WEBVTT 00:00:02.879 --> 00:00:04.160 Good evening. 00:00:04.719 --> 00:00:08.560 It's great to see everyone out here tonight, both members and visitors alike. 00:00:08.800 --> 00:00:12.400 And this evening I want to talk about a passage that I've been thinking about recently. 00:00:12.720 --> 00:00:14.240 Brother Nate has already read this for us. 00:00:14.400 --> 00:00:15.279 Thank you, Nate. 00:00:15.439 --> 00:00:17.199 And that will be Galatians 5. 00:00:17.280 --> 00:00:19.120 Let's turn to Galatians 5. 00:00:22.239 --> 00:00:29.440 Starting in verse 16, it says, But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 00:00:29.679 --> 00:00:40.640 For the desires of the flesh are against the weak, or are against the spirit, and the desires of the spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other to keep you from doing the things you want to do. 00:00:40.960 --> 00:00:44.240 But if you are led by the spirit, you are not under the law. 00:00:44.479 --> 00:00:46.079 Let's stop there for a second. 00:00:46.399 --> 00:00:52.719 So this text shows that there are two paths that we can follow in this life, the spiritual path and the worldly path. 00:00:53.039 --> 00:00:56.159 It describes how these two paths conflict with each other. 00:00:56.320 --> 00:01:05.920 The desires of the flesh, these worldly temptations, are against what God has commanded us to do, and the desires of the spirit are against what the world wants us to do. 00:01:06.719 --> 00:01:11.040 The more that we follow one of these paths, the further we stray from the other path. 00:01:11.280 --> 00:01:14.079 We cannot walk both paths at the same time. 00:01:14.319 --> 00:01:17.200 Matthew seven goes into more detail about this. 00:01:17.599 --> 00:01:20.400 Matthew seven, starting in verse thirteen. 00:01:21.439 --> 00:01:35.359 It says, Enter by the narrow gate, for the gate is wide, and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many, for the gate is narrow, and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few. 00:01:35.920 --> 00:01:38.560 This passage also describes two gates. 00:01:38.799 --> 00:01:40.879 One has a wide and easy path. 00:01:41.040 --> 00:01:43.120 It's a path of carefree living. 00:01:43.359 --> 00:01:47.599 Many people walk this gate, but it ultimately leads to destruction. 00:01:47.920 --> 00:01:49.680 This is the worldly path. 00:01:49.840 --> 00:01:54.799 It may be fun for our earthly bodies, but it leads to death. 00:01:55.840 --> 00:01:59.760 This is the path that Satan wants us to watch, to follow. 00:02:00.000 --> 00:02:05.120 The other gate is narrow and difficult, but it leads to life and to heaven. 00:02:05.439 --> 00:02:07.280 Few people walk this gate. 00:02:07.519 --> 00:02:09.280 This is the spiritual path. 00:02:09.520 --> 00:02:15.520 The spiritual path is hard and requires sacrifice and self-control, but it results in life. 00:02:15.759 --> 00:02:19.599 This brings us to our first point, walking the spiritual path. 00:02:19.919 --> 00:02:23.360 Unfortunately for us, following the spiritual path is not easy. 00:02:23.680 --> 00:02:26.240 This life is full of pitfalls and temptations. 00:02:26.400 --> 00:02:30.080 There is not one person on this earth who does not face temptations. 00:02:30.319 --> 00:02:33.280 In some form or way we have all had to deal with this. 00:02:33.439 --> 00:02:37.280 Even Jesus himself, who lived a perfect life, was tempted. 00:02:37.520 --> 00:02:40.719 He was tempted with all of the earthly desires that we have now. 00:02:40.960 --> 00:02:42.800 Let's now read how Jesus dealt with this. 00:02:42.960 --> 00:02:44.560 Let's turn to Matthew 4. 00:02:49.599 --> 00:02:52.479 Matthew 4, starting in verse 1. 00:02:54.400 --> 00:03:00.240 It says, Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 00:03:00.479 --> 00:03:04.400 And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 00:03:04.639 --> 00:03:10.400 And the tempter came and said to him, If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread. 00:03:10.639 --> 00:03:18.240 But he answered, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God. 00:03:18.479 --> 00:03:19.680 Let's stop there. 00:03:20.000 --> 00:03:25.680 So in this passage we see Jesus being led into the wilderness to be tempted by Satan himself. 00:03:25.919 --> 00:03:31.199 After not eating for forty days and forty nights, Jesus was hungry, as I'm sure we all would be. 00:03:31.439 --> 00:03:38.639 The devil comes to Jesus and says that if he really is the Son of God, that he should command the stone to become bread for him to eat. 00:03:38.960 --> 00:03:44.960 Jesus responds by saying that man should not live by bread alone, but from every word that comes from the mouth of God. 00:03:45.199 --> 00:04:03.919 Reading on verse five, then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to him, If you are the son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, He will command his angels concerning you, and on their hands they will bear you up, lest you trust strike your foot against a stone. 00:04:04.319 --> 00:04:08.639 Jesus said to him, Again it is written, You shall not put the Lord your God to the test. 00:04:09.599 --> 00:04:22.000 Next, Satan leads Jesus to the pinnacle of the temple, super high place, and he says to throw himself off, for you know the angels concerning you will it will help you lest you strike your foot against a stone. 