How do we decide questions of right and wrong. Reject legalism. Live by the law of love. Follow the leading of the Holy Spirit. Do good to each other. Boast in nothing but the cross of Christ.
Last time; What does Walking in the Spirit look like? It’s not a return to legalism. It’s the opposite of walking in the flesh. It is a daily choice. Today; How do I do that? I said in a previous message, that every student needs two things to succeed; A teacher, and motivation. We’ve begun the teaching part; what does walking in the Spirit look like, we will finish that today. Now comes the motivation. How can I be motivated to do this? How do I do this?
Galatians 5:16-26 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. 17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. 18 But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law. 19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, 20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, 21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. 24 And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. 25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. 26 Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.
Illustration
We’re actually going to start with “How do I do this?” and come back to the conclusion of “What does it look like?”
I. How do I walk by the Spirit?
A. Realize it is a command.
I’m commanded to do so. “Walk” is in the imperative tense. It’s a command. That means that there is something that you have to do. It’s not just done to you. Some say, “Let go and let God.”
Walking in the Spirit isn’t just in your brain. It’s also in your actions.
1. Walking in the Spirit means avoiding the works of the flesh 19-20
Choices
19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, 20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, 21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
uncleanness, lustfulness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, strife, jealousies, outbursts of anger, rivalries, divisions, heresies, 21 envy, murders, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these; of which I forewarn you, even as I also forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit God’s Kingdom.
How does avoiding the works of the flesh affect walking in the Spirit?
You can quench the Spirit.
1 Thessalonians 5:18-20 18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not despise prophecies.
So you have to start with your brain, then follow up with obedience. When you disobey, it’s like throwing water on the fire of the Spirit in you.
2. Walking in the Spirit means cultivating the works of Spirit 21-24
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. 24 And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.
Again, it’s simple obedience. You fill your mind with the things of the Spirit, then you follow that with actions that display meekness, temperance, etc.
When you choose obedience, you energize the voice and work of the Spirit.
The difference between baptized in the Spirit, and filled with the Spirit.
a. You are baptized in the Spirit when you are saved.
1 Corinthians 12:13 For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit.
b. You are filled with the Spirit when you choose obedience.
Ephesians 5:18 And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit,
So, the first step to walking in the Spirit is realizing that it is a command. 25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
B. Realize that it is not accomplished by your power.
So walk in the Spirit. So, if we look at these two things, the works of the flesh, and the fruits of the Spirit—we notice something. First, they are the works, or acts of the flesh. They are plural. What that means is that surrendering to your flesh will result in individual acts of these sorts. It doesn’t mean that every person surrendering to the flesh does all of these acts.
On the other hand, the other list is called the fruit of the Spirit. It’s a singular noun. And it’s not what you produce, it’s what the Spirit produces. So if you surrender to the Spirit, all of the fruit of the Spirit will manifest themselves in you. It’s not that I get joy, and maybe you get peace, if the Spirit is in us, and we are walking by the Spirit, He will produce the fruit—all the fruit.
Now you are confusing me preacher. You say it is a command, but that I don’t accomplish it by my power. That’s like giving me a job, and saying, “do it” but in the same breath saying, “You can’t do it.”
Right! That’s the tension of the Christian life. We are commanded to love, but our flesh, our humanness is incapable of love. We are commanded to love, joy, peace, patience, but our humanness only produces self-centered, malice, envy, lust.
So if I can’t, in my flesh, produce these things, if I can’t be good by my power, how can God command it?
Here’s the best analogy I can come up with. If I have a young child in my household, one of the things I want to accomplish is to lead them to obedience, and to being a productive member of the household. But when they are 3, or 4, years old, etc, they really can’t do anything meeting the standard that I want. I can say, “do the dishes” to a 3 or 4 year old, and even if they desire to help, they really are no help. So what do I do? I go to the kitchen with them. I teach them how to load the dishwasher. They can’t put things away without my assistance, so I pick them up, to put away dishes. In other words, I am doing two things, I am showing them the standard of what “doing the dishes” looks like, and I am guiding them to be submissive. So that when they are capable later, they will know what to do, and they will be obedient in doing it.
