Galatians 5:16 – Walk In the Spirit – Bible study

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 Gods 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. Lets 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 dont 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 Godeven 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 Gods presence and stay there. a. Come into the Spirits presence and stay there. b. Come into the Sons presence and stay there. c. Come into the Fathers 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 Gods 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 Gods presence is not just going to happen. a. You do not accidentally become spiritual. b. That is like water running up hill. It doesnt 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 Gods 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 Lords presence? (2) When will you worship? (3) When will you sing Gods 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 Gods presence. (3) We THINK we can take care of ourselves and our problems. (a) We cant 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 financessome of you have already started planning next years vacation! d. Dont 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 Gods 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 Gods presence isnt the devil. Its 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 Gods 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 dont 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 cant be in Gods 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. Thats 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 dont 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, sins 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 cant 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. Dont 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 Jesusand you are going to win. b. Discouragement and defeat will suck both the spiritual and physical life out of you!