Living in Freedom: The Spirit vs. The Flesh

Devotional

Sermon Summary

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips


For freedom Christ has set us free stand firm therefore and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery look I Paul say to you that if you accept circumcision Christ will be of no advantage to you I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he is obligated to keep the whole law you are severed from Christ you who would be justified by the law you have fallen Away From Grace for through the Spirit by faith we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness for in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything but only Faith working through love. [00:00:55]

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're not consumed by one another but I say walk by the spirit and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. [00:02:45]

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 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. [00:03:13]

But the fruit of the spirit is love joy peace patience kindness goodness faithfulness gentleness self-control against such things there is no law and those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires if we live by the spirit let us also keep in step with the spirit let us not become conceited provoking one another envying one another. [00:03:55]

Sanctification although imperfect in this life because we will never be what we're going to be although imperfect in this life is affected in every part of man's nature some remnants of corruption still persist in every part and so there arises a continual and irreconcilable War the flesh Waring against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh so that within the framework of our lives we understand what it is that Paul is saying here. [00:07:05]

The reason he says that is because there we are a walking Battle Ground we Face an internal battle all the way from here to Eternity and the battle takes place in this realm where the remaining corrupted elements of our fallen nature continue to gravitate towards that which is wrong and the work of the spirit of God within our lives is to say to us come on now that is not the way that you should be living. [00:08:13]

Self is one of the toughest weeds that grows in the garden of our lives and it's true isn't it who do you have the most trouble with in your entire Christian Life be honest yourself yourself you see your biggest problem every morning when you wash your face he's he or she is looking back at you you might want to say that it's your spouse or the lady of the street but in actual fact the biggest problem is ourselves. [00:10:54]

The need for self-control is clear the reason the Bible has so much to say about it is because God knows that his children are tempted to overindulge that that we as his children are tempted to live outside the boundaries that he has established for our good he loves us as a father loves his children he establishes boundaries for his children for their protection for their well-being for their good and for his glory. [00:12:08]

True freedom is not a license to do as you please but it is a liberty to do as we ought James does the same thing James 1:25 he says here you have the perfect law of Liberty he says you can fall in on the one side to license you can fall in on the other side to legalism but he says this is the perfect law that gives you Liberty here is the freedom. [00:16:39]

We are held in bounds but we are not not held in bonds okay the difference a vowel can make you who play Scrabble you understand this we are held in bounds but we're not held in bonds we're battling the Bible tells us on three fronts against the world against the Flesh and against the devil every day all day in our lives we battle internal desires that are cultivated by external pressures and attractions. [00:17:39]

When we do sin and fall we're tempted many of us to say things like well I couldn't help myself well yes you could the fact is that when we sinned like that whatever was the object of our mistaken pleasure we loved that more than we love God so in in essence it is idolatry it's all about who you're worshiping either we are worshiping at The Shrine of our own appetites and desires or we're worshiping at the fruit of the Cross where Jesus bore our punishment in order that we might live in that kind of of Freedom. [00:19:17]

Every time that I Sin willfully Sin I'm saying that whether it's in the Forefront of my mind whether I acknowledge it or not what I'm really saying is I cannot be satisfied in you God I've got to find satisfaction somewhere else the boundaries that you've established for me are restricting boundaries that's what the that's what goes on inside your heart therefore I I know that you would like this but and it's the challenge that every one of us faces. [00:20:59]

Ask a question about this sermon