Gtcotr/ss042323
Romans 8 NLT
14 For all who are led by the
Spirit of God are children of God.
15 So you have not received a
spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when
he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.”
16 For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children.
This past week I was talking with one of my granddaughters about how many of the principles of God work for the children of this world just like they work for the children of God. God has established rules which govern life. We often see this in the natural realm without realizing that the laws of nature work in the spiritual realm as well.
For
example: We easily understand that if you hit your thumb with a hammer it will
hurt, no matter if you’re saved by the blood of Jesus or lost as a goose. Both
the Born-again Believer and the atheist need a parachute before jumping out of
a plane. As well:
·
Generous
people tend to prosper … it is a law of God. (Proverbs 11:25)
·
People
who show mercy, receive mercy in their times of need … (Psalms 18:25)
·
People
who don’t work, don’t eat … it is a law of God. (2Thessalonians 3:10)
·
It
rains on the just and the unjust. (Matthew 5:45)
·
Time
and chance happen to all men. (Ecclesiastes 9:11)
· Good people end up doing better than liars, cheats, and thieves.
Most people spend a reasonable amount of time trying to do better and get better. We all grow from season to season, often trying not to repeat the failures we encountered or the trouble we experienced in our past. This is the normal goal of people from every walk of life, saved or lost. And thankfully … it works … that’s a good thing!
However, becoming a better person is not all there is to life. Jesus told Nicodemus, who was a very good moral and religious man, that he must be born again. More than being good, Jesus said you must be re-born.
Even though there are many laws God established to govern mankind, nothing takes the place of being filled with the Holy Spirit of God. To have Him living inside of you beats trying to be good. Everyone receives the Holy Spirit when they accept Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior.
Something supernatural happens. The old nature with which we were born into this world dies and a new nature, the nature of God, is born and regenerates our soul with the spark of God. Life becomes spiritual instead of natural. This is what the Apostle John said:
1 John 5:12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have God’s Son does not have life.
Some of the laws of God which govern life only work for those who have invited Jesus into their heart. Of course the most important law is the law of life. Meaning: If you have been Born-again, you will never die. You will merely step from this earth and straight into the presence of Jesus.
Other
benefits of believing in and receiving Jesus Christ into your life include:
·
Knowing what God thinks.
o 1 Corinthians
2:14 But the natural man does not
receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor
can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
o v.16 “We have the mind
of Christ.”
·
True worship
o John 4:24 “God is Spirit, and those who worship
Him must worship in spirit and truth.”
o Worship is a spiritual
expression and not a carnal experience.
·
Being led by the Spirit
o Matthew 6:13 And do not lead us into temptation, But
deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the
glory forever. Amen.
o John 16:13 “However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has
come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority,
but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.
o This is one of the
greatest benefits belonging to Believers.
o The Lord is my Shepherd, He leads me … (Psalm 23)
God went to great lengths to show us His leadership in our lives. One picture God painted on a daily basis for more than 40 years reveals His commitment to lead His children in the daytime and in the nighttime, whether on a road or in times of rest, through battles and to victories, both the young and the older always knew with turn to take and how far to go. This was seen in the Exodus and is a reminder how God intends to guide, guard, direct, and protect us as we journey through the wilderness of this world.
Allow me to read a representation of scriptures on the subject of the leadership of God in the lives of His children.
Exodus 13:21 And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so as to go by day and night.
Exodus 23:20 ¶ “Behold, I send an Angel before you to keep you in the way and to bring you into the place which I have prepared.
Exodus 14
19 And the Angel of God, who
went before the camp of Israel, moved and went behind them; and the pillar of
cloud went from before them and stood behind them.
20 So it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel. Thus it was a cloud and darkness to the one, and it gave light by night to the other, so that the one did not come near the other all that night.
·
Leadership and Protection for the children of God
· Darkness and Confusion for the children of this world
Psalms 105:39 He spread a cloud for a covering; and fire to give light in the night.
It can be difficult to see the fire in the daytime and hard to see the smoke at night … but easy to see a flame.
Deuteronomy 1:33 God went in the way before you to search out a place for you to pitch your tents, to show you the way you should go, in the fire by night and in the cloud by day.
Numbers 9 NKJV
16 So it was always: the
cloud covered it by day, and the appearance of fire by night.
17 Whenever the cloud was
taken up from above the tabernacle, after that the children of Israel would
journey; and in the place where the cloud settled, there the children of Israel
would pitch their tents.
18 At the command of the LORD
the children of Israel would journey, and at the command of the LORD they would
camp; as long as the cloud stayed above the tabernacle they remained encamped.
19 Even when the cloud
continued long, many days above the tabernacle, the children of Israel kept the
charge of the LORD and did not journey.
20 So it was, when the cloud
was above the tabernacle a few days: according to the command of the LORD they
would remain encamped, and according to the command of the LORD they would
journey.
21 So it was, when the cloud
remained only from evening until morning: when the cloud was taken up in the
morning, then they would journey; whether by day or by night, whenever the
cloud was taken up, they would journey.
22 Whether it was two
days, a month, or a year that the cloud remained above the tabernacle, the
children of Israel would remain encamped and not journey; but when it was taken
up, they would journey.
23 At the command of the LORD they remained encamped, and at the command of the LORD they journeyed; they kept the charge of the LORD, at the command of the LORD by the hand of Moses.
Conclusion:
1.
When
we do not know:
a.
Who?
b.
What?
c.
When?
d.
Where?
e.
Why?
f.
How?
g.
If?
… continue to follow the leadership of the
Holy Spirit.
h.
Whether
it’s an hour, a day, a week, a month, or a year.
i.
Trust
the leadership of the Holy Spirit.
2.
How
can you know you are following the leadership of God?
a.
First: “You must be Born-Again!”
b.
Next: The Holy Spirit will never violate the Word of God.
c.
Then: Walk in peace.
i. There is a peace that
comes with Light.
ii. Even when it looks
like darkness and confusion to the world and their way of thinking.
iii. The leadership of God
is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path.
iv. God will not lead you
by fear, anger, resentment, or revenge.
v. When you are walking
with God there will be a peace in your heart which surpasses all understanding.
(Philippians 4:7)
