Automated Transcript
[00:00:01] Go to blossom.
[00:00:05] Our children going out with Miss Bobby, miss Debbie’s already there, wasn’t that better? Just singing from your heart, not worry about the words on a page. Put the words in your heart and let them fly. Old Aaron McCullough, my great friends, a letter. Rip, tater, chip.
[00:00:29] Just let it go. Worship the Lord. Thank you for being here today and we are going to continue today. If you didn’t get your notes in the back, I printed last week’s notes with this week’s notes and stapled them together. If you’d like to get that, there’s a copy of that on the back table.
[00:00:50] But we’re going to continue who is the Holy Spirit? And focus today on walking in the Spirit. We went through a lot of that last week and just a lot of information that I couldn’t just get out in one service. So, yeah, I guess I’m a series preacher. Clan.
[00:01:08] He always gets on me. I say I’m not a series type preacher, but occasionally it takes a little longer to go through than 30 or 45 minutes to cover a topic. So this week we are going to be focusing on walking in the Spirit.
[00:01:25] We were going to go to Romans chapter eight on that and look at those if you want to be turning there. But while you’re turning there, I’ll just kind of bring you up to speed. If you was not here last week, we saw that the Holy Spirit is the third part of the Godhead you have god the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. He’s eternal. He played a major role in creation.
[00:01:51] We learned that there are many names to Him that are on your outline. If you would like to get that or go back and review the video from last week. His purpose is to glorify the Son. Jesus says he will speak of me. So that is the purpose of that.
[00:02:11] And that’s important for us to understand in identifying is it the Holy Spirit talking to me as I walk my Christian walk and he leads me? How do I know if it’s me or if it’s other influence or if the Holy Spirit? And one of the number one question is, does it bring glory to Jesus Christ? Because that is the purpose of the Holy Spirit, is to glorify the Son. We’ll talk about that some more.
[00:02:36] He indwells the believer at the time of salvation. He feels the believer indwelling of the believer depends on God. We said last week that once you are saved, the Holy Spirit immediately comes and seals you and indwells you forever. But the feeling of the Holy Spirit depends on us, on our willingness to let Him lead us, let Him to have all areas of our life and to lead us in our Christian walk. We looked at the duties of the Holy Spirit as he convicts us of sin.
[00:03:14] He interprets or reveals things of Scripture to us. He teaches, he guides, he assures, he intercedes in our prayers, he directs us and he warns us. Those are just some of the duties of the Holy Spirit. We understood last week that we can grieve the Holy Spirit. These are things that let anger well up inside us or unforgiveness.
[00:03:40] It must be a crisis, situation, emergency. But we can also quench the Holy Spirit. As I come in while ago and I was praying and I come in and heard you sing and I thought, yeah, we ought to just sing that acapella. And I was like, I’m always changing things up and they’re going to give me a hard time about saying and the more I just said to her, I said, no, I need to do that. I just believe the Holy Spirit would say, let’s do that.
[00:04:13] And had I said no, then I would have quenched the Holy Spirit.
[00:04:20] We can grieve the Holy Spirit, we can quench the Holy Spirit, but we never can lose the Holy Spirit. We learn Old Testament that David talked about. Take not thy Holy Spirit from me. That does not happen today since Pentecost, the Holy Spirit comes and indwells us forever as Jesus promised, so we cannot lose the Holy Spirit. I think we talked some of the fruits of the Holy Spirit last week, galatians 522 through 23, which we’ll refer to some more today in our Scripture.
[00:04:54] But the fruits of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance. Against such there is no law. So the fruits of the Holy Spirit are result of you being led by the Holy Spirit. Okay, that’s just going to happen with every believer. He also gives us gifts.
[00:05:17] These gifts are listed in one Corinthians twelve and Romans chapter eight, that they’re the word of wisdom, the word of knowledge, of faith, gifts of healing, working miracles, prophecies, discerning the spirits interpretations of we see in the old testament of tongues and divers kinds of tongues. Exhortation or encouragement, teaching, giving, organization, mercy and service are all pretty good list of the gifts of the Spirit as he equips us to do the work that God has called us to do. Each one of us has one of those gifts. We probably more dominant in one gift and we may have some of the other gifts, but they’re all for us to do the work or the will of the Father. So that’s what the gifts of the Spirit were for.
