June 26, 2022 - The War Within
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Today we continue to walk through Paul’s letter to the Galatians…and what we’ve been hearing OVER and OVER again from Paul...
Is that the Galatians - IF THEY were to receive circumcision as a means of salvation - would become ACCOUNTABLE for the whole law!
They would take themselves - back UNDER the law of God…NEEDING to adhere to it - PERFECTLY - for all time.
And so what Paul has been doing is - GUARDING the Galatians from the law AS their savior.
Paul knew - and taught - that the law of God was POWERLESS to save!
And so - as we’ve been saying - Paul has been calling the Galatians - AWAY from using the Law as a savior!
That our WORKS CANNOT save us!
And then TODAY - in our text - Paul does something that I feel resembles what he did in Romans chapter 6...
IN Paul’s letter to the Romans - He spends the first 5 chapters ELEVATING - FAITH over works!
And in chapters 3-5 ESPECIALLY - Paul throws FAITH haymaker after FAITH haymaker...
PUSHING FAITH ALONE - as that which SAVES!!
Faith ALONE in Christ ALONE!
And BECAUSE THAT was Paul’s message early on in the letter - PAUL Does what?
See - Paul KNOWS who he’s dealing with!
We talked about it last week...
What will MANKIND DO - when given FREEDOM!
We’ll - Take…it for granted!
We’ll take advantage of it!!
We’ll hear that CHICK FIL-A is giving away FREE sandwiches - and we’ll ASK - HOW.MANY
We’ll hear that our TEST won’t COUNT for anything - and we - WON’T.STUDY
We’ll hear that FAITH ALONE saves - and we’ll CONTINUE in SIN…that grace may abound!
Paul’s response in Romans after HAMMERING - “it’s ALL OF FAITH”?
1 What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound?
Do you see what Paul did here in Romans?
He had CALLED people OUT from UNDER the LAW...
SLIDE: ROOM GRAPHIC
It’s like Paul is standing in the MIDDLE of a ROOM.
...and on the RIGHT side of the room - you have the LAW of God!
On the OPPOSITE side of the room you have LAWLESSNESS (sin)!
Paul is standing in the MIDDLE!
…Calls for these people - WHO ARE UNDER the law - to come out from UNDER it...
…and JOIN him in the middle - STANDING on Faith Alone!
WELL - Paul KNOWS - mankind!
He knows that UPON HEARING about - FAITH ALONE...
Those people will RUN RIGHT PAST him…to the OPPOSITE side of the room...
AND DECLARE - ...let's continue in sin that grace may abound!"
And so - ROMANS 6:1 is a WARNING verse...
it’s Paul - BLOCKING the path - to lawlessness!
And this is EXACTLY what Paul is doing in our text today!
He’s been calling the Galatians to NOT GO BACK UNDER the LAW...
He’s looking at MAINLY gentiles - and saying - NO - you don’t NEED to get circumcised to be saved...
TRUST ME - it’s FAITH ALONE - in Christ ALONE!!
And- AS the Galatians come running toward Paul to POSSIBLY blow right past him and head to - LAWLESSNESS...
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.
Only 3 verses today - but they are PACKED with an IMMENSELY relevant truth in your life!
In Paul calling the Galatians - to STEP AWAY from circumcision… as a means of salvation...
We see that there is a battle going on between Paul and the False Teachers!
The False TEACHERS - calling the Galatians to EMBRACE circumcision in ORDER to BE SAVED...
…were calling the Galatians to LIVE A CERTAIN WAY…!
They wanted the Galatians to WALK thru life - Physically circumcised!
PAUL on the other hand…was ALSO calling the Galatians to LIVE A CERTAIN WAY!
How?
16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.
The false teachers were saying - WALK thru life - PHYSICALLY circumcised!
Paul said...
walk thru life - BY THE SPIRIT!
Or - by MEANS of the Spirit!
WHY?
Last half of the verse...
“…and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh”
And so what’s on the table today?
The Spirit
The flesh
Remember how for the past several weeks we’ve talked about those two paths of life...
SLIDE:
FREEDOM
SLAVERY
Well - we see here today that ...
SLIDE:
FREEDOM (Walking by the Spirit)
SLAVERY (Walking in the flesh)
Well we know that Paul has been calling the Galatians - to - - FREEDOM - IN Christ...
And if we just GLANCE BACK at our text from last week for a moment…we're going to see this...
