WEBVTT 00:00:02.060 --> 00:00:05.540 Oh Lord, take the cobwebs out of our lives. Remove 00:00:05.540 --> 00:00:10.279 the cobwebs, Lord. Finally, another fellow in 00:00:10.279 --> 00:00:13.400 the prayer meeting cried out, Lord, don't do 00:00:13.400 --> 00:00:18.379 it. Just kill the spider. Well, you see, he wanted 00:00:18.379 --> 00:00:21.260 to get past the consequences to get to the cause. 00:00:22.980 --> 00:00:26.679 Look beyond the fruit to the root of the problem. 00:00:27.719 --> 00:00:30.899 And that is the aim of the series that we are... 00:00:31.129 --> 00:00:35.109 as we talk about the flesh and the Spirit. Open 00:00:35.109 --> 00:00:38.710 your Bible, please, to Galatians 5, verses 16 00:00:38.710 --> 00:00:43.530 and 17. We want to get to the cause of the sinful 00:00:43.530 --> 00:00:48.210 expressions in our lives, which is our enemy, 00:00:48.310 --> 00:00:53.530 the flesh. But I say, walk by the Spirit, and 00:00:53.530 --> 00:00:56.409 you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. 00:00:57.359 --> 00:01:00.399 For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, 00:01:00.460 --> 00:01:03.659 and the Spirit against the flesh. For these are 00:01:03.659 --> 00:01:06.519 in opposition to one another, so that you may 00:01:06.519 --> 00:01:10.420 not do the things that you please. How can we 00:01:10.420 --> 00:01:13.799 deal with the flesh? How can we keep ourselves 00:01:13.799 --> 00:01:19.239 from its domination? God has made provision for 00:01:19.239 --> 00:01:24.219 the believer to know freedom from fleshly living. 00:01:24.829 --> 00:01:28.430 God has made that provision for us. The basis 00:01:28.430 --> 00:01:34.049 of our freedom in Jesus Christ is our identification 00:01:34.049 --> 00:01:37.989 with Him. Let me review with you briefly what 00:01:37.989 --> 00:01:41.409 we talked about last week. There is a pair of 00:01:41.409 --> 00:01:44.209 truths that cannot be separated and dare not 00:01:44.209 --> 00:01:50.129 be ignored. Truth number one, Christ died and 00:01:50.129 --> 00:01:55.640 rose again in my place. Truth number two, I died 00:01:55.640 --> 00:02:00.920 and rose again in Christ. Truth one states that 00:02:00.920 --> 00:02:04.120 in Christ's death and resurrection, He represented 00:02:04.120 --> 00:02:09.240 me and you. That He identified with us, and the 00:02:09.240 --> 00:02:13.360 result of that is salvation. But truth number 00:02:13.360 --> 00:02:16.300 two is that in Jesus Christ's death and resurrection, 00:02:16.740 --> 00:02:21.879 I died also. When I believed in Him, I was united 00:02:21.879 --> 00:02:24.710 with Him. in death, burial, and resurrection 00:02:24.710 --> 00:02:28.250 so that I died, was buried, and was raised again 00:02:28.250 --> 00:02:33.030 in Christ. And the result of that truth is my 00:02:33.030 --> 00:02:37.969 sanctification. I died to sin in Jesus Christ. 00:02:38.409 --> 00:02:43.449 The old man's execution ended sin's mastery. 00:02:44.030 --> 00:02:47.710 And I rose with Christ from the dead as a new 00:02:47.710 --> 00:02:52.939 man to walk in newness of life. The basis of 00:02:52.939 --> 00:02:56.199 our freedom is our identification with Jesus 00:02:56.199 --> 00:03:01.240 Christ. The power for our freedom is found in 00:03:01.240 --> 00:03:03.479 the truth of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. 00:03:05.039 --> 00:03:08.099 We know the facts about our identification with 00:03:08.099 --> 00:03:11.819 Christ, but how are we able to get those facts 00:03:11.819 --> 00:03:15.159 into our lives so that they're working? What 00:03:15.159 --> 00:03:19.500 is the power to make that a reality? It is... 00:03:19.770 --> 00:03:22.550 the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. For the Holy 00:03:22.550 --> 00:03:26.069 Spirit in coming into me created the new man, 00:03:26.129 --> 00:03:30.909 the new me, the spiritual essential I that now 00:03:30.909 --> 00:03:36.710 am. I am now indivisibly joined to the Holy Spirit. 00:03:37.530 --> 00:03:40.550 The new man that I am indeed could not exist 00:03:40.550 --> 00:03:45.030 apart from the Holy Spirit. He has come within 00:03:45.030 --> 00:03:47.689 me and has brought with Him a new life principle. 00:03:48.349 --> 00:03:52.210 that raises me above the old principle that controlled 00:03:52.210 --> 00:03:55.909 my life and which is still in me, the principle 00:03:55.909 --> 00:03:59.270 of sin and death. Now there is the principle 00:03:59.270 --> 00:04:01.930 of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus because 00:04:01.930 --> 00:04:05.650 of the Holy Spirit's presence. And he is in me 00:04:05.650 --> 00:04:08.569 to teach me how to appropriate the saving work 00:04:08.569 --> 00:04:12.050 of Jesus Christ so that I may be saved not only 00:04:12.050 --> 00:04:15.250 from the guilt of my sins, but from its power 00:04:15.250 --> 00:04:19.399 and dominion as well. Furthermore, He empowers 00:04:19.399 --> 00:04:24.279 me in dealing with the flesh, that leftover sinful 00:04:24.279 --> 00:04:29.420 pattern of actions and attitudes. He manifests 00:04:29.420 --> 00:04:33.360 the very life of Jesus Christ through me. When 00:04:33.360 --> 00:04:36.959 the Holy Spirit is grieved, when He is quenched, 00:04:37.019 --> 00:04:40.259 this power cannot be experienced in my life. 00:04:40.879 --> 00:04:45.839 It is only when He is free to release it. that 00:04:45.839 --> 00:04:51.019 I am able to experience the power of Jesus Christ 00:04:51.019 --> 00:04:55.939 and His life. That brings us to our subject for 00:04:55.939 --> 00:04:58.540 today, which is the experience of our freedom. 