Freedom in Step with the Spirit

Good Morning! Last week we learned the Letter to the Galatians is one of the earliest letters written by the Apostle Paul, around 48 or 49 AD while Paul was in Antioch with Barnabas and John Mark during their 1st missionary journey …….the letter was sent to the churches in southern roman province of Galatia – to the cities of Derbe, Lystra, and Iconium. The letter was written to clarify and defend the Gospel against false gospels that were being spread in the church by Judaizers – Judaizers were Christians that taught Jewish law and customs were to be followed by all believers in Christ. Paul started in chapter 1 with his typical greeting and then charged headlong into letting the churches know they had turned away from Jesus by following another way - and there is no other Gospel but the one he preaches concerning the life, death and resurrection of Jesus – Paul then proceeded into defending his apostleship and the authenticity of the message concerning Jesus – he even goes on to cover the discussions that took place in Jerusalem and his challenge to church leaders he thought to be hypocrites as they tried to live as if works of the law saved them instead of by grace through faith in Jesus. Paul continued by describing how the law held sinners captive until the coming of Jesus and His saving grace through faith – the same faith Abraham had and it was counted as righteous to him by God – how the promise made to Abraham made us sons and daughters of God – heirs of the promise – no longer slaves to sin but heirs through God. So, then we covered the first 15 verses from chapter 5 of the letter to the Galatians…… it’s where we learned about freedom…… and we began the discussion by covering what we see today in the world around us …. we learned that people in this country and in various places around the world abuse the man-made freedoms they have been given…... and have gone and are going down the same path Israel did in the days when they had no king……. And when “everyone did what was right in their own eyes” () ……. We discussed how people use their constitutional freedoms to do whatever they want …. Because their wants and desires were and are all that matters - regardless of those affected – regardless the eternal consequence – regardless the One who created them……. Alternatively through the inerrant, infallible, and perfect Word of God…. Through God’s scripture …... from the letter the Holy Spirit wrote through the Apostle Paul to the churches located in southern Roman province of Galatia …... from Galatians Chapter 5, we learned the only true freedom that applies to everyone that has ever existed or will ever exist is the freedom found in Jesus Christ …... In particular, we learned that everyone has been called by our Lord and Savior to freedom…... Jesus… our Lord and our God has called every single person to freedom…... to freedom from the law of sin and death …... freedom to live by grace through faith in Christ Jesus…… and every person that has answered the call…. Better yet – everyone that has obeyed His call - everyone that has decided to follow Jesus has been set free from the penalty of sin…... He did so by taking upon Himself every single sin … ever committed and ever to be committed …... and paid the penalty we deserve…... He was beaten and bloodied…. And nailed to a Cross to die for all of us…... to die for you…… and He did it willingly for you, and for me, and for all of us…… and He was risen 3 days later – defeating the grave…. defeating sin and death…… and all because He loves you…. Because He loves all of us…... every single one…… it is Christ that set us free!! Christ has set us free!! Christ has set us free!! Christ has set you free!! Amen!!!

Judges 21:25 ESV

In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.

Let’s jump right in to this week’s Scripture. Please open your Bible, phone app, ipad, or whatever it is that you use to read – and turn to the New Testament Book of Galatians, Chapter 5, or as always – you can follow along on the screen….. starting on verse 16 we read

“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.”

Now let’s get started breaking down these verses and what they mean – and we’ll do so by placing the verses in 2 sections –

- the first being how The Holy Spirit Enables Us to Overcome the Flesh using Galatians chapter 5 verses 16-21 and verse 24

- and the second being how the Holy Spirit Enables Us to Produce Fruit using Galatians chapter 5 verses 22-23 and 25-26.

starting In verse 16 and 17 we read “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.”

Here is where we find the conflict between the Spirit and the Flesh ……. The two are direct opposites of each other – they are against each other – they are opposing forces at work.

“to walk by the Spirit’ means the Holy Spirit is in control of your body – in control of your desires – you have placed your hope and trust in our Savior and seek to do the will of the Father and look to the Holy Spirit to have control of your body – to have control over the desires of your heart …….

