The Fifth Freedom Galatians 5 13 26 Chapter

The Fifth Freedom Galatians 5: 13 -26 Chapter 10

• Franklin Roosevelt shared his vision of four basic freedom enjoyed by all – – Freedom of speech Freedom of worship Freedom from want Freedom from fear • Fifth freedom is needed in our world – Freedom from himself and the tyranny of his sinful nature • Answers to the problem – Not law on the outside

– Love on the inside – Power within which is the power from the Holy Spirit • 14 references to the Holy Spirit in Galatians – – – Spirit dwells within the believers (3: 2) Born of the Spirit as was Isaac (4: 29) Spirit give assurance of salvation (4: 6) Spirit enables us to live for Christ and glorify Him Spirit is not a divine influence, but a divine Person Spirit personalizes for the believers and applies to their lives as they yield to the Spirit • The ministries of the Holy Spirit enabling believer to enjoy liberty in Christ

– The Spirit enables us to fulfill (obey) • The law of love (5: 13 -15) – Your liberty into license • Our calling – Free from the guilt of God’s forgiveness – Free from the penalty of sin because Christ died for us – Free from the power of sin in daily life through the Spirit – Free from the law with all its demands and threats – Called into liberty because we are called unto the grace of Christ (1: 6) • “Don’t allow liberty into license. ” – Danger is real because men fail the grace of God (Heb 12: 15) – Liberty is not a license to sin, but an opportunity to serve

• Commandment: by love serve one another (Gal 5: 3) – Liberty + love = service to others – Liberty – love = license (slavery to sin – “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself” solves every problem in human relation (Rom 13: 8 -14) • Holy Spirit gives love ( Rom 5: 5, Gal 6: 22) • Galatian believers lack love because they were biting and devouring one another, or destroying each other (Gal 5: 15) • Legalists and libertines destroy the fellowship – II Cor 3 – difference between spiritual maturity of grace and carnal ministry of the law – The Holy Spirit enables us to overcome the flesh (old nature) (Gal 5: 16 -21, 24)

• Conflicts (16 -17) – – – – The flesh & Spirit at war Human body, not sinful but neutral Spirit & flesh: different appetites, lusts of flesh Sheep vs pig Dove vs raven Unsaved doesn’t have the Holy Spirit (Rom 8: 9) Christian cannot simply will (want) to overcome the flesh (Rom 7: 15, 19) • Conquests (v. 18) – Surrender to the Holy Spirit – “But if you are willing led by the Spirit, then you are not under the law” – Holy Spirit writes God’s law in our hearts (Heb 10: 1417) so that we desire to obey Him in love

– “I delight to do thy will : yea, thy law is within my heart” Ps 40: 8) – Being “led of the Spirit” and “walking in the Spirit” opposite of yielding to the desires of the flesh • Crucifixion (v. 19 -21, 24) – The flesh manufacture sin, but it can never produce the righteousness of God » “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked” (Jer 17: 9) – Sensual sins (19, 21 b) » Adultery: illicit sex between married people » Fornication: illicit sex between unmarried people » Uncleanness: filthiness of heart and mind making a person defiled – Superstitious sins (20 a) » Idolatry: putting things ahead of God and people » We worship God, love people, and use things

» We use people, love self, and worship things leaving God out » Witchcraft: Greek word pharmekeia – use of drugs » Sorcery: activities of occult (Deuteronomy 18: 922) – Social sins (20 b-21 a) » Hatred: enmity – the attitude of mind that defies and challenges others » Variance: strife – outworking of enmity » Emulation: jealousy or rivalry » Wrath – outburst of anger » Strife: self-seeking, selfish ambition causing division » Seditions: divisions » Heresy: party spirit, faction » Envying: carrying of grudges » Murders

– Those who practice those sins shall not inherit the kingdom of God » Habit of sin » The fact that the believer is not under the law, but under the grace; no excuse for sin (Rom 6: 15) – The old nature must be crucified (v. 24) » The believer is identified with Christ in death, burial, and resurrection (Rom 6) » I died with Christ » Christ died for me to remove the penalty of sin » I died with Christ to break sin’s power » We cannot crucify ourselves: the flesh has already been crucified » Our responsibility: to believe and act on it; reckoning (Rom 6, Col 3: 5) – We are not debtor to the flesh , but to the Holy Spirit (Rom 8: 12 -14)

» We must make no “ provision for the flesh” (Rom 13: 14) » No confidence in the flesh (Phil 3: 3) » Flesh is not subject to the law (Rom 8: 7) » Flesh cannot please God (Rom 8: 8) – Holy Spirit is the Spirit of life and death » Only through the Spirit we can put to death the deeds that the flesh would do through our body (Rom 8: 2, 13) – The Holy Spirit enables us to produce fruit (5: 22 -23, 25 -26) • Contrast between the works and fruit – – Fruit grows out of life Works – effort, labor, strain, and toil Fruit beauty, quietness, the unfolding of life The flesh produces dead works (Heb 9: 14); Spirit produces living fruit

– Fruit has seed for more fruit (Gen 1: 11) » Fruit, more fruit, much fruit (John 15: 2, 5) • Different kinds of fruits – – – • • People won to Christ (Rom 1: 13) Holy living (Rom 6: 33) Gifts brought to God (Rom 15: 26 -28) Good works (Col 1: 10) Praise (Heb 13: 15) The fruit of Spirit – character (Gal 5: 22 -23) Gift of the Spirit – salvation (Acts 2: 38, 11: 17) Gifts of the Spirit – service (I Cor 12) Graces of the Spirit – Character before spiritual gifts • Godward aspect of the Christian life – Love: the other fruit is the outgrowth of love (I Cor 13: 4 -80

» Agape: divine love, God’s gift to us (Rom 5: 5) » Eros – sensual love, not used in N. T, – Joy: inward peace and sufficiency not affected by the outward circumstances – Peace is produced by love and joy, “the peace of God which passeth all understanding” Phil 4: 7) • Manward aspect of the Christian life – Longsuffering: courageous endurance without quitting – Gentleness: kindness – Goodness: love in action • Selfward aspect of the Christian life – Faith: faithfulness, dependability – Meekness: the right use of power and authority, power under control, humility – Temperance: self-control • The old nature can counterfeit the fruit of the Spirit, but it can never produce the fruit

• When The Spirit produces the fruit God gets the glory • When the flesh is at work, he is proud of himself and pleased when others compliment him. • Cultivation of the fruit » The Spirit and the Word » Walk in the Spirit (Gal 5: 25) » Word, prayer, worship, praise, and fellowship with God’s people » “Pulling out the weed” so the Word can take the root and bear fruit – Fruit is to be eaten, not to be admired and put on display – People are starving for love, joy, peace, and others – We bear fruit so that others might be fed and helped and that Christ be glorified

– The secret of the Christian life is the Holy Spirit • He gives us the “fifth freedom” – freedom from self and sin