of slavery not freedom
We have in this text and invitation.
A life lived outside
An invitation to life. An invitation to love and joy and peace.....
PRAYER
But this invitation involves an exchange.
We are invited to walk in the Spirit and in doing so trade in a life that is marked by all sorts of endless pursuits.
And Paul’s point is simply this, life outside of the a Spirit is a life of slavery.
He says in verse one of Chapter 5
1 For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.
In Jesus words you and I cannot serve two masters at once!!
24 “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.
24 “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.
One will win out.
Cannot serve your family and work
And a Christianity that makes Christian community and worship an option, prayer and scripture add ons if there is time ; will be stuck wondering why they are serving, gratifying all the kinds of things they know do not bring life.
Pauls’s words, Jesus words are proving true, we cannot live with a foot in both worlds and flourish spiritually.
When I was going to Killarney Secondary School
girl friends
eg. cannot serve your family and work
You cannot cheer for Canucks and the Leafs
you cannot say you love music and listen to country (too far)
One reality must dominate!!
it is true of our spiritual health.
We cannot live with one foot in the way of the Spirt of God and one foot in the Spirit of the Flesh
Or maybe truer to this text....
We cannot grow the fruit of the Spirit and the fruit of the flesh in the same garden; one will overtake the other.
PAUSE
And what has happened in the church in Galatia and often happens to Christ followers is that we take the freedom we have in Jesus as simply an entrance into His kingdom or family, and then are content to practically live lives as slaves to all those things he aims to save us from.
How do you figure out what kind of tree you have in your yard?
And Paul is pointing out a few things in this passage concerning walking in the Spirit and walking in the flesh
Which fruit does this tree produce?
Pick from the dishes.
Why? because .......
The first is this.......
I. THE FLESH TEASES, BUT THE SPIRIT FEEDS US
16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.
Pauls answer is here in this verse. You want to move away from gratifying your ungodliness, walk in the Spirit.
16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.
If we walk BY the Spirit we will not walk BY another means.
Our lives says Paul as Christians ought to be animated by His Spirit not simply our desires.
One day they freaked out because their dad said he was going to cut down the tree So pooling their money they decided to go to the market and buy a bag of apples and black thread at night climbed around the tree to tie apples on it and so change its fate.
In the morning they
When Paul says flesh he means the natural sinful leanings of mankind. Everything we are when we take Jesus out of the equation.
The areas we will naturally lean toward to find all the things that are offered in Christ and nurtured through HIS spirit
this is so important....
So here is the big idea that Paul is giving us in this text.
In Jesus we are offered life and life more abundantly.
The flesh promises the same things, but cannot deliver; they end in slavery.
It is a continual moving target. we can never truly get our hands on.
Back when the Pirates of the Caribbean movies were original and Johnny Depp had sold out a little less...
1 For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.
There was a scene in the original when Captain Barbossa- Geoffrey Rush. (PIC #1)
Cursed by a treasure that promised them everything- life and freedom without restraint, they were now the walking dead. The more they lived to satisfy the flesh the more their flesh disappeared and they were lifeless
And explaining his curse to Miss Turner played by Kiera Knightly,
The more we gave 'em away, the more we came to realize the drink would not satisfy, food turned to ash in our mouths, and all the pleasurable company in the world could not slake our lust. We are cursed men, Miss Turner. Compelled by greed, we were, but now we are consumed by it
Everything that they were promised if they just lived for themselves, let their greed propel them, left them more hungry, more lost, and further from life!!!
The spirit and the flesh both promise the same thing, freedom.... but only one can deliver.
They both promise freedom, they both promise life.
1 For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.
The spirit is saying let’s go to freedom, this is the path to freedom.
But the flesh is making the same promises, but leading us to a mirage where we find our mouths full of sand!!!
The flesh teases, but the Spirit feeds us
so the Spirit
II. THE FLESH PRODUCES STRIFE, BUT THE SPIRIT PRODUCES LIFE
19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 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. 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.
Gal. 5:19-
Paul is saying, hey, can we be real??
we know where the works, the labour, the ethic of the flesh leads.
It leads to warped sexuality, the worship of other things, jealousy, anger, division.... Paul is saying....YOU KNOW THIS!!
that’s not life!! That leads to death.
And in case they are only half listening, “oh yeah Pauls on a rant again”,......-----just sitting filling in the Os on their bulletin, he says....listen.....
“Those who do such things will not inherit the Kingdom of God”
Who gets an inheritance?
Who inherits a kingdom? a child of a king.
Who inherits the kingdom of God? Those who are alive in his spirit.
If our lives are characterized by these kinds of things, we are NURTURING lust, drunkenness, jealousy, division, we are saying that our rule has ultimate authority. We are saying no to his kingdom.
