Clean Transcript

Walking With The Lord - Part 12 - Walking In The Spirit

Clean readable transcript. This view follows the Commentary.net cleaned segment text while preserving timestamps for audio follow-along.

• Well, let's open our Bibles today to the book of Galatians chapter 5. Galatians chapter 5, and we're going to start reading with verse 13. This is going to be the concluding message on walking with the Lord. So the title of it is basically "Walking in the Spirit." So this will be part 12. So notice if you would Galatians 5, beginning there with verse 13. Paul says, "For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another. 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."

  #1 | 0:04 to 1:14 | cleaned

• "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, revellings, 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 the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit."

  #2 | 1:15 to 1:58 | cleaned

• "Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another." In bringing the concluding message in this series on walking with the Lord, let me remind you where we have been. I began this series with a message on walking before the Lord. We found out that, of course, Enoch walked with God and Abram walked with the Lord. And God told Abram, "I am the Lord thy God; walk thou before me, and be thou perfect." And I pointed out you can't walk with the Lord until you learn to walk before Him. Then we dealt with walking in faith and showed you from the Word of God. And then, of course, walking worthily—there were at least three messages on that passage from Ephesians chapter 4. And then, of course, walking differently and several messages on that from Ephesians chapter 4. And then I pointed out also how we're to walk in love and walk in light and then walk accurately. So I would just suggest if you are not comfortable with your understanding on these 11 messages, that you go back and listen

  #3 | 1:59 to 3:09 | cleaned

• to those messages again. You see, Paul prayed for the Colossian Christians in Colossians 1 and verse 10, and he gave this petition: "that ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God." So he said that you might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing. So if we're going to walk not only worthy of the Lord, but if we're going to walk pleasing unto the Lord, there is one aspect of our Christian walk that will guarantee that we walk pleasing to the Lord. And that aspect is walking in the Spirit. That is, we must walk in the person and presence and power of the Holy Spirit. Of course, the Holy Spirit is the third person in the triune Godhead. There's God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. And certainly He's going to lead us, guide us, and direct us as pleasing unto the Father through the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. In fact, He will teach us the truth of the book of Micah, chapter 6 and verse 8, where God says, "He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?"

  #4 | 3:10 to 4:33 | cleaned

• Let me begin by telling you, and I do not have to emphasize this too much, but Christianity as a whole today is in very pitiful shape. Our churches are basically filled with unbelievers. Compromise with sin in the world has made the church user-friendly and worldly-oriented. And instead of seeking to preach and teach the whole counsel of God, most churches have opted to entertain the world, and they've swallowed political correctness to the absolute extent that they do not wish to offend anyone or upset anyone at any time.

  #5 | 4:34 to 5:12 | cleaned

• And the truth of the matter is, there is an offense to the Gospel. If you will look in Galatians 5 in verse 11, the Apostle Paul mentions it. He said, "And I, brethren, if I yet preach circumcision, why do I yet suffer persecution? Then is the offence of the cross ceased." So, let's be honest, the Word of God is offensive to unbelievers. Men who are in rebellion to God do not wish to hear of God's sovereignty, of His lordship, of His law, of His commands, and of His demands. And so obviously there is an offense to the gospel. And so our churches are not only in pitiful shape from the sense that they have many unbelievers and they've left the Word of God. We also have in our churches sometimes true believers walking in the flesh rather than in the Spirit. And the very fact that they are walking in the flesh is evidenced not only in their individual lives, but their families, their churches, and in their societies.

  #6 | 5:13 to 6:22 | cleaned

• We are not to walk after the world. We are not to walk after the flesh in any sense of the word.

  #7 | 6:22 to 6:28 | cleaned

• Now the Bible says in 1 John 2 verses 15 and 17, listen to this: "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him." Now He's going to explain to you what is in the world. He goes on to say this: "For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever." So He talks about all of that which is in the world being the lust of the eyes and the lust of the flesh and the pride of life. Now I want you to see that there are specific scriptures that actually command us to walk in the Spirit. So I want you to hold

  #8 | 6:29 to 7:21 | cleaned

• Galatians 5 and turn in your Bibles to the book of Romans chapter 8. And if you would go ahead and mark that passage because we will come back there. In fact, we will also come back to passages close to it. So go ahead and mark Romans chapter 8, but look if you would right now at verse 1. Romans 8 verse 1, Scripture says, "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." So here is a verse that tells that some walk after the flesh and some walk after the Spirit. Look if you would in verse 4, he says, "that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." Now look in your Bibles to Galatians chapter 5 and verse 16. We read it earlier, but here it is: "This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh." And then if you look in Galatians chapter 5 and verse 25, the apostle said, "If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit." Now I want you to go back to Galatians chapter 5 beginning there with verse 13, and I want you to see the condition of the church

