Steppin' With The Spirit

Title: Steppin With The Spirit

Text : Gal. 5:16-26

Thought: A Spirit-Filled Life

Introduction

Let the Lord’s Church say Amen….. Thank God for being here Thank those in the building (Visitors) and welcome livestream audience Thank Brother’s who led in devotion Thank Elders Mention gospel meeting Thank Bro. Smith for radio Pray for our members who are out

Now there is a Word from the Lord beloved, (Ps.119:105)

If you would, meet me in the epistle addressed to the Galatians. Galatians ch.5, We shall tabernacle in v.16 and terminate in v.26….Prayerfully we can extrapolate or pull out the theological, theoretical, and practical applications found within the tapestry of this text.

Gal. 5:16-26( The Bible declares…)

For just a little while on this morning, if you will allow me to labor under the sermonic subject for this sermon soliloquy it would be “Steppin’ With The Spirit”. And if there were to be a thematic emphasis on this morning, it would be “Living a Spirit-filled life”

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Beloved, it is one of the most misunderstood, controversial, debated or argued theological topics in Christendom today. Many Theologians and Bible Scholars have tried to figure out just where He fits in the Godhead, the scheme of redemption and in the life of the Christian. Some may question: Is He relevant today?…..What’s His significance?…. How does He operate today?…. What’s His purpose, role,and function in my life today? …..Well Because of the depth and width of information about Him, many have come to a conclusion that they have a relationship with Him, when they really don’t even know Him. Not only that, but He is often limited or disesteemed when considering His place in the God-head, but in actuality He is just as prominent as God the Father and God the Son. In case you haven’t figured out who I’m talking about yet on this morning , I’m talking about God, The Holy Spirit. Our comforter, our advocate, our guide, our helper, our intercessor, The one who pleads to God on my behalf when I have no words to say, the one who fights against my fleshly desires, the one who instructs me how to live holy, the one who leads me into all truth, the one when my flesh says Yes, He says NO, the one who when I want to do bad, He reminds me to do good, the one when I step out of line, He puts me back in my place, the one who Jesus said (Jn.14), the one who Peter said (Acts 2:38). I’m talking about THE HOLY SPIRIT!!!

Contrary to popular belief, the Holy Spirit is not an “It” but rather the Holy Spirit is “who”. He is a person. For Jesus prayed to the Father in Jn.14 that He would send another Comforter, and He clarifies in v.26 that “ the Comforter which is the Holy Spirit, “HE” shall teach you all things and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.” So the Holy Spirit is not some kind of illusive, emotional, and mysterious influence that emanates from God nor is it a kind of electrifying effluence from God. Rather The Holy Spirit is a person, He is the third entity of the God-head, He is just as important as God the Father and God the Son! His role is extremely prominent in man’s salvation due to the fact that we are sealed by the Holy Spirit, which is the earnest of our inheritance, (Eph.1:13-14) He is our witness that we are in God and God is in us!! Therefore Paul says in Ephesians ch.4:30 “And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.”The Spirit is God’s stamp of approval, it is His pledge, it is the third entity of the God-head used to preserve us until Jesus returns! So if you don’t have the Spirit of God, you won’t be able to dwell with the Son of God!!

Not only that, but the Holy Spirit’s role is to beautify, Finish or complete that which is in the will and mind of God. We know He’s omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent, for we find Him with the God-head in (Gen.1:1-2; quote). He set things in order. For it is the Holy Spirit who brings order out of chaos. And His job has not changed today, for the only way The Christian can live and please God in a chaotic world is with the help and aid of the Holy Spirit keeping us in order!

Therefore my objective on this morning is to illustrate how we ought to WALK in the Spirit, LIVE by the Spirit, so that we may bear the FRUIT of the Spirit!

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As we survey the NT epistles, we observe that the book of Galatians is most likely the very first of Paul’s letters which has been preserved for us. Its conception is dated to be around A.D. 48-49, just after the Jerusalem conference in Acts ch.15. For at the Penning of this later, the Church is still in her adolescent stage, for it has only been 15 years since Pentecost, since Peter used the first key of the kingdom that was promised to him by His confession of the Christ in Matt. 16. However, not only that but it has been an even shorter time since Peter uses the second key of the kingdom by preaching the gospel to Gentiles and saving them of Cornelius’ house in Acts ch.10. So around this time beloved, Gentiles are being baptized, believing on Jesus Christ and some had accepted this, but there were other Jews and Pharisees who were preaching that the only way Gentiles could be saved would be through physical circumcision and the keeping of the law of Moses, not only that but they were also discrediting and belittling the apostleship of the Apostle Paul and what he brings to the Apostolic band. Therefore, Paul in his salutation, in his prologue, to the Church at Galatia he defends his apostolic accreditation by saying “Paul, an apostle, (not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead;) (elaborate)

Not only that, but Paul wasn’t as focused on them castigating his character, but he was more concerned with them confounded the Gentiles Christian experience. His concern was more so to them preaching a legalistic, self righteous, perverted, false gospel that didn’t align with the true gospel! Therefore, Paul says in Gal. 1:6-9(quote). Paul’s objective was to challenge these new converts to refrain from the obsolete religious system of Judaism, that’s why the book of Galatians is deemed the Magna Charta of Christian freedom or the Christian’s Declaration of Independence, because in Christ we have LIBERTY!! Through Christ death, burial, and resurrection, and by my belief in Him through faith, I have been set free from the bondage of the law, I’ve been set free from a system of works and am now under a system of grace through faith in Jesus Christ! For Paul says in Gal 2:16 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.” Paul says I am dead to the law, that I may live unto God, for I have been crucified with Christ (finish v.20). Gal 2:21  I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain. (Elaborate) FOR THE JUST SHALL LIVE BY FAITH!!

