Sunday, February 3, 2013
LED BY THE SPIRIT
Gal. 5:18-23
Two weeks
ago we read Gal. 5:18, "But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not
under the law." We spent most of
our time considering what is meant by the words "not under the
law." Christians are not under
law. Not only are we free from the
penalty of the law, but we are also free form the limitations of the law. The law can and does expose our sin, but it
can't lift us above that sin. When we
were under the law, we were ruled by sin.
Now that we are not under the law but under grace, we reckon ourselves
to be dead unto sin but alive unto God in Christ Jesus our Lord, and we refuse
to let sin reign over us. No, we don't
always do that perfectly, but that is the pattern of our lives. When it is not, we repent and come back to
this foundational way of living, for it is the Christian life. That is the truth we focused on two weeks
ago.
Now we come
back again to Gal. 5:18. Let's pause and
read all of Gal. 5:13-26...
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, drunk-enness, 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.
I. What Does It Mean?
"But
if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law." The question that immediately presents itself
is this: "Are you led by the
Spirit?" There are a number of ways
to answer this question. Some have put
it like this: "Every Christian is
led by the Spirit. The question is
whether he will follow the Spirit's leading." This views the leading of the Spirit as
simply guidance. The Spirit tells us
what to do, but will we choose to do it?
There is certainly truth is this line of thinking, but is it adequate to
explain being led by the Spirit? Is the
Spirit's leading exhausted by the giving of godly counsel? As you are thinking about that question,
consider this. The law itself gives us
godly counsel; it always does so. The
law tells us not to steal, not to lie, not to covet, but it can't give us the
power to cease stealing, lying, and coveting.
It tells us what to do and then leaves us to our own power to accomplish
the doing of it. That is what it means
to be under the law, but we aren't under the law any more.
Pause for a
moment and look at Rom. 8:14, "For as many as are led by the Spirit, these
are the sons of God." God's
children are led by the Spirit. So
surely it is true that believers are led by the Spirit, but again, what does
that mean? Does it simply mean that the
Holy Spirit reveals to us the will of God, or does it mean more? John Piper brings this question into focus
and gives his answer in a few brief sentences...
If Paul had
said, "If you follow the Spirit you are not under law," it would have been true, but in
using the passive voice ("If you are led") he emphasizes the Spirit's
work, not ours. The Spirit is not a leader like the pace car in the
"Daytona 500." He is a leader like a locomotive on a train. We do not
follow in our strength. We are led by His power.
Think about
that little illustration. In a race, what
does the pace car do? It shows the way
and gives instructions to the driver.
The pace car leads the pack during the warm-up laps, indicating how fast
the drivers may go at that point. When
the yellow flag comes out, the pace car moves on to the track to keep the cars
at the right pace. The pace car sets the
pace, letting the drivers know what is going on, how fast they may proceed,
etc. Compare that to a locomotive, or
the engine, on a train. It too leads the
way, showing the rest of the cars where to go.
However, the tracks could do that.
The main function of the locomotive is to provide its power for the
cars. The locomotive leads, but it also
pulls the cars along in its path.
Every
illustration has its limits, and this one is no exception. If carried to its extreme, this might give the
impression that the Christian has no other choice than to follow the Spirit's
leading. That is not the case. The purpose of the illustration is to show
that the Spirit does far more than point the way; the Spirit provides the power
necessary to do the will of God and to short circuit the work of the flesh.
Brothers
and sisters, there is good news -- we are not left to what the law can do,
because the law is weak through the flesh.
But praise God that we are led by the Spirit, who carries us along by
His power. We know the leading of the
Spirit is far more than just guiding us to the right path, because the law
itself is able to do that. The Spirit
both guides us to the right path and then empowers us to walk on that
path.
We read the
command, "Walk in the Spirit," and we might get the impression that
it's all up to us. Not so, because we
are led by the Spirit. Ours is to yield
to the Spirit moment by moment. By
explaining that we are led by the Spirit, Paul is helping us to understand what
it means to walk in the Spirit.
II. The Works of the Flesh
Last week I
pointed out that in the New Testament the law is contrasted with grace (Rom.
