Has there been a crucifixion in your life? Galatians five twenty four tells us that those who belong to Jesus have crucified the sinful flesh. In this message Pastor Rich shared seven signs that you might still be sowing to the flesh. instead of walking by the Spirit. and he shares what it will look like when we have crucified the flesh.
Let's listen in. Good morning. Yeah. Our passage today comes from the fifth chapter of Galatians, we'll be reading verses 19 through 24.
So if you would please turn to that in your copy of the scripture. Galatians 5. Verses 19 through 24.
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. Canis 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.
Let us bow our heads for prayer. Heavenly Father, we thank you for this time that we have together today. It is a privilege to gather here. before you and to worship you and to learn from your word To acknowledge you as our Creator, our Redeemer, and our Sustainer. and to acknowledge our total dependence upon you, Father.
Father, I love the verse. In Psalm 147, that says that you take pleasure in those who fear you. Those who hope in your steadfast love. And my prayer today, Father, is that you will take pleasure in each person that is here today. Father, I thank you for today's passage.
It is a very powerful passage. And it presents a A tremendous contrast. about what is produced When we walk by the flesh, as opposed to what is produced when we walk by the Spirit. And when we look at this contrast, Father, I can only pray. that it will motivate us strongly.
to diligently pursue walking by the Spirit.
So that the fruit of the Spirit will manifest itself in our lives more and more and so that our lives will glorify you more and more. Thank you, Father, for your great goodness to us. Please prepare our hearts and minds to receive what you have for us in your word today. And please be with Pastor Rich and guide him and direct him as he brings it to us, Father. In the name of Jesus we pray.
Amen. Thank you, Ver. Good morning, Church.
So we are taking a look at what it looks like, what it means to walk by the Spirit. In Galatians chapter 5. Paul has been referring to this throughout this book as he writes to the letter to the churches of Galatia.
So the title of today's sermon is The Freedom of the Spirit. The last two sermons from Galatians, Galatians chapter 5, have been what it looks like to walk by the Spirit. To walk by the Spirit.
So, if you really want to know what it means, what does it look like to walk by the Spirit? I encourage you to go back and review those sermons. There's notes there that are available to you also, and listen to that, listen to that intently. It's very important for us to know what it means to walk by the Spirit. It is a truth, a promise of God, a truth, a reality for those of us who are in Christ, a resource for us.
As it is God's purpose, predestined purpose to conform us to the image of Christ. How does that happen? By walking by the Spirit.
So we must know what that means and what it looks like. He says here, and Paul gives a great, great contrast today, as was the text that was just read for us this morning. Those who belong to Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. And it contrasts the works of the flesh and the fruit of the Spirit. You're either sewing to one or the other.
You can't be doing both at the same time. As we've we've said before, I think Like John says, whoever abides in him does not sin.
So you have the privilege, listen to me, Christian, please. You have the high calling and privilege and invitation to abide in Christ. Which is the same as drawing near to God, which is the same as letting the word of Christ dwell in you richly. All of these together are the same as walking by the Spirit. They're all hand in glove.
And we have the high calling and privilege to abide in Christ, to walk by the Spirit. And when we do We will not sin. We will not gratify the desires of the flesh. Because it is those desires that we battle day after day after day. And the more we're walking by the Spirit, abiding in Christ, drawing near to God, letting His Word dwell in us richly, the more we become like Christ.
And the less we will have to battle. The flesh. That listen, that is a promise of God's Word. Do we ever arrive under the sun? No, we don't.
Even the Apostle Paul said, I have not yet arrived. But the question is: this: look at your life. Is my life in an upward trajectory of becoming like Christ? Because one day, one day. You will be Like Jesus Christ perfectly.
Isn't that awesome to think about that? It has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when he is revealed, say it with me: we shall be like him. Isn't that awesome? That's your destiny, Christian. And God gives us the resource now to be able to be moving in that direction.
It's by His grace, and that's what by His grace means. It is God doing this in us. That's why we must. Draw near to him and abide in Christ and walk by the Spirit and let His Word dwell in us richly and love as He loved. That's how that happens.
Now let's get to the contrast that Paul is making here. The whole purpose for the law. was to curtail sinful behavior and to protect the weak. What sinful behavior needed to be curtailed? Look at verse 19.
