Galatians 5:16
Walk in the Spirit
We have just completed a successful series of revival meetings. That is not to
say that we have ‘arrived" but it is to say that many have felt the Spirit of God
moving on them and have obeyed Him.
Now what? What do we do to keep those who have felt God’s Spirit in that place?
What do we do to keep a moving Spirit of God in our services? The answer is a
nutshell is that we keep pouring fuel on our fire. If we want God to continue
doing what He is doing, either individually in our lives or collectively in our
church, we must keep walking in the Spirit of the Lord.
Let’s consider that thought tonight.
I. What does the phrase "Walk in the Spirit" mean?
A. It is a command that is alluded to several times in the Bible.
1. It is given as a command twice in the book of Galatians.
Galatians 5:25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
2. Both Paul and Peter make reference to this act.
Romans 8:4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk
not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
5 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.
1 Peter 4:6 For for this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead,
that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but LIVE ACCORDING TO
GOD IN THE SPIRIT.
B. It is made up of two thoughts.
1. TO WALK
a. Walking is a slow but continuous movement forward.
(1) Walking speaks of direction (forward), frequency
(continuous), and pace (steady).
(2) Most people don’t walk backwards. It is forward.
(3) Walking is not running or sprinting. It is steady.
(4) To get anywhere walking, you must continue at it. It is continuous.
(5) Walking is a continuous and steady movement forward.
b. This is how God wants our spiritual life to be.
(1) Continuous, steady, forward.
(2) God is not interested in you seeing how many things you
can change tomorrow.
(3) He is interested in you can changing a few important
things for the good and keeping them changed.
(4) Once you get some mastery over those things, then find
a few others and keep going.
c. This is what the phrase TO WALK implies.
2. IN THE SPIRIT
a. To be IN THE SPIRIT means to be in the PRESENCE of the HOLY
SPIRIT.
(1) If we are in the presence of the Holy Spirit, then we are
in the presence of God.
(a) The Holy Spirit is our connection to God.
(b) The Holy Spirit abides in us and ties us directly to
God.
(2) By virtue of the Holy Spirit, you and I are never far
from God—even in our worst condition.
b. The command that we have to be IN the Holy Spirit is not
some mystical, out-of-body experience as some would have
us believe.
(1) It is actually the same commandment that we have in
relationship to Jesus.
John 15:4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself,
except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.
John 15:7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will,
and it shall be done unto you.
(a) What is Jesus saying?
(b) He is saying come into My presence and stay there.
(2) And by the ministry of these two members of the Trinity,
we are able to come into the presence of the Father and
stay there.
Ephesians 2:18 For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.
Hebrews 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may
obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
C. So what do we need to do?
1. We need to come into God’s presence and stay there.
a. Come into the Spirit’s presence and stay there.
b. Come into the Son’s presence and stay there.
c. Come into the Father’s presence and stay there.
2. Some have felt the presence of God this week. Now, we need to
keep the spiritual gates open so that we can stay in His presence.
Rev 3:2 Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to
die:
II. How do we stay in the presence of God?
A. It is not easy.
1. We are carnal beings living in a carnal world.
2. Our very nature pulls us out of God’s presence.
B. If we are going to stay in the presence of God, we are going to have to
work at it.
1. Staying in God’s presence is not just going to happen.
a. You do not accidentally become spiritual.
b. That is like water running up hill. It doesn’t occur in this
universe.
2. The writer of Hebrews challenged his readers to work at believing!
Hebrews 4:11 Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall
after the same example of unbelief.
3. Staying in God’s presence requires effort and a plan.
a. We need a spiritual plan that utilizes the spiritual tools that
God has given us.
(1) Prayer (5) Songs, hymns
(2) Preaching (6) Worship
(3) Church (7) Nature
(4) The Bible (8) Blessing counting
b. Not only do you need a plan of WHAT you are going to do, you
need to plan WHEN you are going to do it.
(1) How long will you go without seeking the Lord’s presence?
(2) When will you worship?
(3) When will you sing God’s praise?
c. You need to participate in WORK-SHIP.
