The Fifth Freedom Galatians 5: Chapter 10

Franklin Roosevelt shared his vision of four basic freedom enjoyed by all –Freedom of speech –Freedom of worship –Freedom from want –Freedom from fear Fifth freedom is needed in our world –Freedom from himself and the tyranny of his sinful nature Answers to the problem –Not law on the outside

–Love on the inside –Power within which is the power from the Holy Spirit 14 references to the Holy Spirit in Galatians –Spirit dwells within the believers (3:2) –Born of the Spirit as was Isaac (4:29) –Spirit give assurance of salvation (4:6) –Spirit enables us to live for Christ and glorify Him –Spirit is not a divine influence, but a divine Person –Spirit personalizes for the believers and applies to their lives as they yield to the Spirit The ministries of the Holy Spirit enabling believer to enjoy liberty in Christ

–The Spirit enables us to fulfill (obey) The law of love (5:13-15) –Your liberty into license Our calling –Free from the guilt of God’s forgiveness –Free from the penalty of sin because Christ died for us –Free from the power of sin in daily life through the Spirit –Free from the law with all its demands and threats –Called into liberty because we are called unto the grace of Christ (1:6) “Don’t allow liberty into license.” –Danger is real because men fail the grace of God (Heb 12:15) –Liberty is not a license to sin, but an opportunity to serve

Commandment: by love serve one another (Gal 5:3) –Liberty + love = service to others –Liberty – love = license (slavery to sin –“Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself” solves every problem in human relation (Rom 13:8-14) Holy Spirit gives love ( Rom 5:5, Gal 6:22) Galatian believers lack love because they were biting and devouring one another, or destroying each other (Gal 5:15) Legalists and libertines destroy the fellowship –II Cor 3 – difference between spiritual maturity of grace and carnal ministry of the law –The Holy Spirit enables us to overcome the flesh (old nature) (Gal 5:16-21, 24)

Conflicts (16-17) –The flesh & Spirit at war –Human body, not sinful but neutral –Spirit & flesh: different appetites, lusts of flesh –Sheep vs pig –Dove vs raven –Unsaved doesn’t have the Holy Spirit (Rom 8:9) –Christian cannot simply will (want) to overcome the flesh (Rom 7:15, 19) Conquests (v. 18) –Surrender to the Holy Spirit –“But if you are willing led by the Spirit, then you are not under the law” –Holy Spirit writes God’s law in our hearts (Heb 10:14- 17) so that we desire to obey Him in love

–“I delight to do thy will : yea, thy law is within my heart” Ps 40:8) –Being “led of the Spirit” and “walking in the Spirit” opposite of yielding to the desires of the flesh Crucifixion (v , 24) –The flesh manufacture sin, but it can never produce the righteousness of God »“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked” (Jer 17:9) –Sensual sins (19, 21b) »Adultery: illicit sex between married people »Fornication: illicit sex between unmarried people »Uncleanness: filthiness of heart and mind making a person defiled –Superstitious sins (20a) »Idolatry: putting things ahead of God and people »We worship God, love people, and use things

»We use people, love self, and worship things leaving God out »Witchcraft: Greek word pharmekeia – use of drugs »Sorcery: activities of occult (Deuteronomy 18: 9- 22) –Social sins (20b-21a) »Hatred: enmity – the attitude of mind that defies and challenges others »Variance: strife – outworking of enmity »Emulation: jealousy or rivalry »Wrath – outburst of anger »Strife: self-seeking, selfish ambition causing division »Seditions: divisions »Heresy: party spirit, faction »Envying: carrying of grudges »Murders

–Those who practice those sins shall not inherit the kingdom of God »Habit of sin »The fact that the believer is not under the law, but under the grace; no excuse for sin (Rom 6:15) –The old nature must be crucified (v. 24) »The believer is identified with Christ in death, burial, and resurrection (Rom 6) »I died with Christ »Christ died for me to remove the penalty of sin »I died with Christ to break sin’s power »We cannot crucify ourselves: the flesh has already been crucified »Our responsibility: to believe and act on it; reckoning (Rom 6, Col 3:5) –We are not debtor to the flesh, but to the Holy Spirit (Rom 8: 12-14)

»We must make no “ provision for the flesh” (Rom 13:14) »No confidence in the flesh (Phil 3:3) »Flesh is not subject to the law (Rom 8:7) »Flesh cannot please God (Rom 8:8) –Holy Spirit is the Spirit of life and death »Only through the Spirit we can put to death the deeds that the flesh would do through our body (Rom 8:2, 13) –The Holy Spirit enables us to produce fruit (5:22-23, 25-26) Contrast between the works and fruit –Fruit grows out of life –Works – effort, labor, strain, and toil –Fruit beauty, quietness, the unfolding of life –The flesh produces dead works (Heb 9:14);Spirit produces living fruit

–Fruit has seed for more fruit (Gen 1:11) »Fruit, more fruit, much fruit (John 15: 2,5) Different kinds of fruits –People won to Christ (Rom 1:13) –Holy living (Rom 6:33) –Gifts brought to God (Rom 15: 26-28) –Good works (Col 1:10) –Praise (Heb 13: 15) The fruit of Spirit – character (Gal 5:22-23) Gift of the Spirit – salvation (Acts 2: 38, 11:17) Gifts of the Spirit – service (I Cor 12) Graces of the Spirit –Character before spiritual gifts Godward aspect of the Christian life –Love: the other fruit is the outgrowth of love (I Cor 13:4-80

»Agape: divine love, God’s gift to us (Rom 5:5) »Eros – sensual love, not used in N.T, –Joy: inward peace and sufficiency not affected by the outward circumstances –Peace is produced by love and joy, “the peace of God which passeth all understanding” Phil 4:7) Manward aspect of the Christian life –Longsuffering: courageous endurance without quitting –Gentleness: kindness –Goodness: love in action Selfward aspect of the Christian life –Faith: faithfulness, dependability –Meekness: the right use of power and authority, power under control, humility –Temperance: self-control The old nature can counterfeit the fruit of the Spirit, but it can never produce the fruit

When The Spirit produces the fruit God gets the glory When the flesh is at work, he is proud of himself and pleased when others compliment him. Cultivation of the fruit »The Spirit and the Word »Walk in the Spirit (Gal 5:25) »Word, prayer, worship, praise, and fellowship with God’s people »“Pulling out the weed” so the Word can take the root and bear fruit –Fruit is to be eaten, not to be admired and put on display –People are starving for love, joy, peace, and others –We bear fruit so that others might be fed and helped and that Christ be glorified

–The secret of the Christian life is the Holy Spirit He gives us the “fifth freedom” – freedom from self and sin