Category Archives: Fruit of the Spirit
The Discipline of a Godly Man- 1st Corinthians 9:24-27
Text: 1 Corinthians 9:19-27 4/27/08 a.m.
Thesis: Our greatest work is to stay connected and connect others to the power of the cross.
Intro: Christianity is a powerful thing. Romans 1:16 says, “The gospel is the power of God unto salvation.”
1st Corinthians 1:17 says that the cross of Christ has power.
1st Corinthians 1:24 says that Christ is the power and wisdom of God. That power is real and that power is for salvation, daily living, and eternal life.
I want to experience that Christ-centered power and I want you to experience that power.
We all have muscles. The more you use those muscles the stronger they grow. As Christians we have all been given the power to live boldly for Christ.
Muscles don’t get strong over night and your faith and boldness in Christ do not get strong over night. It takes discipline.
I believe that you and I will experience the power of God poured out through Christ when we put in the hard work to stay connected to Christ.
I want you to live the truth that your greatest work is to stay connected and connect others to the power of the cross. This is the discipline of a godly man
Read 1st Corinthians 9:24-27
I) We must fight to keep Jesus the main thing
a) Godly men are not ashamed to live the truth that Jesus is the prize.
i) Verse 24 states it as an obvious fact that when there is a race every man is competing to win the prize.
ii) All the runners run. There is no one there just to try their best. They are all there to try their best in order to win the prize.
iii) And there is only one prize so only one person gets that prize.
iv) The runners’ hearts pound with the desire to be the one man holding that one prize.
v) Now their prize was generally a crown of olive leaves. Their prize was being recognized by all the people as the greatest of athletes.
vi) They compete, exercise self-control, live intentionally, and discipline themselves in order to win a perishable wreath.
vii) But verse 25 says we Christians compete, exercise self-control, live intentionally, and discipline ourselves in order to obtain an imperishable wreath.
viii) Let me show you from Scripture that Jesus is that imperishable wreath. He is our prize.
ix) This particular word, ‘prize’ is found in only two places in the New Testament. In 1st Corinthians 9 and in Philippians 3.
x) Turn to Philippians 3:12-14
xi) The athletic metaphor in Philippians and Corinthians is unmistakable but neither gives us the specific content of the prize.
xii) The prize is an imperishable wreath in 1 Corinthians 9. The prize is an upward call in Philippians 3.
xiii) So let me give you the explicit content of the prize: Philippians 3:7-11 (read it).
xiv) The imperishable wreath and the upward call are both “knowing Christ Jesus my Lord”.
xv) Our hearts cry out for something glorious and satisfying. The Hebrew word our bibles translate as glory carries the main idea of heavy.
xvi) We want something bigger than ourselves; something greater than us that gives hope. Hope that will not disappoint and hope that will sustain all that we do.
xvii) Athletes do all that they do to win, shave off a few strokes, trim a few seconds off each mile, and be the best they can possibly be so that they can win the prize.
xviii) The prize that we as Christians press on to obtain is the prize of eternal life. The prize of attaining the resurrection from the dead.
xix) John 17:3 says, “And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.”
xx) Seeing that person you love who has past away sounds so good now but eventually the excitement of that will wear away like it did when they were here.
xxi) You’ll grow accustom to the mansion. The streets of gold and pearly gates will one day become normal.
xxii) If Jesus is not there to give heaven it’s fill of glory than eternal life is only the equivalent of being a healthy debt-free 20 year old.
xxiii) Let me tell you, being a healthy debt-free 20 something is nice but I crave something deeper.
xxiv) I feel good when I wake up, my needs are met, but I desire a prize that will not perish or grow old or lose it’s luster throughout eternity.
xxv) Only Jesus is a sufficient prize. He is the only prize that will not lose it’s luster. Knowing Him is the only mega-prize that will keep heaven satisfying for all eternity.
b) We must live today so that we will obtain that prize
i) The end of 1st Corinthians 9:24, “So run that you may obtain it.”
ii) We’ve made Christianity about walking in gardens alone while the dew is still on the roses while the bible makes Christianity about putting on body armor, strapping on a sword, and putting to death the deeds of the flesh (Romans 8:13; Eph 6; Col 3:5)
iii) Run, in the end of verse 24, is a present active imperative. It’s a command to keep on running. And it’s not you in the singular it’s you in the plural.
