Finally Free #10: Galatians 5:16-26 The Fruit-Producing Gospel Sunday, July 10 th, 2011 Intro: Welcome to our service this morning! Welcome guests introduce myself. We re honored that you are here today. Pads thanks for signing in today and letting us know that you are here. Today we continue our class for new attenders at 10:30am in the St. David s Room. Opening Image: Barie and I have recently started gardening in our backyard. Dionne, my admin, kept showing up with these awesome vegetables at the office. And I thought if Dionne can do it, surely I can figure it out. So Barie and I got some good planting soil and some seeds & plants from Lowe s. We set up our gardening boxes and planted our tomatoes, squash, watermelon, okra, etc. We watered it regularly and in just a little while, stuff was growing! The plants exploded (see picture #1) and took over the whole box. I was pumped! But we learned something very quickly you don t really know the health of the garden until you harvest the produce. Because a lot of things are going on below the surface that you can t see at first. For example our cucumber plant starting making these (see picture #2). I m not a professional grower, but I ve been to HEB enough to know these should be green. Need: Something had gone wrong, but we didn t know it until we saw the fruit. In fact, we re still not sure what is going on with this plant. Now, some of you who garden all the time know exactly what has happened. The plant is sick or the roots are no good or we put too much water on it. How do you know that? Because we can evaluate the plant based on the quality of what it produces. The same is true in our own personal lives. Most of the time we can t see below the surface. Everything looks good on the outside to the untrained observer. But deep down at the heart-level things are not right. And what does it produce? Bad spiritual fruit. And we all have it in different amounts and at different times. Subject: What is spiritual fruit? It is the content of our character and the lifestyle choices we make. One of the main points of Galatians is that spiritual fruit is not a means of relationship with God. In other words, Paul has reminded us again and again that moral activity doesn t justify us. God doesn t declare us righteous or forgive us or accept us based on how much good we do. Why? Because we can t ever measure up. We need a Savior, not just a standard. And Jesus Christ is that Savior, who rescues us from our bad deeds & our good deeds. But does that mean that spiritual fruit is not important at all? Absolutely not. While fruit is not a means to anything with God, it is an evidence of where you are with God. Just like the yellow cucumber demonstrates that something is wrong with my plant, Poor spiritual fruit in your life is telling you that something is wrong in your heart Today, let s allow God to do some fruit-analysis in each of our lives.
Text: Let s read Galatians 5:16-26 Preview: 1. Who is the Spirit & what does He produce? 2. What is the flesh & what does it produce? 3. How do the Spirit and the flesh relate? 4. How do we win this daily battle? Who is the Spirit and what does He produce? The role of the Spirit in our growth was introduced last week in Galatians 5:5. The Spirit takes center stage in this passage where He is mentioned 7 times by name. So who is the Spirit? The Holy Spirit is the third person in the Holy Trinity. The Holy Spirit is co-equal with God the Father and God the Son. He shares in all the divine attributes with them all powerful, all knowing, in all places at once. He is co-eternal with the Father and the Son, having existed forever. He is a unique person, not to be confused with the Father and Son. He is not the force from Star Wars or the emotional feeling you get at a chick-flick. He indwells every believer in Jesus Christ. (Galatians 3:2) He inspired the individuals who wrote Holy Scripture. And He does the miraculous today in our midst. So what does the Spirit produce in our lives? The Holy Spirit produces godly fruit in the life of the believer. In Galatians 5:22-23 we see the list of the fruit of the Spirit. These are the fruit (the results) of the work of the Holy Spirit working in our daily lives. This is not how you get the Spirit or how you get reconciled to God. This is the evidence that you have the Spirit and are reconciled to God through Jesus Christ. The first fruit listed is Love (the ability to deeply care for others without using them selfishly). Next we have joy (the overflowing heart rejoicing in all that God has done and given). Then peace (knowing you are secure in Christ and at peace with others). Then patience (trusting God s timing and not manipulating to get your own way). Next we have kindness (treating others as we want to be treated with respect and honor). Then we see goodness (which is a catch-all draw that means doing what is right). And faith (the Spirit produces faith in our hearts to trust in God s promises & character). Then gentleness (finding the balance between courage and compassion). And finally self-control (not being tossed around by desires, but staying disciplined). This is a sample of the fruit that the Spirit of God produces. (Read Bruce Quote). But the Spirit is not the only influence in this passage we also see the flesh. What is the flesh & what does it produce? The flesh in Galatians 5 is our natural spiritual state in opposition to God. The word sarx can be used to talk about our physical skin (as in flesh & blood). But here it means who we are in our fallen sinful state of being against God and His ways.
