You have your Bibles this morning, would you turn with me to Galatians chapter number five. Galatians and chapter number five this morning, as we look at a very familiar portion of scripture, we remember many Bible school themes and also sermon series preached on the fruits of the spirit. And I'm taking a little bit different approach and we'll see how that goes. My battle in my heart and mind this past week was, How much time do you spend on each of these sections? Because we have a long list of works of the flesh, and we have a long list of fruits of the Spirit, and rightfully so, we could have a sermon on each and every one of those different vices or works that we're going to look at, and also of the fruits of the Spirit. And so I chose the approach of going through it more quickly, which is surprise, surprise maybe. And I just, I think it is good for us to do that at different times. Sometimes we need to slow down and really dig in, but because of the, I guess there is maybe a little bit of an underlying ulterior motive. For whatever reason, I am on a mission to get finished with the book of Galatians. I never anticipated that it would take as much time as it has, only being six chapters. I think that it's been good for all of us as we study Galatians. It certainly has been for me. So Galatians 5, and we're going to look at verses 19-26 this morning. If you're willing and able, would you stand with me in honor of reading God's Word this morning? And please pray for my throat right now. There's something scratchy there, and it's really annoying, and so I'm hoping that it holds up. Galatians chapter 5 verse 19 Actually, let's back up and start in verse 16 for context sake Also Paul writes 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. I 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. Verse 19, here's our text for today. 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 have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the spirit, let us also keep in step with the spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another. The grass withers and the flower fades, but the word of our God shall stand forever. Praise his name. You may be seated. The title that I gave to this portion, this message this morning, is Fleshly Works and Spiritual Fruits. Fleshly Works and Spiritual Fruits. And that, too, was somewhat of a battle in my heart to name because I had the theme of walking the line stuck in my head. where that comes from here in just a moment. But keep your place there in Galatians 5 and turn with me back to Matthew 7. Matthew 7 and verse 15 through 23, we have, I believe, a very parallel passage what the Apostle Paul is teaching us here in Galatians 5, and he's taking this idea of fruits specifically from the teaching of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Now Matthew 7, you're familiar with, is part of what we call the Sermon on the Mount. It starts in chapter 5 and goes to the end of chapter 7 of Matthew. This portion of Matthew and Jesus' sermon in verse 15, we see Jesus using the analogy, the imagery, the metaphor of fruits and trees. And verse 15 of chapter 7 of Matthew, it says, Beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. And again, I want to just stop and point out that what Paul was battling against in Galatia was fitting this very description. These were wolves dressed in sheep's clothing who had come to the people of the Galatian church, and they were negatively affecting the life of the church by preaching false doctrine. They were preaching another gospel. They were preaching a gospel that was damnable because it was taking away the nature of the gospel, specifically the doctrine of justification by faith alone. It fits the description very well beware of false prophets false teachers who come in sheep's clothing, but inwardly a ravenous wolves Notice how Jesus said you will identify them. You'll recognize them by their fruits and Are grapes, and then he asked this question, are grapes gathered from thorn bushes or figs from thistles? So every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits. Verse 21, he says, not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my father who is in heaven. On that day, many will say to me, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and cast out demons in your name and do many mighty works in your name? And then I will declare to them, I never knew you. Depart from me, you workers of lawlessness. very, very strong warning that Jesus gives. And, uh, and we see a, a very, very similar strong warning given through the mouth of the apostle Paul or the pen of the apostle Paul, as he says there in verse 21, I warn you, as I warned you before that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. Uh, and so again, these things are very serious. They're very, They're very heavy, weighty when we consider them, because what is on the line here is the difference between somebody who is born again by the Spirit of God and going to enjoy an eternity in the comfort and the joy and the peace and the love of God through salvation in Christ alone. And on the other hand, we are looking at somebody who