We, as Christians, are toddlers in Spiritual works. We can’t do it. We are actually worse than toddlers. Toddlers will grow up. Our flesh will never be able to please God. So God puts His Holy Spirit in us, and what is He leading us to? He is leading us to two things; the knowledge of what He wants, and the submission to the Spirit.
So, for your part, you are to submit to the Spirit.
But I also said that there is a component of knowledge. We are being lead to know what God wants. So part of “walking in the Spirit” is growing in the knowledge of God’s will, so the Spirit voice is more discernable.
I mentioned
Ephesians 5:18 And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, 19 speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord,
A parallel passage to that is
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
Both have the same result, But Ephesians starts with “Be filled with the Spirit,” Colossians starts with “Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly.”
C. Realize that you have to grow in your knowledge of God’s will.
You see, it is not enough for you to know that it is the Spirit working in you, that your flesh cannot produce the fruits of the Spirit. Let’s just do a little imagining. Let’s say that you are a member of one of the churches of Galatia in the 1st century, and you come to faith in Christ. Let’s use the lists of virtues and vices that Paul gives us. All you know is that Jesus died to pay the penalty for your sins. You do have some notion of what is good. You may generally understand the concepts of love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, and faith. But you grew up in a pagan society, so intermingled with those Godly ideas are ungodly ones;
adultery, [b]fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, 21 envy, [c]murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like
And sometimes you see a lot of gray areas. Why? Because you have two forces working inside of you. You have the Spirit of God, and your flesh. You also have the world system, and Satan working against the Spirit. And guess what, Self, Sin, and the World System, lies. They often try to convince you that the evil they draw you to do, is good, and that the good the Spirit would have you do, is evil. So how can I walk in the Spirit so I won’t fulfill the lusts of the flesh? Educate yourself in the Will of God.
You can’t make right choices based on your “gut” or even your conscience, because those are corrupted. You need to “let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly.” You need to be rich in the knowledge of God’s Word. You need to be so full of the Bible, that when they cut you, it comes out King James. When you open your mouth, the Word of God comes out, because it is what came first to your brain.
I’ve used this analogy before. Your life is a coffee cup filled to the brim with something. It may be the pure water of life, come from the Word of God, energized by the Spirit of God. Or it may be the mud, filth, putrefying refuse of the world and its thoughts. Or you may try to mix both. But as a Christian, you choose what you fill that cup with; by the music you listen to, the shows you watch, the websites you go to, the people you listen to, etc.
And everywhere you go, you are carrying that cup, filled to the brim with whatever you’ve filled it with. Now here’s the reality, you are going to spill that cup. People are going to bump into you, you are going to bump into people. And whatever you’ve filled that cup with, is going to spill out on people around you. It’s either going to be the pure Water of life, or the filth of the world, and your flesh. And the only way you can be sure that you’re not spilling filth on everyone around you, is if you keep filling that cup with the Word of God.
“Walk in the Spirit, and you will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh.”
Back to
II. What does walking in the Spirit look like?
Now I’m going back to this because it fits the flow of what we are looking at today. We have to educate ourselves in God’s Word. We need to know what the will of God is. We need to be able to discern the voice of the Holy Spirit from the voice of our own flesh. So what better place to start in our education than these lists of virtues and vices that Paul gives us.
Here we can learn the basics of what the fruit of the Spirit is, so we can recognize it and choose to obey the prompting of the Spirit in our hearts. Here we can also learn to recognize the “works of the flesh.” So we can choose not to follow those internal inclinations.
