Galatians 5:13-18
NOTE THE WARNING
Question of Book - How far into Judaism must we go to be saved?
Chapters 1 and 2 - Paul defends the gospel by defending himself as one of the
conduits that has presented the gospel.
Chapters 3 and 4 - Understanding the Law.
\\#Gal 3:24\\ Law is schoolmaster
\\#Gal 4:2\\ Law is tutor and governor
\\#Gal 3:21\\ Law could never save
\\#Gal 3:19\\ Law was temporary
\\#Gal 3:16\\ Jesus is the Seed
\\#Gal 4:7\\ We are no longer servants under the Law but Sons filled with
the Holy Spirit.
\\#Gal 5:1\\ Paul gives a COMMAND - Stand fast in the liberty.
1. Liberty does not mean we do whatever we want.
2. Liberty, in this context, is a workless salvation. Jesus did the work.
\\#Gal 5:13\\ Paul gives a WARNING - Do not use liberty as an excuse to sin.
1. Sad but we need someone to rule over us.
2. Flesh without rule turns wicked.
3. It is a dangerous thing to speak of liberty without responsibility.
4. Paul told us the Schoolmaster and Governor is gone.
5. Are we then ruleless?
\\#Gal 5:13-15\\ Love is our ruler.
1. Not a Saccharin-sweet love but one that teaches and enforces.
2. If it is not of love, it is probably sin.
\\#Gal 3:16-26\\ The Holy Spirit is our ruler.
1. \\#Gal 5:18\\
2. The entire New Testament makes the case that our primary ruler is the
Holy Spirit.
Romans 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ
Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
With that in mind, we see three truths:
I. What does it mean to WALK IN THE SPIRIT?
A. The Bible does not portray WALKING IN THE SPIRIT as a mystery.
1. To me, the mysterious thing is how much control the Holy Spirit
can have.
2. To WALK IN THE SPIRIT is to actively seek the Spirit’s will -
for your life, for you day, for every situation!
3. It is to obey the Spirit’s will!
4. Does that sound too easy?
B. Paul tells us that WALKING IN THE SPIRIT is three things.
1. \\#Gal 5:16-17\\ WALKING IN THE SPIRIT is a warfare.
a. In war, there are battles. If you are not willing to battle
your own flesh and desires, you will never walk in the
Spirit.
b. In war, there are victories and defeats.
c. In war, there are consequences.
2. \\#Gal 5:16\\ WALKING IN THE SPIRIT is a process.
a. Walking is a process not learned over night.
b. Walking is a process that, once we are in the routine of it,
we will do the remainder of our life.
c. Just keep at it.
3. \\#Gal 5:16\\ WALKING IN THE SPIRIT is a choice.
a. You can either walk in the Spirit of the flesh, but not both.
b. Which ever nature you walk in excludes, to some degree, the
other.
c. You can only think of one thought at a time. Thinking right
thoughts keeps you from thinking wrong thoughts.
d. Doing right actions will keep us from doing wrong ones.
e. Do right!
II. \\#19-21\\ Signs that you are walking in the flesh.
A. Paul lists 17 signs of fleshly living.
1. These aren’t all the signs but mostly those that are defined by
the Law.
2. Bitterness, disloyalty, jealousy, carnal thinking, compromising.
B. Each of the fleshly behaviors are offensive to God and make great
sermon material.
1. Don’t concentrate on the details so much that you miss the point.
2. The point is that the flesh misbehaves and must have a rule over
it or this is how it will behave.
3. This can be proved:
a. A child with no rules - how will he behave?
b. Which nations have the most carnal societies? France, Italy,
USA - the ones with the fewest enforced rules on how to
behave.
c. Churches that preach a grace without rules and responsibility
have divorced ministers, carnal activities in the church,
and accept wicked lifestyles.
C. \\#Gal 5:13\\ Paul’s warning is serious. Now that the Law is
gone, the Spirit will rule in our lives to keep these things
from manifesting themselves.
III. Is grace weaker on sin than the Law?
A. We know that the Law was a tough school master when it comes to
defining sin. Is Grace weaker?
1. Whether under law or grace, the definition of sin is the same.
2. Sin is defined as transgression of the law.
1John 3:4 Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the
transgression of the law.
3. Hence, being under grace has in no way weakened God’s disgust of
sin.
B. In grace holds a higher standard. Even in this text, Paul encourage
a higher standard of behavior than just avoiding these few sins.
1. \\#Gal 5:15\\ Do not bite and devour one another.
3. \\#Gal 5:26\\ Do not desire vain glory; do not provoke one
another.
C. In grace, there are two immutable truths:
1. \\#Gal 5:16\\ You can’t abide in sin and be filled with the
Spirit.
2. If you do abide in sin, you’re lost \\#Gal 5:21, 24\\
V. \\#22-26\\ Signs that you are walking in the Spirit.
A. These probably aren’t all the fruits that the Spirit produces but it
is a good sampler.
B. We have already seen that grace is not weaker than the law for it
uses the same definition of sin and demands a higher standard. Now
we see that no fruit (or action) of the Spirit is against the Law
\\#Gal 5:23\\.
1. In plain language, the Holy Spirit will not lead us to sin.
2. All of this section is demonstrating to us how effective the
Spirit is as a RULER.
Some believe that salvation eradicates the sinful nature. Not so, but walking
in the Holy Spirit controls it.
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