The Great Tug-of-War: Fighting the Flesh (Galatians 5:16-25)

Open your Bibles to Galatians chapter 5, please. Galatians chapter 5, and let's read verses 16 to 25 together. Galatians chapter 5 verses 16 to 25. And I'll be reading out of the LSB, the legacy standard Bible, this morning. Paul says, but I say, walk by the spirit and you will not carry out the desires of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desire against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh. For these are in opposition to one another, so that you do not do the things that you want. But if you're led by the spirit, you're not under the law.

Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these. Of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice 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. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

If we live by the spirit, let us also walk in step with the spirit. If you'll recall from our last time together a couple of weeks ago, when we looked at the iron law of sowing and reaping in chapter six, we talked a little bit about the context of Paul's letter to the Galatians. A couple things I didn't mention are that, first of all, most commentators agree that Galatians was likely the first epistle that Paul wrote. Of all his letters in the New Testament, it seems very likely that his letter to the believers in the region of Galatia was the first. And secondly, I didn't mention that when Paul wrote this letter, he was hot.

The rest of his letters include quite a bit of warmth and charm and personal familiarities, but not this one. Sure, he begins with his customarily gracious greeting, but then bam, right there in verse six of the very first chapter, he launches on them. He was not a happy camper when he wrote this letter. Why was that? He was angry because, as you might recall, a group of people called Judaizers, Jewish men who had at some level at least accepted that Jesus was the Christ, the Messiah, but nevertheless insisted that faith in Christ was not enough to save a person.

They had shown up and were telling these Galatian believers who were Gentiles, that for them to be really saved, they had to be circumcised and they had to follow the ceremonial laws of Moses, regulations about food and so forth. The writer of Hebrews identified Christ as both the author and perfecter of our faith. But these Judaizers said, hold up a minute there. Yes, Christ is the author of our faith, but we are the perfecters of it. And by the way, these Judaizers followed Paul all over the place and tried to do the same thing.

They would come in behind Paul after he'd shared the gospel in a city or an area and confuse those who had believed the gospel that he preached. They didn't just do that to the Galatian believers. Here's what Paul said in Philippians, for instance, in chapter three, verses two and three. Beware the dogs, exclamation point. Beware of the evil workers. Beware of the mutilation. For we are the circumcision who worship in the spirit of God and boast in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh. When he said, beware the dogs, the evil workers, the mutilation, he was talking about the Judaizers.

He was saying that physical circumcision was of no value and that it was nothing more than a bodily mutilation and to say otherwise is evil. The ESV renders that verse, look out for the dogs, look out for the evildoers, look out for those who mutilate the flesh. And you might remember too that in the book of Acts, these Judaizers and the false doctrine they were pushing were actually dealt with pretty plainly. The entire episode is recorded in Acts chapter 15. In fact, the first 35 verses of Acts 15 are devoted to it.

We won't read all that this morning for the sake of time, but I encourage you to look that up and study it considering this letter to the Galatians and it might help you with some context. Now, I said I'm not gonna read it all, but listen to verse 1 of Acts 15. Some men came down from Judea and began teaching the brothers, quote, unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved. And then a little further down, here's verse 5. But some of the sect of the Pharisees who had believed, stood up saying it is necessary to circumcise them and to command them to keep the law of Moses.

This is exactly what Paul's dealing with in Galatians. Again, go study Acts 15, it'll help you. By the way, you'll find there that the apostles and the elders concluded in Acts 15 that the Judaizers were wrong. And that salvation was by grace for both Jews and Gentiles alike. In Romans chapter 2, verses 25 to 29, Romans 2, 25 to 29, Paul lays out the fact that outward circumcision, circumcision of the flesh, is worthless if the heart is not circumcised. Emphasizing that salvation is a matter of the heart and not based on some external thing.

In 1 Corinthians 7, verses 18 and 19, 1 Corinthians 7, 18 and 19, Paul again talks about circumcision and the relative unimportance of it. He basically says, hey, if you were circumcised already when you got saved, that's great. But if you weren't circumcised when you got saved, that's okay too. It doesn't matter either way. So this issue is something Paul had to deal with throughout his ministry. These aggravating Judaizers were relentless. And Paul, when he wrote this letter to the Galatians, was hot about it. He was angry, and justifiably so because this was no less than an attack on the purity of the gospel and the sufficiency of Christ.

