GALATIANS 5

BIG IDEA 

TRUE FREEDOM IS CHOOSING TODAY TO DO WHAT WILL MOST PLEASE GOD FOR ETERNITY.

INTRODUCTION: “FREEDOM”

When I say the word “freedom,” what do you think of? Perhaps it is the blessings we have enjoyed as Americans. Freedom of Religion, Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Assembly, or Freedom to Arm yourself against governmental overreach or the protection of your family. That would be natural to think of, but to be honest each of these freedoms is under attack by biased media and an increasing Anti-America sentiment in our halls of power.

Or maybe you think of a life stage, a time in your life when you were given increased responsibility but were under less observation and obligation. Maybe it was when you were free to vote, free to drive a car on your own, or free to make and spend your own money.

As Americans, we like our freedoms. But our love of freedom has often been confused without the proper understanding that freedom is not the absence of all rules. Personal freedom cannot flourish where there is no personal responsibility. Freedom and responsibility walk hand in hand. To slightly misappropriate a Scripture, “to whom much is given, much will be required.”

Last week I concluded our message by warning you of certain dangers when it comes to our understanding of the Grace of God. There was the danger of legalism, whereby we believe we are saved by our works. There was the danger of lostness, whereby we believe we have no need of salvation by grace. And there was the danger of lasciviousness, whereby we believe that once we are saved by grace there are no responsibilities and we can do, act, and think however we like.

Galatians Chapter 5 addresses all of these dangers, and we will give a flyover of all of them, but I really want to hone in on the responsibilities that we have once we have been set free by the grace of God.

“FOR FREEDOM CHRIST HAS SET US FREE; STAND FIRM THEREFORE AND DO NOT SUBMIT AGAIN TO THE YOKE OF SLAVERY.” GALATIANS 5:1

Paul here admits that the grace of God brings freedom into our life. God’s grace releases us from the penalty of sin and the power of sin. It also sets us free from the bondage of the law, and so he admonished the church to not listen to the deceivers who were trying to burden the church again by the yoke of the law as a means of salvation. This again is the danger of legalism, using the law as a means of grace.

How do you know if you are attending a legalistic church?

• Obedience to the pastor is equated with obedience to God
• Carrying the right translation of the Bible is more important than carrying out what the Bible says
• If sin is preached about without the sweetness of saving grace
• If the style of music is used as a means to divide people instead of glorifying God
• If the dress code is more important than putting on the armor of God
• If belonging to a certain political party is more important than belonging to the Body of Christ
• If the joy of a relationship Jesus is suppressed by the bondage of keeping rules 

“FOR FREEDOM CHRIST HAS SET US FREE; STAND FIRM THEREFORE AND DO NOT SUBMIT AGAIN TO THE YOKE OF SLAVERY.” GALATIANS 5:1

That is the danger of legalism. But Paul now is going to turn our attention to the danger of lasciviousness. And so today, I really want us to focus on verses 13-24. There we will see the Command to walk by the Spirit, the Walk that is Contrary to the Spirit, and the Walk that is Controlled by the Spirit.

EXPLANATION

1. THE COMMAND TO WALK BY THE SPIRIT.

“FOR YOU WERE CALLED TO 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, THEN WATCH OUT THAT YOU ARE NOT CONSUMED BY ONE ANOTHER.” GALATIANS 5:13-15

This is the danger of lasciviousness, literally, living a “no-law life.” Paul said, “Yes, you are free, but freedom in living for Christ does not give freedom to live by the flesh. The flesh is a way to describe living for self. It is putting your wants, needs, desires, etc. first at the expense of God and others. The “no-law” life means that you will do what you want, take what you want, experience what you want, no matter what God says. But Paul wrote that there is a better way than the “no-law” life: it is the life of true love. You cannot fully love unless you fully love your neighbor. When you love your neighbor, you will treat them better than you would treat yourself. 

“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 THESE ARE OPPOSED TO EACH OTHER, TO KEEP YOU FROM DO THE THINGS YOU WANT TO DO.” GALATIANS 5:16, 17

Walking by the Spirit is a way to live today in a way that will please God for eternity. Walking by the Spirit is exercising the freedom to make choices today that will please God for eternity. Walking by the Spirit is the opposite of living by the flesh.

This is the command: “Walk by the Spirit.” God wants you to look like His Son Jesus, and the way that you do this is to walk by the Spirit. When you walk by the Spirit, you allow God to do His work in you. You are walking while God is working.

Now, this does not mean that there is not still a war at hand. The desires of the flesh and the desires of the Spirit are in opposition to each other. It’s a war. The flesh and the Spirit are at war. It is a continual fight. It is an inevitable fight. But my friends, it is a winnable fight. 

• It’s a continual fight: it rages on every day. Millions of times each week we are given opportunities to live by the flesh. There is a temptation at every turn.
• It’s an inevitable fight: it cannot be avoided. As long as your spirit is still encased in the flesh, you will be at war.
• But, It’s a winnable fight. When you walk by the Spirit, grace wins.

Now, I know that waging war can be wearisome. The struggle can be exhausting. But listen, all you have to do is the walking and you can allow God to do all the warring! You just have to walk. He will wage the war. Convince yourself today that the war is not bad, but your response to the war may be bad.

The war is not bad. It is simply an opportunity for God to do His work in you. The war is not bad, but your response to the war may be bad. This war between the flesh demands your surrender. It demands an unconditional surrender. This war requires you to wave the white flag, put your hands in the air, and say, “I give up!” 

MAKE SURE YOU SURRENDER TO THE RIGHT PARTY.

The problem is, too many people are surrendering to the wrong party. Too many people are surrendering to the flesh and not the Spirit. Surrendering to the flesh means you are satisfied with living a sinful life. Surrendering to the Spirit means that you are trusting God to lead you into a spiritual life.

