1. Todays’ message is entitled New Life.
2. Romans 6:13 (NLT)—…give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. ...
3. By faith, we are born again (regenerated) by the Holy Spirit, who remains within.
4. This morning, we will consider some qualities of this new life from Galatians 5:16-26.

My [spiritual] new life… (Galatians 5:16-26)

1. #1 - Responds to the Holy Spirit. (Galatians 5:16-18; C/R: Romans 6:11-13; 7:5; 8:2-4,9; 12-14)
2. Galatians 5:16 (NLT)—So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. [literally, flesh]
3. Sinful nature = Gk. sarx; lit., flesh, i.e. (strictly) the unredeemed, unrenewed, part of a person in contrast with the spirit, which is birthed into us when we are born again.
4. Flesh consists of the physical body, but also includes the mind, memory and emotions, as well as human reasoning and desire, which occupy physical spaces within our brains.
5. Our spirit is the part of us that animates us spiritually, relates to God, lives forever, is redeemed and holy.
6. Even after being born again, our flesh (sinful nature) remains susceptible to sin and battles with the Spirit. (Not an angel and a devil sitting on our shoulders.)
7. Galatians 5:17 (NLT)—The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions. [Not free, but are able!]
8. The flesh, the human, earthly, part of ourselves (body, mind and emotions) is not completely conformed to Jesus Christ in this life.
9. Before we were born again—without the Spirit—we had lives, experiences, habits and practices that remain in us—and this includes negative memories, wounds from the past and false beliefs that make some specific sins hard to resist.
10. We can grow accustomed to dealing with drives and desires in harmful, sinful ways as unbelievers, but these habits attach to us physically, mentally, emotionally (all part of our flesh), so they are difficult to rid ourselves of even after our salvation.
11. We can compensate for insecurity, fear, anger, apprehension, and other unsettling emotions through damaging behaviors or destructive substances that form patterns of response and dependencies in our flesh. (“We can sin against our own bodies!)
12. [Screen] 1 Corinthians 6:18 (NLT)—Run from sexual sin! No other sin so clearly affects the body as this one does. For sexual immorality is a sin against your own body.
13. This doesn’t mean that the human body itself is evil, but the body isn’t redeemed and cannot enter heaven until it is changed (glorified; 1 Cor.15:35-58)!
14. [Screen] 1 Corinthians 6:19–20 (NLT)—¹⁹ Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, ²⁰ for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.
15. The only way to conquer the flesh is to yield to the Spirit deliberately, constantly, continually, by slowing down and seeking the Spirit’s guidance in every situation!
16. Galatians 5:18 (NLT)—But when you are directed [or led, Gk. agō] by the Spirit, you are not under obligation to the law of Moses. [Because the Spirit fulfills the law!]
17. You don’t consult a list of rules, regulations, rituals and commandments, you merely walk with the Spirit; He leads, directs and empowers you according to God’s will!
18. The Greek verb agō implies an active, personal involvement by the Holy Spirit in guiding Christians, and the present tense indicates His ongoing activity.
19. As we experience the Holy Spirit, He transforms us—even our flesh, gradually—with God’s truth (but this will not be completed in this life)!
20. You can increase the Spirit’s influence through time in His Presence listening and praying, through worship and fellowship.
21. APP.: Can you detect the Holy Spirit’s Presence within you? Can you discern His leading? Do you follow His direction?