iv) Ya’ll get off your spiritual duffs and run. When the Spirit stirs us and we discipline ourselves to focus on Jesus the Christian response is to run after Christ.
v) Here’s a no-brainer: run can be defined as the “rapid forward movement of the feet” (TDNT, Vol8.226)
vi) The every day forward moving of our feet must be for the purpose of taking hold of or seizing Christ.
vii) Notice that the runner receives the prize but the Christian obtains the prize.
viii) Receive is the word “lambano” while obtain is the word “katalambano.”
ix) When you add the prefix kata onto a word it intensifies the meaning.
x) The Christian should be more intense when it comes to knowing Christ than Dick Butkus and Bill Romanowski when it comes to making a tackle.
xi) To cross that finish line to the words, “well done my good and faithful servant” there must be intensity and purpose.
xii) Intensity and purpose come from intensity and purpose. Discipline builds with compounding interest.
xiii) Let’s look at what discipline for the cause of Christ looks like.
II) Gaining Christ involves exercising self control, being intentional, and disciplining yourself.
a) Verse 25 makes it a matter of fact that Christians exercise self-control (read 25)
i) Self-control is the idea of having power over yourself. Apart from the work of Christ applied to us by the power of the Spirit we are ruled by ourselves.
ii) Apart from being born again we are slaves to sin. For the non-Christian it’s not a matter of choosing to sin or not to sin it’s a matter of choosing which sin.
iii) For the Christian who has been set free from the power of sin and death it is a matter of choosing to sin or not to sin.
iv) Now because of Christ in us and the Spirit-filled Scriptures we are equipped to put our sinful desires in their place.
v) It has now become a matter of wanting to control our sinful desires and seeking God’s grace to control our sinful desires.
vi) If athletes make great sacrifices in order to be in the best physical condition possible does it not hold true that Christians should make great sacrifices in order to be in the best spiritual condition possible?
vii) Galatians 5:23 tells us that self-control is a fruit of the Spirit. Self-control is a gift given to every believer who must put that gift into action.
viii) The key to success is to exercise self-control in all things. Success in the Christian life is found as the mega-gospel of Jesus Christ redeems and reshapes every aspect of our lives.
ix) A defeated athlete is the athlete who has self-control in every area of exercise, diet, equipment choices, and strategy but lacks self-control in the area of getting enough sleep.
x) This is why the Spirit ensured that Paul was writing about the athlete in the singular but the Christian in the plural.
xi) One dude is easily whipped but a chord of three strands is not easily broken.
xii) If soldiers are going to battle and one brother notices a weakness in his other brother it is necessary for survival that the weakness be pointed out.
xiii) Self-control is never attained with just you and Jesus. Self-control is attained, exercised, and restored as a body.
xiv) If you lack self-control repent to God, put your faith in Christ, and find a believer here to help.
b) Verse 26 makes it clear that Christians must be intentional
i) Read verse 26
ii) I do not run without clarity. If you are living a Forest Gump Christianity one day you’ll be out in the middle of no where and realize you are just running without a purpose.
iii) Running for the sake of running is foolishness. Run so that you can obtain Christ.
iv) Many of us live frustrated Christian lives because we’re like a ship without a port. We’ve got a rudder. We’ve been given the Spirit and Scripture but we’re not going anywhere. We’re content to float in the ocean of life.
v) Set your compass on Christ and no matter the terrain do not get off course. Be purposeful as you run.
vi) Do you know who the shadow boxing champion of the world is? There is no such thing.
vii) The skill of a boxer is proven when he enters the ring against a real opponent who bobs, weaves, and hits back.
viii) Christians don’t run around fighting imaginary battles. To obtain Christ we must step into the ring against a real opponent.
ix) So, we must be clear about our destination and we must be ready to fight a real enemy to get there.
x) Now who is our real enemy? Is it Satan? No. Is it the world? No. Is it our spouse or kids or boss? No.
xi) Our real enemy is ourselves.
c) The Christian must discipline himself for godliness
i) Paul told young Timothy to get in the spiritual gymnasium and make progress.
ii) 1 Corinthians 9:27 says…
iii) Paul wrote in Romans 7:18-19
For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. 19 For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing.
