Please turn with me to Galatians 5 - starting at verse 13.

Last Sunday we looked at the theme verse of Galatians.  Which is where?  5:1.  We should almost have this memorized.  Let’s read it together.  For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.

Put simply - together:  “Set Free.  Live Free.”

Last Sunday - as we came to chapter 5 - we began to explore Paul’s teaching on what freedom really is.  What does it mean that we’ve been set free?

First we talked about what we are free from.  What Christ has set us free from.

In chapters 1 to 4 - Paul has been writing about God’s gracious offer of salvation.  That God has placed on the table before each of us His offer of His blessing of our lives - of salvation - of being restored to a right relationship with Him - of being released - set free - from all that binds us.

That’s huge:  In Christ we’re set free from bondage to sin and the penalty for our sin.

Second - we talked about what we are free for.  What Christ has set us free for.

Jesus said, “I came that they - God’s people - they may have life and have it abundantly.”  (John 10:10b)  Abundant is life that goes beyond what we can wrap our minds around.  Life the way God created life to be lived.

Physically and Spiritually - in the midst of what this world tries to abuse us with - to conform us to - to beat us down with - to bind and enslave us with - in the midst of the self-focused at any cost survival mentality of this world - God - in Christ - offers to each of us something tremendously different.

Which is what Paul has been writing about here in Galatians chapters 1 to 4.  Not just an empty religious philosophy - wishful thinking for a brighter tomorrow.  But real hope - real answers - for the stuff we feel - that we struggle with - deep down in our hearts.  What it means to live free of the issues that bind us - that keep us back from what God has for us - freedom - real life in Christ.

It is for freedom that Christ has what? set us free.  Grab this.  Repeat this to yourself - often, “I’ve been set free.”  That’s huge.

The second part of Paul’s theme is that we need to live free.

Compromise is easy.  Bondage is easy.  Slavery is easy.  Sin is easy.  Would you agree with that?  Sin is really easy.  Freedom demands struggle - constant vigilance - courage - resolve.

Paul’s words - in verses 1 to 12 - Paul’s words are powerful and passionate.  Paul making sure that we get it.  We’re at war.  Our freedom is threatened.  What we’re up against is a serious deadly threat.  We are in harms way.  Our adversary will do whatever it takes to rob us of our freedom - to bind us - to destroy us.

To live free - Paul writes - to live in the freedom that God has given us in Jesus means that we must resolve to stand firm.  That we do not compromise with sin.  That we are resolved to live as God has created us to live. 

That’s Paul’s passion - his concern - what drives him to write what we’re coming to here in verse 13 - what is a continuation of his teaching in verses 1 to 12.  Paul’s passionate concern that we do not compromise the freedom that God has given us in Jesus.  Even more so - that every day we’re experiencing the awesomeness of the freedom that’s ours in Jesus Christ.

Look with me at verse 13:  For you were called to freedom, brothers.  Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.  For the whole law is fulfilled in one word:  You shall love your neighbor as yourself.  But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another.

Let’s pause there.  Are we together on what Paul means by “the flesh”?

The flesh is our old life - life lived by our power - our wits - us trying to do life apart from God.  We can do all kinds of things in the flesh.  We can sing in church - act as an usher - lead people to Christ - preach sermons - go on missions trips - listen to AWANA verses - give mega bucks to God’s ministry.  All good things.

Problem is the flesh is about us - not God.  We can do all those great things - and more - things that other Christians may even approve of - and say, “Wow, Steve is super spiritual.”  And all that is nauseating to God.  Because the whole basis of it is us and not Him.

John Stott wrote, “Our fallen human nature, which we inherited from our parents and they from theirs - in other words - since Adam blew it back in the Garden of Eden we’ve all been stuck with dealing with our flesh - Our fallen human nature, which we inherited from our parents and they from theirs, is twisted with self-centeredness, and therefore prone to sin.” (1)

Its way too easy to be delusional.  We may be thinking that we’re doing really great stuff for God.  There may be nothing wrong with what’s being done.  But we have a serious problem if what’s behind all that is us and not God.

