GALATIANS 5:13-26

It was in the El Toro Tunnel in Leon, Spain. The date was January 3, 1944. The event was one of the worst train disasters in history. The train was a long passenger train and had an engine on each end of the string of cars. On this particular day, as the train was passing through the long tunnel, the front engine stalled. The train came to a stop and the rear engineer started up his engine to back the train out of the tunnel. At the same time, the front engineer managed to get the engine restarted and attempted to continue the journey. There was no communication between the engines, so neither engineer was aware of what the other was doing. The train didn't move so each thought they needed to apply more power. For several minutes each engineer "poured on the coal" and the train shuddered between the two opposing forces. How like the conflict Paul mentions in the text. How like life in general. How like our own experience in contending with the various pushes and pulls that would move and sway us. Often in life we feel like we are caught in a tug-o-war between opposing forces, values, influences and desires. We are like that train in the tunnel.

1. DAILY WE EXPERIENCE THE OPPOSING PULLS OF THE FLESH AND THE SPIRIT: 17:
1. The flesh here is not the material, physical substance of which our bodies are composed. The flesh has reference to unregenerate human nature with its frailties, passions and carnal mindedness. It is characterized inVV19-21. On the other hand, the Spirit's work is seen in VV22, 23. These are in tension one against the other.
2. In Romans 7, Paul describes his own experience in the flesh / spirit struggle. He reports, "For that which I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate." Romans 7:15. He says, "I'm confused! I find myself doing wrong when I want to do right but not practicing the right I really want to do."
3. We, too, experience that. We know the opposing influences
1. Of the secular against the sacred.
2. Of the profane against the reverent.
3. Of the lewd against the pure.
4. Of the selfish against the generous.
5. Of the lethargic against the industrious.
6. Of the mean against the compassionate.
7. Of what we know is wrong against what we know is right.
8. Of hate against love.
9. Of fear, panic and distress against trusting and resting in God.
4. In our lives, there are different "engines" pulling us in opposite directions:
1. Pulling us toward the fleshly, the self-indulgent and the sensual are three forces:
1. The world: Antichrist society, culture, and values.
2. The Devil: the deceiver and enemy of our souls.
3. The flesh: human nature unchanged by the Spirit of God.
2. Pulling us toward Godliness and Holiness are three forces:
1. The Church of Christ, a fellowship, a body of believers, encouraging, nurturing and admonishing one another.
2. The Word of God, which, hidden in our hearts and obeyed in life will keep us from sin.
3. The Spirit of God, Who, working in us helps us to will and to work for God's good pleasure.

2. WE MAY SPEND OUR ENERGIES TRYING TO GO BOTH WAYS IN THE WORLD: 16:
1. Some try to walk by the Spirit as well as by the flesh. They try to be religious part of the time and people of the world part of the time. They fit into the congregation one way and into the student body, or the office, or the home, or the neighborhood in another way. They try to be saint and sinner. They try to live a little for the Lord and a lot as they blessed well please.
2. But Paul points out that these directions are mutually exclusive. And this discord of direction or loyalty is dealt with in the Scriptures.
1. Joshua said, "Now, therefore, fear the Lord and serve Him in sincerity and truth; and put away the gods which your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. And if it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." Joshua 24:14, 15. He called for a choice: The Lord or the pagan gods.
2. Elijah challenged the Israelites, "How long will you hesitate between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him." 1 Kings 18:21. Elijah wanted no more limping between loyalties.
3. Jesus cautioned us against such a practice saying, "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will hold to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon." Matthew 6:24. Jesus calls for a choice of masters.
3. The problems with trying to have it both ways, with trying to serve two authorities, to follow opposing engines are evident:
1. In trying to please everybody, we really end up pleasing no one.
2. In trying to live in two worlds, we fragment our lives with stress, guilt and futility.
3. In trying to pursue opposite courses, we spend useless time, resources and energy spinning our wheels and getting nowhere in life.
4. An old preacher was preaching around a camp fire about the need to walk the straight and narrow way. Just then a dog strolled through. He quickly pointed to the dog and asked, "That dog; how many legs does he have?" Someone said, "Why, four of course!" The preacher continued, "How many paths can that dog walk at once?" Someone piped up, "Why, obviously just one path!" The preacher applied it: "Yes, that dog with four legs can walk on only one path, but man with only two legs often tries to walk on the path of the world and the path of God at the same time, and I tell you plain, that's impossible!"

3. THE STRUGGLE ENDS IN DEATH IF NOT RESOLVED: 19-21:
1. The simple fact is that if we succumb to the flesh, we miss the kingdom. Missing the kingdom cuts us off from Jesus Christ. Being cut off from Jesus Christ means no eternal life. No eternal life means an eternal death sentence.
2. It is not God's desire that we die. It is His desire that we live! Listen to His appeal:
1. Deuteronomy 30:19, 20 "I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants, by loving the Lord your God, by obeying His voice, and by holding fast to Him; for this is your life and the length of your days, that you may live in the land which the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them." 
2. Ezekiel 18:23 "Do I have any pleasure in the death of the wicked, declares the Lord God, rather than that he should turn from his ways and live?"
3. John 3:14, 15 "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; that whoever believes may in Him have eternal life." 
4. John 6:40 "For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him, may have eternal life; and I Myself will raise him up on the last day." 
5. 2 Peter 3:9 "The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance." 
3. It is clearly God's will that we have life abundant and eternal. But to the one who still panders to the flesh while making a play at following the Lord, who still tries to have it both ways, who does not forsake and repudiate sin, Jesus says,
1. Luke 13:3 "I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish." 
2. John 8:24 "I said therefore to you, that you shall die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am He, you shall die in your sins."
4. I don't say this to be negative or harsh. I say it as one struggler to another. I speak as one who goes through the same temptations as you do. I speak as one who stumbles and falls badly. I, with you, am still subject to the urgings and prompting and failings of the flesh.

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