Walking in the Spirit

Good morning. I have a list here I'd like to write on the board and I'd like to ask you this question, maybe be thinking in your hearts, which one of these two lists best describes you, these traits? And maybe also, what do you think others would say? What do you think God would say out of these two lists? I'll write them down here. So, I don't know, somebody might be listening in, so I'll just say it out.

The first list I'll put stressed, anxious, fearful, impatient, harsh, opinionated, driven, controlling, gotta be your way, obsessed, complaining, stubborn, where I'll put up here critical and especially critical words. Okay, the other list I want to put is over here. I'm gonna put, I'll put it right here, at peace.

I'll put up here kind words about others, trusting, calm, joyful, gentle, forgiving, forbearing, easygoing, flexible, and thankful. So, I ask which one of those would you say when you, when you do a little checkup in your heart, which one of those do you find yourself most the time operating in? Now, you know, the Bible says that we should judge ourselves. There's a passage in 1st Corinthians that says, he that is spiritual judges all things, yet is not judged by others, because he's judging himself.

He's, he's walking with God. He's asking God to show him his motives, and he's constantly purifying, it says, cleansing himself in the flesh. And one of these best describes you.

Maybe sometimes you find you go back and forth. The Bible says in James, when lust, or maybe we could put the word temptation, when temptation has conceived, it brings forth, what does it say? Does anybody know? When lust has conceived, it brings forth sin, and sin, and when it is finished, bringeth forth death. So, let's just, lust is kind of one of these churchy words that we're not used to using, and maybe don't even use much, except in a sexual kind of way, but let's, let's use it as the word temptation.

Are these all areas we are tempted in, especially on this side? Would you say we are tempted? Okay. It says, when temptation has conceived, it brings forth sin. So, is it fair to write on this list, if these make any inroads into our heart, if the seed stays and puts a root down, is it fair to say that it is sin? Am I fair in saying that? If I am known as a harsh person, or an anxious person, or a stressed person, or a controlling person, or a critical person, is it fair to say that I'm operating in sin? Now, is it fair to say that I could be tempted with those things, and somehow keep it from putting in a root? The Bible says that Jesus was tempted in all points, yet without sin.

That means Jesus was tempted with every one of these things. Jesus was tempted to be critical. He was tempted to be opinionated.

He was tempted to be stressed, and harsh, and obsessed, and controlling, and fearful, and anxious. But it says, yet without sin. I want to talk about that this morning.

Let's turn to Romans chapter 8. I thought it interesting that, I don't know, I don't know when you preach sermons, if like, it just happens that the song leader, you know, you're just like, you see your sermon and all the songs, maybe that's for everybody. I don't want to think everything's by chance. But I was amazed at some of the songs in shady green pastures, so rich and so sweet.

And then it goes in and talks about some through the fire, some through the water, some through the flood. But all, it says, all have to come through the blood. You know, right now, we think of these people down in Haiti, they're going through some fire, right? They're going through some trial.

To be delivered out of that, whether they come out of it with death, or even out of it with life, they have to be delivered through it by the blood. They have to find Jesus through it. They're tempted right now, I'm sure to be worried.

I'm sure they're tempted right now to be unforgiving. I don't think I wrote that down. If they're going to come out victorious, they're gonna have to come out through the blood, all through the blood.

The next song he led was walking in sunlight. It says walking, ever I'm walking close by his side, shadows around me, shadows above me, all of this stuff is around me, but I'm staying close to God. Then he did the song Master, the Tempest is Raging, talking about everything so fearful and everything's, you know, all these anxieties.

I'm sinking, dear master, I perish, I perish. And then he led the song. What a friend we have in Jesus.

Are you weak, heavy laden, cumbered with a load of care? Is that not this list? And then it says, the verse says, what needless pain we bear. Needless. And it's all because what? We didn't come to Jesus, we didn't walk with him.

The song says, what peace we often forfeit. What peace? We could be over here, but we forfeit it all because why? We're, we're not walking with God. So that's what I want to talk about this morning is Romans eight.

And I hope Roger, I'm not stealing your sermon from you. Feel free when you cut, if you're going to keep preaching through Romans, feel free to preach over it again from another perspective or I thought of that about halfway through as I was preparing. Oh, Roger's preaching through the book of Romans.

Um, I want to talk about the law of the spirit this morning, as we see in verse one of chapter eight, there is therefore now no condemnation to them, which are in Christ Jesus who walk not after the flesh, but walk after the spirit for the law of the spirit of life in Christ. Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. I want to talk about this thing called the law of the spirit.

And sometimes we may read through the Bible and see a portion of scripture like this and think to ourselves that, yeah, maybe this is important, man. Yeah. Maybe this is for the deeper walk, man.