SLIDE: Walking by the Spirit: Leads to Loving Service to Others
Walking by the Spirit
Walking by the Spirit
13 For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.
NOW - the past couple of weeks we’ve seen those TWO paths of life (FREEDOM and SLAVERY)
FREEDOM up against SLAVERY
NOW - today....
Here we have FREEDOM up against - - the FLESH
We see here Paul calling the Galatians to LOVING service of others...
How does that happen according to this text?
by the FLESH?
NO - in the FREEDOM we have IN CHRIST...
That’s how this service comes...
The flesh won’t SERVE others....it will what?
v15 from last week...
15 But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another.
The FLESH will devour our fellow man...
and then - next verse - our first verse today...
16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.
See it?
Walking by the Spirit - will lead to LOVING service of others!
Paul’s SAYING - Don’t DEVOUR one another!
INSTEAD - Walk by the Spirit!!
*See - when that person INSULTS you.... YOUR OWN strength is only strong enough to DESTROY them!
We’re not strong enough - in and of ourselves - to NOT destroy them.
We need the STRENGTH of God Himself - His Spirit - to LIVE THROUGH us...
SO THAT we can SERVE them - even our enemies!!
And you might say - yeah but MIKE - I know non-christians who are SUPER CHILL - and wouldn’t hurt a fly..they wouldn’t RETURN insult for insult!
SEE - your analogy doesn’t work!!
Well - When I say SERVE them - I don’t mean - BE NICE to them!
I mean - SERVE THEM with a CHRIST-LIKE servant heart...
I mean - LOVE THEM with the love of Jesus!
Your non-believing friend - who is SUPER-NICE to everyone - LISTEN - HATES EVERYONE because they don’t LOVE others with the LOVE of Jesus!
They might get insulted - and they might respond by baking that MEAN person some cookies...
But guess what - COOKIES don’t SAVE people!
If ALL i ever do for people - is bake them cookies - I’ve HATED THEM my whole life!
Can we compare these two acts?
Sharing the gospel with someone / giving them SAVING truth
baking cookies for someone
Is there an ETERNAL difference between these two things?
And it’s the same DIFFERENCE between - Spirit and Flesh
And this dichotomy is entrenched in us more than we probably know...
Paul continues...
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.
What are we reading about here?
We’re reading about this -
SLIDE:
THE WAR WITHIN
And it’s this truth - that has caused MANY within the faith - to DOUBT....QUESTION....whether they’re saved at all.
NOW - of course it’s good for us to examine ourselves to see if we are IN THE FAITH...
5 Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!
So this is a GOOD THING...
Of course…!
We’re called to do this...
BUT - MANY Christians will SIN, and BECAUSE they sin - they doubt their saved.
NOW - hear me - they MAY NOT be saved....
BUT - the mere presence of sin in our lives is not a VERDICT of “NOT SAVED”...
The apostle Paul deals with this in Romans 7.
As a Christian - Paul says this...
14 For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin.
15 For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.
Even here - we can HEAR the war WITHIN!!
Paul says - “I do NOT do what I want, but I do the very thing i HATE!”
Why does this happen?
First off - WHO CAN RELATE?
I do the VERY THING that I HATE!!
But why?
Paul explains more in Romans 7
21 So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand.
Ok, he’s beginning to explain more...
22 For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being,
23 but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members.
The WAR - WITHIN!
He says - in my INNER BEING - I delight in the LAW OF GOD!
It’s my DELIGHT - my JOY!
It’s NOT a burden!! It’s what i LOVE!!
In my INNER BEING!!
BUT - in my members
In my OUTER FLESH…another law WAGES WAR against the law of my MIND....
And makes me CAPTIVE to the LAW of - SIN
that DWELLS in my members!!
I’ve preached through Romans several years ago - and I used this graphic to explain this reality...
SLIDE: Man in Ocean - Unbeliever
SLIDE: Man in Ocean - SAVED
This is the WAR WITHIN....
And it’s this EXACT war that Paul mentions to the Galatians in our text today....
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.
And what do we see?
SLIDE: Walking by the Spirit: Wars Against Sin in our Lives
Walking by the Spirit
Walking by the Spirit
It’s - The War Within!
When we get saved…based on FAITH...
Our INNER Being - is REDEEMED!
New LIFE now flows in us...
But the world is close at hand!
