“The Way of the Spirit”

Galatians 2:20; 5:16-26


by way of introduction
1. next week I’m going to launch into a new sermon series on the Gospel of Mark. Before I do that I want to circle back around to Galatians 2:20 (2 messages – 3/19 & 4/2).

2. this morning I want to add Galatians 5:16-26 to 2:20. They go together. 5:16-26 is the practical outworking, the application of 2:20.

this is about all of us
1. I want to talk about something today that touches all of us. The struggle to do good when something inside of us pulls us to do bad.

2. let me illustrate –
* your spouse gets out of the wrong side of the bed, says something to you that irritates you – you want to be loving – but you fire back a comment that you know will sting, bingo!
* you hear a juicy bit of information about your neighbor that you intend to keep to yourself – but then you’re talking to another neighbor – and before you know it you’ve passed it on to them
* you know you shouldn’t, you don’t want to, you’ve made up your mind you’re never going to do this again – but when temptation comes dancing along – you give in & do it again & again & again

3. for the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want (5:17).

4. the answer to this struggle lies in The Way of The Spirit. Let me explain.

Crucifixion
1. the Way of the Spirit begins with crucifixion:
* Romans 6:6 – our old self was crucified with him
* Galatians 2:20 – I have been crucified with Christ
* Galatians 6:14 – the world has been crucified to me and I to the world
* Galatians 5:24 – those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature

2. 6:6 + 2:20 + 6:13 all refer to the same notion of crucifixion:
* I died to sin/self once in Christ
* happened to us
* our faith union with Christ in his crucifixion
* past, unique, unrepeatable

3. 5:24 refers to a different notion of crucifixion:
* I die daily to sin/self like Christ
* we do it ourselves
* our imitation of Christ’s crucifixion
* present, repeatable

4. this is how Galatians 5:24 follows Galatians 2:20. What has been done for us in Christ’s death on the cross – our union by faith with Christ – we are expected to do daily by imitating Christ as we fight against our fallen nature & sin.

5. we are to carry our sinful nature, selfishness, sin to the place of execution – the cross. We say “no” to self & sin. We say “yes” to Jesus. But we need help to do this.

Spirit vs. Flesh
1. Paul is big on the Holy Spirit. He can’t conceive of a way to live for Christ without being totally sold out to the Spirit because of the lingering affects of our sinful nature.

2. sinful nature refers to what we are by virtue of our natural birth – we are born with a sinful, fallen nature.

3. Spirit refers to what we have by virtue of our new birth – the Holy Spirit remakes our old nature. And he comes to dwell within us.

4. and these two are in a dog fight, a battle (5:17). The Spirit leads us to victory. Fighting on our own will take us down in defeat.

the sinful nature – 5:19-21
1. here is a partial catalog of what our sinful nature produces in our lives. And the like (21) means there’s more.

2. 1st the realm of sex
* sexual immorality – sexual intercourse between unmarried people & all forms of sexual sin – homosexuality & pornography
* impurity – sexual immorality leads to an impure lifestyle, perspective, values, outlook
* debauchery – unbridled sexual activity

3. 2nd the realm of religion
* idolatry – worship of other gods. I think many of us are guilty of idolatry. An idol is anything that takes the place of God in our lives. Whatever it is that we live for apart from God – money, possessions, power, career, house, car, physical body….
* witchcraft – tampering with the powers of evil

4. 3rd the realm of personal relationships. This realm receives the most attention from Paul. The behaviors on this list destroy community, unity & holiness.
* hatred
* discord
* jealously
* fits of rage
* selfish ambition
* dissensions
* factions
* envy

5. 4th the realm of drinking
* drunkenness
* orgies – drinking parties

6. Paul concludes with a sobering line – those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. In other words, God’s kingdom is just the opposite of such things. Scot McKnight – One’s final standing with God, contends Paul, is directly related to whether or not a person lives in the flesh or in the Spirit.

