Galatians Lesson 11 - Fairhaven Baptist Church

Galatians

Lesson 11

Text: Galatians 5:13-26

Intro: In the last lesson, Paul ended by making a very harsh statement vs.12 “I would they were even cut off which trouble you”. I think it is evident, that Paul really struggled with anyone who preached a perverted gospel. And that meant adding to, or taking away form what the Lord has said. Paul stood for the truth, wither it was against unknown Jews, or gentiles, as well as Peter, and others in the established church. Paul understood the method by which he was saved, on the road to Damascus, he was saved, not because of his work, or his heritage, but because of the shed blood of Jesus Christ. He had also been making the point through this entire letter thus far, that we are saved by Grace, through faith, it is not of “works of the flesh”, the law, or any other religious activity.

This brings another question then, if we are saved by grace alone, and nothing we do, then does it matter what we do? This is what Paul will begin to address in our lesson tonight.

Who Is In The Driver’s Seat?
1. Legalism, Just Another Form of Bondage,
  1. “You have been called unto Liberty”
    1. Liberty does not mean the opposite than Bondage
      - the bible would use another word: licentiousness, (Li-cent-chas-Ness)
        
        it literally means unbridled lust,
      - it is used in the bible:
        
        Jesus uses it in Mark 7:22 to describe the things that defile a man (inside)
        
        Paul uses it in Romans 13:13, to tell us to walk honestly and not in it,
        
        He uses it again in Ephesians 4:19 to describe the reprobate,
        
        II Peter 2:7&8 “And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked: (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;) ”
    2. Liberty and Licentiousness are two very different things.
      - Licentiousness is simply another type of bondage,
        
        yes we may be free from our sins, but we can be in bondage to the flesh.
        
        Romans 6:16 “Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? ”
    3. So Now Paul must address this, can we allow our freedom to overwhelm us, and lead us into bondage to the flesh.
    4. “Use not Liberty (freedom) for an occasion to the flesh”
      - After all the simple fact is, we can choose to do what we want, but we can not choose the consequences.
      - When we willfully submit to the flesh, then we are willfully submitting to bondage to the flesh.
2. The Source of Service, Love,
  1. “By Love Serve One Another”
    1. the first word I want to focus on here is By,
      - what does the word by mean?
      - It is a preposition indicating the means of achieving something.
    2. It is the conduit by which our service flows.
  2. Love is what flows through the conduit,
    1. The word used here is Agape, this is the godly type of live, deeper than friendship.
    2. Think about the contrast here that is being drawn:
      - love for others, rather than giving into the flesh.
      - Services to others rather than feeding the flesh.
    3. Paul is essentially saying here,
      - you have a choice now, you have the freedom to choose:
        
        you can choose to live according to the flesh, but let you freedom not be an occasion for you to give into licentiousness
        
        but rather live according to “Love”
        
        and let that love help you serve others.
  3. Your Original desire,
    1. so why should we “serve by Love”?
      - Think about the argument,
      - Question: what is the theme of the letter to the Galatians?
        
        They were going back under aspects of the law,
    2. Now, Paul is saying, you want to fulfill the law, let me tell you how to fulfill the law.
      - The law can be fulfilled in one statement:
        
        “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself”
      - In Leviticus 19, there is an entire section about the dealings with your neighbor
        
        Vs.9 tells them to leave the corners of their field for the neighbors, as well as to not go back over the field.
        
        Vs.10 says the same about the vineyard,
        
        vs.11 say you shall not steel, deal fasely or lie to them,
        
        vs.13 says you shall not rob, or defraud them, and not to hold their wages over night
        
        vs.14, you shall not curse the deaf, or put a stumbling block before the blind
        
        vs.15 you shall not unrighetouselly judge them, and have no respecter person because of economical status.
        
        vs.16, not to be a talebearer,
        
        vs.17 says it plain “ Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart:”
        
        Vs.18 “Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD. ”
      - when Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment was:
        
        Mark 12:29-31 “Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: 30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. 31 And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.”
    3. Vs.15 is a warning, if you bite and devour one another, take heed that you be not consumed one of another,
      - Paul will go on in the next chapter to say: “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” (6:7)
3. walk in the Spirit,
  1. The Fruit of the Flesh,
    1. we do not have to explain each one of these, however, we do want to mention each one,
      - Adultery- cheating on spouse, either emotional or physically
      - fornication, sexual sin
      - uncleanness, impurity

lasciviousness, (Li-cent-chas-Ness) unbridled lust

Idolatry, putting anything over God

witchcraft, this includes things such as living according to the signs
hatred, hostility, even mentioned in Lev.
variance, this is quarreling, strife.
emulations, to become heated, like in jealousy, not the way God is,
wrath, fierceness
strife, to try to provoke
seditions, to cause division,
heresies,to cause disunion, to take oneself opinion over truth, to lift up self
Envyings, to have ill-will
murders, to slay, or slaughter, this is different than to kill.
drunkenness, to be intoxicated
revellings, rioting,
and such like: it is not just a do don’t list, but includes things such as these;
- these things are what people who are of the world do, not the people of God

the Fruit of the Spirit,
1. love, agape,
2. joy, cheerfulness
3. peace,
4. longsuffering, such as the character of God
5. gentleness, usefulness, unmerited favor
6. goodness, a virtue of benevolence
7. faith, moral conviction of truth
8. Meekness, genteelness
9. temperance, self-control
10. against such there is no law.
  - Just as there is not an all compassing list of the fruit of the flesh, there is not one of the fruit of the Spirit either.
  - This is the way the child of God should live.
  - If we live in the Spirit, we should walk in the Spirit, vs.25:

Points for home:

Freedom is not to be treated as unrestrained lust.
- I Corinthians 10:23 “All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not.”
Rather than focusing on Religion, or Legalistic ideas, we can live in the will of God simply by allowing the Love of God to flow through us as a conduit.
- Thus fulfilling the intent of the entire law.
There is no all encompassing list of do’s and don’t, it is a matter of living by the Spirit of God, or Living by the Lust of the Flesh.