Galatians 5b (6-18-25

What's up everybody? It's Pastor James and welcome back to our New Week Bible

Study. Today we're going to finish up chapter 5 and we started this chapter

talking about the freedom of Christ and we will finish it by talking about living

by the power of the Holy Spirit. So this is important because we can only be free

when we are truly filled with the Spirit and empowered by the Spirit, otherwise we

are still in bondage and trying to do all of these impossible things we're

called to do through our own power which we cannot. So let's read Galatians 5

Galatians 5:16–21

verses 16 through 21. Let's talk about living by the Spirit's power and finish

this chapter up. So I say let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won't be

doing what your sinful nature craves. The sinful nature wants to do evil which is

just the opposite of what the Spirit wants and the Spirit gives us desires

that are opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are

constantly fighting each other so you are not free to carry out your good

intentions. But when you are directed by the Spirit you are not under obligation

to the law of Moses. When you follow the desires of your sinful nature the

results are very clear. Sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry,

sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outburst of anger, selfish ambition,

dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these.

Let me tell you again as I have before that anyone living that sort of life

will not inherit the kingdom of God. All right so Paul starts off this

section with simple and great advice. Let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. If we

maintain control and dominance over ourselves then our sinful natures will

win out and we will inevitably do what our physical bodies or our sinful nature

craves to do. We naturally are drawn to evil and sin and it's different for

everyone but we all have something that calls to us and tries to lure us away

and it's the opposite of what the Spirit wants for our lives and this is why

it's important that we are filled with the Spirit because the more we are

filled with the Holy Spirit the more our sinful nature is removed from us as

human beings. Our bodies and souls can only hold so much. We are in so many ways

physical beings like we have limited space, we have limited time, we have

limited energy, limited emotions, limited spirituality in a worldly sense and we

can only be filled with so much. So the more the Spirit is present in our lives

the less the world, the less the sin, the less that evil is present within us

because the Spirit is filling us up and pushing those things out. Now Paul talks

about how these two forces are constantly fighting each other and this

is true. You know you got to remember that this is coming from Paul and he

wrote half of the New Testament. He traveled further and ministered to more

people than perhaps anyone else on earth ever did and he understands as much

as anyone the battle between the flesh and the Spirit and don't think that

verse 18 is an accident to throw it back in that when we are directed by the

Spirit that we are also free from the law of Moses. So don't be confused that he

is counting the law as being just as harmful to us spiritually as sin is. Now

that's really important to think about. He is basically claiming that if we try

to live according to the law it's just as harmful to us as sin is because it

puts us in bondage. It calls us to something that we cannot do on our own.

It calls us to something that cannot save us and both the law and sin will

lead to a physical and eternal death but the Spirit and Jesus Christ gives us

eternal life. So Paul follows in verses 19 to 21 by telling us the results of

simple nature and if you wonder if you are being led by the Spirit or by your

own nature, compare the results of your life to this text. Is sexual immorality

present? Impurity, lustfulness, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy,

anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, or partying

present in your life. And he says, and other sins like these. So these are just a

few examples but there are many many more sins that we are capable of

committing and if these things are present in your life, if you're living

these things every day, then chances are you are not filled with the Holy

Spirit. Paul says that anyone living this sort of life will not inherit the

kingdom of God and we are called to come out of the world and to let Christ and

the Holy Spirit fill us completely so that we can share in his holiness and

righteousness. Now don't be scared in that because holiness and righteousness

in the Spirit is available to anyone who calls on the name of Jesus Christ.

There's nothing you can do in this world to earn salvation but Jesus Christ

has to fill you with his Holy Spirit to empower you to live the way that he's

called you to live. And this is what Paul's talking about, living by the

Spirit's power not by our own power. So let's read verses 22 through 26 and

finish this chapter up. But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in

our lives, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things. Those who

belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful

nature to his cross and crucified them there. Since we are living by the Spirit,

let us follow the Spirit's leading in every part of our lives. Let us not

become conceited or provoke one another or be jealous of one another. Okay, so

this is perhaps one of the most famous passages for Christians as Paul gives us

the fruits of the Spirit. People love this passage and I think it's important

that we know what the fruits of the Spirit are. It is by no accident that

love is first and this was the main thing that so many early Christians were

struggling with. Division and dissension was a common problem in the early

churches. Like the disciples, they all wanted to lead and be elevated over one

another so loving others is one of the first signs of the Holy Spirit. You know

we've talked about this a lot in church here lately is that the disciples that

you see in the Gospels where they're arguing with one another and trying to

elevate themselves above one another are very different from the disciples that

you see throughout the rest of the New Testament once the Holy Spirit feels

down. So what's happening is that in all of these early churches as people are

getting saved sometimes these people are not being filled with the Holy Spirit

immediately and so they're trying to live for Christ according to their own

strength and their own desires and they're falling prey to division and

dissension and trying to elevate themselves above one another and that

can be a problem. It causes a lot of issues within the church and this is

why we have all the books of the New Testament because all of these books are

being written to address issues within the early church. So love is first. Now

joy is also one of the early indicators of the Holy Spirit as Christians should

have a joy in their lives that is unexplainable. One of the greatest

witnesses we have is joy in all situations and circumstances. It is

something that the rest of the world definitely does not have. So many people

are defined by their situations and circumstances but a Christian is never

defined by their situation or circumstances. They're only defined by

Christ and the joy that they have in looking forward to eternal life. So very

similarly peace comes next and the presence of peace in someone's life

despite situations and circumstances as well is a witness that people marvel at

when they see it lived out before them. There is something about someone who has

a peace within them that even in the worst times of life that peace is

present and very evident. Patience comes next. It is a virtue that many people do