The works of the flesh are evident. What does he mean by that? This is natural behavior. You don't have to try to find this stuff. This is natural human activity.
This is what comes natural to every one of us. Sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warned you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
Now there's some theology in there that we need to unpack. Right. The works of the flesh means living for self. That's the problem that you were born with. That you were born self-preeminent.
to live for your you were bent on living for yourself. It is the default human activity. It is natural behavior. All of these things that were just listed are natural behavior. Let me describe them for you.
You're simply following sense and impulse. That's why it's natural. You are a fallen created being. Alienated from God. And you follow sense and impulse, you react.
to circumstance. That's why the Bible says folly is bound up in the heart of a child. And it needs to be removed. It is only the wisdom of God that can do that.
So these are the works of the flesh.
Now, I don't want to take the time to go through every one of these because, quite frankly, neither the works of the flesh nor the fruit of the Spirit, neither of those is an exhaustive list. They're an exemplary list.
Okay? That's all they are. But As I was studying this, I came across a writing, Seven Signs You're Sowing to the Flesh, and this is by Portia Collins in her book, Finding Freedom in Christ, published by Crossway. And I read that and I'm like. That'll preach.
She did that better than I ever would, and more concisely.
So, um, If you don't mind, I'm just going to refer to her. And I would recommend that, ladies, it'd be an excellent study by Portra Collins, Finding Your Freedom in Christ as a follow-up to this study in Galatians, because that's what it is: it's a study of Galatians. And she read my notes. I know that because it's almost like in one article, she says, How do you overcome this? And it's like she's almost quoting me.
All right. I said, I recognize that wording. Seven signs you're sowing to the flesh. Number one: pleasure becomes your master. This is a very American thing.
Pleasure becomes your master. Our culture is all about pleasure. It's big business. And pleasure becomes your master of sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality. And by the way, sensuality just simply means I am driven by my senses.
That's what sensuality means. You're nothing more than an animal. You sense it, you do it. That's sensuality. Must have it.
So, pleasure becomes your master means it's you are driven by unchecked desires. And you have the belief that your feelings deserve fulfillment, period. At all costs. Your feelings deserve fulfilment. This could come in the form of what you consume in private.
Or the shows that you binge. Or the attention that you seek online.
Okay. It could show itself in the form of sexual passion, apart from God's design. Let me make this abundantly clear. God's design for sex is in a marital covenant between a man and a woman.
Okay. Anything outside of that is outside of God's design. And so When pleasure becomes your master, It makes me think of Jeff Foxworthy. You just might be a redneck if, right?
So seven signs, right? Um pleasure becomes your master. Number two, worship is misplaced. And it's idolatry and sorcery. Worship is where you center your hope, your identity, and your comfort.
And when worship is misplaced, you center your identity, your hope, and your comfort in something other than God. This just might be a sign that you're sowing to the flesh. And what could it be? You could be centering your hope, and identity, and your comfort in approval. You're a people pleaser.
or control. Or productivity, or family, and the list goes on. Do you see what there's going, okay. At the center, at the core of your being, that circle that I draw. The place of preeminence right in the middle.
What's occupying that in your life? You might be sewing to the flesh if something other than Christ occupies the hub of that wheel. The desires of the flesh will always lead to idolatry. Let me say that again. The desires of the flesh will always lead to idolatry.
They will lead you away from God. Thirdly, the third sign you might be sowing to the flesh: conflict is your pattern. And these are the words in the list: enmity, strife, and jealousy. Conflict is your pattern. In other words, you have a heart at odds with others.
You are just generally at odds with others. No one is as right as you are ever. Been around somebody like that? Yeah. Ongoing tension, silent resentment, constant comparison.
Comparison. is the enemy of your soul. and it's natural behavior. And it is the Spirit of God who can rescue us from that.
Okay. But conflict is your pattern, and truly it's rooted in pride and insecurity. Pride and insecurity. How can pride and insecurity go together? Oh, believe me, they do.
The word arrogant, you know what? Arrogance is a manifestation of insecurity. I have to present myself as superior. Because I need you to believe that I am. That's what arrogance is.
but it's rooted in insecurity. That's a whole nother seminar, right?
Okay, we'll let Chris do that one. Uh all right, seven signs you're sewing to the flesh. Number four, you can't I didn't mean he's arrogant.