So Paul was mad about what the Judaizers were doing, but he was upset for another reason too. He was upset that the Galatians were buying it, or at least considering what the Judaizers were saying. They were faltering in their conviction that what Paul had said was true, namely that what Christ accomplished is enough, and faith in what he accomplished is enough. Look right quick at Galatians 1, just turn back a few pages. Galatians 1, verses 6 and 7, chapter 1, verses 6 and 7. Paul says, I marvel that you are so quickly deserting him who called you by the grace of Christ for a different gospel, which is really not another.

Only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. The phrase I marvel there in verse 6 comes from the Greek word, phalmodzo, phalmodzo. And it means I'm amazed by something. It's used all over the gospel accounts to describe people's reactions to the miracles performed by Christ, for example. People marveled at the amazing things he was doing in their midst. But here's an interesting thing about the word. It carries the idea not only of amazement, but admiration. When people marveled at Christ's miracles, they admired him for those miracles. Now, most of you know I'm an LSU fan, yeah?

And most of you know that the Tigers just won the 2023 College World Series in baseball. And the team had some players that accomplished stunning things this year. Paul Skeens, our Friday night guy, set the all time SEC strikeout record for one season at 209 strikeouts. Dylan Cruz won the Golden Spikes Award and had a batting average of over 400 for the season. Tommy Tanks-White and Cade Belloso hit game winning home runs on multiple occasions and Trey Morgan performed acrobatics at first base so many times I can't count. It was incredible. And what is my response to their skill? Phalmodzo.

I am both utterly amazed by their skill and I totally admire them for it. You see how that works? So if that's the case, why would Paul use phalmodzo here if it carries the meaning of admiration? Surely he didn't mean to communicate to the Galatians that he admired them for being so gullible, right? I think it's clear from the tone of his letter that he was dropping a little apostolic sarcasm on them, frankly. Maybe something like, I can't believe y'all gave in so quickly. That's impressive.

Now, I can't swear to that, but it makes sense to me given the meaning of the word, how it's used elsewhere in scripture combined with the overall sharp tone of the letter. The other thing Paul was upset about was that the Galatian believer seemed to be swallowing another lie peddled by the Judaizers, which was that Paul didn't have the authority to tell them anything at all. The Judaizers worked constantly to undermine Paul's apostolic authority. And it seemed that the Galatians were, again, on the verge of believing that about Paul.

So from verse 11 of chapter 1 all the way through the end of chapter 2, Paul defends both his apostleship and his consistency on the very issue at hand. Then at the beginning of chapter 3, he unleashes on the Galatian believers again. Look with me at the first three verses of chapter 3. Galatians chapter 3, verses 1 to 3. Paul says, oh foolish Galatians, who bewitched you before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified. This is the only thing I want to learn from you. Did you receive the spirit by the works of the law or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish?

Having begun it by the spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? Twice in those verses, Paul called him foolish. The word simply means lacking understanding or unable to understand or unwise, but it's a harsh word. Paul hit him with it twice. And the second time where he says, are you so foolish? It kind of has the feeling of are you really so foolish? Or can you really be this foolish? I can almost see Paul shaking his head as he thought about this and wrote those words. These verses though also set up the rest of Paul's main purpose of the letter, I think. Paul is working to establish two things in this letter.

That salvation is by grace alone through faith alone and that Christ is sufficient. He needs nothing added to him, at least of all something we can do. Look again at verse two of chapter three there. This is the only thing I want to learn from you, he said. Did you receive the spirit by the works of the law or by hearing with faith? Paul says, folks, weren't you born again already by the time the Judaizers showed up and started trouble, weren't you born again already at the moment you believe the gospel that I preached to you?

Of course, his point is this, if you were born again before the Judaizers even showed up, how then can they be right that you need to do anything else to be saved? Folks, look at me. When I was born again, I knew it. God changed me. I was a different man. And he accomplished that by his grace alone through faith alone. And it's the same with you. If you've been born again, you knew it when it happened or shortly after it happened because you weren't the same person anymore.

So Paul says to you and he says to me, if you were born again solely by an act of God, why would you ever think that your own efforts are necessary to maintain that or to add anything to it? Now look again at verse 3 of chapter 3 and this will be the springboard from which we dive into our verses in chapter 5 this morning. Paul says, having begun by the spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? Paul had just reminded them in verse 2 that they had begun by the spirit, that they'd been born again by nothing but faith in the grace of the Father and the work of Christ. And here he asked a logical question.

