Sermon: Walking by the Spirit

Would you take your Bibles this morning and we're going to turn open to the Book of Galatians as we continue our way through that book and we will finish it here by year end. If you want to grab a Pew Bible, you can do so. Turn right open to page 9, 7, 5 in the Pew Bible, 9, 7, 5, and this morning we're looking at Galatians chapter five in verses 13 through 26 this morning. Galatians five verses 13 through 26. I'm gonna grab Pew Bible 9, 7, 5 is the page number

and let me lead us in prayer before we'd open up God's word together.

Our Father, we do pray this morning that you would attend to your word as you've promised

like a two-edged doubled sword, that it would pierce between bone and marrow and that we would find that it is opening our hearts to your truth, that it is discerning, that it brings wisdom and knowledge to bear, that it brings conviction and encouragement and exhortation, that it brings comfort and peace and it brings joy and delight and that it ultimately brings us to the foot of the throne of your son, where we are gazing upon him with the eyes of our hearts.

Did you do that mighty work at or midst this morning according to your grace and your good pleasure? We pray all of this in the strong name of Jesus. Amen. Galatians chapter five verses 13 through 26 is the holy ander sufficient word of God for you who were called the freedom brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love. Serve one another for the whole. Law is fulfilled in one word.

You shall love your neighbor as yourself, but if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another. But I say walk by the spirit and you will not gratify The desires of the flesh for the desires of the flesh are against the spirit and the desires of the spirit are against the flesh for those are opposed to each other to keep you from doing the things you want to do. But if you are led by the spirit, you are not under the law

and the works of the flesh are evident. Sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies and things like these. I warned you as I, I warned you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

gentleness, self-control against such things. There is no law and those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the spirit, let us also keep in step with the spirit. Let us not become conceited provoking one another. Inve one another though the grass withers and the flower fades. The word of God is forever. Thanks be to God. Amen.

Last week we read of Paul's encouragement to these Galatian Christians that they were recipients of freedom in Christ. He said this in chapter five, verse one, for freedom, Christ has set you free and he exhorts them to stand firm in this freedom. He doesn't want them to submit again to the yoke of slavery by placing themselves back under the law. Christ he says, has set you free. And he says in our opening verse verse 13 this afternoon,

this morning for you we're called to Freedom Brothers. What does Paul have in mind when he says that they were called? Well, I think our minds immediately, rightfully, often run to Ephesians one. It's probably the best text along these lines in Ephesians one, Paul says this, he he meaning God chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him in love. He predestined us.

That is God by his grace poured out upon a person, a man, a woman, a boy or a girl, that as he pours out his grace upon an individual, that salvation comes to that in individual, that salvation is not a result of their works. It's not a result of their merits, it's not a result of their constructing things or reaching out to God. No, rather, it is God's grace that is poured out upon them and as his grace is poured out upon them,

they come to saving faith. But before that, grace is poured out. God is predestined, he is called. And when he calls a man or he calls a woman to himself, we come to him and when we come to him, we come to freedom. Paul underscored this in the beginning of his letter, chapter one verse six. He says, I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel.

You, you are abandoning the freedom that you received by grace in Christ when God called you, you are abandoning that freedom that you received in Christ. You returned to slavery and he's astonished. Now, one of the accusations that Paul is facing from these galatian heretics is that because Paul says that our salvation is by grace, that it's God's call upon our life and as he calls a man or woman to himself, he pours out that grace upon them so

that it turns their heart of stone into a heart of flesh. He's saying that because salvation is by grace alone through faith alone, that therefore Paul is against the law. He's a what we would call in theological circles an omim. He he's against the law, anti law.

So Paul is going to wrestle with that here in verse 13 and following, and he clearly articulates what this freedom does not entail. There are three things that he notes that this is not freedom to do. First verse 13, the freedom Christ has given us is not freedom to gratify the flesh. Second, it is not freedom to disregard one another. And then verse 14, third, it is not freedom to abandon the law. So we're going to go through each of those this morning.

