Walk by the Spirit

2024 Spring Branch

Galatians 5:1;13-24

Live and Walk by the Spirit

Recap:

The Spirit of God brings Life, NOT the Law. We were under the Law, enslaved to sin… The Law points to the reality of our sin and to our need for a Savior. The Law didn’t save us. Our performance cannot save us. Law says, “I must do something for God.” Grace says, “God has done something for me.”

The Law cannot and will not redeem us… But Christ can and Christ did redeem us! The Law cannot, your performance will not make you Born Again and save you. But Christ can!

This is the Good News! Christ has set us free from the curse of the Law and from the penalty of sin. Christ has bought us from sin-slavery and has set us free to Know Him, Serve Him, and Glorify Him with our Whole Lives.

The Spirit of God has come to you. The Spirit has made you free. The Spirit is inside of you testifying within you that you belong to God and God belongs to you, saying “Abba, Father.”

So, now: The Old Man, the flesh – That which used to be enslaved to sin, fallen and sinful desires that we lived in as a lifestyle - is no longer the Master over your life. Jesus is. We have been crucified with Christ. The Spirit of Christ in you is your life and your Master.

We live for Christ now. We do not live for self, for sin, for the world, or for any other masters.

Now… Walk… Live in obedience to Him. Walk by the Spirit of God. What does it mean to walk by the Spirit?

Walk meaning - (a continuous action, a habit or a practice, a lifestyle) It also implies progress and it implies an effort.

My old man walk was a walk of sin, and I was making great progress in my sin. I lived for self, for my pleasures and desires, to do whatever I wanted to do and to live however I wanted to live… against God’s will... and sin progressed.

Now, there is the New Man created in Christ Jesus. Now there are new desires, a new direction, and a NEW WAY of life. There is a King, a Master, in my life that is commanding me, leading me, convicting me, encouraging me… There is a new lifestyle and there has been progress made, and there is progress to make. Is that your testimony today?

Grace and Love has changed your direction… not rules.

**But Here is the argument: “Paul, Your doctrine of grace and liberty is dangerous!” Paul’s enemies argued. “Why, if Christians are free from the Law, they will live wicked lives! We need the Law to control them!” So, people have argued down through the centuries, little realizing that grace, not law, is the greatest teacher and “controller” in the world.

“Grace?! Come on Preacher, give me a verse”: Read Titus 2:11–12. God’s grace changes us and trains us! Not from the outside in but from the inside out. God’s Gospel of Grace changes the heart… that then changes the life. His love produces love and produces the fruit of it.

*Look at the picture of Metamorphosis. This is like the New Birth, being “Born Again.”

Looking at rules and doing the worm dance does not transform us like this. The Spirit of God, the power of God, produces a new life, a different life and lifestyle.

The Butterfly is not going to live the life of the worm again; he is going to fly, soar, move with the wind, and show off a beauty.

This is the Christian. This is the Born-Again believer.

A Christian is changed and is being transformed by the Spirit of God, from a seed-like, acorn faith, to an oak tree, or from a baby to a mature adult.

Now: Some of us are down to earth with very little fruit to show, and some of us act like a bunch of little babies, still suffering from immaturity… and we are suffering with you until maturity is reached. We need to get off the teat and stand on our feet… and make progress. How?

Verse 16 – Live and Walk by the Spirit and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.

1. Those who live by grace depend on the power of the Spirit.

2. To “walk in the Spirit” means to have our daily lives under His control, and this means under the direction of the Word of God.

3. The New man is renewed by the Word of God and The Spirit directs and enables the believer to do God’s will.

4. Then the Christian yields to the Spirit in obedience.

“But what about the flesh? Did the “Old Man” go away forever?”

No. And for anyone who has be a Christian for a few days knows what he is talking about… Immediately after conversion, new Christians enjoy several days or weeks of wonderful victory; then temptation and defeat come, and they become discouraged. Somebody should have told them, or you, that the old nature would rise up again!

Mark 7:21 – Jesus teaches us that it is from the heart that we sin, have evil thoughts and act out sinful living. There is a New King in the heart and now Romans 7:23 and James 4:1-17 is my experience – There is a war going on inside of me.

Do you feel it? Are your experiencing this today?

The Spirit and the flesh are opposed to one another, to keep you from doing the things you want to do…

So now, the believer either yields to The Spirit or yields to the sinful nature. There is the command to lay aside the “Old Man,” and to put on the “New man.” Be who and what you are!