We say....That sounds harsh… maybe? Doesn’t it sound practical?
It is a wake up call to all of us who would say with our words “I’m Christ’s”, but are not interested in living lives that are characterized by the fruit of the Spirit.
We say that sounds hard!! Yeah!!
Paul doesn’t lighten it.
That is why he says that those who belong to Jesus “crucified the flesh”!! in v24 That is not soft language.
That means that at the most
Does that mean we never sin? Of course not.
But for a Christian walking with the Spirit at the most......sin becomes an annoying corpse crying out to be fed, rather than a friend we hang out with.
Stop feeding it with the fruit of the flesh, and instead eat the living fruit of the Spirit
?????????
spirit
The flesh produces strife, the Spirit produces life
II. The flesh produces strife, the Spirit produces life
The flesh
Then Paul points out that.....
III. THE FLESH ENSLAVES US, BUT THE SPIRIT SAVES US
18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
By under the law he means condemned. It is code for saying if we try to live a life were we are the highest authority, we will never find true freedom.
25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.
When we are led by the Spirit we are saved from the burden of.......
Gal. 5:25
One of the big issues facing you and I , and the Galatians, is that when we think of the invitation into the Kingdom of God that we have through Jesus Christ as just an entrance and not our new reality, we will fall back into law.
Meaning, that although God saved us from our sin…we see it more as a kind of mechanical, pragmatic action,` that out of necessity had to be done, but not one done out of love or even a deep desire for us.
So we need to work hard to ensure we secure God’s favour and attention.
Paul says that when we walk with the Spirit we will be saved from the slavery that that understanding can bring.
There are a few paths we are saved from:
And there are two routes we tend to take.....
A. Self-Salvation
Being our Own God
=-
I have never had someone sit across the table from me and tell me that they are God.
But I have had people sit across from me and say, “I know what God wants, I know what patience and kindness would look like in this situation, but I simply do not care, I am going to do what is right for me.”
And to their own detriment and the detriment of those around them, they lived as though they answered to no one but them selves.
And many of use may never say any of those things out loud but in practice we are similar. We are the top authority for our lives.
And I have to say you and I make crummy Gods!!!
And some of the side effects of playing God that we often don’t think about, but that naw at us are:
If we are the highest authority then we have to figure out what leads to fulfilment.
If we are the highest authority then we have to carry the weight of what is the purpose of life? Thats on you and I if we’ve decided that we are in charge.
And so we look in all the places Paul lists in vv.19-21
And so we run in this direction and it doesn’t bring fulfilment, then we run in this direction and it doesn’t bring purpose, and we just end up exhausted trying to answer questions that are already answered in Christ.
Being our own God is tiring. Trying to be the god and saviour of our family and friends is tiring.
The second thing that happens when we say we are a Christian but refuse to “walk in the Spirit” is that we settle for empty religion.
B. Empty Religion
One of the big issues facing you and I , and the Galatians, is that when we think of the invitation into the Kingdom of God that we have through Jesus Christ as just an entrance and not our new reality, we will fall back into law.
Meaning, that although God saved us from our sin…we see it more as a kind of mechanical, pragmatic action,` that out of necessity had to be done, but not one done out of love or even a deep desire for us.
So we need to work hard to ensure we secure God’s favour and attention.
Paul says that when we walk with the Spirit we will be saved from the slavery that that understanding can bring.
When we leave the gospel behind us....We end up living out what some call “fear-based behavioural modification”
This happens when we decide to set up some religious practices so we are good with God!
It is kind of like a “I know I’m gonna die one day, so I need to make sure God is cool with me.”
Our faith as it is acted out is motivated by fear, that the Gospel is more like a door into salvation but on a bad day, there is always the danger that God will shove you back out!”
It may be what motivated you to come to church on Sunday!
But your actual worship will be tainted, because it does not come from a celebration of salvation and right standing with God it comes from fear and comparison.
The fact is that the Gospel, the cross, and all that Jesus has done for us has saved us from that.
From trying to be our own saviour. From from living a life of have I done enough for God to like me?!?!
There is no life in that.
__________________________________________
Ill
When I know my wife is stressed, there are a few things I can do to relieve some of that stress; usually it is keep my mouth shut!!
I know that if she comes home to a clean house it will be nice for her.
AND it is a joy for me.
Have you noticed that even doing work with people you like can be a joy.
BUT if I was cleaning the house because I thought that if I didn’t she would yell at me or hold a grudge, there would be no joy in cleaning the house. It would be empty practice.
I want to clean it because I love her and it will bring her joy
ALSO it is work being done in me as I give myself over to serving her.