00:04:59.759 --> 00:05:03.860 How are we able then to bring into our experience 00:05:03.860 --> 00:05:07.680 what we know and what the Holy Spirit is in us 00:05:07.680 --> 00:05:12.329 to do? I believe the answer to that lies in the 00:05:12.329 --> 00:05:15.009 instruction that we have from the Word of God. 00:05:15.329 --> 00:05:18.810 For the Bible gives us instruction in how to 00:05:18.810 --> 00:05:22.430 deal with the flesh and how to appropriate the 00:05:22.430 --> 00:05:25.750 power of the Holy Spirit in our lives. As we 00:05:25.750 --> 00:05:28.910 obey these instructions, we will experience the 00:05:28.910 --> 00:05:32.829 freedom that God has provided. And so this morning, 00:05:32.870 --> 00:05:35.209 in the balance of our time, I'd like for us first 00:05:35.209 --> 00:05:37.629 to look at what the Bible instructs us regarding 00:05:37.629 --> 00:05:41.889 the flesh. We're going to look at four passages 00:05:41.889 --> 00:05:46.110 of Scripture. These are not four mutually exclusive 00:05:46.110 --> 00:05:49.610 commands that we will see. Indeed, they certainly 00:05:49.610 --> 00:05:53.230 interrelate. They're all very similar in their 00:05:53.230 --> 00:05:56.269 meaning. Let's look first to see what the Bible 00:05:56.269 --> 00:06:01.009 instructs us to do regarding the flesh. The first 00:06:01.009 --> 00:06:08.259 passage is in Romans chapter 6. And we'll read 00:06:08.259 --> 00:06:13.379 verses 11, 12, and 13. Even so, consider yourselves 00:06:13.379 --> 00:06:18.160 to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ 00:06:18.160 --> 00:06:21.560 Jesus. Therefore, do not let sin reign in your 00:06:21.560 --> 00:06:24.480 mortal body that you should obey its lusts. And 00:06:24.480 --> 00:06:27.439 do not go on presenting the members of your body 00:06:27.439 --> 00:06:31.579 to sin as instruments of unrighteousness, but 00:06:31.579 --> 00:06:34.480 present yourselves to God as those alive from 00:06:34.480 --> 00:06:37.920 the dead. and your members as instruments of 00:06:37.920 --> 00:06:41.540 righteousness to God. There are really two commands 00:06:41.540 --> 00:06:43.740 that we see here that we want to focus on today. 00:06:44.279 --> 00:06:47.639 The first one is consider yourself dead to sin. 00:06:48.279 --> 00:06:51.560 He says that is the members of your body. What 00:06:51.560 --> 00:06:55.720 is he talking about? He's talking about the propensities, 00:06:55.740 --> 00:06:59.980 the appetites, the faculties, the powers, the 00:06:59.980 --> 00:07:03.740 potential that we have in our lives. He says 00:07:03.740 --> 00:07:06.240 that we are to consider ourselves to be dead 00:07:06.240 --> 00:07:10.500 to sin as it would seek to use these to express 00:07:10.500 --> 00:07:14.019 itself. We are to count on the fact that we have 00:07:14.019 --> 00:07:18.120 died with Jesus Christ to sin. We are to rely 00:07:18.120 --> 00:07:21.339 on that truth. We are to reckon it to be true 00:07:21.339 --> 00:07:24.879 in our experience. That what happened to us the 00:07:24.879 --> 00:07:27.420 moment we were saved, we were united with Christ 00:07:27.420 --> 00:07:30.620 in His death, that that has freed us from mastery 00:07:30.620 --> 00:07:34.600 to sin. so that now we may consider ourselves 00:07:34.600 --> 00:07:39.100 dead to it. In the old days when a man had a 00:07:39.100 --> 00:07:42.680 slave, that slave had to obey him as long as 00:07:42.680 --> 00:07:46.040 he was alive. Don't you know why many of the 00:07:46.040 --> 00:07:48.920 slaves in their songs focused on the future, 00:07:49.060 --> 00:07:53.720 on heaven, on the glory that was to come? And 00:07:53.720 --> 00:07:56.019 many of them had genuine faith in Jesus Christ. 00:07:56.139 --> 00:07:59.279 Why was that? Because they knew that death would 00:07:59.279 --> 00:08:03.329 bring the end of that mastery. They would be 00:08:03.329 --> 00:08:07.870 set free. And so it is with sin. When we died 00:08:07.870 --> 00:08:10.470 with Jesus Christ, we were set free from it, 00:08:10.509 --> 00:08:13.250 and we need to consider ourselves dead to sin. 00:08:14.370 --> 00:08:17.790 Because Christ died to sin, and because you died 00:08:17.790 --> 00:08:21.329 with Jesus Christ, you may now turn your back 00:08:21.329 --> 00:08:26.209 on sin and refuse anymore to be associated with 00:08:26.209 --> 00:08:28.629 the sinful way of life that you once pursued. 00:08:29.610 --> 00:08:33.309 Although sin is still present in you and sin 00:08:33.309 --> 00:08:36.990 still does seek to enforce its desires on you, 00:08:37.090 --> 00:08:42.169 no question about that, you nonetheless do not 00:08:42.169 --> 00:08:45.669 have to submit to it. You may consider yourself 00:08:45.669 --> 00:08:50.789 dead to sin. God says so. But it's not enough 00:08:50.789 --> 00:08:53.470 to take that action. There's a joint action, 00:08:53.549 --> 00:08:55.950 a twin action, a more positive action that we 00:08:55.950 --> 00:08:58.029 need to take, and that is found in verse 13. 00:08:58.730 --> 00:09:01.549 when he says, present yourselves alive to God. 00:09:02.710 --> 00:09:06.330 Because Jesus Christ is alive to God, you are 00:09:06.330 --> 00:09:11.909 also alive to God with him. You cannot leave 00:09:11.909 --> 00:09:14.610 yourself buried in some neutral position, having 00:09:14.610 --> 00:09:17.149 died to sin, but that's all. Now you must go 00:09:17.149 --> 00:09:20.389 on and present yourself as one who is alive from 00:09:20.389 --> 00:09:24.590 the dead to God. The word present here means 00:09:24.590 --> 00:09:28.240 to take a decisive action to do it. to break 00:09:28.240 --> 00:09:30.759 with the past action. That's obvious. He says 00:09:30.759 --> 00:09:34.240 don't go on presenting yourselves to sin, but 00:09:34.240 --> 00:09:37.000 take this decisive action and present yourselves, 00:09:37.059 --> 00:09:39.600 all of your capacities, all of your potential, 00:09:39.940 --> 00:09:43.159 all of your abilities, that is the members of 00:09:43.159 --> 00:09:48.679 your body. Present those to God. The word present 00:09:48.679 --> 00:09:52.000 means to lay beside. It is a word that was used 00:09:52.000 --> 00:09:55.100 technically of bringing an offering to the altar. 