Title: The Greatest Hindrance and the Greatest Help.
Theme: To show the importance of avoiding the flesh and having love.
Text: Gal 5:13-20; 1 Corinthians 13
Greatest Help-Love
Greatest Hindrance -Flesh
Galatians 5:13 ¶ For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.
14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." 15 But if you bite and devour one another, beware lest you be consumed by one another! 16 I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. 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. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 19 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, 21 envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self–control. Against such there is no law. 24 And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.
The enemy is the flesh. The word flesh is not the physical but the spiritual.
Spirit-God-consciousness. Soul-self-consciousness. Body-way of expressing self to others.
The flesh is the fallen nature involved in all. The unregenerate nature of man that is prone to sin and rebellion.
Also known as the old man as we see in these verses.
“knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.” (Ro 6:6 NKJV)
Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings,
I. Works of the sexual realm
a. Immorality "adultery, fornication" any act that abuses the sexuality of man.
b. Impurity "uncleanness" an obsession with immoral deeds in action and thoughts
c. Sensuality "lascivious"-immorality that parades itself without shame
II. Works in the Spiritual realm
a. Idolatry-worship of false gods represented by man-made images. Could include possessions, positions, status symbols, and even sex.
John 4:24 "worship him in spirit and in truth"
b. Sorcery "witchcraft"-using drugs in worship ’parmakeia-pharmacy
III. Works of the Social Realm
a. Enmities-"hatred" hostility toward another
b. Strife "variance, strife" While enmity is the attitude of mind towards
another person; strife is the out working of that attitude
c. Jealously-"emulations" resentment against others who are enjoying good
fortune and blessing
d. Outbursts of anger "wrath" agitated outbursts of anger
e. Disputes attitude in the doing of work and in the holding of office
f. Dissensions "seditions" dividing of people and groups of people
g. Factions "heresies" brings division to a point that people have to chose
between two parties
h. Envyings-wants to take what belongs to others.
IV. Works in the Realm of Self-Indulgence addictions
a. Drunkenness
b. Carousing "revelings" riotousness
Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. (Romans 6:6 AV)
“That you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind,” (Eph 4:22-23 NKJV)
“Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him,” (Col 3:9-10 NKJV)
