The warring of the flesh against the spirit (Quality: Very good)

[0:00] Now, as the Lord may help me, I will ask your attention to the chapter that we read, that is the fifth chapter in the epistle of Paul to the Galatians.

[0:11] And I will note verses 16 and 17. Verses 16 and 17 in the fifth chapter of the epistle to the Galatians.

[0:25] This I say then, walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.

[0:37] 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.

[0:58] I trust we have an elementary knowledge of the situation that prevailed in the heart and mind of the Apostle Paul when he wrote this epistle to the Galatians.

[1:15] And in some ways he was in great trouble, because he had learned that his teaching did not last to the subsequent time, but they had wandered.

[1:40] They had become, as it were, in bondage again to influences that were not to their spiritual happiness and peace and prosperity.

[1:59] And my friends, we must acknowledge that the way of God is a narrow way. And we need continual keeping. Bless God, such things are recorded by the Apostle Peter, who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation, ready to be revealed in the last time.

[2:24] But the Apostle Paul, in his gracious and able spirit, anointed by the Spirit of God to pen these epistles that we have in the New Testament under his name, I say he was a faithful man to the souls to whom he addressed his epistles.

[2:54] And my friends, faithfulness doesn't always indicate an easy message to deliver or an easy message to receive.

[3:06] And in both cases, the Spirit of God, the Spirit of the Gospel, is essential to profit and the maintenance of our ways according to scriptural doctrine and teaching.

[3:28] Now, the Galatians had received the truth and the truth had an effect upon them. And, no doubt, initially, the believers rejoiced together in those things that united them with a bond that is supernatural.

[3:51] I don't know anything that is better than to walk in love within the church of the living God.

[4:04] That is, to be brought by the Spirit to a knowledge of the things of God so that we are brethren and sisters in the faith.

[4:19] It's a wonderful thing. Natural love is one of the crowning blessings of God's creation. To be brought into that natural relationship to love and to be loved in a natural sense.

[4:37] But there is a superior benefit to be enjoyed. Especially when a relationship is twofold.

[4:47] It's not only natural, but it is spiritual. And, my friends, this surely is a great blessing from on high when God, by His Spirit, brings us to a knowledge of the exercise and influence of spiritual love.

[5:12] That we love the brotherhood. We seek, as it were, to walk humbly with the Lord and with one another for Jesus' sake.

[5:24] When that crowning blessing is enjoyed here below with the relationship of natural affection, I don't know of any situation that is more agreeable to the peace and comfort in this present situation on earth.

[5:47] Well now, you know there are things that bring natural love to a testing time.

[6:00] I don't mind how strong the affection existing in our hearts toward others in a natural sense may be.

[6:12] There are times under the infirmities and frailties and diverse outlooks in nature that the most affectionate find variants coming in from time to time.

[6:31] And there's no time when the true affection of a natural sense is more necessary and beneficial than times when we differ in outlook yet have in our hearts a relationship that, as it were, brings the possible enmity and bitterness into subjection to the power of real affection.

[7:04] My friends, we do need grace to be naturally united and understand that we all have infirmities in the flesh.

[7:16] We all have different backgrounds according to God's providence and that sometimes genders to discourse.

[7:27] Well now, discords can be reconciled in the bond of love. We agree to differ sometimes though we're not ready, as it were, to forsake our outlook to the outlook of our nearest and dearest in the flesh.

[7:48] Well, yes, naturally speaking we need the blessings of God that promote harmony and unity in a very special way.

[8:07] But how wonderful it is. For we know that we've passed from death unto life because we love the brethren.

[8:18] We love them in the influences of grace that are manifested in their life and in their conversation.

[8:31] We know that God has been at work in them by the fruits we see upon them. And then the real advantage of that is the corresponding fruits of the Spirit.

[8:50] When we see in others the grace of God and without any pride or elevated opinions of ourselves rather the opposite for the grace of God humbles we realize that that Spirit which we see in others is the Spirit of our own hearts.

[9:16] My friends, thus there is a strong bond that binds the church together and really it is mutual in Christ Jesus because we see the Spirit of Christ prevailing in another and we're motivated in covetousness and admiration to the grace that the Lord has given and has maintained in our own hearts and lives.