maybe is self-deceived, maybe is confused, or maybe is just completely lost in their sin and indifferent to the reality. that at the end of their life they're going to be judged by God, and according to their works and their works alone, because they would not bend their knee to Christ, they would not repent of their sin and put their faith in Jesus, they will spend an eternity separated from God, from the kingdom of God, and it would be one thing if it was just separation, but the Bible teaches us that it's a judgment that lasts forever, that there's suffering, there's torment, there is a literal hell that is going to be the judgment for those who do not believe in Christ and return from their wicked ways. And so this is the context, this is the reality of what we're looking at this morning. So let's start first of all with the works of the flesh, the works of the flesh. First of all, I want to point out to you that for whatever reason, according to the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the works of the flesh are in contrast to the fruits of the Spirit. And I thought, well, maybe there's a difference in, or maybe there's a variation in the wording, and they're actually very different words. Works is the word ergon, and fruits is the word karpos. And so this certainly paints for us a much different picture. And we can ask the question, why? Why doesn't God want us to think about these things as the works, instead of the works of the flesh, we could say the fruits of the flesh, instead of the works of the flesh? And why is it fruits of the Spirit rather than works of the Spirit? And again, I think the reason being is what the Bible teaches us as a whole about the condition of the heart of man. The condition of the heart of man is that from birth, let me back up, from conception, Man is sinful. And the reason so is because by ordinary generation, that nature of sin has been passed to each and every human being except one. And the reason that that human being did not receive that original sin nature was because the very life of that human being was conceived by the Holy Spirit of God, not by the man or a man. And specifically, I'm referring to Jesus Christ. I'm referring to the man, Jesus Christ, who was fully man. He was fully just like you and I, right? He had a mind, he had emotions, and he had a will, and he had a body. And so he was flesh and blood like you and I, however, However, he was also truly God. He was the very son of God. And because he was not conceived in sin, but rather conceived in perfection and holiness in the womb of the Virgin Mary, he is completely different than every, every other man, woman, boy, or girl born of a woman. And that gets everyone. Everyone is born of a woman. And so the things that proceed from that are natural and they are their works. They're just what comes out naturally. And here I go running a rabbit already. This past week, I was given a book. And the book that I was given will probably make some of you uncomfortable to know that I have a copy of it in my home and I'm reading it. The book that I was given says the Quran. on the front of it. Now, before you get excited, let me just help you understand. I did not get a copy of the Quran because I'm exploring becoming a Muslim, no. Actually, I had a Muslim give me a copy of the Quran and it was a translation in English. And I want to just say this, that I think it's actually good for us to study and understand what these other religions believe so that we can actually use what their own book says to show them how horribly wrong it is. And in the opening remarks of this book, the Quran, which by the way, I got the Quran because I gave a Muslim a million dollar bill. How about that? How about that? He was more interested in talking about the election, which we did, but as he flipped the bill over and looked at the gospel on the backside, he quickly flipped it back over, and wanted to change the subject to the election. And I said, well, you know, I'm, this is, this is where I stand and whatever. And I said, but I said, but the most important thing is, is that my hope is not in either of these two clowns. My hope and my faith, my trust is in the Lord Jesus Christ because he's King. And just like that, this man says, I'm a Muslim. Well, okay, it's still true. Jesus is still the truth, the way, and the life. And anyway, so I'm reading this book, and one of the most telling things about it is, is that it says, it says this literally, the Quran is man's natural thoughts about God. Now think about that. This book is being extremely honest. It says the Quran is man's natural thoughts about God That's a problem Amen Why is that a problem? Because your natural thoughts about God are tainted with the sinfulness of your being and Okay? And by yourself, in and of yourself, you don't think rightly about God. How do I know that? Because when I studied this book, you know what it does? It says things that I wouldn't want to say. Because in saying them, what does it do to me? It condemns me. And so a book that says it's man's natural thoughts about God, can I just put it this way? I don't give a rip what that book says, but