let us keep in step with the Spirit
Galatians 5: 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.
Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit
Living at that level where we are free from the control of the old nature. We talked about that last week. Only at this level are we free. We also talked about keeping step with the spirit.
What is his pace? What standard is he setting? Holiness? Excellence? Perfection? Obedience?
- Are we pursuing Excellence or Obedience?
- Excellence is a standard between the cost and profit of things.
- Obedience is an unchanging standard of perfection
Example from the business world. Businesses are not looking for perfection but a balance of cost and profit. Perfection is too costly, not cost effective.
Religion is an attempt at excellence. An external perfection without the need for a perfect obedience.
Do we have this set of operating rules for our lives with God and others?
- Choosing his standard before we choose ours?
Anything you dilute will no longer be full strength.
Sound funny, or ridiculously simple?
If I water down my beer, I shouldn’t be surprised that it:
Tastes funny, has not kick, is not satisfying
But we do the same with the word of God. We water it down with our own versions of what we think is right and good and lower his standards so much that it hardly resembles “his word” anymore.
Then we are shocked when this watered down version doesn’t work for us. It tastes funny, has no power and is not satisfying. The same goes with our relationship with God or anyone else.
Whatever we water down will do this…
If I water down the spirit
He tastes funny, has no power and is not satisfying
Colossians 1: 13 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. 15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. 19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him,
· Have we created our own style of Jesus? You see I don’t believe that God meant that I was to give all of my life to him. You know he is a loving God and I don’t think...
· Here comes the water... I need a full strength Jesus in my life.
· ALL WE HAVE TO DO IS CHANGE THE DEFINITIONS
Exodus 32: 1 When the people saw that Moses was so long in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said, “Come, make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don’t know what has happened to him.” 2 Aaron answered them, “Take off the gold earrings that your wives, your sons and your daughters are wearing, and bring them to me.” 3 So all the people took off their earrings and brought them to Aaron. 4 He took what they handed him and made it into an idol cast in the shape of a calf, fashioning it with a tool. Then they said, “These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.” 5 When Aaron saw this, he built an altar in front of the calf and announced, “Tomorrow there will be a festival to the Lord.” 6 So the next day the people rose early and sacrificed burnt offerings and presented fellowship offerings. Afterward they sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry. 7 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go down, because your people, whom you brought up out of Egypt, have become corrupt. 8 They have been quick to turn away from what I commanded them and have made themselves an idol cast in the shape of a calf. They have bowed down to it and sacrificed to it and have said, ‘These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.’
· zb... They called the Golden Calf “Elohim”. They didn’t want to meet with God on the mountain. They knew that if they kept their carnality and approached God they would die! So they retreated to the valley and created their own version of God and that allowed them to do what they wanted to!
· I want the real Jesus!
· I want all of Jesus!
· I want to follow him!