“the flesh” does not mean the body by itself …... the body is not sinful in of itself…... flesh means the desires…... the human desires …... the hearts desires …... the sinful desires of the individual…… that is the flesh ……. And the sinful desires of mankind - the nature of the flesh - are well illustrated in 2nd Peter chapter 2 verse 22 “22 What the true proverb says has happened to them: “The dog returns to its own vomit, and the sow, after washing herself, returns to wallow in the mire.” The desires of the flesh is to follow after and return the things that destroy it – the vile things – the self-centered things – the corruptible things – to act out and do the desires of the heart that stand against God and His Word.

The desires of the flesh can keep a follower of Christ from doing what they really want to do which is to glorify their Father in Heaven……. The desires of the flesh keep people that do not know Jesus from doing what they really want to do – to resolve the conflict within them - which is to answer the call of God to become His forever. That is all we really want to do – to belong to God through Christ Jesus and live in true freedom and in power of the Holy Spirit.

So there is your conflict……. The conflict between the Spirit and the flesh

In verse 18 we read “18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.”

If you do not belong to Jesus, you are going to be judged by God under the law of God and will be sent to hell for all eternity ……. That alone should scare every single person on this planet ….. the just and mighty Creator of you and of everything created has already told you where you are going to spend eternity if you break His laws……. If you sin against Him - and no one under their own will, no one under their own power, can live a life free from sin, free from breaking God’s law …… no one can ……. Then the breaking of just one of God’s laws breaks all of them – and Romans chapter 3 verse 23 says “23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”

So…… God has already done the work for you to save you from yourself….. from your sins….. from being a law breaker……. He came here Himself and humbly died on the Cross so that He could save you and everyone from sin – from being a lawbreaker – and He says if you confess the name of Jesus as Lord and believe Jesus was risen from the dead – then you are saved! It’s the grace of God through faith in God the Son that sets you free from the penalty of sin through the law - allowing you to be led by and walk in the power of the Holy Spirit.

In verses 19 through 21 we read “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.“ and in verse 24 we read “24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.”

In verses 19-21, we see a list of behaviors; a list of passions of the flesh …… desires of the flesh. The first one listed is sexual immorality – which is defined as anything sexual that occurs outside the confines of the marriage convent between a man and a woman…… it covers the action with someone else, the visual action of looking and lusting after someone else, and self-gratification…... it also covers and is illustrated by what Jesus said concerning lust in Matthew chapter 5 verses 27 through 30

“ 27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 28 But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. 30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell.”

- The second item listed in impurity which means something against one’s own body, something filthy, unclean, something in violation of God’s covenant standards, an attitude of sin and rebellion against God.

- The third is sensuality – which means unrestrained moral attitudes or behaviors. Like always seeking to please yourself regardless of the action and effect on self or others – and in complete willful disregard of our Savior.

- The fourth is idolatry – which means to worship or seek after something wholeheartedly instead of God. For some its their family instead of God, families can be idols – for some its money instead of God – for others its their stuff instead of God – and for some its their free time instead of God – its pretty much anything that has the vast majority or all of your focus while giving God little or next to nothing of yourself.

- The 5th item sorcery - like blackmagic or witchcraft

- The 6th is enmity – which means hostility or being antagonistic; like being resentful, aggressive, forcefully angry, unfriendly

- The 7th is strife – its means to quarrel with, to fight against, to be in conflict, to argue sharply

- The 8th is jealousy – meaning envy, resentment, bitterness – even intensely

- The 9th is fits of anger…….

Look, all of these and the rest listed if regularly practiced – meaning you do these things often, without thinking – like they are second nature – are signs that you walk and live your life in the flesh……. And are signs you are likely under the law……. These are the things that keep you imprisoned ……. These are the things that break fellowship with one another…….

But those that walk primarily with God – that walk first and almost always by the Spirit of God and practice the behaviors and ways of God……. and they wholeheartedly try to do what God wants of them…….. have looked to God first instead of the desires and passions of the sinful heart……. The old nature of sin and death was crucified…….

