The Spirit-Controlled Life Galatians 5: NCBC, July 16, 2017

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1 The Spirit-Controlled Life Galatians 5: NCBC, July 16, 2017 Main Point: Only the Spirit-controlled life can demonstrate love. What internal affections are driving you? (16-18) o The controlling desires of the flesh o The controlling desires of the Spirit What external habits are defining you? (19-23) o The works of the flesh o The fruit of the Spirit What spiritual powers are dominating you? (24-25) o Self-trusting love for Me o Grace-enabled love for God Application: So submit yourself to the Holy Spirit s control. o Repent of all human boasting (5:26) o Feed on God s gospel (Col 3:16) o Gaze on Christ s glory (2 Cor 3:17-18) Those words deliver such heavenly comfort to our souls God leads me. By His Spirit and by His Word God Himself leads and controls our lives today. I now invite you to prepare for the public reading of God s Word from Galatians chapter 5. Opening Announcements: Newcomer s Lunch today immediately following 2 nd service Mateo and Gabby Alzate Because Justice Matters <<He Leadeth Me>> If you don t have a Bible with you this morning, please raise your hand for the ushers now. You are welcome to take this Bible home as our gift to you, or just simply Page 1a of 20 Page 1b of 20

2 return it after our service by placing it on the table in the back of the room. The Apostle Paul wrote this letter to the new believers in Galatia after they had succumbed to the nauseating lies of legalism. The new Christians were going back to the flesh-serving cancer of religious self-reliance. Paul grieves how they have shifted their hope from grace back to law. Only when you live by the power of God s Spirit can you experience the life of love and true freedom. 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. 19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another. This is the word of the Lord. You may be seated. Let s Pray. And so today, starting in verse 16 of chapter 5, Paul teaches us the priority and blessings of a Spirit-controlled life. Please stand in honor of God s Word as I read Galatians 5:16-26 from the English Standard Version : The doctrine of the Holy Spirit is such an important and practical doctrine for the church. It is the rare church who can maintain a focus upon the Spirit of the Living God without succumbing to man-centered mysticism. For most American churches today, the Holy Spirit is either forgotten, or He s freaky. But the Scriptures compel us to a Spirit-controlled life. Page 2a of 20 Page 2b of 20

3 Jesus taught his disciples to wait for the Holy Spirit to fill 1 them before starting their post-resurrection ministry. For only the Holy Spirit can give a natural person the ability to see and understand the attractive beauty of 2 God s grace in Jesus Christ. 6 Christ, and thereby transform us more and more into His 7 likeness and glory. Growth in spiritual maturity is only possible as the heart stays submitted to the Spirit s active control. This means then that our focus should always be more on submitting to the Spirit s work in us, rather than harnessing the Spirit s work through us. You must always be more concerned about the fruit of 8 the Spirit in you, than the gifts of the Spirit to you. When it comes to the ministry of God s Spirit in your life, are you more interested in seeing His fruit, or His gifts? Hearing with Faith only comes by the miraculous power 3 of God s Spirit working on the heart. It is the Spirit of God alone who has the power to use the Word of God in 4 the people of God to cause them to be born again. Certainly God s Spirit does empower a supernatural grace within every member of Christ s body, but the final aim of all spiritual gifts is love the building up of the 9 church together in love. And Paul s point in today s text is that, And then having begun in the Spirit it s impossible to 5 become perfected by the flesh. The purpose of God s Spirit in the believer s experience is to show us more of 1 Acts 1: Corinthians 2:14 3 Galatians 3:4-5; c.f. John 6: John 3:3-6 5 Galatians 3:3 6 John 16: Corinthians 3: Luke 10: Corinthians 12:4-7, 11, 25-26; c.f. 1 Cor 13; 14:1, 5, 12, 26 Page 3a of 20 Page 3b of 20