00:09:55.850 --> 00:09:58.610 They would put the offering there beside the 00:09:58.610 --> 00:10:01.470 altar, give it to God. It's the same word used 00:10:01.470 --> 00:10:04.289 in Romans 12 .1 when he says, present your bodies 00:10:04.289 --> 00:10:08.090 a living sacrifice. He says that we are to bring 00:10:08.090 --> 00:10:11.250 all that we are, all of our capacities, all the 00:10:11.250 --> 00:10:15.950 members of us, and we are to lay them at the 00:10:15.950 --> 00:10:18.690 altar before God, take that decisive action. 00:10:20.509 --> 00:10:22.990 You say, does that then end the struggle with 00:10:22.990 --> 00:10:27.259 sin? I could wish it did, but no, it does not. 00:10:28.159 --> 00:10:34.279 What that action does is to set the flag. It's 00:10:34.279 --> 00:10:36.460 sort of like staking your claim. It's saying, 00:10:36.580 --> 00:10:40.940 this is the action I take once and for all. And 00:10:40.940 --> 00:10:43.840 then later on when sin comes to try to get you 00:10:43.840 --> 00:10:47.100 to use your members for its desires, you say 00:10:47.100 --> 00:10:49.299 to sin, look over there, do you see the flag? 00:10:52.299 --> 00:10:55.600 I have presented myself to God and my members 00:10:55.600 --> 00:10:58.620 to him as instruments of righteousness. I do 00:10:58.620 --> 00:11:01.759 not have to obey you, and I choose not to obey 00:11:01.759 --> 00:11:05.899 you. In this text, we are pictured as slaves. 00:11:08.259 --> 00:11:11.139 As slaves that have been set free from one master, 00:11:11.320 --> 00:11:15.200 sin, and given to a new master, Jesus Christ. 00:11:17.500 --> 00:11:21.820 We have a new master to obey. Therefore, we are 00:11:21.820 --> 00:11:24.679 to consider ourselves dead to the old one and 00:11:24.679 --> 00:11:27.519 present ourselves to our new Lord, our new Master, 00:11:27.679 --> 00:11:31.299 as His instruments. Turn over a page or two to 00:11:31.299 --> 00:11:35.100 Romans 8 and we come to a second text, verses 00:11:35.100 --> 00:11:39.200 12 and 13. If in the first place we were pictured 00:11:39.200 --> 00:11:41.720 as slaves, it seems to me here we are pictured 00:11:41.720 --> 00:11:45.240 as stewards, those who have an obligation to 00:11:45.240 --> 00:11:48.929 carry out on behalf of their master. It says, 00:11:49.029 --> 00:11:52.649 So then, brethren, we are under obligation, not 00:11:52.649 --> 00:11:54.830 to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. 00:11:55.090 --> 00:11:57.269 You notice the dash there that may be in your 00:11:57.269 --> 00:12:00.590 translation? Paul, as he often does, just drops 00:12:00.590 --> 00:12:02.629 his original statement there and goes on to say 00:12:02.629 --> 00:12:05.450 something else. But there is something we need 00:12:05.450 --> 00:12:07.669 to understand here. He is inferring that we are 00:12:07.669 --> 00:12:10.809 not under obligation to the flesh, but we are 00:12:10.809 --> 00:12:14.230 under obligation to whom? To the Holy Spirit 00:12:14.230 --> 00:12:18.009 in the context. He says, if you're living according 00:12:18.009 --> 00:12:20.789 to the flesh, you must die, but if by the Spirit 00:12:20.789 --> 00:12:23.870 you are putting to death the deeds of the body, 00:12:23.970 --> 00:12:27.970 you will live. The deeds of the body is roughly 00:12:27.970 --> 00:12:31.529 synonymous with the flesh. And so he is telling 00:12:31.529 --> 00:12:34.529 us here, put to death the deeds of the body. 00:12:34.590 --> 00:12:38.269 That's the second command. This has a parallel 00:12:38.269 --> 00:12:40.669 passage, and I want you to just turn there quickly 00:12:40.669 --> 00:12:43.950 to Colossians chapter 3. Keep your finger in 00:12:43.950 --> 00:12:47.090 Romans. But look at what Paul says in Colossians, 00:12:47.090 --> 00:12:52.269 in the third chapter in the fifth verse. After 00:12:52.269 --> 00:12:55.029 once again in the previous verses reminding us 00:12:55.029 --> 00:12:58.590 of our identity in Jesus Christ, that we've died 00:12:58.590 --> 00:13:00.769 with Him, we've been buried with Him, we are 00:13:00.769 --> 00:13:04.029 alive with Him, and someday we'll be revealed 00:13:04.029 --> 00:13:07.710 with Him. He says in verse 5, Therefore, because 00:13:07.710 --> 00:13:11.789 of this truth, consider the members of your earthly 00:13:11.789 --> 00:13:15.769 body as dead. Literally, the Greek says, put 00:13:15.769 --> 00:13:20.549 to death your members on earth to immorality 00:13:20.549 --> 00:13:24.110 and impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, 00:13:24.309 --> 00:13:28.309 which amounts to idolatry. For it is on account 00:13:28.309 --> 00:13:30.909 of these things that the wrath of God will come, 00:13:31.129 --> 00:13:34.549 and in them you also once walked when you were 00:13:34.549 --> 00:13:37.950 living in them. But now you also put them all 00:13:37.950 --> 00:13:41.370 aside, anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive 00:13:41.370 --> 00:13:45.440 speech from your mouth. And do not lie to one 00:13:45.440 --> 00:13:48.220 another. What is he doing? Well, he's simply 00:13:48.220 --> 00:13:51.000 going down another list of the works of the flesh 00:13:51.000 --> 00:13:55.120 or the deeds of the body, the expressions that 00:13:55.120 --> 00:13:59.200 sin seeks to bring about in our lives. And he 00:13:59.200 --> 00:14:03.740 says, put these things to death. Execute them. 00:14:03.820 --> 00:14:08.519 Don't allow them to rule over you. Now, why does 00:14:08.519 --> 00:14:11.799 he say to do this? He says, since you laid aside 00:14:11.799 --> 00:14:15.830 the old self, with its evil practices, that is 00:14:15.830 --> 