(1) This past week, we had a testimony of how responsibility
forced one of our people to have his own revival.
(2) Realizing you need Christ will force you into God’s
presence.
(3) We THINK we can take care of ourselves and our problems.
(a) We can’t but we think we can.
(b) It is when we know we need God that we get serious
about seeking Him.
4. What is your spiritual plan?
a. You have plans to work.
b. You have plans to get your children educated. (If nothing
else, the government has one that you are required to follow.)
c. You have plans for retirement, for you weekly finances—some of
you have already started planning next year’s vacation!
d. Don’t you think it is about time to quit playing foot loose
with the most important element in your life?!
III. If we are going to stay in God’s presence, we will have to watch for some
things.
A. We cannot let the flesh defeat the spirit.
1. The biggest problem with staying in God’s presence isn’t the devil.
It’s us.
2. Our flesh can hinder us in a multitude of ways.
a. Our flesh can quit wanting the things of God.
(1) God is not opposed to us having fun.
(2) However, every time you do what you WANT (you want it and
you just do it because you want to), you feed the flesh.
(3) If you do what you want enough, soon your flesh will be
in charge of you.
(4) You ask, "What are we supposed to do?"
(a) You control the flesh.
(b) Give it a want or two every once in while but only
when it is in God’s timing and doing what God would
be pleased with.
(c) We are strange. Most of us understand the danger in
allowing a child to have everything he or she wants,
but we don’t see the same danger in our lives!
(d) If giving our children their wants will lead to an
undisciplined life, it will do the same thing to us.
b. Our flesh can sin away the presence of God.
(1) You can’t be in God’s presence and be filled with wrath,
jealousy, lust, malice, greed, or the other sins of the
flesh.
(2) The devil knows that and so he will harder than ever to
fill you with fleshly sin.
(3) We must keep that flesh in check and when it gets out of
control, we must reign it back in and ask God for
forgiveness.
c. Our flesh can just get tired of spiritual things.
(1) That is what the Bible means when it speaks of weary or
even dull.
(2) If I take an ax and sharpen it razor sharp, I understand
that two things will dull it.
(a) Striking the world will dull it.
i. My ax, as sharp as it may be, will get dull if
I repeatedly strike the dirt with it.
ii. It will get duller even quicker, if I strike a
rock with it.
iii. Why? Because the world dulls sharp things.
iv. That’s not just true in the physical sense. It
is true in the spiritual sense as well.
(b) Not only striking the world will dull by sharp ax,
but just using my ax as I should will dull it.
i. I don’t have to hit a rock or the ground.
ii. Just hitting timber will dull my ax.
iii. So my spirit can be doing just what it is
supposed to be doing, but it still gets tired,
weary, and dull.
B. We cannot let life defeat our plan.
1. Life is big and consuming.
a. By life, I mean your commitments, your obligations, your needs,
your duties, and so forth.
b. Your life wants to RUN you.
c. It wants to take your spiritual plan for victory and chew it up!
2. That is not the way God intended life to be.
a. God created the world and life and then gave man dominion over
it.
b. Granted, sin’s entrance has changed a lot of what life is going
to be like; but especially for us who are believers, life is
not supposed to control us. We are supposed to control it.
1 John 4:4 Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because
greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.
1 John 5:4 For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is
the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.
Revelation 12:11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by
the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.
3. You and I need to remember that we are not here to work, to repair,
to clean, to go to school, to be on the team or squad.
a. Those are the things we do so that we can live more comfortably
or enjoyably.
b. We are here to live for Jesus.
c. When life starts taking over so that we can’t live for Jesus,
life is controlling us and we need to set things back in order.
C. We cannot let problems defeat our victory.
1. Just like the devil is going to tempt you to sin, he is going to
tempt you with problems.
a. Somebody is about to get mad at you.
b. You are about to get an unexpected bill.
c. Sickness is just around the corner.
2. Don’t you let that problem, whatever it is, take away your victory.
a. It does not matter how bad things get, you are a winner in
Jesus—and you are going to win.
b. Discouragement and defeat will suck both the spiritual and
physical life out of you!
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