Galatians Chapter 5 Verses 16 – 18

 Paul puts a bow on what he’s been talking about with these statements.

Every route you can go, every which way you can decide to be in this

world, nothing returns an eternally sustained profit outside of faith

working through love. That was verse 6. For we are called to liberty

in Christ and that liberty is experienced by me (and transferred to the

people around me) when I through love serve in whatever place,

circumstance, environment or situation I am in. That was verse 13.

 And now he says walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of

the flesh. That’s a puzzle. One to be solved, can only be solved,

through God given wisdom. The lust of the flesh is never fulfilled! It

is only amused as you fold to it. Hate, envy, lust, selfishness, some of

the things Paul is about to mention…, they’re all like pringles! You

can’t have just one! One leads to the other and the one you fold to

demands a second and a third folding…

 Jesus said in John 6:63, “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits

nothing!” So, to fulfill the lust of the flesh…, Biblical Rubik’s Cube

puzzle to understand what Paul is actually saying, fulfill the lust of the

flesh is to lose. Over and over and over again. Oh, but someone says,

“I haven’t lost. I have the girl, the house, the money, the position…,”

losing isn’t not having things…, losing is missing what the Perfect

One has for you…

 So, what is it that God wants for you, has planned for you, died so that

He could deliver to you? I Don’t know! That’s for you and that’s for

Him to reveal to you… You are unique. Only one. Fearfully and

wonderfully made in the image of the eternal… Whatever we could

say is God’s desire for you falls incredibly short of what it actually

is… It’s for you to find. To win… How? By walking in the Spirit…

 What’s that? Back to John 6:63, “It is the Spirit who gives life; the

flesh profits nothing! The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they

are life!” How committed are you to the Word of God? Stop, stop

thinking about an act of your own will. That’s not how you answer

that question…

 Jesus said in John 14, 15 and 16 that when the Holy Spirit comes His

mission would be to promote and applaud and teach us all things about

Jesus, what He said, the fact that Jesus is Truth, testifying of Jesus

being the Son of God… John 16:13, “However, when He, the Spirit of

truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak

on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He

will tell you things to come.” Things to come is a navigational

statement… The Holy Spirit reveals things hidden that will be made

evident to all in the future but they are made evident to you NOW.

And the most important subject is that of Jesus Christ!

 So, to walk in the Spirit is to step into Him. Receiving and trusting and

loving and praising Jesus in your own heart of hearts! Just as Jesus

stepped down into His own Creation, it is our privilege to step up into

His Heavenly Glory in the Person of the Holy Spirit and yield our

heart to Him!

 Yes, walking in the Spirit looks like obeying the Word of God and yes

it looks like spending time in the Word and prioritizing the Kingdom

of God on earth… Going to church, supporting the ministry, serving in

the work of the gospel. Praying and all the fruits… But none of those

things are things you set out to do in your own will but you are

compelled by the Spirit of truth and love to do anything and that

changes your attitude from, “I have to do this, it’s the right thing to

do” to “I get to do this, who cares who thinks its right or wrong or

who is or is not doing it!”

 So, walk in the Spirit and battle being played the fool by the lust of the

flesh. Anyone here want to be less or zero depressed? Less or zero

angry and grudgy? Less or zero unexcited about the next day or life

general!? Walk in the Spirit… It is the Spirit that gives life! And it

all starts with a total delivery of your total self to a totally impeccable

and foolproof Savior, which is ONLY Jesus Christ!

 Paul also talks here about a war that goes on within the heart of the

redeemed all the time between the spirit and the flesh. They are

contrary. There isn’t one percent spirit in the flesh… If it’s a work of

or for the flesh then there isn’t one percent spirit/life in it! So no, that

man or woman or hobby or career that is pulling your prioritized

attention away from your husband, there is not one percent, not ONE

percent of life to be found there. Just one example. Beware. Don’t be

played the fool… But it’s a battle…

 And let me encourage you. Dead people don’t fight! The only reason

that you have that battle in you day in and day out is because your

spirit has been born, it is alive, and its warring with the flesh! So don’t

get discouraged about the fact that you battle. Win a few of them and

find out you actually like the fight! Just like in boxing or wrestling

or grappling! Once you get your technique down, grow strong and

start winning…, you start loving the contest in a way! Same in the

Spirit!

 And if you are led by the Spirit, which is a simple definition of

walking in the Spirit, then you are not under the law… The law is

nothing to someone who is guided by the Spirit!! I’m talking about the

strength and power of internal law. External law is NOTHING

compared to internal law! And that is your personal relationship with

Jesus through the ministry of the Holy Spirit!

Galatians Chapter 5 Verse 19

 Paul gives us here the works of the flesh which is helpful because it

basically tells us that in no way are these things good or profitable.