4 What inner loves functionally control your life? Paul urges in verse 16, But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. Only the Spirit-controlled life can demonstrate love. You can walk by the Spirit, or fulfill the desires of the flesh. What affections are driving you? Is it, It is a Spirit-controlled church that really loves strangers and practices hospitality. Only the Spirit-controlled life is able to starve sinful desires at their very motivational core for only the Spirit-controlled life experiences the freedom of supernatural love. So as we consider verses now, let me begin by asking, the controlling desires of the flesh? Desire is an essential aspect of human nature. Every person s heart loves and worships something or someone. And in this context, the desires of the flesh refer to those What internal affections are driving you? (16-18) Page 4a of 20 Page 4b of 20

5 John describes these fleshly desires as a love for this present world. Listen to 1 John 2:15-17, strong, internal passions to trust in one s own self. These desires are still present in the believer s life, as evidenced in Romans 7, verses The desires of the flesh in the Christian are the left-over habits and affections of the old man. Dethroned by Christ s cross, 10 yet still present and longing to be fed. Like a decapitated rooster makes a mess running about the barn so likewise these fleshly passions awaken much havoc and grief in the believer s life whenever their 11 nerves are excited. Verse 17 describes this internal battle which rages inside every Christian s heart: Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life is not from the Father but is from the world. 17 And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever. In other words, our flesh desires, or loves all that is in the world. 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. 10 Romans 6:12-13; 13: Credit to John MacArthur for this graphic illustration Page 5a of 20 Page 5b of 20

6 In brief, Love for bodily pleasure ( the lust of the flesh ), love for visual pleasure ( the lust of the eye ), and love for ownership pleasure ( the pride of life ). These are the controlling desires of the flesh. The cry of all fleshly loves is, The desires of the flesh is a self-trusting love for me. We see this more clearly in verse 18, Please, please me! The flesh is never satisfied, but always demands more as it seeks to enthrone self at the very center of our lives. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not led by the flesh. That s what we would expect it to say, but instead it says, if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. In other words, Paul is drawing a correlation for us between the legalistic life of religion, and living by the desires of the flesh. The flesh loves this world, and all the glory that this world offers to such an extent that it believes too highly in self. The flesh loves the strokes of proud self-salvation, and thus deserves to prove himself as god. The desires of our flesh always reject grace and the free offer of Page 6a of 20 Page 6b of 20

7 righteousness by faith alone in Christ and aims instead to justify oneself according to its own legalistic and self-trusting efforts. Trust God for all that you need. Instead of loving this world, the Spirit causes us to love God. What internal loves are driving you? The controlling desires of the flesh, or The controlling desires of the Spirit? The strong internal passions which come from God s Spirit cause a heart to, The controlling desires of the Spirit are a love for knowing God, since love for God is the root of all righteous 12 behavior. The Spirit counts all else as loss for the sake 13 of knowing Christ Jesus as Lord. In fact, the love of knowing God is a synonym for saving faith. For you can t have saving faith in Christ and not love God. How could you trust in that which you do not know enough to really love? You see now how the Spirit desires to joyfully control the believer. It is by superior love. A desire to know and love God, and therefore obey Him John 4:7-21; John 14:15 13 Philippians 3:7-10 Page 7a of 20 Page 7b of 20

8 The desires of the Spirit are against the desires of the flesh, for the Spirit desires for you to truly know and trust in God. And once you love God, his commandments are 14 not burdensome. Instead while the world is passing away along with its desires, the Spirit empowers us with the joy that whoever does the will of God abides forever. 15 Yes that s exactly what I m saying unless you are truly desiring those things to help you better know and please God! For all that is in the world is not of the Father and Christ did not give you freedom for an 17 opportunity for your flesh. In brief, In other words, the strong internal craving of God s Spirit in every born-again believer is crying out, 16 Please, please God! You may ask, does this mean that it s wrong for me to desire a job, or a wife, or retirement, or any other good in this world? 14 1 John 5: John 2:17 16 C.f. 1 Cor 6:19-20; Col 1:10; 1 Thess 4:1; Eph 5:10; Heb 13:21 The desires of the Spirit cause a grace-enabled love for God that necessarily humbles the self-trusting love for ourselves. So verse 15 - walk or habitually live by the controlling affections of God s Spirit. Verse 18 be led or habitually submit yourself to the superior loves of God s Spirit and you will not gratify the legalistic self-trusting loves of the flesh. So what internal affections are driving you? 17 Galatians 5:13; 2 Corinthians 5:15 Page 8a of 20 Page 8b of 20

