Live The Alternative! Part 1
Galatians 5:16-25
In previous years, Americans have seen the flappers, zoot suiters, beatniks, hippies, punkers, and gangs. Now we have the Goths. Each generation has its group of people seeking an identity that is away from the mainstream. They scoff at society’s norms and decry its injustices. They identify themselves by their clothes, music, esoteric language, and sometimes slightly bizarre mannerisms and some strange idols. You might say they all have their own beat, brogue, and brotherhood.
From time to time, I turn on MTV to see what the kids are listening to now days. I had a preacher in the late 80’s still talking about the Beatles and the bugs when he wanted to preach against rock and roll. Most of the kids he was talking to probably did not even know that Paul McCartney was ever in a group before "Wings." Not wanting to be that far behind the times, I check out "Yo, MTV Raps" and "Alternative Nation". Maybe because I am a poet I can hang on the rap programs longer than I can some of the alternative ones. When you start singing about spreading marmalade on toilet seats I have to leave.
I am an alumnus of the hippie generation and I understand the desire to be different. I know what seeking identity and independence is all about. I know well the abuse of authority and I learned to hate it then. I knew and believed all the slogans. I believed that we would bring about change and all we had to do was "give peace a chance" and practice "free love" and we would usher in the Age of Aquarius.
In reality we ushered in the Age of the Nefarious! What we allowed in moderation in our eyes our children and grandchildren have allowed in the excess. You can thank us for all kinds of godlessness and philosophical insanity. What you see in the nineties and will see in at least the first decade of the twenty-first century is the fruit of the seed that was sown in the sixties. The harvest of harlots, heroin, and other harbingers of Hell will be as full as our folly in those days.
We wanted the alternative. The establishment was not like us. We were very foolish. I contend that no alternative movement of any generation in human history was really different than what they sought to destroy or reform. The alternative movements fail because they consist only of window dressing changes, but at the very root issues of life they are no different.
There are many, many types of cuisine in the world, but at the root the reason for food preparation is the same. No one wants to die of starvation. Cuisine styles may provide some innovation, but no real deviation from the norm. Human courtship rituals are as varied as can be, but the root of all them is to ensure survival of the species and to chase the "elusive butterfly of love." Yes, there is some creativity in nativity, but it is the same relatively. At the root of existence, there are really only two lifestyles. One is predominant and is the norm or the establishment, if you please. The other is truly alternative and practiced only by a minority. In fact, even amongst those who claim to practice this alternative lifestyle only a few truly do practice it with any consistency. Because the lifestyles are so antithetical of each other those who try to mix the two are the most miserable of all people.
The two lifestyles are flesh and Spirit. All humans are born into the flesh lifestyle and are in reality enslaved to it by nature. They do what comes naturally and will seek to fulfill the lusts or desires of the flesh. These are broken down into three categories: the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life. All activities of the flesh can be listed under one of these three headings. Terms and technologies may change, but the basics do not change.
A human may look at a chariot powered by four horses or a several hundred horse powered ChevroletÓ and lust to own it. He just has to have it. Both are lust of the eye issues and could spill over into the pride of life arena depending on whether it is the sheer esthetics of the items or the social standing they would bring that causes the desire or lust.
The Israelites lusted for meat in the wilderness and the leeks and onions they left behind in Egypt. That is an appetite or lust of the flesh as well as desiring multiple sexual partners. In control, desiring food or intimacy is not wrong. We must eat to survive individually and must mate to survive as a race. Out of control, those desires lead us to extremes of obesity or bulimia and abnormal celibacy or debauchery.
Being driven to ensure possession of the proper toga, tux or title is caused by the pride of life. We do not have many kings anymore, but what gets more people to go into business for themselves? These small business opportunities are sold as the way to become your own boss or to determine your own destiny. In essence to become king of your domain, though it be a small one. Of course, you have the power to increase the kingdom.
