Sermon Tone Analysis

Scripture Reading

Pray

Key Words

Life in the Spirit

The Significance of Fruit in the Bible

In agriculture, fruit (produce) identifies the tree.

Likewise, spiritual fruit identifies what root/source we are connected to, it is the evidence that we are truly transformed by the gospel and connected to Christ.

So let’s look at how fruit helps us understand what Life in the Spirit looks like

The Command - “Walk by the Spirit”

Gal 5:16a

16 But I say, walk by the Spirit

Walk

Verb = action

Active

The grammatical voice that signifies that the subject is performing the verbal action or is in the state described by the verb

No procrastinating!

Present

The verb tense where the writer portrays an action in process or a state of being with no assessment of the action’s completion.

Keep going, you don’t graduate or retire from walking in the Spirit!

active

Imperative

The grammatical voice that signifies that the subject is performing the verbal action or is in the state described by the verb

The mood that normally expresses a command, intention, exhortation, or polite request.

The imperative mood is therefore not an expression of reality but possibility and volition.

Not an suggestion or optional!

No procrastinating!

2nd Person

The “second person” points to the person being addressed (“you”

Plural

The Promise

and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.

Direction & Empowerment

Walk by the Spirit implies both direction and empowerment; that is, making decisions and choices according to the Holy Spirit’s guidance, and acting with the spiritual power that the Spirit supplies.

To “walk” in Scripture regularly represents the pattern of conduct of all of one’s life.

Apart from the indwelling Holy Spirit, the only direction you are going is down, wherever your sinful desires direct you, toward destruction, but as you partner with the Holy Spirit dwelling in you, you can now move in the right direction-toward God!

Apart from the indwelling Holy Spirit you are powerless to fight the desires of the flesh, but now as you partner with Holy Spirit you are empowered with a new nature that is predisposed toward righteousness, holiness, and the glory of God, and you are able to deny the desires of your old sinful nature!

The Contrast

Gal 5:17

Do you know who your worst enemy is?

It’s not your neighbor or coworker

It’s not your mother/father in-law

It’s not your spouse

It’s your flesh, your old sinful nature that’s constantly waging war against your new nature!

Having contrasted the flesh with love (vv.

13–14), Paul now sets it against the Spirit.

The only way to conquer the flesh is to yield to the Spirit.

Having contrasted the flesh with love (vv.

13–14), Paul now sets it against the Spirit.

15 Works of the flesh

Sexual Immorality

Gal 5:18-

The Gr. word is porneia, from which the Eng.

word “pornography” comes.

It refers to all illicit sexual activity, including (but not limited to) adultery, premarital sex, homosexuality, bestiality, incest, and prostitution.

Any kind of sensual indulgence, whatever it may be—a lustful glance, the cherishing of an unclean desire, the utterance of a foul expression—all this is condemned, as well as the overt acts of adultery and fornication.

Impurity

Which is secret, not known to others, but which is fully known to God—fleshly thoughts and fleshly words and fleshly acts.

Any kind of sensual indulgence, whatever it may be—a lustful glance, the cherishing of an unclean desire, the utterance of a foul expression—all this is condemned, as well as the overt acts of adultery and fornication.

Sensuality (excess of the senses)/Licentiousness

The outward uncleanness that society condemns, yet often practices.

This includes all conversation that excites the passions, all songs that suggest lewdness, all gestures and thoughts that lead up to unlawful gratification.

All works of art that are contrary to modesty are here condemned, and the most pleasing poetry if it creates impure imaginations.

These unclean things are the works of the flesh in the stage of putridity—the very maggots that swarm within a corrupt soul.

Idolatry

To bow in worship before an “altar” so-called, or a cross, or an image or picture of a saint, or before a real or supposed “holy” relic, or anything of the kind, is nothing but sheer idolatry.

Yet multitudes are committing this great sin under the notion that they are doing God service.

There is a form of idolatry that is not as gross as this, yet it is also sinful—the idolatry of loving ourselves, or our wife, or husband, or child, or father, or mother, or sister, or brother, more than we love the Lord.

Sorcery

The Gr. word pharmakeia, from which the Eng.

word “pharmacy” comes, originally referred to medicines in general, but eventually only to mood-and mind-altering drugs, as well as the occult, witchcraft, and magic.

Many pagan religious practices required the use of these drugs to aid in the communication with deities

idolatry, sorcery.

These are evidences of a desire to be in touch with the spiritual realm through humanly invented means: they supposedly have God as their ultimate object, but they reject the revealed way in which he should be worshiped.

Because Christ is “the way, and the truth, and the life” (John 14:6), all other ways to God are false.

Enmity

The apostle mentions a habitual enmity, usually combined with a selfish esteem of one’s own person.

Certain men cherish a dislike of everybody who is not of their clique, while they detest those who oppose them.

They are contemptuous, ready to take offense at the weak, and care little whether they give offense or not.

They delight to be in minorities of one.

The more wrongheaded and pugnacious they can be, the more are they in their element.

Strife/Contentions (NKJV)

If you give way to a contentious spirit, foster disagreements, are filled with hatred and envy, so that you cannot bear to know that others prosper more than you, and desire to drag them down to your level; if you give way to bursts of passion or indulge in backbiting, for that is strife—you are sowing to the flesh.

I grieve to say that these evil things abound all around us.

But, O men and women of God, keep clear of all these things!

Jealousy

Is poisonous to self and harms others out of spite.

If not checked can drive a person to do crazy things.

Fits of Anger

This is the fury of angry passion and all the madness that comes of it.

“But I have a quick temper,” says one.

Are you a Christian?

If so, you are bound to master this evil force, or it will ruin you.

If you were a saint of God to the very highest degree in all but in this one point, it would pull you down.

Indeed, at any moment an angry spirit might make you say and do that which would cause you lifelong sorrow.

Rivalries/Selfish Ambition

The continual love of contention, the morbid sensitiveness, the overweening regard to one’s own dignity, which join together to produce strife, are all evil things.

What is the proper respect that is due to poor creatures like us?

I believe that if any one of us got our “proper respect,” we would not like it long.

We would think that bare justice was rather scant in its appreciation.

We desire to be flattered when we cry out for “proper respect.”