If you started by the work of the spirit, why on earth would you think you would be perfected by the flesh? I'm reminded of Philippians 1, 6 in which Paul says, for I'm confident of this very thing, that he who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus. Paul basically wants the Galatians to answer the question, if the spirit began the good work in you, do you think you're the one who will perfect it in your flesh? So Paul sets up the remainder of his letter, or most of it, in which he will contrast the work of the spirit and the works of the flesh.

He does spend considerable time contrasting the law and the promise of God, but we'll save that for another day and focus our remaining few minutes on the contrast between the work of the spirit and the works of the flesh. So go ahead and flip back over to Galatians 5, and let's read verses 16 to 25 again. Galatians 5, 16 to 25, but I say, walk by the spirit and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desire against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh, for these are in opposition to one another. So that you do not do the things that you want. But if you're led by the spirit, you're not under the law.

Now the deeds of the flesh are evident which are sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, outburst of anger, selfless ambition, dissensions, factions, envy and drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice 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. Now those who belong to Christ, Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

If we live by the spirit, let us also walk in step with the spirit. Here in this passage, Paul describes what I call the great tug of war between the spirit and the flesh. In fact, that's the title of this morning's message, the great tug of war fighting the flesh. The great tug of war fighting the flesh. Now to be clear, it's not that the spirit of God cannot win a tug of war. It's not as if our flesh is pulling directly against the spirit and the spirit needs our help to win the battle. In fact, Paul's entire point could be summed up by saying that the spirit does not need our help.

A better picture of the great tug of war Paul is describing would be to picture the spirit on one side, the flesh on the other with us in the middle between the two. So the great tug of war is really between our new man and our old man, our redeemed selves and the flesh. Does that make sense? As we make effort to move toward the spirit, to walk in the spirit, the flesh is always there trying to pull us back. The flesh wants to be fed and it constantly tugs at us to feed it. Remember the last time we were together, we mentioned that the word translated flesh can have several meanings in scripture.

It's used to describe what you can feel with your hands when you grab your arm, the actual skin and the meat underneath that skin. It can also refer to your physical body as a whole. It can refer to your physical body as opposed to the spiritual, immaterial parts of your total person and other similar variations of meaning. But the meaning Paul has in mind here is the same meaning he has when he uses it later in chapter 6 when he talks about the law of sowing and reaping, remember?

He's using it here and in chapter 6 in an ethical sense whereby flesh means the center of sinful desire within a person, the seat of sinful desires, the place where our sinful desires originate. And he's also using the word flesh to describe the vehicle through which those sinful desires manifest. Our flesh is a pipeline through which sinful desires become action. Make sense? Think about that the next time you read James chapter 1 verses 13 to 16 where James describes how sin happens. Remember what he says? You don't have to turn there. James 1 13 to 16. James says, "Let no one say when he's tempted, I'm being tempted by God.

For God cannot be tempted by evil and he himself does not tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he's carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust is conceived, it gives birth to sin. And when sin is fully matured, it brings forth death. Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers." Where the LSB uses lust there, the ESP uses desire. But the point is that James put the blame on us. It's our own lust, our own sinful desires that lead us down the path towards sin and ultimately death potentially. And where do those sinful desires, those lusts come from? They proceed from our own flesh, the center of our sinful desires.

And I love that James ends that portion with, "Do not be deceived, my brothers." Thinking back to our sowing and reaping passage from a couple of weeks ago, I can almost hear James continuing on, "God is not mocked whatsoever a man sows with. That shall he also reap." The passage just fits so perfectly together. I love that about the Word of God. It's filled with little happy's like that. I call those little happy's. So the flesh is the source within us of our own sinful desires, our own sinful impulses, if you will.

And like I mentioned last time, I believe all our sinful desires are dominated by one sin in particular, pride or self-righteousness, self-sufficiency, self-centeredness. So with that understanding of what Paul means by flesh in this passage, that he's describing the source of our sinful pride or our sinful desire for self-sufficiency, self-righteousness, let's look again at our passage in Galatians 5. Now I'm going to go a little out of order here if that's okay. Verses 16 and 17 define the great tug of war. So we don't need to go there again. Verse 18 provides a brief overview of the way to win the war.

