In this series, we have said that there are two ways for the Christian to live. We can live as a worldly (carnal) Christian or as a Spiritual Christian.
In the Bible, living one’s life as a Worldly Christian is referred to as walking "in the flesh" or "according to the sinful nature," while living one’s life as a Spiritual Christian is referred to as walking "in the Spirit." The fact is, that now that I have been made spiritually alive by the Spirit of God, the old way of life, life lived according to the flesh, is of no use to mc. Receiving a new life in Christ requires that I learn how to live in a new way. This is part of what Jesus was speaking about in Matthew 9:17 (CEV), "No one pours new wine into old wineskins. The wine would swell and burst the old skins. Then the wine would be lost, and the skins would be ruined~ New wine must be put into new wineskins."
The Holy Spirit has been given to us to help us learn how to live the new life we have in Christ. By the power of the Person dwelling within us, we can be helped to learn how to live life a whole new way, as we allow the One who lives within us to live through us.
This was Paul’s meaning in Philippians 2:12 (NIV), . . . continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose."
A reality of the Christian life, however, is that though we are not "of the world," we are, nevertheless, living in the world. Since this is true, we arc constantly being bombarded with temptation to fall back into the old way of living, with which we are so familiar.
This is why Paul tells us that making the choice to let the Spirit fill my life is a decision I must make consciously and continuously-"Be being filled with the Holy Spirit" Ephesians 5: 18b (literal translation).
How do we deal with the lure of the old life? Paul identifies three ways:
A. Some Christians improve the flesh-verses 18; 23b
This is the way of legalism. The idea here is that I desire to live the new life I have in Christ, but I seek to do so by means of my own energy and ingenuity. I invest in the flesh in an effort to improve it. But the way of legalism is soundly condemned by Paul.
"Let me put this question to you: How did your new life begin? Was it by working your heads off to please God? Or was it by responding to God’s Message to you? Are you going to continue this craziness? For only crazy people would think they could complete by their own efforts what was begun by God If you weren’t smart enough or strong enough to begin it, how do you suppose you could perfect it?" - Galatians 3:2-3 (The Message)
Christians who live this way invariably discover that the best they can do is cover up their failures and imperfections behind a façade of religiosity and judgmental attitudes (vs. 15; 26).
B. Some Christians indulge the flesh-verses 13a
This is the way of license. This Christian surrenders to the flesh, because they have tried the way of legalism, but have had no success. So they give up on improving the flesh and choose instead to indulge it.
They often mistake freedom in Christ as freedom to sin without consequences. But freedom in Christ is all about freedom from sin, not freedom to sin!
A woman walking down a residential street, noticed a little old man rocking in a chair on his porch. She called out to him as she passed. "Hello there! I couldn’t help but notice how happy you look. What’s your secret for a long happy life?" "I smoke three packs of cigarettes a day," he replied. "I also drink a case of whiskey a week, eat nothing but fast food, and never exercise." "Wow!" The woman was amazed. "How old are you?" she asked. "Twenty-six," he replied.
The fact is that when a Christian surrenders to the flesh, one of the consequences is that they are most miserable!
"When people escape from the wicked ways of the world by learning about our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and then get tangled up with sin and become its slave again, they are worse off than before. It would be better if they had never known the right way to live than to know it and then reject the holy commandments that were given to them." - 2 Peter 2:20-21 (NLT)
C. All Christians should ignore the flesh-verse 16; 24-25
This is the way of liberty. Paul says that all who belong to Christ have died to the old way of life. It’s dead to us. We are now spiritually alive. There is nothing for us in our old way of life whatsoever. We must reckon this to be so daily, choosing to ignore the flesh and instead acknowledge the new life we have in the Spirit.
"We know that our old (un-renewed) self was nailed to the cross with Him in order that [our] body [which is the instrument] of sin might be made ineffective and inactive for evil, that we might no longer be the slaves of sin. Even so consider yourselves also dead to sin and your relation to it broken, but alive to God [living in unbroken fellowship with Him] in Christ Jesus." - Romans 6:6; 11 (Amplified)
Let’s notice three things Paul says about life in the Spirit.
1. What life in the Spirit promises-verses 16-18
In the arena of liberty, the key is not indulging or improving the flesh but ignoring it. The key is surrendering to the Spirit. Paul says, "There’s a much better way to relate to the old way of living. The solution is not to worry about the flesh, but to walk in the Spirit."
If I said to you, "Thou shalt not think of a purple elephant," - suddenly, you would be able to think of nothing else. But, if I then set before you a huge hot fudge sundae - creamy Blue Bell vanilla ice cream, laced with deep dark fudge, topped with mounds of whipped cream, lightly toasted almonds, and a juicy red cherry - the purple elephant wouldn’t enter your mind because you’d be captivated by something much better right before your eyes.
