Are You Deliberate About...Walking? (Galatians 5:16-18)
GIST: The Christian life is a serious struggle, so walk deliberately with Jesus because new leadership and amazing grace make all the difference.
Today, we’re continuing the application section of Paul’s letter to the Galatians. After spending four chapters defending that salvation is through grace alone and urging his friends not to fall into the slavery of trying to save themselves, he is now talking about what being set free by grace will do to their lives. The section we’re going to look at this morning comes right before one of the more recognizable portions of his letter where he contrasts works of the flesh with the fruit of the Spirit. Those verses come in the context of the encouragement and warning he provides here. These insights have been really helpful for me this week, and I pray they will be for you as well.
“16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.”
Here’s our gist for this morning: The Christian life is a serious struggle, so walk deliberately with Jesus because new leadership and amazing grace make all the difference. There are several observations I want to leave with you to chew on this week, so let’s dive straight into the unpacking. First, we need to understand→
I. The Christian Life Is A Serious Struggle (17)
I was already in the middle of typing up the notes for this sermon when I realized it might be helpful to look at these verses a little backwards to get the full picture. Verse 16 instructs us to walk by the Spirit, but verse 17 reminds us why that deliberate kind of movement is necessary. “17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.”
The Christian life is a struggle because of conflicting longings. The word translated desire is a strong one. That’s why the older translations used the word lust instead. However, lust has a primarily sexual connotation, so it doesn’t really represent the idea here (though lust is definitely one of the desires of the flesh we have to fight against). Tim Keller was helpful on this point, as well, explaining that this word represents “an all-controlling drive [or] longing” (Galatians For You).
Guys, there is something really beautiful in this picture. First, this means the Christian life will be a struggle because though we’re rescued from our sin, we’ll still have that sinful nature this side of heaven. However, as we’ve pointed out time and again, salvation means transformation. We’re new creations. We’ve been given a new nature, and that new nature is the Holy Spirit working within us. We now have new desires and a new purpose. Those don’t line up with what our hearts naturally pull toward. In fact, they are at direct odds. There is a war within us.
Now, I know that doesn’t seem beautiful at all ☺… but think about it this way. The reason we have this struggle is because our natural desires, which pull us toward self-destruction and pain, are opposed by the longings of the Spirit which then have to be the opposite. That means God’s heart is to pull us from self-destruction and bring us life and hope. The Christian life won’t be easy, but praise God for the struggle because it should remind you of His love. Also, you have a war within you, but it’s not a fair fight, “...for He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4)! You’re not fighting a losing battle if you’re in Christ. You’re fighting a battle He’s already won→
II. So Walk Deliberately With Jesus (16)
Now, look back at verse 16.“16 But I say, walk by the Spirit and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.” The fact Paul was inspired to use the word walk here instead of some other form of movement has stuck with me for the past several months as I’ve been studying this letter. Early on in our study, I was listening to a pastor teach on this verse, and he observed that walking isn’t the most exciting way to get from point A to B. It gets you there though. I think he defined walking as something like putting one foot in front of the other in a deliberate and continuous movement forward.
I don’t want to read too much into this example because we know other places in the Bible Paul compares the Christian life to running a race. In fact, he just did that in verse 7 of this chapter☺️! There he said these Galatians had been running well, but someone got in the way. Now, he tells them to walk by the Spirit. This isn’t about speed or effort. However, there is something different about walking that hammers home the point he’s making here. The Christians life won’t be easy. You will stumble. When that happens, get back up and put one foot in front of the other in a deliberate and continuous movement toward Jesus.
The Christian life takes place during real life. It isn’t something we do on Sundays. It isn’t a church camp experience, or a Christian concert or conference moment. It happens in the nitty gritty of everyday life, so put one foot in front of the other. Make the choice to focus your eyes on Jesus throughout the day on purpose! It’s in that context Paul tells us we will not gratify the desires of the flesh. Jesus put it like this. “24 No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.” (Matthew 6:24) You can’t walk toward the longings of your sinful nature if you’re walking toward Jesus because they are in opposite directions! When temptation comes, redirect your heart. Open up His Word. Sing songs of praise. Get on your knees and pray. Be deliberate about putting one foot in front of the other→
III. Because New Leadership & Amazing Grace Make All The Difference (18)
Before we hit the takeaways, let’s look at verse 18. “18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.” Being under the law means we’re trying to save ourselves, but if we’ve been rescued, we’re not there anymore. We might still be struggling against sin, but our hearts are under new leadership. We no longer need to figure life out for ourselves. Instead we’ve been called to the kind of life described in Proverbs 3:5-6 “5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths.”
You’ll stumble, but His amazing grace will always be enough to pick you back up.
TAKEAWAYS
Praise God for the struggle because it reminds us God’s heart longs for us to be with Him and rescued from our self-destructive natures.
Determine to take a spiritual walk every day this week.
Remember who is in charge of your heart now and seek to follow His lead.
Don’t get discouraged when you stumble but stand up putting one foot in front of the other in a deliberate and continuous movement toward Jesus.
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