Walking in the Holy Spirit      Galatians Chapter 5

Brief Overview
- Paul planted churches in Galatia
- Later found that the Judaizers were now trying to persuade the Galatians to add
  the keeping of the Mosaic Law to their salvation.

Paul's writes in Galatians:
- Don't fall for another gospel  (Chp 1)
- Don't listen to the false accusation about me.  Chp 2
- Faith with Abraham was first, not the law 0f Moses.  (Purpose of law was to convict
  of sin and bring man to a realization of  his need of a savior. Chp 3
- True sonship and true intimacy with God does not come through law - but through faith. Chp 4

Today Chapter 5 Galatians

Verse 1- 6 Paul recaps his argument

Ga 5:1 It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. 2 Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all. 3 Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law.

- Pick a lane - works or faith

4 You who are trying to be justified by law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace.

- Truly saved Galatians were falling away.
- Armenianism vrs Calvinism (Class)

5 But by faith we eagerly await through the Spirit the righteousness for which we hope.

- Maybe you desire Law because your wanting perfection - fullness of salvation here
-  But we experience just a portion of what        Jesus has done for us here…..

 1Pe 1:5 who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.

1Jo 3:2 Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.

Ro 8:19The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed.
 20 For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope  21 that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.  22 We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.

Php 1:22 If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know!
 23 I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far;  24 but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body.

- Law is about perfection
- Break one break all
- Partially keeping law doesn't count
- Faith looks to heaven for perfection
- It longs to be whole and free from sin

 6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.

- It is nothing unless you are using it to try and gain salvation
- Seemingly a contradiction in Acts 16
- Paul had Timothy circumcised - why?

Ac 16:1 He came to Derbe and then to Lystra, where a disciple named Timothy lived, whose mother was a Jewess and a believer, but whose father was a Greek.  2 The brothers at Lystra and Iconium spoke well of him.  3 Paul wanted to take him along on the journey, so he circumcised him because of the Jews who lived in that area, for they all knew that his father was a Greek.

- Not for salvation
- But so that it didn't hinder ministry toJews

Verse 7-12  Seriousness of false teaching

 

Ga 5:7 You were running a good race. Who cut in on you and kept you from obeying the truth? 8 That kind of persuasion does not come from the one who calls you.  9 "A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough."

- Satan/false teachers evil spreading influence is like yeast in bread.

-  Jesus said the same thing about the teaching of the Pharisees.

Mr 8:15 And he charged them, saying, Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, and of the leaven of Herod.

10 I am confident in the Lord that you will take no other view. The one who is throwing you into confusion will pay the penalty, whoever he may be.

- Serious thing when you teach God's word
- God holds preachers accountable

Jas 3:1 Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.
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 11 Brothers, if I am still preaching circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been abolished.

-  Judaizers were trying to avoid persecution from the Jews by preaching the Law & circumcision.
- Jews finally got sick of Christian Jews worshiping in the synagogue and added a set of blessings       
   and curse to be repeated in worship - Called down a curse on Jewish Christians as heretics.
 
PERSECUTION NEVER BOTHERED PAUL
 
12 As for those agitators, I wish they would go the whole way and emasculate themselves!

- Strong language
- If your pushing circumcision, why stop there go all the way.

WHY WOULD PAUL SAY SUCH A STRONG THING?

BECAUSE WHAT THEY WERE DOING WAS SENDING PEOPLE TO HELL BY LEADING THEM AWAY FROM CHRIST.

MAIN POINT

I. Galatians 5: 13-25 

It is like a huge looming question has been there all the way through chp 1-4.

Almost like Horshack in the back with his arm up.

If salvation is:
- By faith not works of the law
- A free gift , can't be earned

- Couldn't we abuse this freedom we have and live badly?

Ga 5:13 You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love.  14 The entire law is summed up in a single command: "Love your neighbor as yourself."

Paul was a big grace guy - and probably had to answer this question a lot.

Here is another place:

Ro 6:1 What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?  2 By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?

So what place does obedience have in our walk with God?

- Bible is filled with admonitions towards personal responsibility to live right.

-  How is that any different than law?

1. LAW HAS NO POWER TO HELP
2. Faith is powered by the Holy Spirit

 

Ga 5:16 So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.  17 For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want.  18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law. 19 The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery;  20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions  21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live (Verb tense continually) like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

(Personal responsibility to live right)

 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,  23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

II. How do I walk in the Holy Spirit?

A. Under law you try harder- fail

B.  Under faith you get closer - power

 1. Ask Him to fill you with the Holy Spirit
     -  You receive HS at salvation
     -  But He doesn't have all of you
     -  Takes a while to realize our need
     -   Baptism, 2nd work of grace, sanctification,
   

2Get close to God
- Desires change when you are near
- If you don't have desire - ask Him
-  Law awakens sinful desire of flesh

Ro 7:5 For when we were controlled by the sinful nature, the sinful passions aroused by the law were at work in our bodies, so that we bore fruit for death. 6 But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code.

 

- Getting close kills sinful desire of the flesh 
    
  Col 3:1 Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.
 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.  3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.  4 When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.  5 Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.  6 Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.  7 You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived.  8 But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips.  9 Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices  10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.

Greek word that means: intimate knowledge
 
Jas 4:6 But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. 7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.  8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.  9 Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.  10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.
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TWO LAST POINTS:

#1. Why did Paul say something that seemed out of place to the topic:

Ga 5:15 If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.

Ga 5:26 Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.

Legalism creates:
1. Unhappiness due to failure
2.  Focus on other people's failure/ self righteousness.

Why aren't you trying as hard as me?
Why aren't you as committed as me?
3. Legalism awakens the flesh -
You don't have a marriage problem.
You have a flesh problem

You don't have a church problem.
You have a flesh problem.

You don't have a problem ay work
You have a flesh problem.

Quit trying to win by you flesh!
Don't try harder - get closer!

Desires will change - situation will change

 

Paul: Take say a look at the Judaizer's life and yours since you been focusing on law.

Mean legalism or freedom and power in the Holy Spirit?  You choose.

ENCOURAGEMENT
#2. God's plan always included the Holy Spirit as the agent to give power to live a Godly life.
Eze 36:26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.  27 And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.

- Not obey the law
- Allow yourself to be empowered by the Holy
   Spirit to want to joyfully

This is what Jesus meant when he said:

 Joh 15:5 "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.