Please understand I am not knocking small businesses or entrepreneurs. Most business done in this country is by small business folks. Our economy would be pretty wretched without them. I am only commenting on the sales pitch. If that kind of sales pitch sways you into a business then it may be the pride of life making you a businessman rather than your abilities or seeing an opportunity.
Despite where a person’s values are obtained, most would say that you do not have to teach a child to do wrong, but it is a struggle to teach them to do right. Why? The natural bent of the flesh is to do wrong. It will seek to fulfill the lusts of the flesh, which are inherently self-centered and rebellious against any form of constraint or authority.
There is an easy test for this. If I knew your favorite activity or dessert and I forbade you to practice either, what is your first reaction? You resist my direction. Even if you respect the person giving the direction, you will still resist the constraint imposed by the direction.
If I place you in a room with several doors or objects and tell you to not open one of the doors or open the lid on an object the thing that will drive you nuts until I return is the desire to do the forbidden. I may have even given you some explanation or made the request in a tone that was not commanding. You still will forget everything else in the room or be unable to maintain focus on anything else but the item you were asked not to touch. You may well resist the temptation, but you will feel the pull nonetheless. Children placed in this position will open the door and tell you they had to do it and they don’t know why. They understood the request, but could not resist the pull.
All societies seek to constrain certain aspects of the flesh with various degrees of success. Those who fail completely disappear either by falling apart from within or being conquered from without. Most attempts are feeble for they can only attack the external manifestations of the internal problem. In case, you have not noticed America is failing miserably.
How do you change the internal and by that the external in a more powerful way?
John 3:6-7
6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. (KJV)
There must be a spiritual renewal or rebirth or you cannot effect lasting or significant change. We have no problem with physical organ transplants. I cannot understand why it is so difficult to understand the need for a spiritual heart transplant. It is alternative medicine, but an alternative life requires such methods.
Gal 5:16-25
16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.
17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.
18 But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.
If you walk in the flesh, you will not be able to resist the lusts of the flesh. In fact, you will not even try to resist because you will not have a reason to resist it. Until you come into awareness of God’s law through the conviction of the Spirit, you will not know sin, it’s curse or it’s cure. (Rom 7:7-13)
The flesh and the Spirit are in battle and are completely contrary to another. They are adversaries engaged in immortal combat. Yes, immortal combat because whoever wins the battle for your soul will determine your eternal destiny. The destination of the flesh is Hell and the Spirit’s destination is Heaven.
You say that you do not sense any battle. God means nothing to you and you have no conscience. This is because you do not have the Spirit in you. You belong to the flesh and the devil. He may lead you into a life of ruin or into what appears to be amazing success, but you are still in his army. He may sacrifice you on the front line of his evil plans for global domination or allow you to bask in the pleasures of an R&R site. You will still surely die and suffer the eternal wages of death earned as a soldier of the flesh and friend of the world, which makes you an enemy of God.
I am reminded of a story about a Christian slave that belonged to an unbelieving master. The master always laughed at the faith of the slave. He would say, "You always seem so troubled and I am happy and content. Why do I need your God?"
One day, while hunting the master shot two birds. One dropped dead to the ground and the other was only wounded. He sent the slave after the wounded one first. When the slave returned, he had a huge smile on his face. He told his master that he finally had the answer to his question about the struggle of Christianity. He said, "You did not send me after the dead bird. You knew you had him. You sent me after the one that had life in him so he would not get away. The devil does not bother you because you are dead in your trespasses and he knows he has you. He troubles me because I have eternal life in me and I have gotten away from him." The master got the point and later became a Christian. The slave of flesh became free in Christ. If you are having no struggle, it is because you are already dead.
If you are a Christian and experiencing the struggle, it is because your flesh does not want to do what is the spiritual alternative to the norm. The Spirit in you wants to keep you from performing the deeds of the flesh. Paul experienced this struggle. He admitted to sometimes losing the fight to the flesh. At those times, he could not do the things that he wanted to do for God and he hated it. (Romans 7:14-25) When we walk in the Spirit, we do not fulfil the flesh’s lust. Praise God even when we fail, we who are led by the Spirit we are not under the law of sin and death. We have lost a battle, but we have not lost the war because the victory is in Christ!