Love: Joy: Peace: Patience: Gentleness: Goodness: Faith: Meekness: Temperance:
Love; agapē. This is famously described as "selfless love," or an attitude that considers other people more than ourselves, without expecting anything in return. God's Spirit in us produces God's unconditional love in us for Him and for others porneia a catch-all term referring to any kind of sexual activity outside of biblical marriage. Adultery, bestiality, homosexuality, extramarital sex, promiscuity, and so forth are all covered under this idea.
Joy; Joy is translated from the Greek chara, which does not necessarily imply happiness. "Joy," in a biblical sense, is best described as an inner confidence. This allows us to declare to our soul that all is well with us, now and forever, because of our place in Christ. Supernatural peace comes as a result of trusting God and is not dependent on our circumstances"sorcery" or witchcraft. Interestingly, this is from the Greek term pharmakeia, related to the term from which we derive the English word pharmacy. This term implies the use of drugs, potions, and poisons, often for the sake of twisting a person's mind or spirit. By extension, the "sorcery" Paul refers to often includes calling on demons or nature in an attempt to access supernatural power without God's help.
Peace; Enmity means hating certain people or groups. Strife refers to the stirring up of discord and division. Jealousy
Longsuffering; Patience is the ability, in the Spirit, to wait on God's perfect timing even when our personal agenda seems to be failing. Translated from the term makrothymia, "patience" includes controlling our response to circumstances. This contrasts with the error Paul gave in verse 20, translated "fits of anger," from the related word thymoi. Scripture uses the term "patience" to mean an ability to endure hardship—to "weather the storm.""Sensuality" is a broad term, referring to a kind of shameless, open lifestyle that flaunts indulgence in doing anything that feels good, in spite of consequences or morals. The original Greek term, aselgeia, carries a sense of being out of control; it suggests a person lacking discipline, or any capacity for self-restraint.
Gentleness; Meekness; Gentleness is not to be misunderstood as weakness or a willingness to let others always have their way. Instead, this is the supernatural ability in the Spirit's power not to demand control or be extreme in our responses. Rather, we can submit to God's control over whatever situation we are in. The Greek word used here is prautēs, which implies someone humble and tranquil, not frail or fragile.Kindness may be simple, but it is not always easy. The original term, chrēstotēs, includes concepts of being good and gentle. In the Spirit, we can be kind to anyone, even those who are challenging and offensive.Paul's reference to "fits of anger" is from the word thymoi, implying uncontrolled outbursts of emotions such as rage.
Rivalries are divisions between people driven by selfish ambition. Dissensions are those times when we break unity without good cause. Divisions, as used here, means unjustly or unfairly "taking sides" against others—this from the same root word used to derive the English word heresy, and is sometimes translated as "factions."
Goodness; Goodness is the ability to do the right thing in every circumstance. The term agathōsynē implies a moral decency: this describes someone respectable, honorable, and righteous."Impurity" is from the Greek akatharsia, referring to any kind of uncleanness in our thoughts, words, and actions. Thoughts motivated by lust, greed, or excess are part of this group.
Faith; Faithfulness is a crucial word, from the Greek term pistis, frequently translated simply as "faith" in the New Testament. This represents a kind of endurance, driven by trust. In the Spirit, Christians can keep going in the right direction, even when we don't fully understand all God is doing.Idolatry is the worship of idols and pagan gods. It is the one sin throughout Scripture over which God seems to express the most outrage. It was absolutely common in the world of Paul's day. It's still common today, both directly and in the sense of putting material things above God in our lives. Simply put, Christians should absolutely worship no other god in any way whatsoever.
Temperance; self-control, from the original word enkrateia. This is an important inclusion, since it helps prove that
God does not intend His Spirit to overcome our will and possess us, turning us
into robotic servants. In the context of our relationship with Christ,
self-control is the supernatural ability to submit our will to His leading in
our lives. A Spirit-controlled person is always in full control of his or her
own mind, body, and words. This contrasts with Paul's condemnation of sins such
as sensuality and impurity, from verses 19 and 20.Envy is sometimes described
as wanting what someone else has. It can also include resenting people who have
the things we want. For Christians in particular, envy implies that we're
discontent with what God has given to us. "Drunkenness" is from the
Greek term methai, which specifically
means the effect of consuming too much alcohol, and by extension, any other
mind-altering substance. This is consistent with the approach to alcohol taken
by Scripture, which never forbids consumption, but always condemns drunkenness
(Ephesians 5:18).
