This Sunday we will go a little more in depth in trying to understand Paul’s terminology in verses 19 and 20:

19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 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.

It is so critical that we understand as thoroughly as possible what these words mean so that we can allow the opposition provided by the Holy Spirit against these works to be victorious in our lives.  I realize that some of these words and their definitions are not ones we like to dwell on, however, we must be confronted with them occasionally and be prepared to respond to the Spirit’s movement in our spirit when they attack.

James 4:4-5 – ⁴ You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. ⁵ Or do you think Scripture says without reason that he jealously longs for the spirit he has caused to dwell in us?

Larry Flynt

Adolf Hitler

Notes for Gal 5, 16-26 Works of the Flesh, Part 2 Final

**These men are being used as examples of men who, at the time these photos were taken, were completely consumed in the works of the flesh**

Larry Flynt is a prolific pornographer (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larry_Flynt) and Adolf Hitler (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adolf_Hitler) led the Nazi regime during WWII and hated and tried to exterminate the Jewish people.

Again, our goal is to show extreme real life examples of men who were consumed in works of the flesh so that we as believers may be certain to be able to identify them and along with the Spirit’s help, put them to death in our own lives.

After Paul is invited to speak in the Areopagus, he goes there and expounds the Word of God beginning in with a very interesting sentence, “Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious…”

²² So Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus, said: “Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious. ²³ For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription, ‘To the unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. ²⁴  The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man,^{[c] 25} nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything. ²⁶ And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, ²⁷  that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us, ²⁸ for

as even some of your own poets have said,

²⁹  Being then God’s offspring, we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man. ³⁰  The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, ³¹ because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.”

³² Now when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked. But others said, “We will hear you again about this.” ³³ So Paul went out from their midst. ³⁴ But some men joined him and believed, among whom also were Dionysius the Areopagite and a woman named Damaris and others with them.

What can we learn from Paul’s message to the Areopagus?

Christians must find an ENTRY point to ENGAGE false belief

Preach God as Creator, SUSTAINER, Ruler, and DWELLS closely

God’s judgment demands CORRECT knowledge and REPENTANCE

Three Reactions from those at the Areopagus:  MOCKERY, CURIOSITY and CONVERSION

Aug 22, 2012 – Acts 17, 22-34 Paul at the Aeropagus

Notes – Aug 29, 2012 – Acts 17, 22-34 You Are Very Religious, Part 2

Notes – September 5, 2012 – Acts 17, 22-34 You Are Very Religious, Part 3 [Same notes as Part 2, just updated with correct date

Notes – September 12, 2012 – Acts 17, 22-34 You Are Very Religious, Part 4

The Scriptures give us an excellent guide by which to examine our lives.  The Scriptures teach us that if we truly are born again by the Spirit of God we will live in a way that overwhelmingly glorifies Him.  That means that our character will slowly, or quickly, (depending on the person) conform to the character of Christ.

This conforming to Christ will be evident to all that know them.  You will see it in their eyes, you will hear it in their speech, you will observe it in the way they treat the people that they are involved with, you will wonder “what has happened to Mark?”  “Something is different about him, he seems to have been changed somehow.”  That is because he was once walking under the bondage of the elemental spirits, under the bondage of the law and now through Christ, he has been set free to live for God to his fullest potential as a Christian and child of God.

Our time in the Word at Woodland in September will be spent in one specific passage, Galatians 5:16-26, which contains the passage most of us can quote by memory, the “fruit of the Spirit.”  I plan to spend a little extra time in these verses to help us take a long hard look at our lives, me included, to verify what type of walk we have.  Are we walking in the Spirit or the flesh?

Come join us at Woodland Baptist Church to ask this question and be honest with ourselves and God about where we stand and then, based on what we find…MAKE CHANGES to live a life more in conformity to God’s will.  AMEN?  AMEN!

Notes for Gal 5, 16-26 How is Your Walk?