19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,
21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
It is very easy to see the differences in the lifestyles. The flesh has no problem with showing out as we say it in Texas. I was not going to say anything about adultery, as we all know what that is. Certainly, those who may have had no bible knowledge have heard enough about it in the media in the last couple of years to have a full understanding of the word.
While Christians are not to practice marital infidelity, they are not immune to it. "Let he who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall." (I Cor 10:12) Many Christians do practice another type of adultery while they condemn the other. This would be spiritual adultery. Every time we sin, we commit a form of it. Each time we place self or flesh in first place and ignore God and spiritual things we are not being faithful to the one we are married to for eternity. Praise Him that His vows did not say, until death do we part. Most of us would be dead and surely apart from Him. May God grant us grace and mercy to keep us from either form of adultery.
I have seen debates on the Internet as to what fornication is. The word is porneia in the Koine or Common Greek. Koine Greek was the language used in the business place by the common man. Classical Greek was used by the upper class. God chose to make His Word understandable to everyone not just the high class. Ain’t you glad of that? I sure am.
Anyway, pornography comes from this word. It is generic harlotry, which includes adultery and incest. A harlot is a prostitute. I am amazed that we have so much trouble defining and controlling pornography. The fundamental truth is that whether you consider it obscene or not, it is prostitution. People are engaging in sexual activities for money. That is prostitution. The vendor then sells it to people. He makes a profit by getting the prostitutes together with a customer. That sounds like a pimp to me. The customer is practicing voyeurism which is form of sexual activity and hence makes that person a customer or John of the prostitute. If prostitution is illegal then the actors are breaking the laws, the vendor is pandering or pimping, and the customer is soliciting. Why are the porno stores still open? They are in such flagrant violation of the law that it should be no effort to arrest and prosecute. We are focusing on the wrong issue. Forget obscenity bust the prostitution rings.
Uncleanness refers to physical or moral impurity. In a society, where virginity is scoffed and anything goes we can easily see this work of the flesh.
Lasciviousness is not a word we use much, but it is practiced a great deal. These are the lewd folks that enjoy telling you every filthy joke they can find. Their mouth just pours out filth and everything said has a double meaning that is usually sexual. They live to seek out sexual partners and are brazen about it. They come in both sexes. These are the men we call dogs. The only word for women that I am sure I can use in church is loose. We live in a lascivious age so maybe we should start using this word again.
Idolatry is more than image worship or bowing to statutes of stones. It is giving the glory that is due God to another. Humanism, atheism, and evolution are forms of idolatry for they glorify men, beasts, and luck instead of the Creator.
For some, their spouses or children are idols. They will violate God’s principles and not serve God with their gifts if it means that the principle or service might conflict with the desires of their children or spouse. They pour their life out for their children. Sadly, their children often reward that sacrifice with sorrow. They put their spouse first and then the spouse leaves. Idolatry never pays but in tears. Worship God and He will be there to assist you in your human relationships.
Witchcraft is back in vogue. Wiccans want recognition as just another mainline religion. Tarot cards are big and of course, the psychic hot lines are ringing off the hook. These are the types of things that we associate with witchcraft. However, this is not where this word is taking us.
The word translated as witchcraft is pharmakeia from where we get pharmacy. Drugs and potions are an inseparable part of sorcery or witchcraft. In the Greek’s mind, they were synonymous. I remember writing a poem in the 60’s about where the great god of acid lived. Drop a lid and see god! Hmm, wonder where those phrases came from? We were practicing witchcraft and did not know it.
It goes a bit further. People go to witches to changes their lives or others and to find out their future. This also a form of idolatry because they claim to have powers that belong to God. Through a potion or spell, they seek to control someone for good or evil. Hmm, what spirit are they using? I know it is not the Holy Spirit. The list of sins could go on, but let us not linger in this darkness.