00:04:22.240 --> 00:04:28.319 But Jesus again resists the temptation and says, Again it is written, You shall not put the Lord your God to the test. 00:04:29.360 --> 00:04:36.879 Finishing off in verse eight, it says, Again the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 00:04:37.040 --> 00:04:41.279 And he said to him, All these I will give you if you will fall down and worship me. 00:04:41.680 --> 00:04:48.639 Then Jesus said to him, Be gone, Satan, for it is written, You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve. 00:04:48.879 --> 00:04:52.800 And the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him. 00:04:53.439 --> 00:05:03.199 In this final part of this text, Satan leads Jesus to a high mountain and shows him all the kingdoms of the earth, and he says that he will give these to Jesus if Jesus will only fall down and worship him. 00:05:03.600 --> 00:05:11.279 Jesus, of course, resists this and says, Be gone, Satan, you shall not you shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve. 00:05:11.519 --> 00:05:18.079 In these verses we see Jesus choosing the spiritual path by resisting the temptations from the devil himself. 00:05:18.399 --> 00:05:22.720 Jesus has faith and courage in the Lord, and trusts in him, not the world. 00:05:22.879 --> 00:05:25.120 We need to strive to live like Jesus. 00:05:25.600 --> 00:05:26.800 Brings us to our second point. 00:05:26.959 --> 00:05:28.959 We must not walk the worldly path. 00:05:29.120 --> 00:05:31.439 Let's turn back to Galatians for a second. 00:05:31.600 --> 00:05:33.439 Back to Galatians five. 00:05:35.920 --> 00:05:55.839 Continuing on in verse nineteen, Paul writes, Now the works of the flesh are evident sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, bits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. 00:05:56.079 --> 00:06:01.680 I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 00:06:01.920 --> 00:06:03.040 Let's pause there. 00:06:03.279 --> 00:06:08.000 So in these verses, Paul clearly lays out what will happen if we walk by the world. 00:06:08.240 --> 00:06:14.000 He lists all sorts of fleshly works that will happen to us if we choose to follow this worldly path. 00:06:14.319 --> 00:06:25.600 He ends that section with the warning of what will happen to us, saying that the people who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God, as the worldly path ultimately ends in destruction, as we have already read. 00:06:26.319 --> 00:06:33.279 He quite clearly states that walking by the world is a terrible lifestyle choice and will not involve for those who choose it. 00:06:33.519 --> 00:06:36.720 Paul implores us to not follow how the world is living. 00:06:36.879 --> 00:06:38.959 We must live differently from the world. 00:06:39.279 --> 00:06:40.959 This brings us to our third point. 00:06:41.120 --> 00:06:43.519 We must choose which path we will walk. 00:06:43.759 --> 00:06:47.439 As we begin to close this evening, let us look at the last part of this text. 00:06:47.680 --> 00:06:50.639 Paul ends this section with an uplifting message. 00:06:50.959 --> 00:06:53.600 Back to Galatian 5, verse 22. 00:06:54.079 --> 00:07:02.639 He says, But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. 00:07:03.040 --> 00:07:10.399 Against such things there is no law, and those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 00:07:10.639 --> 00:07:14.160 If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. 00:07:14.399 --> 00:07:18.240 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another or envying one another. 00:07:18.480 --> 00:07:22.959 In the last few verses of this text, Paul ends it by describing this spiritual path. 00:07:23.199 --> 00:07:26.800 He lists the attributes of the Spirit that we should strive to live by. 00:07:27.120 --> 00:07:31.360 He shows a perfect example of how we should be living our lives. 00:07:31.600 --> 00:07:38.959 He describes those who have chosen the spiritual path, those who have put off the world and its temptations and have fully accepted Christ. 00:07:39.199 --> 00:07:42.879 Deciding which of these paths to walk is a conscious decision. 00:07:43.199 --> 00:07:46.079 We cannot simply walk through life with no purpose. 00:07:46.319 --> 00:07:49.519 And we also can't go back and forth between these two paths. 00:07:49.759 --> 00:07:51.759 Our choice cannot be passive. 00:07:52.000 --> 00:07:54.639 We must choose to walk in the spiritual path. 00:07:54.800 --> 00:07:57.040 We must choose to walk with Christ. 00:07:57.279 --> 00:08:00.240 We must trust in the Lord and believe in His way. 00:08:00.560 --> 00:08:03.439 Our last passage for tonight will be Matthew 11. 00:08:05.439 --> 00:08:07.360 Matthew 11, verse 28. 00:08:10.720 --> 00:08:16.000 It says, Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 00:08:16.319 --> 00:08:23.839 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 00:08:24.079 --> 00:08:27.360 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. 00:08:27.600 --> 00:08:33.200 If you need help tonight, choosing the spiritual path and living the life that God has commanded you to, we can help you with that. 00:08:33.360 --> 00:08:36.000 If you will come forward now as we stand, as we sing.