[00:06:12] So as I said, I wanted to focus this week on walking in the Spirit. Now we know who he is, what he does, and sort of what our relation with Him. Now what does it mean to walk in the Spirit? Many people are confused about that and have a hard time understanding that we see that it’s important to walk in the Spirit. It was so important, the work of the Holy Spirit.
[00:06:42] Do you see in the birth of Christ and how the Holy Spirit would reveal to Mary that she was going to in Luke One, verse 34 and 35, he said then said Mary to the angel revealed, you’re going to have a son, and his name will be called Jesus or Emmanuel. You are going to have the Son of God. She asked, how will this be since I do not know a man? In other words, I’ve never been with a man. How is this even possible?
[00:07:14] Then Mary in verse 34 then Mary said to the angel, how shall this be, seeing I know not a man? And the angel answered and said unto her, the Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the highest shall overshadow thee. Therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. So it’s very crucial, the work of the Holy Spirit in the conception and birth of the Son of God to bring us salvation. We see that when Mary went to see her cousin Elizabeth and to tell her that I’m going to have a child six months elizabeth was already six months pregnant with John the Baptist.
[00:08:01] And when she comes in and she tells Elizabeth of her good news, it says, the babe leaped in her womb and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit or with the Holy Ghost. It says so we see the work of the Holy Spirit in John the Baptist. We see the work of the Holy Spirit in a living. That’s important too, I think you mothers are stay at home moms. Or you say, I don’t really work, I don’t do that, and I’m just a stay at home mom.
[00:08:32] You’re not just a stay at home mom. And I know there’s probably not many, and I know Tiffany’s one, but you say, Well, I really don’t do that know, Sam works all the time and I just take care of the you know, Marie could be the same way he’s out driving all the time or I just do this. No, you just do that. Is very important. And is very important that you are led by the Holy Spirit to do those jobs, those things, to raise a family and the nurture and admonition of the Lord as a mother.
[00:09:03] Don’t tell me there’s not to me there’s not a whole any more important job on earth than that. So Christ, we see that in his birth and his conception in the Holy Spirit and Elizabeth John the Baptist. So we see that and then Christ being our example of the importance of the Holy Spirit. Luke 321 and 22 now, when all the people were baptized, it came to pass that Jesus also being baptized and praying, the heavens opened and the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him. And a voice came from heaven which said, thou art my beloved son in thee.
[00:09:47] I am well pleased. So you see there we talked last week, the Holy Spirit is part of the Godhead of the Trinity. We see God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit there, but we also see that the Holy Spirit comes down and lights on Jesus as a dove. What is the importance of that to us? Why does that mean so much to us?
[00:10:08] Jesus’earthly ministry did not take place, did not begin until this took place. So if it was important enough that even the Son of God be led and follow the leadership of the Holy Spirit within him, you reckon it’s important for us? We need to understand that many people avoid this, and us Baptists avoid this like the plague. We don’t want to talk about the we. We shudder at that thing.
[00:10:41] But the Holy Spirit is very essential in our daily life. Matter of fact, so essential we cannot live the Christian life apart from him. And we need to understand that. So walking in the Spirit, those are a couple of examples of Jesus and the disciples could not preach without the Holy Spirit. We see this in Luke 24 49.
[00:11:05] Jesus is telling him, he said, behold, I will send the promise of my Father upon you, but tear you in the city of Jerusalem until you be endured with power from on high. Who is the Promised One? The Holy Spirit. That’s what he’s talking about. In John 14 and 15, he’s saying, I’m going to send another comforter.
[00:11:27] He shall be with you and in you. He’s going to bring all things to your remembrance. And Jesus is telling him, go to Jerusalem and wait. Don’t do a thing until the promise of the Spirit comes. Must be pretty important, guys, if the disciples were not to go.
