Text: Gal 5:16-25
- Intro:
- How many would like to not fulfill the lust of the flesh?
- To not fulfill the lust of the flesh, we need to examine and follow what Paul wrote in Gal 5:16-26 about the flesh and Spirit.
- The lust of the flesh.
- It’s there; it’s always there; it takes nothing to cultivate it.
- The antagonism of the flesh. (Antagonism is opposition of a conflicting force).
- Concerning the flesh and Spirit, the flesh is opposed to the Spirit.
- Always contrary.
- It doesn’t make any difference how justified you feel in your actions or how spiritual you may want to be in everything else you do.
- If it’s flesh, it’s flesh.
- And it’s contrary to the Spirit.
- The works of the flesh.
- We will look at and defined what they are later in our study
- The result of fulfilling the lust of the flesh.
- You can’t do the things that you would, v.17.
- And you will lose your inheritance in the Kingdom of God, v.21
- Our instructions to keep from fulfilling the lust of the flesh:
- Live in the Spirit, v.25.
- That is, you must be saved.
- To pretend to be saved when you aren’t saved is ridiculous.
- You live as a miserable hypocrite and then die and go to hell because you’re lost.
- Walk in the Spirit, v.16, 25.
- Concerning the flesh and Spirit, the Spirit is contrary to the flesh; they are mutually exclusive.
- Walk in the Spirit every single step of the way.
- You start out like a kid learning to walk.
- The scripture teaches you and the Spirit guides you.
- Be patient; it takes time.
- The result of walking in the Spirit, v.22-23.
- You start seeing the fruit of the Spirit in your life.
- Love Joy Peace Longsuffering Gentleness Goodness Faith Meekness Temperance.
- Live in the Spirit, v.25.
- This is fruit.
- It takes time for fruit to grow and mature.
- You have loved and experienced joy, and put up with other peoples’ stuff, and so forth.
- But until the Holy Spirit has produced this in you, you really don’t know what it is because the flesh can’t produce it or imitate it.
- Concerning the flesh and Spirit, their love is completely different, their joy is absolutely different, their peace is totally different, etc.
- If you try to fake it, then your fruit is like artificial fruit on the coffee table.
- It looks good on the outside, but as soon as you pick it up you know there’s something wrong with it.
- Likewise, the same is true with the flesh faking spirituality.
- Don’t mistake that for spirituality.
- Conclusion:
- The remedy is to walk in the Spirit.
- Walk in the Spirit and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.
- The Spirit produces things in you that far exceed every lust of the flesh.
- Whether it’s the flesh’s covetousness, envy, lasciviousness, vengeance, rebellion, pride, or sinful desire, the fruit of the Spirit is far better.
- And it is incomparable.
- Concerning the flesh and Spirit, nothing in the flesh gives you even a sample of what you will see in the fruit of the Spirit.
- You can’t put down the flesh.
- But the Spirit can crucify the flesh, v.24.
- You may want to destroy the flesh for it’s works.
- It makes you think you’re going to die if you don’t give in to it’s lusts and demands.
- Crucify it.
- The Spirit puts you in Christ who died.
- And you die with him in Christ.
- Go ahead and die.
- It won’t KILL you.
- Paul said, “I am crucified with Christ nevertheless I live…. Christ liveth in me”.
- That’s the Spirit.
- Conclusion:
- Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.
- The works of the flesh (defined).
- The first four are sexual and sensual.
- Adultery – committed with the eyes, heart, Matt 5:28, as well as with the body.
- Fornication – the act. Premarital sex is fornication. See 1 Cor 6:13-20.
- Uncleanness, 2 Cor 7:1 says “let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit”: filthy mind, filthy mouth, filthy habits.
- Your spirit is defiled by what you see.
- Lasciviousness – preoccupied with or exhibiting lustful desires; lewd = loose; voluptuous emotions = Full of pleasure, sensual gratification, exciting sensual desires.
- Mega churches mistake lasciviousness for the liberty of the Spirit.
- The first four are sexual and sensual.
- Result of Violating 1st command. Idolatry.
- We can easily see it in idolatrous religions.
- But can we see it in ourselves?
- Covetousness is idolatry, Col 3:5.
- Witchcraft. See Acts 13:6, 8, 10.
- Today you see on TikTok and Instagram an increased visibility of witchcraft.
- You see it in Movies, TV. Wicca.
- Result of Violating 2nd command.
- Hatred. Prov 26:24-25 He that hateth dissembleth with his lips, and layeth up deceit within him.
- When he speaketh fair, believe him not: for there are seven abominations in his heart.
- Variance – at variance, in disagreement. Produces discord.
- Emulations – contentions, rivalries, acts of attempting to excel in qualities.
- One ups. Not of the Spirit.
- Wrath – indignation, violent anger.
- Murders. Not only killing but hating, 1 John 3:15.
- Result of Earthly wisdom (Jas 3:14-16) Strife – opposition, contrariety. No matter which side you take, they take the other.
- Seditions – incitements of resistance to lawful authority.
- I don’t care how right you think you are, these are not from the Spirit.
- Heresies – opinions, doctrines, or practices contrary to the truth.
- The doctrine as taught by the Holy Spirit is always the same.
- The temptation to be the new kid on the block with the new deep revelation of doctrine is of the flesh.
- Envyings – painful or resentful awareness of an advantage enjoyed by another joined with a desire to possess the same advantage.
- You’ll tear them down if you can’t beat them.
- Not of the Spirit.
- Contrast Jas 3:13, 17.
- Result of sowing to the flesh. Drunkenness – Eph 5:18.
- Revellings – wild parties. Eph 5:11 the unfruitful works of darkness.
- And such like.
- Drugs, porn, etc. In other words, this list is not exhaustive.
- It just gives you the kinds of things that are manifested as works of the flesh.
- Concerning the flesh and Spirit, none of these are from the Spirit of God.