9 And then, in verses 19-23, Here are the characteristic behaviors of those who love this present world, more than God and His kingdom. What external habits are defining you? (19-23) It should come as no surprise that the roots of our internal affections will express themselves outwardly in the habits of our character. Verses paint a graphic portrait of the, A heart centered on a self-trusting love for me will be defined by this kind of thorny and unfruitful character. So as we walk through these lists now, answer honestly which of these habits currently define you? The works of the flesh In verse 19, Paul starts with 3 kinds of sexual sin. Page 9a of 20 Page 9b of 20

10 Sexual immorality or porneia includes any kind of sexual expression outside of marriage. Impurity refers to moral uncleanness or debauchery. Sensuality refers to unrestrained sexual indulgence without shame or concern for others. Then in verse 20, idolatry and sorcery both refer to sacred or religious sins. Idolatry is any inadequate attempt at saving substitutes. Sorcery comes from the word from which we get pharmaceuticals and speaks of those who use witchcraft or drugs to counterfeit the works of the Holy Spirit. Next comes 8 different social sins, starting with enmity, or hateful attitudes towards others which leads to strife, or bitter arguments among others. Jealousy is that zeal that demands what someone else has, and it often leads to fits of anger or outbursts of unrestrained hostility. This is the short-fused person with a quick temper. Rivalries describes a life marked by selfish ambition; Dissensions describes a life of perpetual interpersonal conflict. Divisions or sowing discord describes one of 18 God s most hated self-serving sins. And then envy is one of the flesh s specialties as envy is pride s inability to truly rejoice with others who rejoice. Being controlled by a self-trusting love for oneself is also evidenced by characteristic sins of substance-abuse. Neither drunkenness nor orgies are sexual in nature here, but speak more of those addictions to escaping reality through substances and partying. Do these kind of habits define you? If so, heed carefully the warning at the end of verse 21, I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. Those who do as a habitual way of life those who practice such things in other words are not truly saved. You cannot serve both the flesh and the Spirit. You can t love the world and the Father. Just as Jesus taught in Matthew 6:24, 24 No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. When your heart is ruled by the desires of the flesh your life will be defined by the works of the flesh. You can t grow a Christ-like character on the diet of the this world s husks. 18 Proverbs 6:19 (start in verse 16) Page 10a of 20 Page 10b of 20

11 And be sure to notice that the fruit of the Spirit is singular, not plural. The works of the flesh are plural, but the fruit of the Spirit is singular to emphasize that this is what it means for every believer to be conformed to the image of 19 Christ. My self-trusting love for me always leads to Death. The inheritance of this world is all this world has to offer and it s passing away! Why invest your life in something that you know already will end up in bankruptcy? Verse 22, Paul here paints a comprehensive portrait of the person who is controlled by the desires of the Spirit. These habits reflect one fruit. Therefore each aspect is indivisibly connected and related to one another, and summed up in the perfect harmony of supernatural 20 freedom and love. But the fruit of the Spirit is love. 19 Colossians 1:28; c.f. Romans 8:29 20 Colossians 3:14; c.f. Eph 4:3; John 17:23; 1 Corinthians 13; 1 Peter 4:8 Page 11a of 20 Page 11b of 20

