Walking in the Spirit

And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.

Romans 8:4–6 NRSV

so that the just requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.

1 Corinthians 12:13 NRSV

For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.

2 Corinthians 1:21–22 NRSV

But it is God who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us, by putting his seal on us and giving us his Spirit in our hearts as a first installment.

Galatians 5:25 NRSV

If we live by the Spirit, let us also be guided by the Spirit.

1 John 2:27 NRSV

As for you, the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and so you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, abide in him.

Over the past three weeks we have been in this sermon series The Comforter. We learned about the Work of the Holy Spirit, that Equips Us, Guides Us, Comforts Us and Loves Us......

The Gift of the Holy Spirit which is His Power, Presence and His Promise......

and on last Sunday we heard about the Joy of the Holy Spirit …in which we can Rejoice even when adversity and affliction are affecting us. We can have His Peace....a sense of well-being and contentment.....in times of chaos........and the Holy Spirit inspires our Praises that we give to our Father in Heaven.

We come to an end of this series.....and from this text I would like to use for a topic “Walking in the Spirit”.

This series laid the ground work of how the Holy Spirit operates in our lives and now we will examine how our lives should look when we are filled with the Spirit.

I believe that the Holy Spirit’s presence should be evident in a believers life in some way and fashion. Whether it’s by the fruit you produce or the characteristics you manifest. Or perhaps it is evident by how you’ve been set apart in God’s plan for your life.

I believe that the first step that takes place before we Walk in the Spirit......is that we are ......

Baptized with the Spirit

Once a believer accepts Jesus as their Lord and Savior and he or she will receive and be baptized by the Holy Spirit.

If you are a believer, you were baptized and indwelt by the Holy Spirit the very moment you were saved. Romans 8:9 states, “...you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His” -

To be baptized with the Holy Spirit is a divine act, promised by John the Baptist and by Jesus Christ....

whereby the Holy Spirit initiates Believers into a union and communion with the glorified Jesus Christ......and will equip and enable the believer for sanctity and service.

One of the most notable examples of the Baptism from the Holy Spirit found in the Bible.....during the Pentecost....

Baptized in the Spirit - Ac 2:2-4 and Ac 8:15-17

Look at Ac 2:2-4

The New Revised Standard Version The Coming of the Holy Spirit

When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.

On this day about 3000 souls repented, accepted Christ and received the Holy Spirit.

The filling of the Holy Spirit enabled them to speak in other languages that were not native to them immediately. They had been baptized by the Holy Spirit...... but that’s not the only way that the Holy Spirit comes upon us.

We see other instances in the Bible when the Holy Spirit fell upon Samaritan converts when Peter and John prayed for them and laid hands upon them......

Look at Acts 8:15-17.....

Acts 8:15–17 NRSV

The two went down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit (for as yet the Spirit had not come upon any of them; they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus). Then Peter and John laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.

Yes my Brothers and Sisters.....every believer in Christ receives the Baptism of the Holy Spirit.....in some way according to God’s divine plan....... and one thing we must realize is that God gives of His Holy spirit regardless of what they look like......where they live.......how much education they don’t have or do have.....regardless of how much money is in their bank account.....or if they have been battling the bondage of sin…whether you struggle with alcohol addiction..... fighting the stronghold of drugs..... or chasing the empty idols of this world.....

...The Holy Spirit can come into your heart and .....

Look at Acts 15:8

The New Revised Standard Version The Council at Jerusalem

And God, who knows the human heart, testified to them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as he did to us;

The Holy Spirit is for all - Ac 15:8

You see God knows the human heart......unlike man....and He knows how to turn your life around.....

I don’t know who I’m talking to or who needs to hear this, but know that the Holy Spirit can come into the heart of a crack addict......heroin addict.......meth addict.......weed addict.......sex addict.......

And once we receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit in our lives.......it connects us with the Body of Christ....

Look at.......

The Holy Spirit connects us with Christ - 1 Co 12:13

1 Corinthians 12:13 NRSV

For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.

We are baptized into one body.......no matter our ethnicity or heritage........ Jews.....Greeks.....slaves or free.......are baptized into one body........

Once you’ve received the Holy Spirit, that is promised to all those who believe in Jesus the Christ...... Our lives will change like never before

Our lives will resemble one who is Filled with the Spirit........ there should be some characteristics that are revealed in believers who are filled with the Spirit......

