Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Evening Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/ev/ev20060409.htm

THE BIBLICAL SPIRITUAL CHRISTIAN LIFE
Part II: Relating Properly To God The Holy Spirit As Believers
D. Heeding God's Admonition To "Walk in the Spirit"
(Galatians 5:16, 25)
  1. Introduction
    1. The permanent indwelling ministry of God the Holy Spirit, God's priceless, eternal Gift to us who trust in Christ as Savior, provides many wonderful ministries for our blessing as we learned in this lesson series.
    2. Thus motivated to want to relate properly to the Holy Spirit, we view Galatians 5:16, 25 KJV where God calls us to "walk in the Spirit", a charge on conquering in blessing the control of our dreadful sin natures:
  2. Heeding God's Admonition To "Walk in the Spirit," Galatians 5:16, 25.
    1. God's command to "walk" in the Spirit in Galatians 5:16 comes from the Greek verb, peripateo where the verb, stoicheo is used for His repeat command that we "walk" in the Spirit in Galatians 5:25.
    2. Viewing the use of these verbs in the context reveals that by "walking in the Spirit", we are in need of full and constant reliance upon the Holy Spirit both to avoid the exhibition of our dreadfully unproductive sin natures and to have the Holy Spirit demonstrate His wonderful characteristics in our lives (as follows):
      1. The figurative use of the verb, peripateo that Paul used for "walk" in Galatians 5:16 pictures a general "conduct'"; yet, stoicheo in Galatians 5:25 shifts to a more graphic idea, that of being "in step with'" the Spirit" as one who follows another party, Theological Dictionary of the N. T. , v. VII, p. 667-668.
      2. His context shows Paul shifted from the first to the second verb after focusing on a NEED believers have due to the startling contrast of living by the sin nature versus living by the Spirit:
        1. In Galatians 5:16, Paul directed his readers to walk in the Holy Spirit's power to avoid biting and devouring one another with their selfish struggles, Galatians 5:13-15,16.
        2. Then, Paul extensively contrasted the dreadfully evil characteristics of the sin nature (Galatians 5:19-21) with the appealing characteristics of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23).
        3. As he focused on the CONTRAST between the dreadful life in the sin nature's control VERSUS the appealing life of Spirit's control (Gal. 5:17-23), Paul's concern that we live by the Spirit's power INTENSIFIED between his use of peripateo in verse 16 and his later use of stoicheo in verse 25! Hence, in verse 25, he was burdened to tell his readers no longer JUST to walk in the Holy Spirit in a general sense, but to follow in His every step in each event in life SO they would escape the dreadful exhibition of the sin nature and exhibit the appealing qualities of the Spirit!
      3. Accordingly, we trace Paul's flow of thought in Galatians 5:13-26 to see how important it is for the believer fully, continually to rely upon the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit of God (as follows):
        1. By his comment in Galatians 5:15b, Paul expressed concern that his readers so regularly wronged each other that they were in danger of being "consumed one of another." (KJV , emphasis ours)
        2. Paul recalled such behavior arose out of the individual believer's war between his own inner sin nature and the indwelling Holy Spirit, Gal. 5:17. So contrasting and controlling are these entities that a believer can not do what he wants apart from the influence of either one or the other, 5:17!
        3. However, SINCE these entities are at opposite poles of will and influence, WERE the believer to order his life in alignment with the Spirit of God, he would surely NOT fulfill the lusts of his sin nature, Gal. 5:17, 16. Thus, Paul told his readers to live by the Holy Spirit's power, Galatians 5:16.
        4. However, in view of the contrasting dreadful behavior of the sin nature (5:19-21) with the Holy Spirit (5:22-23) and the danger of the destruction on the Church by life in the sin nature (5:15b), and recalling how a believer is caught in a war between the two so that he functions in EITHER ONE'S power, Paul shifted from urging his readers to live in the Spirit's power in a general way (v. 16) to call them to KEEP IN STEP with the Spirit each moment of life for victory and blessing, 5:24-25!
Lesson: As a WAR between VERY CONTRASTING, INFLUENTIAL entities ALWAYS exists IN us, a war between the VERY DESTRUCTIVE sin nature and the VERY CONSTRUCTIVE Holy Spirit, we MUST CLEAVE EACH INSTANT to the SPIRIT'S CONTROL that we avoid ruin and know blessing!

Application: May we see our NEED for FULL reliance EVERY MOMENT upon the Holy Spirit's control that we escape the dreadful ruin caused by life in our sin nature and live in God's blessing!