Ok, How many of us have gone out and bought something, once you got home you had to open the box or the package and what was the first thing you saw inside that package?
If you were thinking the instruction manual, then your right. Ok now how many of us decided to take that manual and throw it aside and said to ourselves that we can put it together. Don’t sit their a smile like you never done that, I bet each of you have at one point or another and done so.
So once you did what happen, did it work, did it come out right or did you have a lot of left over parts and ended up having to get the manual to read and start all over again. If you done that you have said to yourself.
If I would have read the manual in the first place I would not be in this situation. Well I am here to tell you if we all would just read God’s instruction manual his Holy Words, we would not be in so much trouble or get into trouble.
Better yet his Holy words the bible is the manual and if we would read it and apply it, we would see that it shows us the The Way of Living – The right way and the wrong way.
Today were going to cover the right way of living, lets us read Galatians 5:25 – it says – If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
These are very good instructions for so lets break this down –By reading this passage here and doing so we see it starts off with the word IF.
You know the word if means it’s an action word or a condition on your part – yes it really is and bottom line the real meaning of this word is a Requirement from you.
Ok, as we read the rest of this passage, it talks about a spirit, what spirit you ask? Well I am glad to tell you that it’s Gods Spirit a person receives when they have said yes to Jesus Christ and has been born again. Now we set the foundation of what this spirit is. Let us further read this passage and we see (live in the spirit).
This means only one thing here that this is God’s Holy Spirit – not of you. We as Christians must be living our lives in this spirit not of the flesh and not of this world.
We see in this passage walk in the spirit, the word walk here refers to the meaning that we are to show the world and those around us what Gods power is really like.
The walk in terms refers to our lifestyles of who we are and how we act and how we live for others to see. Old things has passed away, we are made new.
Last but not least in this passage: The wording – in the spirit – – Here this part declares both life and holiness to be the work of the Holy Spirit; only he operates Salvation and he operates Sanctification – – bottom line the flesh cannot do this ever.
You may try to act right but you cannot succeed in this manner that alone is the workings and the power of the Holy Spirit himself.
So after breaking all of this down and putting it back together in Gal 5:25 it means 3 things.
1. Keep in step with the spirit. 2. Not run ahead of it. 3. Not lagging behind it.
To stay in step with the spirit, this involves being in the word, prayer, worship, praise, and fellowship with God’s people. It also means “pulling out the weeds” so that the seed of the word can take root and bear fruit.
We must remember that this fruit is produced to be eaten, not to be admired and put on display. People around us are starving for love, Joy, Peace, and all the other graces of the Spirit. When they find them in our lives, they know that we have something they lack and wished they had it also, but would not admit it they need what we have.
In short the secret is the Holy Spirit. The only way and no other way. He alone can give us that freedom — the freedom from sin and self, He enables us to fulfill the laws of love, to overcome the flesh and to bear fruit.
So will you yield to him and let him work? If not, then why not? If you walk in the spirit you have to ask yourself this.
Now that were living the right way, how did we get to this point? In case you may have notice the passage above Gal 5:25 is Gal 5:24 – which says this: And those who are Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Now notice the first 5 words of this passage – and those who are Christ. Hummmmmmmm
Folks this is a very bold statement here and it’s the facts —– Either you are his or you are not! There is no middle ground here.
Now notice: if we say we are, then we have to put to death the old things in us, the old ways of living, the things we once desired, the wrong ways and now we must live the new ways of Jesus Christ in us and through us.
This can be done only by the believer understanding that it was carried out by Jesus Christ at the cross. Everything was nailed to the cross, put to death at the cross and finished at the cross. Remember this song
At the cross, at the cross where I first saw the light, And the burden of my heart rolled away, It was there by faith I received my sight, And now I am happy all the day!
Walk in the Spirit folks and let him direct your ways and let your hearts be open to him and his following.
Amen