Walking Away From the Flesh, Walking in the Spirit.
Part 1
Galatians 5:1,13-25
1. Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage. 13 For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. 14. For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; “you shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 15. But if you bite and devour one another, beware lest you be consumed by one another! 16. I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. 17. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh; and those are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. 18. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 19. Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, and lewdness, 20. idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentious, jealousies, outburst of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissentions, heresies, 21. envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23. gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. 24. And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
V. 1 “Stand fast therefore in the liberty,” Stand fast in your confession of faith, for it brings with it spiritual liberty. Legalists in the church taught that certain aspects of the law also pertained to Christians. They tried to get the church to believe that faith in Christ was not enough, that they were to also observe the law for salvation. In the previous lesson I taught that the law led to Christ, and that faith is what saved us. The Galatians for whatever reason began to believe this teaching, be it they felt that they were not good enough, and therefore wanted to add something to their salvation, or another reason.
I stress again and again that grace is enough. 2Corinthians 12:9 “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” When we come to the realization that our ability to save ourselves is based upon the grace of God, we realize our own weakness. Weakness is a hard thing for most of us to admit, but it is in that weakness that we find strength. For it is in the realization we can not save ourselves and have the strength to lean on another, being God, that our weakness in perfected in His strength. Often times I try and do it myself, thinking that I can do it all myself, only to have to call another to fix the mess that I just made. A friend called me late at night and asked if I could come over and help him dig a ditch to keep the rain water from coming in his basement. He survived the situation and realized that, without help he would never be able to keep the water from entering his basement. It is pride that kept me from calling on another; my friend knowing his strength was not enough made him pick up the phone.
It is God who began our journey through salvation; it is God who will see it through to completion, not works. To think that we can add anything to what Christ did for us on the cross, is to take away from what He did for us on the cross. God is the author and finisher of our faith. He called you, or is calling you, out of the muck and mire, to the solid rock which is Jesus Christ. It is He who will prefect your faith through grace. Martin Luther had a prayer I thought I would include in this message.
"Establish in us 0 God, that which thou hast wrought, and perfect the work which Thou hast begun in us to Thy glory, Amen."
V.13 We have been called to liberty from the law and the ceremonies that bind us to the law. Our liberty does not, on the other hand, give us freedom to walk in the flesh, but freedom to walk in the spirit. For we may not be bound by the Mosaic law, but we are bound by moral law. Our liberty also gives us the freedom to choose to serve another, not out of obligation to them but simply out of love. It is Christ like to serve another as a slave would serve a master, but without the restraints of slavery. Yet we are bound to Christ and it is that bondage that compels us to act as Christ would. Remember the bracelet from a few years ago, WWJD.
V.14,15 We have to remember this is not the world that Paul is writing to, it is the church. It should be an obvious thing for the members of any church to love one another, but alas, the Galatian church overlooked the obvious. They sought to discredit Paul as an inferior apostle, as well challenge his authority. When we bicker and fight over what seems to be important to us, but to an outsider seems trivial, we destroy our witness to the love of God. Imagine a new convert walking into a board meeting where all seems a total chaos. It wouldn’t take much for this convert to question their place in that church, but perhaps question their Christianity as well. As I taught in an earlier lesson, the world judges Christ buy the actions of His followers. When we devour each other we are not walking in the Spirit of God, but have replaced Him with a spirit that is from Satan himself, and allowed him a foothold in the church. It is his desire to pollute the gospel any way he can, to many times we act more as his aide, them disciples of Christ.
Love your neighbor as yourself. Would you slander yourself in order to get your way? Would you steal from yourself, cut with words, hate the very sight of yourself, or go out of your way, just because you would rather not talk to yourself? Sound silly? Then why do we do it to each other? Personally, I don’t know, but I do. I shake my head week after week as my neighbor insists on cutting over the property line, and making a crooked line. I should rejoice that I don’t have to cut that extra pass on the mower. What kind of witness do I leave by cutting over the grass that was just cut the other day? Trivial, yes, a poor witness, indeed, but a foothold for Satan? It could be, if I allowed it to fester, and grow into something larger, for if we bite and devour someone long enough, they may bite back. In the end both will be consumed by hatred, only to forget what started it all in the first place. Till hatred is the only thing we know, and the love of Christ is no longer in us. No matter what the Spirit of God says to us, we can not hear Him because of the anger that consumes us. Satan’s goal is death and destruction, by this he ruins our witness, and our ability to be used of God. Only after destruction, in our grief, do we again hear that still small voice of the Spirit of God, reminding us of God’s love. It is at this point we again are left with a choice, allow God to heal us, or refuse to hear His voice. Your choice, no one can make it for you. Display the true mission of the church and forgive and let God heal you, and perhaps you too will have a good testimony to give.
