Romans 8:1-17
Introduction:
The thrilling spiritual moments may be genuine responses to God, or they may be the desire of the flesh in just one more moment of exhilaration.
I. How do we become led by the Spirit of God?
a. When we chose not to let our bodily desires direct our living
b. When we chose to allow the Holy Spirit to lead us to put our bodily desires to death
II. Why should we become led by the Spirit of God?
a. A life of no condemnation
b. A life of peace Spiritual Moments Versus Spirit Led
c. A life of pleasing God
d. A life as a child of God
It was certainly true in the days of Jesus’ earthly ministry, and it is true today. It is not a lack of religious interest that plagues the world. For whatever reason interest in religion is very high. The problem is that that interest is not translating into changed lives. George Barna’s latest research indicates that the gap on lifestyle between non-church attending people and church attending people is closing. All across the board what we would hope would be indicators of a genuine relationship with God and becoming less and less evident. What is happening? What causes that? I want to suggest to you that the problem is a deep problem, yet a simple one. It is the difference between spiritual moments and spirit led. Someone has said that our life in Christ can be compared to an aqueduct, the stone waterways that brought water from nearby mountains into parched cities in Italy and Spain, and that are still used in some countries today. The objective foundation of our spiritual lives, the Word of God, is like the huge stone aqueduct itself. The subjective elements, our daily experience of Christ, are like the fresh water flowing through it. Some Christians neglect the Word and seek only the subjective experience. But without the solid Word of God to contain and channel that experience, the experience itself drains away into error and is lost. Other Christians boast well-engineered aqueducts based on extensive knowledge of the Bible, but they are bone dry. They bring no refreshment. Strong spiritual lives require both a strong knowledge of the Word of God and an intimate daily relationship with Christ. We live in a world that races for the thrill of the moment. Our throw away world also seeks to be able to throw away the emotions as fast as we get them. The thrilling spiritual moments may be genuine responses to God, or they may be the desire of the flesh in just one more moment of exhilaration. The truth is, spiritual moments can be worked up and induced. Just because a person has spiritual moments does not indicate that they are Spirit led. I want you to walk with me through this passage of scripture today to take a close look at yourself and see if you need to allow God to do some business with you today.
The first stop on our way is to examine the question of how do we become led by the spirit of God. Now we need to make sure that we have an understanding of what we are talking about here. To be led by the Spirit means to be directed and guided by the Spirit. We have done pretty well at seeing the role of the Holy Spirit as our comforter in times of need. We have not done so well at seeing Him as the one who “guides us into the truth”. The word led literally conveys the idea of having a hand upon. I remember watching a young family in church one time. The little toddler was being about as hard to handle as he could be. The mom would try to quiet him. Dad had given several of those corner of the eye looks. It did not help. Then all of a sudden I saw the smoothest move. Dad just reached down and took the toddlers hand and out the aisle and out the door they went. The look on that child’s face told the tale, he got the point, daddy was in charge and daddy was doing the leading. How do you come to the place that the Holy Spirit is in fact the one in charge of your life? You have to make the first step and it begins when we chose not to let our bodily desires guide us. The Bible says that we are not to walk according to the flesh. We are not to allow the desires of the body to be the guide for our actions and our living. You do not have a choice in whether or not your life will be guided; you do have a choice as to who will be guiding you. The real choices always boil down to two, your flesh or the Holy Spirit. It cannot be both and you are the one who has to make that decision. It comes to pass when we chose to allow the Holy Spirit to help us to put our bodily desires to death. The Bible is pretty clear. We must put to death the deeds of the flesh. Your fleshly desires become untamable raging waves. They cannot be managed apart from the help of the Holy Spirit. Perhaps the issue for some here today is that you have for too long tried to manage your passions and desires. You don’t manage them, you allow the Holy Spirit to help you put them to death. They cannot have reign over you. We have to face up to the fact that we have to be a part of that process. In The Last Days Newsletter, Leonard Ravenhill tells about a group of tourists visiting a picturesque village who walked by an old man sitting beside a fence. In a rather patronizing way, one tourist asked, “Were any great men born in this village? “The old man replied, “Nope, only babies.” Everyone has to start at the same place and grow into maturity. It does not just happen. Before the Holy Spirit can lead you, you must turn over the control of your life from your own desires and give it to the Holy Spirit.