We're gonna spend our time this morning on those because our time is limited and because we just did an entire series on the fruit of the spirit less than a year ago, so I'm not gonna walk through all of those in detail, but Lord willing, you're going to see how this all fits together. Why is it that he's speaking about what our freedom is not? And then he immediately goes into the works of the flesh and the fruit of the spirit

and you'll see how these fit together. Three things are, freedom is not first verse 13. It is not freedom to gratify the flesh. He says verse 13, it's not an opportunity for the flesh. Now, when Paul speaks of our flesh here, he's not speaking of yours and my bodies. He's not somehow saying that the the body is bad and your soul is good. That's not what he's doing in the context here, because our bodies are not evil. They were as our souls. They were created good by God.

We were created body, soul in the garden of Eden. Body and soul were good. Now, when Adam chose to eat from the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and he took that bite, we fell, our bodies and souls fell. Both our bodies and our souls were corrupted. And so when Paul is stating here that that we are, he's speaking about the flesh, what he is speaking about is he is speaking about that fallen nature, that we have fallen bodies,

we have fallen souls, and he's saying to these Galatian Christians, you are Christ, and yet you still have this remaining indwelling sin because of this fallen nature that you have our minds and our hearts and our wheels are not perfected yet. We still battle an enemy within, even though we are filled within by the Holy Spirit, our fallen nature keeps inwardly pulling us towards sin even as the world and our adversary outwardly pulls us.

And Paul is articulating this in verse 17. He says, the desires of the flesh are waging war. They're against the desires of the spirit. They are opposed to one another and this often unsettled as Christians, but it's one of the greatest signs that indeed you are a Christian, is that you have this ongoing battle within you, this battle between the flesh and this battle between the spirit. That there are things that you desire in Christ

and yet you find that you are desiring sin and you you have this battle within

and though the battle remains. Paul says in verse 24, after listing the works of the flesh and the fruit of the spirit, he says this, those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. And here he is speaking about our mortifying to use an old word or or putting to death or killing the deeds of the flesh. Those filled with the spirit give no quarter to the fleshes passions we give no safe haven

to its desires. We were, we our old man that that, that, that old nature, it was crucified and we are to keep putting it to death. When, when we find sin within ourselves and we find it raising its hood, we identify it and we seek to crucify it. Whatever remains of of that, that old nature we're trying to kill and we wage a campaign for the glory of Christ, for the good of our souls. We want it rooted out. Our freedom in Christ is not a freedom to gratify the flesh.

We wage war against the flesh and it's not a momentary engagement. It's a, it's a daily seeking to kill sin and align ourselves more and more with the spirit,

align ourselves more and more with the Christ who bought us

in Job 2310. Job says this, he says, but he meaning God, God knows the way that I take. God knows the way that I take and, and Job rejoices at that. He, he's rejoicing in the fact that God knows his life and knows his living, that God knows his heart, that God knows job's, desires, and he rejoices at that.

Now, that may seem odd because you say, I I wouldn't want God to know what is going on internally in me that doesn't give me any sense of peace or any sense of of comfort. Does Job think he's without sin? No Job doesn't think that he's without sin, but he's happy to have his life exposed in God's sight because he's not a man who is set upon gratifying the flesh, his fallen nature. This isn't his habit, it isn't his pursuit.

It isn't his little hidden hobby that he thinks he's got tucked away. Job is far from without sin. In the book, you read through the book and over and over you see job's sin raising its head, but he desires to turn from a sin.

He doesn't use his freedom to gratify the flesh. He lives coram before the face of God. And so though as sinner job delights in the fact that God sees all of his life, we do not use our freedom to gratify the flesh.

It pains me. I I feel like especially in our circles in recent years, You see people excusing different things because of their freedom in Christ. And the two that especially I hear over and over in different ways is, is cursing or profanity and drunkenness drinking too much And and you see, and I'll listen to these people where they will, they will split it out a bunch of profanity and then they laugh about it and say, ah, it's forgiven in Christ.

No, we don't use our freedom to gratify the flesh.

Christ had to die for that curse word. We had to die for that binge night that you just had.

We don't exercise our freedom in Christ to gratify the flesh.

