sf962 - The Garbage Of Fleshly Living (Galatians 5 16-23)
Galatians 5:16-23
Introduction
In our culture we are calling every sin a disease, we shun the responsibility of our sin by promoting a victim mentality.
1A. The Awareness of Fleshly Living (5:16)
1B. What is the flesh?
The flesh and sinful nature is NOT the same thing.
The word translated flesh can refer to the human body or mankind in general.
When used in the negative sense it refers to… (1 Corinthians 3:1-3)
Ø Childishness, “infants in Christ” totally self-centered
Ø Lack spiritual growth, never advances beyond the basics (3:2); they don’t want solid food, therefore never grow.
Ø Involves conflict; (3:3) envy inner attitude, strive is the outward expression, they are always in conflict.
The flesh refers to both Christians and non-Christian
Ø For the non-Christian it is a position enslaved by sin.
Ø For the Christian it’s a condition, where we choose to yield to our old sinful way of life and operate in our own strength.
2B. Elements of a fleshly life
Yielded to the power of sin
Romans 7:23 but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members.
Ø The old man is powerless over sin, yet on the cross our old man was crucified with Jesus. We were set free!
Romans 6:6-7 knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; 7 for he who has died is freed from sin.
Ø Sin did not die, only the one that sin had authority over died.
Ø We no longer have to yield to sin.
Romans 6:11-13 Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus. 12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts, 13 and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.
Yielded to our old programming
Ø The goal of the Adamic nature is independence from God.
Ø God gave us basic needs (love, significance, acceptance, etc.) to draw us to Him, but we seek to meet these needs by other (fleshly) means.
Ø Our past has programmed our flesh.
Ø We walk in the flesh when we follow our old programming.
Operating in our own strength
Ø Depends on self
Galatians 3:3 Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?
Ø Anything you accomplish in your own strength has no eternal significance.
John 15:5 "I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.
2A. The Agony of Fleshly Living (5:17)
This is the struggle that goes on in the life of every believer.
The only peace comes when we walk yielded to the Holy Spirit.
3A. The Activities of the Flesh (5:19-21)
This is a representative list!
Immorality – dirty mind
Sorcery – illicit drugs
Carousing – party attitude
4A. Alternative to Fleshly Living (5:15, 22-23)
You can’t help your past but you do not have to be controlled by your past.
You can choose to be controlled by the Holy Spirit.
The desires of the flesh remain but I don’t have to do them.
1B. Walking implies…
Dependence on the Holy Spirit
Destination, we are going somewhere
2B. The results of walking in the Holy Spirit
Works of the flesh what we do.
Fruit of the Spirit what God does in us.
Can’t walk in the Spirit unless you are filled with the Spirit
It requires surrender and there is no such thing as partial surrender. It is all or nothing!