Walking in the spirit
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LET’S MEET THE HOLY SPIRIT #7 THE DISASTER OF NOT WALKING IN THE SPIRIT DATE: 2/27/2011 am Part 1 TEXT: Galatians 5:16-25 (i.e. 16, 25) INTRODUCTION Jesus spoke of there being 2 possible avenues through life In Matthew 7:13, 14 Jesus said that there is one way that leads unto life and another that leads unto death “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:” “Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it” Jesus makes it crystal clear that when we enter the narrow way, we are saved by grace and are headed to Heaven … While all those who remain in the broad way are headed to Hell and Destruction Once someone is Born Again they can never enter into death John 5:24 - “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth My Word, and believeth on Him that sent Me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life” But, we can find ourselves walking the wrong way If you believe that becoming a Christian means that you cease to sin, then you have a rude awakening ahead I John 1:8-10 – “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us” “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” “If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His Word is not in us” While we have literally passed from death unto life (as the Bible says) … A fruitless spiritual life will always be the result of walking the wrong way (Not to mention the disaster that it will bring) On the other hand, to walk in the right way is to live a life that is pleasing to the Lord It will make us fruitful and effective in all that we do for His glory Walking in the Spirit is to experience that Abundant Life of which Jesus spoke of in John 10:10 “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly” Our text this morning is warning us, Warning us, to be careful, careful how we walk in life And I’m confident that no one here wants to be a spiritual Disaster Therefore, let's look together at our verses and see the lessons that can be gleaned as we think about - “Walking In The Spirit” ~~~Prayer~~~ First, we must realize there will be a Disaster from Not Walking in the Spirit (Walking = Living our life according to His dictates) Also known as The Flesh Life By “the flesh,” of course, Paul does not mean “the body” The human body is not sinful; it is neutral If the Holy Spirit has controls of our soul, which is the seat of the emotion, intellect and will … Then He will also have control of our body, Then, we will be Walking in the Spirit (Or living according to His commands) But if the flesh controls the body, then we will be walking in the desires of the flesh The Spirit and the flesh have different appetites, This is what creates the conflict First, we need to understand that - I. THE FLESH IS “OPPOSED TO THE SPIRIT” – v.17 There is a warfare going on in your life Let’s look at what Paul said in Romans 7:15-25 (Turn there) The flesh will hinder us – in: prayer, Bible study, witnessing, faithfulness, obedience etc. The Christian life is not a playground, it’s a battlefield! I Peter 2:11 – “Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;” “Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles:” THE FLESH IS “OPPOSED TO THE SPIRIT” II. THE FLESH IS “OPEN TO ANY SIN” – vs. 19-21a Man is capable of anything that can be imagined and a whole lot more that should not be imagined! Genesis 6:5 – “And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” Lest there be any question as to the character of the flesh (our old sinful nature), The Apostle provides a typical list of its deeds It is noteworthy that: → He refers to these as “works” → This list is typical, but not exhaustive Though the first category of sexual sins is readily understood as works of the flesh, What is not so apparent is the category of nastiness that goes on between people These are far more pervasive than sexual immorality They are what Paul would refer to as “filthiness of the flesh” in II Corinthians 7:1 17 forms of sin are noted in these verses All are of the old nature, the flesh Moreover, all are rooted in self Let us briefly consider each He begins by noting in v.19 that the “works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness” … “manifest” - That is, they are obvious and apparent, 1. “Adultery” is illicit sexual activity between married persons and one not his or her spouse 2. “Fornication” The Greek word that we get this word from is porneia and is the word we get our English word pornography from It refers to illicit sexual activity of any kind (including homosexuality), but more commonly to pre-marital sex People living together or sleeping together prior to marriage 3. “Uncleanness” - This word refers to moral impurity in general: dirty jokes, dirty literature, and dirty thoughts Innuendo etc. It touches upon the whole cesspool of immoral behavior such as homosexuality, bestiality, and incest 4. “Lasciviousness” - This word refers not so much to the physical, but the mental aspect (the thought life) It is a frame of mind of impure, lustful thinking, unbridled lust, and impure sexual thoughts These four, foul works of the flesh are all sexual in nature They are the essence of immorality Though bringing momentary pleasure, They all ultimately bring Disaster v.20 – “Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies” 5. “Idolatry”- The thought here is of anything coming between man and God Whether a physical idol or The more subtle things in life we place ahead of God i.e. – Family, Friends, hobbies, sports etc. God does not play second fiddle Exodus 20:5 – “Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;” 6. “Witchcraft”- This word refers to occult practices However, it is the base from which the English word pharmacy is derived In the ancient world, hallucinogenic or narcotic drugs were frequently a part of the occult and its practices The Apostle now shifts from the more obvious works of the flesh to the more subtle 7. “Hatred” - The root sense of the word is hostility toward another This suddenly becomes a sin far more common than those mentioned above Hostility toward other, things like road rage, marital indifferences 8. “Variance” - This word refers to being contentious