Related to this, Paul uses the term komōi, referring to a popular practice of the Roman
world. These were events well-reflected in English terms such as bacchanals, or more commonly as orgies. Such parties were wild, alcohol-fueled events
featuring all sorts of lewd behavior, excessive eating and drinking, wild
dancing, and sexual immorality, sometimes as part of the worship of pagan gods.
So walk in the Spirit, stay in tune with the Spirit by meditating on God’s Word. And if you respond to these moral decisions with obedience to the guidance of the Spirit, then you will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh. Your life will be characterized by love, joy, peace, not anger, malice, and selfishness.
So let’s just cut to the chase here. Because Paul does a great job of defining this for us. “Walking in the Spirit” means living your life in such a way that you see the fruit of the Spirit flourish in your life. And he tells us,
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance:
And “Walking in the Spirit” means living your life in such a way that you don’t do those things described as the “works of the flesh.”
18 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: [a]adultery, [b]fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, 21 envy, [c]murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like;
So that’s what walking in the Spirit looks like.
But we are still lift with an unanswered question. I may be well aware of what “walking in the Spirit” looks like, but have no idea how to get there. I mean, we’ve already said that we don’t “Walk in the Spirit” by legalism. We could take this list of virtues and vices, and tape them to our refrigerator, but will that list, or knowledge of its content, stop us from being jealous, or cause us to have inner peace? No.
Just knowing what it looks like doesn’t get us there. For example, I can decide that I want to be physically healthy. I can research what a healthy diet looks like, I can get a picture of a healthy man as a mental template. I can determine the best exercises that I need to do in order to be healthy. But does all that knowledge make me healthy? No, I need to know how to follow through. I need help with motivation and momentum.
How do I get victory over my problem with lust, anger, hatred, selfishness, envy?
How can I get more of love, joy, peace, and patience in my heart?
So our second question regarding “walking in the Spirit” is, How do I do it?
1. How do I walk in the Spirit?
So I just want to do a short practical study here. I looked at Scripture passages about our relationship to the Holy Spirit. And I found some truths that I want to share with you. In your mind and in your actions.
a. First; If you are a Christian, you have God’s Holy Spirit living in you.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 19 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body [a]and in your spirit, which are God’s.
b. You also are guided by your flesh.
Romans 7:18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find.
Romans 7:25 I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin
c. God’s work has always been accomplished by His Spirit, not the flesh.
Zechariah 4:6 So he answered and said to me: “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ Says the Lord of hosts.
d. So what we need to “walk in the Spirit” is for God’s Spirit to control us, and for our flesh to lay dormant.
Romans 13:14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.
e. There is such a thing as being “filled with the Spirit.”
Acts 2:4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance
Acts 4:31 And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.
This is different than the receiving of the Spirit at conversion. Being filled means being under the complete control of the Spirit. That’s what we want. We want to “Walk in the Spirit” so we don’t fulfill the lusts of the flesh.
f. “Walk” implies continuous action, or a habitual lifestyle.
g. The “fruit” of the Spirit implies that it’s not you producing something.
When you have a peach tree in your yard, you don’t say, “I produced peaches this year.” No, the peach tree produced peaches. What you have done is to enhance the conditions for the peach tree’s production of peaches.
So you do nothing to produce Spiritual fruit, except create an atmosphere for it to grow. If you experience real love, joy, peace. That’s not you, it’s the Spirit working in you.
h. The “works” of the flesh implies that it is you are producing something.
So, all the evil works you are trying to eradicate from your life, that’s all you.
i. So, “walking in the Spirit” comes down to who you submit to; The Spirit in you, or your flesh.