I'm going to read it. I'm going to read it all, just for the simple fact that I want to be prepared to give a defense, right? Anyway, anyway, works of the flesh. Works are that which naturally proceeds out of the heart of man. And Paul says these works are evident, they're manifest, they're obvious is what we could say. I love this phrase or this quote I found, a man by the name of Stan Gale, he said that the deeds of the flesh revealed the pollution of a soul dead in sin. The deeds of the flesh revealed the pollution of a soul dead in sin. However, the fruit of the Spirit showed the handiwork of God in those alive in Christ. a bouquet of glory, fragrant with the aroma of grace." And so the two are much, much different, and the two arise from a much, much different place. It's also important to recognize that Paul is pointing out in verse 19 that the works of the flesh are obvious, they're evident, they're plainly seen, they're plainly recognized, but he doesn't say that about the fruits of the Spirit. He doesn't approach it in the same manner. And I think one of the things or the points that is being made in that is that you don't need any kind of special discernment in order to identify the works of the flesh, right? Immorality, or we could just simply say morality, is universal. And you will have those who are deniers of absolute truth today that will say, well, your truth is your truth and my truth is my truth. But if you probe into that and you say, well, but don't you think that it's a universal thing that that evil is evil and good is good. And they will say, well, you know, in certain places they think it's okay to do this and it's okay to do that. And then if you press a little bit harder and you say to that person, but what if this was done to you? How would that make you feel, right? And suddenly, you know, well, I wouldn't like that at all. Okay, well, no one else would either. So if you're gonna steal my wallet, I'm gonna be angry about it. And if I steal your wallet, you're gonna be angry about it because we know that stealing is not okay, right? And same goes for murdering, killing one another. We know these things, and so morality is universal, and we don't need special discernment. Our children, you don't have to teach them. They understand. Now, they're naturally inclined, as we've already suggested, to do the wrong, but they know the difference between what's right and what's wrong. And still we tell them anyway, right? Why? To reinforce, to press upon their hearts that there is a difference. And so we see this, the works of the flesh are evident. Well, let's walk through them here quickly, and I want to classify them in four different ways. The first three that we see, sexual immorality, impurity, and sensuality, all three are referring to one class of sin, and we could classify them as sexual sins. And then the next two, idolatry and sorcery, we could say these are religious, or I would prefer to say worship sins. The next ones, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy. These are social sins, or we could say these are sins that are committed relationally speaking. And then finally, we have the last two, which are drunkenness and orgies. A better word there would be carousing or riotousness. The orgies has connotations of the sexual sin, and that's not what's particularly in mind here, although it could include that in this kind of setting where there's alcohol involved in what the Apostle Paul is referring to. And then he makes a blanket statement at the end of these and says, you know, and things like these, things like these. In other words, this is not an exhaustive list of what the Apostle Paul identifies as works of the flesh. But I would say that it's probably by design that Paul wrote down these specific sins because the place to which he was writing was obviously affected by these things. And so he's maybe pulling out some of the more prevalent sins that he sees in the general community of Galatia, maybe even some of the specific sins that he sees within the body of Christ or in the assembling, I should say, of the Galatian churches with the social and relational sins. But also, these are sins, all of these sins are sins that can actually be found in other writings in other places. Specifically, I think of in Paul's writing to the church at Corinth, and in chapter 5, we refer to this often because it's just such a profound example that there was a man in the Corinthian church who was sleeping with basically his stepmother, and the Galatians, or the Corinthians, rather, were kind of proud of it, that they were so tolerant of this sin within the church. And so, again, Paul is pointing out to us works of the flesh and their works of the flesh. The flesh is used, you have to take the word flesh in the context and the way that Paul is using it here, he's not just simply referring to the physical body, he's referring to the flesh from the perspective of opposite to the Spirit. It's natural. It's the flesh. It's the carnality. It's the immorality that exists in the natural man. So let's walk through these, and we don't have a lot of time to sit on each one. And so I'm going to