Yeah. Maybe this is for, you know, um, a Christian who gets serious, but I hope by the time we're done and we read this, we see in a study this, I hope we see that this is not for just a person who's trying to have a deeper walk. This is for every Christian, the law of the spirit.

Now, if you read the book of Romans and you work through from the beginning, we see Paul is trying to deliver and build up a climax and he's trying to show how man has fallen away from God and man has done his own way. And then even Israel has done the same. And he gets to chapter seven is chapter six.

He's showing the struggle between he's that's where it talks about that. Whatever master you serve, that's your master, whether it's sin, whether it's righteousness. And he's going through this whole thing, trying to show how the law, it shows us our sin and how we need to be righteous before God.

And he finally gets to chapter seven and he's working through bringing up to this point and we'll, we'll pick it up in verse 17. And he's talking about, he's wrestling back and forth. He's carnal verse 14.

He says, I know the law is spiritual. The law is a good thing. But then he goes on to say, but I am carnal.

And I like you to think this morning, as we read through these some, once again, these churchy words that we're used to carnal flesh, let's just replace that word this morning with the word natural. Let's just, let's just think of it from a different perspective. He says, I am natural.

He says, I am, I am in my flesh. I, the law is spiritual, but I, I'm just in my flesh. And he goes on verse 14 for that, which I do, I allow not for that, which I, for, for what I would that do I not, but that what I hate, do I, if then do I do that, which I would not consent to the law that is good.

Now, then it is no more longer I that do it, but sin that dwells in me, for I know that in me, that is in my flesh dwells no good thing for to will is present with me, but how to perform that, which is good. I find not. So he says, I have this desire in my mind.

I have this, I get up and I, I search the scriptures and I read and I see the law of God. It's holy. It's righteous.

It's good. And I said, I want to do that. And then I step out after, you know, my Bible time.

And I find myself just on that list. I find myself impatient. I find myself stressed.

I find myself critical and further. I find myself in lust. I find myself in divisions.

He says, I, I find the will inside of me. It's present, but how to perform it. I can't fight, figure it out for the good that I would do.

I do not. But the evil, which I would not that I do now, if I do that, I would not is no longer I, but sin that dwells in me. Then he goes on verse 21.

I find that a law that when I would do good, evil is present with me, for I delight in the law of God after the inward man. But I see another law in my members. It's a warring against the law of my mind and bringing me into the captivity of the law of sin.

So Paul brings up this new idea of a law of sin. And he says, even though I want to do right, even though I want to do what's spiritual, I find myself brought into bondage. I find my brought self brought into this law.

And I never wrote sin on top of here. My temptations end up becoming conceived. They end up becoming little babies in my life, right? Woman conceives and has a child.

Temptation comes into my life and I allow fruit to be born. And he says, I delight in the law of God, but I find another law. And even though I love God's law in my mind, I'm being brought captive to the law of sin.

And then he says this, oh, wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death? And then he gives some hope. He says, I thank God through Jesus Christ, our Lord, and that with the mind, I serve the law of God. But with the flesh, the law of sin, this terrible dichotomy.

My mind says I want to love God and serve him, but with the flesh, I find myself constantly serving sin. Is that just all the Christian life is? Is we say, we read our Bible and we say, I could probably have these things, but in the end, this is what I really am. If chapter seven was all that there was, maybe that's all it was.

But let's look in verse chapter eight. He says, now listen to this. There is no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit.

Now listen to this. Verse two, for the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. Now, we just read in chapter seven about a law of sin.

He says in my mind, I want to serve God, but sin brings me into captivity and I'm in bondage to this law. It's called the law of sin and death. And then he says, who will step? Who will? What's the word? Who will deliver me? Who will get me out of this bondage? Who will get me out of this prison of sin? And the answer is the law of the spirit.

Look at verse two. For the law of the spirit has made me free from the law of sin. Is it fair to say, then, that in chapter two, Paul is saying there is hope, there is a way to be freed from bondage.

Now, look at verse three. He says, for what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh. So God, let's think about this for a minute.

God gave his law to Israel and he said, here are all the commandments you need to obey. And this law was supposed to be a mirror to them. It would show them when they would read it, they would see everything they did wrong.

But all it was, was a mirror. It couldn't do anything. It couldn't help them.

It couldn't change them. It could just point out sin. It was just fact, right? Just data.

But it was no help. It wasn't a person. It was just like a letter.

Here is your problem. So God saw that, even though he called it good and gave them the law, it says he saw that it was weak. The law was weak.

It wasn't, didn't have enough power to deliver. And so he says, what's the solution? He says, for the law, what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh. It couldn't help my flesh.

It can only show me what was wrong. God sent his own son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, condemning sin in the flesh. That here's the outcome.

The righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us who walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit. So what it says here, and the way I interpret this is that God saw that the law was weak. And he said, you know, this isn't working out.

It's a good law. It tells them everything I want, but it's not helping them. It's not helping them change their life.

So I'm going to send my son. And he, what does it say he's going to do? It says he sent his own son in likeness for sin. He condemned sin in the flesh.

I read one translation. It said he broke the power and the bondage of sin. So he condemned sin in the flesh.

And then this next verse, the outcome that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us. So what I'm hearing Paul telling us is when I'm under the law and not under the spirit, I have my mind. It tries to obey, but it doesn't know how.

It wants to do these things, but it can't. But when God saw that, he said, I'm going to send my son. I'm going to break the power of sin.

And now with my son, what he did, I'm going to make it so the righteousness of the law can be fulfilled. Well, let's, let's everybody turn to Ezekiel. Um, Ezekiel chapter 36, unless you think I'm making this up, uh, Ezekiel chapter 36 and verse 26, it says this, this is God.

And he's talking about the new covenant. He's talking about putting away the old one and ushering in a new one, which Jesus Christ was the testator. He was the one that brought that in.

Now, listen, this is the cup of the, and he says, the blood of the new covenant. What does it say in Ezekiel? A new heart. Will I give you a new spirit? Will I put within you? I will take that old stony heart out of your flesh and I will give you a heart of flesh and I will put my spirit within you and cause you to walk.

It's no wonder. As we look through all of the, most of the epistles, there's something to do with walking with God. And as we're going to see in this passage, it's about, it started off with it.

It said who walk, not after the flesh, but walk after the spirit. So in other words, what I'm reading is God says in this new covenant, I'm going to put a new heart. I'm going to put a new spirit.

I'm going to put my spirit into your new spirit and I'm going to cause you to walk. If you're in the new covenant, you're walking as a Christian, you've entered in by the narrow way. There's now a path.

Jesus didn't just say, enter in at the narrow gate, did he? He said, enter in at the narrow gate and the narrow path, right? It says in Matthew chapter seven, he says, enter into the straight gate for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction because straight is the gate or narrow and narrow is the way. So it's not just a gate. We all enter in every one of us.

Bethany just entered and went through with baptism last week, but now she's on a path. Each one of us are a path. It's not a wide path.

It's a narrow path. It's a walking path means we have to walk. And Jesus has now come through this new testament and made a way that we can walk on the path.

This is not the path. This is the path. This is the fruit to tell you, you know, when you're driving your car down the road and you look down and you see that it's almost on empty, the gauge says you're almost an empty.

That's an indicator that if you don't do something, you have a problem, right? In the same way, this is an indicator to you that if you are walking in any of this, you are not walking with the spirit of God. You ever get hurt, pain? How many of you like pain? Can you imagine life without pain? Can you imagine you're just chewing along and you start chewing your tongue? And like somebody has to tell you there's blood coming out of your mouth. I mean, we don't like pain, but at the same time we kind of like pain, right? Pain tells us there's a problem.

We didn't have pain. We wouldn't go to the doctor and get the problem. I have a tooth that's got to die.

And it went through some incredible pain. Well, I went to the doctor and he said, if you don't do something about that, it's going to rot your jaw out. That pain told me to go to the doctor.

Well, God has given this stuff into our life to show where we're at. Thank God. Thank God that he can say we can see in our life an indicator.

Am I in the spirit or am I in the flesh? If I am walking by any of these things, then I'm not in the spirit. So what is let's keep going on here. So we saw clearly that God has come up with a new covenant.

And in that covenant, he's going to put his spirit in us and he's going to cause us to walk in his statutes and keep his judgments. Turn back to Romans six. I want to read you this verse.

If you remember, Jesus said God, verse 14 of chapter six, Jesus said that grace came by Jesus. So the law came by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus. Now look at this chapter right here.

This verse for first 14 for sin shall not have dominion over you for you are not under the law, but under grace. Now, if I took as a kind, I brought him up here and I said, I just want to read this verse to you and you tell me what it means. And I told him.

So if you if sin has dominion over you, it sends your master. If you're walking in this. Right here.

What is your master? What do you think he'd say? Would you say he could still say, well, yeah, you're in a grace. That's what the verse says real clearly. If sin has dominion over you, you are not.

What does it say? For sin shall not have dominion over for you are not under the law, but under grace. When you are under grace, what's the natural fruit? Sin shall not have dominion over you. Is that fair to say? So that means when I'm walking in these things, I'm walking in grace.

When I'm walking in these things, I'm not. I'm probably walking in the law, especially as a Christian. Let's turn to Hebrews chapter 10.

This is actually talking about the new covenant right before in verse 19 that I wanted to read. And he says he's talking about what I I will put my law in their hearts and their minds. I will write them.