Why did the Christians seek to live like this according to the spirit, not according to flesh? Because we're changed, we're changed beings with the coming of Christ into the world. The king came into the world and when the king came into the world, his kingdom came into this world and we live in this new age and as Christians, we are made new creations in this new age. Just back in Galatians four, Paul is is getting at this when he says that in the fullness

of time God sent forth his son, born of a woman born under the law in the fullness of time. He's speaking about it in an absolute sense. The the the new creation has dawned what all of history was looking forward to. It has come this new age, it's been consummated. It's at least while it's been inaugurated. It'll be consummated when he returns, but it's been inaugurated with his birth into the world and now with his birth and his life

and then his death, the new age has come,

it's here and not yet. Jesus himself says this in the very first words in the gospel of Mark that he ever utters. He says, the time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe in the gospel. And Paul will pick this up in two Corinthians five 17 where he says this, therefore, if anyone is in Christ, well we just saw this morning, these young people professing faith. They are professing that they are in Christ.

If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away. Behold the new has come in Christ.

We're part of a new creation.

We are new in a new age, in a new world

where citizens of heaven above

Christ is king, not the flesh. So the Christian can say what the apostle Paul for me to live is Christ. It's just Christ.

Spurgeon said it this way. Christ must be the one thought, the one idea, the one master thought in the believer's soul, when the healthy believer wakes in the morning,

he inquires, what can I do for Christ when he goes about his business, he asks, how shall I serve my Lord and all my actions when he makes money, he questions himself. How can I use my finances for Christ if he acquires education, the challenges, how can I spend my knowledge for Christ?

The Christian life is dominated, not by the flesh, but by Christ.

We walk by the spirit. Verse 16, what spirit? The spirit of Christ. We live by the spirit. Verse 25, what spirit? The spirit of Christ.

He's not simply our justification. He becomes our delight. He becomes our desire. He becomes our wisdom, our heart, our sanctification, our lives.

He becomes your all and all.

He's not a a mere ornament that adorns your life.

He becomes your life. He he's not simply what adorns your life for a moment or a season or on Sunday mornings. He's your life.

Everything becomes about him.

And so in the language of this passage, we walk by him. We are led by him. We live by him and we live to him. We've been set free

but not set free to gratify the flesh. Sin becomes more bitter because Christ becomes sweeter. This is what happens when you realize that was crucified, the new creation, oh sin. But once tantalize me that ah, it's more and more bitter because Christ becomes sweeter and sweeter.

Second, it is not freedom to disregard one another. It is not freedom to disregard one another. Hi, his immediate rejoinder verse 13, to not using our freedom quote as an opportunity to flesh his rejoinder to that is, well what are you to use your freedom for? Quote, but through love serve one another. That word serve is a word that many of you will know. In the Greek, it's the word do loss, which means slave, we're free but set free to be in bondage to one another.

We are free but free to love one another. We are free, but we are only free to live our lives in service to one another. We've not only been saved to Christ, we've been saved to one another to the church.

When the Patriots in the American Revolution, when they threw off that British imperialism,

they didn't have freedom to anarchy. They were set free. But now they were set free to be citizens of the United States of America and where they were Now to use that freedom was for the betterment of the United States of America. Christians have been set free, but they have not been set free to anarchy.

We've been set free as citizens of the kingdom and we exercise that freedom for the glory of Christ and for the good of those that we are linked with for all of eternity. That's what we've been set free to Christ's kingdom, not my petty kingdom any longer. Christ's kingdom takes center stage in the heart of the Christian.

Notice in the works of the flesh and the fruit of the spirit. This is the great dividing line in them. If we were to summarize the works of the flesh, which Paul rightfully says are evident, notice they're each consumed with self and they're driven by beastly appetites. It's all about me. Sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, all in the sexual realm, idolatry, sorcery, false religions that make me feel good about what I do me.

Then all these that manifest themselves in aligning ourselves against others. Paul is consumed with this in this passage. He began it back in verse 15. There he said at the end of, but if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another, but that's not enough for him. When he gets to these deeds of the flesh, these works of the flesh, he says this, he says, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions,

divisions, envy. And these are so destructive in the bondy of Christ that Paul returns to them again in verse 26. And he says, let us not be conceited, provoking one another, envying one another. These are works of the flesh.