iv) What has been called indwelling sin distracts us from Christ. Indwelling sin messes up the compass.
v) Indwelling sin is the desire of the flesh to find worth, satisfaction, and pleasure in any place other than in Christ and in any way other than God’s way.
vi) This leads to being disqualified.
vii) If an athlete competes against the rules he is disqualified.
viii) I guarantee I can beat any Olympic athlete in the 100 yard dash if I get a 30 second head start.
ix) But that is called a false start. You get disqualified for that. Your race doesn’t count when you compete in violation of the rules.
x) Don’t be surprised when you have desires that are against the gracious commands of Christ.
xi) “I can’t believe I did that.” I can’t believe I said that. These are phrases that need to be dropped from the Christian’s vocabulary.
xii) “I’m sorry, forgive me because of Christ” needs to be added to our vocabularies both with God and with others.
xiii) The Christian’s response to temptation and failure is not to give in or give up.
xiv) The Christian’s response is not to bind demons or find someone including God to blame.
xv) Our response to temptation and failure is discipline.
xvi) Everyone of us is like Cain. God said to Cain in Genesis 4:7
If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it.”
xvii) If you run hard to obtain Christ you will do well but your pride is crouching at the door. Your pride wants to master you. You must master it.
xviii) You must pummel your body. Beat your body, your sinful desires into submission. How do you do that?
xix) How does an athlete do it? Is success found by simply avoiding what is wrong? Never.
xx) Success is found by avoiding what is wrong and pursuing what is right.
xxi) If Christianity in your mind is just a list of things to avoid then you’ve totally missed Christianity.
xxii) Christianity is intentionally avoiding what is cheap to gain what is valuable and Christianity is training your mind to know the difference.
xxiii) Christianity is about training your appetite to desire something different.
xxiv) That’s one of the main reasons Christians fast. When we fast it shows us just how much our flesh rules us.
xxv) Fasting shows us where we have gotten a few clicks off of the target. And pursing Christ gets us back on target.
xxvi) So go to town on wrong desires by going to town on right desires. I must decrease Christ must increase.
xxvii) You and I will never get rid of sin by trying to get rid of sin. The way to get rid of sin is by running hard to gain Christ. This must be done in all humility.
xxviii) As we close I want to be very clear concerning what can be a confusing idea.
d) There is a right way and a wrong way to live
i) Read verse 27
ii) Disqualified means that the circumstances of life prove your profession of faith in Christ to not be true.
iii) It’s a word used to refer to the process of testing metals. Fools gold and real gold look the same until they are tested by the metal smith.
iv) When tested fools gold is disqualified.
v) 2 Corinthians 13:5 says
Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you? —unless indeed you fail to meet the test!
vi) I’m about to ask you a question that is at the same time very simple and quite profound.
vii) Is Jesus Christ in you?
viii) Jesus said in John 3:36, “he who believes in the Son has life but he who rejects the Son will not see life for God’s wrath remains on him.”
ix) Your life is a race. Every one of us is running after something. To receive the Son is to run after the Son. He is the goal of your life.
x) To receive the Son is to start with the Son. He cleanses us by the power of the cross removing the guilty stain of every sin. He is the starting line.
xi) To receive the Son is to rely on the Son. Because he was made like us and tempted in every way he can sympathize with our weaknesses. He knows your weakness and sent the Spirit to give you strength. Christ is our energy.
xii) The great news of the gospel is that even though there is only one prize everyone who runs receives the prize.
xiii) The fastest runner and the runner who twisted his ankle coming out of the blocks receive the same glorious prize.
xiv) My prayer for you and I hope your prayer for me is that you would see the infinite value of Christ and run the race of this life so that you will obtain Christ.
xv) Let’s pray for eyes that see His glory and want to pursue him. Let’s pray for faith that sees his powerful sacrifice for sins. Let’s pray for consciences that are cleansed. Let’s pray for love that endures. Let’s pray for each other.
Pastor Keith- Cultivating Fruit, Galatians 5:13-26
Cultivating Fruit
You Were Called To Fruit-Bearing Freedom
Exposition: Galatians 5:13-26
This lesson is a little longer than some of the others. I have worked to make it as clear as I can. Before you get started with it, I want to highlight the three things that I want you to learn.
1) What is the purpose for the Law?