There's things in it because I will not remember. And then look in verse 19, he says, having therefore brethren boldness to enter in the holiest by the blood of Jesus by a new and living way. Now, chapter nine, it says, talking about the Old Testament and all of the temple and the sacrifices.

And if you remember in the Old Testament, what helped me out, what we had the temple and we had this thing back here. Does anybody know? Remember how this works? What was this part called? Yeah, this is the Holy of Holies, right? Am I getting that right? Or what was this part called? What's that? Holy place. Yes.

And this, I think, was called the outer court, right? This is called the outer court, I think. OK. All right.

So here in chapter nine, he says. The priests, Paul's if Paul wrote this, he's trying to say that the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest. There wasn't a way only the priest could go into this place where God.

Well, that's where the Ark of the Covenant was. The priest would go in once a year. He would sprinkle it with blood and do this little ceremony.

He had little bells on him. And if he fell over dead, they'd drag him out by a rope. And he could only go in there once a year.

And when he wasn't there wasn't any other way for any other person to go in there. But then in the new covenant, it says we have a new and living way. Chapter 10.

Brethren have boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way. So what Paul is telling us is we now have a new way to get here. It's a new and alive, living way.

And I believe what we're reading in Romans eight is what that new and living way is the new and living way. What was not made available in the Old Testament was the spirit, the promise of the spirit of God in our hearts like it is here. Let's go back to Romans eight.

So we are talking about a new and a living way into the holiest place. So picking up where we were for what the law could not do and that is weak to the flesh. God sending his son in likeness of sinful flesh and for sin condemns in the flesh that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us who walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit.

Now, watch what verse five says. It says, for they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh, but they that are after the spirit, the things of the spirit do mind. They that are after the flesh do mind.

This word means to think about. It means to have feelings towards. It means to seek.

It means to savor. You remember when Jesus said, get behind me to Peter. Peter was telling him, Lord, you shouldn't die like that's that's terrible.

Like who would ever want you to be crucified? And Jesus said, get behind me, Satan. And he said, for thou savor is the things of men and not the things of God. Now, how many of us were we are standing with Jesus would have thought, no, Jesus, you can't die on the cross like we all see it from the backside, right? He says, savorist, you are thinking naturally in the same way here.

It says in verse five, for they that are the flesh, or let's say they that are after the natural reasoning, the natural man, because this word flesh just means like animal senses. Like what's the natural thing you would do, right? Some guy walks in here with a gun. The natural thing is I get a gun out and shoot him back.

That's just the natural thing to do. You hit me, I'll hit you like that's the flesh. That's what we do.

I like that. I like looking at it. I'm going to keep looking at it.

They that are up, so it says in verse five, sorry, they that are after, okay, I got this idea that I'm walking after, I'm walking after the flesh. In other words, my natural reasoning, my natural logic, my man, just my animal senses are what lead me. It says they that are after that do mind.

They think about, they think about, they have feelings towards, they seek. Now, would you say this is flesh? So when I'm anxious, I'm thinking about, I'm tempted, that's different, but if I'm letting it set in, I am not walking in the spirit. I am thinking, savoring, allowing to control, I'm following the flesh.

They that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh, but they that are after, or they're walking after the spirit, the things of the spirit. Now, let's remember, it's talking about walking. What does walking imply? Is walking a one-time thing? When you start walking, do you just do one step and you're done, go sit down, and, yeah, I walked today.

Walking is a continuous thing, right? One step at a time. Now, when I'm walking, do I think about what's going on back there? If you're on a hike, are you thinking about, I wonder if there's a rock back behind me? No, not really, right? You're not thinking about that, and you might be pressing for a goal, but you're not really thinking about a rock that's a mile away either, right? What are you thinking about? You're thinking about what's happening right here, right now. You're thinking about two things if you're following somebody.

You're thinking about where's the guy in front of me, and make sure I don't stumble on anything around me, right? Okay, so we're talking about walking very clearly. We're walking either after the flesh or after the spirit. So, he gives us a clear definition of what it means to walk after the flesh.

They're carnally minded. Now, let's keep reading. For to be carnally or naturally, let's just say the word natural-minded, we have to be so careful that we don't miss this message if we use churchy words.

You know, we hear words all our life, and sometimes it just goes right over because we're just like, carnal. Well, that just means I'm not committing adultery. Well, I don't know if we can… James says, or maybe that's John, all unrighteousness is sin.

We can't just say certain things are sin. Anything that does not line up with God's character is sin. Anything when lust, when temptation has conceived, whatever temptation it is, it brings forth sin.

And so here it says, to be carnally-minded or naturally-minded is death, but to be spiritually-minded is life, and notice what words there. One of our fruit here, to be spiritually-minded. In other words, I'm not… Okay, let's think about this.