Okay, this. I'm not talking about him because he's serving in the nursery, okay? Number four, I I said that because he's a counselor. Yeah, thank you. Didn't want to get some emails from that one.
All right, number four, number four, number four, number sign sign you might be sowing to the flesh. You can't control your emotions. This is big. Fits of anger, it says in the list, fits of anger. In today's world, we're told you just need to vent your emotions.
Listen to me. The Bible does not teach that. In the Psalms. The authors of those psalms sing and pray their emotions. But they don't have venting fits of anger.
It's not what it is.
Okay. You can't control your emotions, but let's remember, and it talks fits of anger, let's remember that anger is an emotion designed by God. We are emotive beings, and anger is one of those emotions. Anger itself is not a sin. Did Jesus get angry?
Yes, he did. There is such a thing as righteous indignation. Beware the person that never gets angry at anything. It means they stand for nothing. Again, that's a whole different seminar.
All right. But So anger itself, but when anger becomes chronic and abusive, That shows that you're sewing to the flesh.
Okay. You're allowing your emotions to dominate your actions. and you lack self-control. And on and on it goes. Fifthly.
Competitiveness is your posture. And these are the words rivalries, dissensions, divisions. Competitiveness is your posture. It might look something like this: that you measure your worth by being better than someone else. You measure your worth.
By being better than someone else, you want to outshine others and divide people and cause disunity. Again, natural human behavior. It all flows from self-preeminence. Number six, you refuse to celebrate others, and this is wrapped up in the word envy. That's what envy is.
You refuse to celebrate. When something really good happens to someone else, can you celebrate with them, especially if it was something you really wanted? or still want. This envy And refusing to celebrate others often hides beneath false humility or pious language. but it exposes a heart that doubts God's goodness.
And you question why God would give someone else what we think we deserve. And lastly, number seven, escapism. is a way of life. You have so many temptations hurled at you day after day after day. in this category.
Escapism is a way of life. And it's wrapped up in the words drunkenness and orgies and things like that, he says, drunkenness, orgies, things like that. Um Things like these. Using substance? Substances or experiences or excess to do what?
to numb ourselves. Again, the Bible does not teach escape-ism. Not at all. It does teach us to rest. Yes, even Jesus did.
He rested. But If we're sowing to the flesh, we will seep escape and distraction or indulgence rather than rest in God. And we can do that using, well, You name it alcohol? Sex, food. Shopping?
Gaming?
Okay. That whole list, none of them are inherently wrong. But when we use them as a form of escapism. They can become idols to us. And we're giving them a place that only God deserves, and that is a manifestation of sowing to the flesh instead of sowing to the spirit.
I want you to notice what he says. Look at me at verse 21. Verse 21. I warned you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
Very important that we understand what that verse is saying there, particularly with the language that is used here. Let me tell you what Paul is not saying. If you are caught one time, Scrolling a little too long. Do you hear the legalism in that? Or watching, binging a movie a little too many times, whatever.
That means that You're not saved. That's not what Paul is saying here. Those who do such things, he says, here's the meaning of this, the nuance of what Paul is saying here. People who orient their lives towards these behaviors. demonstrate that they are alienated from God.
Again, natural behavior. They orient their lives towards these, and that's far different from we who are in Christ in the process of being made like Christ. That from time to time we might find ourselves spiritually dealing with a struggle in one or more of these areas.
Okay. There's a big difference there. But people who orient their lives toward these behaviors demonstrate that they are alienated from God. But this is the point that Paul is making: you're not alienated from God, so you have the resource to not gratify the desires of the flesh. And what is that resource?
It's to walk by the Spirit.
So that's why we must know what it means and what it looks like to walk by the Spirit. In contrast to that.
Now he talks about those who belong to Jesus Christ. Yes, we still struggle with natural behavior. We do. We still struggle with that. We still struggle with the flesh.
That's why he says: walk by the Spirit and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.
So the struggle is real. The battle is a real thing day by day. But let's remember the resource that is ours. There is something better, higher, more beautiful. For us.
and a resource that allows us to escape. the banality of natural human sinful behavior. It says here. We're going to skip down here for a minute. Verse 24: Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
Let's think about that for a minute. They have crude if you belong to Jesus. There's two kinds of people in this room this morning. Either you belong to Jesus or you don't. There's no in-between.