The Greek word translated here as “opportunity” - the word describes a military base camp - a staging ground - a place of supply and resource - a military base from which to launch an offensive attack.    

If we’re set free by Jesus and then we choose to live life by our own power - our own wits and wisdom - instead relying on God - instead of faithfully trusting God with all that we are - if we live by our flesh we’re creating a huge staging ground for an attack launched against our freedom that is going to do some major damage.

Our flesh is always going to work against our freedom.

There were teachers - probably that had come up from Jerusalem - teachers that were teaching that loving Jesus was super crucial. Remember this?  But to really be living the life of a Christian meant going further.  It meant keeping the law. 

They were pushing circumcision.

Circumcision was the first step the Jewish believers were trying to force the Gentile believers to do in order for the Gentile believers to be more Jewish and to really be a part of God’s people - to go the next step spiritually.  Circumcision was the first of many more steps to come.  If the “keep the law” teachers could get the Gentiles circumcised what was coming next was dietary laws and holy days and feast days and a whole list of other regulations.

The motivation behind the “keep the law” teachers was to win more converts to their side.  More notches on their belt.  To produce more glowing reports for headquarters back in Jerusalem.  To feel better about themselves and their relationship with God because of all the religious things they were doing for God.  Do you hear the flesh in all that?  Its all about me!

Verse 15 - the words “bite” and “devour” in the original Greek - the words “bite” and “devour” mean to bite and devour.  The Galatian believers were tearing each other apart because of this issue of keeping the law.  Behind it all was the “keep the law” crowd serving themselves - operating by the flesh - not reliance on God.

Paul’s statement about the law - verse 14 - Paul’s statement exposes what’s really going on beneath the surface of the argument.  If you really want to keep the law - love each other.  Which they weren’t because they were operating by the flesh not reliance on God. 

Christian freedom is not an opportunity to indulge our flesh.  Christian freedom is not an opportunity to exploit others.  Christian freedom is not an opportunity to disregard the needs of others.  Which is all true.  Yes?

But if our understanding of freedom is based on what we can and cannot do then we have a very shallow understanding of what freedom really is.   Ultimately a list of do’s and don’ts - what we can and cannot do - is a freedom focused on me.  It’s a freedom that’s limited - that ultimately becomes self-centered - ultimately becomes limited to what meets our needs - what works for our pleasure.  We become trapped, enslaved, bound by our own experiences - seeking my own pleasure.

What Paul is getting at here is a much deeper understanding/truth of what it means to be free.  Being set free in Christ gives us a huge opportunity - a staging ground - a basis - to love others - to serve them - to go way beyond ourselves and our limited understanding of freedom. 

Let’s go on - verse 16:  But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.  For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.  But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

Verse 17 is the bottom line of these verses.  “the desires of the flesh are set against the Spirit… and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh.”

When we come to salvation and life in Jesus - when we’re set free in Jesus - that doesn’t mean we’re going to live a wonderful life free of drama.  Are we together? 

Deeper than the crud we experience in life is the conflict that goes on inside of us.  Which means the Christian life can’t be lived on autopilot.  We can’t assume that everything we do is going to be the righteous thing to do.

Maybe Adam could have done that.  Back in the Garden of Eden.  Back before sin messed us up.  Imagine waking up each morning.  Do whatever you want.  And its always going to be the right thing to do.  Its all good.  Just don’t eat from that tree.

But we can’t do that.  Because there’s this conflict within us that reminds us that we need to constantly think and judge our thoughts - to ask hard questions about what motivates us - to allow ourselves to be accountable to our siblings in Jesus - to repent - to seek forgiveness - to continually seek to yield ourselves to the Spirit.

Paul writes in 1 Corinthians “I discipline my body and keep it under control.”  (1 Corinthians 9:27)  “I don’t trust my flesh.  Where its going to lead me.  What’s going to happen if it gets out of control.”