The Bible says that we're made up of three parts, and I'm just going to use this as an example. We're made up of… Do you know what three parts we're made up of? Anybody got any ideas? Yeah, so let's just say this we'll just call the outer court, body, and this one we'll call the soul, and this one we'll call the spirit. You're made up of three parts just like God's temple and tabernacle is made up of three parts.

This is the holiest place to be. This is where God places his spirit. He puts his spirit in our spirit.

He doesn't put his spirit in our soul. Our soul is like where we operate with all this, right? Our soul is kind of like our emotions, our feelings. They can be here, they can be there.

We think about the sad news of the people in Haiti and we get scared. We wonder, we look at our bank account and realize the check's not coming from my client. You start feeling your heart jumping a little bit.

You get a nice big check and then you feel happy, right? That's all your emotions. That's your soul. That's why we go out and do soul winning.

We go out to win the soul because the soul is what's going to go to hell or to heaven. And so Jesus has made a way in to the holiest place, into the spirit, into our spirit to put his spirit. And this is where we need to operate.

What Paul is saying is if you're walking by this and allowing your soul to be driven by this, the flesh, which is just your natural reasoning, your natural logic, it's going to bring forth death. But if you allow, you live in your spirit, you live in your will, you live in, I know that I feel like being worried, but God says this. You live in a place where you don't allow your soul to follow the flesh, but you allow your soul to follow the spirit.

That's what we're talking about. To be carnally minded, he says, is death. This ear will bring death.

And this is where I think some of us think like, well, yeah, maybe someday we need to take this warning strong. We do not believe in unconditional eternal security here. We believe we must keep pressing on, keep walking.

We believe, as the Bible says, if you walk in the light as he is in the light, what's the condition? The blood of Jesus, what cleanses. So can I, is it fair to say if I don't walk in the light that the blood of Jesus does not cleanse? So I'm walking, I'm following the spirit. He's right ahead of me.

It's a moment by moment thing. He's light. It says God is light.

So he's shedding light around me and I'm walking and he's showing me things moment by moment. He's showing me, hey, Jeremy, you know, you're, well, just this morning I was preparing my sermon. I've been up studying, you know, and all of a sudden I looked up and I saw, wow, like it's almost time to leave.

I'm still in my pajamas. And I felt my heart go, you know, like, oh no, like I have to like print this really fast. And I wasn't even done with my sermon.

I still had like, it always seems to happen like this. Like I always at the end, I end up having like all these extra notes I have to write in because, because I'm running out the door. And so I felt my heart go, you know, and then all of a sudden I thought I had to take a deep breath.

You know, just what does it matter if I'm late? You know, Sam can open. You know, you have to, you have to go to the place where the spirit is. You have to ask God and he's going to show you your motives.

He's going to say, Jeremy, what does it matter? What does it matter? Do you think your brothers will want you to be on time and chew out your family in the process? Or do you think your brothers would rather you be late and walk in the spirit? You know how much harm we do to the church of God when we don't walk in the spirit? We think that we somehow, you know, just affect our families. No, we drag down the church of God when we don't walk in the spirit because that's what we're here for each other. We're here to provoke one another.

You won't have a word to provoke in the Lord and speak the word of the Lord if you're not walking in the spirit. Okay, so it says the carnal mind is an enmity against God. We need to get this clear.

Your natural reasoning, your natural logic is an enemy of God. That's why the Bible says casting down all imaginations, which just means logic. If you look at the Greek word, it just means logic and plans that exalt themselves above the knowledge of God.

You know, you have a plan in your mind. You're going to go do this. You're going to go do that.

And it doesn't work out and you get frustrated. It is exalting itself above the knowledge of God. Why? Because it's got to be your way.

You are driven and you're probably opinionated and somewhat stressed. And I would venture to guess you're complaining in the process. So you're walking in the flesh.

Let's keep reading. Listen to this, how strong he says, so they that are in the flesh cannot please God. We cannot please God whenever we're in the flesh.

We can't. There's no way around it. Now, let's look at what he goes on to say.

Therefore, brethren, we are debtors. We are in debt not to the flesh to live after the flesh. For if you live after the flesh, you shall.

What does it say? That's a harsh word. That's a strong word. If we live our lives out to the end of our life and we don't learn to walk in the spirit.

God says we're going to die. Would you say it's important to learn what it means to walk in the spirit? I mean, if I'm wrong, if I'm totally wrong about walking spirit, so be it. But do you think it's important that you should figure out how to walk in the spirit? Because he says you'll die if you don't learn.

Listen, what he goes on to say. But if you through the spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, you shall lead for as many as are led by the spirit of God. But they are the sons of God.

