We want to walk worthy. We want to stand fast in the liberty Christ has given us. We want to live fruitful lives.
This requires us to understand both the fruit of the Spirit (coming next week) and the works of the flesh (our focus today).
Here are three reasons why no believer can ignore the works of the flesh...

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By the time 1964 rolled around, a young boxer named Cassius Clay was doing a pretty alright job with his boxing career. He hadn’t lost a fight, but still, no one thought too much of him... that is until he won the right fight. (This was against  Sonny Liston.)
In our study of Galatians so far, we may have been thinking that the right fight was against the Judaizers - but the fight the Galatians really needed to win was much closer to home... it was the fight against their flesh.
What does this mean for us today? How can we ensure we fight this fight and enjoy the victory? Let's find out...

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Many people I know like to receive a gift voucher for a birthday present. The reason people like them is this: they get to receive the gift (like any other gift), but then they get to choose how they spend it.
The gift is free; how we spend it is a choice.
Today, we’ll see the apostle Paul teach that our freedom in Christ is much the same:

• It is a gift that is free (no one earns freedom from sin and death, we just receive it when we accept Christ).
• But, we do have a choice in how we spend it.

And, based on the nature of the gift - i.e. it being so much more valuable and precious than some money to spend in a shop - should we not be very careful to spend it very wisely?

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Troublesome teachers.
All they do is cause trouble.
We want to stand fast in our Christian liberty; they are the people who - given the chance -  will take it from us.
What do we need to know about them? And how will that help protect us?
Let's find out...

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Sometimes success in a battle means staying where you are. Not advancing forward, not taking an enemy city, just holding onto the position that you already have.
This illustrates a spiritual truth from the beginning of chapter 5. Here, the Apostle Paul is going to tell us why it is so important to stand fast in the liberty that Christ has given us.
Let's jump in...

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There are some great combinations out there: tea & biscuits, lamb & mint sauce,  salt & caramel (what genius thought of that?).
But there are also some combinations that don’t go well together. In this Tale of Two Children, we see that Issac and Ishmael were too different to ever go well together. They were never going to be compatible. They could never 'play nice'.
The Apostle Paul uses this as an allegory to teach the Galatians something... what exactly? And what has it got to do with us? Let's jump in...

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In his famous novel 'A Tale of Two Cities', Charles Dickens writes a story about a man who lives in two very different places. One city is Paris, where he is imprisoned; the other is London, where he is free.
In today’s passage, the apostle Paul gives us a tale of two Jerusalem's that are also very different...
Understanding which city is our home city is key to our identity in Christ. This will give us the right perspective on how to live 'down here' until we get to go back home 'up there'.
Let's take a look...

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Growing up, I’d hear the phrase ‘the Queen has two birthdays’. And I’d think, ‘man, if anyone doesn’t need two birthdays its got to be her. She already lives in a place, sits on chairs made of gold & wears a crown... and now she gets two birthdays?’ But it turns out, in reality of course, she didn’t have two birthdays - she just celebrated one birthday twice.
What we’re reading about today is much more special: how one person can actually have two birthdays.
What does this mean? And why should we care?
Let’s take a look…

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The biggest positive influence on a child’s development and education is the home set-up, specifically the parents. There are many other factors involved, and there are of course exceptions to the rule, but generally speaking, if a child has a stable & supportive parental situation at home, they are much more likely to do well in school.
A good teacher can be very helpful, but they cannot replicate or replace the impact that a good parent has.
This lesson applies spiritually too. How? What has it got to do with Galatians chapter 4? And what has it got to do with us? Let's find out...

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In Psalm 1 we see two types of people: one who is becoming increasing worldly; one who is becoming increasingly godly.
This illustrates the spiritual truth that we are always changing - either growing more like Christ, or less like him.
In Galatians 4:12-16, we see the Galatians are turning away from Paul, which means they are turning away from the truth and therefore turning away from Christ.
We don’t want to turn that way.
Let's find out how we can make sure we don't...

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