April
13, 2018 NOTES NOT EDITED
Pt15, Spirit-Walkers: Our PDA.
Pt15, Spirit-Walkers: Our PDA.
Galatians
5:13-26
Sermon-in-a-Sentence:. The Holy Spirit is our Personal Divine Assistant empowering
us to fulfill our responsibilities as born-again, blood-bought, Spirit baptized
believers.
How many of you have heard of a PDA—Personal Data Assistant? How many of you owned one? . Apple was one of the first companies to offer PDAs in 1993. Other manufacturers soon offered similar products. One of the most popular brands of PDAs was the Palm Pilot. Anybody who was somebody in business had to have one. It was your “Personal Digital Assistant.” They would have a short-run, however. Smart Phones would replace PDA’s in just a few years. Apple would seal the PDA’s fate with the introduction of the iPhone in 2015.
As born-again, blood-bought, Spirit-filled followers of Christ we also have a PDA—Personal Divine Assistant. The Holy Spirit, God Himself, indwells every believer and empowers each one to fulfill the responsibilities of living holy, righteous lives.
If I had to choose the most important verse in regard
to living the Christian life it would have to be Acts 1:8. You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you,
and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the
ends of the earth.”
The Holy Spirit is
our Personal Divine Assistant empowering us to fulfill our responsibilities as
born-again, blood-bought, Spirit baptized believers.
Let’s read about our spiritual PDA. Gal. 5:13-26
Let’s read about our spiritual PDA. Gal. 5:13-26
The Holy Spirit empowers our lives in three ways. By empowering us to fulfill the Law, Overcome
the Flesh, and Produce Fruit.
1. The Holy Spirit Empowers us to Fulfill the Law of God
13 For you were called to be free (5:13a).
1. The Holy Spirit Empowers us to Fulfill the Law of God
13 For you were called to be free (5:13a).
Once
again Paul revisits the idea of freedom, introduced at the top of this chapter
(5:1). This freedom is a glorious
gift. One scholar describes this freedom
as, “the sphere of grateful and spontaneous
living to the glory of his marvelous Benefactor, and is invited to roam about
freely in this new country, delighting in its treasures and making full use of
its opportunities.” One might
crudely equate this newfound liberty with that of a child turned loose in
Disneyland with a wristband providing access to all attractions and
accoutrements of the park. Yet, with all
this freedom, there is much attendant danger, requiring a high degree of
diligence and acute sense of responsibility.
Therefore, Paul offers the warning:
“don’t use this freedom as a license to sin (opportunity of the flesh)” (5:13b)
Through grace, the righteousness of Jesus Christ is “imputed” (infused, credited) to us. Grace fulfills the Holy Law of God that we could not fulfill on our own. Grace instantly removes the curse of the Law, which is sin (Gal. 3:13). We are now free to live righteously. What was imputed by the work of the Son, is performed through the work of the God the Spirit. We are free to please God.
“don’t use this freedom as a license to sin (opportunity of the flesh)” (5:13b)
Through grace, the righteousness of Jesus Christ is “imputed” (infused, credited) to us. Grace fulfills the Holy Law of God that we could not fulfill on our own. Grace instantly removes the curse of the Law, which is sin (Gal. 3:13). We are now free to live righteously. What was imputed by the work of the Son, is performed through the work of the God the Spirit. We are free to please God.
In
our flesh, we cannot please God. No
amount of religious activity or “good works” could ever make us righteous in
God’s sight. In fact, the Bible says
very clearly, even “our righteousness is as filthy rags” (Isa.
64:6).
God’s standard is His Perfect Law. No person has ever reached that standard but Jesus Christ. His perfect performance as the Son of God, enabled Him to purchase our salvation on the cross. Only God could pay that price. Jesus is God. Once again let me simply state the matter for emphasis: no one can be righteous in God’s sight by keeping the Law because nobody can possibly keep the Law of God.
As Paul stated over and over thus far in this Book, salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ’s finished work alone.
Paul quickly observed, however, that the Galatians “misunderstood and were misapplying” the “freedom” they received by grace. They confused the idea that “not being able to do anything to BECOME saved meant they had no obligation to do anything AFTER they were saved.
God’s standard is His Perfect Law. No person has ever reached that standard but Jesus Christ. His perfect performance as the Son of God, enabled Him to purchase our salvation on the cross. Only God could pay that price. Jesus is God. Once again let me simply state the matter for emphasis: no one can be righteous in God’s sight by keeping the Law because nobody can possibly keep the Law of God.
As Paul stated over and over thus far in this Book, salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ’s finished work alone.
