Since we live by the Spirit, let us walk in step with the Spirit.If we live by the Spirit, let’s also walk by the Spirit.If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.If we live by the Spirit, by the Spirit let us also walk.
4 sermons cite this verse
… Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh, the self, with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, Let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other. It's a picture that we're all going to be a sponge. No one gets out of being a sponge. We're created to serve God. If we don't serve God, we're going to serve something else. We're created to be filled by the Holy Spirit. If we're not filled by the Holy Spirit, we're gonna be filled by a different spirit. We're created for the fullness and the freedom that comes in totaling, surrendering to God. But if we don't totally and fully and completely surrender to God, we're gonna totally and fully and completely surrender to something less than God. We do not have a choice of neutrality. There is no Switzerland in the Christian faith. And you can see it by the way we live. …
Again I say it's basic to all understanding of Christian living, but the only way you You can live the Christian life is in the power of the Holy Spirit. Now let's go back to Ephesians chapter 5 for a moment and look more closely at this command. Be filled with the Spirit, verse 18. Literally be being kept filled with the Spirit. Be being kept continuously filled with the Spirit. It's a way of life. It is the only way that you can possibly obey. It's the only way you can have triumph over the flesh. It's the only way you can enjoy the fruit of the Spirit. So it is a command for submission to the Holy Spirit's power and presence. Now I want to say this is not some kind of momentary experience. It's not a second work of grace. It's not an event. It's not a special anointing. Rather, it is a reality that is constant. You are to be being kept filled with the Holy Spirit all the time continuously. …
… we're also supposed to what? keep in step with the spirit now that's interesting isn't it? suddenly we realize the spirit is personified in this passage the spirit is going somewhere and we're told go with him well where is he going? well verse 17 gives us some idea and this is a fascinating verse because it says the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the spirit, right? And of course, we know something about that. We've been talking about it. The spirit has passion. I mean, pardon me. The sinful nature has passions. The sinful nature has yearnings. And it glorifies certain things in your imagination. It says, don't you want that? Don't you want that? Don't you want that? Don't you want those things? And it gets you yearning for those things. That's the way the sinful nature works. But look what verse 17 says. It says the spirit, what? Now, because the verb's not there, you can miss it. It says the sinful nature has passions in one direction, but it says the spirit has passions in another direction. …
This is seen in the present result of certain sins. "He that sows to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption." By "the flesh" is meant our corrupt human nature in such sins as are mentioned in the 19th verse of the 5th Chapter of this Epistle, where we read, "Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these, Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envying, murders, drunkenness, revellings and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in times past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the Kingdom of God." These are "the works of the flesh." I am not going to expound this passage [Mr. Spurgeon's expositions of the whole passage, Galatians 5:13-26 will be found in Sermons #2632, Volume 45 and #2831, Volume 49] fully, but I want briefly to show you that there are four classes of sins mentioned here. First, Paul mentions sins of lust—adultery, which violates the most sacred ties—fornication, which defiles the body. Uncleanness, which is secret, not known to others, but which is fully known to God. Fleshly thoughts, fleshly words and fleshly acts—lasciviousness, the outward uncleanness which "society" condemns, yet often practices. He who is doing any of these things is sowing to his flesh and he will, most surely, "of the flesh reap corruption." You who are true Christians, of course, hate all these things, as Jude says, "hating even the garment spotted by the flesh." But mind that you also hate all books in which these things are worked up into attractive narratives, for you cannot even casually glance at such books, much less read them, without polluting your whole being! But as for those who practice these sins, which the Apostle here enumerates, let them not dream that they can be saved while they continue to love that which God hates with a perfect hatred! …