However, although Paul wanted them to know that salvation doesn’t come from the law and we do not practice legalism, he also wanted them to know that we do not practice antinomianism either. Antinomianism means anti law or against the law, in other words it means that man can do what he or she pleases without instruction and restraint. In other words, it conveys the message that we may sin that grace may abound, Paul says God forbid! He says in Gal 5:13  “For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.” True freedom and Joy are not found in legalism nor antinomianism but rather it is found by voluntary bondage to Christ!!

Well I’m getting ready to be where you want me to be. Paul ask a question in Gal.3:2, he says “how did you receive the Holy Spirit? Was it by works of the law or was it by the hearing of faith? (Rom.10:17; Rom.1:17) He then says in v.3 Gal 3:3  Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh? (Explain God sending another comforter; Eph.1:13-14) (continue in Ch.3 v.4 and explain analogy to Abraham)

So we are complete through the working of the Holy Spirit and not by the works of the flesh. So Paul in ch.5 changes his emphasis from theological to intensely ethical and practical, he gives us a contrast of the flesh and the Spirit and says (read v.13-15, then go in to 16 slowly and emphatically)

V.16- Paul says that if we don’t want to devour one another with our carnal ways, if we don’t want to fulfill those things that are not of God in our flesh, the only way we can do that is if we WALK in the Spirit! (Rom.8:1). If we want to bear the Fruit of the Spirit and live a spirit-filled life, we must WALK in the Spirit!…..Paul uses the greek term here “peripateō” which means in a literal sense to tread all around, however keeping in line with the linguistic context, Paul uses the word “peripateō” in a figurative sense to mean “Live in the Spirit, conduct yourself in the Spirit, the Spirit ought to be head of personnel in your life, we ought to be led by the Spirit of God! For Paul says in Rom.8:13ff Rom 8:13  For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.

Rom 8:14  For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

So Paul says walk in the Spirit, so you don’t fulfill the lust of the flesh. The Spirit is like a sealant or a coat of protection, He doesn’t prevent us from sin, but He protects us from practicing a lifestyle of sin. When we walk by the Spirit’s guidance we will not consistently gratify the lust of the flesh!… So in those moments when you are having issues in your marriage and you may want to forsake the covenant or step out on your spouse, it is the Spirit that reminds us “husbands love your wives as Christ loved the Church, wives submit yourself to your husbands as unto the Lord!….. It is in those times when you are having a bad day and you want to do those things you use to do when your days were bad and you want to go pick up the alcohol bottle, it is the Spirit that says (Eph.5:18)…. For if we walk in the Spirit, Paul says we will not fulfill the lust of the flesh!

He says in v.17 (read)

The Spirit and the flesh are like day and night, they are like oil and water, they just don’t mix! Paul would say it like this in Rom.7( elaborate)

V.18 (read and elaborate)

Paul says in Rom. 8:2 “It is through the Spirit that makes us free from the law of sin and death.” The law is made for a fleshly man and for the works of the flesh, not for a righteous man. For Paul said in Rom 6:14  For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.

Well in v.19-21 Paul gives an exhaustive list of the “DO NOT’S” for the Christian. He gives a list of the result of those who are not in step with the Spirit. Time will not allow me to do an exegetical lexical-syntactical study of each of these words, but it would do you good in your free time!

V.19-21 (read and elaborate)

Paul says here’s how you know that you are walking and being led by the flesh, because its works are evident, for we know a tree by the fruit it produces. The acts of the flesh are obvious and truth be told if it wasn’t for the Spirit of God all of us fall in one or more of these categories. For it is these things that our flesh desires without the effectual working of the Holy Spirit and Paul says I warn you again that if you fulfill these desires you CAN NOT & WILL NOT inherit the kingdom of God!

That’s why it is essential that we keep in step with the Spirit because once we stop Steppin with the Spirit, we inevitably start to fulfill the lust of the flesh.

Well Paul says in v.22, here’s what Steppin with the Spirit looks like, here’s the evidence that you are led by the Spirit, here is the fruit of the Holy Spirit!

V.22 ( read and elaborate)

V.23- elaborate on “against such things there is no law” in other words what Paul is saying is there is no law necessary for the Christian who is Steppin with the Spirit!

emphasize the purpose of the law and compare to why we don’t need it( go through list of the fruit of the Spirit) Mention R.Kelly “step in the name of love”

V.24 - Paul gives the reason for the production of this rich spiritual harvest and for the freedom of the Christian from the law. (Read text)

Col.3 Rom.6

V.25 (read and elaborate)

the greek word here for “walk” or keep in step is different from the greek word walk in v.16. For here Paul uses the word stoicheō , which literally means to march in rank. It carries a military connotation in marching in a straight line, it’s Steppin with the Spirit! Figuratively it is conforming your ways to His ways!!

Beloved my objective on this morning was to show how that if we walk in the spirit, and live by the Spirit we shall bear the fruit of the Spirit!…. For us to bear the Fruit of the Spirit, we must keep Steppin with the Spirit!

Beloved, if we want to grow the body of Christ to the full measure and stature of Christ (Eph.4) then we must all strive to keep in step with the Spirit. Paul’s says in v.26 Gal 5:26  Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.” He says in v. 15 don’t bite or devour one another for this is carnal and fleshly and only harms the entire body of Christ! But if we all strive to keep in step with the Spirit and bear the fruit of the Spirit, the results will be a Spirit-filled life and we will have a church full of:

love Joy Peace Forbearance Kindness Goodness Faithfulness Gentleness And self-control!

Close with Deep Sea diving illustration

Conclusion

-recap

-Plan of salvation

-Encourage