Taking A Closer Look…

Morning!

Raises his cup of coffee

Galatians 5: 19-25

“Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.  But the fruit of The Spirit is love, joy, peace, long suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.  Against such there is no law.  And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.  If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.”

It is always good when we have a clear measure of things in Scripture.  A Just weight to weigh things by.  Today we’re taking a look at the works of the flesh and the fruit of The Spirit.  It can be a temptation to gloss over this passage as we have heard it many times and often times when we are reading through it we can gloss over words in both lists, thinking we get the gist of what is being said, without taking the time to think on each and pray on each to see if they are fruits that are evident in us.

How else are we to take stock of our abiding than by measuring our abiding by Scripture?  How else are we going to understand Scripture that has been translated to our language if we don’t know the true definition of the words that are being used?

Our text tells us that the works of the flesh are evident.

Evident: (adjective)

- Clear to the vision or understanding.

This means that Scripture is telling us the works of the flesh will be easy for us to spot, easy for us to recognize and easy for us to understand.  So let’s go through and think on them for a bit this morning.

Adultery: (noun)

- voluntary sexual intercourse between a married person and someone other than that person’s current spouse or partner.

Matthew 5: 27-29

“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’  But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”

Fornication: (noun)

- Consensual sexual intercourse between two persons not married to each other.

Unclean[ness]: (adjective)

- Dirty, filthy.

- Morally or spiritually impure.

- Infected with a harmful supernatural contagion.

- Lacking in clarity and precision of conception or execution.

Lewdness: (adjective)

- Obscene, vulgar; sexually unchaste or licentious.

- Evil, wicked

Idolatry: (noun)

- The worship of a physical object as a god.

- Immoderate attachment or devotion to something.

Sorcery: (noun)

- The use of power gained from the assistance or control of evil spirits especially for divining: Necromancy; Magic.

Hatred: (noun)

- Extreme dislike or disgust: hate

- Ill will or resentment that is usually mutual: prejudiced hostility or animosity.

Contentions: (noun)

- Rivalry, competition.

Jealousies: (noun)

- A jealous disposition, attitude, or feeling.

- Zealous vigilance.

Jealous: (adjective)

- Hostile toward a rival or one believed to enjoy an advantage: Envious.

- Intolerant of rivalry or unfaithfulness; disposed to suspect rivalry or unfaithfulness.

- Vigilant in guarding a possession.

Outbursts of wrath: (noun)

- Strong vengeful anger or indignation.

- Retributory punishment for an offense or a crime: divine chastisement.

Selfish ambition: (noun)

- An ardent desire for rank, fame, or power; desire to achieve a particular end.

Dissension: (noun)

- Disagreement

Heresy: (noun)

- Adherence to a religious opinion contrary to church dogma.

- Dissent or deviation from a dominant theory, opinion, or practice; an opinion, doctrine, or practice contrary to the truth or to generally accepted beliefs or standards.

Envy: (noun)

- Painful or resentful awareness of an advantage enjoyed by another joined with a desire to possess the same advantage.

- Malice.

- An object of envious notice or feeling.

Murder: (noun)

- The crime of unlawfully and unjustifiably killing a person.

Matthew 5: 21-22

“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder,’ and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.  But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment.  And whoever says to his brother ‘Raca!’ Shall be in danger of the council.  But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ Shall be in danger of hell fire.”

Drunkenness: (adjective)

- Drunk with alcohol.

Revelries: (noun)

- Noisy partying or merrymaking.

Those who do these things will not inherit the Kingdom of God.

Now the fruits of the Spirit.

Love: (noun)

- Strong affection for another arising out of kinship or personal ties.

- There are many others, let’s just say Agape love to be specific here.

Joy: (noun)

- The emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune or by the prospect of possession what one desires: Delight; the expression or exhibition of such emotion: Gaiety.

- A state of happiness or felicity: Bliss.

- A source or cause of delight.

Peace: (noun)

- A state of tranquility or quiet.

- Freedom from disquieting or oppressive thoughts or emotions.

- Harmony in personal relations.

Longsuffering: (Adjective)

- Patiently enduring lasting offense or hardship.

Kindness: (noun)

- The quality or state of being kind.

— Kind: Of a sympathetic or helpful nature; of a forbearing nature: Gentle; arising from or characterized by sympathy or forbearance.

Goodness:

- Of a favorable character or tendency; Agreeable; pleasant; wholesome; There are many others.

Faithful[ness]: (adjective)

- Steadfast in affection or allegiance: Loyal.

- Firm in adherence to promises or in observance of duty: Conscientious.

- Given with strong assurance: Binding.

- True to the facts, to a standard, or to an original

- Full of faith.

Gentle[ness]: (adjective)

- Free from harshness, sternness, or violence.

- Soft, delicate.

- Moderate.

Self-control: (noun)

- Restraint exercised over one’s own impulses, emotions, or desires.

For these there is no law against them.

Galatians 5: 24-25

“And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.  If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.”

I think that’s good to start.

Happy waiting!

:)