[00:11:44] And then we see this take place in Acts chapter one, verse four, and being assembled together with them. Jesus here in verse four, is getting ready to ascend back into heaven. And he’s telling his disciples, he commanded them that they should not depart once again from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which Seth, he, ye have heard of me. I’m going back to the Father. Y’all go to Jerusalem and wait.
[00:12:15] Okay? Don’t do anything. And he says in verse eight, but you shall receive power after the Holy Ghost has come upon you, and you shall be witnesses unto me. Here again we see the Holy Spirit does what is a witness unto Christ. He speaks of Christ to glorify or magnify Christ and to glorify the Son.
[00:12:40] So again, I guess I’m just kind of reviewing and setting this up of how we walk, the importance of walking in the Spirit. In Acts chapter two, verses one through four, we see this fulfilled, what Jesus said, the promise of the Father. They’re waiting in Jerusalem. They’re in the upper room with about 120 of them. Peter begins to preach and say some things.
[00:13:05] But when the Day of Pentecost in verse one of chapter two of Acts and when the Day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all in one Accord, in one place. We’re not talking about a little Honda car, not a little Honda Accord. Y’all are not awake. Dan or that was bad, right? All right.
[00:13:27] They are in one accord, one mind. That is so important for us as a body of believers. How many times does it say to be of one mind to come together, understanding all things in one accord, of one mind? And this is exactly what they were doing. If you want the Holy Spirit to show up and do work, don’t think it’s going to happen when there’s dissension in the church, when there’s arguing in the family.
[00:13:56] It’s not going to happen. You’re grieving the Holy Spirit by all this trouble and all this things going on apart from y’all coming together or us coming together in one mind of one accord. Maybe a different message, but that’s important for us to understand. And they were in this place of one accord. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as a rushing mighty wind.
[00:14:21] And it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as a fire, and set upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost and began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit gave utterance. Now this other tongues here there is an other tongue and there’s an unknown tongue. A lot of people miss that in scripture.
[00:14:46] If you look at that, this is a other tongue. What this meant. Peter stood up and preached. And as he preached, there was other people of other regions there. Peter was speaking in whatever Hebrew or whatever he was speaking in probably Hebrew.
[00:15:05] But if there were some others there that spoke another language as he spoke Hebrew, they understood in their language. That’s another tongue. That’s what happened. This is a miracle that took place here as he was filled with the Holy Spirit. And those ones that heard that accepted that message, they were filled with the Holy Spirit.
[00:15:26] And you see that Pentecost has taken place. Result of them being in one accord, being filled with the Holy Spirit. Look what happened on down in verse 41. 3000 souls were saved that day. Well, you talk about revival.
[00:15:44] If we could get the body of Christ to come together in one mind, in one accord and be led by the leading of the Holy Spirit, be filled with the Holy Spirit, the result would be great. 3000. Boy, I’d love to see 3000 soul. I’d like to see 3000 souls in a church service. Maybe that’d be a lot of work, wouldn’t it?
[00:16:07] But could you imagine 3000 people accepting Jesus Christ as their personal savior? Oh, that’d be awesome. From one mind, one accord, led by the Holy Spirit. It is important that the Holy Spirit lead us in all that we do. Paul understood the leading of the Holy Spirit, and there’s many times that Paul wanted to go to certain places and preach the gospel.
[00:16:32] That’s a good thing, right? But the Holy Spirit told him, no, don’t go there, don’t do it. In Acts 16 six, he says, now, when they had gone through fire, I had that in my mind earlier. I even listened to it on the audio, and I came Gyra and the region of Glatia and were forbidden of the Holy Ghost to preach the word in Asia were forbidden of the Holy Ghost to preach the Word. Now, the preaching the word is a good thing, right?
[00:17:09] But the Holy Spirit did not lead them there at that time, at that place. And that’s important for us to understand, too. Just because it’s something good, just because you, oh, I’m doing it for the Lord. I mean, surely he wants me to do this. Sometimes he’s not ready.