2) How are we to fight the battle with sin?
3) What does it mean to “Walk by the Spirit”?
I. Introduction: Spiritual Weapon for Spiritual WarHaving described the tremendous buildup of military weapons by the German army in WWII, William Shirer makes a very interesting comment about the possibility of victory. He writes, “Formidable as German military power was becoming at the beginning of the summer of 1939, the prospect of success in the war which Hitler was planning for the early fall depended on what kind of a war it was.”Allow me to paraphrase and apply Shirer’s words to our passage in Galatians 5:
The kind of war which is waged determines whether the weapons employed will be successful.
This same principle explains the failure of legalism to overcome sins. What is legalism?
Jerry Bridges offers a good definition:Legalism is “effort to grow . . . out of fear of the consequences or to gain favor with God.”C. J. Mahaney’s definition is also good:“Legalism is seeking to achieve forgiveness from God and acceptance by God through obedience to God.”
The Law as a spiritual weapon is ineffective because of the nature of the war. Galatians 5 describes a spiritual warfare. In Galatians, it is a war within the soul, a war against the flesh. Grace is needed because of the fallen nature that remains in the life of the believer, and wages war against the Spirit. This is the key point for this lesson. The problem in Galatians was that a particular group of people came into the church called the Judaizers, who believed that the only way to fight sin was with the Old Testament Law. They taught the Gentile Christians in the church at Galatia that to be holy they would have to be circumcised. They attempted to fight the spiritual war with the weapons of the flesh. To seek to subdue sin by means of the flesh is like trying to put out a grease fire with water. It only makes matters worse. To understand Galatians 5, it is key to recognize that Paul argues in this passage that the Law promotes sin and grace prevents it. The Law is inadequate to fight the flesh, but grace overcomes it.
II. Freedom to Love and Fulfill the Law (5:13-15)
(Galatians 5:13-15) For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. 14 For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 15 But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another. Initially I viewed verses 13-15 as somewhat minor, compared to the more important truths of “walking in the Spirit.” These verses, however, are critical to understanding the place in which “walking in the Spirit” is to occur. Paul is not discussing spirituality theoretically, but in the very practical context of church life. The primary place where we are to practice walking in the Spirit is at church. We are being equipped in our relationships with one another so that we will trust God and depend on the gospel in more hostile settings. For example, when patience is required at the Department of Motor Vehicles, or when an unbelieving family member hurts you and forgiveness is hard. In these verses, two points need to be highlighted: First, we were called to freedom (see v. 13). Second, we fulfill the Law by love (see v. 13-14). A. It was for FreedomVerse 13 takes the freedom theme, and here, Paul distinguishes what the freedom is for and how it is to be used. He says we are not to use our freedom for opportunity for the flesh, but for opportunity to show love and serve one another. The Judaizers probably reacted to Paul’s teaching on the issue of freedom, because they feared that freedom would lead to permission to live any way you wish. The truth is “life as you wish” was not very pretty in the Gentile world. The Gentile world would have made San Francisco look like Mayberry. The Judaizers’ concerns were wrong. Paul’s words in verse 13 make it clear that the freedom which the gospel gives is not the freedom to sin, but freedom from sin. Biblical freedom does not cater to the flesh, but crucifies it (see Gal. 2:20 and 5:24). Actually, freedom to sin is not freedom. Indulging the flesh is slavery to the flesh. Whenever one is a servant of the flesh, one is in bondage to it. Paul asserts that there is freedom from bondage to sin. Biblical freedom is not freedom to serve sin. It is not a license to immorality. Paul’s word to the Judaizers is “the liberty of the gospel produces what you want—freedom from sin. The Law can never have this result.” The reason that seeking to keep the law cannot lead to freedom from sin and holiness is whenever one tries to adhere to the Law, they are putting confidence in the flesh. That is the root problem with sin and the root cause of sin. If flesh succeeds, flesh gets the glory. If flesh were to get glory, it would be sin. It is hopeless cycle that never results in honoring God.Rather than being an opportunity to sin, freedom is a call to love. Paul urges the Galatian believers to use their freedom “through love serve one another” (v. 13). Loving and serving others is the goal of freedom. When we are free from sin, we are free for service to one another. When you think about it, it makes sense. We are free from living in the flesh, seeking to glorify the flesh. Therefore, we are free from self-centered, prideful desires that lead us to sin. B. Fulfill the Law by Love Verse 14 also challenges the position of the Judaizers. Paul writes, quoting Jesus, “For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself’.”The Judaizers taught that men needed to keep the OT Law to be holy before God. In contrast, Paul argues that anyone who places himself under the Law by submitting to circumcision is destined for failure, because it is impossible to perfectly keep everything in the Law (see Galatians 5:2-3).Paul says that we keep the Law by “loving your neighbor as yourself.” This raises the question, “what is the purpose of the Law?”
