How To Walk In The Spirit

You say, “Well, Pastor, do you ever do anything wrong?” Well, I almost got angry at my deacons tonight, talking about Tennessee winning that ballgame. Don’t you clap, now.

You know, you never reach the place in your Christian life where you don’t need to repent. As a matter of fact, Joyce came up to my study the other day, and the sunlight was coming in the window, and she looked at the glass-top table, and she said, “Look at that dust.” I said, “Honey, if it hadn’t been for that sunlight, you never would have seen that dust.” But, the sunlight was coming in, and it came on that glass table.

Friend, a person who says, “You know, I don’t need any more repenting,” just tells me they’re not walking in the light. You know, they’re in the twilight zone. The closer you get to the Lord, the more imperfections you’ll see in your own life. How do you walk in the Spirit? Repentance and faith. How did you receive Jesus? By repentance and faith. “As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him” (Colossians 2:6). And, friend, if you’ll do that, you will discover the treasures that are in the Lord Jesus Christ. You see, repentance is turning from self; faith is turning to Jesus. And, the more you turn from yourself and the more you turn to the Lord Jesus Christ, the more real He will seem to you.

Now, that’s the way to live the Christian life—is to walk in the Spirit. You know, there are too many Christians who are looking back to some experience that they’ve had a long time ago, rather than walking in the Lord.

Now, it’s a very simple thing—a very simple thing: You come to the Lord, and you say, “O God, I’m a sinner, but I received Christ Jesus as Lord and Savior, and I take the first two steps of repentance and faith.” He begins to walk and work in me. And, as I continue to walk, turning from self—repentance, turning to Him—faith, my life begins to progress, and I get more and more like the Lord Jesus Christ. And then, those treasures that are in verse 3, I discover, and I say, “You know, it is really true. All the treasures are in Him, and in Him I am complete” (Colossians 2:3). And, once you do that, it’s the cure for self-consciousness; it’s the cure for greed; it’s the cure for competition; it’s the cure for comparison. You’re just complete in Him. You’re like the little guy who misquoted the 23rd Psalm—but I think he got it right, when he said, “The Lord is my shepherd; I’ve got all I want.” You are complete in Him. You can go deeper into Him, but you’ll never go beyond Him. Amen.

Conclusion

Bow your heads in prayer. I want to ask you this question, and I want you to ask the question yourself: Is Jesus Christ real to you? Do you honestly believe that, not only is He necessary, but do you really believe He is enough, that in Him you are complete, that all of the treasures are hidden in the Lord Jesus Christ, and that, if you walk in Him, you will progressively discover—uncover and discover—these wonderful treasures? Why don’t you take just a moment and ask God about it, and try to get this out of the realm of a sermon and just get it into your heart. Don’t try to remember the points of the message. Just ask yourself right now, “What is God saying to me?” Not, “What did Adrian say?” “What is God really saying to me, right now?” Those of you who are listening by radio, dead time is not a good thing on radio, but you do the same thing for just a moment.