[00:17:26] Sometimes where you’re going is not ready to receive that word. Sometimes God has God’s working in other areas, doing other things, and if he’s not ready for it there, we shouldn’t interfere with it. Hello. A lot of times we see people in trouble and we want to help them financially, and we want to do this and we want to do that. But honestly, if the heart is not changed, no matter whatever financial help or any kind of help you’re offering them, you might as well just go talk to the wind.
[00:18:03] If the Holy Spirit is not in it and he’s not working, you can pray for Him. But to go and try to do all these wonderful things for Him, that seems so good. You may be causing more harm than good. It’s important that we follow the leadership of the Holy Spirit, not just in the bad things, but in the good things as well. To walk in the Holy Spirit.
[00:18:28] So the Holy Spirit was essential in the life and the work of Christ, the disciples and of Paul. Why do we think we can live the life that God has for us, but not even recognizing who he is?
[00:18:44] We don’t know what’s going on. I was asked yesterday, do we pray to the Holy Spirit? Oh, you can. I don’t think there’s anything in scripture that says you can’t. But think about it for a minute.
[00:18:56] As I told you last week, you have God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit. Magnifies the Son. Right. The son glorifies the father, right?
[00:19:09] The Son doesn’t do anything other than what the Father told him, and the Holy Spirit doesn’t do anything other than what the Father told him. Jesus died on the cross. The veil was rent that we have access to the very throne of God. So look at it this way rather than praying to the Holy Spirit as you go to the throne of God. Jesus is holding one hand and the Holy Spirit’s holding the other.
[00:19:35] They’re guiding you to the throne of grace. Pray directly to the Father through the Holy Spirit, by the blood of Jesus Christ. That’s how we pray. We have access directly to the Father. As Jesus holds my hand and the Holy Spirit, sometimes they’re dragging me.
[00:19:57] Come on, son, you need to go talk to daddy. Isn’t that awesome? He has made a way that we go very to the throne of grace of God and cry, abba Father. So praying to the Holy Spirit. Why?
[00:20:13] I don’t see anything in scripture says we shouldn’t. I just don’t really think you’re kind of missing the, um if you want to know something about know well, that’s not a good example. I guess I was trying to think of an example that might be better for that.
[00:20:34] If you want to come straight to the phone with God, you go through them. I just leave it at that. I can’t think of a good example. Some of that came in my mind and it left just about as fast as it came in there. So maybe the Holy Spirit didn’t want me to say it.
[00:20:48] So how if it’s so important, if Jesus couldn’t do it, the disciples couldn’t do it, paul couldn’t do it. We are taught to walk in the Spirit. How do I do that? What does that look like? Now we’ll go to Romans, chapter eight in verse one.
[00:21:04] I love this chapter. I love chapter or verse one in particular. Well, I love it all. Who shall separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord? These are the promises we have.
[00:21:17] But in verse one it says, there is therefore no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus. Devil tells you you’re sorry, no good for nothing. Some yeah, I am, but Jesus died for me on the cross. I’m the child of the most high. I’m a child of God and I rest in him.
[00:21:39] As believers, we are sealed with the Holy Spirit. He reveals that to us that there is no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
[00:21:54] A lot of people read this and say, okay, if you walk after the flesh, you’re going to have condemnation. You better be walking after the Spirit. The point is here, and we’ll read on down and you’ll understand that if you are born again, sealed with the Holy Spirit and dwelt by the Holy Spirit, being led by the Holy Spirit, you walk in the Spirit. As Christians, we walk in the spirit. The Spirit of God indwells us.
[00:22:24] The flesh here is what we taught is unsaved people. So a Christian, there is no condemnation. There’s no if you don’t walk in the flesh, no. The ones that here in this verses are unsaved people who have not the Spirit of God, who do not walk in the Spirit as God wants us to. These are unsaved people, so only the unsaved will face the condemnation or the wrath of God.
[00:22:53] Understand that here in these verses, it’s a promise that if we are in the Spirit, we won’t want to walk in the flesh. This is sort of sobering. This is eye opening to a lot. Does this mean I never sin? Absolutely not.
[00:23:09] We’ll talk about that some more, but we’ll go on down Galatians five. We’ll refer to that a lot today, too. Galatians 516. This I say, Then walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. So does this mean if I walk in the Spirit, I’ll never sin again?