try my best to move through them quickly. And guess what? Hey, if it gets too long, we're just going to close the book. We'll go home and have lunch, and we'll pick up the first Sunday of October. We don't need to rush through this, but my plan is to get through verse 26 today. So the first one, the first work of the flesh, sexual immorality. Some of these sins are really telling when you study the original language, and this one in particular is indeed a telling sin. The word that is translated sexual immorality, two words, comes from one word, which is the word pornia. And here, pornia is used Always in reference to a sexual sin. Sometimes it's referring to a specific Sexual sin and here Paul is using it again I think in a in a broad sense and and encapsulating the all sexual sins and this one perhaps perhaps deserves the most amount of time because I do believe it was by design that it was first and And what I want to say about this particular sin as a work of the flesh is that In our 2024 context, the year 2024, the year of our Lord, this sin in particular has somewhat lost its force and thrust in not a good way. And by that, I mean this. I was just talking to Brother John about this this week. And we as a culture, we as a culture have been so infiltrated with the sins of sexual immorality that we have been desensitized to the things that we see day to day. We have been desensitized to the point where when we see an image that is inappropriate for a man or a woman to, one, show themselves, and two, to look upon, we have been desensitized to the point where we no longer have a reaction away from it, but rather we say, well, that's common now, right? It's common now. And I don't need to go into detail to tell you what I'm talking about You all know and I had a conversation years ago with a man who was was I don't even know if he's still living but anyway He was he was he was elderly when he was telling me this and and what he wanted what he was talking about specifically in reference to sexual immorality he said that he remembered the first time that that in a, uh, an advertisement in the newspaper or, or a magazine or something there, the first time that, uh, that the advertisers had placed, uh, the picture of a model in, in their underwear, he said, it was like they, they threw a match on a can of, of gasoline. He said, people were outraged. that they would put such a thing in a mass-produced publication that was going out into the society. And I believe, I don't know if I have this perfectly correct, but I believe it was in the 1940s when this took place. So fast forward 80 years, right? eight decades, nearly a century. And now you don't even have to buy a newspaper. You don't even have to go anywhere except for drive down the road and on billboards along the road and in 20 by 40 sections or whatever they are, right? You will see these huge images of people. usually women, right? Wearing hardly anything but their birthday suit, right? And we have become so desensitized to that, that we will look at it and we'll say, it's just normal, right? It's just normal. But the truth is, it's not. It's actually not. And, and when we become so desensitized to these sexual immoral things, sooner or later, not only have you, have you just disregarded it as, as wrong. Now you kind of look at it and you think, yeah, Hey, she looks good. And here's the deal. Those kinds of sins, they don't end there, right? The image plants a seed, and the seed, unless it is uprooted and plucked out and thrown away, is going to grow. And what does it grow into? If left unchecked, disastrous, large with fruit. that sometimes plays itself out in all kinds of horrible ways, the least of which would not be dividing homes and marriages, destroying lives. Why? Because of the sexual immorality that we have allowed to enter our hearts, and we've not warred against it. So here's the simple thing that we have to do. And here, let me also say this. This is the sin, specifically when we're speaking of images, okay? We could say pornography. That sin specifically, it used to be that it was mainly a man thing. But the statistics that I'm looking at say, it's no longer just men who are looking at these things, but rather it's women as well. And here's the other frightening thing. The age that people get into going to the gross images, right? And the whatever, that age continues to get lower and lower and lower. Why? Because our children, Our children are not only being desensitized the way that you and I have been, but our children are being influenced by it at a younger and a younger age. So much so, listen, I went to public school, 13 years of it, K through 12. And in fifth grade, fifth grade, I sat down, they took the boys to this room and they took the girls to this room and they put a video up on the screen. It was about sex education now This this may not be politically correct, and I hope it's not But it is not the government's business to teach your children about sex Amen somebody But there was there was and listen This was I don't even know it was in the 90s. Hey when I was in fifth grade And it wasn't like kind of telling about it. It wasn't just