Paul quickly observed, however, that the Galatians “misunderstood and were misapplying” the “freedom” they received by grace. They confused the idea that “not being able to do anything to BECOME saved meant they had no obligation to do anything AFTER they were saved.
On
one extreme were the Judaizers (false Jewish teachers) said that salvation
required keeping the Law in order to please God. On the other extreme some in Galatia believed
they were free from the Law to do whatever they pleased. They saw Liberty as a License to sin.
Paul warned them, “do not use your liberty in Christ as a license to sin”—Paul referred to such a license as, “opportunity for the flesh” (v13). The Holy Spirit indwells does not indwell us so we can do as we please, but so we will have the “power to do what pleases God!”
The word, “opportunity” (aphomen, ἀφορμήv) paints the picture of a runner at a starting line. It can draw the image of a person leaping from a “springboard.” Another image is that of a “base of operations for a military campaign.” The idea is, “don’t let the Devil get a starting point or base of operations in your life by giving into temptation.” I had a member once say to me, “Pastor, if parents don’t take pruning shears to remove the sinful behavior in their children’s lives when they are young, they will need to use a chain-saw to remove the sin in their lives when they are older.” Far too many parents learn this lesson the hard way.
Only as we surrender to the Holy Spirit in our lives—in a moment by moment, choice by choice, daily way—can we fulfill the righteous requirements of the Law. We are made righteous when the Holy Spirit enters our lives at salvation (2Cor. 5:21). Righteous living is simply allowing the Holy Spirit to “work out what the God has worked in.” Paul describes this process of fulfilling the Law as we are empowered by the Holy Spirit in Phil. 2:12, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.
Notice Paul says, “work out, not work in” your salvation. The Holy Spirit is the One Who empowers us to fulfill the Perfect Law of God in or daily living. Our Personal Divine Assistant also
2. empowers us so we can OVERCOME the FLESH (16-21, 24)
Here, we must recall what happens to the human nature when a person is saved. A lost person has only one spiritual nature, Paul refers to as, “the flesh.” A saved person receives the very nature of God when the Holy Spirit enters his or her life. It is the Indwelling Spirit of God that actually makes a person saved. No Spirit. No salvation. A saved person has two natures: Spirit and flesh.
Obviously, when the Indwelling Spirit enters one’s life, the flesh does not disappear. That takes place when we receive our spiritual bodies. (1Cor. 15:44). Until then, there is a constant tension between our two natures. The process of sanctification refers to a believer allowing the Holy Spirit to empower him or her to “overcome or overpower” our sin nature, the flesh. This happens as we do what Paul instructs in verse 24:
24 Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
The
great problem of humanity throughout history has been “religion.” In the specific case of Galatians, it was the
Jewish religion. The Judaizers were teaching
that sin is overcome by performing religious rituals, for example,
circumcision. Paul has fiercely rejected
this idea. The only power to overcome
the sinful flesh is surrendering to the Indwelling Holy Spirit of God. I’ve said this in several different ways
because it is extremely important to being a successful Spirit Walker and
bringing glory to God with our lives.
In order to clarify how the sinful flesh operates, Paul gives a representative list of sins associated with the flesh:
19 Now the works of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, moral impurity, promiscuity, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambitions, dissensions, factions, 21 envy, drunkenness, carousing, and anything similar. I tell you about these things in advance—as I told you before—that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
In order to clarify how the sinful flesh operates, Paul gives a representative list of sins associated with the flesh:
19 Now the works of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, moral impurity, promiscuity, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambitions, dissensions, factions, 21 envy, drunkenness, carousing, and anything similar. I tell you about these things in advance—as I told you before—that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
Read
most any newspaper. Peruse
FaceBook. Or, listen to the nightly news
and you will see that the world is driven by the flesh, not the Spirit.
Several
scholars see three different categories of sins in this list. Sensual sins,
as represented by sexual
immorality to promiscuity. Superstitious
sins, represented by idolatry and sorcery. “Sorcery” is particularly appropriate for our
day, though most don’t recognize it even though it is in the news almost
nightly. The word translated, sorcery is
the word from which we get our English word, pharmacy (φαρμακεία, pharmakeia).
It refers
to allowing someone or something else to alter your mental state, like our
societies fascination with and frenzied consumption of everything from plants
(marijuana) to pain-killers, for recreational use. Third, Paul outlines Social
sins, represented by hatred and the remaining fleshy deeds on
the list. Finally, he gives the most
important category of sins, Crucified sins.