But here's what I want to do with our remaining few minutes this morning. First I want to look a little more closely at what Paul calls the deeds of the flesh in verses 19 to 21 and point out what I think is a common trait of all those deeds. Then I want to briefly talk about the fruit of the Spirit in verses 22 and 23 and likewise point out what I see as a common trait of all that fruit. But then finally I want to look to verses 24 and 25 to give you three ways to win the great tug of war. Three strategies the Lord has provided that enable us to have victory in that great tug of war. Okay?

So let's start with Paul's list of what he calls the deeds of the flesh in verses 19 to 21. Both King James and ESV call them the works of the flesh. There are 15 of them. Paul is careful to point out that this list is not exhaustive. It doesn't contain all the works of the flesh because he says in verse 21 and things like these. The first one in the list is sexual immorality which basically includes all forms of sexual sin from lusting after pornography to sex outside of marriage to adultery. The next two in the list impurity and sensuality are very similar. Impurity refers to uncleanness both physically and morally.

And sensuality carries the idea of wantonness or excess. Sort of a total giving in to the desires of the flesh with no restraint. Next is idolatry which of course is worshipping something other than the God of the Bible. Colossians 3.5 is a really interesting verse about idolatry. Colossians 3 verse 5. Listen to this. Paul writes, "Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire and greed, which is idolatry." There's another list of works of the flesh but notice there that Paul said greed is the same thing as idolatry. Have you ever seen that before? Take heed, sir.

Take heed, ma'am. If you're a greedy person, the Bible says you're an idolater and therefore guilty of breaking the second of the Ten Commandments. Hashtag ouch. Back to our list. After idolatry comes sorcery which is an interesting word. The Greek word is the word from which we get our English word pharmacy. The Greek word is pronounced pharmakaya. And it primarily means using drugs or medicines associated with idol worship but it can also mean poisoning. And it's used here to mean sorcery or witchcraft perhaps accompanied by the use of drugs.

Then we see enmities which basically means hatred or having people or groups of people that you hate or consider serious enemies. This is strife which describes contention or a wrangling or arguing. After that we see jealousy which is self-explanatory, right? We all know what jealousy is. Then we see outbursts of anger which describes explosions of hot anger or wrath. Next is selfish ambition which describes a self-seeking rivalry, trying to get the upper hand on others, always clawing to get to the top no matter who you have to step on to get up there.

Then we see dissensions which literally means to stand apart and carries the idea of separations causing separations and divisions. Next is factions which describes a group of people following their own opinions. So the idea here is people who pull away from everyone else by convincing them to join their little group. This is a horrible sin when it happens in the local church.

When people come in and begin whispering to folks about how the pastor got something wrong, how the pastor doesn't talk enough about whatever the little pet doctrine might be, or how the leadership isn't doing enough to accomplish whatever they see as a goal or whatever, they work to create a faction of members who agree with them. And it's a grievous sin against the pastor, against the local church, and against the Lord of the church. It happens, but it's grievously sinful when it does. Next in the list is envying which is really close to jealousy, but it includes the idea of ill will toward someone or spite.

Then we see drunkenness, which means, guess what, drunkenness. Drunkenness is a work of the flesh. Finally the last one on the list is carousing, which the King James calls reveling. Here's what Thayer says about this word, or says what the word described. You ready for this? Thayer says that carousing or reveling refers to a nocturnal or nighttime and riotous procession of half-drunken and frolicsome fellows who after supper parade through the streets with torches and music in honor of Bacchus or some other deity and sing and play before the houses of their male and female friends.

Hence, used generally, Thayer says, it speaks of feasts and drinking parties that are protracted till late at night and indulge in revelry. So drinking parties that last until late at night or a work or deed of the flesh. They come from that part of us that is the center of sinful desires, folks. So there's the list. But remember Paul then said, and things like these. King James says, and such like. So this is not a complete list. It's a representative list. There are too many deeds of the flesh or works of the flesh to list them all in one list.

So what I want you to notice about every one of those works of the flesh is that there's a common trait they all share. I'm wondering if you see it yet or if you've guessed it. Let me give you a hint by reviewing what we said about the flesh a little while ago and a couple of weeks ago. The flesh Paul is describing here is both the center of sinful desires within us and the pipeline through which those desires travel to become action. Remember? Do you remember which particular sinful desire I said was at the bottom of it all? Pride. At the bottom of all sinful desire is pride.