00:14:20.110 the old man, and have put on the new self who 00:14:20.110 --> 00:14:22.809 is being renewed to a true knowledge according 00:14:22.809 --> 00:14:26.450 to the image of the one who created him. So he 00:14:26.450 --> 00:14:28.809 says, look, you have put off the old man, you 00:14:28.809 --> 00:14:31.850 have put on the new man, therefore don't live 00:14:31.850 --> 00:14:34.889 like the old man anymore. Put to death those 00:14:34.889 --> 00:14:40.879 things. Mortify them. Consider them dead. So 00:14:40.879 --> 00:14:43.659 that you do not respond to sin as it seeks to 00:14:43.659 --> 00:14:49.000 express itself through your flesh. You say, that's 00:14:49.000 --> 00:14:52.700 pretty hard to do. There's only one way that 00:14:52.700 --> 00:14:56.539 you and I can do that. That is by recognizing 00:14:56.539 --> 00:14:59.139 what we have already talked about in Romans 6, 00:14:59.240 --> 00:15:02.919 and then taking this action, as he says in Romans 00:15:02.919 --> 00:15:06.399 8 now, going back to verse 13, taking this action 00:15:06.399 --> 00:15:11.580 by the Spirit. by the Spirit. You and I will 00:15:11.580 --> 00:15:14.299 not be able to put to death the expressions of 00:15:14.299 --> 00:15:17.919 sin in us by the strength of our own resolve 00:15:17.919 --> 00:15:20.340 because somewhere down the road we're going to 00:15:20.340 --> 00:15:23.639 wear out. We're not going to have what it takes 00:15:23.639 --> 00:15:27.740 to enforce what we would like to do. But if we 00:15:27.740 --> 00:15:30.559 are depending upon the Holy Spirit, then it's 00:15:30.559 --> 00:15:34.799 another matter. For by the Spirit we are able 00:15:34.799 --> 00:15:39.350 to continuously do this. When we don't depend 00:15:39.350 --> 00:15:42.789 upon the Holy Spirit, then we will fall. And 00:15:42.789 --> 00:15:44.629 we will talk more about that in just a moment. 00:15:45.610 --> 00:15:47.929 It seems to me that what he's saying here is 00:15:47.929 --> 00:15:51.909 similar to what he said in Galatians 5, 24, when 00:15:51.909 --> 00:15:55.549 he said, those who are Jesus Christ's have crucified 00:15:55.549 --> 00:16:01.629 the flesh with his passions and lusts. It's pointing 00:16:01.629 --> 00:16:05.210 back to some one event, it seems, by the verb. 00:16:06.600 --> 00:16:09.779 Those who are Jesus Christ have crucified the 00:16:09.779 --> 00:16:16.159 flesh. When did that happen? The best answer 00:16:16.159 --> 00:16:18.200 seems to be at the point that you trusted the 00:16:18.200 --> 00:16:21.440 Lord Jesus. Notice it was not something that 00:16:21.440 --> 00:16:24.460 was done to you. Now that's in distinction to 00:16:24.460 --> 00:16:28.600 what happened in Romans 6 .6 where we were buried 00:16:28.600 --> 00:16:30.899 with Christ. It happened to us. It was passive. 00:16:32.139 --> 00:16:35.860 Even Galatians 2 .20 says, I was crucified with 00:16:35.860 --> 00:16:38.779 Christ. That's passive. That happened to me. 00:16:39.399 --> 00:16:44.519 But in Galatians 5 .24, he says, you crucified 00:16:44.519 --> 00:16:49.580 the flesh. I took an active part in that. When 00:16:49.580 --> 00:16:54.639 was that? It seems that it was when I understood 00:16:54.639 --> 00:16:59.659 my sinfulness and repented before God. There 00:16:59.659 --> 00:17:02.259 was a sense at that moment when I took the flesh, 00:17:02.379 --> 00:17:06.019 that old pattern of life, and I took nails out 00:17:06.019 --> 00:17:09.200 and I hammered it to the cross and crucified 00:17:09.200 --> 00:17:17.160 it. Was crucifixion an instantaneous death? No, 00:17:17.200 --> 00:17:22.279 it was not. It was an agonizing death that sometimes, 00:17:22.380 --> 00:17:26.720 depending upon how it was done, could last even 00:17:26.720 --> 00:17:33.119 into two... maybe even three days. The flesh 00:17:33.119 --> 00:17:36.640 has been crucified, nailed to the cross, but 00:17:36.640 --> 00:17:40.640 it isn't dead yet. It's still there. You have 00:17:40.640 --> 00:17:43.839 to deal with it. You know, where we get into 00:17:43.839 --> 00:17:46.559 trouble is when we go back to that place of crucifixion 00:17:46.559 --> 00:17:53.920 and we begin to finger the nails and almost wish 00:17:53.920 --> 00:17:57.509 that we could pull the flesh off the cross. That's 00:17:57.509 --> 00:18:00.369 when we get in trouble with it. What we need 00:18:00.369 --> 00:18:02.690 to do is take the flesh back to the cross and 00:18:02.690 --> 00:18:05.690 say, there is where you are. There is where I 00:18:05.690 --> 00:18:09.089 placed you. I crucified you with all of your 00:18:09.089 --> 00:18:11.390 affections, all of your passions, all of your 00:18:11.390 --> 00:18:16.170 lusts. There you are. Now die in my experience. 00:18:19.910 --> 00:18:22.190 Only by the Spirit are we able to consistently 00:18:22.190 --> 00:18:26.039 do that. We are stewards. We have an obligation 00:18:26.039 --> 00:18:29.539 to fulfill. It is an obligation to the Holy Spirit 00:18:29.539 --> 00:18:33.319 who lives within us. It is to obey Him and not 00:18:33.319 --> 00:18:38.180 our flesh. Turn over a few pages to Romans chapter 00:18:38.180 --> 00:18:42.779 13 where we have some more thoughts. If in Romans 00:18:42.779 --> 00:18:50.440 6 we were slaves, and if in Romans 8 we were 00:18:50.440 --> 00:18:53.599 stewards, in Romans 13... We are pictured as 00:18:53.599 --> 00:18:57.400 soldiers. Notice what he says in verse 11. And 00:18:57.400 --> 00:19:01.380 this do, knowing the time that it is already 00:19:01.380 --> 00:19:04.960 the hour for you to awaken from sleep. What kind 00:19:04.960 --> 00:19:08.160 of sleep is he talking about? He's talking about 00:19:08.160 --> 00:19:12.339 lethargy, indifference, sleepiness towards sin 00:19:12.339 --> 00:19:15.099 in our lives. That's what he's talking about. 