Now the second place to stop today is to ask the question, “Why?” There are those who say that to give in to the flesh is a good thing. It feels good do it. It is a natural thing after all, just let it be. But there is more to the story than just that. The Bible gives us here four reasons why we should want to live a spirit led life. First, it is a life of no condemnation. Charles Stanley says quite often that the reason that there is such a vast amount of guilt in the lives of people in America today is because we are guilty. We are trying to cope with guilt and escape guilt. But the Bible has a remedy. Confess your guilt and be cleansed and then be led by the Spirit away from those things that bring guilt. The Spirit led life is so worth every step because you are able to face a person without wondering who knows what about you. You do not have to live your life wondering when something is going to come back home to you.
Then there is the blessing of a life of peace. It starts with no condemnation. There can be no peace if there is guilt. If you have unconfessed sin in your life, forget about finding peace, it is not going to come. But as you allow the Spirit to lead you and direct your life you have peace. Peace is not just a magic formula. It is available, but you need to understand how it comes. A young man in his late twenties, and a bunch of friends decided to sail around the world. He admitted, though, at the time he was a bit worried. He hadn’t even sailed before. He was uneasy and anxious. So he spent a lot of time reading the Bible and praying about it, until it dawned on him that God was whispering, “Tim, I’ll give you peace if you read some books on sailing. The reason you’re anxious is not due to lack of prayer, but to your lack of sailing knowledge.” He wasn’t unprayerful; he was unskilled. So he took a step he needed to take to “let” God work his peace in his heart. He began reading about sailing. Long ago a man sought the perfect picture of peace. Not finding one that satisfied, he announced a contest to produce this masterpiece. The challenge stirred the imagination of artists everywhere, and paintings arrived from far and wide. Finally the great day of revelation arrived. The judges uncovered one peaceful scene after another, while the viewers clapped and cheered. The tensions grew. Only two pictures remained veiled. As a judge pulled the cover from one, a hush fell over the crowd. A mirror-smooth lake reflected lacy, green birches under the soft blush of the evening sky. Along the grassy shore, a flock of sheep grazed undisturbed. Surely this was the winner.
The man with the vision uncovered the second painting himself, and the crowd gasped in surprise. Could this be peace? A tumultuous waterfall cascaded down a rocky precipice; the crowd could almost feel its cold, penetrating spray. Stormy-gray clouds threatened to explode with lightning, wind and rain. In the midst of the thundering noises and bitter chill, a spindly tree clung to the rocks at the edge of the falls. One of its branches reached out in front of the torrential waters as if foolishly seeking to experience its full power. A little bird had built a nest in the elbow of that branch. Content and undisturbed in her stormy surroundings, she rested on her eggs. With her eyes closed and her wings ready to cover her little ones, she manifested peace that transcends all earthly turmoil.
Then there is the life that pleases God. Can you imagine that very thought? God can actually find pleasure in our lives. As we allow the Holy Spirit to lead us we become pleasing to the Heavenly Father. I am sure that you have experienced those moments as a parent; often it does not take a lot to please you. One of my most prized possessions is a page in my prayer notebook. It has a Bible verse that I had written on the top and all over the rest of it is some scribbling that Sammy Jo did when he was one year old. Now the art work is not too great, but what makes it valuable to me is that this little one year old saw me writing in my prayer notebook each morning as he would come strolling into the room where I did my quiet time and he wanted to write in it too. Our efforts before God may just be little scrabbling, but as it is done for God it pleases Him.
Then there is the wonderful privilege of living our life as a child of God. God has chosen to do it that way. As you are led by the Spirit, every day he leads us into more and more of a sense of being the child of our Heavenly Father. Each and every day we feel more a part of the family. I tell you, one of the very best reasons that I have for sharing the gospel of Jesus is for all those people in this world who are disconnected and lost and alone. If you will give your heart to God and allow him to lead you, you will be able to live your life in the best sense of family ever.
Now the question we must ask. Is it that way with you? Please be honest now, who is leading your life? Who is guiding you to do what you do? If it is you and your flesh, be prepared for some rough days ahead. If it is the spirit of God because you have become submissive to Him, be prepared for peace and blessings.
Let us pray, Father, what a joy to be able to say that and know that it is real. You are our Father because you have caused us to be born again in and through Jesus Christ. We chose again and anew to turn our lives over to you. We do nothing but make a mess; we need your help even right now to be able to live to your glory in Jesus’ name,
Amen
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