  #9 | 7:21 to 8:49 | cleaned

• in Galatia. You cannot really understand what Paul is saying unless you understand the condition of the church in Galatia. And let me just point out the fact that the church in Galatia resembles our modern day churches in a multitude of ways. And the truth of the matter is, yes, there were true believers in the Church of Galatia, but they were not walking in the Spirit, they were walking in the flesh, because they misunderstood and they misapplied the doctrine of Christian liberty. Look what he says in verse 13: "Ye have been called unto liberty." That is a fact. There is a principle. There is a precept. There is a truth. There is a doctrine of Christian liberty. He says, "Ye have been called unto liberty." But then he adds this: "only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another." Let me just tell you that liberty means that we have been delivered from sin and wickedness. Let me say this another way. Liberty is not licentiousness. Christian liberty does not mean that we are allowed to do as we please, but we are free now to do as God commands us.

  #10 | 8:49 to 10:11 | cleaned

• And what the Apostle Paul is saying in Galatians chapter 5 and verse 13, you cannot use Christian liberty as a cloak and as a veil for the sins of the flesh. Now, if you'll look in chapter 5 verse 1, here's the principle Paul says: "Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage." Certainly we are free in Christ. We are free from man's laws and man's traditions. We are free from days and times and customs and rites and rituals that are religious in nature, but not necessarily biblical. It is true that we've been set free in Jesus Christ. It is also true that we are not under the law as a means of justification. We're not trying to work our way into heaven. We're not trying to earn our salvation in any sense of the word whatsoever. But just because we have been set free from sin and tradition and rules and regulations does not mean that we're free to sin. I want you to hold Galatians 5 and go back in your Bibles to Romans chapter 6.

  #11 | 10:12 to 11:37 | cleaned

• We will come back to Romans 6 a little bit later, just like we will come back to Romans chapter 8, but look in Romans chapter 6 and let's just read the first six verses. Notice this passage, Romans 6 beginning there with verse 1. Paul asks, "What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?" In other words, someone says, "I was a wicked sinner and God's grace abounded to me." And some would say, "Well, if we want more grace, let's just sin more greatly." And Paul says in verse 2, "God forbid." That is, perish that thought. Don't even think that. That is absolutely ridiculous. Why? Here's what he says: "How shall we, that are dead to sin,

  #12 | 11:32 to 12:19 | cleaned

• live any longer therein? Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:

  #13 | 12:20 to 12:45 | cleaned

• knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin." Now I'm going to come back to this passage, but notice if you would please. He's talking about the fact that we are dead to sin. This is what the Apostle Paul is referring to in Galatians chapter 5 when he says, "Brethren, ye have been called unto liberty, only use not your liberty for an occasion to the flesh," because we're not debtors to the flesh, we're not debtors to sin, but by love we're to serve one another.

  #14 | 12:45 to 13:23 | cleaned

• Now, if you really want to understand the doctrine of Christian liberty, then you need to really study Romans 14 and 1 Corinthians chapter 8. We do have Christian liberty. But that Christian liberty does not give us the right to sin. It does not give us the right to licentiousness. It does not give us the right to despise, ignore, misuse, or abuse each other. He goes on to tell you in verse 14, "For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." You remember our Lord said the two great commandments were number one, love the Lord with all your heart, and number two, love your neighbor as yourself. Now Paul gives a very serious warning in verse 15, and that warning is dead on target. Look at it.

  #15 | 13:23 to 14:15 | cleaned

• He says, "But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another." Now, "if ye bite and devour one another"—this is an illustration taken from animals. Animals bite, wild animals bite, tame animals bite, and they end up devouring things. And Alice, now we're laughing this week because Belle, our oldest bulldog, caught a squirrel and killed it, and then she was guarding it up on the hill. And the other two dogs, and the one which was far bigger than Belle, was just standing back looking at the squirrel. She would not let them near the squirrel. She finally brought the squirrel to the driveway. Alice went and caught pictures of her guarding the squirrel. Finally Belle got distracted and ran to the barn. And when she did, then Bedford, the larger dog, went and picked up the squirrel and ate it. He devoured it. It was just that simple.

  #16 | 14:15 to 15:23 | cleaned

• She wanted to guard it and kill it, kill it and guard it, but he wanted to eat it. So this is what he is saying. Watch carefully: "But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another."