The NIV took attempted to translate the meaning of the word and went with sinful nature. The problem with that translation is that is can make you think you have two natures. As though one nature is sinful and one nature is good and they are in conflict. But the text is not saying that you have two natures, but that you have one nature the flesh. The conflict is not between our sinful side and our good side, but between our flesh & the Spirit. Our natural spiritual sate - the flesh trusts in and worships everything other than God. So what does our flesh (our natural state) produce? The Flesh produces sexual sin, spiritual sin, relational sin, and a lack of self-control. Notice in verses 19-21 the list of the works of the flesh the produce of our own hearts. This is what happens when we live in our natural spiritual state apart from Christ. There are four categories in Paul s list. First, he lists three types of sexual sin immorality, impurity, and promiscuity. This describes any sexual activity outside of the marriage covenant that we enter into. Second, he lists two types of spiritual sin idolatry and sorcery. Rather than worshipping God, in our flesh we worship false gods & use religion to manipulate. Third, he lists eight types of relational sin hatred, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambitions, dissensions, factions, and envy. Instead of loving others and living in peace with them, the flesh created relational conflict. We compete, divide, hate one another, get angry at each other, and live with envy. Fourth, he list two ways we can lack self-control drunkenness and carousing. Both of these Greek words carry the idea of abusing drink and food and sex. Taking something God made as good and using so much of it that it becomes sinful. Remember, this list is our natural spiritual state apart from the gospel of grace. And Paul is clear those who practice these things will not inherit the Kingdom. Does this mean that if we commit these we will not go to heaven? No the Greek verb implies regular practice. But it is a warning. If our lives are marked more by the flesh than the Spirit, we should not assume our salvation. So, how do the Spirit and the flesh relate to each other? They are at war with one another. (5:16-18) Paul promises that if we walk by the Spirit we will not carry out the desires of the flesh. Why? Because the fruit of the Spirit and the fruit of the flesh are direct opposites of each other. The flesh (vs. 17 says) opposes the work of the Spirit & the Spirit opposes the flesh. These two (our fallen natural state and the Holy Spirit) are at war within us every single day. The result? Vs. 17 tells that we don t do what we want to do. This means that don t do the good things we want and we do the bad things we don t want. This is parallel to Paul s argument in Romans 7 a battle inside each one of us. But we are not simply a battlefield where these two forces go at it. You and I are not passive observers in this conflict going on around us. No the conflict is going on inside us. Our flesh is battling with the Spirit of God. If we yield to our own flesh, we will end up in slavery to our own desires & habits. If we obey the Spirit, we will experience the freedom that Christ died to give us. But we must understand the ongoing war & the powerlessness of the Law in this battle. The Law (vs. 18) only exposes the flesh but doesn t oppose it. Only the Spirit does!
So, how do we win this battle? Three practical steps this morning- 1. Know your fruit. You cannot fight a battle that you don t know that you are losing or even in! The flesh is real. Each one of us needs to take stock of where we are. The battle is not just against forces outside of us the world or Satan and his demons. The battle is against forces inside of us our own passions and desires. Even if we could remove all outside temptations, our flesh would still exist in us. God gives us these lists in Galatians 5 for us to evaluate our own lives. Jesus says in Matthew 12:33 that a tree is known by its fruit. We tend to be great at examining other people s fruit, but what does your own fruit? What is going on in your heart, your mind, your motives, your words, your life? Examine the fruit what does it tell you about the root, the health of the plant? Some of you need to see from this list that you are not yet believers. You live totally in the flesh and don t even have the Spirit leading you, guiding you. Today, turn from the works of the flesh to faith in Jesus and receive the Spirit. Some of you need to see from this list that you are immature believers. You have trusted in Christ and received the Spirit, but are living in defeat to your own flesh. You have given up the fight. You need to repent and get back in the fight. What does that look like? 2. Keep crucifying your flesh. Paul tells us in verse 24 that those who belong to Jesus have crucified the flesh. This is a very important idea when we put our faith in Jesus, we crucified our flesh. In Galatians 2:20 we were taught that we were crucified with Christ and no longer live. But in that passage we were the object God was the subject. He crucified us with Christ. In this verse, we are the subject we must crucify our flesh with its desires and passions. God is teaching us about two deaths one, dying to the Law as a means of justification. And two, dying to the flesh as Ruler of my life. We must continue to do this! This is not just a one-time decision because the flesh is not destroyed at conversion. We must force the flesh to stay on the cross. We must daily crucify him. Crucifixion is violent (as we must be with our flesh). It is painful (as will be dying to our flesh). It is gradual (dying over time) and it is final (one day it will die forever Amen!). But today we must go to war with our flesh. You can t play around with your flesh. You must crucify it with all the Strength God Supplies. That means we must also 3. Follow the Spirit. This passage calls us as believers in Jesus to stay in step with the Holy Spirit. This is our only hope. We will not win the battle with sin in us apart from God in us. Part of our effort is passive (be led by the Spirit, live by the Spirit) we follow His lead. Part of our effort is active (we walk by the Spirit, stay in step with the Spirit). But both are dependent on God s presence and power with us. Your issue with the Spirit is NOT that you need more of Him in Christ, you have Him. It is that the Spirit needs more of you. More submission to Him and His ways. Are you listening to Him? Doing what He says, going where He commands, & obeying Him? He is here now. Speaking, prodding, leading are you ready to respond?
Conclusion- Today s text (and the whole book of Galatians) is a gospel-centered call to repentance & submission to the Spirit of God. If you ignore the Spirit of God and trust in your own sufficiency, it will lead you 1- To trust in your own goodness for your salvation. (which leads to eternal damnation) OR 2- To trust in your own strength for your sanctification. (which leads to slavery to the flesh) Today, we repent of both of these forms of self-reliance and turn to God. First, for those of you who need to get saved today- Second, for those of you who need to submit to the Spirit afresh and anew- Today, we go to war with the flesh and don t look back Call people forward to bow at the front to physically represent their submission to God the Spirit.
Scriptures: Galatians 5:16-26 16 I say then, walk by the Spirit and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. 17 For the flesh desires what is against the Spirit, and the Spirit desires what is against the flesh; these are opposed to each other, so that you don t do what you want. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 19 Now the works of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, moral impurity, promiscuity, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambitions, dissensions, factions, 21 envy, drunkenness, carousing, and anything similar. I tell you about these things in advance as I told you before that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, 23 gentleness, selfcontrol. Against such things there is no law. 24 Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, we must also follow the Spirit. 26 We must not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another. [HCSB] Other Passages: Matthew 12:33 33 Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit. Quotes: FF Bruce, The Epistles to the Galatians, page 257 Walking by the Spirit is the outward manifestation, in action and speech, of living by the Spirit. Living by the Spirit is the root; walking by the Spirit is the fruit, and that fruit is nothing less than the practical reproduction of the character (and therefore the conduct) of Christ in the lives of His people.