Many Christians make a serious error when they believe that the Devil is their greatest enemy. Flip Wilson was a popular comedian back in the 70’s. One of his characters was a “sassy black woman.” Her catch phrase was, “The Devil made me do it!” This phrase became part of the popular culture. Now, it was intended to be funny, but whether funny or not, it can be a serious error. If you are a believer, the Devil cannot make you do anything! James says, “Resist the Devil and he MUST flee from you” (Jam. 4:7).
A believer’s biggest enemy is not the Devil, but one’s own flesh. The Devil has already been overcome. The flesh must be overcome daily. Years ago (1970) Earth Day was established. One of the figures that entered into the debate over pollution and environmental sensitivity was a possum named, Pogo, who lived in Okefenoke Swamp in Florida. As Pogo surveyed the garbage and trash that violated his beloved swamp, he remorsefully states, “We have seen the enemy and he is us.”
Paul states simply that we the Indwelling Holy Spirit empowers us to overcome the sinful deeds of the flesh. Verse 16 is very simple and clear: 16 I say then, walk by the Spirit and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.
When we are filled with the Holy Spirit, we fulfill the Law of God. When we are filled with the Holy Spirit, we overcome the flesh. When we are filled with the Holy Spirit He empowers us
3. to Produce Fruit (22-23, 25-26)
Many Christians make a serious error when they believe that the Devil is their greatest enemy. Flip Wilson was a popular comedian back in the 70’s. One of his characters was a “sassy black woman.” Her catch phrase was, “The Devil made me do it!” This phrase became part of the popular culture. Now, it was intended to be funny, but whether funny or not, it can be a serious error. If you are a believer, the Devil cannot make you do anything! James says, “Resist the Devil and he MUST flee from you” (Jam. 4:7).
A believer’s biggest enemy is not the Devil, but one’s own flesh. The Devil has already been overcome. The flesh must be overcome daily. Years ago (1970) Earth Day was established. One of the figures that entered into the debate over pollution and environmental sensitivity was a possum named, Pogo, who lived in Okefenoke Swamp in Florida. As Pogo surveyed the garbage and trash that violated his beloved swamp, he remorsefully states, “We have seen the enemy and he is us.”
Paul states simply that we the Indwelling Holy Spirit empowers us to overcome the sinful deeds of the flesh. Verse 16 is very simple and clear: 16 I say then, walk by the Spirit and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.
When we are filled with the Holy Spirit, we fulfill the Law of God. When we are filled with the Holy Spirit, we overcome the flesh. When we are filled with the Holy Spirit He empowers us
3. to Produce Fruit (22-23, 25-26)
Just
as Paul gives a list representing attitudes and behavior of the flesh, he gives
a list representing attitudes and behaviors of the Spirit.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is no law.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is no law.
This
is called, “The Fruit of the Spirit.”
Paul’s teaching on “Overcoming the Flesh” can be misunderstood as
indicating that Christianity is a reactionary way of life, or that Christian
living means we are perpetually playing defense. There are opposing views in sports such as
basketball and football, or any competitive sport for that matter, as to what
is most important, “offense or defense.”
This is like asking, “which wing of
an airplane is the most important.”
The fact of the matter is this: no game, including the game of life, can be won without a strong offensive game. Even if you keep the other team from scoring with a perfect defense, the best you can end up with is a tie. In order to win any contest—including the contest between the flesh and the Spirit—one must have a good offensive plan. That plan for a Christian is: produce the fruit of the Spirit. The Holy Spirit empowers us to produce Spiritual fruit.
What exactly is “fruit,” spiritual or otherwise? Is it simply ornamental to make the tree look nice? Is it simply to give us pleasure as we consume the sweetness of our endeavors? Or is fruit something more—something instrumental.
Any person past elementary school could easily count the number of apples on a tree. The truly wise person, however, is the one that can count the number of “trees in an apple.” Why are virtues like love, joy, peace, and the other so important? Not that they make our lives “look good,” but they make our lives “effective.” Cut open the fruit of an apple tree and what you will see is that each apple contains. A healthy apple has five seed pockets (carpels). Each carpel has two seeds. A typical apple contains ten trees. (Some varieties have six carpels, or twelve seeds).
God is “purposeful.” Everything He creates has a purpose. We love others with the love of God because that produces people that, in turn, fall in love with God. We express the joy of the Spirit because that, in turn, entices others to seek the joy that the Spirit brings. We exhibit peace in our lives because that, in turn, generates a thirst for that peace in the lives of others. This is true of every “fruit of the Spirit.” The purpose of fruit is to grow an orchard not garnish the branches on the tree.