00:19:15.660 --> 00:19:18.839 He's saying, wake up from that. It's time to 00:19:18.839 --> 00:19:21.720 awaken from sleep, for now salvation is nearer 00:19:21.720 --> 00:19:24.640 to us than when we believed. That is, Jesus' 00:19:24.779 --> 00:19:28.700 coming is soon. The night is almost gone, the 00:19:28.700 --> 00:19:31.440 day is at hand. Let us therefore lay aside the 00:19:31.440 --> 00:19:34.160 deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. 00:19:34.839 --> 00:19:39.480 Let us behave properly as in the day, not in 00:19:39.480 --> 00:19:44.180 carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity 00:19:44.180 --> 00:19:48.730 and sensuality. Not in strife and jealousy, but 00:19:48.730 --> 00:19:51.950 put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision 00:19:51.950 --> 00:19:57.829 for the flesh in regard to its lusts. He says 00:19:57.829 --> 00:20:01.170 here that we are to put on the armor of light. 00:20:01.309 --> 00:20:04.630 We are to put on the Lord Jesus Christ. Two phrases 00:20:04.630 --> 00:20:07.609 that roughly mean the same thing. The idea is 00:20:07.609 --> 00:20:11.690 that we are to appropriate what we have in Christ. 00:20:12.940 --> 00:20:15.940 We are to conduct ourselves in the light of what 00:20:15.940 --> 00:20:19.839 Jesus Christ has done for us and what we are 00:20:19.839 --> 00:20:23.599 in Him. But then regarding the flesh, he says, 00:20:23.619 --> 00:20:27.539 make no provision for the flesh. In other words, 00:20:27.539 --> 00:20:30.880 take no forethought to plan how you can fulfill 00:20:30.880 --> 00:20:35.440 what the flesh wants to do. Do you ever find 00:20:35.440 --> 00:20:41.779 yourself scheming? Scheming as to how you can 00:20:41.779 --> 00:20:47.380 fulfill what the flesh wants you to do? I think 00:20:47.380 --> 00:20:50.779 all of us have experienced that. We make provision 00:20:50.779 --> 00:20:55.160 for it. We take forethought as to how we might 00:20:55.160 --> 00:20:58.160 be able to do what the flesh is tempting us to 00:20:58.160 --> 00:21:03.000 do. What we are told here is, as a habit of life, 00:21:03.259 --> 00:21:09.319 just cut off the flesh. Don't listen to it. Don't 00:21:09.319 --> 00:21:14.059 scheme to fulfill what it wants you to do. Don't 00:21:14.059 --> 00:21:18.660 pamper it. Deal with it immediately. Don't make 00:21:18.660 --> 00:21:21.480 any excuses for it. Don't try to cover it up. 00:21:21.680 --> 00:21:24.799 Just drag it out into the light of God's holiness 00:21:24.799 --> 00:21:28.539 and look at it and repudiate it. And don't make 00:21:28.539 --> 00:21:35.119 provision to fulfill it in your life. That's 00:21:35.119 --> 00:21:38.000 something that we have to do immediately. We 00:21:38.000 --> 00:21:41.700 cannot play around with temptation. We can't 00:21:41.700 --> 00:21:44.740 dwell on it and think about it and let it be 00:21:44.740 --> 00:21:47.019 a toss -up in our lives as to whether we're going 00:21:47.019 --> 00:21:51.980 to do it or not do it. When we sense the first 00:21:51.980 --> 00:21:56.579 approach of temptation, what we need to do immediately 00:21:56.579 --> 00:22:00.420 is put up that armor. Put on the Lord Jesus Christ 00:22:00.420 --> 00:22:04.579 and turn our way from the flesh. and make no 00:22:04.579 --> 00:22:10.519 provision to fulfill it now or later. Now there's 00:22:10.519 --> 00:22:13.500 a third passage, or rather a fourth passage, 00:22:13.539 --> 00:22:17.180 that we want to look at quickly. We are soldiers. 00:22:17.259 --> 00:22:20.359 We have a duty to discharge, according to Romans 00:22:20.359 --> 00:22:26.420 13. As we come to 1 Peter 2, we see ourselves 00:22:26.420 --> 00:22:35.619 put into the role of strangers. In verse 11 he 00:22:35.619 --> 00:22:40.819 says, Beloved, beloved, I urge you as aliens 00:22:40.819 --> 00:22:46.160 and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which 00:22:46.160 --> 00:22:53.220 wage war against the soul. As strangers, those 00:22:53.220 --> 00:22:57.279 who are here on a temporary sojourn, he says 00:22:57.279 --> 00:23:02.079 that we are to hold ourselves away from The lusts 00:23:02.079 --> 00:23:04.400 of the flesh. We're to keep clear of them. We 00:23:04.400 --> 00:23:09.619 are to avoid the place of temptation. Abstain. 00:23:09.619 --> 00:23:12.579 Hold yourself away from fleshly lusts. Don't 00:23:12.579 --> 00:23:18.960 get near it. Have you ever had the experiences 00:23:18.960 --> 00:23:24.079 I have when in your mind you rationalized, well, 00:23:24.279 --> 00:23:27.759 you know, maybe I need to test myself to see 00:23:27.759 --> 00:23:31.720 if I really would do this. And so we began to 00:23:31.720 --> 00:23:38.200 flirt and not abstain. There may be certain television 00:23:38.200 --> 00:23:41.880 programs that you simply cannot watch. I would 00:23:41.880 --> 00:23:45.319 rather think that would be true. Perhaps there 00:23:45.319 --> 00:23:51.779 are certain radio programs or certain DJs, certain 00:23:51.779 --> 00:23:56.539 stations that you have to stay away from to abstain 00:23:56.539 --> 00:24:00.359 from the flesh. It may be there are some magazines 00:24:00.359 --> 00:24:02.880 that you cannot be around or some movies that 00:24:02.880 --> 00:24:06.059 you dare not go to to abstain from the flesh. 