In this sermon, the preacher discusses the prevalence of visual adultery in today's society, particularly through the internet and media. He highlights how sociologists are concerned about the crumbling state of society in America due to the easy access to pornography and sexual content online. The preacher emphasizes the need for individuals to resist temptation and walk in the spirit, reminding themselves that they are children of God. He encourages self-examination and spiritual check-ups to ensure one's actions align with the teachings of the Bible, focusing on virtues such as gentleness, goodness, faith, and self-control.

Please turn to God's word in the book of Galatians chapter 5, reading from verse 16. Verse 16, This I say then, walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh. And these are contrary the one to the other, so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these, adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revelings, and such like. Of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance. Against such there is no law. And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with their affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. And let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another. Amen. Let us pray. Almighty God, our Father in Heaven, our great Creator and Redeemer, we thank Thee once again for the return of this special One Day in Seven, which Thou has appointed for Thy people, to come before Thee in holy witness, that we belong to the Heavenly Kingdom. And we are here to present ourselves before Thee, a living sacrifice, wholly acceptable unto Thee. We thank Thee for many mercies in the week just gone by. We thank Thee for supplying all our needs, for caring for our bodies, keeping us in good health, for every blessing in going out and coming in, for homes and loved ones, for the joy of service and the joy of work. We thank Thee Thou has given us useful occupations, wherein we may serve Thee, even as we earn our daily living. Father in Heaven, I thank Thee for those present here today. We thank Thee for this church and the testimony that Thou has entrusted to the leaders and to the members, that here at this RELC building, every Lord's Day is a testimony to the goodness and salvation grace of God. O Lord our God, may Thou speak to every humble contrite heart here today, to understand that we are saved to serve, for surely Thou has a purpose for each of us. We who have savored the goodness of God, that we will not be unmindful of the gospel debt that we owe. We will go and tell and spread the good news that here is a lighthouse, a place where the word of God is preached, held forth the word of everlasting life, a light to the world. O Lord our God, may Thy people be not ungrateful or unmindful, but daily we may show forth the salvation grace of our Lord Jesus Christ by our lips, by our lives. Bless Thy servant the pastor, Mrs. Stowe, and those now in Perth, as they serve Thee in that distant land. May Thou enable them to witness a good confession. And I pray for the session elders and deacons of this church, that you will use them, energize them, and make them a great and mighty force for good, and a blessing to many. We thank Thee for the choir, which has held forth in song the message that You are here to bless us, and we are in turn to be a blessing to others. Bless our children at the Sunday school. O Lord our God, may Thou use the teachers and bless them with mighty power, to make known and clear the word of God, that young children will be brought to a safe knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. And once again we pray for all those who are sick, infirm, and weak in the body, that Thou wouldst be very close to them, to comfort and to strengthen. And now Lord, bless the government of Singapore. In this land where we have our homes, our shelters, that we may be grateful as good citizens to honour God and our rulers. May Thou bless them, Prime Minister, Cabinet, Members of Parliament, that they may all receive from Thee the justice and the fairness to rule wisely, and to prolong the days of prosperity and peace, that we may in those days utilise every opportunity to go out to be Thy witnesses. Now Lord, bless the speaking of Thy Word, as we have read how we ought to walk in the Spirit. Lord, may Thy Holy Spirit Himself open our eyes, illumine our understanding, that we may all learn precious lessons out of Thy truth. This is our prayer, in Jesus' name, Amen. It is good to be back here once again, and I'll be here today and next Lord's Day. This morning's topic is Walk in the Spirit. A very pertinent topic that speaks to each one of us who calls himself a Christian. In this world that we live in today, you will realise that we face immense pressures and temptations to live according to the ways of the world in so many areas. Are you a witness for the Lord in these circumstances? And this is what we want to focus our minds this morning. Listen to what the Apostle says here. Verse 16, he says to us, I say then, walk in the Spirit. Ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. This is a command. It is not a suggestion or an option. But you and I who claim or who call ourselves to be Christians, is the difference between the way we live and the rest of the world. There is a very good reason why we ought to live differently. It's not easy. But you know, in life, all those precious things, important things, they are not easy to come by. And there is an effort required of all of us. Paul gives reasons for this necessity for us to walk differently from the world. And please turn just a few pages on in your Bible to Ephesians chapter 2, where he gives the reasons so clearly. Ephesians chapter 2. What makes you and me different? Why should we live different from the world, from other people? There is good reason given here. Ephesians 2 verse 1 to 3. It says here, if you are a Christian, you have been quickened who were dead in trespasses and sins once upon a time. Before you came to the Lord Jesus, before you heard the gospel, and before you repented and turned to God in faith, you lived differently. You were dead in trespasses and sins, living according to the ways of the world, trespasses and sins. To you, that was the normal lifestyle. Indeed, this is how the world lives today. The world does what comes naturally. Verse 2. In time past, you also walk according to the course of this world. Paul here stresses again and again, remember your past. At one time, you had no idea that there is another way, the way of salvation, the way of Jesus Christ, the way of the cross, the only way that leads us to the heavenly home. At that time, you did not know. Look at verse 2. Where in time past, you walked according to the course of this world, you were like the other people. As they say in Rome, do as the Romans do. In the world, do as the rest of the world does. According to the prince of the power of the air, who is the prince of the power of the air? This term you ought to know. The power of the air is all that goes on now, today, the airwaves are full of messages, internet, telephone, television, all kinds of communication waves, and all these are under control of the prince of the power of the air. Do you understand? All these things are under one control. Satan controls them. Of course, there are uses for internet, for telephone, for television, many good uses. However, overall, the culture today is under Satan's control. Read on verse 2. According to the prince of the power of the air, we lived. Why? It is convenient. It is easy. Everybody does it. So you just follow that lifestyle. We were children of disobedience. When was that? In time past. Before you came to acknowledge the Lord Jesus Christ as your saviour. But when you come to Jesus and say, Lord, I believe. I want to follow you. There must be a change. Verse 3. In time past, among the world people, the culture of the world also, we all had our conversation in time past. The word conversation refers to our conduct, our lifestyle, the way you think, the way you talk, the way you do things. There was a certain pattern In time past, before you became a Christian, those things were natural. Just came naturally. And in the old times, when I was still a school boy, there was a song which was very popular. It says, Doing the things that come naturally. You don't have to go to school to study. Just what you feel like doing, you do. The things that come naturally are the things that arise from your carnal feeling, from the feelings of the flesh, and this is the whole emphasis that Paul is pointing us there today. Read on please, verse 3. In times past, in the lusts of our flesh, now here we come face to face with a challenge. There are two principles in all of us. One is the desires and inclinations of the flesh. What do you mean by that? Your physical body, and your natural desires, and your natural leanings, all those form one group of desires, activities, and lifestyle under the word flesh. Yes. The physical body, the carnal self in you. Read on, verse 3, the last part. Fulfilling the desires of the flesh, and of the mind, the mind that controls the flesh. That mind is inclined to please the flesh. You feel like eating? You eat. Feel like smoking? You smoke. Feel like swearing? You swear. Feel like losing your temper or venting your anger? You do. The mind says what I feel like I do. When was that? In time past. And this is the experience of many, and we are by nature the children of wrath, even as others. What do you mean by children of wrath? You know, people who do not know better, who have not heard the salvation grace of Jesus Christ, and they live on that way, they are the children of wrath. Because there is a day coming