Filled with the Spirit

To be filled with the Holy Spirit is to be energized and controlled by the third person of the Godhead in such a way that under the acknowledged lordship of Jesus Christ the full presence and power of God are experienced.

Spirit-filling leads to renewal, obedience, boldness in testimony and extraordinary quality in believers’ lives.

Characteristics of the Spirit-filled life

By the way we live.....there should be evidence of a Spirit filled life.......

Look at Ro 8:4-6

The New Revised Standard Version Life in the Spirit

so that the just requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. 5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. 6 To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.

First John 2:16 tells us that walking in the flesh involves three areas of life that all stand in direct opposition to God – “the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life”. It was in these three areas that Satan tempted Christ in the wilderness.

When considering these three, we see that walking after the flesh is our attempt to get our needs and wants, our longings and desires met independently of God, the lust of the eyes can be seen as seeking self-fulfillment; in other words, “what I can have or get in this life”.

The lust of the flesh can be seen as “what I can do, experience, or take pleasure in in this life”, while the pride of life - “what I can be, achieve, or be seen as in this life”. In each case, the focus is on “I” apart from God.

In contrast to walking according to the flesh, Paul writes in Galatians 5:16, “Walk in the Spirit, and you will not fulfill the lust (or desire) of the flesh.” When you walk in the Spirit you allow Him to guide your conduct wherever you go and whatever you do.

By the way we live - Romans 8:4-6 and Galatians 5:25

But just what does a Spirit filled life look like?

We ought to love one another....regardless of our differences....... We ought to be kind to one another....... We ought to be patient with one another…and when I say patient with others.....it may require that you suffer....for a long time......the KJV puts it this way…there should be some longsuffering........it involves being gentle.......having some generosity....faithfulness and self control......

In other words.......our lives should resemble the Fruit of the Spirit.

Galatians 5:22–23 NRSV

By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things.

Verse 22 begins “But the fruit of the Spirit is..." Notice it’s “the fruit”, singular, not “the fruits”, plural. One fruit! It’s all one fruit!

If I can real with you this morning.........we like to add an S to words....when there is no S.

It’s Matthew........not Matthews.

It’s Belk .......not Belks

It’s Aldi........not Aldis........

There are nine qualities characterizing that fruit which the Holy Spirit plants and is evidence in the life of a believer.

A person walking in the Spirit is to experience and evidence in their life: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

Walking in the Spirit........

Galatians: An Introduction and Commentary e. The Harvest of the Spirit (5:22–26)

If the Spirit is the source of our life, let the Spirit also direct our course.

The bible reminds us in.......

Galatians 5:25 NRSV

If we live by the Spirit, let us also be guided by the Spirit.

But not only will the Holy Spirit fill us so that we exhibit Fruit.......there are...........

Characteristics connected with the fulness of the Spirit

Full with skills - Ex 31:3

We find in Ex 31:3 That the Holy Spirit filled (Bet-zal- el) Bezalel with the skills of a craftsman…who made the items for the tabernacle......

The New Revised Standard Version Bezalel and Oholiab

and I have filled him with divine spirit, with ability, intelligence, and knowledge in every kind of craft,

There are abilities and intelligence.....knowledge and crafts that the Holy Spirit fills us with......

And I don’t know about you Saints.....but I believe that all the intelligence....abilities and skills I’ve been gifted with as an IT Professional.....I know it was nothing but the Holy Spirit that gave me the intelligence and knowledge to do the job that I do...... it was nothing of my own merit......but only through the filling of the Holy Spirit....that I have the technical skills that I have......

And because of that...... I give God Praise......

If I’m troubleshooting a computer problem.....and all of a sudden I recall how to fix it...... It’s not because of my own doing.....but because of the ability given to me by the Holy Spirit.......

So the next time you’re at work....and you figure out or realized how to do something .....I double dog dare you to give the Lord some praise and Thank the Holy Spirit for the ability and intelligence that He gave you........

Walking in the Spirit.........

Yes my Brothers and Sisters...... as believers we are to Walk in the Spirit.....

When we have been filled with the Holy Spirit.....

Let me suggest that the Holy Spirit anoints us....for a task of spiritual importance....