  #17 | 15:25 to 15:36 | cleaned

• Now biting and devouring then refers to slanders, accusations, reproaches, and every kind of offensive language as well as acts of injustice arising from fraud or violence. Let me put it to you bluntly. Here's what was going on in the Galatian church. They were fussing, fighting, and feuding. Do you realize we have not changed at all? Such is still par for the course. You look in the average church and you're going to find cliques and schisms and divisions and parties and feuds and contentions, and they are so commonplace that very little can be done in the average church. In fact, you will always find, usually in someone in the average church, there is a Diotrephes attitude. Now, if you don't understand what a Diotrephes attitude is, I want you to look in the little book of 3 John. 3 John, right before Jude and then Revelation. Look in 3 John, if you would, at verses 9 and 10. Because John had to deal with a man by the name of Diotrephes. So look what he says, 3 John verse 9.

  #18 | 15:37 to 17:01 | cleaned

• He said, "I wrote unto the church"—now we're talking about the Apostle John—"I wrote unto the church: but Diotrephes, who loveth to have the preeminence among them, receiveth us not." He said he won't even listen to the Apostles. "Wherefore, if I come, I will remember his deeds which he doeth, prating against us with malicious words: and not content therewith, neither doth he himself receive the brethren, and forbiddeth them that would, and casteth them out of the church." What was his attitude?

  #19 | 17:01 to 17:34 | cleaned

• His attitude is, "I'm running this thing. You're gonna do what I say, and if you don't, I'm gonna kick you out or you're going home. I'm just not gonna put up with it. I'm in charge." Do you understand that? That's the Diotrephes attitude. Now when you look back in Galatians 5 and verse 15, he says, "But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another." I've threatened for years to preach an entire message just on this verse. And I already had the title of the message picked out. I was going to title it "Cannibal Christians." And that's exactly what happens.

  #20 | 17:34 to 18:17 | cleaned

• I mean we turn into cannibals. We have a chicken mentality. That doesn't mean that we are afraid, but when I talk about a chicken mentality, those of you who've ever been around chickens, if one gets sick, if one gets hurt, if one has a little blood, what does the rest of them do? They peck him to death. They peck him to death. You should say Christians are the only ones that will slay their walking wounded. We're the only ones that attack our own. Look in your Bibles Galatians 6 if you would please. Very seldom do we fulfill this command. Galatians 6 verses 1 and 2. He says, "Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault"—that is, he's gotten caught up in trouble, he's gotten caught up in a

  #21 | 18:18 to 19:04 | cleaned

• sin—"ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ."

  #22 | 19:04 to 19:19 | cleaned

• Now, this church in Galatia was having problems. Our churches are having problems. Individual Christians were having problems. So here's the question: What is the answer to our individual, familial, and ecclesiastical problems? Well, the Apostle Paul tells us that we're to walk in the Spirit and not in the flesh. That is the answer. Look in verse 16. "This I say then"—that is, in light of everything that's happening above—"This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh."

  #23 | 19:20 to 20:04 | cleaned

• Now, here's my first point that I want to emphasize today. I want you to listen. Walking in the Spirit is the antidote to walking in the flesh. Walking in the Spirit is the antidote to walking in the flesh. Now, we've been looking at this series, "Walking with the Lord," for 12 weeks. During that time, I pointed out over and over, and I've tried to instill upon you one simple truth, that your walk—it's your way of life. It's your lifestyle. It's what you do every day. It's how you function. It's how you live. So He tells us to walk in the Spirit and will not fulfill the lust of the flesh. Now look again at verse 25. We read it earlier. In verse 25, the apostle says it like this: "If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit." Now living in the Spirit indicates the person, presence, and power of the Holy Spirit, while walking indicates our outward actions. Living in the Spirit just simply means that the Holy Spirit of God indwells us, He possesses us, He leads us, we're under His influence and His direction.

  #24 | 20:04 to 21:38 | cleaned

• Now, hold Galatians and go back to Romans chapter 8. Look if you would please at verses 9 and 10. Romans 8 verses 9 and 10. Romans 8 verse 9 he says, "But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you." Now, let's stop there just for a moment. If God the Holy Spirit indwells us, we are in the realm of, in the sphere of, the Spirit. Now look what he says in the latter part of verse 9: "Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his." So anyone who is not indwelled by the Holy Spirit is not a Christian. He's not regenerated. He's not converted. He's unsaved. Watch if you would verse 10: "And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness." Now, I want you to go back, if you would please, and look, if you would, at verse 4, Romans 8 verse 4, "that

  #25 | 21:39 to 22:53 | cleaned

• the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." Now look at verse 5: "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." So he's actually showing us a division right here. There are those who are minding the things of the flesh, those who are minding the things of the Spirit. There are those who walk after the flesh, there are those who walk after the Spirit. So my question is this: How then do we understand the term "flesh"? You see, the word "flesh" is used several different ways in the Bible.