6:14, as well as twice in Galatians -- 2:21, 5:4) , faith (Gal. 3:2,5,23-25),
and the Spirit (here in Gal. 5:18). This
contrast is especially prominent in Galatians.
Even more specifically, we see the contrast between law and grace, works
and faith, and flesh and Spirit. Now
notice here in Gal. 5:18-19 the close association between law, works, and
flesh. "But if you are led by the
Spirit, you are not under the law. Now
the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these..." See the connection. Though the law is good and the commandment
holy, just, and good, when we are not led by the Spirit, the law can only yield
the works of the flesh. Why? Because apart from the Spirit, our only
resource to fulfill the law is the flesh.
We have nothing but the working of our own power.
So what are the works of the flesh? They are listed here in verses 19-21. We are not going to go through the items on
this list one at a time, but I do want to read them again. Earlier I read them from the New King James. This time I want to read Gal. 5:19-21 from the
Amplified:
Now the doings (practices) of the flesh
are clear (obvious): they are immorality, impurity, indecency, 20 Idolatry,
sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, anger (ill temper), selfishness, divisions
(dissensions), party spirit (factions, sects with peculiar opinions, heresies),
21 Envy, ["murder" -- omitted by a few texts],
drunkenness, carousing, and the like. I warn you beforehand, just as I did
previously, that those who do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
Consider
the first five -- immorality, impurity, indecency, idolatry, sorcery -- and the
last three -- murder, drunkenness, carousing.
("Murder" is not included in the Amplified, but it is in
almost all of the texts). Those are the
things we would expect to be the work of the flesh. But now consider the seven at the end of
verse 20: enmity, strife, jealousy,
anger, selfishness, divisions, party spirit.
Without trying to define each of them, you can quickly see that these
are a bit different. While drunkenness
and immorality are outward and ugly, jealousy and envy are more acceptable and
easier to hide. Nevertheless, things
like jealously and selfishness are listed right alongside indecency and
murder. While idolatry may bring to our
minds people bowing down to physical images, we know that idolatry is much more
subtle than that, fitting as well with strife and anger as with impurity and
carousing. I am simply trying to
emphasize that while we have a tendency to associate works of the flesh with the
outward and ugly, the secret and inward can be just as deadly.
And that
brings us to the summary and conclusion at the end of verse 21. Notice the words "and such
like." In other words, this is not
an exhaustive list. There are other
works of the flesh, but this will give you the idea. Then come these stern words: "Of the 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."
Paul makes it clear that this is not some hidden, secret teaching. He has declared in the past, and now he tells
them again right up front. It seems he
has to so preface his statement, because he realizes there will be opposition
to it. Those who practice the kind of
things listed in these verses will not inherit the kingdom of God. By the word, that rendering
"practice" in the New King James is very accurate. Both the choice of the word and present tense
in which it is used make it clear that Paul is not saying that if a professing
believer ever does one of these things, he will not inherit the kingdom of
God. But if these kinds of things are
his practice, his lifestyle, he will indeed miss the kingdom.
Let me
linger here for just a moment, because I know how some of our minds work. But what if he has accepted Jesus as his
Savior? What if he has professed Christ
and been baptized? What if he has walked
with the Lord most of his life? Whoever
practices these kinds of things will not inherit the kingdom of God. Suppose a person has professed Christ, reads
the Bible regularly, goes to church meetings very consistently, but lives a
life of selfishness, or is filled with jealousy, or will not forgive others. He will not inherit the kingdom of God. Remember that even many who will have done great miracles in Jesus'
name will hear the Lord say at the judgment:
"I never knew you; depart from me, you who practice
lawlessness" (Matt. 7:23). The test
of our relationship with the Lord is not our profession and religious
activities, but the righteousness of our daily living.
Please
allow me to give you a concrete example of how all of this works. Most of us who have been around a while are
familiar with the expression "on cloud nine." I don't know where it comes from, but it
speaks of being on top of the world, being extremely pleased with
something. Well, after last Sunday I was
on cloud nine. What could be better than
rejoicing with a new brother at his baptism, than hearing a dozen brothers and
sisters get up and give him encouragement from the Word, than being reminded of
what a loving God we serve! Yes, I was
on cloud nine, and I was still there on Monday.