Romans 8:5-6 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
Step # 1 Set your mind on the things of the Spirit.
Think about the things of God, not the things of the world, flesh, sin and Satan. My dad spent a great deal of time studying the idea of “the mind of Christ” in Scripture.
1 Corinthians 2: 10 But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. 11 For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.
13 These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the [d]Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. 14 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. 15 But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. 16 For “who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ.
How do you walk in the Spirit? Start with what goes into your brain. Fill your brain with Godly things, the Word of God.
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
Walking in the Spirit isn’t just in your brain. It’s also in your actions. If you want the filling of the Spirit. Think on the things of the Spirit, from God’s Word. Then submit to that instruction.
A. Walking in the Spirit means avoiding the works of the flesh 19-20
19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, 20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, 21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
uncleanness, lustfulness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, strife, jealousies, outbursts of anger, rivalries, divisions, heresies, 21 envy, murders, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these; of which I forewarn you, even as I also forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit God’s Kingdom.
You can quench the Spirit.
1 Thessalonians 5:18-20 18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not despise prophecies.
So you have to start with your brain, then follow up with obedience. When you disobey, it’s like throwing water on the fire of the Spirit in you.
B. Walking in the Spirit means cultivating the works of Spirit 21-24
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. 24 And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.
Again, it’s simple obedience. You fill your mind with the things of the Spirit, then you follow that with actions that display meekness, temperance, etc.
C. Conclusion; Walk in the Spirit 25-26
25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. 26 Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.
So walk in the Spirit. So, if we look at these two things, the works of the flesh, and the fruits of the Spirit—we notice something. First, they are the works, or acts of the flesh. They are plural. What that means is that surrendering to your flesh will result in individual acts of these sorts. It doesn’t mean that every person surrendering to the flesh does all of these acts.
On the other hand, the other list is called the fruit of the Spirit. It’s a singular noun. And it’s not what you produce, it’s what the Spirit produces. So if you surrender to the Spirit, all of the fruit of the Spirit will manifest themselves in you. It’s not that I get joy, and maybe you get peace, if the Spirit is in us, and we are walking by the Spirit, He will produce the fruit—all the fruit.
Now I was noticing something about these two lists. The fruits somewhat correspond to the works. So you can see the opposite poles to which your life can be taken. I’m not going to go into great detail about each of these, but let’s start with love.
Love; agapē --selfless love not
porneia --selfish love, it takes in all that the world calls "love" that is all about gratifying my desires in violation of God's command that sex should be confined to marriage, and is between one man and one woman, for life.
Joy; chara---it is being confident on the inside as opposed to "sorcery" or witchcraft.pharmakeia---We get our word pharmacy from this word. The word describes the cultic practices where 1st century individuals called on demons and used drugs to induce some sort of happiness.
Peace; is again an internal attitude. It is a calmness regardless of circumstances. As opposed to Enmity--which is hatred and Strife which is stirring up trouble and jealousy which is an over possessiveness.
The opposite of peace is blaming my inner turmoil on others, and reacting to them with hatred, strife and jealousy.
Longsuffering or patience is waiting for God's timing in every circumstance. It is compared to fits of anger and sensuality. Both of these works of the flesh are impatient. They want their desires to be fulfilled now, and if they are not, they become enraged.
Gentleness; Meekness; This is not weakness, but strength under control. This fruit of the Spirit can be compared to Rivalries, which is the loss of self-control driven by selfish ambition, Dissensions, which is losing control in arguments, and divisions which is the loss of control in fellowship.
Goodness; means doing what's right. Being a decent person. Thinking good thoughts. Compared to impurity which is thinking selfish thoughts motivated by our desires.
Faith; Means trusting God even when you don't have the answers. On the other hand, idolatry is trying to recreate God in the image we want. We don't trust Him, we remake Him.
Temperance; Means keeping your impulses under control. That is contrasted to drunkenness, and reveling. The total loss of control.