[9:51] Well now the Galatians had been introduced as it were by God's grace into that fellowship and the Apostle Paul could rejoice in the grace of God but introduced among these Galatians was a Spirit which we term and I'm not going deeply into that this morning it's a legal Spirit and the Jews who were in bondage to legalism they were more aligned with Moses and Mount Sinai than ever they had received from the Lord and through Jesus Christ the circumcision was one of the things that was considered necessary to the worship of God in the old dispensation but of course there were great changes when

[10:57] Christ Jesus came into the world and raised a standard which we call the standard of gospel grace and truth which is binding upon us in this gospel day in which we now live well now the Galatians had taken a step back and a long step back because there's a vast difference between a legal spirit and a gospel spirit a legal spirit is efforts within the flesh to do the will of God and my friends we one sings doesn't he the more I strove against sin's power I sinned and stumbled but the more some of us have gone through a period of legal failure when we wanted to please

[12:04] God our minds as it were directed in that direction and yet we found through the weakness of the flesh we faltered and miserably failed and we couldn't trust our own works for salvation we were absolutely shattered in all confidence in that direction and we were brought as hell deserving sinners to cast ourselves upon Christ and his absolute sufficiency to take us in all the filth of the flesh and wash us and make us white in his blood and by his justifying righteousness that theme which is so precious to believing souls not unto us O Lord not unto us but unto thy name be the glory and a heart truly sanctified with a humble understanding of the way of God to salvation will be ready to put the crown on the head of Jesus

[13:15] Christ for all that they have gained in religion nothing nothing belongs to us my best is stained and died with sin my all is nothing worth now the Galatians had taken a step back and they had reintroduced the practice of circumcision and the apostle identified that as a legal requirement and the old dispensation satisfied now by the mediation of the Lord Jesus Christ who is the saviour of sinners and he has rendered an obedience to the law which is the righteousness of the saints by imputation and I just touched this theme that I touched before you on a previous occasion that our sin procured

[14:18] Christ's suffering his absolute perfect obedience to the law is by God's inestimable grace love and mercy imputed to us it is Jesus not myself who appears when I approach to God I pray in the spirit that is written into my very innermost being for Jesus sake because my trust acceptance with God now and forever stands in the righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ fully and freely given to me by him

[15:21] I hope I'm clear in these things well now this led the apostle's mind to the great distinction that exists between flesh and spirit and there is such a thing as walking in the flesh that is governed by our natural outlook walking in the flesh and there is as distinct from that as night is from day there is such a thing as walking in the spirit in the light and benefit the love of the gospel of our

[16:22] Lord Jesus Christ and then in our reading we have these two things brought before us in somewhat a detailed fashion because they that walk in the flesh bring forth the fruits of the flesh and they that walk in the spirit bring forth the fruits of the spirit now we all have a flesh we all have a flesh we're born with a nature that is fallen and that fallen nature inclines our whole being to things which are alien to the will of God for us the example of Jesus given to us as our leader and commander and also it is alien to the precepts and teachings of the holy book of

[17:26] God our Bibles and the apostle Paul brings these Galatians to an exhortation which is full of love for them it is burdened with a desire for their well-being because the apostle Paul distinctions the end result of walking in the flesh as against the end result of walking in the spirit and he is very clear in his teaching that if we walk in the flesh there is no prospect for us of inheriting the kingdom of God but if by God's love and grace we are enlightened to walk in the spirit then we shall have a good and gracious hope of being right at last and inheriting this greatest benefit that has ever existed by the created beings in any way shape and form the blessing of inheriting the kingdom of God is indeed the crowning gift that God gives to any creature that he has ever made what a wonderful thing

[19:16] I often feel what a wonderful thing that God comes down to the most ruined sinful enemies to himself and takes hold of them by his spirit in all the quagmire the filth of fallen flesh and lifts them up and in the name and for the sake of Jesus Christ makes them inheritors of his everlasting kingdom in glory you know it's beyond our natural ability to fully understand the condescension of our God in saving whom he does save and taking them to be with him in glory in his immediate presence and in the enjoyment of him and everything that surrounds him forever and forever in paradise my friends you and I can never enter into a better situation as a situation that exceeds the situation of the unfallen angels in heavens itself because we can acknowledge in the spirit of praise and thankfulness that the