when there is judgment. And at that time they will face the wrath of God in judgment, which we have all been spared from today. Now go on backwards to Galatians chapter 5 again please. Just a few pages backwards. Galatians 5. Now we read verse 16 and it will make much more meaning, much more sense. Verse 16 we repeat. Paul says to you, you are a Christian? Truly? You come to church? You appear like a Christian? Carry a Bible? And people know you are a Christian? Is there a difference? The difference is to be seen in the way you live. Your lifestyle. Verse 16 says, Paul says to us, to all of us who call ourselves believers, followers of the Lord Jesus Christ, walk in the spirit. How do you live everyday? Do you have a certain principle? When you wake up in the morning, do you plan the day? Yes or no? I am told if you fail to plan, you actually plan to fail. And you do nothing, you just muddle along. Do not. Do not live your life muddling along, hoping for the best that somehow you will survive. No. Paul says, everyday think, plan, project what you want to do for that day. When you wake up in the morning, get on to your knees and meet with the Saviour. For He is waiting for you. And tell Him your needs for the day. And say, Lord, I need you. For without you, I fail, I fall, I am going to commit blunders. Help me that I may walk in the spirit. Now what do you mean? We have mentioned just now, the flesh. But when you become a Christian, you have the Holy Spirit in you. Without that Holy Spirit, you cannot be a Christian. Please understand. Do you all get this clear? Yes. If it has not been explained to you clearly before this, know it clearly this morning. You say, I am a Christian. I say, praise the Lord. How did you become a Christian? I came to hear the Gospel. And the Word of God touched my heart. I realized I was a sinner. How did you realize you were a sinner? Do you know? The Spirit of God put that faith in you, opened your understanding, illumined your mind, and you saw yourself in a depraved, lost condition, and said, Lord, I need to be saved. The Holy Spirit works for that in you. Without the Holy Spirit working, we can never be saved. Now you say you have been saved. Praise the Lord. You heard the Gospel. You received the Savior. That moment, God's Holy Spirit enters and dwells in you. Every one of us who is a true believer has the Holy Spirit in us. Now He comes in as the controller and the comforter of your life. You say comfort? You need comfort? Here the comforter means the one who strengthens you, enables you to do things you could never do. The comforter is the Holy Spirit of promise. Now you have the Holy Spirit in you. Look at verse 16. Paul says, Walk in the Spirit. Let the Holy Spirit direct you. Do you? I said every morning, get on your knees as you wake up. First thought is, Lord, I am your child. Are you? Do you? Do you tell the Lord that? Then you begin to promise the Lord. Show me what I ought to do today. Whatever you do. Student? Study. Housewife? Cooking? Housemaking? Homemaking? Workers? Whatever your profession, you got something to do for the day? Tell the Holy Spirit, I need your help. Then, this verse applies to you. Walk in the Spirit. Let the Spirit of God direct you for that day. Turn your mind to Him and not to the world. It is said that in America, something like 40% of the executives and people in high positions consult a horoscope every morning. See what is the lucky color, the lucky clothes, the lucky things to do for the day and so many other things. They can read from the horoscope about their fortune, about what they ought to do. And that is the guide. How sad. They call themselves a Christian country and many people do that. They consult various books, ideas, to know how to live their lives. Verse 16, Paul says, No, not for you. Why? I belong to the Lord Jesus and He has given me His Holy Spirit in me and He is the Spirit of Wisdom, Spirit of Truth. And He is able to direct me and to lead me in the right path and to do the right things and always successful, always pleasing to God. That must be your first ambition, dear friends, every day. Whatever you do. Now, verse 16, Walk in the Spirit. Meaning to say, Live your life according to the prompting and direction of the Holy Spirit. We cannot do things anyhow like we always did. Agree? Now, my friends, this is the way of truth, the way of safety, the way of success. You need to live a successful life. Don't think any other way. Don't read only straight times. First thing in the morning, read everything. Go to the television and consult all the internet things that come out of there. First thing is, come to the Lord and say, Lord, help me today to walk in the Spirit so that I will not fulfill the lust of the flesh. There are so many things that will come my way to urge me, to tempt me, to suggest to me, to persuade me to do things according to the