WALKING IN THE SPIRIT

STORY:

A lady asked a man working in the produce department if she could buy half a head of lettuce. He replied, “Half a head? Are you serious? God grows these in whole heads and that’s how we sell them!” “You mean,” she persisted, “that after all the years I’ve shopped here, you won’t sell me half-a-head of lettuce?” “Look,” he said, “If you like I’ll ask the manager.” She indicated that would be appreciated, so the young man marched to the front of the store. “You won’t believe this, but there’s an idiot back there who wants to know if they can buy half-a-head of lettuce.” He noticed the manager gesturing, and turned around to see the lady standing behind him, obviously having followed him to the front of the store. “And this nice lady was wondering if she could buy the other half” he concluded. Later in the day the manager cornered the young man and said, “That was the finest example of thinking on your feet I’ve ever seen! Where did you learn that?” “I grew up in Grand Rapids, and if you know anything about Grand Rapids, you know that it’s known for its great hockey teams and its ugly women.” The manager’s face flushed, and he interrupted, “My wife is from Grand Rapids!” “And which hockey team did she play for?”

Do you ever get in trouble with your mouth?

James 3:6 NLT

6 And among all the parts of the body, the tongue is a flame of fire. It is a whole world of wickedness, corrupting your entire body. It can set your whole life on fire, for it is set on fire by hell itself.

Paul said this…

Romans 7:21–25 NLT

21 I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. 22 I love God’s law with all my heart. 23 But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. 24 Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? 25 Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin.

We all have struggles in this life; no one has the ability to live a perfect life; that is why Jesus, who was perfect, died for us.

BUT…Scripture also says…

1 Peter 1:13–17 MSG

13 So roll up your sleeves, put your mind in gear, be totally ready to receive the gift that’s coming when Jesus arrives. 14 Don’t lazily slip back into those old grooves of evil, doing just what you feel like doing. You didn’t know any better then; you do now. 15 As obedient children, let yourselves be pulled into a way of life shaped by God’s life, a life energetic and blazing with holiness. 16 God said, “I am holy; you be holy.” 17 You call out to God for help and he helps—he’s a good Father that way. But don’t forget, he’s also a responsible Father, and won’t let you get by with sloppy living.

Pentecostals Can have a tendency to focus more on experiencing God emotionally, desiring to experience the power of God in operation and see the gifts of the Spirit in action in their lives, more than pursuing sanctification and exemplifying righteous living.

The greatest manifestations of our spiritual growth will never be based on the spectacular expression of the gifts of the spirit

The judgment seat of Christ does not exist to judge the gifts that we had, but the fruit that our lives bore here on earth (1 Cor. 3:12-15)

MESSAGE: “Walking in the Spirit”

Galatians 5:16–18 (NLT)

16 So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves.

17 The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions.

18 But when you are directed by the Spirit, you are not under obligation to the law of Moses.

“Two natures beat within my breast The one is foul, the one is blessed The one I love, the one I hate. The one I feed will dominate. -Anonymous”

1. WALK BY THE SPIRIT

Walking takes a conscious effort or action

We typically walk with purpose

1 Corinthians 9:26–27 NLT

26 So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing. 27 I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified.

How many times have you asked God to help you:

Become more Holy?

Become more Christlike?

Become more Righteous?

Paul gives us a picture of what the fruit of the Spirit is not. He contrasts “Life in the Spirit” with “Life in the Flesh.”

Galatians 5:19–21 NLT

19 When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, 21 envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.

A. Characteristics Of The Flesh

We're not talking about falling into one of these sins.

We are talking about a lifestyle of these things.

Being defined by these characteristics... indicate a need to be reconciled with God and repent

Justification of sin

"Well that's just who I am!" Mentality

DON’T CHEAPEN GRACE

Proverbs 1:31 NLT

31 Therefore, they must eat the bitter fruit of living their own way, choking on their own schemes.

B. Characteristics of the Spirit

Galatians 5:22–26 NLT

22 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. 25 Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives. 26 Let us not become conceited, or provoke one another, or be jealous of one another.

You will know them by their fruit

Matthew 7:15–20 (NLT)

15 “Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves.

16 You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act. Can you pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?

17 A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit.

18 A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit.

19 So every tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire.

20 Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions.

Prove by the way you live

Matthew 3:8 NLT

8 Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God.

The Dash Poem by Linda Ellis

I read of a man who stood to speak at the funeral of a friend. He referred to the dates on the tombstone from the beginning to the end.

He noted first came the date of the birth and spoke the following date with tears. But he said what mattered most of all was the dash between the years.

For that dash represents all the time that they spent life on Earth. And now only those who loved them know what that little line is worth.

For it matters not how much we own, the cars, the house, the cash. What matters is how we live and love, and how we spend our dash.

So, think about this long and hard. Are there things you’d like to change? For you never know how much time is left that can still be rearranged.

If we could just slow down enough to consider what’s true and real, and always try to understand the way other people feel.

Be less quick to anger and show appreciation more, and love the people in our lives like we’ve never loved before.

If we treat each other with respect and more often wear a smile, remembering that this special dash might only last a little while.

So, when your eulogy is being read with your life’s actions to rehash, would you be proud of the things they say about how you spent your dash?

A fruitless Christian is a contradiction, indicating that something abnormal is going on. Rather than command us to bear fruit, Jesus tells us that we must abide in Him

John 15:5 NLT

5 “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.

2. DEFINING AND DEVELOPING GOOD FRUIT (Next Week)

CONCLUSION:

Unlike the gifts of the spirit which are distributed differently to each one

The fruit of the spirit should be characteristic in every Christian

These fruits are characteristic of Jesus

These are difficult expectations to live up to

We must recognize the gap between where we are and where God wants us to be.

Jonathan Edwards Resolutions (1703-1758)

Being sensible that I am unable to do anything without God’s help, I do humbly entreat Him, by His grace, to enable me to keep these Resolutions, so far as they are agreeable to His will, for Christ’s sake. [I will] remember to read over these Resolutions once a week:

5. Resolved, Never to do anything, which I should be afraid to do if it were the last hour of my life.

10. Resolved, To ask myself, at the end of every day, week, month, and year, wherein I could possibly, in any respect, have done better.

11. Resolved, Never to give over, nor in the least to slacken, my fight with my corruptions, however unsuccessful I may be.

13. Resolved, Always to do that which I shall wish I had done when I see others do it.

SONG: The Stand

You stood before my failure And carried the cross for my shame My sin weighed upon Your Shoulders My soul now to stand