The Works of the Flesh - Part 6 (Murder, Drunkenness, Revellings)

Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these: Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like; of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the Kingdom of God. 

(Galatians 5:19-21)

Review

We wrestle every day against the sinful influences of this world.  They bombard us everyday in every way.  Our sinful flesh or self nature does not have the capacity in and of itself to combat these influences thus our spirit has to fight against the works of the flesh.  The works of the flesh are sinful qualities which contrast the fruit of the Holy Spirit.

For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. 1 John 2:16

The works of the flesh are characteristics of the sinful nature of man caused by iniquity and lust [sinful desire]. They are opposites of the qualities which the Holy Spirit wants to develop in your life.

There is a constant spiritual battle going on in the life of a believer. The works of the flesh are trying to destroy the fruit of the Holy Spirit:

For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. (Galatians 5:17)

The fleshly desires of natural man are contrary to the nature of the Holy Spirit.  

Although the results of these sins are visible in wrong actions, the cause is not visible. The cause is sinful desires [lusts] of the heart:

And He saith unto them, Are ye so without understanding also? Do ye not perceive that whatsoever thing from without entereth into the man, it cannot defile him...

And He said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness; And these evil things come from within, and defile the man.  (Mark 7:18, 20-23)

The sins listed in Galatians 5:19-21 are not all of the sins identified in the Bible. They are a group of sins called "works of the flesh" which contrast the fruit of the Spirit.  Today we are continuing with:

MURDER

To murder is to take the life of another with willful malice and forethought. 

Murder is not the same as self-defense or an accidental killing. Murder is not the same as imposing the death penalty on a person who has killed someone. This was a judgment established by God in Numbers 35. One of the first commandments given by God was "Thou shalt not kill".

Jesus said:

He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, (Matthew 19:18)

You should not be guilty of murder:

But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men's matters. (1 Peter 4:15)

The New Testament expands the meaning of murder to include hatred. If you hate other believers it is like being a murderer:

Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer; and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him. (1 John 3:15)

DRUNKENNESS

Drunkenness is a condition of having mental and physical faculties affected by excessive drinking.  It is intoxication caused by strong chemical drinks. 

The Bible warns that the drunkard will be poor:

For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty: and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags. (Proverbs 23:21)

You are not to live a drunken lifestyle:

Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. (Romans 13:13)

You are not even to keep company with those who are drunkards:

But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one go not to eat.   (1 Corinthians 5:11)

The Bible warns that drunkards will not inherit the Kingdom of God:

Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.  (1 Corinthians 6:9-10)

You may have been a drunkard in times past, but as a believer you are no longer to do this:

That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God. For the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries:  (1 Peter 4:2-3)

The Bible contrasts being drunk with wine and being filled with the Spirit:

 And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit. (Ephesians 5:18)

In the natural world, a drunkard...

            1.         Is consumed with desire for drink.

            2.         Yields control of his emotional, and physical faculties to drink.

            3.         Has his speech affected by the drink.

            4.         Is free from inhibitions; has no fear and often has great strength.

            5.         Is joyful or unduly mean while under the influence of intoxicants.

REVELLINGS

Revelling is to engage and delight in worldly pleasures, participating in worldly, boisterous merry making or festivity. It is riotous and wild living.

You may have been a reveller in times past, but as a believer you are no longer to behave this way:

That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God.  For the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries:  (1 Peter 4:2-3)

THE RESULT  OF INDULGING WORKS OF THE FLESH:

Apostle Paul explains the results of doing the works of the flesh:

. . . of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.  (Galatians 5:21)

God has given a way to avoid this penalty:

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)

WALK IN THE SPIRIT:

How does one stop doing the sinful works of the flesh?

>     Repent of your sin and have faith towards God through accepting Jesus Christ as your personal Savior:

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.  (2 Corinthians 5:17)

God does not take sinful man and give him a self-improvement course. He creates a new creature. The old things pass away. The works of the flesh are to be replaced by the fruit of the Holy Spirit.

>     Be filled with the Holy Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit who will enable you to walk in the ways of the Lord instead of the sinful ways of the flesh:

This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. (Galatians 5:17)

>     Realize you cannot be freed from the works of the flesh and walk in the Spirit through your own effort.

Apostle Paul described the struggle he had in his own effort to live a Godly life:

For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good. Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.  (Romans 7:15-19)

Apostle Paul experienced the difficulty of living a holy life but he continued to pursue this goal despite his failures.

Ask God to put a desire to be holy in your heart. Whenever you fail and sin, confess it immediately and ask the Holy Spirit to help you overcome it. This is how you learn to walk in the Spirit and...

There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit.  For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.  For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.  For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.  For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.  Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.  So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.  But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. (Romans 8:1-9)

The fruit of Christ-like qualities only develop as you walk in the power of the Holy Spirit. This is why it is so vitally important for believers to understand the ministry of the Holy Spirit.

 (Biblical Studies)

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