  #26 | 22:53 to 23:34 | cleaned

• It can refer to all humanity. "All flesh is as grass"—that would refer to all humanity. It can refer to the flesh on our arms, on our bodies. It can refer to a lot of things. But when you look at it in the context of Romans 7 and 8 and Galatians chapter 5, it refers to what I would call our depraved nature, our evil inclinations, our wicked propensities. The Apostle Paul said it like this in Romans 7 in verse 18: "I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing." That's what he said. "I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing."

  #27 | 23:34 to 24:23 | cleaned

• He goes on to say, "For to will is present with me"—that is, to will to do that which is right—"but how to perform that which is good I find not." In other words, I can't do it in my flesh. I might know better, but I can't do it in my flesh. So he said, "I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing." Now when the Apostle says, "They that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh," you have to ask, what is minding the things of the flesh? Well, it means that we're interested in and

  #28 | 24:23 to 25:01 | cleaned

• concerned only with our fleshly desires and our natures. And the Greek word is the word phroneo. Literally, it is translated as "mind," but it means to think, to regard, to savor, to direct one's attention, to seek one's interest and one's advantage, and to cherish and to strive for a thing. So if you're minding the flesh, you're cherishing it. It's your chief interest. You're savoring it. You're delighting it.

  #29 | 25:01 to 25:32 | cleaned

• You want it more than anything in the world. So walking after the flesh seeks then to fulfill its desires, its lust. To walk after the flesh means that you are forever pursuing and desiring and doing the things that please your flesh, whatever that may be.

  #30 | 25:32 to 25:52 | cleaned

• Now, let me just point something out. We can walk down the street and we look and there lying in the gutter is a drunk, filthy, unwashed, unkempt, wallowing in his own vomit. And we look and we turn our heads and we say, "Ah, I would never live like that. I would never do that." Or you look around at some adulterer or some fornicator and you know. No, you see what we normally do is this: we normally look at the grosser things of the flesh and say, "Ah, I don't want that." But what we don't understand is this: the flesh can be

  #31 | 25:53 to 26:37 | cleaned

• refined and cultured and religious. The Pharisees, you remember, were following after the flesh. What did the Pharisee pray in Luke 18? "I thank God that I am not as other men. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. I thank God I'm not like that old publican over there." Huh? That's flesh. That's pride. That's arrogance. And so, when we're minding the things of the flesh, it doesn't mean that we're minding wallowing in the gutter in our own vomit. It doesn't mean that we're minding adultery and fornication. It means that we can have a cultured, refined, even religious flesh. And we mind that. When we're minding how people think of us—"I'm going to do what's right because if I don't, someone might think I'm a hypocrite or someone might think bad of me"—we're not doing it to please the Lord. We're doing it to please our flesh. So, minding the Spirit means then that we're savoring, have our interest in the things of the Holy Spirit.

  #32 | 26:37 to 27:55 | cleaned

• Well, what does He do? Well, I want you to look in your Bibles to John chapter 16. John chapter 16 and notice if you would please beginning there verse 13. Look at what the Bible says, John chapter 16 and verse 13. Our Lord is speaking and He says this: "Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come"—so we're talking about the Holy Spirit. He's here called the Spirit of truth. "When he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he

  #33 | 27:55 to 28:37 | cleaned

• shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you. All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you." So what does the Holy Spirit do? He teaches us the Word of God. He leads us in reference to the Word of God. He leads us to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ. So those who are minding the things of the Spirit, those who are walking in the Spirit, are those who are thinking of the Word of God, the Lord Jesus Christ, His honor, His glory, and seeking to bring their lives in conformity to His Word. In other words, minding the Spirit and walking in the Spirit is basically what the Apostle Paul said in Colossians chapter 3 verses 1 and 2. Listen, here's what he said: "If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, and not on things on the earth." So if we wish to please our Heavenly Father, then we need to walk in the Spirit.