Let’s finish by working through verses 22 and 23 and 25 and 26….. so in verses 22 and 23 we read “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.” And verses 25 and 26 “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.”

The legalist will tell you and brag how they are a good person because they don’t cheat or lie; they have not committed adultery, even in their heart……. But they are unloving towards their bothers and sisters in Christ – not helping them in their need according to their need……. The legalist will tell us they cannot wait for Jesus to come back and take them home to heaven - and how they don’t drink alcohol or smoke …… and a bunch of other things they don’t do…. but have little regard for helping snatch sinners from the fire…never or rarely sharing what God has done to save them from hell……. So the sinner can go with them when Jesus returns…..

Those that seek first the Kingdom – those that live out the freedom found in Jesus in the power of the Holy Spirit, in step with the Spirit - produce fruit…… the love they have for God and others is seen by others – they serve others simply because they love God and those He created ….. their patience and goodness and kindness and gentleness is seen by others because of the love and joy they have in the heart ….. simply because they know Jesus and seek Him in everything……. they seek to be at peace with everyone regardless of how they think they’ve been treated ……. They generally have control over their emotions and self – they don’t let things get in the way of their walk with Jesus – and lose their witness to the lost because of a lack of self-control……. They control themselves and forgive others so they don’t lose fellowship with others….. simply because of love…….

Those that love one another don’t provoke one another on purpose ….. they don’t cause others to be envious on purpose…….. they seek to glorify their Father in Heaven through faith in their Savior in step with and in the power of the Holy Spirit! Amen!

This week Pastor Jeff and I attended the annual meeting of the Conservative Congregational Christian Conference in St Paul Minnesota. The drive up and back was uneventful – and I must say that western Wisconsin and eastern Minnesota are beautiful…... the tall green trees, rolling hills, with farms and their silos dotting the landscape. At the meeting we participated in some awesome worship, heard from some great speakers, attended breakout sessions on church multiplication, discipleship, and the history of congregationalism. It was all really encouraging…... and the most encouraging parts was hearing the testimonies of some of the pastors we met from Denver Colorado, and Gloucester City - a town in New Jersey just across the river from Philadelphia, and a small the upper peninsula of Michigan.

The pastor from the Denver area told us how he never wanted to be a pastor – he just wanted to be a college professor, teach in small groups at church, and help disciple church members – but he never wanted to be a pastor …… and his wife never wanted him to be a pastor ….. and she was adamant about it … but God had other plans…... folks that were having person issues would come to him and ask for help…... people that had theological questions would come to him and ask for help…... people wanted help with other things and would go to him … there were other events that occurred and before the pastor knew it He was pastoring people….. and God’s Spirit laid on his heart it was time for him to be obedient to his calling….. and the Holy Spirit did the same with his wife ……. And on the very same day they knew they had to be obedient and answer the call and stop living the way they wanted……

Another Pastor outside of Philadelphia, in Gloucester City answered his calling …. He listened to the Holy Spirit and planted a church is one of the poorest areas of New Jersey …... and began ministering to the least of these …… to the druggy ……. to the homeless ……. to the drunks…… to the fatherless…… to the widow ……. to the single mom …... to the prisoner……… to the poor …… the multiethnic church he planted by the grace of God - clothes and feeds the poor, and gives the people hope by sharing the Gospel of Jesus – the Good News of our Savior to everyone ……. He even has a ministry in a local bar called “Theology on Tap” ……. And the bartender is the one that introduces people to him …… and in a video we watched, the bartender made a comment stating “you should talk to him - he’s not like other pastors, he makes sense” ……... This pastor answered his calling by being obedient to the Holy Spirit ……. Doing something he thought he’d never do, let alone to be called to do …… and his church recently witnessed 11 people confess the Lord Jesus and had 8 baptisms……. Amen!