Paul writes in 2 Corinthians about taking every thought captive.  We need to evaluate our thoughts and not assume that what’s going on inside us is going to come out righteous.  (2 Corinthians 10:5)

Paul - in Romans 7 - writes about this whole battle within between the flesh and the Spirit and how he - Paul - does things he doesn’t want to do.  Sometimes - emphasis sometimes - in the conflict between flesh and spirit the flesh wins.  Are we together?  (Romans 7:15-20)

Walking by the Spirit is not being some super-spiritual Christian who gets up at 4:00 a.m. every morning to read their Bible in the original Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek - and pray long prayers of great devotion uttered in King James English or Latin.  Some super-spiritual holy Christian that fasts and tithes and always seems to do the right thing.  Someone who has a red iPhone and God has him on speed dial.

Remember Pogo?  “We have met the enemy and he is us.”  Let’s admit we all struggle with this.  There are even times when we feel like we’re the only person for whom the gospel doesn’t work.  It seems like sin is evitable.

Hang on to what Paul writes here in verse 16.  If we walk by the Spirit we will not gratify the desires of the flesh.  Literally - from the Greek - it says something like - if we walk by the Spirit - which we know for our own experience does not mean perfection - what it does mean is that we will not execute - we will not perform - or fulfill what the flesh desires for us to do.

The good news is that the conflict can be won.  Sin is not evitable.  We don’t have to go along assuming that we’re always going to yield to sin.  Hang on to that.

Let’s go on - verses 19 to 23 are Paul’s example of what it looks like to walk by the Spirit.

Verse 19:  Now the works of the flesh are evident:  sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these.  I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 

Let’s pause there.  Did you notice what all of these sins have in common?  All of these sins are moral sins that have to do with relationships.

Just picking a few examples out of the list.  Sexual immorality has to do with using others sexually for our benefit.  Fits of anger has to do with wanting to punish other people who’ve made our lives something less than what we want it to be.  Drunkenness actually has more to do with carousing - partying together - using alcohol as a way to escape from stuff in life.

If we took the time to explore these - each one is a relational sin.  One way or another each one has something to do with our using other people for our benefit.  Which fits with Paul’s point about the flesh and what serves us verses loving others - serving others.

Look at the contrast - verse 22:  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

What do all these have in common?  They’re fruits of the Spirit - which means that they’re not produced by the flesh.  And they’re all relational.  Walking by the Spirit produces the fruit of healthy relationships.

The Sadducee lawyer came to Jesus and asked Him, “Which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”  Jesus’ answer?  “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.”  Commandment number 2?  “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”  (Matthew 22:34-40)

Commandment number one is vertical - focuses on our relationship with God.  Commandment number two - the one Paul cites in verse 14 - love your neighbor is horizontal - relational.

Do you see where Paul is going with this?  Live by the flesh and our lives are going to be focused on ourselves.  We’re going to be loving ourselves.  Life is about me and what you do for me - serving me.

Using Paul’s example - what’s produced by that is some pretty horrible stuff - including not making it into the kingdom of heaven.  Which means eternal punishment.  Toast.

Live by the Spirit and our lives on going to be focused on others.  We’re going to be loving others.  Life is about you and what I can do for you - serving others.

Using Paul’s example - what’s produced by that is some pretty amazing stuff - including living free of the law which the self-focused living by the flesh “keep the law” teachers said they were trying to live by - the do’s and don’ts of trying to please God.  What the Spirit produces is amazing.  What is freedom - real freedom.

Verse 24 - how do we get passed ourselves and learn to walk by the Spirit?  Verse 24:  And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

How many of you have seen this movie?  Aladdin! 

If you’ve seen the movie you know that when Aladdin first finds the genie Aladdin promises to use his third wish to give the genie his freedom.  Step one:  Win the heart of the princess.  Step two:  Free the genie.

But - as things work out - as Aladdin gets deeper into the charade - pretending to be a prince - pretending to be something he is not - Aladdin struggles to keep that promise.  “What if they find out I’m not really a prince?  How can I tell Jasmine the truth?”  Do you hear the self in that?

