Where He Leads Me...

Our series “Empowered” concludes this evening with one more installment that I believe is very important and timely for us. We have heard some of this message before… back during the shut down for Covid 19. But I felt led to bring this to us again tonight. WE ARE LIVING IN THE LAST DAYS. AND IN THESE LAST DAYS, WE NEED THE HELP OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.

The purpose of this sermon series is simple: Not only can we know of the works and the ministry of the Holy Spirit, we can experience the works and ministry of the Holy Spirit!

And church, it is CRITICAL that we experience the works and ministry of the Holy Spirit! WE NEED HIS HELP! Now more than ever do we need to be listening to and following the voice of the Holy Spirit!

There is no substitute for His leading. There is no other source of spiritual empowerment. There is no greater gift we could ask for from God in this or any season of life! If you are in Christ… GOD IS IN YOU! His Spirit dwells within your heart but the question is… are you listening to where He is leading you to go? Are We… as a church… willing to listen to where He is leading us to go?

That is the question we aim to answer tonight. And we are going to address a problem that has been around for a long time that revolves around this very question. And this brings us to our main text for the day.

The book of Galatians highlights the problem I will be speaking of. The Christians at Galatia were trading off their faith for falsehoods. They started listening to the voices of men instead of listening to the voice of the Spirit. They found themselves compromising in areas of their spirituality that was robbing them of the new life promised by Christ.

Church… if we are not careful… we can find ourselves in this same position. Distractions can be destructive if not seen for what they are. If not led by the Spirit, we can find ourselves settling for the “less than” pattern of this world instead of enjoying the “more than” promises of God!

The problem: the Galatians were being led from love to legalism. They were moving from having a relationship with Christ, to practicing a lifeless religion. The results were not good. Gal 5:4 states they “have been alienated from Christ” and they “have fallen away from grace.” The problem was the Galatians stopped being led by the Spirit and started following the leading of the world. Thus, they found themselves in a place they did not want to be.

The world is leading people to go a certain direction true enough. Our culture especially has done this last several months with things like “canceling” what it does not approve of. The world faces a real problem here: YOU CANNOT CANCEL GOD.

With all the noise made by this world, we need to make sure we are following the voice of the Spirit. And we need to remember something very important regarding His leading. Main point of the day: The Spirit leads followers to a determination rather than a destination: a resolve to walk by faith and not by sight.

So let’s break this down to make sure we understand this fully today.

To be determined (determined defined) is having made a firm decision and being resolved not to change it. Immediately we can understand why this would be important to a life a faith! There is a lot going on around us that we try to get us of course… or lead us astray. But the Spirit of God helps to reinforce our determination to be about the things of God – to live a life that honors the King.

Secondly, what does it mean to walk or live by faith and not by sight? It means to trust God in all things… no matter what we might see before us! For instance, the Spirit might be leading followers into what their eyes would see as impossible. Are believers willing to follow by faith?

Hear me today: there is a destination to be reached – eternal life with Jesus Christ our Lord! We will reach our destination by living according to our determination as led by the Spirit of God!

Tonight we are going to look at Galatians 5 to further define our main point. We are going to talk about where the person of the Holy Spirit is leading us and remember… these are determinations not destinations. These are resolved decisions within the heart of the follower that will not waiver or change no matter the circumstance.

The Spirit leads followers from sin

Life led by the Spirit is life led AWAY from sin. That is worth repeating today. Life led by the Spirit is life led away from sin. Gal 5:16-18 gives this charge: “So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

This passage brings to light the inward struggle that all of us face today. There are two desires or cravings, if you will, that are working to pull us in one of two directions. Verse 17 highlighted these desires. One, the desire of the flesh and two, the desires of the Spirit. One will lead you toward sin and the other away from sin. And again as verse 17 points out, “They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want.”

Why is there conflict? Because the Spirit is working to lead us away from sin and its destructiveness. Without this conflict, we would be given over to the fleshly impulses and desires. IT IS GOOD THAT THIS CONFLICT EXISTS.

So what we see here is a conflict of two cravings.

Craving one: Fleshly desires. These are the desires awakened by the sinful nature of this world. Gal 5 gives a list of said desires. Although not comprehensive, this list gives the reader a good understanding of what Paul is referring to. Galatians 5:19-21 reads, “19 The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Scripture makes clear that life led by these desires is dangerous and destructive. But did you catch the warning given in verse 21? Those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

How can such a declaration be made? Because such living is a sign that God is not in this person. Remember: If you are in Christ, God is in YOU! The “fruit” or action displayed here is not a person in conflict of which way to go, but is a reflection of someone determined to go the way of the flesh… or the way of sin. This craving of the flesh leads the person from God.

Craving two is the desires of the Spirit. This desire leads us from gratifying the desires of the flesh. It leads us AWAY from sin and it looks very different from the list we just read a moment ago. Galatians 5:22-24 reads, “22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

And it’s in verse 24 where we see the key to living life led of the Spirit. If you are in Christ the sinful nature that once pulled you toward sin has been what? CRUCIFIED with Christ. Your life is no longer governed by fleshly impulses but is now led of the Spirit.

This life looks very different from the previous. Sin gives way to surrender. Death gives way to life. The fruit of the Spirit is not about self… but is selfless and displayed is the love and compassion of the Lord and Savior we claim to follow!