And pride tells me that what I want is most important or even the only thing that matters. Pride tells me when Patty and I have a disagreement that what I want is what matters the most. That my needs are the most important. My comfort is what counts. My feelings are the ones that need to be considered. My desires are the ones that need to be met. My ideas are best. My plans are best. My opinions are superior. My time is the most valuable. Me, me, me, me. And pride is at the bottom of every single one of the deeds or works of the flesh in Paul's list.

Tell you what, pride is at the bottom of all those included in the phrase and things like these too. Here's your homework. I hope you'll do this because I think it will really bring the point on to you. Maybe this afternoon or sometime this week, sit down with your Bible in one hand and a pen in the other, get you a notepad, go through that list and make the connection yourself. Consider each of those deeds of the flesh and write a sentence or two showing how each one of them comes from the sinful desire of pride, of selfishness, of self-centeredness. Then I hope you'll share your work with me when you're done.

I promise I won't grade your paper. Now pay very close attention here, folks. You simply must get this. This is of utmost importance in this entire discussion of the deeds of the flesh. Why did Paul throw this list in there? What's he driving at about listing 15 deeds of the flesh or works of the flesh? What's this got to do with his overarching point? It's this. Do you remember what Paul asked the Galatians in chapter 3, verse 3?

He asked them this, "Are you so foolish, having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?" The Judaizers had come in behind Paul and was convincing the Galatians that the key to their salvation, the key to real salvation was in their own flesh, was in things their own flesh could do with no assistance from the Spirit. And Paul was like, "Really? You think your flesh holds the key to salvation? Let me show you what your flesh looks like. Let me show you what your flesh can do. You mean to tell me that that flesh is going to save you?" You see that, folks? It's the key to the whole thing. And let me tell you this.

He's talking to you and he's talking to me. He's saying to us, "Do you see what your flesh does? Do you see what your flesh is made of? And having seen what it's made of and what it does, do you think for a minute that your rotten flesh has anything to offer God in order to make you right with Him? Do you think that anything you can do in your own flesh can make you right with God? Do you imagine getting baptized makes you right with God? Do you think wearing only a certain kind of clothing makes you right with Him? Teaching Sunday school? Giving money to the church?

Folks, all of that and more can be done in the flesh and none of it can make you right with God. None of it. Nothing from your flesh can do that. Your flesh is an enemy of God. Now don't get me wrong. All of those things are good and honorable things to do once we've been born again. We do them out of gratitude because we love the Lord and we love His church. And when we serve the Lord and serve others out of gratitude and love for Him, it does please Him. But not when we do them thinking they earn us anything. We can do nothing in our flesh to please Him because there is nothing in our flesh that can please Him.

Paul says in Romans chapter 7 verse 18, Romans 7, 18, "For I know that nothing good dwells in me that is in my flesh." So back to our context here. Back to Galatians chapter 5. Remember Paul is telling the Galatian believers that there's no way that they can perfect themselves by way of the flesh. And he just pointed to 15 awful deeds or works of the flesh to highlight why the flesh is the wrong stuff to lean on if you think you can earn your way to righteousness. Then in verses 22 and 23, he contrasts those works of the flesh with the fruit of the Spirit.

And as we read them, I want you to be looking for a common trait among them, just like we did with the works of the flesh. Let's read verses 22 and 23. Paul says, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is no law." Anything jump out to you there regarding some commonality among the fruit. Think back to what we said was common among the deeds of the flesh. They all have pride as their root. All deeds or works of the flesh are about me. They're me-centered, right? How does that contrast with the fruit of the Spirit?

If I demonstrate love, for instance, can I do that while it's all about me? No. Can I have joy if my focus is totally on what I want? Not likely. Selfish people rarely have joy, which is a much deeper and more abiding thing than happiness. If I'm being selfish and order something off of Amazon that I really, really want, it might make me happy for a spell, but that wears off when the newness wears off, doesn't it? Then it's something else I want. What about peace? Is a person who's filled with pride a person who has peace? Not at all. Prideful people live in turmoil and cause turmoil, right? How about patience? Are you kidding me?