(Refer to testimony on page.)

Sons and Heirs
Galatians 3:23-29
23 But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed. 24 Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. 25 But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor. 26 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.
V.23 “Before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law,” The law was to keep us in the will of God till the law could be fulfilled in Christ. Jesus revealed that faith in Him was the path to Heaven, and that there was no law over faith. The Jews could not see, that Jesus did not abolish the law only fulfilled it. It was the law that kept them near God, till His plan for salvation could fully be revealed.
V.24 “the law was our tutor,” The Greek word for tutor is pedagogue, it was the job of the tutor to guide the child in his studies, to keep him from physical and moral harm. So the law leads us to Christ and reminds us of our sin and the need for sacrifice. The continued sacrifice was to remind us that there was more needed to completely cleanse us from sin. The law was not an end in itself but a guide to the one who fulfills the law and became the sacrifice that would cleanse us from sin once and for all.
“that we might be justified by faith.” This statement changed the idea of justification for the Jews entirely. They came to believe that one was justified by their actions, but grace teaches us that we are justified by faith. The theme throughout the Old Testament is sin, sin. The theme throughout the New Testament is grace, grace. We find it hard to trust our salvation to another. Our human nature still feels that it needs to be justified by works. So faith becomes a hard concept to understand. I found three stories that simplifies faith, but makes it no easier to accept.
One night a house caught fire and a young boy was forced to flee to the roof. The father stood on the ground below with outstretched arms, calling to his son, "Jump! I'll catch you." He knew the boy had to jump to save his life. All the boy could see, however, was flame, smoke, and blackness. As can be imagined, he was afraid to leave the roof. His father kept yelling: "Jump! I will catch you." But the boy protested, "Daddy, I can't see you." The father replied, "But I can see you and that's all that matters."
Here is a similar illustration:
During the terrible days of the Blitz, a father, holding his small son by the hand, ran from a building that had been struck by a bomb. In the front yard was a shell hole. Seeking shelter as quickly as possible, the father jumped into the hole and held up his arms for his son to follow. Terrified, yet hearing his father's voice telling him to jump, the boy replied, "I can't see you!"
The father, looking up against the sky tinted red by the burning buildings, called to the silhouette of his son, "But I can see you. Jump!" The boy jumped, because he trusted his father. The Christian faith enables us to face life or meet death, not because we can see, but with the certainty that we are seen; not that we know all the answers, but that we are known. Donner Atwood.
The following letter was found in a baking-power can wired to the handle of an old pump that offered the only hope of drinking water on a very long and seldom-used trail across Nevada's Amargosa Desert: "This pump is all right as of June 1932. I put a new sucker washer into it and it ought to last five years. But the washer dries out and the pump has got to be primed. Under the white rock I buried a bottle of water, out of the sun and cork end up. There's enough water in it to prime the pump, but not if you drink some first. Pour about one-fourth and let her soak to wet the leather. Then pour in the rest medium fast and pump like crazy. You'll git water. The well has never run dry. Have faith. When you git watered up, fill the bottle and put it back like you found it for the next feller. (signed) Desert Pete. P.S. Don't go drinking the water first. Prime the pump with it and you'll git all you can hold." Keith Miller and Bruce Larson, The Edge of Adventure.
V.25 “But after faith has come,” Moses led the people to the border of Canaan, but not permitted to lead them further. At this point he has replaced by Joshua, a type of Christ, who led them to God’s promise land. The law leads us to Christ, but it is Christ who will take us home.
V.26 Through faith we, Jews and gentiles alike, are no longer children in need of a tutor, but have become Sons walking in liberty. Free from law and the confines of it, and free to grace that comes from faith.
V. 27 Baptism is an outward expression of your faith. Just as circumcision was a sign to the world that the Jews were a people dedicated to God, as baptism is a sign of our faith in Jesus as our salvation. We must put on Christ, as we put on a garment. So that not only will He be our protection, but that others will see that we walk in His footsteps.
V. 28 Christianity abolishes class, making us one in Christ. Too many times people of importance are given the best seat, recognized in service, or the best parking spot. God does place people over us to rule, and we are to respect God’s placement of leadership. We are one body in Christ, all working to the common goal of spreading the gospel of Christ to the unsaved and sharing the love of God to all.
V.29 “and heirs according to the promise.” This is the promise given to Abraham in Genesis Chapter 15. Because of our faith we are Abraham’s seed, heir to the promises that God gave to him. If this is true than faith precedes the law, again stressing what was said in verses 24, 25. That the law reminds us that we are sinners, but it is faith that leads us to salvation, faith that Jesus is who the Bible says He is. That He is the Lamb of God, sent to take away the sins of the world. That He is our ever present help and our hope for tomorrow.