or causing strife (causing conflict or rivalry) It’s speaking about being persistently argumentative You must have your own way! 9. “Emulations” - This word is where we get our English words zealous and jealous from However, the Greek sense is far more negative The thought is of being envious, jealous, or bitter Perhaps, the greater thought is of bitterness toward another 10. “Wrath” - This word refers to losing one’s temper or of anger boiling over 11. “Strife” - This word refers to bickering It literally referred to the nastiness of a political campaign and its dirty tricks The common thought, however, is of a nasty spirit Being short with people, because something is troubling you 12. “Seditions” - Though one might think this has to do with treason or crimes against the state, It is far more generic The word literally refers to being divisive or causing dissension This undoubtedly was part of the problem in some of the Galatian churches Do you know that some people are contrary, just for the sake of being contrary 13. “Heresies” - It might be thought that Paul is referring to doctrinal error Though the English word has come to have that sense, the Greek word is more ordinary It has the sense of being opinionated, stubborn, or bullheaded It is closely related to pride These 7 works of the flesh are the root of many of the marriage and church problems of today They, like the sexual sin mentioned before, are all self-oriented and self-directed Selfishness as its roots in the flesh These certainly are more common amongst Christians than the sexual sin described above v.21- “Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like:” 14. “Envyings” - The thought is the resentful or unhappy feeling of wanting somebody else's success, good fortune, qualities, or possessions 15. “Murders” – I don’t think we need to comment 16. “Drunkeness” - This word isn’t just referring to being knock –down drunk It is also referring to just having a drink or two or simple intoxication For those who would condone social drinking for Christians, The thought of intoxication of any degree is here called a work of the flesh Why do you have to alter your state of being? 17. “Revellings” – This word refers to carousing or wild partying It touches upon the entertainment, party-mentality of the world so prevalent today The Apostle concludes this distasteful list regarding the flesh with a sobering assessment “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” The key to understanding this statement is found in the word “inherit” The thought is of receiving an inheritance Paul is not saying that a Christian who engages in any one of these 17 forms of sin → Is not saved or → Will lose their salvation What he is saying is that sin in the life of a Christian very well may cause us to lose some of the inheritance in heaven we otherwise might have received The New Testament speaks clearly of rewards and a inheritance in heaven I Peter 1:4 – “To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,” Paul’s point is that sins of the flesh can negate and neutralize such rewards Living in the flesh will unravel rewards we might otherwise have received in glory Some are quick to claim that, those guilty of gross sexual sins … Either must not be saved or will lose their salvation … However, it must be recalled that included in the same list are such other sins as losing one’s temper, stubbornness, and envy They are all lumped together The flesh and its works are ugly indeed Not only will they foul the tranquility of the Christian life,
Never say, “It will never happen to me!” I Corinthians 10:12 – “Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall” It happened to: Peter - Matthew 26:33, 34 – “Peter answered and said unto him, Though all men shall be offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended” “Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, That this night, before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice” David – II Samuel 11:1-15 – (David with Bath-sheba) It can happen to the best of men / or women The flesh is capable of anything - without exception! Romans 7:18 – “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not” THE FLESH IS “OPPOSED TO THE SPIRIT” THE FLESH IS “OPEN TO ANY SIN” III. THE FLESH IS “ORDAINED FOR JUDGMENT” v.21b A. The ‘Lost Sinner’ will face Hell – Psalm 9:17 – “The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God” Revelation 20:11-15 B. The ‘Low-down Saint’ (2 things) 1. Will face the Bema - II Corinthians 5:10 – “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad” Romans 14:12 – “So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God” 2. Or, the Lord's chastisement here - Revelation 3:19 – “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent” Romans 8:6 – “For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace” Hebrews 12:6-8 The great Truth that Satan wants to hide is – I Corinthians 11:31 – “For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged” C. Clarification To prevent you from getting the wrong idea, let me clarify some things God is not saying that a slip in any of these areas will prevent you from getting into Heaven End of v.21 – “that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God” That verb "do" in this verse indicates an ongoing lifestyle In other words, if your life is given to these activities, Then there is a good chance you probably are not saved If you have slipped, or happen to slip from time to time, it isn't alright, But it should be repented of and if it is, It will be forgiven by God I John 1:9 – “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” CONCLUSION Directory: files -> Files Files -> No of words 685 Files -> Hlpe consultation on the V0 draft of the Report: Biofuels and Food Security Files -> Story Writing and art Competition 2014 Files -> Reference Type: Journal Article Record Number: 21 Author Files -> From the ground up Files -> Sir Edward "Weary" Files -> Pace University Behavioral Interview Questions Handout D Files -> Investigating effect of temperature on the activity of lipase Files -> Category: American History/Hamilton/Economic Programs Download 50.55 Kb. Share with your friends:
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