Encouragement to Plow:I use two important words in the next few paragraphs: standard and source. These are important ideas to contrast in order to get a clear understanding of the role of the law and the gospel. Allow me to attempt to define them. Standard refers to a guide or measurement. The law functions as a standard. It is a commendable goal. Source refers to the method, means or the way something is accomplished. The gospel functions as the source of obedience to God.
Even though the Law is not a source to obtain righteousness, it is a standard, a commendable goal. This point is important. Some readers of Galatians assume that the Law has no value because they have misinterpreted statements about being free from the Law and having died to the Law. Paul correctly states that the Law is valid as a standard of righteousness. He writes, “For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself’.” From this statement, we see that the Law is not a bad word. We see the Law as a standard. We see that the goal of the Law is love. One way to picture this is to see the Law as a map or driving directions. It points to the goal, but the map does not get you to the destination. While the Law is a valid standard, it cannot be a source of righteousness. The Judaizers incorrectly taught that the Law was a source of righteousness, a source by which to please and gain favor with God. They assumed that they could be righteous by keeping the Law. But, the Law’s standard is not fulfilled by the Law. It is fulfilled by those who “walk in the Spirit.” The Spirit is the “vehicle” or means to follow the Law’s directions toward love. The Spirit produces “Faith working through love” (Gal. 5:6). The Spirit comes through faith in the promise of the Gospel. We continue in the Spirit by faith.
The Law is fulfilled by walking in the Spirit. We can see this point clearly in two passages: one in Galatians and one in Romans.Galatians 3:1-2You foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you, before whose eyes Christ Jesus was publicly portrayed as crucified? This is the only thing I want to find out from you: did you receive the Spirit by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith? Romans 8:2For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death. For what the Law could not do (as a source of spiritual life), weak as it was through the flesh, God did sending His own son in the likeness of sinful flesh as an offering for sin. He condemned sin in the flesh in order that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
Summary Point:In this section, we have discussed the nature of the Law as a standard but not a source. We have demonstrated that the goal of the Law is brotherly love. But, the Law cannot produce love.
Next in Verse 15, we see clearly that those seeking to be sanctified by keeping the Law fail to love another. Paul writes, “you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another.”When the Law is promoted as the source of righteousness, it has a boomerang effect. Instead of producing righteousness, it leads to selfishness. It comes right back to you. It becomes all about you. Rather than unity and harmony, rather than serving one another, the Galatians were biting and devouring each other. The goal of the Law, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (v. 14b) is rather ironic in light of verse 15. Paul summarizes the requirement of the Law in this way because of the conflict within the Galatian church.The church in Galatia was riddled with strife and contention because they placed themselves under the Law, rather than fulfilling it by loving their neighbor as themselves. Thus walking in the Spirit is commanded in light of the goal of freedom, which is to serve one another in love. Why does trying to keep the Law as a source of righteousness produce this effect? The simple answer is you take center stage. It becomes a matter of personal accomplishment and opportunity for pride. We fulfill the Law by walking in the Spirit. Paul does not discard the Law. Instead he views it as God intended it—a standard of righteousness that points to God’s purpose for His people.
Illustration:In John Bunyan’s classic The Pilgrim’s Progress, there is a scene in what Bunyan called “The Interpreter’s House.” The parlor in the house thick with dust. Christian, the main character of the book, saw someone come in and start to sweep the dust. But it just billowed into a cloud and gagged everyone in the room. Then it fell right back down where it started. The Interpreter explained to Christian, “This parlor is the heart of a man that was never sanctified by the sweet grace of the Gospel: The dust is his Original Sin, and inward Corruptions that have defiled the whole man. He that began to sweep…is the Law” ([Edinburgh: Banner of Truth, 1979 reprint], p. 26). All the law can do is stir up the dust of sin–it cannot cleanse anyone. Pragmatism, psychology, and other methodologies can do no better because they are inferior to the law. The flesh requires a spiritual solution.