[00:23:29] No. Galatians says, be sure you’re walking in the Spirit, and that way you won’t fulfill your old fleshly desires, those things that you want. Your mindset change, and we’ll continue to look at this. I want you to understand walking in the Spirit. You cannot fulfill the will of God in your life without the work of the Holy Spirit being led by the Holy Spirit.
[00:23:54] So how do we walk in the Spirit? If we go back to Romans eight and versus look at vord, verses four through nine. What does this mean? What does this look like to walk in the Spirit? Romans, chapter eight, verse four.
[00:24:11] That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. Now, a lot of people take that out of context. See, we’re supposed to keep the law. Well, you read that wrong. Pay attention to what you read.
[00:24:29] A lot of times we just skim over verses and say, There it is. We’re under the law. We’re supposed to live by the law. That’s not what that verse just said, is it? It says, the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us as we walk in the Spirit.
[00:24:48] We are led by the Spirit, not by the law. The law kills. All the law does is tell me I’m a sinner and I need a savior. It brings no life at all. The Spirit brings life, and in the life that the Spirit brings as I walk in Him, I fulfill all the law.
[00:25:09] Oh, I got to do 632 laws? No. Jesus says it’s wrapped up in two things love the Lord thy God and love thy neighbor as thyself. You understand the Ten Commandments? If you break them down into fives, you have the first five.
[00:25:26] They’re dealing with god. If you love God, you will not have no idols other than me. You will love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind. You don’t want to do anything contrary to God. The second half of it is in relation between us and each other.
[00:25:48] If I love you, I’m not going to covet you.
[00:25:53] You’re not going to want to commit adultery with your neighbor’s wife, you’re not going to want to steal from your neighbor, you’re not going to lie to your neighbor. Do you understand that? So the whole law is wrapped up in two things. If you love God and you love one another, the Holy Spirit reveals that love to you and you fulfill the whole law of God. So to walk in the Spirit I already read that the righteousness of law would be fulfilled, not that we live by the law, it’s fulfilled by walking after the spirit.
[00:26:35] So verse five. For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh, but they that are after the spirit, the things of the spirit. Understand what I’m telling you here. Those who mind the things of the flesh are who those Christians that fall back, the backslide, they’re the unsaved is what the context of what he’s talking about here in the flesh? Without the Holy Spirit, you cannot fulfill the law of God.
[00:27:12] You can’t please God without walking in the spirit. And an unsaved person can’t do that. Only a Christian can. I know this is a lot of you like, what in the world is he talking about here? Where’s he going with this?
[00:27:25] I’m not saying you won’t ever get back in your flesh. You might fall and you just ignore grieve. The Holy Spirit. Quench the Holy Spirit. And you can do that?
[00:27:38] And then now you’re operating back in your flesh, but you won’t do it for long because what’s the job of the Holy Spirit? To convict you of that, to show you that, to reveal where you’re at in that. He’s not going to allow you Christian to do that. Long, you’re not going to do that. What does long mean now, to me and know me and David’s, long is not a very long time.
[00:28:05] I don’t know about you, brother, but I’m pretty impatient. I want it done yesterday. I asked God for patience and I asked him to hurry up about it. But as I just pondered some this week about the long suffering of God, he’s not on our time frame. Thank goodness he’s long suffering.
[00:28:24] Thank goodness he’s patient. I wouldn’t be here today if he wasn’t, so don’t say that. Well, they’re just doing that thing and it just seemed like a turn. They’re just not coming back. You don’t know what God’s doing in their life.
[00:28:41] You don’t know what’s going on there with that doesn’t mean they’re unsaved. God’s working with them, and in his time he’ll bring it around. So we can rest assured in that.
[00:28:55] Let’s see. But they that are after the flesh, the things of the flesh, verse six. But for to be carnally minded is death. To think with my mind. What does carnally minded mean?
[00:29:08] That means I think, like the world does get all I can and can all I get. My preacher used to say it’s all about me, what I want, my desires. I don’t care about God, I don’t care about the Holy Spirit. Nothing of that appeals to me. I’m going to live my life.