Hatred is pretty rampant! Racial strife, ethnic cleansing, political wars, generational distrust, corrupt politicians, and the beat goes on. A lot of people are talking about love. They jist t’ain’t practicin’ it none. This old earth will never be Paradise again and we will never bring about the Kingdom. However, we still are to seek to walk in love, but love requires sacrifice and no one wants that. It takes communication and that takes too long. It is easier to be shallow and hate people for their skin color, clothes, or flags. The so-called tolerant are usually the least tolerant people that I have ever met. The flesh hates because it is fueled by the devil, who hates us all and wants us dead, destroyed, and damned!
Variance means contention, debate, and strife. Brethren, we are engaged in greater strife in this country than any other time in our history. There are hundreds and maybe even thousands of groups with different agendas and their agendas are more important than anything else including lives. If it were not for God, I would be terrified. All it takes is for one or two of these groups to do something crazy and we may be plunged into total anarchy as someone avenges something and then the vicious cycle begins. The so-called silent majority needs to speak up soon or there may be nothing we will be able to say.
Emulations are fervent or zealous indignations, and jealousies. Men kill their ex-wives because they have found someone new. Children have been beaten, maimed, and killed for sneakers or jackets. Property is destroyed or defaced by people who are angry because they do not have the same thing. Everyone is offended by everything and protesters abound. If you do not like broccoli, you can find a group protesting it being planted. The Political Correct Police will haul you before their committees ignoring your rights because someone is indignant over something. We have become a nation of crybabies.
With those indignations comes wrath. It is that breathing hard build up of anger usually breaking loose in some sort of fierce act. It may be yelling, hitting, or shooting. If you watch speakers on television, you can see the veins popping in their necks. If you listen to them on the radio, you can sense the tenseness in their voice and follow a steady rise in their pitch and rate as they get into their speech. They may be speaking about love or unity, but you can sense the wrath and the real desire to make someone pay. You can be impassioned about you subject and get excited, but wrath is noticeable regardless of your words. Brethren, if your pastor is always full of wrath I would pray hard for him. He has missed the point. This is the age of reconciliation, not damnation.
Strife is caused by the previous wrath and variance problems. What else could result? Hard to be in unity with that going on! Again, it is a bit more than just bickering or fighting over things. It brings in the groups or factions and then the intrigue. The office or church politics where my people will back stab your people though we do lunch. This is what fuels the rumor mill and the "they said" or "I heard" stuff that just creates more trouble than it is worth.
Seditions are the divisive movements. We do not just have our little groups or cliques for social things, but now we move to get power and to do that you have to divide the ones who are in power. Using the previous tools of strife, wrath, and variance we can break the organization down to get the control we desire. The following verses are some examples of this.
Prov 16:
28 A froward man soweth strife: and a whisperer separateth chief friends.
29 A violent man enticeth his neighbour, and leadeth him into the way that is not good. (KJV)
Separate friends and you have gained some power. Entice a person into doing something that is not good and you can either gain power over them by knowing what they did or you can destroy their credibility and influence by revealing the deed. Sedition divides and conquers.
Heresies are usually thought of as doctrines that are not orthodox and often blasphemous. Denying the Virgin Birth, the literal resurrection, the substitutionary atonement and others would be considered heresies. Paul tells us in 1 Cor 11:19 that these thing would make the approved or God stand out. He gives us a few specific ones in 1 Tim 4:1-7. Peter warns us that false teachers would bring these into the church. (2 Peter 2:1) Therefore, we are not to be shocked or surprised by these things. The flesh will always seek to infiltrate and defile the spirit lifestyle.
Besides the "big’ heresies I believe there are some others. The word actually speaks of disunion or a teaching that causes division. Strife causes division through personalities and lies. Heresy dresses up as theological and philosophical doctrine that sounds so religious and right to those who do not study and are brought under its spell.
