Part CXX on Galatians Study

Galatians 5:20
"Idolatry, witchcraft, (that's associated again with the powers of Satan, and it's a form of worship, a form of false religion the different gospel) hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies."
Israel, who we just saw in Jeremiah chapter 44, was trying to elevate the worship of this female goddess. What was it? That was heresy and apostasy, it was idolatry and fornication spiritually. That was absolutely false, and yet they were falling for it. They were so blinded that they thought that it was because they weren't doing enough to please this female goddess, was the reason they were having problems. It never entered their mind that it was God who was displeased with them, because they were so steeped in idolatry.

And of course we in America are getting to that place fast. We thank God for a few men in high places that still call upon God, but for the most part when dilemmas come upon our nation, for most of the general population it never enters their mind that maybe God's got something to do with that particular dilemma, and maybe God's trying to get our attention, but that doesn't even enter their minds. Even the standing President took a silent clocked trip to Haiti to a witchdoctor to conjure up a win in the next elections, wonder if that's how he won the last. Then too there's one or two of his chiefs of staff that have invoked the curses of Israel upon this nation. and these are found in the harbingers (9 in number which are warning of judgment) of Isaiah chapter 9 verse 10.These things happen because  God is so far removed from the thinking of the majority anymore that it doesn't bother them. Now let's move on into verse 21.


Galatians 5:21a
"Envying, murders,..."
See this is all tied together. Just as soon as we have sexual immorality, what does it trigger? Jealousy, envying, murders and so forth. My lands how many "love triangles" have ended up in a murder or one or more. It all comes together.


Galatians 5:21b
"...drunkenness,..."
Now we don't like to quote statistics because we never know how accurate other people are. We have read already that we would probably be shocked at the percentage of our prison inmates because of alcoholism. It's alcohol that got them in trouble in the first place. Of course now we have the drug culture that feeds in as well. We remember a long time ago we were visiting with a group of young medical interns (as our aunt was in nursing student back then), and at that time interns just barely had enough money to buy their toothpaste, and they were getting along on something like $25.00 a month. We'll never forget one of those interns made this statement. "Fellows let's face it, there's really only one place to make a lot of money, and that would be anything that would degrade society." We had a teacher back in political science class that had said much the same thing so this just sort of stuck. And we've never forgotten that statement. Now we know how true it is. Anything that degrades society will create wealth for those people, it's just one of the facts of life. And that is what Paul is bringing out here. These people thrive on these iniquitous activities. 


Galatians 5:21a
"Envying, murders, drunkenness, revellings,...""
Now what does revelings imply? What do they think they're having? A good time. Oh they think they're having a good time and for the moment maybe they are. But oh listen what does it invariably lead to? Just the opposite. It leads to misery, broken homes, broken health, and just about anything else bad we can think of, and yet they continue on in this life style of the old Adam nature which remember, we've said over and over, it's the playground of old Satan himself. Natural mans intelligence and wisdom. Now Paul says-


Galatians 5:21b
"...revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God."
That's plan enough every one should take hold of what Paul is here saying. But do they? No, because most don't get this far or even read his epistles any longer. They might pick their conscientiousness. Now let's go back again to the Book of Romans chapter 1, because Galatians and Romans fit hand and glove anyway so it's only natural that we keep going back to Romans. Here Paul, for the first time in the Biblical order of his letters, begins to lay out the picture of this Adam-Satan nature.


Romans 1:28-29
"And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, (they have no concept of the things of God. They have no concept of eternity. They're just living for the here and now So) God gave them over to a reprobate mind, (God says `If that's the way you want to live, then have at it.") to do those things which are not convenient; (not normal, or natural. Now look at the picture and it fits right with Galatians chapter 5.) Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whispers,"
This isn't pretty is it? We'd rather skip verses like this, but listen, this exposes the true sin nature of man. Now granted the vast majority of people are able to keep these things under control, but when they lose control what happens? Any of these can happen, and our newspapers and television news programs are full of it. Now verse 30.

Romans 1:30a
"Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things,..."
Now that reminds us of something. Keep your place here but come all the way back to Genesis chapter 6, and as we read this for goodness sake remember what the Lord Jesus Himself said about the days of Noah. "For as it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be at the coming of the Son of man." And again all we have to do is look around us, read our paper, listen to our news, and it's obvious. Now Genesis 6:5, now the setting here is just before the flood by about 500 years or so.