Walk - Galatians 5:16-26

In chapter 5

v. 1 Stand - in liberty

v.7 Run - into a free relationship

v. 16 Walk - in the Spirit

At first our walk with God sounds like a nice calm stroll.

but

based off of (Eph 6:11, 2 Cor 10:4; 1 Thess 5:8)

Our walk with God is more like in a war or a battle

maybe something like this:

Play video

today

we are talking about a battle walk that goes mostly unseen.

I heard this quote:

The strongest people are not those who show strength in front of us but those who win battles we know nothing about.

With this virus we are seeing who the real Church leaders are:

a true leaders stand up when times are hard..

a fake leader steps down when times are hard.

its been a blessing and sad to see some rise and some fail.

its been a blessing to these those who have stepped up

its been sad to see some of who were considered leaders

reveal their true motives.

Once all this is done with

you will have to ask yourself did I step up or did I step down.

based off that I am excited to see these new leaders and to see how God will use them

Today reveals the leaders vs the consumers, the givers from the takers, the servants vs. the selfish.

Today you may be challenge

and that is a good thing:

challenges lead us to change

David was open to being challenged for change in:

Psalm 139:23–24 NKJV

23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; 24 And see if there is any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting.

Gal 5:16-26 reveals the challendge we all face in 4 sections:

in 4 sections:

Outline:

1. War between Flesh & the Spirit (v.16-18)

2. The Flesh (v.19-21)

3. The Spirit (v.22-23)

4. The Battle (v24-26)

Lets pray

1. War between Flesh & the Spirit (v.16-18)

Galatians 5:16–18 NKJV

16 I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. 17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

this is about transformation

and just like a walk

transformation is not fast paced.

and we are being transformed from sinful to saintly, from selfish to selfless.

Paul describes in Romans 7 that as believers

we desire what God hates and desire to do what God loves

in Romans 7:22 Paul says that the Spirit and the flesh war against each other.

Every believer has this battle taking place

Living by the flesh means living under guilt & living by the law

Living by the Spirit means living under freedom & living with Christ.

Terri Rodriguez says “In everyone’s heart there is a dove and a crow, whatever one gets fed is the one that grows.”

today we will see the difference of doing what is happy to do what is holy.

2. The Flesh (v.19-21)

*fornication (porneia)

Galatians 5:19–21 NKJV

19 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, 21 envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Pauls list here is actually a list of things that were praised in Galatia.

Galatia was a very rowdy city.

Many of this is still praised in our culture.

Many of this is still praised in your life.

Paul says wall who practice this list wont inherit the kingdom of God

That Gk word for practice means to continue to do these things

Romans 8:1 NKJV

1 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.

Man calls it an accident; God calls it an abomination.

Man calls it a blunder; God calls it blindness.

Man calls it a chance; God calls it a choice.

Man calls it a defect; God calls it a disease.

Man calls it an error; God calls it an enmity.

Man calls it a fascination; God calls it a fatality.

Man calls is good, God calls it gross.

Man calls it happiness, God calls it hell.

Man calls it an infirmity; God calls it an iniquity.

Man calls it a luxury; God calls it a leprosy.

Man calls it a liberty; God calls it lawlessness.

Man calls it a trifle; God calls it a tragedy.

Man calls it a mistake; God calls it a madness.

Man calls it a weakness; God calls it willfulness.

God hates sin,

all sin is the direct opposite of who He is

it causes death, He is life.

it ruins lives , He gives life.

Sin tortured and nailed Him to a cross.

So sin is not an ooopsie

it breaks the heart of God

it angers Him

One time someone came to me and said “you said that unsaved people carry a weight of sin

but I feel nothing. & How heavy is sin? 10 pounds 80 pounds?

I replied “if you laid a 400 pound weight on a corpse would it feel the weight?

He said “no it would feel nothing because it is dead”.

I said the Spirit too is dead when it can feel no weight of sin.”

Is your soul dead?

Then go to God who is life and His Word that gives life.

John 6:63 NKJV

63 It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.

Speaking of the Spirit.

3. The Spirit (v.22-23)

Galatians 5:22–23 NKJV

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.

First notice the contrast between the

Works of the flesh & fruit of the Spirit

Work can come from a machine but no machine can produce fruit

Fruit is a product of life.

Is the Holy Spirit/God alive in you?

If He is alive in you then all those things are being produced in your life.

the Holy Spirit gives us abilities greater than our self (Zech 4:6)

1 Peter 3:18 says it makes us alive

and this work of the Holy Spirit is not just for is here on Earth but also for Heaven

2 Cor 5:4-5 says that the Spirit is preparing us for Heaven.

1 Peter 4:6 says to live by the Spirit not the flesh

I dont know how else I can point out how important it is to walk in the Spirit.

How do you walk in the Spirit

Romans 8:7 NLT

7 For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God’s laws, and it never will.

So not by the flesh do we walk in the Spirit

Jesus taught this in John 3:5-8

John 3:5–8 NKJV

5 Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

To walk in Spirit you have to be born again.

& the Holy Spirit then lives in you.

and causes us to do God’s will, in God’s Way.

but our flesh also has a will, and wants to do things it own way.

4. The Battle (v24-26)

Galatians 5:24–26 NKJV

24 And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.

“Christianity is not a Bible verse tattooed on your arm, Christianity is not a cute Hillsong lyric, Christianity not the one line on your IG bio. Christianity is actively dying to yourself and living for Christ.”

it is denying what the flesh wants and doing what Christ wants.

did you think all you had to do was believe and do whatever you want?

James 2:19 says that Even the Demons believe and they tremble.

I hope the demons arent a better Christian then you.

Church Jesus is more then believing… He is for living

believing leads you to how you should be living.

I believe Jesus died for me so I will be living for Him

I believe the Holy Spirit lives in me so I will be living in the Spirit.

Galatians 6:7–8 NKJV

7 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. 8 For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.

Romans 8:12–13 NKJV

12 Therefore, brethren, we are debtors—not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. 13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.

Your in a war church!

Satan wants you to think its not!

Walking in the Spirit is living it is every day it is each moment!

but heres the good news the Spirit bring us life, and joy, and meaning, and God’s will, and love, and purpose

So may you struggle against the flesh and let the Spirit win the war in your walk.