Pleasurable yes, but that only lasts a short while and then the

consequence of a severely weighted soul sets in… And he says that

they are “evident.” Which means if you think about it honestly,

objectively, truthfully, it’s not difficult to identify when it’s the flesh…

It’s actually quite clear…

 Interesting the first three that he gives are all related to sex. This is an

area where the entire world has become unguarded. And that is ultra-

advantageous to the work of the enemy. The coming together of two

humans, two becoming one, is the single unique design of creation that

all at once is physical, emotional and spiritual. Paul wrote in 1

Corinthians 6:16, “Do you not know that he who is joined to a harlot

is one body with her? For “the two,” He says, “shall become one

flesh.”

 There is no ceremonial wedding format given to us in the Word of

God. Marriage in the eyes of our Creator is two becoming one. And in

that they are giving themselves to each other in such a way as from

that moment forward, who they were is gone and now who they are is

intermingled with the other person. Paul’s jumping off point for how

the flesh wrecks a life is through losing yourself to this… How strong

a union when your husband or your wife has all of you… Almost

undiscoverable in our global culture…

 The word lewdness here is also translated licentiousness which simply

means license to do as we please. “Oh, I’m just this way,” or, “I can

serve the Lord and not work on my critical heart…” That’s giving

yourself license, you’re on the list, and that is the flesh… Remember

the pile up on the freeway example I gave… That is the life of the one

who lives under personal license or personal truth rather than

surrendering their life to God…

Galatians Chapter 5 Verses 20 – 21

 This list goes from external to internal, do you see that? Bounces

between the two. Why? Because what goes on in the heart of a person

eventually and always makes its way out. That’s why you observe

how someone is rather than only what someone says because their

attitude and habits and flavor tell the whole story!

 Hatred, contentions, selfish ambitions, dissensions… Another word

for contentions is drama or variance (good with some groups and bad

with others). Someone who just creates drama. There was no

problem…, but you aren’t walking in the Spirit so now there’s

drama… Somethings can appear spiritual, but it’s just the flesh. When

it stirs up drama, it’s the flesh. Why not rather back off…? Create

peace instead of strife…

 Selfish ambitions, means divisions to create strife… Dissensions

means to originate division… All of these things are evident, they are

not of the Spirit, they are of the flesh.

 “God called me to do this,” is not a bullet-proof statement. Some

think it is… Whatever they want to do, “Well I prayed about it and I

believe God called me to do it.” If it involves any of this list, you

believe wrong. It is the flesh. But boy that statement, “God is calling

me to this,” is a weaponized shield Satanism and self-service. If God

has called you to it, it will look like the fruit of the Spirit, not the

works of the flesh!

 And Paul says clearly here, those that this is who they are, without

internal law of relationship with Jesus, the Kingdom of God is not for

you…

Galatians Chapter 5 Verses 22 - 23

 Notice the wording of the “works” of the flesh but it’s the “fruit” of

the Spirit. These things aren’t works… They just come forth…

 And the single fruit of the Spirit is love. And it looks like joy. It looks

like peace. It looks like longsuffering. It looks like kindness. It looks

like goodness, faithfulness…, love looks like gentleness, and love

looks like less control of others and more control of self… Against

such there is no law because this one, this is an internal law. Far

superior to any external law!

Galatians Chapter 5 Verse 24

 If you are Christ’s then no one has to correct you and teach you these

things over and over again. You learn them once and you latch on to

them and the baton of following Jesus, your accountability partner

becomes YOU! Elements of the flesh in you that continue to do harm

to you and others in your life, and you aren’t dealing with them? Bruh,

get saved! You need Jesus!

 Those that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh! That is in the past

tense! There was a point where you came in your life where you made

your own decision, under the influence and guidance of the Holy

Spirit, that you aren’t your own anymore… And the things of the flesh

are stupid, profitlessness and gross to you! Have you hit this decision

point for yourself yet…? Oh, don’t worry about answering that with

your mouth…, your life-flavor answers that…

 Oh, and if you have made that decision, do us all a favor and walk in

it… Don’t get full of yourself… It’s easy to do. Because once you’ve

turned this corner internally…, now you see with x-ray vision every

ounce of hint of aroma on others that have not…

Galatians Chapter 5 Verses 25 – 26

 If we say we “live” in the Spirit, then set out to “walk” in the Spirit.

Yes, it’s fruit but fruit can be spoiled by so many elements… Bring

that fruit forth. Synergize your will and efforts and priorities with what

the Holy Spirit is trying to tell you in your heart of hearts and don’t

talk about it, be about it! Not all about you, all about the Kingdom

because the glory of man is empty! We don’t level up making us better

than others, we actually level up in the Spirit making us better servants

and admirers and adorers of others… Or maybe you’re just learning

and puffed up rather than Spirit filled! We, if we are Christians, ought

to live SPIRIT FILLED! That’s where life is anyway!