My new life…

1. #2 - Refuses sinful desires. (Galatians 5:19-21; C/R: Mark 7:20-23; Romans 1:28-32; Colossians 3:5-10)
2. Galatians 5:19-21a (NLT)—¹⁹ When you follow the desires of your sinful nature [flesh], results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, ²⁰ idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, ^21a envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these.
3. This list describes the way people function in this world when led by their own flesh.
4. When we follow the flesh with its appetites and urges, wants and desires, we will practice parts of this list (which is illustrative, not exhaustive).
5. The list begins with sexual immorality, impurity, and lustful pleasures, because those sins provide the greatest physical pleasure and distraction from the inner emptiness of the life of a person without God.
6. This satisfaction diminishes quickly when pursued in isolation from God’s context of a husband and wife committed for life in an intimate relationship.
7. These sensual sins are practiced without guilt or shame because these people have no sense of God—or anyone to whom they are responsible.
8. Superstitious sins such as idolatry and sorcery are people’s human attempts to be in touch with the spiritual realm through human means, but the only way to reach God is through Jesus—all other ways to God are false.
9. We also practice idolatry whenever we put anyone or anything ahead of God.
10. Social sins including hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy are all the result of people who love and focus on themselves above all—loving neither God, nor others, rather, loving themselves above all.
11. When people reject God, they find no inner peace, which they express through their hostile behavior and contentious relationships with others.
12. Jealousy, envy and selfish ambition result from people not being content with who God has made them, or what He has given them, so they want what others have to feel better about themselves.
13. Drunkenness and wild parties, and other sins like these are all people’s attempts to find relief from their lives, their worries, their loneliness, their purposelessness, because the only place peace, wholeness, contentment will be found in in Christ!
14. Galatians 5:21b (NLT)—…Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.
15. This verse doesn’t mean that anyone who ever commits—or has committed—any of the sins listed will not enter heaven!
16. The Greek word prassō, translated, living, in NLT, is a present participle which means to practice, to perform repeatedly or habitually.
17. This refers to people who “make a practice of doing” such things, as a pattern of life—not an act of sin, but a habit of sin.
18. Their outward conduct indicates their inward spiritual status: that they are not born of God, do not have the Holy Spirit within, and are not God’s true children.
19. APP.: Do any of the behaviors in this list appear in your life? Do you practice any of them? What does that say about your spiritual condition?

My new life…

1. #3 - Reveals Christian character. (Galatians 5:22-26; C/R: Matthew 7:16-18; John 15:2-5; Romans 6:4-6; 13:14)
2. When we are led by the Holy Spirit, He forms Christ-like character in us (fruit of Spirit).
3. Galatians 5:22-23 (NLT)—²² But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! [Different from what the flesh produces!]
4. These characteristics are not formed though greater effort on our part; they are produced solely through the work of the Holy Spirit who shapes into the image of Jesus as He transforms our lives by His Presence and with His truth!
5. It is possible for the flesh to humanly counterfeit some of the fruit of the Spirit, but it can never produce the fruit of the Spirit.
6. One difference is this: when the Spirit produces fruit, God gets the glory and the believer is not conscious of his increased spirituality.
7. When the flesh is at work, the person is inwardly proud of himself and pleased when others notice and compliment him.
8. Jesus is the supreme example of these spiritual traits and the Holy Spirit is the source.
9. Love: This refers to the form of love (agape) that most reflects personal choice; referring, not to pleasant emotions or good feelings, but rather, to self-giving service.
10. Joy is the deep-down sense of well-being, within a person who knows God and can trust Him, relying on God’s will and purpose even in difficulty or pain.
11. Peace(whole, harmony, “everything in place”) refers to the tranquility, stillness, serenity, of mind that comes from intimacy with God which cannot be disturbed by difficult circumstances.
12. Patience refers to tolerating injuries by others, a long-suffering, calm willingness to accept irritating or painful situations because you have accepted God’s plan.
13. Kindness relates to tender concern, generosity and sympathy for others, treating others as the Jesus would.
14. Goodness is moral and spiritual excellence that is known by its active effort to benefit others, not self. (IL. A Christian can be morally upright without being good.)
15. Faithfulness pertains to loyalty and trustworthiness, consistently doing what you say you will do.
16. Gentleness is usually better translated as meekness, a humble attitude that is patiently submissive, even gentle, when offended, but never desiring revenge or retribution.
17. Self-control refers to restraining passions and appetites; given by the Holy Spirit to enable believers to resist the power of the flesh, largely by changing desires.
18. Galatians 5:24 (NLT)—Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to His cross and crucified them there.
19. Our flesh has been crucified with Christ, sin can no longer control or dominate us.
20. Galatians 5:25 (NLT)—Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives.
21. Lastly, Paul warns about some specific attitudes that should be avoided.
22. Galatians 5:26 (NLT)—Let us not become conceited, or provoke one another, or be jealous of one another.