But something happened in the midst of that cloud. I was driving through town, and I suppose I
was daydreaming a bit. That is usually a
dangerous thing for me. Before I knew
it, I was playing out this little fictitious scenario. Without giving you all the details, let's
just say that my thinking was along these lines: "what is happening here in the La Luz
church puts other churches to shame."
I have no
excuse or defense for such shameful thoughts.
They could be described by terms like jealousy, envy, selfishness,
division, party spirit. You can add a
touch of idolatry in there too. So is
that an instance of the works of the flesh?
Absolutely. Does that mean that I
will not inherit the kingdom of God?
Remember what Paul said, "Those who practice such things will not
inherit the kingdom. Was I guilty of
practicing those things, of habitually thinking like that? You can't really tell from that one
instance. If that is the habit of my
life, if my mind is continually controlled by such thoughts, then I will not
inherit the kingdom.
So for me
there was bad news and good news in that experience. It was bad news because it was sin; it was
displeasing to my Father, who sent His Son to deliver me from the power of sin,
from those very thoughts. However, there
was also some good news in that experience.
First of all, the Spirit of God convicted me of my sin. That in itself is good news because there was
a time when I would have continued in that line of thinking indefinitely. Praise God that He loves me enough to convict
me and lead me to repentance quickly. By
the way, the Spirit not only showed me my thinking was sinful, but He gave me
the power to turn from such thoughts to view my glorious Lord Jesus. It was also good news in that I realized,
"This is not who I am. This is the
old man. I died to such sin and am alive
to God in Christ Jesus my Lord. I hate
this kind of thinking. This is the very
thing from which I am praying the Lord will deliver me. I despise the idea of churches competing
against one another. Why do I want to
participate in such sickening thought patterns, when the Lord is working to
transform me by the renewing of my mind?"
The Lord forgave me and cleansed me from all unrighteousness.
Now why do
I share that experience with you?
Certainly not because I am proud of it.
And not because I want to focus on me.
I tell you for two reasons. First
of all, because you need to know that being led by the Spirit is not just about
avoiding the outward and ugly sins. Many
moral unbelievers avoid such sins on a daily basis. The enemy can deceive us into thinking that if
we are living moral lives, reading the Bible, and attending services, then we
must be doing pretty well. Many
non-Christians can do those things. The
great battle is on the inside. To use
Jesus' analogy, the outside of the cup can be clean, even though the inside is
filthy, but if God cleanses the inside of the cup, the outside will
follow. The Holy Spirit works from the
inside out. The second reason I share my
experience is because you need to realize that this is a battle that every
believer faces. Those who have been
Christians for many years, leaders of churches, are not exempt from the battle
of verse 17. I don't want you to ever
get the impression that the man who preaches the Word to you Sunday after
Sunday has arrived. I stumble, but
praise God that the Spirit is leading me and assures me that I have victory in
Jesus.
Do you see
how law, works, and flesh are linked so closely? The law lends itself to the works of the
flesh in that it can tell us the things listed in verses 19-21 are bad, but it
can't give us the power to rise above them.
As a matter of fact, when the law declares that these things are sin and
we must not do them, there is a sense in which it just makes it worse. The harder one tries to do them, the more he
fails. That was the very experience of Paul.
The law demands the works, but the flesh can't perform them.
III. The Fruit of the Spirit
Praise God
that verse 21isn't the end of the story.
Listen to Gal. 5:22-23, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy,
peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness,
self-control. Against such there is no law." The flesh produces immorality, indecency,
jealousy, envy, selfishness, and things like that, but the Spirit produces
these nine character qualities listed here in verses 22-23.
Let me just
give you a few reminders about the fruit of the Spirit. First of all, notice that it is
"fruit," not "fruits."