Fear sets into Aladdin’s heart.  “I can’t do this on my own.  I can’t do it without the genie.”    

For purely selfish reasons Aladdin breaks his promise - keeps the genie as his slave.

Then there’s a scene at the end of the movie when Aladdin says, “I’ve gotta stop pretending to be something I’m not.  Genie, you’re free.”  Aladdin finally gives the genie his freedom. 

When Aladdin felt trapped by the need to convince others that he was really a prince - when he was so focused on himself - he couldn’t love.  He couldn’t really love the princes - not with honesty.  He couldn’t really love the genie - by keeping his promise.  He was trapped - enslaved.

But something happened to him - changed him - something that freed him up.  When he found that freedom he was free to love.  To unselfishly love the princess and to set the genie free.

Crucifixion in the Roman world was a fact of life.  Maybe we’ve seen crucifixion in a movie.  But even in 3D that’s still a pretty limited experience.

Paul’s readers - some or all of them - had seen crucifixion up close.  Smelled it.  Seen the blood.  The gore.  Heard the sound of hammers hitting nails being driven into wood.  Heard the screams.  Watched people struggle for breath - for hours.  Seen people die horribly.

Crucifixion meant death in no uncertain terms.  With only one exception - Jesus - those who got crucified were dead.  Stayed dead.

I recently heard a bluegrass group sing a song entitled “Everybody wants to go to heaven but nobody wants to die.”  Anybody ever heard it?  Amazing in the original bluegrass twang.

“Everybody wants to go to heaven but nobody wants to die.”   Great title.

Jesus said, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.  For whoever would save his life will loose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”  (Matthew 16:24,25)

That’s death.  Death to self.  Deny yourself.  Pick up the tool of death and follow Me.  Follow My example.  The way to gain life is to lose it.

Paul wrote earlier in Galatians, “I have been crucified with Christ.  It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.  And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God.”  (Galatians 2:20)  Totally different reality.  Died to self.  Life is about God.

That truth is symbolized in baptism.  Going down under the water - that’s burial - identifying with Jesus’ death - dying to our old selves where life is about me - dying to living by the flesh - living by our power and wits.  Coming up out of the water - that’s resurrection - our identifying with Jesus’ resurrection - the new life given to us in Christ.  Freedom in Christ.  (Romans 6:1-4)

Way too many Christians want to live the life that leads to heaven - to live by the Spirit - to enjoy that freedom - but they don’t want to die.  Without death - dying to self - we’re living by the flesh - selfish lives that are nauseating to God.  We can’t live by the spirit and keep trying to breath life into the flesh.

When we came to Christ everything changed.  If we’ve surrendered out lives to God - the flesh has been crucified.  Its dead.  The conflict - the tension between flesh and spirit - as long as we’re living on this planet - that conflict isn’t going to end.  But the flesh cannot demand obedience.  It has no authority over us.  It cannot dictate how we are to live life.  Its dead.

When we die a different life has been given to us.  Walking by the Spirit is possible.  We’re not the same people.  We can be different than we have always been.  We have different weapons to fight with.  Growth - change is possible.

Do you see Paul’s point?  To live by the spirit means death.  And that - death to self - that death is the basis of love - what frees us to serve others - to experience real freedom in Christ. 

Pornography is all about self.  Its all about getting our immediate needs met without all that messy relational stuff getting in the way.  Without our having to love or serve the needs of someone else.

The internet doesn’t require interaction with a real person - although we can pay a real person to pretend they care about our needs.  But an image doesn’t require me to care about it - to meet its needs - to serve it - to love it.  With pornography a person can be purely selfish. 

Like any self-serving addiction - drugs - alcohol - eating - shopping - its about self-gratification.  The need may be legitimate.  But the means is selfish.  The only person we’re really concerned about here is us.

The way our world defines love is all about self.  I love what you do for me.  Remember Toyota.  That’s the selfishness of the flesh on display.