Anointed by the Spirit

“Anoint” means to set someone apart, to authorize and equip him or her for a task of spiritual importance.

Jesus Christ is set apart by the work of the Holy Spirit for his ministry of preaching, healing and deliverance.

And the Holy Spirit sets Christians apart for their ministry in Christ’s name.

Jesus is Anointed by the Spirit

The Holy Spirit anointed Jesus to perform the work of His ministry.....

The Spirit Anoints Jesus - Mt 3:16

Matthew 3:16 NRSV

And when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him.

Acts 10:38 NRSV

how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power; how he went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.

Jesus declares His anointing - Lk 4:18-21

Luke 4:18–21 NRSV

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. Then he began to say to them, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”

Jesus declares that he is the one that is anointed by the Spirit of the Lord.....also know as the Holy Spirit.....

We see that there is evidence of the Holy Spirit anointing Jesus....

Evidence of Jesus’ anointing - Mt 4:23-25 and Lk 4:14-15

The Bible proclaims......

Matthew 4:23–25 NRSV

Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and curing every disease and every sickness among the people. So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought to him all the sick, those who were afflicted with various diseases and pains, demoniacs, epileptics, and paralytics, and he cured them. And great crowds followed him from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and from beyond the Jordan.

Luke 4:14–15 NRSV

Then Jesus, filled with the power of the Spirit, returned to Galilee, and a report about him spread through all the surrounding country. He began to teach in their synagogues and was praised by everyone.

It was the anointing of the Holy Spirit in Jesus Christ’s ministry .....

The Holy Spirit anoints believers.....like you and I .......sets us a part to do the work of God....

The anointing of the believer is the same anointing that was upon Jesus Christ, It is the mighty Power of the Holy Spirit.

To do the works of Jesus we must have the same power he had, and we do through the anointing of the Holy Spirit.

Let me suggest..........

Believers are anointed by the Spirit

Believers may be gifted in certain areas or called to ministries that others are not; but each of them is anointed by the same Spirit for the work of the ministry.

There are different giftings and callings.

Yet it is the same Spirit who empowers every believer.

The anointing of the Spirit produces various gifts, callings and manifestations in different members; but no member can boast of a "special anointing."

It is the same Spirit who anoints all the ministers of the gospel, all the workers in the local congregation, and all the members of the body of Christ whatever description, gifting or calling they may have.

The message of the New Testament is: different gifts, different callings, but one Spirit and one anointing.

All Believers have the Holy Spirit, are anointed, and are a part of God's royal priesthood.

Anointing enables believers to stand firm - 2 Co 1:21-22

2 Corinthians 1:21–22 NRSV

But it is God who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us, by putting his seal on us and giving us his Spirit in our hearts as a first installment.

Not only is God establishing us in Christ, God also anointed us.

Kings, prophets and priests were anointed by oil when inaugurated into their offices.

To anoint with the Holy Spirit (1 Jn. 2:20) [here], means to qualify us by divine empowering to carry out our duties. To be able to stand firm.....

But the anointing does something else......

Anointing guards believers from falsehood - 1 Jn 2:20 and 1 Jn 2:27

1 John 2:27 NRSV

In verse 27 we are called to abide in the anointing by following the Holy Spirit’s leadership.

There is an anointing of the Holy Spirit that abides with the believer forever, the anointing that is associated with His indwelling presence.

The Holy Spirit will teach us about all things ....and guard against all things that are false.....

Baptized with the Spirit.......Filled with the Spirit........Anointed by the Spirit....

So that we can Walk in the Spirit.........

He is our Comforter........the Holy Spirit.....

He is our Advocate.........the Holy Spirit.....

He is our Counselor......the Holy Spirit...

The Breath of the Almighty......

Eternal Spirit......

Spirit of Might.......

Spirit of Judgment

Spirit of Christ......and the Spirit of Glory....

He’s the Spirit of the Lord.....

and The Spirit of God......

The Spirit of Truth.....and the Spirit of Knowledge

The Spirit of Understanding.....

The Spirit of Life

The Spirit of Wisdom… and the Spirit of the Living God....

I’m so thankful......for the Holy Spirit......

I give praise.......to the Holy Spirit.....

I shout Glory!!!! For the Holy Spirit.....

Hallelujah!! For the Holy Spirit......

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