The last one I want to mention has a story similar to my own …… it’s about a pastor in the upper peninsula of Michigan - he is a Desert Storm vet that lived a life of drunkenness, selfishness, and full of hate and lies and being fake – a self-centered life …… he told me he always had two thumbs pointing back at himself because everything in his life was about “this guy” and no one else….. he even told me that he had his wife fooled for 17 years where she thought he was someone he wasn’t …… one night in July of 2011 he gave up his life of self-seeking pleasure and answered the call of Jesus to freedom ……. he asked Jesus for forgiveness and was saved …… he confessed the Lord Jesus and believed in the resurrection and became a child of God …… and upon his confession of Christ Jesus, he also confessed his sins to his wife ……. And it took several months of talks and heartbreaks for his wife to forgive him …… but she did …… she forgave because she loves him and she loves our Lord Jesus …….. and he then sought to be discipled in a Bible believing church – he sought to be obedient to the One that loves him – our Savior - and he was discipled and he began to live out his life in obedience and in the freedom of the Lord Jesus …… and as he grew and as he lived in the power of the Holy Spirit, he discovered God was calling him to something more …… and he answered the calling and now serves as a pastor in a growing church in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. And they recently baptized 5 new believers……. Isn’t that awesome!!

Now I know not everyone is called to be a pastor …… but each and every of us are called to do something ……. and we have to be obedient to God – to the Father and Son and Holy Spirit – we need listen to Him – we need to live in step with the Spirit – to live in the Power of the Holy Spirit……... to obey the voice of God when He calls us to something …….. and He has called us all to discipleship …… if you’ve confessed the Lord Jesus and was baptized – you were called to discipleship……... so don’t wait until someone asks you – come ask me or Jeff and we’ll help get you set up in discipleship…….

– all followers of Jesus are called to make disciples – and in order to make them you have to help snatch them from the fire – by sharing your life and love and faith with those around you that do not know our Lord and Savior…… and if you do not know any nonbelievers then you need to seek them out and get to know them – you need to look for those opportunities…… they are all around you at work and at play……. please let us know if you need help figuring out how that would look in your life.

- All followers of Jesus are called to use the spiritual gifts the Holy Spirit freely gave you upon your conversion from sinner to saint……. We are all called to serve God by using the gifts He gave us by serving others and serving one another in love – that means serving in the ministry of this church to reach our community – and we also serve by giving generously with our time, our talents, and our treasure………. - Please come see me or Jeff if you need help determining your spiritual gifts and where best to serve in the body of this church, like the vast majority of you do in awesome ways! And we appreciate it wholeheartedly! Thank you for all you do!

- All followers of Jesus are called to be part of a local church body….. we are called to meet together regularly – and its to be a priority in our lives – we can’t do this life alone – we need each other and we need to stay connected to one another - so if you are here today know its not by accident – you were called by God to be here and this is your home

- All followers of Jesus are called to be part of a local church body….. we are called to meet together regularly – and its to be a priority in our lives – we can’t do this life alone – we need each other and we need to stay connected to one another - so if you are here today its not by accident – you were called by God to be here and this is your home

- And we are called to live a life worthy of our calling in Christ Jesus – a life worthy of the freedom Jesus gave us through His life, death, and resurrection……. – be gentle and Love everyone and be at peace with everyone regardless of how they treat you

-- Express the joy you have in Christ Jesus knowing that God saved you because He is full of grace and pours out His grace freely

-- as hard as it is for some of us…... be patient with everyone and show loving, genuine kindness …… because God was patient with you and showed you kindness by dying for you on a Cross……. He could have wiped you off the face of the planet the very moment you 1st sinned against Him….. but he didn’t because He loves you

-- be in control of your emotions and yourself……. Know the world doesn’t evolve around any of us, we cannot control every situation, people are going to do and say stuff that we don’t like, they are going to act out against us and we won’t always like it and we’ll want to strike out against it either verbally or physically – but we are followers of Jesus and we represent our King on this earth …. Don’t let your emotions destroy your witness and don’t let your self become an excuse for others not to follow our Savior ……. you have Him and they need Him! Amen!