Transcript Stay Connected to the Source: Galatians 5:13-26

Stay Connected to the Source:
Galatians 5:13-26
Peter Fitch, St. Croix Vineyard
Sunday, May 5, 2013
Galatians 5:13-26
13 For you were called to freedom, brethren;
only do not turn your freedom into an
opportunity for the flesh, but through love
serve one another. 14 For the whole Law is
fulfilled in one word, in the statement, “You
shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 15 But if
you bite and devour one another, take care
that you are not consumed by one another.
Galatians 5:13-26
16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will
not carry out the desire of the flesh. 17 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 may
not do the things that you please. 18 But if
you are led by the Spirit, you are not under
the Law. 19 Now the deeds of the flesh are
evident, which are: immorality, impurity,
sensuality,
Galatians 5:13-26
20 idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy,
outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions,
factions, 21 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. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit
is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,
goodness, faithfulness,
Galatians 5:13-26
23 gentleness, self-control; against such things
there is no law. 24 Now those who belong to
Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its
passions and desires. 25 If we live by the
Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. 26 Let us
not become boastful, challenging one another,
envying one another.
Last time . . .
5:5 For we through the Spirit, by faith, are
waiting for the hope of righteousness. 6 For in
Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor
uncircumcision means anything, but faith
working through love.
• Waiting for the hope of righteousness
• Faith working through love
What’s in Paul’s head?
• People have accused him of bringing an ‘easy’
gospel because he has taken the focus off the
Jewish laws and placed it on belief in Christ
• He did this because he is committed to the
idea that faith is superior to law in helping
someone come to God and grow in
relationship with God
• But he really did it because he is a
pastor/missionary to non-Jewish people and
he doesn’t want them to be excluded from full
participation in church
• So he gives a new picture of what maturity
looks like—something that flows from inside
of you if you surrender your life to God
He describes it with words like . . .
• ‘walking by the Spirit’
• Or, ‘being led by the Spirit’
• Or, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,
goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, selfcontrol
Fruit of the Spirit
Unfortunately, at times . . .
Older understanding
• All about individual growth
• About overcoming our bad habits and
becoming good Christians
Now, I think it’s more about . . .
• ‘can’t we all just get along’
• Remember the issue that has motivated Paul
to write everything in this letter
• He has been a pastor in a community where
Jews and Gentiles grew together
• Now, in one of the churches he has worked
hard to plant, there is confusion about
whether or not this is ok
His real concern
• This kind of fruit is necessary to build
community—that’s what he wants to see
• So, in this way it’s like many other passages:
– Philippians 2 (nature of Jesus)
– 1 Corinthians 13 (love)
– Revelation 2 (lost first love)
Exclusion
• From avoidance to genocide
• Fought against by Jesus and Paul and also by
Francis
Francis and the leper
Governed by Disgust
Disgust
• Sweet tooth
• Learned but universal
• 3 major kinds:
– Core disgust
– Sociomoral
– Animal reminder
What we’re up to
• Trying to create a garden where everyone gets
along
• All the necessary qualities grow naturally if we
remain well-connected to the Source of life
• If we stop to judge others we ourselves are
disconnected
• We get ‘bigger as we go’ (Bruce Cockburn)
• Greater and greater fields of ultimate concern
• We live more in an I-Thou way in all of life
• So, everything we do is meant to build the
right atmosphere for growth:
– Sense of belonging
– Anchor for soul along with guidance
– Space for questions and doubts
– Opportunities for contemplation and mystical
experiences
It is enough
Service flows from this
– Practical acts of love
– Compassion
– Mission
– Involvement in town
– Caring for family and neighbours