The Spirit leads the follower to make a determination to have nothing to do with sin! He leads us away from gratifying the desires of the flesh and helps us to display the fruit of a life set free! And that brigs us to the next point today I want you to see from Galatians 5…

The Spirit leads followers to freedom

I am thankful for the freedoms we have in this nation and I understand those freedoms were not… free. A price was paid in order that we might be liberated from tyrannical authority. But there is a different freedom the Spirit of God is leading us to… freedom in Jesus Christ. Freedom from sin and its effects.

If you are a follower of Jesus… then you have been set free from sin and as stated before… that old sinful nature has been nailed to the cross. As Galatians 5:1 makes clear, “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.”

Now, it is important to note that Paul is addressing a “yoke” of slavery that might surprise you. The people of Galatia were beginning to move back to the ways of the law… instead of living by grace. This was placing a heavy burden upon the shoulders of believers… a burden that did not belong.

Hear my words clearly and carefully today: Christ paid the price necessary for our spiritual freedom. Hear me again: Christ paid the price necessary for our spiritual freedom. His blood covered ALL sin! His grace is sufficient.

When Jesus died on the cross, he fulfilled the requirements of the law meaning the sins of those who follow Him have been COMPLETELY forgiven! Now, this does not mean we go on sinning! Remember my last point… if your life bears the “fruit” of the sinful nature, then I would argue that the Spirit of God is not in you! This is NOT so much about what we say and do as much as it is about who is living AND reigning in our hearts! What you do is a reflection of who you live for… or who it is that is alive in you.

Paul said in Galatians 2:20-21 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 21 I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!”

This is what I want you to understand today: the law won’t save you! Going through the motions won’t save you! Being “religious” won’t save you! Going to church once a week won’t save you! OUR SALVATION AND SPIRITUAL FREEDOM IS ONLY FOUND IN JESUS CHRIST AND HE GAVE HIS LIFE THAT YOU MIGHT BE FORGIVEN OF ALL SIN AND SET FREE TODAY!

The Spirit of God is not leading you to burden, or to legalism, or to the law, or to religion. The Spirit of God is leading you to freedom found through RELATIONSHIP with Jesus Christ. Be determined today to come alive in Christ through faith and grace and to live in freedom!

The Spirit leads followers toward love

Lastly today, the Spirit of God is leading us to be determined to love one another. Look at Galatians 5:13-14. It reads, “13 You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. 14 For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

What is being communicated here? DO NOT WASTE THE FREEDOM GIVEN TO YOU BY GOD by going back to the pattern of this world. Instead, use this freedom to serve one another in love!

Here’s the bottom line on this point and I’ll make it simple: We are to love others as Christ has loved us. We, the church, are the extension of His love to this world – a world that is desperate need of His love!

I find it interesting how Paul wrote the passage we just looked at. Verse 13 points out that our spiritual freedom should not be used to indulge the flesh. Now this can cover a wide variety of fleshly impulses, but the fact that Paul gets specific in verse 14 tells me he is targeting a specific issue.

An absence of love in God’s church is an absence of what makes a church God’s church. All that we have been given, all that we have received is a result of God’s love. If we extend anything else to this world other than love, then the world will see right through it. It is nothing but more noise in their already busy and hectic lives.

Our freedom was given in love… and it should be used to extend His love to others. And, if you go back to the listed fruits of the Spirit, you can see how love is at the core of each item listed.

The determination to love our neighbors as ourselves is a reflection of the love of God at work in our lives. It reveals who is at the center of our lives… it reveals who is leading our lives.

The Spirit of God will lead us to love others… He will lead us to express to others what we have received from God.

Our freedom is not wasted in judgment, condemnation, comparison, or negativity toward others. Why would those who are free desire to heap on more burden to those who are not free? As John 3:17 says, “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”

As we are led by love, let’s be leaders in love. As we are guided by the Spirit, let’s choose to guide others in love. We speak truth… in love… as we follow where the Spirit is leading us to go

Conclusion

And that leads us to our concluding point of application. The key in all of this is simple: in order for the Spirit to lead, we must be willing to follow!

Today we talked about three determinations that the Spirit will lead us to.

One: He leads us away from Sin. Two, He leads us to Freedom. Three, He leads us to love. Such determinations reveal the work of the Spirit within.

Such outward expressions also reveal a willingness to… follow.

The three points we made only become reality when we say yes to Jesus and yes to following the leading of God’s Holy Spirit.

Remember the struggle or the conflict Paul spoke of in Galatians 5. There are two desires that work against each other: the desire of the flesh and the desire of the Spirit.

When we replace that inward desire of the flesh in the infilling of the Spirit… things in life will most certainly change. And that’s a very good thing!

That replacement happens when we choose to become followers of Christ… when new choose to give our hearts to Jesus. Christ is the key to breaking away from sin, to being set free, and to loving others as ourselves.

Are you ready to make that change? Are you ready to follow the leading of the Spirit?

Prayer – salvation

Secondly, let’s pray and ask God to help us hear. Lets pray and ask God to help us follow. Lets believe for God to help us silence the fleshly desires as we follow the leading of His Holy Spirit!