00:24:07.220 --> 00:24:09.339 There are some videos that you're going to have 00:24:09.339 --> 00:24:13.779 to burn. Some music that you cannot listen to 00:24:13.779 --> 00:24:17.799 any longer. Some jokes that you're going to have 00:24:17.799 --> 00:24:22.240 to eschew and shun. Maybe even some friendships 00:24:22.240 --> 00:24:26.420 that you're going to have to lay aside. Some 00:24:26.420 --> 00:24:29.079 situations that you cannot any longer get involved 00:24:29.079 --> 00:24:33.259 in because of your desire now to abstain from 00:24:33.259 --> 00:24:36.859 the flesh. That's what he's saying. Hold yourself 00:24:36.859 --> 00:24:41.240 away from it. Don't get near it. Avoid the place 00:24:41.240 --> 00:24:47.000 of temptation. If you and I are serious about 00:24:47.000 --> 00:24:49.640 dealing with the flesh, then we have to look 00:24:49.640 --> 00:24:52.240 seriously at what God's Word commands us to do. 00:24:52.880 --> 00:24:57.789 We are strangers. We have a detachment to maintain 00:24:57.789 --> 00:25:03.490 in this life toward some things. You see, thus 00:25:03.490 --> 00:25:05.890 the Word of God instructs us how to deal with 00:25:05.890 --> 00:25:10.970 the flesh. Where are we to find the renewed mind, 00:25:11.049 --> 00:25:14.369 heart, and will? Where are we to find the power 00:25:14.369 --> 00:25:16.930 to carry out these instructions that God gives 00:25:16.930 --> 00:25:20.309 us? Well, as I've already suggested, it is found 00:25:20.309 --> 00:25:23.960 in the person of the Holy Spirit. I'd like for 00:25:23.960 --> 00:25:26.559 us now to turn to what the Word of God instructs 00:25:26.559 --> 00:25:29.940 us regarding the Holy Spirit. To do that, we're 00:25:29.940 --> 00:25:32.339 going to turn to one chapter only, and that is 00:25:32.339 --> 00:25:35.619 Galatians chapter 5. For I believe that here 00:25:35.619 --> 00:25:43.000 we see, in a sense, a summary of our relationship 00:25:43.000 --> 00:25:45.920 to the Holy Spirit. There are three ideas in 00:25:45.920 --> 00:25:49.579 Galatians 5 that seem to summarize our relationship 00:25:49.579 --> 00:25:54.150 to the Spirit of God. In verse 25, we have this 00:25:54.150 --> 00:25:57.089 statement, if we live by the Spirit. Now, the 00:25:57.089 --> 00:26:00.930 word if there should be since. It is a first 00:26:00.930 --> 00:26:02.990 -class conditional. It simply means that here 00:26:02.990 --> 00:26:05.569 is something that is true. It's not doubted. 00:26:05.910 --> 00:26:10.150 He says, since we live by the Spirit. He's talking 00:26:10.150 --> 00:26:13.029 to Christians. The first statement is this. The 00:26:13.029 --> 00:26:15.910 first idea might be put this way. We are living 00:26:15.910 --> 00:26:20.849 by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the spirit 00:26:20.849 --> 00:26:25.569 of life in Christ Jesus. At some point in our 00:26:25.569 --> 00:26:28.529 past, if we are today saved, he regenerated us 00:26:28.529 --> 00:26:32.329 to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. The Holy 00:26:32.329 --> 00:26:35.750 Spirit brought life to us in the deadness of 00:26:35.750 --> 00:26:41.329 our sins so that we have been born again. We 00:26:41.329 --> 00:26:45.269 are alive in Christ. We are living by the Holy 00:26:45.269 --> 00:26:48.769 Spirit. In verse 18, we see a second statement. 00:26:49.190 --> 00:26:52.130 He says, but if you are led by the Spirit. And 00:26:52.130 --> 00:26:55.170 once again, the if should be since. It's not 00:26:55.170 --> 00:26:58.849 a doubt. He says, but since you are led, you 00:26:58.849 --> 00:27:03.349 are being led by the Spirit. So the second idea 00:27:03.349 --> 00:27:05.650 that we see regarding our relationship to the 00:27:05.650 --> 00:27:09.509 Holy Spirit is that we are being led by the Spirit. 00:27:10.140 --> 00:27:12.559 That is the same thing Paul said in Romans 8, 00:27:12.599 --> 00:27:15.160 14. If you're led by the Spirit of God, you're 00:27:15.160 --> 00:27:19.160 the sons of God. Notice that this is passive. 00:27:20.000 --> 00:27:23.839 The Holy Spirit does the leading. We are the 00:27:23.839 --> 00:27:29.299 ones being led. He is the leader. We are the 00:27:29.299 --> 00:27:34.099 leadees, I guess you would say. It's passive, 00:27:34.119 --> 00:27:39.240 you see. This word being led is used of a farmer 00:27:39.240 --> 00:27:42.900 leading his cattle. It is used of a shepherd 00:27:42.900 --> 00:27:46.500 leading his sheep. It is used of soldiers who 00:27:46.500 --> 00:27:49.940 are escorting prisoners to their place of incarceration. 00:27:50.720 --> 00:27:54.359 It is used of the wind driving or leading a ship 00:27:54.359 --> 00:27:58.240 along. It's a very picturesque word. The Spirit 00:27:58.240 --> 00:28:01.720 of God is leading us in life. What a blessed 00:28:01.720 --> 00:28:04.809 truth that is. He is not leading the world. but 00:28:04.809 --> 00:28:09.609 he is leading the sons of God to glory. This 00:28:09.609 --> 00:28:12.349 word is also used of Satan leading men astray. 00:28:12.930 --> 00:28:16.410 That is who is leading the unsaved. 1 Corinthians 00:28:16.410 --> 00:28:20.329 12, 2, it speaks of Satan using idols to lead 00:28:20.329 --> 00:28:25.049 men away from God. This word is used of the Holy 00:28:25.049 --> 00:28:27.769 Spirit leading Jesus Christ into the wilderness 00:28:27.769 --> 00:28:32.400 for the temptation. Luke 4, verses 1 and 2. Just 00:28:32.400 --> 00:28:34.920 as the Holy Spirit led the Lord Jesus Christ, 00:28:35.059 --> 00:28:39.000 my friend, the Holy Spirit leads you as a child 00:28:39.000 --> 00:28:46.960 of God. We have another word. This one is found 00:28:46.960 --> 00:28:52.099 in verses 16 and 25. This idea is that we walk 00:28:52.099 --> 00:28:57.039 by the Spirit. Verse 16, but I say walk by the 00:28:57.039 --> 00:29:01.880 Spirit. Verse 25, if we live by the Spirit, let 00:29:01.880 --> 00:29:05.000 us also walk by the Spirit. So the third idea 00:29:05.000 --> 00:29:08.339 that we see in this chapter is that we must walk 00:29:08.339 --> 00:29:10.980 by the Spirit. We are living by the Spirit. We 00:29:10.980 --> 00:29:14.099 are being led by the Spirit. Now he says, let's 00:29:14.099 --> 00:29:18.220 walk by the Spirit. Notice this is active, not 00:29:18.220 --> 00:29:22.059 passive. This is my response. It's your response 00:29:22.059 --> 00:29:26.240 to the leading of the Spirit of the Lord. It 00:29:26.240 --> 00:29:28.500 is a mistake to think that all we have to do 00:29:28.500 --> 00:29:31.220 is lay back and be passive, and God does it all. 00:29:32.099 --> 00:29:34.940 It is true that He takes the initiative, He does 00:29:34.940 --> 00:29:39.460 the leading, but we are responsible to respond 00:29:39.460 --> 00:29:43.279 to Him and to walk by the Spirit. Actually, the 00:29:43.279 --> 00:29:45.460 words walk in these two verses are different 00:29:45.460 --> 00:29:48.440 words in the original. The first one is a very 00:29:48.440 --> 00:29:51.700 common word, to walk about or to walk around. 