Walk in the Spirit

6 June 2021 AM – Galatians 5:25 – Holy Spirit – Scott Childs
Introduction: If Melody told me, “Do not go into the kitchen”, my first reaction would be to say “Why?” If she answered, “I just mopped the floor.” That reason both informs me and motivates me. Read Gal 5:25.
Transition: In this verse, God tells us to walk in the Spirit. A careful look reveals three reasons that we ought to walk in the Spirit, which should inform and motivate us.
The first reason we ought to walk in the Spirit is because …
  1. True Christians live in the Spirit (See v.25)
a.         The verse begins with a condition – if
1)         When a sinner trusts Christ as his Saviour, he is born of the Spirit, regenerated and renewed by the Spirit, and indwelt by the Spirit. (Titus 3:5) “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;“
2)         If, and only if, this has taken place in your life, it is possible for you to walk in the Spirit.
3)     When an unsaved person to tries to walk in the Spirit he or she will utterly fail. He does not have the Holy Spirit living in him to enable him to live as one who walks in the Spirit. Make sure that Christ has saved your soul.
b.         Living in the Spirit is the subject of this verse
1)         In the context, the Spirit is obviously the Holy Spirit not a person’s inner spirit. The noun “Spirit” is in the dative case. The word “in” is implied by the dative case, but it could be translated “by”, “to” or “with”.
2)         Christians live by the Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the One who saved us and gave us new life. See Gal 3:2-3. Jesus said, (John 3:6) “That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.“
3)         Christians live in the Spirit, or in the presence of the Holy Spirit, because He lives in the heart of every Christian. (Romans 8:9) “But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.“
4)         If you live in the Spirit, you ought to walk in the Spirit.
The second reason we ought to walk in the Spirit is because …
2.        Yielded Christians are able to Walk in the Spirit
a.         Walking in the Spirit is within a Christian’s ability.
1)         Walking in the Spirit is walking in and by the power of the Holy Spirit. We are to be continually walking in close fellowship with the Holy Spirit and by means of His enabling and direction.
2)         Consider this illustration by Evangelist John Van Gelderen, “Some impulsively say, ‘I’ll just let the Spirit take over the steering wheel of my life.’ But that would take your responsibility out of it, because if He was behind the wheel, you would have to go where He goes. To use this analogy, as my father often taught, the Spirit would say, ‘No, you stay behind the wheel. I’ll stay over here in the passenger seat. Just do everything I say. Go when I say go. Stop when I say stop. Hold your tongue when I say so. Look away when I prompt you to. Turn that program off when I say so. Witness to that person when I tell you to.’ When you yield to His commands, you are yielding to the leadership of the Holy Spirit. In keeping with the analogy, you are the chauffeur for the Holy Spirit!” Friendship with the Holy Spirit, John R. Van Gelderen, p. 52.
3)         God will never ask you to do something that is beyond your ability. If you are a true Christian, you CAN walk in the Spirit.
b.         Walking in the Spirit requires submission.
1)         Look with me at Galatians 5:16. This is a great promise, but it requires that we yield our will and submit to the will of the Holy Spirit. We must surrender to the conviction of the Holy Spirit just as we did at salvation. (Colossians 2:6) “As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him:“
2)         The Holy Spirit is never going to ZAP your life and make you a super Christian. You MUST participate.
3)         I used to pray, “Lord, make me a strong victorious Christian.” Then one day it dawned on me that God has already given me the ability to be victorious when He gave me the indwelling Holy Spirit. I just need to submit to His will. He will not force me against my will.
4)         When I was 15, I took drivers training. The instructor’s vehicle was equipped with extra breaks on the passenger side where he sat. On one of my first trips, he told me to turn at the upcoming corner. I did not slow down enough, and he firmly pressed the brakes before I made the turn. Then he had a stern talk with me. The Holy Spirit will warn us when we are approaching danger, but He does not push on the breaks for us. He will tell us what to do, but if we do not listen, we have to learn the hard way. Our sin will hurt us and grieve the Holy Spirit. That is why we read in (Ephesians 4:30) “And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.“
5)         John Van Gelderen put it this way, “The Spirit-filled life is not you becoming strong, but rather you recognizing that you are weak (and always will be), and casting yourself on the Strong One.”
6)         Look again at Galatians 5:16-17. Any time we fulfil the lust of the flesh, we are not walking in or by means of the Holy Spirit. If we wonder what God includes in the “lust of the flesh”, He answers that question for us in Galatians 5:19-21. These are the sinful deeds common to unbelievers. Christians are NOT to do these sins.
The third reason we ought to walk in the Spirit is because …
3.        God wants Every Christian to Walk in the Spirit
a.         Take a closer look at our text, Ga 5:25.
1)         The phrase “let us walk” is actually a subjunctive verb. The subjunctive mood expresses an action that is possible if the conditions are met.
2)         What conditions must we meet?
a)         We must live in the Spirit – be a genuine Christian.
b)         We must not grieve Him by saying corrupt things. (Ephesians 4:29-30) “Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.“
c)         We must allow the Spirit to control us. (Ephesians 5:18-19) “And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;” This is a passive command – allow the Spirit to fill you.
d)         The parallel passage to Ephesians 5:19 is Colossians 3:16. We must let God’s Word dwell in us. “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.” That means we must study the Bible, live it out in our daily lives, and express it in our music. Does your music reflect the Bible?
b.         God desires that we walk in the Spirit
1)         This is to be a determined walk. Because God commands that we walk in the Spirit (v.16), we know that it is not automatic. It takes surrender, submission, and effort on our part.
2)         This is to be a continual daily walk (continual tense).
3)         It is a harmonious walk with the Holy Spirit. Remember (1 Corinthians 6:19-20) “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.“
4)         It is a walk that yields fruit. (Galatians 5:22-23) “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.“
Conclusion: If you live in the Spirit, you ought to be walking in the Spirit. Are you a genuine Christian? Have you been walking in the Spirit this week? Are you submissively walking in harmony with the Holy Spirit? Are you allowing him to direct you? It is not automatic. It takes surrender and constant work. You CAN do it if you WILL do it.
Song: Cleanse Me – 166