So many times we think through this thought process and we think, well, I became a Christian. I said I said a prayer, you know, 15 years ago. And now I'm a Christian.

So when the devil comes around, says, tries to show me that I'm wrong. Well, I'm just going to tell him I said a prayer. I became a Christian.

Remember, it's a gate. And it's a path. The gate is narrow.

What did it take for you to become a Christian? Somebody give me some examples. What did it take for you to become a Christian? Surrender. OK, what's that? Humility.

OK, those are good. Grace. OK.

Repentance. True conversion. Takes a realization of who I am.

Now, what do you think this verse means? As you have received the Lord Jesus. Anybody finish the rest? So walk ye in him. As you have.

You just said it yourself. Humility, grace, repentance. What do you say, Sam? OK, repentance.

In the same way that you started out Christianity, you have to keep walking it. And that means, you know, when you first saw yourself and you saw your sin and you saw how awful and wretched you were like Paul. Oh, wretched man that I am.

Who shall deliver me? And you said, God, please deliver me. And God came in with the Spirit and he delivered you. But then so many people, they want to live that past experience.

You know, that moment of a critical point in time that things changed. But they're not realizing right here. That's how God works.

Right here, right now. The devil wants to say to you. You remember that thing you confessed two years ago and you told and you confessed out and you asked for it.

Well, guess what? I don't think you're really you're really not sorry for that thing. And then he wants to say, oh, and you know that thing. And because you did that two years, you'll probably do it again in two years.

That's how the devil works. You know what the Spirit does? He says, what's right here, right now in your life that you need to repent of? What motives do you have right now? What are you doing right now that you need to repent of? There might be something that you didn't repent of back there, but you see what I'm saying? The Spirit walks with us. His presence, if we walk in the light.

Now, what happens if we stop walking in the light? I don't know. It doesn't say, but I'd be concerned that the light draws him, goes away and we become in darkness. Until we clear our conscience.

So this is of utmost importance. I know it might seem boring, but when I sit and think about what is the most important thing we Christians should learn. It's this.

I mean, sure, doctrine is important, but the Pharisees knew doctrine. He said, search the scriptures. He says, they speak of me.

You think that they you'll find eternal life in them. But he says, they speak of me and you will not come to me. We can know all our doctrines.

We can have this book figured out to an A to Z. If we don't come to Jesus and walk with him, it's useless. We'll just be doctrinal Christians. We have to remember how important it is that Jesus didn't just come to forgive your sin.

He came to open up a new and a living way. Your life should be so different than that what was in the Old Testament. And my life.

So my question is this. The Bible talks about growing in grace. It talks about pressing toward the mark.

So it's something that doesn't come overnight. I'm not expecting that each one of us have to come. You know, it's not like overnight.

It's a growth process. Look at First Corinthians. Chapter three.

Paul says to them in to the Corinthian church. This is a new church. This is like all these people just became Christians.

He's discipling them. And he says this. Brothers, I can't speak to you as spiritual, but as carnal, as natural.

And he says, as babies in Christ. When we are these things. When this defines our life.

We're babies. That's what it is. Right.

I mean, that's what he said. He said carnal Christians are babies. Now, if you were if you had a baby who grew up to be 10 years old and we still.

Mess in his pants. And drooling. And couldn't talk, just babbled.

Would you think it was right? No, it's messed up like you're supposed to be growing. Right. Every year.

Matthew, where you at? What grade are you in? Third. OK, so do we all hope that he's going to go to fourth next year? Right. If he misses, if he if he if he doesn't do well and falls behind, it's a problem.

Every year in your life, we should be growing in God. Walking more and more with him. Growing in grace.

Remember, if you're under grace, you're not. Sin is not your. Master.

That's what it said in Romans six. Those under grace and shall not have dominion over you. If you're under grace.

The point of the new covenant was to bring this entering in the new and the living way every year. So can you look back in your life? I want everybody to think back a year ago. Have you grown in grace? Have these things become less in your life? Have these things become more in your life? Is God showing you moment by moment? Are you walking moment by moment? And he's saying, Benjamin, you know, that thing in your heart right there.

You're fearful. Is he revealing your motives? Is he speaking to you? We will not make it if we just simply wake up in the morning, read our Bibles and go on with our day and stay in the flesh. We have to learn how to walk with him.

Daily. Let's let's look at a promise here. I want to look at.

I want you to turn to. Isaiah chapter 30. This is God's heart.

Let me ask this question while we're turning there. Do you think Jesus walked in the spirit? Do you guys think he walked in the spirit? You think you ever walked in the flesh ever? I don't think so either. Now, what does the scripture say? It says whoever claims to live in him must walk as.

What does it say? He walked. If you want to say I'm a follower of Jesus, you've got to follow Jesus example and Jesus example. It says he was led by the spirit.