The Holy Spirit empowers us to Produce Fruit that produces trees that bear more fruit. Too many churches whither and die because they consume the fruit of the Spirit but never “spit out the seeds!” (evangelism) The purpose of an apple is to bear more apple trees! The purpose of a believer is to make more believers.
So many believers have no fruit in their own lives and so bear no fruit for the Kingdom of God. What good is a tree that bears no fruit? The Bible says Mt. 7:19, “Every tree that doesn’t produce good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”
What does Jesus say about a tree that produces fruit? “He prunes every branch that produces fruit so that it will produce more fruit” (Jn. 15:2).
Paul ends this message on our Personal Divine Assistant with a warning not to become prideful in our Christian walk. The more we surrender to the Holy Spirit, the more powerful we become as Spirit Walkers, and therefore, the more risk we have of becoming prideful. So Paul warns us (5:25-26),
25 Since we live by the Spirit, we must also follow the Spirit. 26 We must not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.
The fact of the matter is this: no game, including the game of life, can be won without a strong offensive game. Even if you keep the other team from scoring with a perfect defense, the best you can end up with is a tie. In order to win any contest—including the contest between the flesh and the Spirit—one must have a good offensive plan. That plan for a Christian is: produce the fruit of the Spirit. The Holy Spirit empowers us to produce Spiritual fruit.
What exactly is “fruit,” spiritual or otherwise? Is it simply ornamental to make the tree look nice? Is it simply to give us pleasure as we consume the sweetness of our endeavors? Or is fruit something more—something instrumental.
Any person past elementary school could easily count the number of apples on a tree. The truly wise person, however, is the one that can count the number of “trees in an apple.” Why are virtues like love, joy, peace, and the other so important? Not that they make our lives “look good,” but they make our lives “effective.” Cut open the fruit of an apple tree and what you will see is that each apple contains. A healthy apple has five seed pockets (carpels). Each carpel has two seeds. A typical apple contains ten trees. (Some varieties have six carpels, or twelve seeds).
God is “purposeful.” Everything He creates has a purpose. We love others with the love of God because that produces people that, in turn, fall in love with God. We express the joy of the Spirit because that, in turn, entices others to seek the joy that the Spirit brings. We exhibit peace in our lives because that, in turn, generates a thirst for that peace in the lives of others. This is true of every “fruit of the Spirit.” The purpose of fruit is to grow an orchard not garnish the branches on the tree.
The Holy Spirit empowers us to Produce Fruit that produces trees that bear more fruit. Too many churches whither and die because they consume the fruit of the Spirit but never “spit out the seeds!” (evangelism) The purpose of an apple is to bear more apple trees! The purpose of a believer is to make more believers.
So many believers have no fruit in their own lives and so bear no fruit for the Kingdom of God. What good is a tree that bears no fruit? The Bible says Mt. 7:19, “Every tree that doesn’t produce good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”
What does Jesus say about a tree that produces fruit? “He prunes every branch that produces fruit so that it will produce more fruit” (Jn. 15:2).
Paul ends this message on our Personal Divine Assistant with a warning not to become prideful in our Christian walk. The more we surrender to the Holy Spirit, the more powerful we become as Spirit Walkers, and therefore, the more risk we have of becoming prideful. So Paul warns us (5:25-26),
25 Since we live by the Spirit, we must also follow the Spirit. 26 We must not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.
Back in the 90’s when I owned a business I bought a
Palm Pilot. I never really mastered it,
and I was always losing that plastic pencil thing you had to use to operate
it. As a “Personal Data Assistant,” the
Palm Pilot didn’t fly for me.
My Personal DIVINE Assistant, however, is a totally different experience altogether. I don’t have to master Him, but I only have to let Him master me. There are no plastic stylists or other parts to lose. I only need to surrender every thought and every action to the Holy Spirit and He will empower me to live a godly, effective life as a devoted follower of the Lord Jesus Christ, Fulfilling the Law, Overcoming the Flesh, and Producing Fruit.
The Holy Spirit is our Personal Divine Assistant empowering us to fulfill our responsibilities as born-again, blood-bought, Spirit baptized believers.
My Personal DIVINE Assistant, however, is a totally different experience altogether. I don’t have to master Him, but I only have to let Him master me. There are no plastic stylists or other parts to lose. I only need to surrender every thought and every action to the Holy Spirit and He will empower me to live a godly, effective life as a devoted follower of the Lord Jesus Christ, Fulfilling the Law, Overcoming the Flesh, and Producing Fruit.
The Holy Spirit is our Personal Divine Assistant empowering us to fulfill our responsibilities as born-again, blood-bought, Spirit baptized believers.
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