  #34 | 28:38 to 29:45 | cleaned

• Because walking in the Spirit is indeed the antidote to walking in the flesh. Now, that brings me to the second thing. I want you to look in Galatians 5 and verse 17. Not only is walking in the Spirit the antidote to walking in the flesh, look in verse 17. He says, "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." Now walking in the Spirit is contrary to and antagonistic to the flesh. Wow, antagonistic. The word "lusteth"—he says, "For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit"—literally, it means the flesh fights against the Spirit. The Greek word here is epithumeo, which literally means the flesh places all of its desire, all of its passion against the Spirit. So the Scripture tells us in verse 17 that they are contrary the one to the other. Now the word "contrary" is the Greek word antikeimai, and it literally means to be opposed to, to be contrary to, and to be an adversary. So let me put it like this: the flesh is the

  #35 | 29:45 to 31:15 | cleaned

• adversary of the Spirit, and the Spirit is the adversary of the flesh. And now, when God says that these are contrary the one to the other, this sets forth a clear and decisive truth. Here it is: You cannot walk in the Spirit and walk in the flesh at the same time. You will walk in one or the other, but you cannot walk in both of them at the same time. Now it is true, we are in the flesh, and it is true that we will not be able to walk in the Spirit perfectly in this life. But I'm going to show you just a few minutes later that it is almost—it is impossible for you to walk in the flesh and walk in the Spirit because they're contrary. They're opposites. They're adversaries. You walk in one or the other. It's just that simple.

  #36 | 31:15 to 32:10 | cleaned

• Now, our fallen natures prefer the realm and the sphere of the flesh. Our renewed natures prefer the realm and the sphere of the Spirit. This is why the Apostle Paul emphasizes the fact that our old man has been crucified with Christ. I want you to go back to Romans chapter 6. I told you we would be coming back there. Look at Romans chapter 6, and this time I want to begin by reading with verse 5. I know we read through verse 6 earlier, but I want to pick up again at verse 5 and read a little farther. Notice if you would Romans 6 verse 5: "For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him." Now, the old man is what we were in Adam, what we are in Adam. Our old man is crucified with Him. Why?

  #37 | 32:10 to 33:19 | cleaned

• "That the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin."

  #38 | 33:19 to 33:28 | cleaned

• "Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God."

  #39 | 33:29 to 33:44 | cleaned

• Now watch this, watch carefully. "Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law"—that is, as a means of justification—"but under grace."

  #40 | 33:44 to 34:21 | cleaned

• Let's stop right there just for a moment. He said that our old man has been crucified with him. And he said in verse seven, "He that is dead is freed from sin." Wow. Now, I want to call your attention, if you would, to verse 12. Look what he says: "Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof." He did not say, "Let not sin therefore be in your mortal body." We are sinners. Sin is there. Sin is not deranged. This whole passage teaches that when our old man was crucified with Christ, we have been delivered from the dominion and power of sin. Let me say it bluntly: sin is not our Lord. Jesus Christ is our Lord. Here is the difference between a saved man and an unsaved man. When sin speaks to an unsaved man, when sin demands that the unsaved man jump, the old unsaved man has to say, "Yes, master. Yes." Because sin is his lord and sin is his master. When sin speaks to the Christian man, the Christian man can look at sin and say, "I don't have to obey you. I've been delivered from your dominion. Jesus Christ is my Lord, and I choose to obey Him." Now go back to

  #41 | 34:23 to 36:02 | cleaned

• verse 11. Look what he says: "Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord." Now the word "reckon" means to count. It means to impute. So what do we do in reference to sin? We count ourselves dead. We reckon ourselves dead. Why? Because our old man has been crucified with Jesus Christ. Now, let me ask you a question: How much influence can the world, the flesh, and sin and the devil have over a dead man? Do you understand you cannot tempt a dead man? I don't care how big a drunk a dead man was, when I hold a fifth of liquor over his grave, it's not tempting him at all. He's dead. That is the truth of Romans chapter 6. That is what the Apostle Paul was emphasizing in Galatians chapter 5 about walking in the Spirit and not in the flesh. We are dead indeed unto sin. Now, let me show you—skip down to verse 17. In fact, let's look at verse 16.

  #42 | 36:02 to 37:28 | cleaned

• "Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?"

  #43 | 37:28 to 37:36 | cleaned

• Now look what he says: "But God be thanked, that ye were"—past tense—"the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. Being then made free from sin"—that is, free from its dominion—"ye became the servants of righteousness. I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh." Now,

  #44 | 37:36 to 37:58 | cleaned

• let me just stop there. I love verse 19. Because here's what the Apostle Paul is saying: If you don't understand what I've already told you, I'm gonna spell it out. I'm gonna make it very simple. Watch what he says, verse 19: "I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness." He says, do you remember when you were unsaved? Do you remember before your conversion you eagerly, willingly, readily, joyfully plunged in after sin? You yielded your members, saying, "Here I am. I want you." Now, he said, just like you did that to sin, now you do that to the Lord Jesus Christ. You eagerly, willingly, readily, joyfully say, "Lord, I'm going to obey You. I eagerly sought sin, now I'm eagerly seeking righteousness." Now watch. He says in verse 20: "For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness."