kind of implying, hey, there's a difference, you know, and this is what happens. No, it was graphic. And this is happening in our schools. And hey, if you think for a second that it's not happening today, I would say it's probably happened earlier. and it's probably happening in more graphic detail. Now, this is not a homeschool push or a private school push, but that shouldn't be off the table, amen? But it is this, it is this, mom and dad, you need to know what's happening with your children wherever they're getting education, right? You better know. It's your obligation, it's your responsibility. And furthermore, if there's something happening that you don't know about, and these schools, these institutions are going behind your back and telling your kids about stuff, I don't know about you, but I don't think that's okay. Amen. So there's sexual immorality on that level. There's also sexual immorality on day-to-day living, right? Let's talk about the relationship between husbands and wives. Men, be careful, be careful how you text message or private message whatever way you do other women, right? Very careful women, be cautious about who you're messaging. That's not your husband. And he's a man. Uh, I don't know about you, but I don't like, I wouldn't like, I should say, I don't, I wouldn't like to pick up my wife's phone right now. I'm not peeking on my wife. Don't get excited, but, but, but, If I were to see my wife's phone and a man has been texting her and it's more than just, hey, you know, this or that about something, you know, related to business of whatever, or church specifically, because that's understandable, right? But if it's more than that, Man, do you realize how dangerous that is? That's like holding the gas in this hand and the lighter in this hand and it's burning, right? It's stupid. Pull up to the gas station and you see somebody there standing there smoking a cigarette, I wanna get out and just smack them, right? You idiot, you're gonna blow yourself up and everybody else. Well, guess what? Husbands, wives, when we dibble, we dabble with these kinds of things with opposite genders, those who are not our spouses, We deserve the same. Smacked upside the head, kicked in the rear, whatever you wanna say it, wake up! Don't play with fire, because guess what? You might think that it'd never turn out that way, but he who thinks he stands, take heed, lest he stumble. The reason that sexual immorality, we're not gonna get past this one, okay? Just take a deep breath, we're going home early, okay? I had no idea I had so much to say about this. Well, I did. I did know, but I thought I could contain myself. Why is sexual immorality so serious and so wrong? It's because, first of all, we were created in the image of God. And so when you look at another man or another woman, you should not see them as a piece of meat, like it's something that's appetizing. You should see them as an image bearer of the God who created them, and see their dignity and their worth in who they belong to, who they've been created by. And again, we've been so desensitized that we don't think about it that way. If we're honest, we don't. This culture has so infiltrated the way we think about the existence of a man and a woman to prioritize one thing above everything else, right? What is the big push today concerning our identity? Well, the number one identity Priority is not whether you're a Democrat or Republican. It's your sexual orientation, right? I get so annoyed when I get on my, I have an Instagram account because I like just, for whatever reason, the format's just so much different and better for me. Facebook seems like it's a place where just gossip and bickering and fighting goes on. And Instagram, I can just look at a picture or not, right? Whatever. But I see in people's profiles, the first thing under their name is what? Their pronouns. Why? Because their sexual orientation is the most important thing that they want you to know. Listen, we are sexual beings as human beings, but that's not the number one identifier of who we are. Right. And Hey, let me say this, this, I'm just going to throw this in there for free. If you've got pronouns in your bio, get a life, get a life. We don't need you to tell us if you're a she, her, we know, and you're not fooling anybody. If you're not what you say you are, there's no such thing as transgenderism period. Anyway, we gotta keep moving. Sexual immorality is serious because of who created us. And listen, maybe you're here this morning, and this is a sin that particularly finds itself heavy on you in whatever shape and form that is. Whether it's struggling with looking at images, whether it's struggling with a relationship that is, according to God's word, wrong. The solution is the same for everybody. That is, we need to repent and we need to trust. That is, be honest to God against yourself that you first of all have this problem, and then number two, take it by the horns and fight against it with everything you have. Listen, all of us, what do we do when we see something that we had no control over seeing? Turn away from it, turn away from it. I heard an old fellow one time