WALK BY THE SPIRIT (SURRENDER TO THE SPIRIT’S LEADERSHIP) AND YOU WILL NOT GRATIFY THE DESIRES OF THE FLESH (THAT IS, DO NOT SURRENDER TO THE FLESH.)

II. THE WALK THAT IS CONTRARY TO THE SPIRIT

NOW 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.” GALATIANS 5:17-19

It’s easy to spot the things of the flesh. We are not confused by what they are. I could spend weeks breaking down this list and describing and defining what each of these words means, but let’s be honest, there is nothing on here that surprises us. This list is not all-inclusive, but it is illustrative of the walk that is contrary to the Spirit. These things lead to bondage. You might think that freedom is to sleep with whomever you want, worship whatever you, fight with whomever you want, and drink whatever you want. But that’s not freedom. That is bondage.

• Freedom is pleasing God and serving others; bondage is pleasing self and using others
• Freedom leads outwardly; bondage looks inwardly
• Freedom understands the grace we don’t deserve; bondage pursues the things we think we deserve
• Freedom walks in God’s holy justification; bondage uses human justification for unholiness
• Freedom is led by love; bondages leads to self-love at the expense of others

Do some simple math with me.

• Freedom + love of self = sin (Danger of lasciviousness)
• Freedom – love of God = slavery (Danger of lostness)
• Freedom – love of others = self-centeredness (Danger of Legalism)
• Freedom + love of God and others = service (Freedom!) TRUE FREEDOM IS LIVING A LIFE OF SERVING GOD AND SERVING OTHERS

Look at verse 24: This is a serious warning about lostness!

I WARN YOU, AS I WARNED YOU BEFORE, THAT THOSE WHO DO SUCH THINGS WILL NOT INHERIT THE KINGDOM OF GOD. GALATIANS 5:24

This can be scary. Not long ago, I had a teenager contact me. They have been down a rocky road, and made some poor choices, but now they are walking with God in a beautiful love relationship. They read this verse in their quiet time and asked me, “Does this mean I can’t go to heaven?” This was an amazing question from a young adult.

Friends, you can’t miss this! Paul is saying, “If you have never experienced the saving grace of Jesus Christ, and you have engaged in these things, you will not inherit eternal life.” He is not saying that you do these things, you lose your salvation and there is no chance of heaven. He is referring to the danger of lostness. If we can be honest, there are no adults in this room that have not fallen to one of the things on this list. But that’s where grace comes in. That is where freedom begins. And now that we are free, we are free NOT to do these things by the grace of God!

III. THE WALK THAT IS CONTROLLED BY THE SPIRIT.

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. GALATIANS 5:22-23

How do you know if you are walking in freedom? The fruit of the Spirit is the evidence of freedom. When your actions and decisions are filled with LOVE, JOY, PEACE, PATIENCE, KINDNESS, GOODNESS, FAITHFULNESS, GENTLENESS, SELF-CONTROL, you are walking by the Spirit. Here, there is neither lostness, legalism, nor lasciviousness. Against such things, there is no law. There is only freedom. And so, if you have been saved by the Spirit, walk in these things. Be constrained by these things. Be controlled by these things.

• Walking by the Spirit is not the freedom to do what you want to do; it is the freedom to do what you ought to do.
• Walking by the Spirit is not allowing yourself to be guided by selfish love, but rather a selfless love for God and others.
• Walking by the Spirit is not self-enabled; it is Spirit-enabled
• The fruit of the Spirit is not the result of your hard work, but rather God’s holy work in you and through you.

APPLICATION: STAY IN STEP.

One of the hardest things for me in joining the Army as an old man was learning what the Army calls Drill and Ceremony. Drill and Ceremony determines how you stand, how you march, how you move, how you turn, and how you stop. There are all kinds of commands given by our Commander, and as Soldiers, it is our duty to stay in step. Christ is our Commander, and His Spirit is our guide. Stay in step as you walk in the Spirit.

There was an NCO in our cadre when I was going through initial military training. SFC has spent his life fighting our nation’s wars. He is an 11B, an infantryman. I told him one day how I was struggling with drill and ceremony. He stopped, sat down, and took off his boots. The center of his boots right under the pad of his feet was completely worn of all tread. This is the pivot point for all turning movements. He pointed to the spot and said, “For years I have practiced privately on how to march publicly. I have learned to stay in step through hours of private practice.” That blew me away. You see that is the goal of the good soldier, to stay in step with his commander. But it takes private practice to allow us to stay in step publicly.

• STAY IN STEP BY STAYING HUMBLE. Every Soldier longing to follow his commander knows their place. Stay humble. You can only stay in step with the Spirit by remaining humble.
• STAY IN STEP BY STAYING IN THE WORD. Stay in step by staying in the Word. These are your marching orders. As you read the Scriptures God renews your mind allowing you to have the mind of Christ.
• STAY IN STEP BY STAYING IN COMMUNITY. There is strength in community. You need community to stay in step with the Holy Spirit. It is in community you find accountability.
• STAY IN STEP BY STAYING WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT ONE CHOICE AT A TIME.

CONCLUSION:

Your life is the sum-total of millions of small decisions. Unfortunately, one million great decisions can be undone with one poor choice. As I have told many of you, I often remind my children that they are one second away from stupid. We are all just one second away from sin. We are all just one second away from returning to slavery. Stay free. Stay in the Spirit. If we live every second by the Spirit, we will also walk every second with the Spirit.

There is good news for all of us. Just like one million great decisions can be undone by one poor choice, so too can one million poor decisions be undone by one great choice. Choose today to surrender your life to the leadership of Jesus Christ, and experience the freedom that comes through His grace.