That is the difference between walking in the spirit and walking in the flesh.
It is the difference between fear-based behavioural modification and love-based transformation
Love makes an action joyful and fulfilling.
And So Paul is asking us to look at two realities:
We can go the route of the flesh that says save yourself, find your own fulfilment joy, OR trust the gospel to continue its work as you walk in the spirit.
BUT here is what will happen if we choose to save ourselves, produce our own meaning, we will naturally fall into all the “works of the flesh” listed in vv. 19-21
AND and this is where we will explore over the next months—it is in the soil of the Spirit that we can grow those things that truly DO brings life, that are the natural outcropping, the natural growth that occurs in those who belong to Christ. love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control
_____________________________________________________________
Conclusion
So how do we grow this fruit?
If it is the source of the Christian life. The natural outcropping of the Spirit of God at work in us, what does that look like.
If it delivers what it promises....how do we nurture, grow, live in the fruit of the spirit.
This where we will find it is found:
It is through a deeper connection to Christ and a deeper connection to others
The fruit of the Spirit is grown in the soil of Christ and Community
a. In Christ
4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.
1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3 Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.
See many people think that they can bear fruit when they are not connect to the vine.
Have you ever seen the branch on the ground, not connected to a tree that is flourishing? Of course not! It needs to abide with the tree!
It sounds ridiculous to say, but a flourishing Christian life cannot be lives wth out Christ
The fruit of the Spirit if grown in the soil of Christ
Secondly, The fruit of the Spirit if grown in the soil of Community
b. In Community
b. In Community
the fruit of the spirt is grown in an orchard not a pot
that is why it breaks my heart that church community is far from the priority of so many Christians today.
you cannot practice these in seclusion or individuality
you will be hard pressed to show love, or gentleness, patience, by yourself!!
I love people, and I find it way easier to love them when I am not near them!!!
Phil.
5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
The point of that text is to look to Jesus to know how to grow in community.
2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love,
25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.
8 Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.
19 So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.
14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
9 Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. 10 Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. 11 Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. 12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. 13 Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.
14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. 17 Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. 18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.
8 For not only has the word of the Lord sounded forth from you in Macedonia and Achaia, but your faith in God has gone forth everywhere, so that we need not say anything. 9 For they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God,
The fruit of the spirit is manifest in community.
17 Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us.
joy in the church
It is through nurturing our relationship with Christ and Christian Community that we will begin to see growth in our lives. Healthy fruit that encourages and supports life and promotes freedom.
So in an attempt to grow in us the fruit of the Spirit, that truly feeds us, produces life in us, and saves us from ourselves, I am going to ask that you commit to 2 things over the summer:
So with that in mind I am going to ask that you commit to 3 things over the summer:
Commit to allow Christ to do some weeding, some pruning-and whether it be that you are sharing your heart between two realities both promising freedom, or if you have practically lived as if Jesus was the gateway to salvation, but have left him back there somewhere
Invite the Spirit in these next weeks to tend to you
Invite the Spirit in these next weeks to tend to you, to do some real work- for your own sake and for the sake of those around you
Commit to faithfully attend church and actively pursue Christian community throughout the summer - make sure you take in this full series
This is where we shine a light on all the noise of the world. This is where we cut back the weeds that are making their way in, by opening up the Truth n the Word of God and speak life to a disillusioned, chaotic world.
Those are pretty big commitments Brad..Are they though?
The fruit of the Spirit is grown in the soil of Christ and Community -so let us whole hearted commit to both!
PRAY
And it is in community where the
1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3 Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.
There is no life in that, no growth no, fruit.
20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
These are outside things
They are the evidence of a heart that is no longer rules by self,
They are meant to flourish in relationship!
The New Bible Commentary 5:13–26 Regarding Love
As Christians, we often wish we had quick formulas that would take care of our spiritual problems. The biblical material resists that kind of attitude. Yet if there is any passage that sounds like a formula for sanctification, it is Gal. 5:16, So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.
As Christians, we often wish we had quick formulas that would take care of our spiritual problems. The biblical material resists that kind of attitude. Yet if there is any passage that sounds like a formula for sanctification, it is
16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.
,
Big promise right from the top!
say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.
Here is the thing, if we spend our time, money, resources trying to please the one, we will neglect the other.
24 “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.
One will win out.
And a Christianity that makes Christian community and worship an option, prayer and scripture add ons if there is time ; will be stuck wondering why they are serving, gratifying all the kinds of things they know do not bring life.
Pauls’s words, Jesus words are proving true, we cannot live with a foot in both worlds and flourish spiritually.
girl friends
eg. cannot serve your family and work
You cannot cheer for Canucks and the Leafs
you cannot say you love music and listen to country (too far)
One reality must dominate!!
it is true of our spiritual health.