And we’re - NOT YET - PERFECT!
We’re a NEW CREATION - with NEW AFFECTIONS for Jesus...
But our old selves…are STILL AT WORK...
That’s WHY Paul tells us a BELIEVERS....
1 If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.
2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.
3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
4 When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
5 Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.
v2 said - If you’re SAVED - “Set your minds on things that are above, NOT ON things that are ON EARTH!
The fact that Paul is telling Christians to SET YOUR MINDS on the things that are above and NOT on things of earth...
TELLS US - that it’s POSSIBLE that we WILL set our minds on things of this earth!
Paul here tells Christians - to PUT TO DEATH what is earthly IN US - sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, covetousness, which is idolatry!
AGAIN- which means - we will STRUGGLE with these things!!
Anyone ever struggle with these things??
If we’re honest - we would all RAISE our hands!!
BUT WHY?
Why do we struggle?
Why can we be singing Jesus’ praises one moment - and then the next - LUSTING after that person? Coveting our neighbors possessions?
Here’s why...
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.
When we become believers - SIN isn’t finally destroyed.
It’s still PRESENT in our OUTER FLESH!
It still wreaks havoc IN US!
Which means - AS Believers....we have 2 sets of WANTS in our lives!
SLIDE:
Desires of the flesh
Desires of the Spirit
Again - this is ONLY true of BELIEVERS in Christ.
If you are NOT a believer/follower of Christ - you have 1 set of desires in your life - the desires of the FLESH!
Just look around today = at those upset over Roe v Wade
Their ANGER at that decision comes from - THE FLESH....
But those of FAITH - they have 2 SETS of Desires in their lives...
FLESH
SPIRIT
And each side - at EVERY MOMENT of our lives - has a DESIRE that WANTS to be fulfilled!
This isn’t just about - the big decisions of life...
*Roman Catholic at the park yesterday (spoke the gospel to him) - but he held tightly to his religion)
That decision flowed from his FLESH...
But this isn’t just about THOSE types of decisions
EVERY MOMENT - my flesh wants me to DISHONOR God…!
EVERY MOMENT - my flesh wants me to THINK...
about money in ways I shouldn’t
about my time in ways I shouldn’t
about that woman in ways that I shouldn’t
At EVERY MOMENT!
I know you’ve felt it -
I know that when that person INSULTED you or your loved one - you REALLY WANTED to retaliate!
That was your FLESH talking
I know that when that person rides your tail on that 35 mph street, you REALLY WANT to go 13 mph…to rub it in.
That DESIRE is from - the FLESH!
It’s EVERY MOMENT!
And at the same TIME - at EVERY MOMENT - the Spirit inside of me - WANTS me to THINK...
about money in ways I SHOULD
about my time in ways I SHOULD
about that woman in ways I SHOULD
And so what does that LEAD TO?
It leads to - the War Within!
It leads to COUNTLESS battles - every single day
And there are moments - we win… (and when I say - WE WIN) - I mean - the SPIRIT wins
And there are moments - we lose - and the FLESH wins
Again - this is what Romans 7 is all about!
But - it’s MOMENT by MOMENT…!!
Which is why we must FIGHT - NOT to WIN God’s approval...
But FIGHT - having already GAINED God’s approval - BY FAITH!
We need to FIGHT - as Justified Sinners!!
We need to PURSUE - being LEAD BY the Spirit of God!!
This takes EFFORT!!
a PURSUIT is needed!!
As John Piper puts it - - a PURSUIT to place ourselves under the waterfall of God’s grace!
We MOURN our SIN - then make WAR ON our SIN!
And - MAKING WAR on our sin - is really the PURSUIT to be lead by the Spirit!
To get OURSELVES out of the way!!
**Tia (pursuing Tia)
Never felt that feeling before
What pulled me down the street? Love for Tia.
And later in the week - I asked myself -
Each MOMENT of the day - do I pursue the Spirit of God the same way?
Am i DESPERATE for the Spirit to lead me?
And think of ALL of the things that PLAY INTO me being LEAD by the Spirit...
It takes me being here on Sundays...
It takes me singing/making a joyful noise to the Lord
It takes me pursuing Christ in His word!
It takes discipleship!
It takes others helping to REMIND me of why I woke up this morning!
SUMMARY
Walking by the Spirit
Leads to Loving Service to Others
Wars Against Sin in Our Lives
Let’s pray