The Christian life is a struggle. It is a fight. We are to fight the good fight of faith. We must stand firm in the Gospel, abide in Christ love, renew our minds in Christ day by day.

Our love for Christ must drive our desires to will to do according to His good pleasure – Then Spiritual fruit will grow.

What must I do? John 15:1-5 – Jesus is the Vine… you and I are the branches. You and I are tied to Jesus for our life. Jesus says, “Abide in me… apart from Me you can do nothing, but in Me you shall produce fruit… and it is His will that you produce much fruit.

Fruit is the result of a living union. Seeking Christ, worshipping Christ, praying to Christ, serving and obeying Christ will lead to much fruit.

The Law produces works, but God calls them dead works (Heb. 6:1). The Law could never produce the gracious fruit described here.

But before we look at the fruit of the Spirit, lets look at the works of the flesh, of the Old Man, of a life controlled by sin:

Now: Read this list of “flesh works.” There are those who practice these sins as a lifestyle. That is what is implied here -

This is what is to be seen in lives without the Spirit of God… But: How many of them are found even among professing Christians!?

What is going on? Maybe they are baby Christians. Maybe they are not Christian at all. Maybe, they have quit yielding to the Spirit… and they are living a miserable life in sin...

Now listen: This is not that professing Christian who is struggling or fighting against these sinful lifestyles. These individuals are engaging in these sins, and it is their lifestyle; it is their habit, their practice, their way of life.

What does this indicate? You will know the tree by its fruit, Jesus would say. The lifestyle indicates or reveals the hearts condition. Those who practice these lifestyles has not had a change of heart, and it indicates that he or she does not have the Spirit of Christ indwelling them…

And please take note… There is not just one lifestyle mentioned here… If your unrepentant lifestyle is any of these… It indicates a spiritual reality: Christ is not their Master, their Lord…

Those hearts are ruled by self and Satan. You are your own master… not Jesus… and you are doing whatever you want to do without any fight inside of you… Because the Spirit is not there to fight with you.

“But they profess Christ...” “But they go to church...” You will know the tree by the fruit… Jesus said.

Verse 21 – Those who do these things as a lifestyle will not inherit the kingdom of God because they do not know the King and the King does not know them as His servants.

Matthew 7:23 - depart from Me, I never knew you… you workers of lawlessness...

“If that’s me… what or who do I need?”

You need a Savior, a Master, a King Who will bring you into His Kingdom and give you power to be transformed. You need His power and His grace to change you… and then… you can begin to make progress in producing spiritual fruit.

There are 9 characteristics or attributes that are linked with each other: Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

Again: The Law cannot produce these in us, only Christ can.

And it is Christ’s will that we abide in Him and become very fruitful… But fruit will vary from person to person...

In Matthew 13 – The ones that produced fruit, some produced a hundred fold, some sixty, and some thirty…

The goal is much fruit… but what will hinder you?

Verse 25 - Not keeping in step with the Spirit. Hindering the Spirit. Grieving or quenching the Spirit.

How do we accomplish this; how do we quench or grieve the Spirit? 1. Going back to 5:1 - When you go back to performance based faith, law keeping faith, trying to earn salvation… You are going to quench the Spirit’s work in your life...

2. Trying to live like the Old Man, following your passions and sinful desires, hating and hurting one another with your words, actions and attitudes… This is quenching the Spirit’s work in your life.

You are going back to the worm-life. You are a Butterfly, an eagle, made to soar on the Spirit of God… But you are going back to crawling on your belly...

You will not make much progress as you live this way… And we need to get this… We are hindering… We are grieving… We are getting in the way...

And you are not growing love, joy, peace and the rest… and you know it.

If your are a Christian, the Spirit is in you and is working in you today. The Spirit is leading you to Christ. The Spirit is taking the Word of God and is leading you to life and fruitfulness… The Spirit may be convicting you right now… Because He loves you and knows what is best for you...

Well, there is good news: God the Father has called you (v. 13); God the Son has died for you (v. 24); and God the Holy Spirit indwells you (vv. 16–23). And our God will meet you where you are to assist you in your battle today, and you can begin to make progress again.

What is God’s Spirit leading you to do today?

Do not hinder Him. Do not quench Him. Obey.