[00:29:29] I’m going to do it my way. I’m sorry, y’all, but you know the song, right? I did it my way. That’s carnally minded. That’s living in the flesh.
[00:29:44] That’s the way of the world. What is the way of walking in the spirit? What is the way of to be spiritually minded? It’s life and peace. How do I get that life and peace knowing I’m doing it his way?
[00:30:00] I may fall, I may stumble, but he picks me up. There’s no condemnation. He’s just guiding me along, picks me up, pass me. Come on now, get back on the trail, go the right way. That is life and that is peace.
[00:30:17] As we’re spiritually minded, always looking to the Father, what is not my will, Father, but your will be done. That’s spiritually minded. That’s where our mindset ought to be. And you see here in this verse six to be kernelly minded versus spiritually minded. So the problem is, there’s a battle in the Christian life between the mind, what I want and what God wants.
[00:30:47] Jesus, even in Garcia, you say, well, I should never do that. Jesus did the same thing. It wasn’t without sin. He didn’t sin. I’m not saying he sinned, but in his flesh he said, Father, if there’s any way, let this cup pass from me.
[00:31:03] That was a battle of the mind, as in his humanity, as he battled with such a terrible thing. And by the way, me and you have never been under that kind of temptation. Me and you have never been under that kind of pain that Jesus was going through. So before you point fingers, you haven’t been there and you hadn’t done that. Okay?
[00:31:26] But Jesus was even showing the battle between the mind of what he wanted and what he desired versus what the Father wanted, what he desired. But he ultimately, in the next verse, says, not my will, but your will be done. So it’s okay to struggle, it’s okay to I sure would like that. But not my will, Father, your will be done. It’s okay to have that because we are still in a sinful flesh, in a sinful body.
[00:32:00] But we won’t continue it. As I said. Verse seven. Because the carnal mind, the unsaved mind, is enmity or hostility against God. It’s hostile toward God.
[00:32:15] One definition of it is just a hatred toward God, against God. For is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be an unsaved person does not understand, does not want, does not care about the law of God. I’m living it my way, I’m going with whoever I want, doing whatever I want, whenever I want, and know God’s going to tell me what to. Do. That sounds scary, don’t it?
[00:32:45] I hope that sounds scary to you. If it doesn’t, you might want to check up because as a believer the spirit within us doesn’t reveal that to us. I want your will ultimately. Yeah. Lord, if you would, I’d be so happy if you just give me this.
[00:33:06] I’d go to church for ten years. I’d sing praises to and we want to make deals with God about things we want. But ultimately we ought to come and say lord, where are you leading? What do you want? What is your will?
[00:33:20] Give me those desires. Give me Your desires so then that they are in the flesh cannot please God. Those that are unsaved do not please God. The only thing you ever did to please God or they can do to please God is believe on His Son. After that, the Holy Spirit comes in and dwells and leads you in all righteousness.
[00:33:51] What are the deeds of the flesh? What does it look like to live in the flesh? And I just kind of want you to understand this. Goodness gracious, I can’t believe I’m out of time again.
[00:34:03] I’ll go through these quickly because you know them and you can look them up in Galatians 519 through 20. Now I’m reading the jack. I’m reading the NASB here because I think it does a good job of clarifying what all these means. That the deeds of the flesh which are sexual immorality impurity, indecent behavior, idolatry. That idolatry is not just not just a graven image covered in gold.
[00:34:32] That can be that car sitting out there in the driveway. That can be that house. That could be your wife, your husband. Anything you put before God can be idolatry. So I’ll move on from now.
[00:34:49] Witchcraft, hostility, strife, jealousy, outburst of anger, selfish, ambition, dissensions, fractions, envy, drunkenness, carousing and things like these which I have forewarned you just as I have forewarned forewarned you that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of heaven. That’s scary, isn’t it? What we’re talking about is a lifetime, an unbeliever. This is all they know. This is all they do.