  #45 | 37:58 to 39:13 | cleaned

• There was no righteousness in you. "What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death. But now being made free from sin"—that is, free from its dominion—"and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life." So the apostle is telling us that we are dead to sin.

  #46 | 39:13 to 39:38 | cleaned

• I'm going to tell you something, folks. Wow. Two of the greatest truths that I ever learned in my entire life is number one, the sovereignty of God—that God is absolutely sovereign and in control. And the second greatest truth that I learned was I've been delivered from the dominion and the power of sin. Am I a sinner? Yes. Are you sinners? Yes. Do we have to sin? No. We have the ability through the power of the Holy Spirit to say no to sin. It's just that simple.

  #47 | 39:38 to 40:29 | cleaned

• Now, we have no obligation—I'm going to show you this from the Bible—we have no obligation to sin. We have no obligation to the flesh. We have no obligation to the world. We have no obligation to the devil, none whatsoever. If you've never read Pilgrim's Progress, I would encourage you to do so. I want to give you just a brief quote, one of my favorite passages from Pilgrim's Progress. It's in this passage where Pilgrim meets Apollyon, the devil. Pilgrim is escaping from the city of destruction and he's headed to Mount Zion. Okay, listen to this. Apollyon: "Whence came you, and whither are you bound?" Christian: "I am come from the city of Destruction, which is the place of all evil, and I am going to the city of Zion." Apollyon:

  #48 | 40:31 to 41:22 | cleaned

• "By this I perceive that thou art one of my subjects, for all that country is mine, and I am the prince and god of it. How is it, then, that you have run away from thy king? Were it not that I hoped thou mayest do me more service, I would strike thee now at one blow to the ground." Christian: "I was, indeed, born in your dominions. But your service was hard, and your wages such as a man could not live on, for the wages of sin is death.

  #49 | 41:22 to 41:48 | cleaned

• Therefore, when I was come to years, I did as others considerate persons do, look out if perhaps I might mend myself." Apollyon: "There is no prince that will thus lightly lose his subjects, neither will I as yet lose thee. But since thou complainest of my service and wages, be content and go back, and what our country will afford, I do hereby promise to give thee. I'll make you richer." Christian: "But I have let myself to another, even to the King of princes. How can I with fairness go back with thee?" Apollyon: "Thou hast done in this according to the proverb, changed a bad for a worse. But it is ordinary for those who have professed themselves to be his servants, after a while, to give him the slip

  #50 | 41:49 to 42:32 | cleaned

• and return again to me. Do thou so also, and all shall be well." Christian: "I have given him my faith and sworn my allegiance to him. How then can I go back from this and not be hanged as a traitor?" Apollyon: "Thou didst the same to me, but I am willing to pass by all, if thou wilt yet turn and go back." Christian: "What I promised thee was in my nonage. And besides, I count that the Prince under whose banner I now stand is able to absolve me, yea, and to pardon also what I did as to my compliance with thee. And besides, O thou destroying Apollyon, to speak the truth, I like His service, His wages, His servants, His government, His company and country better than thine.

  #51 | 42:33 to 43:19 | cleaned

• Therefore leave off to persuade me farther. I am His servant and I will follow Him." Isn't that amazing? And that's the attitude that we have to take when it comes to sin, Satan, and the world. No, we are His servants. We must determine to follow Jesus Christ regardless of sin, the flesh, the world, and the devil.

  #52 | 43:19 to 43:43 | cleaned

• Now, go back to Galatians chapter 5. I want you to look at verse 17 because here's the third truth today. Here's a third truth. Watch verse 17: "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." Here's the third point: Walking in the flesh is that which we do normally and naturally. Walking in the flesh is so normal and so natural that—look in verse 17—if we're walking in the Spirit, "so that ye cannot do the things that ye would." Now let me just point something out. Every one of us were taught as children. We were taught various things, many different things, but

  #53 | 43:43 to 44:41 | cleaned

• have you ever noticed that even as a child, no one ever had to teach you how to sin? You picked that up naturally. You just did it. It was part of you because it was in you. And we're sinners by nature. Proud, arrogant by nature. I told you I saw a little four-year-old girl. She's a pretty little thing. And so I just asked her, "Did anyone ever tell you that you're pretty?" And she looked at me and she said, "I'm not pretty. I'm beautiful."