Fruit of the Spirit
1. in contrast, Paul now paints a picture of what the Kingdom of God is like. What can be expected in the life of the Spirit. Here are 3 clusters of fruit.

2. 1st cluster relates to God:
* love – 1st love is love for God
* joy – joy in God & Christ
* peace – deepest peace is our peace in God

3. 2 days before my brother died 1 of his nurses told my parents that he had taken care of many terminal patients but he had never come across someone as peaceful as Tom. Tom told me that the best part of his saying “yes” to Jesus was the peace he experienced. We all saw it in his eyes. The fruit of the Spirit.

4. 2nd cluster relates to others
* patience – bears the rudeness & unkindness of others & refuses to retaliate
* kindness – wishing everyone well & wanting the best for others
* goodness – kindness in action; serving people in concrete, positive ways
These are 3 ascending steps in our attitude to others

5. 3rd cluster relates to self
* faithfulness – not of Christ or of others but the faithfulness that causes others to rely on us
* gentleness – not a quality of the soft & weak but of the strong & energetic, whose strength & energy are kept under control (john stott)
* self-control - mastering our tongue, thoughts, appetites, passions

6. the fruit of the Spirit is a picture of Christ himself. A picture of the balanced, Christ-like, Spirit-filled life. These qualities are to mark each of our lives.

3 facets of the fruit of the Spirit
1st the fruit of the Spirit is supernatural in origin.
1. the fruit comes from the Spirit – qualities the Spirit supernaturally produces in us when we are responding to him.

2. the fruit of the Spirit is the best available evidence of the indwelling fullness of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Why? Because they are Christ-like characteristics & measure how far along we are in being conformed into the image of Christ.

2nd the fruit of the Spirit is natural in growth.
1. fruit grows naturally & so does the fruit of the Spirit given the right conditions. Galatians 6:7-8 helps us here. How can we sow to please the Spirit?
* thoughts & habits
* lifestyle life-direction life-discipline
* friendships & relationships
* books movies music

2. we expect the fruit of the Spirit to grow in our lives if we are not living to please God – walk in his ways.

3rd the fruit of the Spirit is gradual in maturity.
1. we know this to be true of apples, grapefruit, oranges & bananas. It’s also true of our character development. Christ-like character is the product of a lifetime.

2. the Holy Spirit implants God’s life in us instantaneously when we say “yes” to Jesus – but he finds it takes time, a long time, for God’s life to fully ripen in us.

walk in the Spirit
1. Paul keeps coming back to the Holy Spirit. He is to play a giant role in our lives:
* live by the Spirit (16)
* led by the Spirit (18)
* live by the Spirit (25)
* keep in step with the Spirit (26)

2. 1ST led by the Spirit. The verb is in the present continuous sense. This means we are to live like this every day, all the time, again & again.

3. the verb is also in the passive voice – this means we are to be led by something. The something is the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is the One who does the leading.

4. now we’re ready to look at live by the Spirit. We find the present continuous sense here. But this verb is active not passive. Active means we do the living.

5. let me put the 2 together. It is the Spirit who does the leading & we who do the living. We are to live as the Spirit leads. This word Paul uses for lead is used of – farmer herding cattle, shepherd leading sheep, soldiers escorting prisoners.

6. so who is the leader of our lives? The Holy Spirit! He takes the initiative. He asserts his desires against those of our sinful nature. He forms within us Christ-like passions & Spirit-ripened fruit. That’s his part.

7. now our part is to walk, to live purposively in the Spirit’s way. The Holy Spirit is the path we walk in, as well as the guide who shows us the way (john stott).

8. I have to point out 1 more aspect of the Spirit Way to you. Keep in step with the Spirit (26) translates a word that means “drawn up in a line.” Thus, it means to “walk in line” or “be in line with.”

9. in Galatians 5 this line is the Holy Spirit & his will for us. Keep in step with the Spirit means to walk along the path or line that the Holy Spirit lays down for us. The Spirit “leads” & we “walk.”