Prideful people are the most impatient people there can be. Here's an example. Prideful people worry about what others will think of them if they're late for church. Therefore, such a person is very impatient with anyone in the house that they think might make them late. They're no fun to be around, either. That was a spot either for an amen or an oh my or an ouch. Then there's kindness. Prideful people aren't kind people, folks, and the list goes on. Have you picked up on the common theme among the fruit? They're all kind of other centered. Do you see that?

Whereas every deed of the flesh comes from a place of pride or selfishness or self-centeredness, they are all me-centered. The fruit of the spirit are the opposite of that, aren't they? Don't they all focus on what's best for others as opposed to feeding my flesh? And there's another difference that I just thought about. Didn't write this down. The flesh produces all the works of the flesh. The fruit of the spirit, the flesh can't produce. Only the spirit can. So here's your homework part two. You'll still have your Bible in one hand, your pen in the other, plus your notepad.

So take a few minutes and write a sentence or two about each of the fruit of the spirit, explaining how they come from an other centeredness, how they are the opposite of being based in pride and self-centeredness, and how they can only come from the spirit. That can be your bonus work. How about that? That'll get you an extra 15 points. But how does this passage figure into our overall context here? Remember Paul first went through a list of nasty deeds of the flesh to show the Galatians that it was foolish to think that their vile, filthy flesh could in any way contribute to their salvation or sanctification, right?

So here he contrasts those filthy works of the flesh, all things that the flesh can produce on their own, with no help from anyone, even the devil folks. I had a pastor one time who correctly said, "We often blame the devil for what's really just funky old us." And he's right about that. Hey the devil's an awful enemy for sure, but human flesh makes it easy for him. Anyway, Paul gives that list of the works of the flesh, all of which the Galatians can do on their own, all of which are vile. Then he contrasts them with a list of fruit that can only be produced by the spirit of God. Do you see that?

Only the spirit of God can produce love in a man. Only the spirit can produce joy. Only the spirit can produce peace and so forth and so on. Paul provides that stark contrast, then he basically asks the Galatians, "Which of these do you think look like salvation? Which of these looks to you like a new creation? Which source are you wanting to rely upon for your redemption? The flesh that produces all of that vileness or the spirit of grace that produces nothing but loveliness?" How about you folks? What are you relying on? Your filthy flesh or the gracious spirit of God?

I hope you'll spend some time thinking about that, praying through that and examining your heart and life. Read Psalm 139 and cry out with the Psalmist, "Search me, O God, and know my heart." And ask him to show you. Okay, we're almost done. So we've established that there's a war going on, a great tug of war, a constant or at least a periodic struggle in the life of the believer. A tug of war between our new man and our old man, between the spirit and the flesh. So how do we fight that battle with any hope of winning? What battle strategies can we employ that might give us victory over our flesh? Well, I think there are three strategies.

And the first two are right there in verses 24 and 25 of our passage in Galatians 5. Look with me at verses 24 and 25 of Galatians 5. Paul says, "Now those who belong to Christ Jesus crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the spirit, let us also walk in step with the spirit." There are the first two strategies for winning the great tug of war. "Crucify your flesh and walk in step with the spirit." There's a third, I believe, and we'll get to that soon. But a couple of thoughts about these first two strategies. In verse 24, Paul says that those who belong to Christ crucified the flesh. That's past tense.

When a person is born again, his or her flesh is crucified. But can I tell you something? That old man we have is a tough old bird, and he just doesn't seem to stay dead. He doesn't seem to stay crucified. You reckon that's what Christ meant when he said in Luke 9.23, "If anyone wishes to come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me." Paul said in 1 Corinthians 15, "I die daily." So what did they mean, Christ and Paul? Did Christ mean you're to climb up on a cross and let someone nail you there, like physically, every day? Did Paul mean that he physically died every day and was raised back to life every day?

Of course not. Here's what it means. Turn to Romans chapter 13 quickly. Romans 13. Romans chapter 13, and we're going to look at verses 13 and 14. Romans 13, 13 and 14. This is Paul speaking of course, and I think you'll find some familiar words in these verses and an explanation of what it means to crucify your flesh every day. Paul says, "Let us walk properly as in the day, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality, not in strife and jealousy." Sound familiar?

Then he says, "But put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts." There's a shorter list of the works of the flesh that has several of the ones listed here in Galatians. But look at verse 14 again. Paul says, "But put on the Lord Jesus Christ," listen, "and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts." There it is. How do you crucify your flesh? You make no provision for it. You don't feed it. You don't put it in situations where it's likely to win the tug of war. When the old man rises up within you, you tell him to sit down and shut up.