These are manmade doctrines. Some are deadly and will keep people out of heaven. Others keep the Body of Christ apart needlessly. They want to cut His Body up into little pieces and say that their part is THE Body and no one else is there. The hand is the whole body and will have nothing to do with the arm or the foot. It is silly and insane. Remove a hand from the body and the hand dies and the body is debilitated.
Many of my independent Baptist friends have some of these doctrines. Some are manmade. Some are biblical, but not issues that should determine fellowship or salvation. Sometimes, they are just as bad as the Corinthians for they say, I am of Jones, I am of Robinson, and others I am of Hyles or some other man or school. In the SBC, they have theirs and of course, few argue with Nashville. (1 Cor 3:1-11) They alienate any that do not dot their I or cross their T exactly the way they do. Doctrines that cause disunity in the Body and keep the lost from Christ are just as damnable heresies as denial of the Virgin Birth. Those that hold the doctrines might well be called heretics as well.
Not everyone in the Body is someone that I can work with closely, but then the foot is most likely not aware of the liver or the pancreas, yet they still work for the same body. George Whitefield in the 1700’s called John Wesley the devil because of his Arminian views. George was a strong Calvinist.
Ultimately, God worked out some things in George’s life and both he and Wesley preached from the same pulpit once. They agreed that it would be best for each to work in their own field, but George never called Wesley names again. It is true, that unless you are agreed, it is hard to walk to together. Therefore, while some in the body hold some doctrines that would make it difficult, if not impossible, to work with them closely, I am not going to spend my valuable time calling them the devil and tracking everything they are doing. I would much rather fight the real devil! Brethren, beware of heresy in all its forms.
Envyings is again jealousy and this may be outward and obvious jealousy whereas emulations are hidden and worked out undercover so to speak or at the root of some violent acts. Envyings are just blatant. Everyone knows you are jealous and bear someone ill will and would rejoice if disaster hit them.
Murders need little explanation in the light of the recent murders in Colorado. Indeed, phonos implies slaughter and that is what happened to those students and that brave teacher. I watched Rachel Scott’s funeral and the one pastor nailed it when he described why such things happen. You tell kids that they are just high tech apes and take God out of the school and you get murderers. I was amazed that CNN covered it for so long since there was so much testimony of Christ and messages of salvation. Murders are part of the life of the flesh and we live in a world dominated by the flesh.
Drunkenness is a plague around the world. Alcoholism is rampant even in poor countries where food is hard to find and salaries are so low they can barely pay for it when it is found. I am always amazed when I see people in lines at grocery stores. They pay for their food with food stamps, but then if it is a store that also sells beer and wine you will see them pay cash for several cartons of cigarettes and a couple of cases of beer. I have been in homes where they were asking the church for money, but the ashtrays were full and the room smelled of booze. Our college kids kill themselves with binge drinking. Yes, drunkenness pays a large role in the flesh lifestyle.
Revellings or parties help the cause of drunkenness. We live to be amused! We look forward to the weekend to party! I am not talking about birthday parties for children or get togethers to celebrate a promotion or birth. These are the get wild and funky parties that are spoke of here. You go there with the intention of getting drunk or doing dope or engaging in sex or all three and then some. That is reveling and that is what we have a great deal of today.
And such like indicates that this list is not all-inclusive. The works of the flesh are not only manifest, but also myriad. While they fall under the three headings we discussed earlier in the lesson there are uncountable and unthinkable ways that they can be expressed.
The ultimate end of the life of flesh is not to inhabit the kingdom of God. The flesh and the spirit share this planet, but they will not share the kingdom. It does not take much to see that no matter what the beat, brogue or brotherhood of any alternative group might be they are still living the flesh life. Next week, we will study the alternative lifestyle. May God wrap a hedge of thorns around us until then to keep the flesh from us and may we receive a fresh filling of the Spirit to live the alternative!