12 Now what I want to do this morning is to teach you the fruit of the Spirit by contrasting each of its various expressions with its opposite. Then in a middle-left column I will highlight common 21 religious counterfeits to the fruit of the Spirit. For we must not ever credit natural abilities or personality with that form of well-rounded love which only the Spirit of God Himself produces. That list will be on the far left of your screen, as the fruit of the flesh which comes from a self-trusting heart. Love appropriately starts the list for love is the defining 22 mark of all God s children. In fact we can think of the 23 fruit of the Spirit as various expressions of agape love. 1 John 4:18 teaches us that the opposite of love is fear, since love always sacrificially gives for the others eternal good, and fear always selfishly protects in self-interest. 21 Thanks to many insights from Tim Keller here Timothy 1:5; 1 John 3:14; 4:7 23 Each aspect of love is biblically commanded for true righteousness, but only possible by the empowerment of God s indwelling Spirit: Love- Ephesians 5:2; Joy Phil 4:4; Peace Phil 4:6-9; Patience Ephesians 4:2, Colossians 3:12; Kindness 2 Timothy 2:24; Goodness Galatians 6:10; Faithfulness 1 Corinthians 4:1-2; Gentleness 1 Timothy 6:11, Colossians 3:12; Self-control 1 Corinthians 9:25, 2 Peter 1:6 Page 12a of 20 Page 12b of 20

13 The fleshly counterfeit to love is the needy person - for he only serves others for how it makes him feel about himself. How easy it is to say, I love you when we really mean I need you. Peace is the restful confidence that God knows best, and He s in control. It is the fruit of knowing and loving God, and is the opposite of anxiety and worry. Joy is that inner delight that comes from knowing God and being in right relationship with Him. It is the cure for all despair and hopelessness. Spirit-produced peace is far different from numb indifference which is how the flesh selfishly copes in difficult circumstances. But beware of joy s fleshly counterfeit which is nothing more than impulsive elation rooted in the gifts, more than the Giver. Such a fleshly temperament is mere moodiness that requires happy circumstances for maintained joy. Patience or long-suffering is the ability to suffer joyfully, as opposed to bitterness or resentment. Its Page 13a of 20 Page 13b of 20

14 spiritual-looking counterfeit is the self-punishing martyr-mentality that believes somehow God will be indebted to me because of this pain. Goodness is the aspect of the Spirit s fruit focused on integrity or moral excellence. Its diametrically opposed to selfishness, and Jesus harshest judgments were 24 reserved for its religious counterfeit of hypocrisy. Kindness or tender concern for others, again helps us understand how the fruit of the Spirit is love. Its opposite is insensitivity, and its counterfeit is self-serving manipulation. Faithfulness pertains to loyalty and trustworthiness again helping us understand how righteous love courageously perseveres in messy relationships. Faithfulness is the cure to the faithless people-pleaser who remains loyal only as long as it is in their self-centered interests. 24 Matthew 23 Page 14a of 20 Page 14b of 20

15 inferior appetites in a moment. Self-control empowers the expulsive affection of a superior love, and overcomes all life-dominating addictions. It must never be confused with the strong-willed personality of selfish ambition. Verse 23 ends, Against such things there is no law. Gentleness, or meekness is that quality of love that perceives God s dealings with us as good, and therefore to be received without disputing or resisting. In other words, Spirit-born love is always humble, and never proud. So beware of the self-conscious counterfeit which looks humble, but is actually just self-absorbed with his own inadequacy. In other words, the Christian who is walking by the Spirit according to the desires of the Spirit does not depend on a legalistic system of do s and don ts for his spiritual growth and transformation. No law can condemn or produce such supernatural character. In other words, the fruit of the Spirit is Christ-like character. The essence of all true righteousness and freedom. In summary the fruit of the Spirit is love. Last of all, self-control is the grace to choose the more important and superior loves over the urgent demands of Page 15a of 20 Page 15b of 20

16 Is the flesh still sinfully ruling you with its passions and desires? Am I being dominated by a, And Grace-enabled love for God always leads to life. So consider carefully what external habits are defining you? Take care not to be assured by any fleshly counterfeits. And then humbly consider, What spiritual powers are dominating you? (24-25) Self-trusting love for yourself? Or has the Spirit of God caused you to be born-again and adopted into the family of God so that you could honestly say that you belong to Christ Jesus, and have crucified your flesh with its passions and desires? To crucify the flesh is not to just stiffen your will and say no to sin. To crucify your flesh is not some severe treatment of the body or even the giving up of something 25 in order to gain spiritual merit. Remember from verse 16 above we fight the battle at the level of desire not behavior. You can t get different fruit until you have a different root. 25 I.e. Lent Page 16a of 20 Page 16b of 20

