How To Walk In The Spirit

Now, take your Bibles and find, if you will, Colossians chapter 2; and, in a moment,

we’re going to read the first 10 verses. But, this is a wonderful, wonderful passage of Scripture. Now, what this scripture is teaching us is how to live victoriously in the Christian life, and it’s going to be very simple. Now, the Christian life is not so high that you can reach it; it’s so low that you get down to it. The Bible says, “God preserveth the simple” (Psalm 116:6). And, an ordinary person, surrendered to the Lord, can understand how to live the victorious life. You don’t have to have a Ph.D.; you don’t have to learn the Greek and the Hebrew to learn what we’re going to learn tonight. Somebody said, about the Bible, “The Bible is such a wonderful book. It is shallow enough that a little child can come and get a drink without fear of drowning, and so deep that the scholars can swim in it and never touch bottom.” I love that. That is so true about the Bible.

Now, Paul, when he wrote this passage… Well, let’s read it, first of all. I’m going to read, beginning in chapter 2, verse 1—and Colossians chapter 2, verse 1: “For I would that ye knew what great conflict I have for you, and for them at Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh;”—now, when he says “conflict,” he means, “have a deep concern in my heart for you”; and, here’s what it was that he had the desire for those in Colossae—“that their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ…”— remember this morning we talked about the mystery of the Spirit? That’s what he’s talking about, right now—“the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ; in whom…”—now, here’s a key verse, right here. Two key verses—this is one of them— “in whom…”—that is, in Jesus—“in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. And this I say, lest any man should beguile you with enticing words. For though I be absent in the flesh, yet am I with you in the spirit, joying and beholding your order, and the stedfastness of your faith in Christ.” Now, here’s the key verse—I have it marked in my Bible: “As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him:”—we’re talking about how to walk in the Spirit. Now, how are you to walk in Him?— “rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving. Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. For in him”—that is, in Jesus—“dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power” (Colossians 2:1–10).

Now, Paul is saying that there is an incredible treasure for you. Go back to verse 3— he speaks of Jesus, “in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Colossians 2:3). In Jesus—it’s all in Jesus. In Him you’re complete. You don’t have to look for anything else. All the treasure is in the Lord Jesus Christ. It’s hidden in Christ. Why did God hide it? So you and I could have the joy of discovering it. The treasure is available; it’s all for you. But, you may not be aware, because the treasure may be hidden to you. So, what you have to do is to discover and appropriate your treasure.

Years ago, I read about a ship that was out in the ocean, off of Brazil, and the ship was without water. And, the people on board the ship, though surrounded with salt water, were dying of thirst. They saw another ship, and they sent a message to the other ship by semaphore, and said, “Do you have any water? We need water.” The other ship sent a message back, and said, “Let down your buckets where you are.” They said, “No, you don’t understand.” They sent another message, “We need drinking water.” They sent back the message again, “Let down your buckets where you are.” They let down their buckets and came up with fresh water, because they were at the mouth of the mighty Amazon River, and that Amazon River of fresh water was flowing out into the ocean and bringing fresh water, way out into the ocean where they were. Here they were, thinking they were dying of thirst, and surrounded by water to drink. But, they failed to appropriate that which was all around them.