TITLE: The Spirit Grants us Access TEXT: Galatians 5:13-26, Ephesians 5:1-7 THEME: Walking by the Spirit of God assures the believer of entrance into Gods Kingdom.

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Galatians 5:1 Paul says: “it is for freedom that Christ has set us free.”

Who will be able to enter the Kingdom of God?

I. Those that have been set free from the yoke of slavery through the presence of the Spirit. (Galatians 5:1-16) A. “How is one enslaved?” Paul answers this by stating, “We are enslaved by trying to be justified by the law.” (5:1-15)

I. Those that have been set free from the yoke of slavery through the presence of the Spirit. (Galatians 5:1-16)

A. “How is one enslaved?” Paul answers this by stating, “We are enslaved by trying to be justified by the law.” (5:1-15) 1. By trying to be justified by the law we fall from grace. (1-6)

Galatians 5:1-6 … 5 It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery… 4 you who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace

I. Those that have been set free from the yoke of slavery through the presence of the Spirit. (Galatians 5:1-16) A. “How is one enslaved?” Paul answers this by stating, “We are enslaved by trying to be justified by the law.” (5:1-15) 1. By trying to be justified by the law we fall from grace. (1-6) 2. By trying to be justified by the law we get cut off from our good race. (7-12)

Galatians 5: “You were running a good race. Who cut in on you to keep you from obeying the truth? 8 That kind of persuasion does not come from the one who calls you...”

I. Those that have been set free from the yoke of slavery through the presence of the Spirit. (Galatians 5:1-16) A. “How is one enslaved?” Paul answers this by stating, “We are enslaved by trying to be justified by the law.” (5:1-15) 1. By trying to be justified by the law we fall from grace. (1-6) 2. By trying to be justified by the law we get cut off from our good race. (7-12) 3. By trying to be justified by the law we disobey the truth.

I. Those that have been set free from the yoke of slavery through the presence of the Spirit. (Galatians 5:1-16) A. “How is one enslaved?” Paul answers this by stating, “We are enslaved by trying to be justified by the law.” (5:1-15) B. Use your freedom to humbly serve one another in live (13-15)

Galatians 5: “You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. 14 For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 15 If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.”

Romans 13:8-10 “8 Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law. 9 The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not covet,” and whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.”

Terry Waite

Some after finding freedom. 1. They get discouraged and return to their old ways because it is what they know and falsely believed was to their benefit. 2. They get distracted and run in another direction. 3. They get grace distorted and bind up their lives with impossible rules or obsessive license. 4. They get defeated and give up.

Who will be able to enter the Kingdom of God?

II. Those that are walking by the Spirit. (16-21)

Galatians 5: “So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever[a] you want. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

Galatians 5:16-21 “19 The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.”

II. Those that are walking by the Spirit. (16-24) A. The things of the Spirit are opposed to things of the flesh.

I Thess. 5:19 “Do not grieve the Spirit.”

Ephesians 4:30 “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.”

II. Those that are walking by the Spirit. (16-24) A. The things of the Spirit are opposed to things of the flesh. B. The things of the flesh are the obvious and natural ways of man.

Notice the list sexual immoralityimpurity and debauchery idolatry and witchcrafthatred, discord jealousyfits of rage selfish ambitiondissensions factions and envy; drunkenness orgiesand the like

I Corinthians 6:9-11 “Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men 10 nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.”

I Corinthians 6:9-11 “11 And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.”

Ephesians 5:3-5 “But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. 4 Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. 5 For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a person is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.”

Kurt Cobain

Observation So much of what we do in the flesh is to satisfy our own internal emptiness and yet the more we indulge the greater our despair. In contrast the Spirit of God gives our lives purpose and direction.

III. Those that show the fruit of the Spirit. (22-26) A. There is one fruit- nine expressions

Galatians 5:22-26 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.”

John 15:5-8 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.”

III. Those that show the fruit of the Spirit. (22-25) A. There is one fruit- nine expressions B. They belong to Christ and have crucified the flesh.

Romans 6:6-7 “ For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin— 7 because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.”

APPLICATION Many have become enslaved to sin. We have numerous addictions with people trying to satisfy the desires of the flesh yet so few turn to God or trust that He is powerful enough to change them. Fruit takes time to produce but if we walk in the Spirit there will be fruit.

APPLICATION Not all roads lead to the Kingdom. You must choose which one you will follow.

APPLICATION It is only our modern; post-sexual-revolution mentality people often define one’s entire personhood by one’s sexual desires. It is reminiscent of the chaotic situation that prevailed during the Book of Judges, when “everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (Judg. 21:25). This is a sure path to destruction.

APPLICATION When you define yourself by your temptations or your passions (instead of managing your appetite and resisting temptations), there is no bottom to that cesspool! The truth is that we all have temptations and appetites that are not healthy and must be managed or we will live with a deep sense of shame no matter what values our culture tries to validate.

APPLICATION In our culture there is an emphasis on personal rights and individual choices. In contrast Paul wrote, “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, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Gal. 2:20).

APPLICATION Beginning a new life in the Spirit means the end of the old life—in many more ways than we could imagine when we first put our faith in Him. As missionary Amy Carmichael once explained, to be dead to self and alive to God means “dead to all one’s natural earthly plans and hopes, dead to all voices, however dear, which would deafen our ear to His.” (Brown, Michael L. p. 218).

Elsinore Theatre, Salem, Oregon

Conclusion Even in our sin and brokenness, we're called to model a way of life that is different from the world around us. Our love, our hope, our forgiveness should offer the world the beautiful alternative of life in the Spirit.