Well, you're not laboring for each other's good. You're actually sowing division and disunity and envying one another and biting one another and might be worth thinking about your friend group. And what do our conversations look like?

Notice the contrast with the fruit of the spirit. They all speak of our good relations with God and with others. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.

When the spirit of God comes into a man or a woman or a boy or a girl, the fruit of the spirit marks them. This is what they look like.

And it's no mistake that love is first in the fruit of the spirit.

Beck in verse 14, Paul says, for the whole law is fulfilled in one word, you shall love your neighbor as yourself. Jesus will summarize this way. All the law and the commandments hang upon these things. You're to love the Lord. Love the Lord your God with all of your heart, soul, mind and strengthen. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. So when you are filled with the love of God, you love God. And when you are filled with the love of God,

you love others

or free in Christ, but not free to disregard one another. Christian life is lived for others to the glory of God lived for others.

You think about that. Who am I living for today's? It is lived for others to the glory of God.

Third and finally,

or freedom is not freedom to abandon the law. It is not freedom to abandon the law.

We've seen time and again in the book of Galatians that Paul has set faith against works of law or even as Paul says here in verse 18, if you are led by the spirit, you are not under law. So here's the question, do his opponents these judaizers, do they have a case? Can they make the case that indeed Paul is an antinomian, he is against the law, he's opposed to the law. Paul doesn't like the law. Well, it depends what you mean.

In one sense, you could say absolutely in another sense you would have to say in no way whatsoever. The law is not bad. The the law is good. And Paul knows that it is truly the key to living a blessed life. However, it is not the key to the blessed life as it's being employed by these judaizers who are saying, this is the way to blessing. This is the way to be justified, declared righteous before the throne of God is to fulfill the law.

And Paul says, there's no way. That's not the blessed life, that's the cursed life. That's not how the law is employed, but the law is a way of life. After you have been justified before the throne of God, once you have been called and that grace has been poured out upon you and applied by the Holy Spirit and you have had that heart of stone turned to a heart of flesh and you have faith in the risen Lord and savior Jesus Christ, now that you are justified

before the throne of the God, you return to the law, the moral law, the what is summarized in the 10 commandments now becomes a way of life and it's the blessed life we've been set free but not set free to abandon the law. As the psalmist was saying in Psalm 1 47, he says, the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him. And those whose hope, those who hope in his steadfast love, it's those who fear him. And no one is perfect in this life.

None are free from sinless life, but there are those who fear him and that is the Christian. And they live according to that fear. Not perfectly, but accordingly they, they fear him, have awe and respect and admiration and love for this one who is truly holy and truly righteous and truly reigns and is truly sovereign and he hates sin. And so those purchased by him hate sin.

And so they live accordingly. They hope not in what they can plot and plan and scheme and gratify here, but they hope in the steadfast love of God. That's the right conclusion that the psalmist comes to, and it's not just his conclusion, it's a conclusion of writer after writer in the scripture. PS Solomon, the wisest of men gets to the end of all of his thinking and Ecclesiastes and he comes down to this conclusion, fear God

and keep his commandments for the whole. This is the whole duty of man. This is it.

We've been set free. We've been set free from the weight of the guilt that the law brings, but we have not been set free to abandon the law. We seek to keep his commandments in Christ. How do we do this? Well by the spirit of Christ,

we live by the Spirit. Verse 25, as he says, walk verse 16 and we are led by the Spirit verse 18, or as he says, keep in step verse 25. By the Spirit, you're not left to yourself to try and and try and honor him and glorify him and serve others. No, he gifts to you, the third person of the triune Godhead in the spirit of Christ. The Holy Spirit takes up residence in you and he summarizes in these two ways you live by the Spirit

and you're led by the Spirit, live by the Spirit and led by the spirit.