III. Walking by the Spirit (5:15-18)
(Galatians 5:15-18) But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another. 16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Verses 16 and 17 are vitally important. Read them again. Paul writes, “But I say, …” which I take to be a contrast to the biting and devouring one another in verse 15. “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh” (v. 16).The Christians in the church at Galatia were serving themselves. They were serving the flesh. They were not serving one another. In verse 16, Paul gives the solution for their selfishness. He says that fleshly desires are overcome by walking in the Spirit. Walking in the Spirit results in serving one another through love.
If your current course of life is not producing a life of service and a loving heart towards others, you are not currently walking in the Spirit.
What does Paul mean by “walking in the Spirit?” First, the idea of walking is “ongoing action in a direction.” “Walking” could be translated “keep on continually walking.” Paul used a picturesque metaphor to describe the Christian life—we’re to take one step at a time under the control of the Holy Spirit. The Christian walk is a habitual pattern. To quote Drew, the Christian life is a movie reel and not a snap shot. What is walking in the Spirit?Walking by the Spirit is not about doing something particular, or it is not about some mystical connection with the Spirit so that you are guided by the Spirit. It is about living in dependence upon God’s grace offered to us through the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The problem with the flesh is that it is self-sufficient. The flesh knows nothing of grace, and does not acknowledge the need for grace. The Spirit gives no power and does not work in those who live self-sufficient, even if they are seeking to be “good” in their self-sufficiency. Within us rages a battle between the flesh and the Spirit. The “flesh” is not the physical body. The flesh refers to our fallen desires, attitudes, and behaviors. The flesh is our fallen humanity, our fallen humanness. It is what we are apart from Christ. When we receive Christ by faith, we receive the Spirit. Being in the Spirit is life that we live by faith.
We received the Spirit as a result of faith in Christ. The Spirit comes in accordance with the promise. The Spirit is opposed to the flesh. (Gal. 3:1-2)
Two distinct relationships are revealed in these verses: (1) the relationship between faith and the Spirit, and (2) the relationship between the Law and the flesh. Law-keeping relies upon the flesh. Faith is related to the Spirit. Faith is the key to walking in the Spirit. Faith receives the Spirit of God, the agent of both salvation and sanctification. The Spirit empowers us to obey the goal of the Law: love. The reason we are empowered when we “walk in the Spirit” is that we acknowledge the need for grace. We live satisfied in being dependent about God’s grace and mercy (displayed to us in the Gospel). “Walking by the Spirit” is living in light of our need for grace, depending up the grace of God, and responding to others and to circumstances as one who has been given mercy. That is why Paul calls the result of walking in the Spirit “fruit.” It is not something we produce. It is the result of living a life of dependence on God’s grace.
Conclusion:
There are three things that we sought to learn from this lesson.
1) What is the purpose for the Law?
2) How are we to fight the battle with sin?
3) What does it mean to “Walk by the Spirit”?
The purpose for the Law is to point us to “love.” We fight the battle with sin through trusting the grace promised to us in the gospel. We “walk by the Spirit” by faith. The Galatians had opted to resist sin by submitting to the Law. However, Paul has demonstrated that submitting to the Law and adopting works results in surrendering faith and thus, the Spirit. When the Law becomes the source of righteousness, there is only one means to keep it—the flesh. That is because we receive the Spirit by faith. Since the flesh and the Spirit are opposed to one another, the Spirit doesn’t empower those who are under Law. The Spirit empowers men who are in faith.
Here is a devotional thought to help you with this lesson: If I do not come to you as one who seeks your favor, I live in contempt, anger, malice, self-sufficiency, and you call it hostility.You have taught me the necessity of a Mediator, a Messiah, to be embraced in love with all my heart, as king to rule me, as prophet to guide me, as priest to take away my sin and death, and this by faith in your beloved Son who teaches me not to guide myself, not to obey myself, not to try to rule and conquer sin, but to cleave to the one who will do all for me. *Prayer from Valley of Vision, “Reconciliation.”
Application Questions:
