Sermon Tone Analysis

Intro:

It’s hard to imagine that this is the final Sunday of 2018!

I know for me, this year has flown by.

For many the New Year is an exciting time because it’s an opportunity to start over and focus on a New Year with new opportunities.

Maybe you write out resolutions or maybe you don’t because you know you will not keep them.

I did some research on the top resolutions for 2019 that people have made and here are seven popular resolutions that people make:

Exercise more

Lose Weight

Get organized

Learn a new skill or hobby

Save more money/spend less money

Travel more

Read More

Now, maybe some of those are on your list, but what we know about resolutions is that statistics show that 25% of people abandon their resolutions by the second week of January.

If you are a member of a gym or work out organization, you will notice a huge influx of members in January and you will probably have to wait an hour before getting on the treadmill.

The good news is, by February the lines will die down and the gym will be back to normal.

I have made resolutions in the past and have broken many of the resolutions in the past.

Wouldn’t it be so helpful if you had a helper to walk alongside you to help keep your resolutions?

Imagine having someone with you 24 hours a day to hold you accountable to help you achieve your resolutions..

If your resolution is to eat healthier, imagine if you had someone to smack that cookie out of your hand or when you are about to order a coca cola at lunch the helper tells the waitress “he will have a water instead.”

Or your on your phone scrolling through Facebook and your helper says’ “Turn the phone off and do some pushups”

That would be very helpful right?

What about our relationship with God? Wouldn’t it be helpful to have a helper correct us when we aren’t acting in a Christ-like way or to call us out when we are wasting time on things that don’t matter?

For Christians, we have a helper and we have a way to grow in the Lord and live a life pleasing to Him.

This is good news for us today because iGod gives us a helper to assist us in our walk with Him.

He doesn’t leave us on our own but gives us strength to grow.

Let’s read about this helper in

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.

Notice that the helper we have is the Spirit.

If you are a new creation in Christ, you have the Spirit dwelling inside you to help you walk in a way that is worthy of your calling.

Listen to Jesus’ words to his disciples in

26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.

The Holy Spirit is referred to as the Helper.

There are several passages in the New Testament that indicate how the Holy Spirit guides followers of Christ as they grow in their relationship.

This morning, we are going to look at a few things that the Holy Spirit does in the life of a Christian.

1.

The Holy Spirit defeats sin and our old nature.

V. 16-21.

The main idea of this passage is walking in the flesh so that you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.

It’s important to understand what each of these are:

The Flesh: The Fallen Human nature.

This deals with our natural desire to sin and live for ourselves.

Ultimately, the works of the flesh lead to destruction.

The Spirit: This is the helper that God gives to all disciples.

The Spirit helps us defeat our sinful flesh and enables us to live a life that glorifies God and helps believers look more like Jesus.

There are many roles of the Holy Spirit but specifically explains the Spirit as producing fruit in the life of a believer.

Before we get into the works of the flesh, notice V. 18 “But if you led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.”

One of the main themes of Galatians is the truth that as a follower of Jesus, we are now free from following the Mosaic Law.

Christians are not justified by outward works or ceremonial laws, but Christians are free in Jesus Christ.

If you study Galatians, you will read the Apostle Paul passionately sharing this message of freedom in Christ.

He battled false teachers who were leading believer’s astray and convincing new believer’s that they had to follow laws to please God and Paul continuously preached freedom in Christ.

This really is the message of the Gospel, that we have gained freedom in Christ and we are saved by grace through faith, not works.

Listen to what

3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do.

By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit

The law was fulfilled through Jesus, and we have freedom knowing that salvation comes through Christ alone through faith alone.

Having new life in Christ means we are under God’s grace and not our own merit or works.

You want to know one of the worst illustrations of salvation: If anyone compares our relationship to God as climbing a ladder or a mountain.

The Gospel is that God sent his son Jesus for us and if we are at the bottom of the mountain, God comes to us and lifts us up through the power of His son Jesus.

We stand forgiven and victorious in Christ.

So how does that play out in living a new life and defeating sin.

Look at V. 19-20 where Paul lists the works of the flesh: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies.

When Paul references this list of the works of the flesh, we know the works of the flesh are not limited to these things but he is describing what a life without Jesus looks like.

We must realize that before Christ, we are walking in the flesh and we can do NOTHING to please or glorify a Holy God.

It’s only through walking in the Spirit in our new life that we can defeat sin and live a life that brings God glory and honor.

Listen to

55  “O death, where is your victory?

O death, where is your sting?”

56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.

57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

For believers, we have victory of the works of the flesh and over sin through Jesus Christ.

In relation to our daily walk with Jesus, we have the power over sin when we walk in the Spirit.

Just as V. 16 says’ “walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.”

That is not a walk by the spirit and you MIGHT NOT gratify the desires of the flesh, it’s walk by the Spirit and you WILL NOT gratify the desires of the flesh.

Don’t ever feel defeated by sin because God has given you victory over sin and temptation.

It’s a daily struggle for sure, but we have a Helper to defeat sin and our old nature.

Not only does walking in the Spirit help us defeat sin, but in contrast; walking in the Spirit is beneficial because...

2. The Holy Spirit produces a fruitful life.

V. 22-24.

2. The Holy Spirit produces a fruitful life.

V. 22-24.

We read the works of the flesh and the result of walking in our flesh and the fact the Holy Spirit helps us defeat sin.

Now, lets look at what the Holy Spirit produces in contrast to sin and our old life.

Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self Control.

Looking over the fruit of the Spirit, I think that we should exempify these things in our life as we walk in Christ.

In fact, wouldn’t you say this list describes the very essence of who Jesus is?