way of the world. They are. They will come. You don't need to look for them. They look for you. They come around you and you will fall. Unless you remember, I am a child of God. Can you all remember this this morning? All of us. Old or young. May God's Spirit remind us, prompt you in the heart, tell you again and again and always in the morning, you are a child of God. You belong to the Lord. And you need to be a testimony. Because we all owe a gospel debt. All of us. Because God sent His only Son to be the ransom for you. He paid the ransom. He bought you. So the verse in 1 Corinthians 6.19 says, No we not you are not your own. But the Spirit of God dwells in you because you have been bought with a price. You all have been bought with a price. I have been bought with a price. You have been bought with a price. God bought you. Paid the price. What is the price? The precious blood of Jesus Christ. Shed on the cross to purchase you, to save you from your sins, to make you a child of God, and to bring you in the fold of God, to be a child of God. And to walk according to His ways. So this is a very valid and logical and reasonable persuasion. You are not your own. I am not my own. I got to live. Because there is someone who owns me. Someone who is the director of my life. Someone who bought me to be a child of God and make me His. I am no longer my own. Verse 17. Not in case you forget. In case you go into a place and your friends persuade you and that temptation is so strong. Why everybody is doing it? Why don't you? Verse 17. The flesh lusteth against the Spirit. The Spirit against the flesh. Oh dear friends, inside us, if you are a Christian, there is always a struggle when you come to a kind of difficult situation. There is a struggle. There is a battle inside you. The Spirit in you says, walk with God. Do that only which is pleasing to God. The flesh inside you, the all nature, the all presence says, never mind. Why? It makes you feel good. It pleases your flesh. Your desire will be satisfied. Doesn't matter. And you are tempted. Verse 17. There is that struggle and praise God there is struggle. If there is no struggle, you better watch out. You may not be a Christian at all. No struggle. You just flow with the stream, flow with the tide, do what comes naturally. Please, if you are doing that, you are not a Christian. If not known the salvation grace of God. But if you are a Christian, there will be a struggle. There will be a battle inside you. Verse 17. The flesh lusteth against the Spirit. The Spirit against the flesh. These two are contrary one to the other. They cannot combine. They are incompatible. They will never live together. The flesh is against the Spirit. Spirit against the flesh. So that you cannot do the things you would. Verse 18. Are you looking at your Bible? Please do. Verse 18. If he be led of the Spirit, he are not under the law. Verse 19. No! The works of the flesh are these, are manifest, which are these. Please examine yourselves. There is a saying in Chinese. It says, 挂羊头 卖狗肉 You know what that means? Display a sheep head and sell dog's meat. Anyone who says, I am a Christian and lives like a non-Christian is that. He is a hypocrite. Don't be a hypocrite. Whatever else you do, don't be. If you want to be a non-Christian, go out and live like the world and just be a non-Christian. Please can you switch off all these instruments? Please do. But if you come into the fold of the Lord Jesus Christ and if you belong to him, live like it. Let us all be honest to ourselves. Honest before God. Now examine yourselves. Our time is nearly up. Examine yourself. What are the things you have to check on yourself? Do you ever do a spiritual checkup? We all are very mindful. I am sorry my throat. Very mindful of our physical state, aren't we? Oh, doctor's annual check. I must go to make sure my whole system is in good condition. How about having a checkup on your spiritual system? This is the checkup. Please look at verse 19 and you check on yourself. First one is adultery. Adultery is so common. Most common. Everywhere is rampant. Even little children. I once was in a family in New York and the child was hardly 9 or 10. And he says, the television hasn't got enough of nudity. Not enough nudity. At 9, he says, not enough of naked women. He wants to see them. Why? Adultery, you see. Visual adultery is so common today. You don't have to go far. You just open stretch times. Everywhere. Half naked women. Everywhere it is there tempting all of us. And the flesh says, never mind now. You feel good, don't you? You want to see again and again. Now we are told that sociologists in America are very worried. Mind you, they are not Christians, but they are sociologists. They study society and the state of society in America is crumbling. Why? Internet. They say on the internet you can have free sex. Any kind. Pornography. And they are