When the flesh tosses its sinful, prideful thoughts at you, you do like Paul said to do in 2 Corinthians 10, 5, and take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. But Paul also says there, "Put on the Lord Jesus Christ." What does that mean? Well, I think it's just another way to say what Paul says back in verse 25 of Galatians, chapter 5. I think putting on the Lord Jesus Christ is synonymous with walking in step with the Spirit. It's also synonymous with Ephesians 5, 18, where Paul says we are to be filled with the Spirit.

Same idea in Galatians 5, 16, which we read earlier, which says, "Walk in the Spirit and you won't carry out the desires of the flesh." Also Ephesians 5, 8, where it says, "Walk as children of the light." Second Corinthians 5, 7, where it's, "Walk by faith." First John 2, 6, Colossians 1, 10 to 11, Philippians 3, 16 to 18, and others. So how do we do that? Seems like a tall order, I know. But there's one more verse I think sheds light on a key way to accomplish this, a key way to walk in the Spirit rather than in the flesh, and it's Colossians 3, verses 16 and 17. You don't have to turn there, but write that down. Colossians 3, 16 and 17.

Paul said, "Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly with all wisdom and teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with gratefulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus giving thanks to God the Father through him." What's the key to walking according to the Spirit? It's right there in the first part of Colossians 3, 16. Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly. Folks, how are you going to walk according to the Spirit if you don't know who He is or what He wants? You have to let the Word of Christ dwell in you.

And how can the Word of Christ dwell in you if you won't read the Word of Christ? As a believer, you ought to desire that the Word dwell in you richly. You ought to desire the Word of Christ. You ought to be like Job who said, "I have desired your word more than my necessary food." If you're going to walk according to the Spirit, folks, read your Bible. So the first two strategies to help us to victory in the great tug of war are to crucify the flesh every day, maybe every hour, huh? And to walk according to the Spirit, letting the Word of Christ dwell in us richly. But I said there was a third strategy, and I promise we're almost done.

Thank you for your patience this morning. That third strategy is found in Galatians 6, in verse 14. And Brother Keith talked about this in his excellent message last week. Galatians 6, verse 14, Paul says this, "But may it never be that I would boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me and I to the world." In 1 Corinthians 2, 2, Paul said, "I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified." So strategy number three in the great tug of war is this, boast in nothing but the cross of Christ.

And in order to boast in nothing but the cross, you need to focus on the cross. The cross needs to be the thing you think about, the thing you ponder, the thing that you thank God for the most. I found this helpful quote on the internet somewhere. "Every day you must reset your soul to embrace, believe, live on, and rejoice in all that Jesus Christ has done for you. Preach the gospel to yourself every day. Tell yourself who you are in Christ. Tell yourself what Christ has done for you on the cross." Two final thoughts and we're done.

Number one, when you focus on the cross, you need to remember that while on that cross the Lord Jesus cried out, "It is finished." It's done. Everything necessary for your salvation was completed on the cross of Christ. Everything. The Galatians were on the verge of forgetting that. Don't you forget it, sir. Don't forget that, ma'am. Remember it every day. Believe it and live. And second, this is very important. Don't be discouraged by the constant tug of war. Rather be encouraged by that. You know why I say that? Because if you don't struggle against the flesh, you're most likely dead. Lost people don't struggle with the flesh.

They don't struggle with sin. No, they live in it. They swim in it. They just give in to the flesh. So if you struggle with the flesh, take heart. The very struggle itself can offer great assurance to a believer. So hang in there. Folks, as believers, we're in a great tug of war fighting the flesh. But the captain of the host, the Lord Jesus Christ, has given us the means to win the fight, crucify the flesh, walk in the spirit, and focus like a laser on the cross of Christ and what He accomplished there. Let's pray. Lord, help us. Help us to crucify our flesh. Help us to walk according to the spirit.

Lord, and I pray that You would keep the cross ever before us that we might focus on it. I'm reminded of Isaiah who said, "You will keep Him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You." May our minds be stayed on the cross, and You promise to keep us in perfect peace. But Lord, we can't do that. That's not a work of the flesh. It's a work of the spirit. So may we yield, Lord. May we yield to Your spirit and celebrate Your grace and mercy. In Jesus' name, amen.