In "Freedom, Love, and Power,"Duke will examine Galatians 5:16-26. Remember that some of

the Galatians have accused him of being a false apostle and preaching a false gospel which resulted in false righteousness. In this passage, Paul is developing the idea that true righteousness comes from the Holy Spirit, not from adherence to a set of rules.

Three words are at the crux of this issue: freedom, love, and power. As Americans, we tend to

embrace skewed definitions of these concepts.

We think of freedom as "having it my way and doing my own thing";

love as sexuality, sensuality, and feelings; and

power as "the ability to control others, get what I want, and be the one."

A lady answered the knock on her door to find a man with a sad

expression. "I'm sorry to disturb you," he said, "but I'm collecting money for an

unfortunate family in the neighborhood. The husband is out of work, the kids

are hungry, the utilities will soon be cut off, and worse, they're going to be

kicked out of their apartment if they don't pay the rent by this afternoon."

"I'll be happy to help," said the woman with great concern. "But who are

you?" "I'm the landlord," he replied. Jon H. Allen

The trouble with some self-made men is that they worship their creator. Bits and Pieces, October, 1989, p. 9

God sends no one away empty except those who are full of themselves. D. L. Moody

"My husband and I have managed to be happy together for 20 years. I guess this is because we're both in love with the same man."

As Christians, however, we need to see

freedom as "escaping the bondage of sin and entering into relationship with God and others"; love as "putting the needs of others before my own"; and

power as "the ability to live and love freely."

Verses 16-18

Paul says that there is a war within all of us; the natural man is drawn to pleasing himself while the

spirit man is drawn to pleasing the Father. Only the Holy Spirit can give us the power to rise above our natural desires and live a spiritual life. This does not mean that we will not struggle against sin, but rather, that the Spirit will make victory possible as we rely on Him.

Recently NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC ran an article about the Alaskan

bull moose. The males of the species battle for dominance during

the fall breeding season, literally going head-to-head with

antlers crunching together as they collide. Often the antlers,

their only weapon are broken. That ensures defeat.

The heftiest moose, with the largest and strongest antlers,

triumphs. Therefore, the battle fought in the fall is really won

during the summer, when the moose eat continually. The one that

consumes the best diet for growing antlers and gaining weight will

be the heavyweight in the fight. Those that eat inadequately

sport weaker antlers and less bulk.

There is a lesson here for us. Spiritual battles await.

Satan will choose a season to attack. Will we be victorious, or

will we fall? Much depends on what we do now--before the wars

begin. The bull-moose principle: Enduring faith, strength, and

wisdom for trials are best developed before they're needed.

Verses 19-21

Through the power of the Holy Spirit, we are free to say "no" to

sexual sins (immorality, impurity, and debauchery),

religious sins (idolatry and witchcraft),

relationship sins (hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions, and envy), and

sins involving alcohol (drunkenness and orgies).

Verses 22-26

At the same time that we are empowered to say "no" to the sins of the flesh, we are also

empowered to say "yes" to the fruits of the Spirit. These fruits demonstrate the character and nature of God, and they include love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

The power to live in love and freedom is by the Spirit. No man can live this way based solely on will power.