00:29:51.819 --> 00:29:56.069 It metaphorically means to conduct oneself. The 00:29:56.069 --> 00:29:58.750 second one, verse 25, though, means to stand 00:29:58.750 --> 00:30:04.029 in a row or to walk in a straight line. It was 00:30:04.029 --> 00:30:06.890 a military kind of term, soldiers being in line 00:30:06.890 --> 00:30:11.069 together. Metaphorically, it too means to behave 00:30:11.069 --> 00:30:14.769 properly. But it's a suggestive word that means 00:30:14.769 --> 00:30:17.890 that we are to walk as the Holy Spirit lays down 00:30:17.890 --> 00:30:22.400 the line. The Holy Spirit directs the paths. 00:30:22.539 --> 00:30:25.079 He says, here is the way, and you and I then 00:30:25.079 --> 00:30:28.359 walk carefully in the way that he lays down before 00:30:28.359 --> 00:30:35.339 us. We must cast ourselves upon him. Don't you 00:30:35.339 --> 00:30:37.059 understand that when you walk, that's what you 00:30:37.059 --> 00:30:40.259 do? As you walk, you are throwing your weight. 00:30:41.380 --> 00:30:43.339 You're throwing your weight and catching yourself, 00:30:43.539 --> 00:30:47.460 and you throw and catch. And as you learn to 00:30:47.460 --> 00:30:49.720 do that, you make progress. And you see, when 00:30:49.720 --> 00:30:52.039 you and I walk by the Spirit, what we are really 00:30:52.039 --> 00:30:55.180 doing is throwing ourselves on the Holy Spirit. 00:30:55.240 --> 00:30:58.720 He catches us. When we throw ourselves upon Him, 00:30:58.740 --> 00:31:02.480 He catches us. And in that way, we make progress 00:31:02.480 --> 00:31:06.279 in the Christian life. The word walk has to do 00:31:06.279 --> 00:31:10.980 with reliance upon Him. And you know it becomes 00:31:10.980 --> 00:31:13.000 a natural act after a while. You don't have to 00:31:13.000 --> 00:31:15.220 think about walking when you get up to leave 00:31:15.220 --> 00:31:18.220 today. It's a very natural thing with you, but 00:31:18.220 --> 00:31:20.319 it wasn't a few years ago when you learned how. 00:31:20.940 --> 00:31:24.099 You had to think about it. And so it is when 00:31:24.099 --> 00:31:27.079 walking by the Spirit. At first it requires discipline. 00:31:28.000 --> 00:31:30.940 At first you put forth effort to think, I must 00:31:30.940 --> 00:31:33.759 now depend upon the Holy Spirit. I must trust 00:31:33.759 --> 00:31:38.549 Him. But then as you begin to do that more and 00:31:38.549 --> 00:31:41.809 more, it becomes easier to do. It becomes such 00:31:41.809 --> 00:31:45.569 a natural act. You don't have to think about 00:31:45.569 --> 00:31:51.609 it. To summarize and to focus these two instructions 00:31:51.609 --> 00:31:54.029 from the Word of God, let me read to you a paragraph 00:31:54.029 --> 00:31:58.690 from John Stott. He says, As therefore we crucify 00:31:58.690 --> 00:32:01.609 the flesh, repudiating what we know to be wrong, 00:32:02.569 --> 00:32:05.569 so too we must walk by the Spirit, setting ourselves 00:32:05.569 --> 00:32:10.009 to follow what we know to be right. We reject 00:32:10.009 --> 00:32:13.730 one path to follow another. We turn from what 00:32:13.730 --> 00:32:16.589 is evil in order to occupy ourselves with what 00:32:16.589 --> 00:32:21.369 is good. And if it is vital to be ruthless in 00:32:21.369 --> 00:32:24.470 turning away from the things of the flesh, it 00:32:24.470 --> 00:32:27.849 is equally vital to be disciplined in turning 00:32:27.849 --> 00:32:34.930 toward the things of the Spirit of God. These 00:32:34.930 --> 00:32:37.109 are the instructions that the Word of God gives 00:32:37.109 --> 00:32:41.589 us regarding the flesh and the spirit. If you 00:32:41.589 --> 00:32:44.589 today want to experience the freedom that God 00:32:44.589 --> 00:32:46.849 has provided for you and what Christian would 00:32:46.849 --> 00:32:51.309 say, I do not, then my friend, the way to experience 00:32:51.309 --> 00:32:55.049 it is by following the instructions of the Word. 00:32:55.849 --> 00:32:59.029 Are you today following those? Are you dealing 00:32:59.029 --> 00:33:02.789 with the flesh? You know, it is a terrible thing. 00:33:03.599 --> 00:33:10.000 to be a Christian, and to live a lie, to live 00:33:10.000 --> 00:33:12.299 a life that is contradictory to what one really 00:33:12.299 --> 00:33:17.740 is, to be carnal, that is. The personal consequences 00:33:17.740 --> 00:33:22.339 can be tragic. There's even more tragic results. 00:33:24.140 --> 00:33:26.880 Martin Lloyd -Jones points this out when he says, 00:33:27.099 --> 00:33:30.339 the most terrible aspect of falling into sin 00:33:31.180 --> 00:33:34.680 is not so much that I have failed, or that I 00:33:34.680 --> 00:33:37.980 have fallen, or that I am miserable, or that 00:33:37.980 --> 00:33:44.180 I need release, but that I have failed God and 00:33:44.180 --> 00:33:47.519 misrepresented Him, and that men and women in 00:33:47.519 --> 00:33:50.200 the world will know nothing about His praise, 00:33:50.380 --> 00:33:55.019 His glory, His virtues, His excellences. They 00:33:55.019 --> 00:33:57.380 will say that to be a Christian makes no difference. 