say, well, how long do you have to look before it becomes lust? I think for everybody, it may be a little bit different, but I can tell you this much, it's not long. It's not long. And what happens in our heart after we see these things is extremely important, because if we don't deal with it immediately, it's not just gonna go away. It's not gonna go away. Why? Because by design, by design, it creates a hunger in you for more and more and more. Until what? Until it has consumed you like a cancer, right? That's what it wants to do. Listen, sexual immorality never has your best interest in mind, ever. But biblical sexuality does. The Bible says, I love this text, it's good for man to find a wife, right? You realize that today the marriage rate is just continually dropping? I mean, not a little bit, a lot. Why? Sexual immorality. Sexual immorality. It's bad. And folks, it's one thing if the world does this, because we expect the world to act like the world, right? But it shouldn't even be named among those who profess Christ as Lord and Savior. God help us. God help moms and dads Hey, if you're here today and you're raising children, you've got a big, big task on your hands. Your kids, your kids are not just gonna be exempt from these things because they're your kids and you bring them to church. You better be doing your work at home, moms and dads, and specifically fathers. Listen, don't do anything that you wouldn't want your son or daughter to do. Amen. Let's clean it up. Let's be careful how we handle fire. This past week, disappointed with a preacher that a lot of us looked up to. It was a good reminder to me that the best of men are men at best. And you know, every single one of us, every single one of us here, I don't care how old you are or how young you are, every single one of us can fall to the traps of this sin. Sexual immorality is a work of the flesh and it's evident. And the only cure for it is faith in Christ and repentance of sin. You see, the works of the flesh are not fought against by those who will not inherit the kingdom of God. But if you are a Christian, you should be concerned about sexual immorality, and you should be willing to go to war with it. That's the difference. Those who are living in an unrepentant lifestyle, enjoying their sexual immorality, they could care less. But if you do, praise God that you do. Amen? Praise God that you do. and then do something about it. Maybe this sin doesn't hit you. One of the next ones will, I promise. I promise. But I promise you this, that never does the word of God cut us without also offering us the healing balm of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. Let's pray, Father. Father, this did not go at all the way that I had planned, but I believe it's gone exactly how You intended. And so, Lord, I pray that You would help us. Help us, Lord. Pray, first of all, that You would help us to become sensitive, sensitive biblically to these sins. And as we've started with just an enormous tumor, I pray, God, that as Your Word is the scalpel to our hearts and our minds, that God, You would cut to the heart of the problems and that the root would be taken out. God, I pray that You would help us to truly experience a revival of purity. That in our homes, God, we would be careful to not lay anything evil before our eyes. And God, that we would be careful that when we see something that we ought not to, that God, you would help us to run away from it. Lord, I believe wholeheartedly that maybe there's somebody here today or somebody's here today who the best thing that they could do is go home and buy a flip phone or something. Lord, that we would go to extreme measures to war against the temptations that are so, so prevalent around us. Lord, I also pray this morning for our young people. Lord, I think about the darkness that exists in our societies today, in our communities today. I think about the lives that have been ruined by this sin in particular, And I pray, dear God, that you would bring healing to the hurting through the gospel, knowing, God, that what has been destroyed by this sin can be completely restored through the power of the Holy Spirit and the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. So, Lord, I pray that you would help us. Lord, help us to war against these things. Lord, these battles cannot be fought on a passive front. We need to take up the armor of God, the whole armor of God, and war against it. Lord, from the oldest to the youngest today, this is a sin that's not just for young people or middle-aged people. This is a sin that haunts every single person. And so, Lord, I pray that You would help us. Help us, dear God. to not feed this work of the flesh, but instead walk by the Spirit, so that instead of impurity, we would see holiness and righteousness. We would see obedience that flows out of love for Christ. Lord, I thank you and praise you for all that you've done. And Lord, I pray that you would help us as we come back and tackle this once again at another day. God, you would prepare our hearts, but until then, God, do a work in our heart. We pray that you would do it for your glory alone. In Jesus' name.