making booming business because everybody wants to tune in. Not just unmarried, but married people. And they go on the internet and they have lots of pleasures. Paul saw it 2,000 years ago. Read now. Check on yourself. Adultery. Fornication. Unmarried people having sex. This is so common in schools in America. Now it is spreading to Singapore. Why? Hollywood culture. Hollywood culture is spreading around the world. Everybody is doing. Why don't you do? It is not accepted, but expected. You understand? Not just accepted, but expected. If you are what you should be, you do it. So Paul says, Don't walk after the spirit. If you are a child of God, you do not do those things. It is abominable, hateful, and it is un-Christian, un-Godly, because it is a breaking of the Holy Commandment. And the Word of God says to us, Jesus says to you, If you love Me truly, and do you not love Him? You say, Yes, I do. Jesus says, You love Me? Keep My commandments. So simple. You are My friend. If you do what I command you to do. Are you His friend? How do you class yourself? Are you enemy of God or friend of God? And God says to you, You are My friend? Do My commandments. Oh, it is so clear. Alright. Check again. Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, that is dirty pictures, dirty thoughts, uncleanness, lasciviousness refers to the same thing, sexual desires which are un-Godly. Then you go on to idolatry, witchcraft. Don't you ever delve in the occult. Never, never. Ouija boards and all kinds of other devilish satanic games are popular. Don't try it, because there is going to be trouble. Hatred, variance. What is variance? This is contentions. Easy to quarrel, always disagreeing with one another, emulations, arguments, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envies, murders, drunkenness, revelings, and such like. Of the which I tell you before, Paul says, I have told you. Don't say you don't know, you know it. Read the word of God and be convinced and convicted. As I have also told you in time past, they who do, and love to do, and continue to do, and live in doing such things, they have no part in the kingdom of God. Very, very stern warning, please understand. If you are a child of God, do not do those things. Do not love to do those things. Verse 22. Now, God's Word never leaves us in a vacuum. Okay, get rid of all those things, all those evil things, get rid of them, then you have a vacuum. But you must fill your life with good things, take away the evil, fill it with good things. What are the good things? Verse 22 and 23. Wonderful. You ought to know this by heart. You like to read with me. Why not? We both read together. Galatians 5, 22 and 23. Because these are the precious words of God. We read together, please everybody. Verse 22. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance, against such there is no law. Pray. Pray that God will give you a love of these things. Love of the fruit of the Spirit. How do you bear fruit of the Spirit? You know, while evil things are referred to as works of the flesh. Works of the flesh are the things you do yourself. You decide to do, you do. Those are evil works. You create them. But you cannot create fruit of the Spirit. The fruit of the Spirit, like in the tree, you cannot go there and create fruit there. That tree will bear the fruit because it is that tree. If it is an apple tree, it will bear apples. If you are a child of God, you will bear fruit of the Spirit. But how does fruit come in the tree? It comes through where? The roots. The roots absorb the nutrition, goes through the sap in the veins within the trunk of the tree into the branches and comes out by the flower which bears the fruit. And that fruit is there because the tree has the sap of that particular fruit and it will bear the fruit. Now analogy. How do you bear fruit of the Spirit? Fruit such as love, joy, peace. Never live a sad and morose and depressed life. There is no need to. If you are a true Christian, you will bear the fruit of love and joy. You love others. You love the things of God. Naturally because God has His Spirit in you. Like the sap from the root of the tree going through the veins inside the tree and coming out as a fruit. It will bear that fruit. If you have the Spirit of God, you will bear the fruit of the Spirit. It will come if you truly belong to the Lord. Now read. The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace. You are not quarrelsome, not always fighting for it. But there is the peace of God in you. And you love peace. And you work for peace. And you forgive other people. In that way you have peace. You do not quarrel easily. Long-suffering. You bear reproach. Silently, quietly, contentedly. You are not angry. Long-suffering. Gentle. Good. With faith. Meekness. Not proud. Sombong. And everything that comes your way that you don't like. You get angry. You react. Don't do such