So it is that Paul can tell us with authority, "I advise you to live according to your new life in the Holy Spirit. Then you won‘t be doing what -your sinful nature craves." Galatians 5:16 (NLT)
Life in the Spirit promises that if we focus on yielding our lives to the Spirit of God, we will not find our lives continuing as they were before -we trusted Christ. We will be changed from the inside out from victory to victory, or as Paul puts it in 2 Corinthians 3:18, "from glory to glory."
"So don’t you see that we don ‘t owe this old do-it-yourself life one red cent. There’s nothing in it for us, nothing at all. The best thing to do is give it a decent burial and get on with your new life. God’s Spirit beckons. There are things to do and places to go!" - Romans 8:12-14 (The Message)
2. What life in the Spirit prevents-verses 19-21
It is important that we note something about what he says here. He tells us that a saved person may lapse into sin, but an unsaved person lives in sin! He is speaking here of people who continue on in these sins, with no sense of remorse or desire to be free, people who do not want to stop.
There’s no getting around it. Paul says that if person’s lifestyle is characterized by these kind of things then there is serious doubt about the legitimacy of their salvation, no matter what they might say. A true Christian cannot live like that without being miserable.
"Anyone who keeps on sinning belongs to the devil. He has sinned from the beginning, but the Son of God came to destroy all that he has done. God’s children cannot keep on being sinful. His life-giving power lives in them and makes them his children, so that they cannot keep on sinning. - 1 John 3:8-9 (CEV)
Living in the Spirit prevents us from living like a lost person, which only leads to the Christian being miserable. One of the greatest miseries of such a Christian is to live in doubt of their salvation!
Regarding salvation and assurance, there are three groups of people: (1) those who are "sure" but not secure; (2) those who are secure but not sure; and (3) those who are secure and sure.
As we learn to live in the Spirit, the changes He will then bring about in our lives will enable us to not only be secure in our salvation, but sure of our salvation, as Peter tells us in 2 Peter 1:10-11 (NIV), "Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things (vs. 3-9), you will never fall, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ"
Peter identifies two benefits that the Spirit’s work in our lives will result in:
A. Our not being confused about our relationship with the Savior; and
B. Our being commended when we are welcomed by the Savior.
3. What life in the Spirit produces-verses 22-23; 13-14
Living my life yielded to the Spirit will produce Christ-like character in my life (vs. 22-23), which is seen in the way I conduct myself (v. 13), which results in a life that is lived up to the standard God expects of His children (v. 14). Though we are free from the burden of the law, we are not free from the standard of the law. However, as we walk in the Spirit, the life of Christ is released in us, as His character is developed in us, and as His life is lived through us, like Jesus, we can live a life that pleases our Father in heaven.
As we walk in the Spirit, we will be helped to learn how to live out the new life we have within. Just like, when Jesus walked upon this earth, He was the "Word made flesh" (John 1:14), His Word, His will, His law, will be "fleshed out" in us!
Conclusion: How do I walk in the Spirit? "I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing." - John 15:5 (NKJV)
Daily...
Ask the Spirit to fill your life (Ephesians 5:18)
Be willing to confess all sin (1 John 1:9)
Investigate the Scriptures (Ephesians 6:17)
Do what the Spirit tells you (Galatians 5:25)
Enjoy the victory that is your (Philippians 4:13)
Walking in the Spirit by Jon Courson
In I Samuel 9, we find Saul looking for his father’s donkeys. Unable to find the lost livestock, Saul was about to return to his father empty-handed - when he heard about a man of God who could help him. Making his way to the prophet Samuel’s house, Saul inquired of him concerning the lost herd. ‘Set not your mind on the donkeys,’ said Samuel. ‘Come to my table. There’s a far bigger issue at hand:
You are about to be made king of Israel,’ (I Samuel 9:20).
Like Saul, many of us searching high and low for our lost donkeys. Desiring to come to our Father with something of substance in our lives, we nonetheless wander aimlessly, and return empty-handed. We struggle with a job, a house, a career, a relationship - but as important as those things might be, they’re only donkeys in comparison to the bigger issue, in comparison to the Kingdom.
The Lord is calling us to significant service, to touch peoples’ lives, to impact our world. Thus, the Lord says to us, ‘Set not your mind on the donkeys. I know right where they are. Instead, come to My Table, and fellowship with Me.’
What happened when Saul went to Samuel’s table? First, Samuel said, ‘Stand still a while that I may show you the Word of God.’ Then he anointed Saul king (10:1). Lastly, he told Saul where his father’s donkeys could be found (10:2).
Do you want to walk in the Spirit? Do what Saul did: Forget the donkeys; set aside your own agenda, and commune with the Lord at His Table.
Then, like Saul, you will be told where to find your lost donkeys. Jesus said, ‘Seek first the Kingdom, and all these things shall be added unto you,’ (Matthew 6:33). It’s just that simple. Seek first the Kingdom. And not only will you be anointed by the Spirit with significant opportunities opening before you, but you’ll find what you were looking for all along.
