Galatians 5:13-26, Our Freedom, Our Fight, Our Flesh and God’s Fruit in Our Lives, Pam Larson, 3.27.2020

Our Freedom, Our Fight, Our Flesh and God’s Fruit in Our Lives

Galatians 5:13-26 | Pam Larson | 3.27.2020

1-Our Freedom (13-15)

• Free FROM… 
• Freedom TO...

2-Our Fight (16-18) 

• HOPE for the fight … 3 reasons ...
  • 1-Because of A promise! the Spirit’s help! (16)
  • 2-Because the battle is real and is hard!- but we have the Spirit (17)
  • 3-Because if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. (18)

1. So we have the Spirit living in us, we WALK in the Spirit, we are led by the Spirit and we plead for the Spirit’s help in fighting the battle.
2. We also need the Word, God’s promises, to fight this battle against the flesh.

3-Our Flesh (19-21) (Paul contrasts our flesh with the fruit of the Spirit in our lives.)

• The works and a warning 
  • our past
  • our present

4- God’s Fruit (22-23)

• Love, joy and peace all are “gospel overflows” of the saving grace of Christ in our lives
• Those lead to the sweet ways we then interact with others around us...with patience, kindness and goodness
• As the fruit of the Spirit ripens, our radical transformation manifests in faithfulness, gentleness and self-control...becoming more and more like Jesus.

Our Ongoing Fight (24-26) 

• An imperative- walk by the Spirit/keep in step with the Spirit
• An indicative-  Because you are crucified with Christ, and have crucified the flesh, keep crucifying those fleshly desires, walking by the Spirit, living by the Spirit, keeping in step with the Spirit

 

We are free from sin and death, free to love, fighting our flesh in the power of the Spirit and walking, living, being led by the Spirit. This means we are continually directed by and influenced by the Spirit, and His fruit.