Nov 13, 2011 Galatians 5:16-26
Series: Key Truths About the Holy Spirit
Win the victory over the flesh by walking in the Spirit.
Walk in the Spirit
Consider a problem that typifies the struggles for a Christian.
Dirk is a believer who struggles with lustful thoughts. He doesn’t like them, he feels guilty about them, he knows they affect him detrimentally. He has tried hard to get the victory, He has prayed to be delivered from them. But then he is drawn inexorably to them, or they come back simply like air into a vacuum. He’s feeling defeated.
That scenario is repeated for any number of issues with which Christians can struggle. The desire is to honor the Lord, to live in freedom. But the slavery of pride and anger, and thoughts and activities and substances, keeps a strong hold.
The Apostle Paul gives an important insight for that in today’s text.
I) Walk in the Spirit to win the victory over the flesh v 16
I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.
That is the key statement for this section
You don’t win the victory by focusing on the flesh, and how to subdue it. You win the victory by walking in the Spirit. A life in the Holy Spirit crowds out the desires of the flesh.
So the first reason why we should walk by the Spirit is that when we do, the desires of our flesh are overcome.
What is the Holy Spirit? The Holy Spirit is a “who”, the third person of the Trinity. The Holy Spirit is God, who mediates the work of Jesus Christ to us and in us.
What is the flesh?
The flesh is the “big I”, the ego which craves self-fulfillment and self-satisfaction, and uses the resources in its own power to try to fill it, but also feels an emptiness, because it can never satisfied. Flesh is the “I” who tries to satisfy me with anything but God’s grace.
We have the Holy Spirit and we have the flesh. In Christ the flesh is doomed by the cross. But the flesh keeps resisting. Every day the flesh is ready to put up a fight. That is why we need to walk in the Spirit.
There is an internal battle that goes on.
Vs 17
For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.
The Spirit and the flesh are opposed to each other. They will not reach a compromise.
The flesh will make nice and claim to be in line with God, but the old effect shows up -
“you do not do the things that you wish. “
You think you have victory, but then the old creep begins to creep back in again.
You desire to do what is right, but you can’t sustain yourself in them.
This expresses a common frustration
I don’t’ want to get angry so easily…I want to be a person of peace.
I don’t’ want to be plagued by dark thoughts – I want to have peaceful and uplifting thoughts.
I don’t like this moodiness – I want to be even-keeled and joyful
I want to have wholesome relationships with the opposite sex.
I want to manage my money better.
But you do not do the things that you wish because of the power of the flesh.