Walking by the Spirit, Not the Works of the Flesh

Paul sets the line plain in Galatians 5: walk by the Spirit, and the desires of the flesh will not rule the life. The flesh and the Spirit are opposed to one another, and that battle is real for believers. Paul’s list does not only hit sexual sin or religious sin. The works of the flesh also show up in hostility, jealousy, greed, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, and divisions. Those sins can sit right in the middle of everyday relationships, families, workplaces, and churches.

Enmity belongs against Satan and the evil he works, not against people made in God’s image. Christ calls His people to love enemies, pray for persecutors, and remember that the real struggle is not against flesh and blood. Hostility toward others often reveals a deeper refusal to submit to God when life does not go the way somebody wants. The flesh says, “I did not get my way, so I am mad.” The Spirit calls believers to trust that God has not lost control.

Jealousy, envy, and greed grow out of a consuming desire for what belongs to somebody else. The tenth commandment names the problem, whether the object is a wife, house, car, salary, influence, popularity, or stuff. Paul’s call to contentment does not depend on having plenty, because he learned contentment even in prison. Christ gives strength not for every imagined achievement, but for facing abundance or need without being owned by either one.

Fits of anger reveal what is coming out of the heart. Moses dishonored God when anger took over at the rock, even though Israel had been difficult and aggravating. Anger can be righteous in rare moments, but an angry person is operating by the flesh and giving opportunity to the devil. God’s Spirit convicts sin, calls for repentance, and does not leave believers comfortable with bitterness, wrath, clamor, or slander.

Rivalries and divisions become sinful when self matters more than others. Good-hearted competition can be fun, but rivalry becomes fleshly when losing consumes the heart or winning becomes a way to think more highly of oneself. Dissension is not faithful conviction merely because somebody is loud or determined. Scripture calls for standing firm where God’s Word is at stake, while refusing to sow discord over personal preference. The fruit of the Spirit stands in sharp contrast to a life continually controlled by these works of the flesh. A life with no conviction, no repentance, and no desire to change should cause serious concern: “Do you know Christ as your Savior?”

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Hostility belongs against Satan, not people. Enmity is real, but Scripture directs it toward Satan and the spiritual forces of evil, not toward flesh and blood. Christ’s command to love enemies exposes how different Spirit-led life is from the flesh’s instinct to attack. God calls believers to see people as people to love, even when conflict is hard. [39:04]
• 2. Contentment is Christ’s strength in need. Jealousy and greed keep saying that somebody else’s possessions, position, or recognition would finally make life enough. Paul learned contentment in plenty and hunger, abundance and need, because Christ strengthened him for that particular battle. Christ frees the heart from being consumed by what it does not have. [49:32]
• 3. Anger reveals what fills the heart. Moses’ anger at the rock was not a small matter, because his attempt to accomplish God’s will dishonored God’s holiness. Ungodly anger may feel justified by difficult people or hard circumstances, but it gives the devil room to work. The Spirit brings conviction and repentance where anger has been allowed to rule. [54:31]
• 4. Rivalry becomes sinful when self rules. Competition can remain good-hearted, but rivalry turns fleshly when another person’s success produces resentment or personal failure cannot be released. Humility counts others more significant and refuses to make every outcome a verdict on personal worth. God calls believers to enjoy one another without needing to be above one another. [62:48]
• 5. Persistent flesh calls for serious examination. Believers still battle sin, and sin may rear its head again even after seasons of growth. God’s Spirit, however, brings conviction, repentance, and a real desire to change. A life overtaken by the flesh with no concern for holiness must ask whether Christ truly rules there.
  
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Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [30:08] - Walking by the Spirit
• [35:17] - Enmity and Hostility
• [39:04] - The Real Battle Is Spiritual
• [43:09] - Jealousy, Envy, and Coveting
• [47:22] - The Love of Money
• [49:32] - Learning Contentment Through Christ
• [52:11] - Fits of Anger
• [53:25] - Moses, Anger, and God’s Holiness
• [58:26] - Rivalries and Selfish Ambition
• [64:21] - Dissensions and Divisions
• [69:37] - The Danger of Sowing Discord
• [70:36] - Fruit of the Spirit or Works of Flesh
• [71:41] - Repentance and Faith in Christ

Bible Reading

Galatians 5:16-25
“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. 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. 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.” [30:32]

Ephesians 6:12
“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” [39:08]

Philippians 4:11-13
“Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” [49:32]

Observation questions

1. In Galatians 5:16–25, what contrast does Paul make between the works of the flesh and the fruit of the Spirit?
2. Which relational sins does Paul include among the works of the flesh, and how do they affect families, workplaces, and churches? [34:59]
3. According to Ephesians 6:12, who is the believer’s real struggle against, and how does that shape the way Christians should view difficult people? [39:08]
4. In Philippians 4:11–13, what different life situations had Paul learned to face with contentment? [49:32]

Interpretation questions

1. Why does Paul place sins such as hostility, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalry, and division alongside sins that people may consider more serious or obvious? What does that reveal about the seriousness of relational sin? [34:28]
2. How can a person’s hostility toward a spouse, child, coworker, or fellow church member sometimes reveal a deeper struggle to trust God’s control over difficult circumstances? [41:44]
3. Paul says he can do all things through Christ who strengthens him in the context of contentment. How does that context correct the common idea that this verse promises success in every personal goal? [51:24]
4. How can a group distinguish between standing firmly for biblical truth and causing dissension over personal preferences or wounded pride? [01:05:27]

Application questions

1. Is there a person toward whom you have been carrying hostility, resentment, or an eagerness to fight? What might it look like to treat that person as someone made in God’s image rather than as an enemy? [40:31]
2. When life does not go your way, where does anger most often come out—at home, at work, online, or in private? What would trusting God in that moment look like before anger takes control? [42:11]
3. What possessions, opportunities, recognition, or relationships are most likely to stir jealousy or envy in your heart? How could gratitude and contentment in Christ help loosen that grip? [45:20]
4. Think about a recent moment when you were angry. What did your words, tone, or actions reveal about what was filling your heart, and is there anyone you need to seek forgiveness from? [57:37]
5. Where might competition in your life be becoming too important—sports, work, finances, parenting, ministry, or something else? How can you enjoy healthy competition without making winning or being noticed a measure of your worth? [01:02:48]
6. Have you been tempted to stir up conflict over a preference, a disappointment, or a decision you did not like? What would it look like to pursue unity while still speaking honestly and asking good questions? [01:04:45]
7. When the works of the flesh show up in your life, do you experience conviction and turn back to Christ, or have you become comfortable with them? What is one specific area where repentance and Spirit-led change are needed this week? [01:11:00]