You answer that question. Have you surrendered to yourself in faith to Jesus Christ? To receive his forgiveness and his righteousness because he took your debt on the cross.
Okay. You are either in Christ or you're not. You either belong to him or you do not. If you do not, I invite you to deal with that. and speak to me after the service.
But those who belong to Jesus have crucified the flesh. Paul said that in Galatians 2:20. Remember, I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And he says the same thing in Romans chapter 2.
Something very similar to that in Romans chapter 6, verse 6. We're in Christ, we are united with Him in His death. Key New Testament doctrines with regard to the whole. arena of redemption, salvation, and reconciliation to God. And so when it says you have crucified the flesh, it's speaking of the old natural self.
Romans 6 says the old natural self has been done away with, or you could say, rendered inoperative. In other words, it's been sidelined. The coach has taken him out of the game. But this sidelined old man of the flesh can still holler at you, and you can still listen to him. The only way you're not going to listen to him is if you're marching to a different drumbeat, and what is that?
That's walking by the Spirit.
Okay. In other words, what he's saying here: the old natural self, you are not under its control. Christian, listen to me. This is a promise of God. You are not under its control.
Know that. You can still listen to the voice of the old man. But you are not under its control. You drown it out. with the affections and attitudes of Christ.
This is so key. This is so key right here. You have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. You can still listen to it, but you can drown it out with the affections and the attitudes of Christ. Go back to the habits of regeneration.
That's why they are so key. It is the selective power that you have of what occupies your mind.
So, those who belong to Christ have crucified the flesh, and you are. New creation, the new self, the new creation. You are created in Christ Jesus, Paul says in Ephesians 2. Created in Christ Jesus.
So you have a new heart. You have a new heart, and to reference the promise of the new covenant in Ezekiel chapter 36, it is a new heart of flesh. In other words, a heart of flesh is a heart that is inclined to please God. A heart of flesh as opposed to a heart of stone.
So here's the imagery here. If you are alienated from God, you are not in Christ, you have a heart of stone. You cannot draw near to God. You cannot commune with him. You cannot delight in him.
Because you have a heart of stone. It is unresponsive to him. It is not sentient to his ways. But if God takes that heart of stone out and gives you a heart of flesh, that new heart of flesh is living. It's sentient.
It's responsive. This is the imagery that the Bible uses here. Again. That's why the habits of regeneration. Draw near to God.
Abide in Christ, walk by the Spirit. Let His Word dwell in you richly, and love as I have loved you.
So, those who belong to Christ. Also Produce then the fruit of the Spirit, because you have a new heart. And the fruit of the Spirit, then. Let's look at this. But the fruit of the Spirit, verse 22: But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.
Again, that is listen, this is not an exhaustive list. That's an example. These are examples of the fruit of the Spirit. It is a partial description of the character of Christ. Christ lived perfectly.
Jesus was all these things. It's so important that Paul says At the end, he says, against such things there is no law. In other words, he's saying, and the list goes on and on, anything you can point to that there's no law against this. It points back to the perfect character of Christ. There's no law against love.
to love your neighbor as yourself. Or to love your neighbor as the Lord loved them. There's no law against that. There's no law against joy. Except maybe in some legalistic churches or something.
I don't know. But There's no law against peace. Right? And so We have to remember that this is a partial description of the character of Christ.
So instead of following a list. of do's and don'ts. We are following a person. Let me say that again. This is the difference between the Old and the New Testament.
The Old Testament was a list of do's and don'ts. Instead of following a list, we are now following a person. Look at the person. Study the person. Abide in him.
Walk with him. The more you walk with him, the more you become like him. This is how the gospel of grace works. The more you walk with him, the more you will be like him.
Now, let me say something else here: the fruit of the Spirit. A partial description of Christ's character, and is the Spirit is developing these in us. In other words, It's very important to note that as the fruit naturally grows off the branch, because the branch is abiding in the vine. and drawing life from the vine. When that fruit first starts coming out, what does it look like?
Is it a full-blown, mature fruit? All of a sudden, there it is. Yeah. It starts as a probably a little bloom, but the tiny little bud, right? And as it keeps drawing life.