So if we walk in the Spirit, we choose the fruits of the Spirit, over the lusts of the flesh.
The verse we are going to specifically look at today is Galatians 5:16.
16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.
So this message, and the next one are about “walking in the Spirit.” Today, you could say that we will answer the question, “What does walking in the Spirit look like?” And next time, the question will be, “How do I do it?” “How do I walk in the Spirit?”
Galatians 5:16-26
We are again looking at the epistle to the Galatians. And specifically looking at “How a Christian should make decisions regarding right and wrong. And we’ve already considered 2 out of 5 principles; Don’t give in to Legalism, and Live by the Law of Love. Today we are going to look at the 3rd principle; Follow the leading of the Holy Spirit, and after that we will consider Do good to one another, and Boast in nothing but the Cross of Christ.
I. Follow the Leading of the Holy Spirit 5:16-26
16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. 17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. 18 But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law. 19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, 20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, 21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. 24 And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. 25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. 26 Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.
One verse of this passage has always captivated my imagination; “Walk in the Spirit, and you will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh.” How can I live a life that is pleasing to God? I mean, I understand not giving in to legalism. I understand living by the law of love. But what does it mean to walk in the Spirit? And specifically, if I walk in the Spirit, this epistle says that I will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh. This is why this verse has captivated me. I want to get myself under control. I want to get my flesh under control. And that Spiritual yearning has not lessoned with age. When I was young, I gave into the flesh in certain ways, and over the years, I get those things under control. But then I find, when I’m older, I have a whole new set of fleshly impulses to master. I still give in to the flesh. I sometimes eat too much. I sometimes sleep too much. I can be lazy. I can put off chores that need to be done. Sometimes, the Spirit of God convicts me to witness to someone about Christ, and I listen to my pride instead. I am like Paul in Romans 7:18-19, 22-24
18 For I know that in me, that is, in my flesh, dwells no good thing. For desire is present with me, but I don’t find it doing that which is good. 19 For the good which I desire, I don’t do; but the evil which I don’t desire, that I practice.
22 For I delight in God’s law after the inward person, 23 but I see a different law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity under the law of sin which is in my members. 24 What a wretched man I am! Who will deliver me out of the body of this death?
So, let’s get back to our question. I’m supposed to make decisions and take actions by walking in the Spirit. How do I do that? And today, what does that look like. And the passage can be broken down into 5 points.
1. Walking in the Spirit doesn’t mean “trying harder.”
2. Walking in the Spirit is the opposite of walking in the flesh.
3. Walking in the Spirit is a daily choice.
4. Walking in the Spirit means avoiding the works of the flesh.
5. Walking in the Spirit means cultivating the works of the Spirit.
Prayer
I. Walking in the Spirit doesn’t mean “trying harder.”
16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.
As we read this passage, you may have thought that it was just another long list of do’s and don’ts.
19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, 20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, 21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
But when Paul is contrasting walking in the Spirit with walking in the flesh, he is comparing living by the Spirit’s leading; walking by the Spirit, to walking by legalism; walking in the flesh. He’s saying, “Instead of following meticulous rites, rituals, and rules, --legalism, live by the leading of the Holy Spirit.
It is a contrast between two ways of making decisions. By the law, or by the Spirit. The Galatians could choose to walk in the law.
Leviticus 18:3-4 According to the doings of the land of Egypt, where you dwelt, you shall not do; and according to the doings of the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you, you shall not do; nor shall you walk in their ordinances. You shall observe My judgments and keep My ordinances, to walk in them: I am the Lord your God.
But Paul is not suggesting a return to legalism. He is not suggesting that the Galatians “try harder.” It can’t be referring to following God’s laws, because Paul just spent the first four chapters of Galatians saying that we are no longer under the law. And he says in verse 18,
18 But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.
So walking in the Spirit does not look like legalism and then point number 2 is
II. Walking in the Spirit is the opposite of walking in the flesh.
17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other:
Let me read the Amplified version of that verse to help us understand it.