00:33:58.240 --> 00:34:02.240 Christians are like themselves after all. They 00:34:02.240 --> 00:34:05.619 will ask, where is the difference? And so they 00:34:05.619 --> 00:34:12.039 dismiss Christianity and Christ. You see, my 00:34:12.039 --> 00:34:15.619 friend, that is the greatest tragedy of carnal 00:34:15.619 --> 00:34:21.199 living, of walking according to the flesh. Is 00:34:21.199 --> 00:34:24.599 the flesh dominating you today? What will you 00:34:24.599 --> 00:34:30.019 do about that? Are you walking by the Spirit? 00:34:32.079 --> 00:34:34.619 Do you know the reality of His power in your 00:34:34.619 --> 00:34:37.400 life? I think that is the more poignant question, 00:34:37.659 --> 00:34:41.579 really. What is your relationship to the Holy 00:34:41.579 --> 00:34:45.760 Spirit? One thing I can guarantee you, that if 00:34:45.760 --> 00:34:48.940 you do not walk according to the Spirit, then 00:34:48.940 --> 00:34:53.739 you will fulfill the lusts of your flesh. For 00:34:53.739 --> 00:34:56.440 they both seek to dominate you, and one of them 00:34:56.440 --> 00:35:02.110 will. One of them will. But which one dominates 00:35:02.110 --> 00:35:09.710 you is your choice. Which will it be? Let's pray. 00:35:17.789 --> 00:35:24.719 Heavenly Father, I pray today that we who know 00:35:24.719 --> 00:35:30.840 and love the Lord Jesus Christ would learn more 00:35:30.840 --> 00:35:34.000 and more what it means to walk by the Spirit. 00:35:41.920 --> 00:35:44.400 Father, there are some of your children who are 00:35:44.400 --> 00:35:50.420 here today who, examining their lives, are at 00:35:50.420 --> 00:35:56.789 a point of... despair, and brokenness and repentance. 00:35:59.929 --> 00:36:02.670 I pray that right now you would put your arms 00:36:02.670 --> 00:36:06.230 around those children of yours and show them 00:36:06.230 --> 00:36:11.190 the way. Teach them to begin to take some steps 00:36:11.190 --> 00:36:17.550 to walk in the Spirit and to apply the Word of 00:36:17.550 --> 00:36:21.449 God and its instructions to their lives. Lord, 00:36:21.449 --> 00:36:26.309 all of us need that. My prayer would also be, 00:36:26.369 --> 00:36:28.389 Father, for those of your children who are here 00:36:28.389 --> 00:36:33.329 and have no real consciousness of the struggle 00:36:33.329 --> 00:36:36.309 within them and no awareness of the flesh's domination. 00:36:38.050 --> 00:36:43.230 How sad. I pray that whatever is causing that 00:36:43.230 --> 00:36:46.889 lack of awareness, that insensitivity, that sleepiness 00:36:46.889 --> 00:36:52.050 to sin, You would dispel that and awaken them, 00:36:52.150 --> 00:36:55.650 for the night is almost gone and the day is at 00:36:55.650 --> 00:37:01.750 hand. With our heads bowed and our eyes closed, 00:37:01.849 --> 00:37:04.690 and as we bring this service to its climax, I 00:37:04.690 --> 00:37:08.610 wonder, I wonder, my friend, if you are willing 00:37:08.610 --> 00:37:13.690 to say something to God this morning. I know 00:37:13.690 --> 00:37:16.230 that you cannot say that you will live your life 00:37:16.230 --> 00:37:19.030 perfectly from here on. None of us. None of us 00:37:19.030 --> 00:37:26.389 can. But you can say to God, Lord, I have lived 00:37:26.389 --> 00:37:30.449 in a fleshly manner to this point too often. 00:37:34.250 --> 00:37:39.289 And I want to turn from that. I want to learn 00:37:39.289 --> 00:37:43.630 what it is to walk by the Spirit of God, to know 00:37:43.630 --> 00:37:49.280 the reality of the power of God in my life. While 00:37:49.280 --> 00:37:55.760 I can't make promises to be perfect, Lord, today 00:37:55.760 --> 00:37:58.239 I will promise you to begin learning and seeking 00:37:58.239 --> 00:38:03.219 out in my life how to apply these instructions 00:38:03.219 --> 00:38:07.860 from your word that we've looked at today. I 00:38:07.860 --> 00:38:09.739 wonder if right now where you are, you would 00:38:09.739 --> 00:38:13.500 just simply make that indication to God by your 00:38:13.500 --> 00:38:19.900 silent prayer and by standing to your feet. We 00:38:19.900 --> 00:38:22.099 will not have a come -forward kind of invitation. 00:38:24.440 --> 00:38:26.699 I wonder if you will respond to the Spirit of 00:38:26.699 --> 00:38:29.179 God today by simply standing and saying, Lord, 00:38:29.320 --> 00:38:32.840 no promises to be perfect. I know you don't expect 00:38:32.840 --> 00:38:36.519 that. But I do promise to begin learning what 00:38:36.519 --> 00:38:40.679 it means to walk by the Spirit. I've walked in 00:38:40.679 --> 00:38:46.340 the flesh too long, too much. If you let God 00:38:46.340 --> 00:38:48.519 have his way as we simply sit here in silence 00:38:48.519 --> 00:39:59.809 for a few seconds. Father in heaven, you know 00:39:59.809 --> 00:40:04.449 our hearts and we cannot hide from you. Have 00:40:04.449 --> 00:40:07.070 your way now in the lives of these who are standing, 00:40:07.289 --> 00:40:12.070 many of them in brokenness, all of them in sincerity 00:40:12.070 --> 00:40:19.690 of heart. And I pray, bring to reality the aspirations 00:40:19.690 --> 00:40:26.960 for holiness which they desire. Let's all stand 00:40:26.960 --> 00:40:29.059 together now, please, with our heads bowed, and 00:40:29.059 --> 00:40:33.440 let's just sing this chorus a cappella. Channels 00:40:33.440 --> 00:40:45.719 only, blessed Master, but with all thy wondrous 00:40:45.719 --> 00:40:57.989 power, flowing through us thou canst use. every 00:40:57.989 --> 00:41:08.409 day and every hour. Lord, cleanse us as your 00:41:08.409 --> 00:41:14.309 channels and make us wide open vessels that are 00:41:14.309 --> 00:41:19.389 able to bring the life of Jesus Christ to those 00:41:19.389 --> 00:41:23.619 around us. And perfect in us, I pray, those holy 00:41:23.619 --> 00:41:26.940 desires that you have when you said, Be ye holy, 00:41:27.159 --> 00:41:33.239 for I am holy. In Jesus' name and for his glory 00:41:33.239 --> 00:41:35.159 we pray this. Amen.