These are not nine separate fruits, but rather the nine-fold fruit of
the Spirit. So what difference does it
make? What we must understand is that
these are not separate fruits in the sense that one Christian will develop
love, while another will demonstrate peace, while another will be filled with
joy. No, this is one fruit with nine
characteristics which grows in the life of every believer. In other words, it is God's design that the
Spirit produce in you personally all nine of these characteristics. As He fills you with love, joy, and peace, He
will also grow in you longsuffering and self-control. Isn't that good news! Wow! If you are in Christ, this is what you can
be! This is in contrast to the gifts of
the Spirit, which we will be looking at later.
No one believer has all the gifts of the Spirit, but the Spirit produces
all nine aspects of the fruit in each child of God.
Notice also
the contrast between the works of the flesh and the fruit
of the Spirit. If Paul had
spoken of the works of the Spirit, someone might get the impression that these
are qualities that we must achieve. By
using the term "fruit," he steers us as far away from the works of
the flesh as possible. Humanistic
thinking would say, "The difference between the list in verses 19-21 and
that in verses 22-23 is simply a matter of what you decide to do. Some people work to produce the earlier
list. Others work hard to produce the
things in verses 22-23. Which will you
do?" Paul wants to avoid that kind
of thinking. The truth is that the flesh
can never produce anything but the kinds of things listed in verses 19-21. The Spirit, on the other hand, will yield
nothing except the kinds of things in verses 22-23. By using the term "fruit," Paul is
emphasizing that these are the qualities that naturally grow in a life led by
the Spirit.
So what is
our part? Our part is to walk in the
Spirit, to be led by the Spirit. While
we are certainly not passive in the process, the fruit comes from the Spirit. We find the same principle in John 15. "Abide in Me, and I in you. As
the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither
can you, unless you abide in Me. 5 I am the vine, you are the branches. He who
abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing"
(John
15:4-5). Our part is not to try
hard to produce fruit, but to abide in Christ and trust Him to bear the
fruit. In the same way here in Galatians
5, our part is not to worry about trying to love and be at peace and be gentle,
but to walk in the Spirit and trust Him to produce the fruit.
Conclusion
Perhaps you
have the question: "Is walking in
the Spirit the same as being led by the Spirit?" I would say, "Yes, they are essentially
the same." While walking in the
Spirit emphasizes our part, being led by the Spirit reminds us that it is the
Spirit's work. While it is true that all
believers are led by the Spirit, our goal is to yield to His leading more
consistently in everyday life.
Perhaps
that brings up another question:
"If walking in the Spirit and being led by the Spirit are basically
the same, and if believers are indeed led by the Spirit, then why are we
commanded to walk in the Spirit? If that
is what believers do, why does Paul need to tell us to do that?" While walking in the Spirit, or being led by
the Spirit, is the normal Christian lifestyle, that doesn't mean there is no
need to tell us to do it. It is knowing
clearly that this is the will of the Lord that motivates us to walk in the
Spirit. The one who walks in the Spirit
is eager to do what His Father wants him to do, just as was the case with
Jesus. And remember what Jesus
said: "If you love me, keep my
commandments" (John 14:15). Some texts
read, "If you love me, you will keep my commandments." Whichever way you take it, love for our Lord
motivates us to do what He says. We read
up in Gal. 5:14 that all the law is fulfilled in the command, "Love your
neighbor as yourself." While love
is the fruit of the Spirit, the Spirit works through the command to love.
So we have
come full circle. The command in verse
16 is to walk in the Spirit. It is this
walking in the Spirit that allows us to fulfill the law, which is summarized in
that one little command of verse 14, "Love your neighbor as
yourself." As the Spirit works in
us, He produces His fruit. And what is
the very first and foremost characteristic of that fruit? It is love.
When we talk about the work of the Spirit, we must never depart from
love, because love is at the heart of everything the Spirit does.
Lord
willing, next Sunday we are going to talk about the nature of the life God
wants us to live. We have spent a great
deal of time examining the work of the Spirit, and that is good. However, we need to be reminded of what kind
of life it is the Spirit enables us to live.
Bluntly stated, we want to ask ourselves: "What is the Christian life?" Yes, it is a life led by the Spirit, but what
will that life look like? Though that
may seem like a very elementary question, it is an extremely important
question. This week let's think about
what it looks like when a believer is more and more consistently walking in the
Spirit.
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