The spirit was upon him. This is not just something optional. This is Christianity.

This is following the one who was our forerunner who said, I will walk these steps and show you how. How did he do it? He walked by depending on God. He said, I don't even judge.

He said, I leave that to God. That's why he was not resisting. He sat on the cross and it says he didn't revile.

He didn't threaten. Why? Because he committed himself to him that judges righteously. His whole life was about trusting, resting in calm, gentle, joyful, forgiving, because he was trusting his life to God.

That's why we believe in non-resistance. It's not a doctrine. It's Jesus.

It's who he was. Okay, so Isaiah chapter 30. Look at this promise here.

Verse 15. Wouldn't this be neat? Like one of these signs you see in the house, you know, for thus sayeth the Lord God, the Holy one of Israel in returning and rest. Shall you be saved? Do you hear that? You want to be saved? How many? Like, wouldn't that be an interesting thing? You want to be saved? Then rest in returning and rest.

Shall you be saved in quietness and in confidence? Shall be your strength. And what they say. And you would not.

But you said, no, for we will flee upon horses. Therefore, you will flee. And we were right up on the swift.

You know, we live in. We live in a society that says, have it your way right now. Right.

Rest. Wait. Who wants to wait? Who likes to wait? Does anybody like to wait? You know, like 50 years ago, 60 years.

I know. I'm going to talk about 100 years ago, how great it was. But think about 100 years ago.

If somebody had to walk 20 miles, they would have thought, let's do it. You know, it's just normal life. Now we think 20 miles is ridiculous.

Like, that'll take me all day. No way. I'll just stay home.

We are. We have to realize we're part of a society that says. As fast as you can get it done.

You know, don't wait. We schedules get it. You know, phones going off and, you know, ringers and timers and.

And it fights against this. In returning and rest, shall you be saved in quietness and confidence shall be your strength. Now, you can do a lot of busy things.

And be resting in the Lord. I think I think brothers would say they've found that. You know, those guys can be in Haiti right now.

In rest. Can you imagine? Can you imagine sitting there getting one meal a day being beaten? You know, mocks spit upon and you can have joy and rest in your heart. But that's only going to happen if you're walking in the spirit.

It's not going to happen. If you're walking in the flesh. You know the verse.

And I don't think we need to turn there. But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings as eagles.

They shall run and not be weary. They shall walk. Wait.

Do you know what the word weight means? It doesn't just mean you stop. It does mean that. Like, OK, if I'm going to wait for Trevor to come.

I'm just going to wait here. I'm going to stop doing all of my things. And I'm going to think about when is Trevor going to get here.

And I'm going to be watching. And that. But have you ever thought about a waitress? What does a waitress do? Carries plates.

Serves. You know, wait doesn't just mean stop doing things. It also means start doing things.

It's just not doing your own things. When a waitress comes to work. If she sits back on her phone and is checking her social media.

And her text and all that. While the people sitting at the table are waiting for water and sauce. And, you know, all those good things we like at restaurants.

We're going to say no tip for you. Right. You're not a good waitress.

A waitress. A good waitress will sit there. I mean, I've watched some of these ladies.

They're balancing stuff. And they're walking by. Do you need anything? And, you know, you know what I don't like is you go to a meal.

You pay a lot of money for a dish. And you just want some ketchup or, I don't know, some steak sauce or something. And you think, oh, I forgot to ask.

And she walks away. And you think, oh, she'll be back in a minute. And she doesn't come back until the end of the meal.

Like by that time your steak is, like, cold and it's not good anymore. And then you think, that's so sad. I wasted so much money.

Or am I the only one that thinks like that? Maybe that's a carnal thought. But the question is, she, a good waitress, has always got her eye on the client, on the customer. And she's serving.

She's not about her own thing. When we await on the Lord, it's the same thing. Right? Looking unto Jesus, who is the author and the finisher of our faith.

It's the idea that all day long as we walk, we're saying, Lord, is this what I should do? Lord, please reveal yourself. Lord, please show my motive. And when he points something out to us, we say, okay, Lord, yes.

He gives revelation. And we say, yes, Lord, I need it. That's light.

That's light. When we do nothing about it is when we have a problem. Listen to this.

For since the beginning of the world, since the beginning of the world, men have not heard nor perceived by the ear nor eye hath seen. This was in Isaiah. So since the beginning of the world, nobody's seen this, Lord, a God beside thee, what he hath prepared for them that wait for him.

Now, listen to this. That was a prophecy. He's saying, God, since the beginning of the world, eye hasn't seen it and ear hasn't heard it of what God will do for people who wait for him.

