Walking in The Spirit

Intro

- Illustration- trips with Steven- two stand out- one where I was the navigating and another where we followed an experienced guide

- We have been talking about the freedom we have through Christ

o Last week we saw how the purpose of that freedom, the expression of that freedom is to serve one another in love

o So now we know our current condition- Free- and we know how we are supposed to use it- love one another- but how do we do that?

§ It’s easy to say, but much harder to actually do- especially to love others as Jesus loved us

- God has called us to righteousness and holiness, he’s called us to stand firm in our faith, to love others unconditionally, to live in a way that that pleases him and points others to him

o This is a overwhelming task- in all reality it is an impossible task

o Illustration

o But he has not called us to these things without giving us a way to accomplish it

- As we have made our way through Galatians, we have seen glimpses of the Holy Spirit

o But here we begin to see Paul detail how the Spirit enables us and guides us through this life

o The Spirit is the only source of power that can allow us to love others in the way God has called us to love

- What does it really mean to be Spirit-filled?

o Christianity today has a lot of different interpretations about this- people can get worked up about this

o It doesn't mean we are running up and down the aisles, or spontaneous prayers, or miraculous healing

o But it is my fear that in our attempt to avoid the confusion, we discount the true power of the Holy Spirit and the importance of his presence in our everyday lives

- Read Galatians 5:16-18

- Because of our sinful nature we are drawn to misuse the freedom we have been given, but when we walk daily in the Spirit, we can overcome our sinful desires and live…

Keeping in Step with the Spirit

- Hiking with the Kids- carefully choose every step- watch where I step

A. The Holy Spirit is essential for both our justification and our sanctification

1. We know that our Christian walk begins by the Spirit

a. Gal. 3:3 Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?

b. 4:6 And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!”

c. 4:29 talks about how we are born according to the Spirit

2. But we often, after our salvation, pivot from dependence on the Spirit to a reliance on our own self-effort to accomplish the things we have been called to do

B. The Christian life requires action

1. Walk in the Spirit- translated “keep on walking”- there is a continuing action- continual pursuit

Illustration- pet rabbit- didn’t want to leave even after he was set free

a. Many Christians are like this- they have freedom from the law/sin and freedom to pursue what God has called them to, but they just sit

b. They are content with where they are at and they never fully experience the freedom that God gives to them

C. This is choosing a way of life

1. We are called to be followers

a. Jesus to his disciples- “follow me”

b. It’s not keeping my distance- it’s right on his heals- keep in step with the Spirit

Illustration- when someone is walking so close that they step on your heals- “give me some space!”- the Spirit never says that

c. We are to be with him constantly- reading God’s word, praying to him, listening to the Spirit as he guides us

2. being all in- not one way around some and different around others

a. This is what everything filters through in my life, it's not just part of what I do. It informs every decision, it's a driving force behind my choices and actions

3. We give every part of our lives to the Spirit's control

a. this is not easy to do- we love to keep parts back that are not completely yielded to him

4. It's not, "I'm a Christian, now this is what I do." It's "I'm a Christian, now this is who I am."

a. This is where the Galatians got confused- they had found the freedom of Justification through faith, but now they were pursuing the works of the law because they felt it would make them look more like followers of God

b. Doing x, y, or z does not make me a Christian

(1) but choosing to daily follow after, to listen to, to live by the Spirit, that is what makes me who I am, that is where I find my identity, not in my actions or my good works, or my self-effort

- If we walk by the Spirt, Paul tells us that two things will be true of our lives

We will not gratify the desires of the flesh (16)

A. We are at War (17)

1. Spirit vs. Flesh

a. We still have sinful desires- we will fail- but we have the power to overcome

(1) It’s there, it’s available to us

b. We can read this verse and say, "ok, that makes sense"-

(1) but it can get discouraging- we can feel like we are the only ones struggling

(2) getting so frustrated with ourselves because we fail- feeling that we are not good Christians because we sin

c. but this war, this struggle, is where each one of us is at- this is our reality

d. Paul shines light on what is happening within us…

2. These two things cannot coexist

a. When we are walking in the flesh, we cannot follow the Spirit's leading

b. When we are yielded to the Spirit, we cannot give into the flesh

c. So the question is, what are we yielding to?

d. Rom. 7:14-25 14 For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin. 15 For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. 16 Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. 17 So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. 18 For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. 19 For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.

21 So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. 22 For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, 23 but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. 24 Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? 25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.

- So we see that yielding to the Spirit is not a one-time event, but a daily choice

o Putting our faith and dependence in His power working within us

B. The first step is that We must acknowledge that this war exists

1. The worst thing we could do is to pretend this war doesn't happen, that we are beyond this point

a. For some, there is no fight- they are simply yielding to their sinful nature

b. For others, they give the appearance that they have reached a superior, super spiritual plane of existence- Pharisees

2. Each day when we wake up and commit to following the Spirit in His power, we must be ready for a battle- this is the Christians walk

Illustration- pranks on my brother- the element of surprise- the goal is to catch someone off guard

a. Do not give the enemy the element of surprise- do not let him catch you off guard- or we will fail

3. We never outgrow this

a. it is not something to be ashamed of- "why am I always fighting against this?"

C. If we are overwhelmed, We have the power, keep fighting, there is hope.

1. If we have not yet begun to fight, start! Wake up!

We will not be under the law (18)

A. For those in Christ, there is not condemnation!

1. We will not be judged by the law

a. Because of Christ’s work on the cross and the Holy Spirit’s leading in our lives, NO ONE will ever be able to hold up the law and say, “You fall short!”, “You don’t measure up!”, “You’re not good enough”

2. Rom. 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

B. We may know this in our heads, but we often don’t live like this is true

1. Jesus has accepted you-

2. You might say, "Reid, you don't truly know me. You don't know what I struggle with" I may not, but I do know the power of Christ Blood

C. There will be a day when this war is over!

1. We know the outcome! We will live in victory for eternity

2. Galatians 5:5- For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness.

So What?

- Are you keeping in step with the Spirit?

o Have you committed to follow him, or are you yielding to your sin nature?

- Are you prepared for battle?

- Are you rejoicing in your freedom? There is no condemnation!