[20:59] Lord looked upon us in the freeness and fullness of his mercy and did everything needful to us at the expense of the humanity and sufferings of his own dear son that we may be instruments to his praise in a way that is beyond words to express in his presence and before him forever in paradise now who are those that inherit the kingdom of God they are those who by grace are brought to walk in the spirit if you and I are dominated by the flesh if we're constantly as it were following the course that is natural to us as fallen sinners hearts before God before God there's no place in heaven for us and we shall never get there because those that are to inherit the kingdom of

[22:26] God are those that are led by the spirit that have another nature given to them by God's grace a nature that is so opposed to the natural inclinations of our fallen hearts now this is the burden of this fifth chapter in the epistle to the Galatians the apostle could see that these people were as it were falling away to the works of the flesh and not submitting to the works of the spirit as the spirit sets it forth in the word of the Lord and in the example of our Lord Jesus Christ and in the upright walkings of the saints through God's grace in time looking for a better country that is an heavenly way if your minds as

[23:38] I talk run in a way that is discordant well read the Bible I'm not an infallible preacher and sometimes I meditate again upon what I've spoken and I wonder did I make it absolutely clear now my desire is to make it absolutely clear and I asked God before I entered this pulpit and before I left my home this morning I asked God to be present with me to guide me in my utterances because I want to be harmonising constantly and preaching with the truth of the word it's the truth that saves it's the truth that saves and if we walk in the spirit remember the spirit is truth and we shall walk in those ways that please

[24:48] God now the the apostle was very clear in enumerating those things which are the works of the flesh and I say in this day and age and I say with absolute affection and with pure desire pure desire for your welfare that he majors on a sexual note the first thing he brings forward is adultery adultery now you and I we're being as it were presented with that which is very suitable and agreeable to the lusts of the flesh as though this is the ideal my friends it can't be ideal if it's contrary to God and if it's against his word it's going to bring trouble sin is the precursor of trouble and if you and

[26:04] I walk antagonistically to the teaching of God's word we're heading for trouble we may well head for trouble in this world as God is a God of justice but we shall most certainly head for trouble in the world to come if God ever says to us that having his word we disobey and we merit his separation from us to a never ending eternity depart from me he curses into everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels well now the two things and I'm going to just briefly touch upon them because they're very relevant to our lives at the present moment the first one is adultery and what is adultery well it's sexual and it is unfaithfulness to the covenant or marriage vows my friends know all sorts of reasons and excuses are introduced introduced to suggest that unfaithfulness will be ultimately to our advantage never no never no never we cannot walk contrary to God for if

[27:45] God walks contrary to us we're doomed to trouble we're doomed to trouble and remember disobedience to God not only brings trouble in eternity but God can overrule our disobedience to our turmoil and trouble circumstantially in this present time God is a God of judgment by whom actions are weighed and if our actions are contrary to our knowledge of the right way and the determination of the flesh we as it were challenge the most high we choose our way as opposed to thy way we're heading for trouble nobody ever yet has fought against God and won the fight nobody and nobody ever will so don't think you can choose a way that is contrary to the teaching of God and prosper because

[28:58] I'm a witness of the judgmental dealings of God and they're most sad and hard to endure and only God can reconcile us and bring us out of our troubles for now I think it's wise that I should refer at this point in this particular to that good King David in the Old Testament oh how sad was the change brought in his exalted position given to him freely by God under the anointing of Samuel he was ordained to be the King of Israel but he became the subject of fleshly lust and the invasion of that into his life brought him into a measure of trouble to the end of his days well now yes adultery and then we have fornication which is sex out of marriage my friends it's bringing a terrible curse on our nation on our society generally our young people are exposed to what is presented as a normal way of life it's inconsistent with the teaching and will of the most high

