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Last week we talked about how being born again into life requires dying first; crucifying the old man whose behavior leads us into death. We also figured out how we crucify the old man \u00e2\u20ac\u201c we kill his deeds, the behavior that leads us to death instead of life.<\/p>\n
Remember the old joke: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153A man goes to the doctor and says, \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcDoc, It hurts when I do this.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 The doctor says, \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcThen don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t do that.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/em><\/p>\n Dumb joke. Simple point.<\/p>\n There are acts that lead to death. If you don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t want to die \u00e2\u20ac\u201c don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t do them. What are those acts? Paul made a list for the church in Galatia.<\/p>\n \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/em> (Galatians 5:19-21)<\/p>\n That sounds like some pretty bad stuff; you and I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t do any of those things. I mean \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcwitchcraft\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/em> and \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcorgies\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/em>? C\u00e2\u20ac\u2122mon, these are bad folks we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re talking about; not us. And \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcdebauchery\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/em>? Who even knows what that means? If the list sounds a little irrelevant; if you think you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re safe, if you think it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a list of stuff other people<\/em> do, let me break it down \u00e2\u20ac\u201c just so we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re sure that it has nothing to do with us.<\/p>\n Sexual immorality<\/strong> \u00e2\u20ac\u201c the Greek word Paul used here was \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcporneia\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/em>. <\/span>Porneia<\/em> covers the gamut of sexual sin \u00e2\u20ac\u201c sex with someone you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re not married to, homosexuality, lesbianism, bestiality and incest. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the word we get \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcpornography\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/em> from. Remember what Jesus said? \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Anyone who looks<\/span> at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/em> Galatia didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have Internet access or cable TV when Paul wrote his letter. Today we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re more technologically sophisticated and discreet with our sexual sin \u00e2\u20ac\u00a6.<\/p>\n Impurity<\/strong> \u00e2\u20ac\u201c \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcakatharsia\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/em> in Greek. Literally, it means \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcuncleanness\u00e2\u20ac\u2122.<\/em> Not just lustful thoughts, but impure motives. Akatharsia<\/em> also refers to a luxurious or profligate (recklessly extravagant) lifestyle. Remember the TV show \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/em>? While we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcoohing\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/em> and \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcaahing\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/em> as Donald Trump sips champagne from a glass slipper, death creeps in and strangles us. According to God, that kind of life isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcextravagant\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/em>; it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcunclean\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/em>.<\/p>\n Debauchery<\/strong> \u00e2\u20ac\u201c \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcaselgeia\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/em> in Greek. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s also translated \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcsensuality\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/em>. The word refers to a life without restraint \u00e2\u20ac\u201c \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcanything I want, anytime I want it.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/em> Sounds like Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous<\/em> again, doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t it? The word Aselgeia<\/em> is built from the negative particle \u00e2\u20ac\u02dca\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/em> and a presumed root \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcselges\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/em> meaning \u00e2\u20ac\u02dccontinent\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/em>. So \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcaselgeia\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/em> can be translated literally \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcincontinent.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/em> Not a pretty picture, but spiritually accurate (I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll leave you to figure that one out).<\/p>\n Idolatry<\/strong> \u00e2\u20ac\u201c \u00e2\u20ac\u02dceidololatreia\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/em> in Greek. That means worshipping false gods. There were a lot of false gods worshipped during Bible days. Thank goodness we don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have much of that anymore! But one false god from the old days did survive; and it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s got more worshippers today than ever. And the idols to this god are everywhere. These days it seems like the only real competition to the One True God. Jesus warned his followers about worshipping the idols to this false god. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/em> (Matthew 6:24)<\/span><\/p>\n Witchcraft<\/strong> \u00e2\u20ac\u201c okay, for sure, we don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have to worry about this one. There may be some nuts out there that practice witchcraft, but not us, right? Greek word \u00e2\u20ac\u201c \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcpharmakeia\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/em>. Sound familiar? How about \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcpharmacy\u00e2\u20ac\u2122? Pharmakeia<\/em> (witchcraft) means literally, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153using or administering drugs to achieve a desired \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcmagical\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 result.