[00:35:25] Living a lifetime of that kind of activity with no remorse, no guilt no nothing about their sin. This is the practice of an unbeliever. This is what it looks like to live in the flesh. But he says, but you are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit. If so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you.
[00:35:48] You don’t live like that. You don’t act like that with the Holy Spirit living within you again. You may fall, but he picks you back up. He gets you back on the path. Now, if any man has not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
[00:36:03] See how we’re talking about unbelievers here? Those who do not have the Spirit of God, you act like that. These are the fruits of a carnal mind see, people, as we walk in the spirit and we’re led by the Holy Spirit, we say oh. And you hear the old queen I got the spirit. Well, that’s great does the spirit have you?
[00:36:31] See, it’s more important that the spirit has you because if you got the spirit I mean I got him. Come on, Holy Spirit, let’s go do this. It ought to be more like come on Kenny let me lead you where I want you to go today. The Holy Spirit needs to have us not us have the Holy Spirit now we do. He’s indwelled us but to have us means he leads us and guides us.
[00:36:57] I got to keep moving guys. I guess the best illustration I could give you of walking in the spirit listen to the Holy Spirit is kind of like when you’re driving down the road with your wife and she’s non stop telling you how to drive is Robin the only one? That does mean it’s amazing that I have driven for all these years and knock on wood, have yet to have a wreck. But when robin gets in the car I don’t even know which way home is. She’s got to give me directions on everything but that’s.
[00:37:33] The way it ought to be is the holy spirit leads us every step, every turn everything I do the holy spirit ought to be leading us and guiding hey, kenny, go over here. Do this. Turn your blinker on you better stop I love it when she I’m driving down the road and there’ll be a car 300 yards ahead of me put on brake lights she goes scares me to death every time I’m thinking something just ran out or pulled out and she’s looking way down the road and saw brake lights. Stop doing that. All right, I know I’m out of time, but I want you to understand this is that guys, it’s like your wife telling you how to drive every step of the way.
[00:38:21] We ought to be walking in the listening to his call. Don’t do like you do your wife will you be quiet? With the Holy Spirit we say okay, tell me what you’re saying again. Make this clear to me. Lead me in the way you want me to go.
[00:38:39] We die to ourself when we do that we give up to ourself and to our desires what we want going back to Romans twelve it is man, it’s been pressed upon me here lately not a command, but a way to live the Christian life. Romans twelve one and two. I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of the God that you present your bodies a living sacrifice wholly acceptable unto God which is your reasonable service. Every day I get up and I say here am I lord, send me, lead me by your Holy Spirit I die to myself and live to him. It’s a way to live the Christian it’s the only way to live the Christian life apart from the work of the Holy Spirit and him leading us and guiding us and us dying to self.
[00:39:34] John. The badger says I must decrease. He must increase. That is the Holy Spirit in our life. He must increase as we follow him, as he guides us and leads us.
[00:39:47] And listen to this again in Romans Twelve, verse two, going back to the mind and be not conformed to this world. Don’t think like the world, act like the world, do like the world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of what your mind. It all starts in the mind. That’s why Jesus says bring. Paul tells us to bring every thought into subjection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
[00:40:18] What would you have me to do with even this thought that comes into my mind? That’s how we walk in the spirit.
[00:40:28] And that takes place, and that takes practice to listen. A lot of times we want to look for God. Send me a shooting star. Align the planets. Let me get out of quarter and heads or tails?
[00:40:42] Yep, tails. Holy Spirit wants me to get that new bicycle.
[00:40:49] See, we want to do it like that. Most of the time in my Christian life that I’ve learned in the hard way is that when God speaks, it’s often.
[00:41:04] I watch you do that. It’s a still, small voice. It’s not thundering from heaven. It’s not grand trumpets and all the grander of that. It’s the still, small voice of God that says, hey, Kenny, go this way.
[00:41:23] Hey, Kenny, call this person. Hey, Kenny. That person needs to hear about Jesus. Hey, Kenny, give this it’s just a still, small voice. And as I hear that voice, I’m trying and learning to say, Jesus.
[00:41:40] Is that what you want me to do? Will that magnify you the most? Will that glorify God the most? Or is that just something? Is it the Holy Spirit or is it me?