  #54 | 44:41 to 45:24 | cleaned

• And I smiled and said, "And vain too, aren't you?" And she was shaking her head. She had no idea what vain meant. But that's natural. We do that normally. You know, it is absolutely normal and natural to please and pamper and satisfy the flesh. And what the Apostle Paul is saying is that if we walk in the Spirit, we cannot do the things that we would. Those things that we would are those things that we have determined, those things that we have purposed, those things that we have planned, those things that we desired, all to please the flesh.

  #55 | 45:26 to 46:00 | cleaned

• In fact, the Greek word there is thelo, which means "I will." "I will to do this. I will to do that." This is even so in the business world. You remember that passage in James chapter 4? What did James say? "Say not thou, Today or tomorrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that." The flesh says, "I'm going to do this." No.

  #56 | 46:02 to 46:39 | cleaned

• God says we cannot do the things that we normally would do by nature. Now listen to me, be honest. If Steve stood up in the presence of everybody and cussed me out—I know the correct word is "curse," but in South Georgia it's "cussed." Okay, if Steve stood up and cussed me out, you know what my nature wants to do? Cuss him back. Rip him up one side and down the other. I'll show him. If he hurts me, what's my normal natural response? I'll get revenge. Hang on. Yeah, stop at the post office, that's my revenge. I will not stop at the post office. That is for sure. Yeah, all such normal and natural responses like that—sin and wickedness and ungodliness. I mean, for instance, because what we normally would do by nature is in the flesh. And so what Paul is saying is we cannot allow our old man to be resurrected. No, by nature if we're cursed, we curse back. What God tells us is that we must mortify the deeds of the flesh.

  #57 | 46:42 to 48:08 | cleaned

• Go back in your Bibles to the book of Romans chapter 8 and look there if you would please beginning with verse 11. Romans 8 and verse 11. Watch carefully. Romans 8 verse 11. He says, "But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you. Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh." We don't owe our flesh anything. "For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live." Now watch that. "But if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live." You know what the word "mortify" means? It means to make dead. It's where we get our English word "mortician" from. And by the way, the word "mortgage" is related to that as well. So, he said, if you by the Spirit do mortify, make dead the deeds of the body, you shall live.

  #58 | 48:08 to 49:23 | cleaned

• Watch verse 14. "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God."

  #59 | 49:23 to 49:39 | cleaned

• Now, let me show you something. Paul has been talking in Romans chapter 8 about walking in the Spirit, minding the things of the Spirit, and now he adds being led of the Spirit. That brings me to my last point today. Go back to Galatians chapter 5 because he's been talking about walking in the Spirit and now he says in verse 18, "But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law." That is, we're not under the law as a standard of justification. Now, what does it mean to be led of the Spirit? Here's the fourth point: Walking in the Spirit is the same, it is identical with, it is synonymous with being led by the Spirit. So you have to ask yourself this question: How does the Spirit of God lead us? And the answer is He always leads us in agreement with and in accordance with the Word of God. The Holy Spirit of God never ever leads us to violate the Word of God. He never leads us to violate the Law of God.

  #60 | 49:40 to 50:49 | cleaned

• He does not lead us into sin. He does not lead us to satisfy and pamper the flesh. He does not lead us to glorify the flesh. He leads us into obedience and submission to the Lord Jesus Christ. Does the Holy Spirit of God prompt us? Of course He does. But those promptings are always in line with the Scripture. He will prompt us to pray. He'll prompt us to witness. He'll prompt us to study. He'll prompt us to obey. He'll prompt us to worship. He'll prompt us to do a lot of other godly and holy exercises, but all of them are always in conformity to the Word of God. He never ever leads us contrary to the Scripture. Now let me make a statement: The Holy Spirit has been and continues to be blamed for a multitude of sins.

  #61 | 50:50 to 51:49 | cleaned

• What am I talking about? So many people misunderstand and misuse and misapply the leading of the Holy Spirit. And they do some of the stupidest, craziest, most wicked things, and then blame it on the Holy Spirit. I know of one pastor who left his wife and ran off with a woman in the church. And when he was finally confronted, here was his excuse: "Well, the Holy Spirit led him to run off with this woman, because this woman was more spiritual than his wife, and he needed a godly helpmate in the ministry."