17 The crucifixion of the flesh in verse 24 is the death of all self-trusting loves. It is the broken humility of soul which submits entirely to, By God s Spirit, Christ Jesus becomes what we most want! The passionate motivations and desires for sin are withered as our heart lusts more for knowing and pleasing Christ! Do you know the dominating power of the Spirit-given love for God? Grace-enabled love for God Please don t miss the point here to walk by the Spirit is be dominated by love for God. It s far more than outward obedience. Only the Spirit-controlled life can demonstrate love. So don t measure your spirituality by your gifts, or by your natural temperaments but by the habit of supernatural love. Page 17a of 20 Page 17b of 20

18 So submit yourself to the Holy Spirit s control. In other words, walk in the Spirit. Be led by the Spirit. Live by the Spirit. Keep in step with the Spirit. All of these commands represent a lifestyle marked by submitting to the Spirit s control every moment of every day. Maybe you re convicted that the love for this present world has become your driving affection. Maybe you re not seeing much evidence of the fruit of God s Spirit in your life. What then should you do? First, according to verse 26, you must repent of all human boasting (5:26). The verse uses the word conceit. It means vain-glory or empty boasting. A boast is where you place your identity or hopes. A conceited person is desperate to prove himself, because a conceited person is boasting in his own self-trusting love of himself. Are you trusting in yourself? Have you oriented your entire world around what most pleases you? You must recognize that your love for this present world is keeping you from becoming who you really are in Christ Jesus! Repent, and feed on God s gospel (Col 3:16) We know by comparing Colossians 3:16 to Ephesians 5:18 that to be controlled by the Spirit, means to let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly. So to submit yourself to the Holy Spirit s control requires a healthy diet of the biblical gospel! The Spirit of God uses the Page 18a of 20 Page 18b of 20

19 Word of God to grant the children of God greater faith and love in the Person of God. So feed your mind large and tasty portions of God s Word. Because God s Spirit s transforms your root-system as He helps you to gaze on Christ s glory (2 Cor 3:17-18). Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom! Why? Because the Spirit of the Lord always glorifies Christ! So pray that God would use His Spirit in your life this week to help you behold the glory of Jesus Christ in His Word until you adore Jesus more than whatever your flesh is telling you that you must have in this world. Let s pray our Benediction now as we are dismissed, Benediction May God bless us all with the love that only comes from a Spirit-controlled life. Let s pray. <Take My Life and Let it Be> Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith 27 to the only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ! Romans 16:25-27 Page 19a of 20 Page 19b of 20

20 Recommended Resources on the Spirit-Controlled Life: Psalm 73:25 Hosea 14:8 Matthew 6:24; 7:16-18 John 15:4-8 Romans 5:5; 7:18-19, 21-23; 8:9, 12-14; 13:14; 14:17 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 Ephesians 3:16; 5:18 Philippians 2:12; 3:9-10 Colossians 3:5, 16 James 4: Peter 1:3-6 1 John 1:8, 10; 2:1,15-17; 3: He Who Gives Life, Graham Cole Forgotten God, Francis Chan Growing Deeper: Life Group Questions is controlled by the Holy Spirit? What does it mean to walk by the Spirit? 3. Review Galatians 5: What are the two natures at work within every Christian? Compare Romans 7:14-23 and James 4:1-12 to this passage, and discuss what does the Christian really want, and why? 4. Review Galatians 5:18 and 24. What does it mean to crucify the flesh? 5. Review Galatians 5: Many people claim to be spiritual based on their gifts, rather than their fruit. How does Galatians help us rightly define spirituality? What are the differences between natural abilities and/or temperaments and the fruit of the Spirit? 6. Read 1 Corinthians 13. Especially note verses 7 and 13. How does this help you understand that the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23 is singular, not plural? Is it possible to have saving faith and not love God? 1. Read Galatians 5. How does the letter s flow and context help us understand Paul s priority on the Holy Spirit for the believer in verses 16-25? 2. Review Galatians 5:16, 18, and 25. What are the differences between these various ways the believer Page 20a of 20 Page 20b of 20