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The Amish Voice 8
we had, and all we brought back was so much clear
gain.
The closer that you walk with Jesus, the farther away you
will be from fulfilling the lusts of the flesh. What have you
crucified lately...or is it crucifying you?
3. THE BELIEVER IS TO WALK CONSISTENTLY
WITH HIS POSITION IN GOD’S SPIRIT (v.25).
To be in Christ is to be in God’s Spirit. When the believer
trusts Jesus Christ as his Savior, God places His Spirit in the
heart of the believer. The Spirit is placed there to guide and
direct the believer day by day. Therefore, the believer is to
walk in the Spirit; he is to live just as the Spirit of God directs.
This is the point of this verse. If we live by the Spirit, let us
also walk by the Spirit. The Spirit gives us life, the life of God;
therefore, let us walk and live out the life He gives us.
“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” (Ro. 6:4).
4. THE BELIEVER IS TO WALK FREE FROM SUPER-
SPIRITUALITY AND ENVY (v.26).
When believers are challenged to live spiritual lives, there is
always the danger that some will become super-spiritual and
others will begin to envy the spiritual gifts of those who are
genuinely spiritual and greatly blessed by God.
1. There is the danger of super—spirituality. There is the
temptation of pride and of showing superiority. It is the
attitude that says, “I have it, and you don’t.” This attitude,
of course, irritates and provokes people. It causes division
within the church.
“Woe unto you that are full [who say they are full]!
for ye shall hunger. Woe unto you that laugh now!
for ye shall mourn and weep” (Lu.6:25).
2. There is the danger of envy.
ILLUSTRATION:
There is a fine line to walk between living in the Spirit and
in the flesh. One of the things that will trip us up is pride.
Pride comes when we forget the Cross. Listen to this
practical illustration and see how you relate to its point:
The growth chart had slipped from the playroom wall
because the tape on its corners had become dry and
brittle. Five-year-old Jordan hung it up again,
meticulously working to get it straight. Then he stood his
sister against the wall to measure her height.
“Mommy! Mommy! Anneke is forty inches tall!” he
shouted as he burst into the kitchen. “I measured her.”
His mom replied, “That’s impossible, Sweetheart. She’s
only 3 years old. Let’s go see.” They walked back into the
playroom, where the mother’s suspicions were confirmed.
Despite his efforts to hang the chart straight, Jordan had
failed to set it at the proper height. It was several inches
low.
We easily make Jordan’s mistake in gauging our
spiritual growth or importance. Compared to a shortened
scale, we may appear better than we are. Only when we
stand against the Cross, that “Great leveler of men’ as A.
T. Robertson called it, can we not think of ourselves
“...higher than we ought to think.” Christ, Himself, must
be our standard.
QUESTIONS:
1. What does it mean to live in the Spirit?
2. What barriers do you have to overcome in order to
consistently walk in the Spirit?
3. What kind of advice would you give a Christian who
was trying to live a life out of and not in the Spirit?
Would your life be an example for them to imitate?
Why or why not?
QUESTIONS:
1. What things do you need to crucify in your life? Why
are these things such a struggle for you?
2. What are you told to do in this verse?
3. This verse says that you are to crucify the flesh with its
affections and lusts. What will it take for you to obey
God, to actually do this?
SUMMARY:
How fruitful are you? God wants you to bear His fruit
increasingly, growing in Him day by day. From this session,
He has told you how it is to be done:
Continued…
QUESTIONS:
In what ways does spiritual pride cause you to
stumble? What is your role in preventing pride from
controlling your life?
What are some of the consequences of becoming
“super-spiritual”? Do you know anyone like this?
How do people respond to the person?
How can you become aware of pride in your life?
Through others pointing it out? Through God’s Word?
How?