For the sinful nature has its desire which is opposed to the Spirit, and the [desire of the] Spirit opposes the sinful nature; for these [two, the sinful nature and the Spirit] are in direct opposition to each other [continually in conflict], so that you [as believers] do not [always] do whatever [good things] you want to do.
You want to walk in the Spirit—do the opposite of the inclinations of the flesh. That was actually the topic of an episode on Seinfield. The character George was bemoaning the fact that all the decisions he made, based on his inclinations were wrong. They all led to his failure. So he made a decision. From that point forward, whatever he was inclined to do, he would do the opposite. That is really a good guide to what walking in the Spirit looks like. It is the opposite of walking in the flesh.
What is the flesh?
That idea is also very prevalent in Scripture.
Romans 7:5 For when we were in the flesh, the sinful passions which were aroused by the law were at work in our members to bear fruit to death.
Romans 8:13 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.
Sinful passions, and deeds of the body. Put those together and you can define the flesh as the drive within you to gratify your physical, mental, social impulses without regard to God’s standards of right and wrong. You can see it in Paul’s list of the works of the flesh.
adultery, sexual immorality, uncleanness, lustfulness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, strife, jealousies, outbursts of anger, rivalries, divisions, heresies, 21 envy, murders, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these;
So you can define “walking in the Spirit” by it’s opposite, “Walking in the flesh.” Paul says they are opposing forces.
The flesh keeps you from walking in the Spirit, and the Spirit can keep you from walking in the flesh. and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.
So what does “Walking in the Spirit” look like? It’s not legalism, it’s the opposite of walking in the flesh, and it is a daily choice.
III. Walking in the Spirit is a daily choice.
The word “walk” implies certain things. First it implies forward progress. But what I think Paul is emphasizing here is “walk” implies taking one step at a time. Look at verse 24.
24 Those who belong to Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and lusts.
Now you may think that Paul is saying that when a person becomes a Christian, their flesh “dies” or is “crucified.” But he can’t mean that, because he himself struggled with his flesh. When you become a Christian, the fleshly passions do not die. So what happens to them? Well the best analogy I can think of is when you wring a chicken’s neck. I’ve never done it before, but I’ve been told that when you severe a chickens head, the chickens body continues to flop around for a little bit. Until the nerve endings are dead, the body continues moving. The flesh in the Christian is like that. My flesh was crucified with Christ. But it is still flopping around in my body, until the day I am made perfect by entering into the presence of my Lord.
And so walking in the Spirit is not a one-time death of the flesh. It is the taking up of your cross daily. It is one choice at a time-choosing the things of the Spirit over the things of the flesh. There was a diet book published a few years ago by David Zinczenko. It was entitled “Eat this, not that.” And the whole book was just page after page of choices. If you go to Sonic, eat a grilled chicken sandwich, not a triple bacon cheeseburger. And the premise of the book was that weight loss comes down to one choice at a time.
And that’s true. What “Walking in the Spirit” looks like is a daily, moment by moment, step by step, one decision at a time, choice. So what are those choices? If we were to break down those choices into a book like Zinczenko’s it would probably look like Paul’s lists of vices and virtues set against each other. Now we will look at this more closely next time when we go into “How do I do it?” How do I walk by the Spirit? But here are my final points for today.
IV. Walking in the Spirit means avoiding the works of the flesh.
V. Walking in the Spirit means cultivating the works of the Spirit.
Using Paul’s lists, that means
You chose actions of
Love over actions of adultery and fornication
Joy over actions of drunkenness and revelries
Peace over actions of enmity and strife
Longsuffering over fits of rage and sensuality
Gentleness and meekness over factions and divisions
Goodness over impurity
Faithfulness over idolatry
Self-control over drunkenness
What does it look like—not legalism, the opposite of the flesh, and a daily choice
Next time we will look at those individually and answer the question—how do I get the knowledge and motivation to make the right choices—How do I do it?
Let us pray