KEEP IN STEP pt 3
Galatians 5v16-25 NIV “ So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever[a] you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.”
Galatians 5 which is our scripture today:
Living in the Spirit: The letter encourages believers to walk by the Spirit, allowing Him to produce His fruit in their lives and to avoid gratifying the desires of the flesh (Galatians 5:16-25). This walk with the Spirit is what empowers Christians to live in the freedom that Christ has won for them.
Galatians 5v22-25 TPT
But the fruit produced by the Holy Spirit within you is divine love in all its varied expressions: joy that overflows,
- peace that subdues,
- patience that endures,
- kindness in action,
- a life full of virtue,
- faith that prevails,
- gentleness of heart, and
- strength of spirit.
Never set the law above these qualities, for they are meant to be limitless. Keep in mind that we who belong to Jesus Christ have already experienced crucifixion. For everything connected with our self-life (flesh) was put to death on the cross and crucified with Messiah.
If the Spirit is the source of our life, we must also allow the Spirit to direct every aspect of our lives.
Living by the Spirit is our freedom charter. The walk that God wants us to have is a life of freedom in Christ knowing that we are set free.
Galatians 5v1 TPT “A Life of Freedom: At last we have freedom, for Christ has set us free! We must always cherish this truth and firmly refuse to go back into the bondage of our past.”
So how do we get this freedom, where do we get this freedom? By Walking in the Spirit
Galatians 5 v 16 NIV “So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh”
Zechariah 4:6 NIV “So he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty.”
In this passage, the prophet Zechariah is conveying God’s message to Zerubbabel, the governor of Judah, who was tasked with rebuilding the temple in Jerusalem after the Babylonian exile.
The message emphasizes that the success of this monumental task would not come through human strength, military power, or political influence, but through the Spirit of God.
It speaks of Divine Empowerment: the importance of relying on God’s Spirit rather than human abilities or resources. It serves as a reminder that true success in God’s work comes through His divine empowerment.
It highlights God’s sovereignty and His active role in the lives of His people. The rebuilding of the temple, a seemingly impossible task under the circumstances, would be accomplished because God’s Spirit was at work.
Zechariah 6 speaks of our 10 in 1 – Promise is for all of us, individually and corporately.. It speaks of our discipleship journey – our Mission of “Every believer a leader & every leader a disciple-maker” we can’t accomplish this in our own strength, but by allowing the Holy Spirit to transform us and build His Character into us It speaks of better things, It speaks of a Harvest beyond expectation all which on can be accomplished because God’s Spirit was at work
It speaks of Encouragement in Challenges
In our own lives, this verse can be a source of comfort and inspiration. It reminds us that when faced with daunting tasks or overwhelming challenges, we are not alone. God’s Spirit is with us, offering strength, guidance, and the power to accomplish what we cannot do by our own means.
On our daily walk we face many great challenges because even though we have been justified, and even though we have been restored, and even though we’re a new creation and we have a new life and new affections and new longings and new desires, the flesh is still there.
As believers in Jesus Christ, we need to very clearly understand the dynamics of what’s going on in our lives.
Romans 8v1-6 NIV – Life Through the Spirit “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you[a] free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh,[b] God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering.[c] And so he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace.”
The law has no power. The flesh has no power.
The Holy Spirit enables us, Romans 8 says, to do what the law and the flesh could never ever do.
The Holy Spirit alone can save us through belief in the gospel. The Holy Spirit alone has the power to conform us to the Word and, thus, the will of God. So we want to be like Christ.
We have to Walk – Keep in Step
What does the walk look like?
Galatians 5 and look again at verse 16 and just consider this one verse. Here’s the command: “But I say, walk by the Spirit.” Literally, present tense imperative: “Keep on walking. Keep on walking. Continually be walking.”
- It implies effort.
- It implies consistency.
What does “walk” mean? It’s simply the ordering of life, one step at a time in life, putting one spiritual foot in front of the other and doing it consistently.
- Romans 6v4 NKJV “Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.”
- Romans 13v13 NKJV“Let us walk [c]properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy”
- Colossians 1v10 NKJV“that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God”
- Philippians 3v16 NKJV “Nevertheless, to the degreethat we have already [e]attained, let us walk by the same [f]rule, let us be of the same mind.”
- Ephesians 4v1-2 NKJV “I, therefore, the prisoner [a]of the Lord, [b]beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love,”
1Corinthians 9 V 26 ESV “So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control,[b] lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.”
Paul talks a lot about the soldier as the model for a Christian at war, He talks about running a race. “I have fought the good fight.” This is a battle. This is a war our whole life long.
We need to fight the battle with all our might by walking in the Spirit. You can only walk in the Spirit if you know the will of God, the work of God, the Word of God.
How, by learning the Scriptures, we take in the Scriptures, we think biblically, because that essentially fuels the working of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit cannot move us in a direction in which we’re ignorant.
So to be saturated with the Word of God enables the Spirit of God to empower us to triumph over the flesh.
Walk by the Spirit. That’s what Jesus did. He’s our model of perfect love, rendering perfect obedience to His Father. And if we abide in Him we ought to walk the way He walked.
John 15v11 NKJV says, “These things are written to you that your joy may be full.” You might as well have all the joy you can get in this life, and it comes by walking in the Spirit.”
Faithfulness
If you’re walking in the Spirit you’re going to manifest faithfulness. What does that mean? Loyalty or fidelity to your word. Truthfulness, trustworthiness, honesty – that’s what we’re
Lamentations 3:22-23ESV “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;[a] his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning;great is your faithfulness.”
Psalm 89:33 NKJV “Nevertheless My lovingkindness will I not utterly take from him, nor allow My faithfulness to fail.” That is truthfulness, trustworthiness, honesty, integrity.”
This is essential as a virtue in a Spirit-filled life that you speak the truth, that you are true to your word, true to your promise. This is basic integrity.
A Spirit-filled believer speaks the truth, lives the truth, can be trusted, is honest, steadfast, unwavering in loyalty to that which is true and right and good.
In Revelation 1:5, 3:14 and 19:11, the Lord Jesus Christ presented as the faithful and true One, the faithful and true One. It is an attribute of God who is true and cannot lie. It is manifest in Christ who is the faithful and true One.
We speak truth, we live truth, we uphold truth, it says in Titus 2:10, “showing all good faithfulness so that they will adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in every respect.” You want people to adorn the doctrine of God, you want people to think well of God, be faithful to truth, His truth, the truth which He has declared and revealed in Scripture. And the truth that comes out of your own mouth. Speak the truth; live the truth; tell the truth.