[31:01] God and you can't sin and prosper you can't sin and prosper you may say well everybody yes but are you going to join the crowd and as it were bury all hope of inheriting the kingdom of God by giving way to the general attitude of the masses and all those that may hold you up to a measure of ridicule because you don't run in the broad ways of sin with them oh my friends let us be a Daniel let us stand alone let us fear God and seek the smile of God the approval of God and God honors those that honor him I say yes there is the fornication and uncleanness and lasciviousness now that is not a word that is in general use but I looked in the dictionary and it says sexual desire strong sexual desire lasciviousness giving way to that inclination that is in us by nature and calls as it were for satisfaction but satisfaction gained through sin is a terrible terrible omen for the future because

[32:52] God's displeasure is very very hard to experience and then of course we have this other list we have idolatry witchcraft hatred variance emulations wrath strife seditions heresies how solemn is that catalogue I won't attempt to go into all the detail but wrath bitterness living as it were in rebellion against all authority just taking as it were self interest as the hallmark and the major ingredient of our outlook oh my friends we're told to crucify the flesh with its affections and lusts we're told that we're our chief enemy in ourselves if we as it were throw the reins upon the horse's neck and go just where our old nature will incline and dictate what a wonderful thing to be brought by God's grace under the influence of the truth of God's word and say with one of old so did not I because of the fear of the Lord my friends the fear of the

[34:35] Lord it's an unctuous light to all that's right and it's a bar to all that's wrong oh my young friends I love you that's why I'm here exposing myself to possible criticism by being very frank don't go with the world today because the gender of the world is obviously to ruin hold fast to the principles of God's holy word and the example of those that fear the Lord recorded in his word and also exemplified I trust in the society and fellowship of the church with whom you associate because the Lord says ye are the light of the world and the church reflects the light that is in Christ and the teachings and practices that are according to godliness now there's another thing and I must hasten and I must die idolatry witchcraft idolatry witchcraft now idolatry is a terrible thing to put something in the position which lawfully

[36:04] God himself and especially in the person of Jesus Christ should occupy oh my friends beware of idolatry a double minded man is unstable in all his ways if you've got some secret thing that you elevate to a first consideration other than Jesus Christ it's an idol it's an idol we need God to keep us from idolatry because it is so easy to make too much of something other than the Lord himself well then witchcraft you know that that is in practice in our society and some peoples in the world are in bondage to darkness in the national context or regional context because they are in bondage to witchcraft and then wrath strife and seditions and heresies what a catalogue isn't it now just in closing

[37:49] I want to refer to the excellency of walking with in the spirit and with the Lord walk in the spirit and he shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh the things of the spirit but the fruit of the spirit is love joy peace long suffering gentleness oh how gentle was our precious Lord how gentle what a mercy to be real gentlemen in our conduct and in our outlook with others and then goodness faith meekness temperance against such there is no law the

[38:58] Lord won't condemn us if we're walking in the spirit no my friends here we have an identification of those things which are the fruits of the spirit and as I have another subject on my mind for this evening I can't spend more time this morning but I do hope you'll read this fifth chapter and look into a mirror as you read it and say now of what spirit am I under what power am I living out my life and you'll find if you seek to walk in the spirit that you're the subject of a conflict a conflict within you not a conflict with God and the circumstances round about you've got a conflict in your own heart concerning those things that are good and right according to the spirit and consistent with the blessing of

[40:03] God and do look again at this as it were designation of what it is to walk in the spirit and may love joy peace long suffering gentleness goodness faith meekness temperance against such there is no law that's walking in the spirit and if those boundaries are fixed in our minds and worked out in our lives my friends the obvious end and result will be that the Lord will smile upon us and the Lord will strengthen us against those powers of darkness that would be bondage and threatening in an eternal context concerning our very existence as men and women and children before

[41:07] God and in the world wherein our lot is cast for the present may the Lord add his blessing I have spoken as I have I'm a grandfather as you know and I've got such a concern for those next generations which follow us through the course of life and must with us ultimately enter into eternity forever and my friends better than anything in this world it is to be right for the next to have the frown of the whole of mankind upon us and have the smile of the almighty God is far preferable may God set our balances aright may he make us spiritually minded people which is life and peace

[42:14] Amen