[00:41:53] As I walk and you listen to those voice listen to those things that come up and you say well how do I know for sure? For sure I hear this voice well there’s a test and you go back to Galatians five verse 23 through 23 compare it to the fruits of the spirit see we’re coming the Holy Spirit indwells us and as Christians we are following him being led by the Holy Spirit guess what? You’re an apple tree, you’re going to produce apples, you’re an orange tree, you’re going to produce oranges you’re a tomato bush plant, you’re going to produce tomatoes. An apple tree doesn’t produce oranges so as a Christian and dwelt by the Holy Spirit trying to listen and learn to being led by the Holy Spirit, you’re going to produce fruits of the Holy Spirit. So when those things come in your mind and you’re trying to should I could I would have maybe done?
[00:42:57] I don’t know for sure. You can ask yourself. Go to Galatians 522 and 23. The fruits of the Spirit is love. If what I want to do say give whatever, does it demonstrate the love of God?
[00:43:13] Does it bring joy? Does it bring peace? Does it show patience? Does it show kindness? Does it show goodness?
[00:43:25] Does it prove faithfulness?
[00:43:31] Does it express gentleness? Does what I want to do show self control? That’s a big one, isn’t it? Sometimes my mouth overloads my brain.
[00:43:46] That’s self control. Does it show these things? Against such there is no law. So you just compare it to this list. And as this list goes, does what the Holy Spirit or what you’re hearing that you believe is the Holy Spirit speaking to you?
[00:44:03] Does it demonstrate those fruits? Does it, Magnify? Jesus. And does it glorify the Father? There’s your test.
[00:44:15] It’s that simple. It’s not rocket know, we get all I just wish the Lord would talk to me sometimes. He’s talking. You’re just not listening. And people he doesn’t talk all the time through this.
[00:44:31] You got to be in his word. You show me somebody that’s backsliding away from God and living and doing whatever they want to do, living like the world and doing and professing to be a Christian. I would ask them, when’s the last time you read your Bible? Or maybe a better question can you even find your Bible?
[00:44:52] You find somebody that’s not in the word of God and I’ll show you somebody that’s miserable. If they’re truly a Christian, there is no peace, there is no gentleness, there is no long suffering, there is no kindness. They’re just doing their thing and I want nothing to do with it. I don’t have time for that. I’m busy.
[00:45:16] I’m going to tell you, just like we’ve got to have the Holy Spirit, we got to have His Word because it says he brings all things to our remembrance. And if you haven’t put anything in there, just like the ATM machine, then that bank going to give you money out. If you don’t put money in, the Holy Spirit’s not going to bring things out if you haven’t put anything in. And we need to be putting God’s word in our heart that I might not sin against Thee. David says, Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet.
[00:45:47] His word speaks to me. It guides me through the power of the Holy Spirit as I walk in this Christian walk. I hope this has helped and it’s different for each person. I understand that, but that seems to be the number one. How do I know?
[00:46:07] Does God talk to me? Yeah, he’s always talking. He’s always there, even if you don’t think so. God’s at work and the Holy Spirit just wanting to guide and lead. Are you listening?
[00:46:21] Are you letting him lead? Or like I said last week, is he locked up in the closet? It’s important that we’re led by the Holy Spirit to do the will of God. Father, we thank you for this day. Lord, I just pray that the Holy Spirit would just take the words that I’ve said and unscramble them to make sense out of them, to make them clear to each and every one of us as we walk our daily lives, our Christian walks.
[00:46:54] Fathers, we serve you and want to follow you to be like Jesus. Lord, there’s so many times we fall short. And I just pray that each and every one of us would just learn to listen to your Spirit, to show those things, that the only Spirit can guide us and lead us, and to produce the fruits of the Spirit, that we’d be a light to our community, that we would have peace and joy in our hearts. Father, we just thank you for your word. We thank you for Jesus.
[00:47:33] And Father, we thank you for the Holy Spirit that equips us and guides us and leads us in every thing that we did. Jesus name, I pray. Amen. Page 400 and.