Sex outside of marriage is always about self.  Guys play at relationships to get sex.  Girls play at sex to get relationship.  Still its all about self.

That’s why couples that hook up - where dating is all about sex - couples that fall in lust and shack up together and decide to get married - or not - break up.  The whole relationship is about flesh - self - serving me, myself, and I.  The relationship has no basis in love and serving someone else.  When you won’t or can’t meet my needs I won’t and I’m history or you are.

That’s why death is so important.  Death changes us.  Releases us from the flesh and frees us to love - to serve others.

Paul - in Ephesians 5 - Paul writes, “Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord.”  (Ephesians 5:22)  That’s death.  Isn’t it?  Choosing to set aside what I want in order to honor my husband. 

Paul writes, “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her,”  (Ephesians 5:23)  That’s death.  Isn’t it?  Dying to self.  Setting aside my prerogatives in order to give myself up for my wife.

Service is an act of love.  Service is a powerful tool.  There’s something that happens to us when we reach out in love and serve someone else - a spouse or a sibling or someone at work or school - someone in the community - maybe even someone really tough to love - sacrificing time and energy - shedding our selfishness - connecting with others - lifting up a fellow human being to a place of greater honor and respect.

Learning to love is huge.  Choosing to serve is huge.  Loving and serving may not cure our addiction to the flesh - the conflict rages on  - but it does alter our perspective from selfishness to selflessness.  All that dying to self and crucifying the flesh becomes real and concrete and begins to solidify itself in the pattern of our lives - reordering the way we live our lives.

Grab this:  Death and Love and Freedom are intimately intertwined. 

Our calling to freedom in Christ isn’t about how free we are - about our having opportunities to live by our selfish desires - the freedom of walking by the Spirit isn’t about how free we are - the freedom of walking by the Spirit comes as we lovingly serve others.

True freedom is what we begin to experience as we die to ourselves and lovingly serve others.

Verses 25 and 26 are Paul’s call to live committed to death and loving service.  Verse 25:  If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.  Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.

Chuck Swindoll said this.  “The acid test of mature Christianity is not how much liberty one exercises but rather how much love one exhibits.” (2)

Jesus said:  “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.”  (John 15:13)

Conceit is being falsely proud.  Demanding that others recognize and honor us.  Provoking is irritating people as we require them to serve us.  Envy is jealousy - insisting that we deserve what others have - even more than they do.  All that is about putting ourselves before others.

In contrast Paul calls us to commitment.  If we’ve been made alive by the Spirit - which if we really are believers we have been - then we need to live life in step with the Spirit.  That means a commitment to our death and commitment on our parts to lovingly serve others. 

Paul Taylor is the college and young adults pastor over a Peninsula Bible Church in Palo Alto.  I’d like to end by reading his translation of verses 22-26.  As you listen to this think about Paul’s challenge and your own commitment to death and loving service.

“But when you live your life in relationship to God through His Spirit, you are finally able to love people.  You show grace to everyone, you’re always trying to reduce conflict rather than incite it, you’re patient with people who drive you crazy, you’re kind to everyone even when you’re hurt by them, you do good to people you don’t even know, you can be counted on by your friends and family, you care about other people’s feelings when you interact with them, and you’re able to avoid doing things that you really want to do but that you know would hurt someone.  When your life looks like this, you don’t need a law because you don’t want to stop any of these behaviors.  When you believed in Jesus Christ, you took your natural desires and put them on the cross with Him, along with all your lusts and selfish passions.  So when we live our lives in relationship to God through His Spirit, our behavior will match the character of God.  We don’t put ourselves above anyone, we won’t try to put anyone else down, and we won’t want what God has given to someone else.” (3)

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1. Quoted by Steve Zeisler, “The Flesh vs. The Spirit” Galatians 5:13-24
2. Chuck Swindoll, “Galatians - Letter of Liberation”
3. Paul Taylor, “Love Freedom, Love Freely” Galatians 5:1-26, 10.19.2008

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®  (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.  Used by permission.  All rights reserved.