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/em> I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve looked, but I can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t find anywhere in the Bible that distinguishes illicit from prescription drugs or homegrown from synthetic. If you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re using or administering drugs to achieve a desired \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcmagical\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/em> result, you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re practicing witchcraft. You figure it out.<\/span><\/p>\n Hatred<\/strong> \u00e2\u20ac\u201c here\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a good respectable sin; way more acceptable than witchcraft or sexual sin. Some translations of the Bible use the word \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcenmity\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/em>, which means \u00e2\u20ac\u02dca deep seated dislike or ill will\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/em>; literally \u00e2\u20ac\u201c the state of being an enemy<\/em>. Hatred can take a lot of forms. I can hate the bad guys overseas or on the other side of town. I can hate the kid with the throbbing sub-woofers next to me at the stoplight. I can even hate someone in my own household. Hate doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have to be in your face with guns, knives and fists; it can be secret and as subtle as a spiteful look or an unkind comment.<\/p>\n Discord <\/strong>\u00e2\u20ac\u201c \u00e2\u20ac\u02dceris\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/em> in Greek. It means contention<\/em>, strife<\/em>, arguing<\/em>, quarreling<\/em>. Sounds like a typical family breakfast on a weekday.<\/p>\n Jealousy<\/strong> \u00e2\u20ac\u201c \u00e2\u20ac\u02dczelos\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/em> in Greek. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s where we get the word zeal from. That doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t sound so bad. The Bible says that God is jealous for His people. That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s God, not us. Jealousy in the hands of people turns too easily into bitter envy. Jealousy is the root of disorder and wickedness in the world. There was an angel named Lucifer once. His jealousy nearly destroyed the earth, expelled a third of Heaven\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s angels and did incalculable damage to the family of man.<\/p>\n Fits of rage<\/strong> \u00e2\u20ac\u201c \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcthumos\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/em> in Greek. Its root word \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcthoo\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/em>; in English \u00e2\u20ac\u02dckill\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/em>. Thumos<\/em> is rage that quickly boils up like a pot on a stove, to the point you want to kill someone, then quickly subsides. Ever been cut off by some jerk on the freeway and feel that \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcfit of rage\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/em> boil up? That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s thumos<\/em>.<\/p>\n Selfish ambition<\/strong> \u00e2\u20ac\u201c \u00e2\u20ac\u02dceritheia\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/em> in Greek. Strong\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Concordance defines \u00e2\u20ac\u02dceritheia\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/em> as \u00e2\u20ac\u0153a partisan and fractious spirit which does not disdain low arts.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/em> I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m not positive what \u00e2\u20ac\u02dclow arts\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/em> are, but they sound like something politicians use to gain an advantage over their rivals. That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s what selfish ambition is \u00e2\u20ac\u201c politicking. Doing whatever it takes to one-up the next guy. That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s how it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s done in Washington. Too often that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s how it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s done at work at school and even at church \u00e2\u20ac\u201c putting yourself ahead as the expense of others. <\/span><\/p>\n Dissensions<\/strong> \u00e2\u20ac\u201c \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcdichostasia\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/em> in Greek. It means discord<\/em>, division<\/em>, dissension<\/em>. If we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re all one Body, born into one Christ why is there a church on every corner, each featuring its own brand of \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcone Body\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/em>, \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcone Christ\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/em>? I belonged to a church once where the preacher spent more time railing against other churches than he railed against sin. Pitiful.<\/span><\/p>\n Factions<\/strong> \u00e2\u20ac\u201c \u00e2\u20ac\u02dchairesis\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/em> in Greek. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s where we get the word \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcheresy\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/em>. Hairesis<\/em> means literally, \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcthe act of taking\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/em> or \u00e2\u20ac\u02dccapture\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/em>. In the church it means \u00e2\u20ac\u02dccapturing\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/em> your own brand of truth or opinion and building a fort around it. We have a much cleaner word for it today \u00e2\u20ac\u201c denomination.<\/span><\/p>\n Envy<\/strong> \u00e2\u20ac\u201c \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcphthonos\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/em> in Greek. Envy is looking at someone else\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the stuff or position, feeling pain that you don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have it and ill will toward the person who does. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s an absolutely ridiculous practice and is best left to the advertising industry and television reality shows.<\/p>\n Drunkenness<\/strong> \u00e2\u20ac\u201c \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcmethe\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/em> in Greek. This is an easy one; it means \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcdrunkenness\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 or \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcintoxication\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/em>. It also means buzzed, smashed, under the influence, inebriated or tipsy. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not a glass of wine at dinner or a beer with your burger. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s killing the bottle or six pack singlehandedly.<\/em><\/p>\n Orgies<\/strong> \u00e2\u20ac\u201c \u00e2\u20ac\u02dckomos\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/em> is the Greek word. And it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not<\/em> what the word \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcorgy\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/em> has come to mean these days; \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcreveling\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/em> is a better word. \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcPartying\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/em> is and even better word. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not getting together socially with a few friends. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s bar hopping, boot stomping, cow tipping, rolling around in the street at 2:00 AM partying.<\/p>\n At the end of his list Paul ads \u00e2\u20ac\u0153and things like these\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/em> to cover anything he may have forgotten. The Galatian believers didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have a Jewish background and they had led a pretty loose life before coming to faith in Christ. Some Jewish believers came over to \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcstraighten them up\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/em> by telling them that in order to be saved they had to follow the Law of Moses, including circumcision. Paul had the balancing act of teaching them that their salvation was through faith, not through following the law \u00e2\u20ac\u201c they were free from the law of Moses, but their freedom didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t give them license to live their old sinful lifestyle. They were subject to a higher law \u00e2\u20ac\u201c the law of the Spirit.<\/p>\n We\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re not much different than the Galatians. We live in a society where most of the acts of the sinful nature<\/em>, if not totally acceptable, are pretty much tolerated. There\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not much on that list that will land you in jail and none of it would get you the death penalty. In the society we live in, those things just aren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t that big a deal.<\/p>\n But here\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the problem and here\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s why I took the time to list them and explain what they really mean. These acts do<\/span><\/em> carry the death penalty. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God<\/span>.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/em> (Galatians 5:19-21) The reason I took the time to pull each word apart is that \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcthe acts of the sinful nature\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/em> aren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t some irrelevant list of sins only \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcbad\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/em> people do. They\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re sins you and I commit every day. Don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t think so? Look at the list again. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m ashamed of how many times my actions (remember \u00e2\u20ac\u201c we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll be judged by our actions<\/span><\/em>, not our intentions<\/span><\/em>) popped up in that list. You and I aren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t all that different; if I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m on the list, chances are you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re on it somewhere too. If you can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t seem to find yourself anywhere on the list, sit down with God and ask Him what \u00e2\u20ac\u0153and things like these\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/em> means in your life. He wants to conform you into the image of His Son, and if you ask Him, He\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll point out what\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s got to go.<\/p>\n One final word of warning:<\/p>\n Paul wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t writing to the general populace; he was writing to Galatian believers<\/span><\/em>. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God<\/span>.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/em><\/p>\n \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/em> (Galatians 6:7-8).<\/p>\n *****<\/p>\n One more week of Groundhog Day \u00e2\u20ac\u201c but next week is the good news. If you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re tired of strife, tension, worry and defeat, and you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re looking for a life of peace, joy, and love, then I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve got you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re answer. I promise \u00e2\u20ac\u201c next week, nothing but good stuff.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Last week we talked about how being born again into life requires dying first; crucifying the old man whose behavior leads us into death. We also figured out how we crucify the old man \u00e2\u20ac\u201c we kill his deeds, the behavior that leads us to death instead of life. Remember the old joke: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153A man […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[412,634,277,82,186,334],"tags":[766,769,774,775,771,772,764,759,765,770,776,773,768,767],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gotpotential.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/362"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gotpotential.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gotpotential.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gotpotential.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gotpotential.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=362"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/gotpotential.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/362\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":366,"href":"https:\/\/gotpotential.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/362\/revisions\/366"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gotpotential.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=362"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gotpotential.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=362"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gotpotential.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=362"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}