not have. In our world today patience is less common than ever before and as

people are so accustomed to getting what they want immediately, patience is a

wonderful witness to people around us if that is in our lives and we're filled

with the Holy Spirit. Kindness is as well. Most people are not kind to one

another anymore. That's one of the things that I guess that I see the most

even here in the south used to. I felt like southern people were a little more

courteous and hospitable to one another than they used to be but that's kind

of fading away as I get older I begin to see people are less kind and

hospitable to one another but this is a great witness to the world around us.

Being kind to people who don't deserve it is something that other people take

notice of. So goodness is a fruit that you cannot fake. Many people can do good

things but genuinely being a good person especially when you don't receive

recognition for it is a quality that so many people in the world lack.

Faithfulness is also rare these days. It's rare to have people be faithful to you

much less to see people be faithful to God's Word, His callings, and His kingdom

these days. To see people be faithful throughout the years is a great

encouragement to me personally. I love watching older Christians in the midst

of life and trials and troubles and lost and tribulations. Be faithful in those

times. It helps me it helps to remind me to keep fighting the good fight no

matter how frustrated or tired that I get. It's a great and wonderful witness

to me personally and I know it's a good witness to other people. Gentleness is a

fruit of the Spirit that I greatly struggle with and still struggle with at

times and just being transparent. You know I was I was not raised in a

gentle home so sometimes whether through words or physical discipline I find

myself being a little more harsh than I should be and gentleness is a wonderful

quality that many people appreciate because the world can be very hard and

brutal and people need to know that if they are transparent with you if they

are vulnerable to you that you are going to be gentle with them and not

condemn them not punish them not rake them over the coals but still love and

accept them and being shown gentleness when someone had every reason to really

lay into me is a wonderful gift that I've experienced many times in my life by

other Christians so there's been many times I've deserved to have the wood

taken to me pretty pretty vehemently but I've had many good Christians be patient

and kind to me and so gentleness is is a wonderful trait it's something that God

continually convicts me on and is working with me on and it's a wonderful

fruit of the Spirit that I've been blessed to to receive and I'm trying my

very best to work on to give so and last but probably the most important is

self-control so the Holy Spirit being present in your life will help you to

have self-control and do so many things that God has called us to do it helps us

to be all that Christ has called us to be it helps us to study God's Word to

have a healthy prayer life to serve others and to faithfully represent Christ

this is one of the greatest evidences that the Holy Spirit is within us as

people is the ability to control ourselves whether it's through anger or

kindness or joy or patience or gentleness the the the ability to have

self-control it oozes and feels and just encapsulates so much of our lives and

it flows into various aspects and circumstances and situations and

self-control is perhaps one of the most important things that we display as

followers of Jesus Christ now that's with resisting temptation that's with

making sure that we are continuing to stay in the Word and stay on our knees

in prayer and be involved in church and be involved in fellowship with other

believers self-control trickles into so much of what it means to be a

Christian and so I think self-control is by far the most important it helps us

to do all that Christ has called us to do them Paul finishes by saying that

there is no law against these nine fruits of the Spirit there is nothing

in all of these writings of Moses that restricts any of those things because

these nine things are good they are pleasing to God and they are perfect it

is exactly what Christ has called us to and if these things are present then all

of the other things that the law speaks against won't be present in your life and

all the things that Christ has called us to do will be present in our lives so

Paul finishes up by saying that if you belong to Christ then you have put the

death all the things of your sinful nature you have crucified them just as

Christ was crucified you have willingly laid them down to be sacrificed for your

own good and the good of others around you now as a result we should be

spirit-led in every part of our lives and because we are spirit-led we should

not provoke others become jealous or become conceited during this time we

should put others before ourselves just as Christ gave his life as a ransom for

all people to be saved and put us above himself we too should put others before

ourselves all right let me pray with you Father in heaven thank you so much

for your word and your love and your mercy thank you for the power of your

Holy Spirit Lord we know that the things you've called us to are

daunting and in a way impossible for us to do but I pray that we would not get

frustrated or give up or quit because we feel like we cannot do this it is good

that we acknowledge that we can't do it but the great thing about following you

is is that you have prepared your Holy Spirit to dwell within each of us and

empower us to live for you and to serve you Jesus we ask that you would guide

us shape us mold us help us to live for you we love you and we ask all this

in Jesus name alright guys thanks for tuning in for another week and for being

a part of the Graham Chapel family if you can't catch us in person join us on

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a great week