Things May Not be as They Seem

Things may not be as they seem.
Luke 7:36-50
36 Then one of the Pharisees asked Him to eat with him. And He went to the Pharisee’s house, and sat down to eat. 37 And behold, a woman in the city who was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at the table in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster flask of fragrant oil, 38 and stood at His feet behind Him weeping; and she began to wash His feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head; and she kissed His feet and anointed them with the fragrant oil. 39 Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he spoke to himself saying, “This Man, if He were a prophet, would know this who and what manner of woman this is who is touching Him, for she is a sinner.” 40 And Jesus answered and said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” So he said, “Teacher, say it.” 41 “There was a certain creditor who had two debtors. One owed him five hundred denari, and the other fifty. 42 “And when they had nothing which to repay, he freely forgave them both. Tell Me, therefore, which of them will love him more?” 43 Simon answered and said, “I suppose the one whom he forgave more.” And He said to him, “You have rightly judged.” 44 Then He turned to the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has washed My feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head. 45 “You gave Me no kiss, but this woman has not ceased to kiss My feet since the time I came in. 46 “You did not anoint My head with oil, but this woman has anointed My feet with fragrant oil. 47 “Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little.” 48 Then He said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” 59 And those who sat at the table with Him began to say to themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?” 50 Then He said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.”
In Verse 36, we see Jesus accepting an invitation for dinner from a Pharisee. As we read on we realize that Jesus has sparked the Pharisee’s curiosity enough so that he wanted to learn more. Here the Pharisee stands at a threshold we all will at some time in our lives stand. When we are faced with the question of a savior, will we be curious? I believe that it was curiosity that drew me nearer to Christ as I began to listen to Pastors on the radio. I remember thinking that if this Christianity is real, than I want to hear more, if so many were drawn to Christ, than there had to be something there. Perhaps this was the thinking of the Pharisee as he invited Jesus to his home.
The woman in the following verses is often considered to be a prostitute, or Mary Magdalene mentioned in Chapter eight. Though this is speculation, we do know that the woman was a sinner, and this qualified her for the need of a savior. The fact that she brought the oil with her shows that she had put some thought into act before she entered the house. Perhaps she had heard the teaching of Jesus and had thought on it for awhile and now had come to worship Jesus in the only way she knew how.
V.38 “and stood at His feet,” In eastern society the people reclined on one side; the legs bent to one side with the feet turned outwards behind them. This is how they had meals, and this is position the woman found Jesus. “and she began to wash His feet with her tears,” The Jews wore sandals instead of shoes, so while walking the feet were constantly dirty. It was a custom to provide water for the guests to wash their feet as they entered the house. We carry on the same custom with the welcome mat at the door, in hopes that guests will wipe their feet or remove their shoes before they enter the house. “she kissed His feet and anointed them with the fragrant oil.” The kissing of the feet was an expression of honor among the heathen of the time, as they practiced to their idols. 1 Kings 19:18 “Yet I have reserved seven thousand in Israel, all whose knees have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him.”
In verse 39 the Pharisee judges not only the woman but Jesus as well. He reasons that if Jesus were a genuine prophet he would know the character of the woman. In the reply in the following verses Jesus shows that He indeed knows the character of the woman as well as the character of Simon.
In the parable told in verses 41, 42 Jesus teaches that the greater the forgiveness the greater the love. This parable gives two different examples of God’s grace. Jesus contrasts it to the two different receptions He received from Simon and the woman. Simon displayed very little hospitality, while the woman honored Jesus with her attention. This further convinces me that Simon considered Jesus a mere curiosity.
In verses 44-47, Jesus applies the principle of the story to Simon and the woman, showing that one realizes the depth of his sin, and the greatness of God’s grace and the other sees no need of a savior thinking himself justified by law. In admitting this we realize our own frailty in being able to save ourselves from the wages of sins. But what of one who thinks that they have no sin? What of those who feel that they are a good person and that they shall receive mercy on their own merits? 1 John 1:8 Says, “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.”
Jesus saw two sinners that day, both in need of a savior. Simon only saw a woman of bad reputation, who was not worthy of consideration. Let me leave you with this story I found that I feel says that things are not always as they seem.
An African king had a close friend who had the habit of remarking "this
is good" about every occurrence in life no matter what it was. One day
the king and his friend were out hunting. The king's friend loaded a
gun and handed it to the king, but alas he loaded it wrong and when the
king fired it, his thumb was blown off.
"This is good!" exclaimed his friend.
The horrified and bleeding king was furious. "How can you say this is
good? This is obviously horrible!" he shouted.
The king put his friend in jail.