These two words are helpful because they're both in the present tense, which means that it's an ongoing activity. The Christian keeps living by the spirit and the Christian keeps being led by the spirit all their days here on earth. And the one word live is active and the other word led is passive. And both are true. Both are absolutely true. We we are to live you. You are to be active. You are to work out your salvation with fear and trembling.

In fact, in verse 25, there he says, keep in step with the spirit that is get in line with the spirit. Draw up on the same place that he is,

walk along his path according to his rule, according to his law. But the other is also true. There's a passiveness as he's saying. He, he also leads it.

The spirit leads and we follow He he brings grace to bear and works it in us and we simply embrace it.

Our freedom is not a freedom to abandon the law. Rather we walk and live by the spirit.

I was thinking about this yesterday and I just started a list. It could be added to or a lot I would probably add to it. But I came up with these yesterday just listing some practical applications of what does it look like practically to walk and live by the spirit.

I'm gonna give you 17 one, keep a close watch on your eyes. Psalm one 10 or Psalm 1 0 1 3. I will not set before my eyes anything that is worthless. Keep a close watch on your tongue. Two James three, two, for we all stumble in many ways and if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man able also to bridle his whole body. Three, keep a close watch on your heart. Proverbs 4 23. Keep your heart with all vigilance

for from it flow the springs of life. Four, keep a close watch on your mind. Romans 12, two, do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. Five, be often upon your knees. Philippians four, six and seven. Do not be anxious about anything but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving,

let your request be made known to God. Whatever number we're on, kill entitlement. Kill entitlement. One Chronicles 17, 16, then King David went in and sat before the Lord and said, who am I? Oh Lord God. And what is my house that you have brought me thus far?

Maintain a spirit of gratitude. One Thessalonians five, 16 and 18. Rejoice always give thanks in all circumstances for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus. For you, remember, you are but dust James four, six, and seven. God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. Submit yourselves therefore to God. But on the other side of the equation, remember you are amazingly a child of God. Galatians four, six. And because you are sons,

God has sent his spirit into our cry. Hearts crying, Abba, father, so you are no longer a slave but a son. And if a son, then an heir through God. Be diligent in the word Joshua one, eight. This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous and then you will have good success.

Attend a corporate worship week in and week out. Hebrews 10 25. Why? Because the Spirit is especially present here. Do not forsake the weekly fellowship of the saints from our passage this morning. Serve lovingly in the body of Christ. Galatians five 13 Through love, serve one another.

Recognize sin for the enemy. It is Romans 6 23. For the wages of sin is death.

14 kills sin immediately. Don't play with it. One Corinthians five, seven. Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump as you really are unleavened.

15, think often upon heaven. Colossians three, one. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 16. Don't simply do what is permissible, but what actually benefits you. One Corinthians 10 23. All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful. All things are lawful for me, but not all things edify.

And lastly, 17, delight more and more in Christ.

Pray for it. Seek after it labor to delight more and more in him. Galatians two 20, Paul can say The life I now live in the flesh. I live by faith in the son of God. It's his life. But listen to the reason why as he continues in Galatians two 20. And when you got this reason in the forefront of your mind and on top of your heart, it should shape everything. The life I now live in the flesh. I live by faith in the son of God who loved me

and gave himself for me

a new creation. I belong to the world to come. That is eternal. That is his. He sits in throne above.

Why would I want that? Which is opposed to him when he gave everything for me.

Just one more of him.

That's the cry of the Christian.

Just delight more and more in him. We've been given freedom in him. It's true, true freedom.

Pray that you live in it. We pray for us.

Our Father, we are thankful for the freedom that you have given us in Christ

freedom where we are no longer under the guilt and weight of the law, but are set free to where we might truly live our lives in accordance with the law to your praise and glory and for the good of one another. True freedom where we know peace and where we know what love truly is. True freedom in which we know what it is to come before your throne and for it to be a throne of grace to sinner such as us

and the freedom that you have granted. May we live it to the glory of you and the person of your son, and by the spirit for truly Christ to set us free and we rejoice. May that fruit of the spirit be manifest in our lives more and more as we delight more and more in the Savior who bought us. It's in his strong name that we pray. Amen.