Gal. 5:17-
17 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 Paul makes it clear that between the options we are given one brings life and one brings death.
18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
A. Self-Salvation
Being our Own God
I have never had someone sit across the table from me and tell me that they are God.
But I have had people sit across from me and say, “I know what God wants, I know what patience and kindness would look like i this situation, but I simply do not care, I am going to do what is right for me.”
And to their own detriment and the detriment of those around them lived as though they answered to no one but them selves.
And many of use may never say any of those things out loud but in practice we are similar. We are the top authority for our lives.
And I have to say you and I make crummy Gods!!!
But some of the side effects of playing God that we often down think about, but that naw at us are:
If we are the highest authority then we have to figure out what leads to fulfilment.
If we are the highest authority then we have to carry the weight of what is the purpose of life? Thats on you and I if we’ve decided that we are in charge.
And so we run in this direction and it doesn’t bring fulfilment, then we run in this direction and it doesn’t bring purpose, and we just end up exhausted trying to answer questions that are already answered in Christ.
Being our own God is tiring. Trying to be the god and saviour of our family and friends is tiring.
The second thing that happens when we say we are a Christian but refuse to “walk in the Spirit” is that we settle for empty religion.
We end up living out what some call “fear-based behavioural modification”
This happens when we decide to set up some religious practices so we are good with God!
It is kind of like a “I know I’m gonna die one day, so I need to make sure God is cool with me.”
Our faith as it is acted out is motivated by fear, that the Gospel is more like a door into salvation but on bad day, God will shove you back out!”
They both promise freedom, they both promise life.
It may be what motivated you to come to church on Sunday!
But your actual worship will be tainted, because it does not come from a celebration of salvation and right standing with God it comes from fear and comparison.
The fact is that the Gospel, the cross, and all that Jesus has done for us has saved us from that.
The spirit is saying let’s go to freedom, this is the path to freedom.
From trying to be our own saviour. From from living a life of have I done enough for God to like me?!?!
__________________________________________
Ill
When I know my wife is stressed, there are a few things I can do to relieve some of that stress; usually it is keep my mouth shut!!
I know that if she comes home to a clean house it will be nice for her.
AND it is a joy for me.
Have you noticed that even doing work with people you like can be a joy.
BUT if I was cleaning the house because I thought that if I didn’t she would yell at me or hold a grudge, there would be no joy in cleaning the house. It would be empty practice.
But the flesh is making the same promises, using the same words, but leading us to a mirage where we find our mouths full of sand!!!
I want to clean it because I love her and it will bring her joy
ALSO it is work being done in me as I give myself over to serving her.
That is the difference between walking in the spirit and walking in the flesh.
It is the difference between fear-based behavioural modification and love-based transformation
Love makes an action joyful and fulfilling.
And So Paul is asking us to look at two realities:
We can go the route of the flesh that says save yourself, find your own fulfilment joy, OR trust the gospel to continue its work as you walk in the spirit.
BUT here is what will happen if we choose to save ourselves, produce our own meaning, we will naturally fall into all the “works of the flesh listed in
There was a scene in the original when Captain Barbossa- Geoffrey Rush.
Captain Barbossa- Geoffrey Rush.
But one leads to an ongoing
Cursed by a treasure that promised them everything- life and freedom without restraint, they were now the walking dead.
And explaining his curse to Miss Turner played by Kiera Knightly, they more they spent their cursed treaure
The more we gave 'em away, the more we came to realize the drink would not satisfy, food turned to ash in our mouths, and all the pleasurable company in the world could not slake our lust. We are cursed men, Miss Turner. Compelled by greed, we were, but now we are consumed by it
The spirit and the flesh both promise the same thing, but only one can deliver.
They both promise freedom, they both promise life.
The spirit is saying let’s go to freedom, this is the path to freedom.
But the flesh is making the same promises, using the same words, but leading us to a mirage where we find our mouths full of sand!!!
18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
This crucial
If you are led by the spirit of God you are now no longer fuelled by pressure to be good, or better than someone else, or be your own saviour, you are now fuelled by love!!!
Love for and love from God!
That is the foundation, the soil, that produces love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control;
love, joy, peace, patience, gkindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 hgentleness, iself-control;
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So if you are asking yourself over and over, why do I keep giving in? Why do I find myself over and over going after sinful hurtful things rather than to the things of God?
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Pauls answer is here in this verse. You want to move away from gratifying your ungodliness, walk in the Spirit.
If we walk BY the Spirit we will not walk BY another means.
Our lives says Paul as Christians ought to be animated by His Spirit not simply our desires.