About a year later the king went hunting by himself. Cannibals captured
him and took him to their village. They tied his hands, stacked some
wood, set up a stake and bound him to it. As they came near to set fire
to the wood, they noticed that the king was missing a thumb. Being
superstitious, they never ate anyone who was less than whole. They
untied the king and sent him on his way.
Full of remorse the king rushed to the prison to release his friend.
"You were right, it WAS good" the king said.
The king told his friend how the missing thumb saved his life and
added, "I feel so sad that I locked you in jail. That was such a bad
thing to do"
"NO! This is good!" responded his delighted friend.
"Oh, how could that be good my friend, I did a terrible thing to you while I
owe you my
life".
"It is good" said his friend, "because if I wasn't in jail I would have been
hunting with you and they would have killed ME."
Source unknown

The Work of the Holy Spirit

The Work of the Holy Spirit
John 16:12-15
12 “I still have many things to say to you, but you can not bear them now. 13 “However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. 14 “He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. 15 “All things that the Father has are Mine.” Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you.
In Verse 12 Jesus tells His disciples that there is much that they do know as yet, furthermore there is much that He has already told them that they do not yet fully understand. Why the mystery? If He truly loved them and knew He was about to leave them, why not tell them everything? Their faith was not strong enough to grasp all that Jesus had to tell them of His death, resurrection, and that was revealed to them after the Holy Spirit had come. Also because of the sorrow that they experienced, for in verse 5 Jesus had told them He must go away.
A lot of times unbelievers try and read the Bible, only to cast it aside because they do not understand it. A brother in the Lord told me that He tried to read to Bible, but that he lacked direction, not knowing where to read, that what he read he could not fully grasp. I have had this problem as well and without a lectern to guide me in which scripture I am to teach on I would be lost at times searching through Scripture.
When I attempted to create this page there was much I did not understand because I did not know that language of computers, I knew enough to get started, but to fully express what I wanted to in this page I turned to outside help.
During the three years that the disciples spent with Jesus He gave them a lot of information that at times they understood, and other times they asked for clarification. They could not fully understand what Jesus wanted to convey to them, for they lacked one person of the Godhead that would clarify all things to them. Unbelievers cannot fully grasp the meaning of Christ’s teaching, for they lack the guidance provided by God in the Holy Spirit. 1 Corinthians 2:14 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discovered.
V.13 “when He, the Spirit of Truth has come,” God’s Spirit worked in individual lives, but was not limited to, before the death of Christ. God’s spirit would rest upon who He willed, and would be taken from who He willed.
1 Samuel chapter 10 tells the story of how the Spirit of God came upon Saul soon after he was anointed king of Israel. Saul did not walk in the will of God and in chapter 16 verse 14 of 1 Samuel the Spirit of God departed from Saul.
After the death of Christ and on the Day of Pentecost told of in Acts chapter 2, God deals with all believers through His Holy Spirit. Someone asked me once, as a believer when do you get the Holy Spirit. I believe that the Bible teaches us that at salvation that the Spirit of God comes upon you. So I believe that you have gotten all the Holy Spirit you are going to get. The Question is how much of you are you giving to the Holy Spirit?
The Spirit of God will never testify of Himself, but only glorify the Father and the Son. He will guide you only in truth and as a parent guides an infant, so will He guide you in the ways of the Father. The Spirit of God has become a means to which God can now guide His children in the way that He wishes them to go. He also allows us an avenue to communicate with God, through the power of the Holy Spirit, and by the blood of Christ. I feel that this establishes in part the fellowship that God desires with His children.
V.14 “He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you.” Once born again, you put on the mind of Christ, which the Spirit reveals to you. Jesus was telling the disciples that after the coming of the Spirit of Truth, that He would help them to understand in full the teachings of Christ, and reveal to them the true meaning of the Word of God. Many times people look to the Spirit of God for answers that are contradictory to the Word of God. They seek to justify sin, justify false doctrine, or look for approval to walk outside the will of God. All along the Spirit of God is not able to do this for Jesus said in this verse that He would take what is Mine, and reveal it to us. We search in vain and follow our own desire, instead of seeking out the answers in Scripture, or asking for clarification.
V. 15 “All things that the Father has are Mine.” I can not think of a plainer expression of the absolute community with the Father than this. We get a look into the unique working of the Godhead, as The Spirit reveals to us the Kingdom of God. Jesus told the disciples, “You have not because you ask not.” we have only to look to the maker of the stars for the answers and not to the stars themselves. We need only go to the Spirit of God and not Madam Chloe, who will give you an answer for a nominal fee. God is all we need and He is waiting to reveal the beauty of His Kingdom, and the truth of His Word to us. Luke 11:9 “So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.”