  #62 | 51:54 to 52:42 | cleaned

• May I tell you what that is? That's hogwash. That's a lie. That's sin. The Holy Spirit does not lead us to violate God's law. Some of you will remember a few years back, I think it took place down here in Florida, there was a woman who took her grown son to a gun range, indoor gun range, and he stepped up to shoot. And as he was shooting his pistol at the range, she stepped up behind her son and shot him in the back of the head and killed him. And when she was asked why she did it, her answer was the Holy Spirit led her to do it because she wanted to save her son from all the trouble that was coming in the world. Can you imagine that? When I was in college many years ago, there was a woman in Greenville, South Carolina, who caught her husband asleep on the couch.

  #63 | 52:44 to 53:51 | cleaned

• She came up, put a .38 revolver to his temple, and pulled the trigger and killed him. And her excuse was the Holy Spirit led her to do it. Well, ever since that time when Alice tells me to get my feet off the couch, I do. And I try not to go to sleep on the couch. But you understand what I'm trying to say? It's absolutely stupid. It's ridiculous to blame the Holy Spirit for our rebellion and our wickedness and our lust. And yet people do that all the time. It is hogwash. God the Holy Spirit leads us, that is true, but He always leads us in conformity to the Word of God. The leading of the Holy Spirit is the act or ministry of God the Holy Spirit whereby He brings us into obedience and submission and in greater conformity to the Word of God. He enables us, He empowers us, He enlightens us. And let me tell you something: if there is any holiness in us at all, if there's any godliness in us at all, if there's any obedience or submission in us at all,

  #64 | 53:53 to 55:04 | cleaned

• it's because of His work, not because of our flesh. First Paul said, "I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing." So the leading of the Spirit is the same as walking in the Spirit. Paul said, if you want to save yourself from a lot of heartache, learn to walk in the Spirit. It's the antidote to walking in the flesh.

  #65 | 55:05 to 55:31 | cleaned

• Now, let me make just an application. So here's my question. I pointed out that it's impossible to walk in both at the same time. We may be in the flesh and we may not be able to walk perfectly in the Spirit right now, but there's a vast difference between walking in the Spirit and walking in the flesh. So how can we tell as to whether or not we're walking in the flesh or walking in the Spirit? Suppose Steve asks me a question and I answer him. How can I tell whether I gave him an answer in the Spirit or in the flesh? That's interesting.

  #66 | 55:31 to 56:15 | cleaned

• What if we have a disagreement? How can I tell if it's a fleshly disagreement or one that's based upon spiritual reality? How can I tell? Well, the answer is very simple. You see, our fallen nature, as I said earlier, prefers the realm of the flesh. Our renewed nature prefers the realm of the Spirit. Each realm manifests itself by producing its own fruits. Okay, skip down to Galatians chapter 5 verse 19. Are you walking in the flesh? Here's how the flesh manifests itself: "Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these;

  #67 | 56:17 to 57:12 | cleaned

• adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, 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." So I want you to note something. Everybody tries to say when it comes to adultery and fornication and all this kind of stuff, witchcraft, "Well, the devil made me do it." Devil didn't make you do anything.

  #68 | 57:13 to 58:01 | cleaned

• That was your stupid flesh. The flesh doesn't have to be just adultery and drunkenness. Look, it's hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, revellings. How do I know I'm walking in the Spirit? Verse 22: "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law."

  #69 | 58:02 to 58:32 | cleaned

• Now watch: "And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another." So if we're desirous of vain glory, if we're provoking one another, if we're envying one another, we're walking in the flesh, not in the Spirit. So the antidote then to 99.9% of our problems is to learn to walk in the Spirit, not the flesh. Walking in the flesh exacerbates and makes our problems worse. Walking in the Spirit resolves them. So we need to learn then to walk in the Spirit. If we're walking in the Spirit, we're mortifying, we're making dead the deeds of our flesh. And if we walk in the Spirit, we're walking worthily and we're walking pleasingly to our Heavenly Father. Let's pray. Father, we do ask You today to help us to walk in the Spirit. We do pray, Lord, that You would indeed teach us to mortify the deeds of the flesh.

  #70 | 58:32 to 59:56 | cleaned

• Lord, that we may honor Thee in all that we do. Give us understanding, open our minds, illuminate us, enlighten us, and teach us, and make us holy and godly. In the name of Jesus Christ, we ask and pray. Amen.

  #71 | 59:58 to 1:00:16 | cleaned

• so so

  #72 | 1:00:38 to 1:00:39 | cleaned

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-06T01:07:06Z