things. The way you drive. Don't some people drive like crazy. If you are a Christian, drive as a Christian. Be modest. Be long-suffering. Be patient in your driving. And the way you speak. The way you conduct your lifestyle. All these things must reflect what? The Holy Spirit. The fruit of the Spirit. Please check on yourself. Do you? Yes. Are you full of the love of Christ? To love others? Because Jesus loved you, you love others. You go out of your way to help others. This is love. Nothing to do with sexual love. Nothing to do with. But to pity the poor. To have compassion. And to visit the sick. And to cook something good for someone who you know is sick and unable to cook. Go and do a visitation and pray with that person. That is love. The love of Jesus Christ. And you can do that. Multiply that by a hundred other ways. You can love people by showing the love of God for them. Are you doing it? These are small acts we can all do. Why? Because you belong to the love of Jesus. Because the Holy Spirit in you is bearing that fruit in you. And you don't easily take it out on people and quarrel and fight. Gentleness. Learn to be gentle in the speech, in your ways, in your body language. Gentleness. Goodness. Faith. Meekness. Temperance. Always exercise temperance and self-control Against this, there is no law. All my friends, it's such a beautiful chapter. A wonderful instruction for all of us. But I tell you, in practice it is not easy. You agree? Not easy. How can I go? I'm going to conclude in a minute. How can I live every day and be victorious for the Lord Jesus Christ? It says, walk in the Spirit. Not walk after the flesh. My flesh is going to lay me down. Do so many things I regret afterwards. Yes, true. Very true. And how can I allow the Spirit to have full control of my life today? I'm going to do so many things. I've got to go to office. I know I've got a terrible boss. And I've got colleagues who always find fault with me. How can I survive today? How? First thing in the morning, go to the Lord in prayer. Life is a battlefield. Every day is a battlefield. Every day you're going to encounter battles. Let me tell you this, you do not win the battles of life during the day by just going and hoping for the best. You will fail. You will lose some battles sooner or later. You will fail. Then how do you ensure that you can survive and you can be victorious? Secret. Listen. First thing in the morning, when you wake up, you say, Lord, I'm going to go into the life battlefield today. Help me. Go on your knees. Talk to the Lord. Does He listen? Absolutely. The only problem is we don't talk to Him. Now, you ask Him earnestly, sincerely, Lord, I need you. Will the Lord help you? Yes. He promised to. Earnestly pray to Him. Promise Him, Lord, I am yours. You saved me. You bought me. I belong to you. I promise you today, if there is temptation, help me to say no. The smallest word in the English language that helps you is N-O. No. Be ready. Be prepared in the morning. Your battle may come at 4 p.m. You will not win that battle at 4 p.m. if you are not prepared at 6 a.m. Right? Be prepared for the battle on your knees at 6 a.m., 7 a.m., 4 a.m., 5 a.m. In the morning, first thing is, Lord, help me. Paul says, Walk in the Spirit. I want to. Why? Because I belong to you. And this morning, I come to you, Lord. I tell you I have a difficult day. So many business appointments and so many contacts with social friends and others and some of them will come with evil suggestions. I know that. It's coming. Lord, help me. I promise you. Help me to say N-O. No. You don't have to say, somebody says, Hey, let's do this. Go here, go there. You know it's wrong. You say, Oh, let me pray. You don't have to pray. I prayed already in the morning. You go ready to say N-O. No. Thank you. And that is the end of it. You have won the victory. Please. It is very easy and very difficult. If you prepare in the morning, it is very easy. If you never prepare in the morning, it is very difficult. You're going to stumble. You say, Hey, I'm not sure. Let me think over. I pray about it. And before you know that you're going to pray about it, one more persuasion, Okay, never mind. We'll do. And you have fallen into a trap. Live in the Spirit and glorify the Lord Jesus Christ. Walk in the Spirit. Live your life according to the Holy Spirit and not according to the promptings of your flesh. And then you will be a great success. Bring glory to the name of God. Let us pray. Lord, help us that we may all understand we are in a life's battle every day. Lord, how can we win that battle to live and walk in the Spirit except Thou will help us. We fail. We fall. So Lord, help us today that what we have learned, what we know to be good and true, we will practice from tomorrow for the coming week. That every day may see us win battles for the Lord. This is our prayer. In Jesus' name. Amen. Amen.