And then Corinthians, it says this, but it quotes that same prophecy and it says, but God hath revealed them to us by his spirit. What does that say? It says in this new and living way, if you can learn to walk here, God can reveal all the things. What eye hasn't seen, what ear hasn't heard of those that wait on him.

So are you waiting on God? Here I have it. This will help for children. Wake up a little bit.

I see Matthew. He said, we tested this at home today. So let's imagine this is your conscience.

This is your. This is your soul. Let's just say this is your soul.

And. You feel that temptation coming, you feel that. Fearfulness or you feel.

You want your way or, you know, like I all of a sudden felt this morning like I've got to go. We got to be on time. Right.

And this this cloud of. Fear comes in and maybe you even let it sit in your soul and you let it sit. And.

It's like that. It's like this disgusting. Darkness.

That comes into your conscience. And. Pretty soon it permeates and everything like pretty soon you're bitter.

You know, you know, you're complaining. And you just notice your heart is a mess. Now, what I'm fearful of, this is my honest fear.

How much of Christianity walks around like this all the time? That's a question we have to ask ourselves because this is not good. That's a cloud of conscience that's full of those things, full of the flesh. Now, God has made a remedy.

It takes coming to him. It takes humility. Well, OK.

What did Jesus say? What did he say for people like this? He said, come unto me, all you who are what? Weary and heavy laden. Remember what he told Martha? He said, you are cumbered about with so many things. And he says, Mary has chosen the one needful thing.

What was the one needful thing? Sitting at the feet of Jesus. Listening for his teaching and his word. So the question is, Jesus has come to me.

Now, what does he say? He said, learn of me. Right? And then he says, for I am meek and lowly. What does he say? What is he saying there? He's saying, learn of me.

I have decided in my life I'll follow the Father's will. It won't be my will anymore. I'm meek and I'm lowly.

Learn of me in those things. And he says, take my, who wants to have a yoke on their head? Take my yoke upon you, for I am meek and lowly. Right? So, Jesus offers hope for this.

Jesus says, come to me. I can clear this up. So, I have some of, we'll call this the spirit.

And we'll call this grace in here. Jesus brought grace to our lives. And hopefully this works.

That's really cool. I think Caleb did this once. If anybody's listening, it was dye in the water and it turned immediately clear.

But to do this, it had to put a yoke on. What is a yoke? A yoke is, we're going to go this way, son. We're going to go this way, son.

You don't have any plans of your own, son. Right? To put a yoke on, it's no longer your will. It's the other's will.

And so, we go, yes, Lord. Yes, Lord. I want to follow you.

And we clear our conscience. And we can have joy. And we can have cups overflowing.

Right? And I would venture to guess, if you can learn. Now, this is a growing thing. I'm not saying it's going to come overnight.

Growing grace. If you can learn to walk in the spirit. You know, this stuff will come into your life.

And you'll think, oh no, there it is. It won't be able to stay. You see that? It won't be able to stay.

Because the spirit's there. So, let's do this this morning. What is the goal of this message? The Bible says to let the peace of God rule your heart.

Umpire. That word just means umpire. Think about umpiring.

The guy's playing the games. Somebody misses the ball. Go back and do it right.

Let the peace of God umpire your heart. Don't let that clouded conscience stay. Don't let these things.

This is. God has allowed these things into our life. To be an indicator.

Where we are. The second we see that we are one of these things. We need to.

We need to confess it. And we need to walk in the light again. The blood of Jesus only cleanses sin.

For people who are walking in the light. It's what the verse says. If we walk in the light.

As he is in the light. He is faithful and just. And the blood of Jesus cleanses us.

From all sin. Your job is to walk in light. Your job is to walk in the spirit.

A moment by moment. Trusting in the Lord. As the verse says.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Lean not onto your own understanding. Remember that.

Carnal Christianity. Flesh. Lean not to your own understanding.

That's your carnal logic. In all your ways. Acknowledge him.

This was written in the Old Testament. How much more should we know about this in the New Testament? In all your ways acknowledge him. And he shall direct your path.

He will lead you to eternity. He will lead you home to heaven. But it's going to be a path.

And it's going to be a narrow path. But it's going to be a watchful path. You're going to have to constantly.

Be watching. He's doing the work in your heart. But you're watching.

You're watching him. Keeping your eye on Jesus. The author.

And the finisher. He started it. And he's going to end it.

But if you're not watching him. If you're not following the spirit. He can't lead you.

To. Eternity. So like I said.

This is. Probably in my mind. One of the most important things.

I can think. I remember years ago thinking. What does it mean? It seems so important.

To walk in the spirit. What does it mean to walk in the spirit? And whatever it means. We need to learn it.

Because. It says very clearly. Paul said.

The ones who are led by the spirit. Are. The sons of God.

The ones that are led by the flesh. It will result in death. Thank you and God bless you.