It gets bigger and bigger and bigger. Right? We have a tendency to think of the fruit of the Spirit as, okay, I'm going to go out here and walk by the Spirit, and when I do, I'm going to have joy.
Well, let's just remember the Lord is producing joy in your life. It's not just a matter of you. I'm going to be joyful. As I've said so many times, and this is where Portia quotes me. No, I'm j I'm just kidding.
Literally, it's not about going out here and trying harder to be a better Christian. That's not the point of this. What is the point? Where are you to be labor intensive? Abiding in the vine.
Walking with him, delighting in him, learning him. Drawing from him. In fruit grows. organically when we do that. And what it starts looking like, and what will be developed more and more in your life.
Every day you look at it, every week you look at it, you will start noticing more joy, more peace, more love, more patience, more kindness, more goodness, more faithfulness, more gentleness, more self-control. Are you seeing these things developing in your life? May God rescue you from thinking, oh, I just need to be patient. I just need to be patient. And somebody would say, well, don't pray for patience because God will say, listen, God's going to help you develop that patience, all right?
Are you seeing God develop that patience in your life? Patience is a huge issue for me. I am a naturally very impatient person, and it's gotten me in trouble a lot of times. Because when I get impatient That activates my mouth. And your mouth can get you in trouble.
Some of you know what I'm talking about.
So again, don't and it's not up to you to get the fruit. And you don't take a fruit out of a basket and pin it to the tree and say, hey, look, I'm bearing fruit. That's not how it works, is it? The fruit grows organically out of the tree, out of the branch. Why?
Because the branch is a via abiding in the vine. The more you walk with him, the more you walk with him. the more you become like him.
So Your newness in Christ gives you the resource to replace natural sinful behavior. Impulse. Your newness in Christ gives you the resource to replace. natural sinful behavior. With Christ's character from the heart.
It's not a put-on. It's character from the heart. That's the resource that we have in Christ. That's why we should be practicing and be labor-intensive in the habits of regeneration. The Bible is chock full of what I call the replacement principle.
The replacement principle. Look back at verse 16. But I say, walk by the Spirit and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. Aren't you glad that the Apostle Paul didn't just write in his letter, do not gratify the desires of the flesh? That's not what he did, is it?
He says, You see the desires of the flesh that you battle on an everyday basis. Let me tell you how to overcome that. You walk by the Spirit and you won't gratify the desire. It's a replacement principle. He's giving you something far better.
to exercise far more beautiful to walk towards.
Something much more meaningful to define yourself with. The replacement principle. Turn one letter ahead. book of the Bible to Ephesians chapter 4. And the way Paul puts it often in his writings is: put off and put on.
Put off and put on. Look at Ephesians chapter 4. I'm going to begin reading at verse. Yeah. That is not the way you learned Christ, right?
Because he's talking about. The natural futility of the minds of those who do not know God.
Okay, verse 20. But that is not the way you learned Christ, assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him as the truth is in Jesus. To put off your old self. Which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires. That's the old man.
And to be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and to put on the new self created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. Usually, when we think about putting off and putting on, we think of a robe, right?
So, all I have to do is just take my filthy rags off and put on a new clean rag. And poof, there you have it, I'm good. That's not how it works.
So envisioned. Envision God cutting off your old self And envision grafting you into the trunk of Jesus Christ.
So that you start drawing life from him. And eventually, you become that branch that is filled with good fruit that has grown out organically.
So, envision that. He uses the word put off and put on, but the fruit of the Spirit is not a put-on. You with me on that? It's not a put-on. Because if it's a put-on, it's not the fruit of the Spirit.
It grows. organically. You don't just attach it to your life. You don't just try harder to be better at it. That's a put-on.
The key to it is abiding in Christ, walking by the Spirit. Drawing near to God, letting His Word dwell in you richly. Put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. I want to leave with one point here this morning. It's very.
Interesting what he says. Look at verse 23. He's continuing in the list of the fruit of the Spirit, again, which is not an exhaustive list. Gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is no law.
Again, it's not an exhaustive list. That's the point of what he's saying there.
Now think about this. We take this out to a logical conclusion.
Okay. Those Who walk by the Spirit? Do not need laws. Imagine this. Imagine yourself living in a community.
where everyone, everyone lived. Walking by the Spirit. And they were producing the fruit of the Spirit. Love, joy, peace and peace. Love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, kindness, self-control, goodness.
All of these. Everybody lived those things. That community would not need laws. Because laws were given to curtail sinful behavior and to protect the weak. to protect the vulnerable.
And if everyone was walking by the Spirit, You wouldn't need any laws. And that gives you just a tiny glimpse of what heaven's going to be like for us, isn't it? Because we will all be perfectly like Christ. We will all operate. The MO for every one of us will be the mind of Christ.
And what is that? Consider others more important than yourself. It's amazing to think about, isn't it? Those who walk by the Spirit do not need laws. This is why Paul says that.
And so imagine that, dwell on that, think about that. And this is what he says. I love these verses here, Romans 8. And we'll quote verse 2 and verse 4: The law of the spirit of life. Has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.
Uh In order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who walk not according to the flesh. but according to the Spirit. As you walk by the Spirit, you are on the path towards fulfilling. The law that God gave. But you don't do it by trying to keep the law, you do it by walking by the Spirit.
And that is so much better, and so much more powerful, and liberating. and able to be accomplished. As opposed to trying to keep the law.
So let's do this as a church. Let's walk by the Spirit. Let's be intense. And I invite you and I challenge you as a church to resolve. to understand what it means and what it looks like to walk by the Spirit.
Go back and listen to the sermons again. Find others. What does it mean to walk by the Spirit? Frankly, I find very little resource. In the kingdoms of exegesis, that helped you understand what it actually means to walk by the Spirit.
But I think we must know that. We must contemplate that. We must walk with each other in that direction. That's why we are a church, a family. We need each other to do this.
We help each other. We encourage each other to do this. But we're living by the grace of God and not just our efforts to try to be better. May God rescue us from that. And listen, as we do this, as we walk with Christ, as we commune with God, as we walk by his Spirit, and His Word dwells in us, and we're loving each other as Christ loved us, what do you think the world is going to see?
That's awesome to think about that, isn't it?
So let's do this. This is um The last sermon for four Sundays on out of Galatians, the next four Sundays, Pastor Adam will be teaching you from 1 Corinthians 15. Um today uh Andrew and I leave For Brazil? Yeah. There's a church down there that is called.
No, I'm just kidding. I'm just kidding. Yeah. That was cruel, wasn't it? I'll tell you, but yeah.
Yeah, I know. That was just very impromptu. That was impulsive. That was just impulsive. Our daughter is there, and we've not seen her for over two years, so we must go.
And we're looking forward to it, our daughter and her husband, right? And so we'll be gone for 13 days all total. I'll be back here on the 21st, worshiping with you, but Adam will still be speaking. And we will resume with the study in Galatians. In October, the second Sunday of October.
So I'm looking forward to that. But thank you for your conversations on this topic. your personal study, your pursuit. of these truths? Folks, this is powerful.
This is so powerful. Our freedom in Christ to serve faith working through love. Wow. What a powerful truth that is, and a powerful reality for the church to rise up and be the beautiful church that God called her and designed her to be. I ask you to pray with me on these matters.
And the things that Adam will be teaching you from 1 Corinthians, the resurrection life, Jesus said, because I live, you shall live also. It's going to go right in hand in glove with this that we're studying from the book of Galatians, because the resurrection of Christ is the anchor of everything that we're saying.
So would you stand with me, please? Father, we are so grateful that you have made yourself known to us and you have given yourself to us. You have lavished your grace upon us, Father. You've given us your word, you've given us your son, you've given us your Holy Spirit, you've given us your family. And Father, it is our joy, it is our delight.
to walk in the grace of God. To walk by the Spirit.
So, Father, mold us and fashion us, shape us in the image of your Son, the Lord Jesus. In walking towards these things as you develop them in our lives as we walk with Jesus. May we indeed be a beautiful church. We thank you, Father, for the things that you are doing among us. It is such a joy.
As we sing the songs of grace, And to look around at all the beautiful testimonies of the transforming power of your grace. Thank you, Father, for what you're doing among us. Thank you for what you have done and for what you will do. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.
You've been listening to a message titled The Freedom of the Spirit from Galatians 5:19 through 24. It was first preached on September 7, 2025. Check back in on www.delightinggrace.com Mondays to listen to the next message in this Galatians series titled Our Freedom in Christ.
