Follow the Leader

How many here have played the game Follow the Leader? Remember that one? Follow the Leader. It's a children's game. You know, you may remember that first there was a leader or one person who was at the head of the line. And then all of the children would have to follow the leader. They'd have to mimic the leader. Whatever it was that the leader did, they had to do all the crazy and quirky moves or whatever the leader did. They had to mimic the leader's actions. Anyone who failed to follow the leader precisely, they'd have to go back to the side of the wall of the room, when there'd be the classroom or whatever it was you were playing. And then finally, at the end, when only one person other than the leader remained, then that person would become a leader. Turn with me over to Romans 8 and verse 14. The Scriptures speak of the Holy Spirit as a leader. Romans 8 and verse 14. You know, the Feast of Pentecost is only three weeks from tomorrow, and as we know, the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out on that day. It was made available to the people that God was calling. And it speaks here about the Holy Spirit as a leader. Romans 8 and verse 14. Romans 8 and verse 14. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God. So let's ask some questions here. How has the Holy Spirit led you recently?

What has the Holy Spirit led you to do recently? Because it's Paul who wrote it here in Romans 8 and verse 14. As many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. So I think it's only fair to ask then, how have we been led by God's Holy Spirit?

I think that raises the question, how do you know that it's the Holy Spirit that's leading you? And not your own wants, or your own desires, or your own motives, or your own feelings, or your own objectives? You know, I've heard people who've said and attributed it for an example that, well, they'd lost a job. And it was really because they hadn't really worked very hard at it. But it was God's Spirit that had taken them out of this job and moved them on to another job. You know, it got me out of this one and moved me on to the next one. Well, it can be a very easy thing, I think, to sometimes have a false affirmation of how the Holy Spirit has led us. We can deceive ourselves. And yet, at the same time, God's Spirit should be leading us, shouldn't it? It should be leading us in our lives, and it should be leading us in our lives day by day. Is it?

Where has it led you recently? Where have you gone that you might not otherwise have gone because you were following the lead of God's Holy Spirit? Or where is God's Holy Spirit leading you to go that you're resisting to go? That's not sometimes an easy question. I may not have all the answers. But it's just not the question of where does it lead you because it should lead us. But the Holy Spirit actually does a lot of things.

It's more than just a leader. We know from the Bible, and I'll just give some references here. We know from the Bible that the Holy Spirit is a teacher. It is a teacher. I'll give you three references for that. 1 Corinthians 2 and verse 13 is 1. And a second one is John 14 and verse 26. So we know the Bible speaks of the Holy Spirit as a teacher.

So what has it taught us recently? The Holy Spirit is also a revelator. Again, and for time, I'll just give you a scriptural reference. Luke chapter 2 and verse 26. Luke chapter 2 verse 26. So the Holy Spirit is a revelator. So what has it revealed to you and to me lately? What has it approved or disapproved of our works? Of the things that you do? And how can you know? What has it forbidden you to do that you otherwise might have done?

Now, all of these things, the Bible tells us routinely that the Spirit does some of these things. But how can we know? How can we know the difference between the leadership of the Holy Spirit and our own feelings, our own wants, our own objectives? I think it's a valid question. There is a lot about the workings of the Holy Spirit that we don't know. But there are some things from Scripture that we do know.

That we can know for sure. And I think it's important for us to distinguish between what we do know and what we can only guess at. Or between what is revealed and what is not revealed. So we want to have a firm, scriptural foundation here. Because there's a confusion between these two elements that can cause us trouble. Of what we can definitely know and the difference between what we can only guess at. And it's not discerning the difference between these two things that can cause a lot of mistakes to be made. So one of the most important keys to understanding the Bible is recognizing the difference between what we know and what we don't know, or what we guess at.

So the place to start, I think, when dealing with this question is what we know. What we know about the Holy Spirit. So that's where we're going to start. So we can get our feet on solid ground. On a rock-solid foundation, if you will, of things that we can know. That we can be confident in.

Otherwise, if we don't nail those things down, then we can be led astray. So we're going to cover several things. This isn't going to be an all-inclusive list. But we're going to cover several things about what we can know about the Holy Spirit. So that's what we're going to do today. The first one, and it's a simple one.

The first one, though, is that the Holy Spirit is, in itself, a gift. The Holy Spirit is, itself, a gift. It's something that we don't have. It's something that's given to us from God. You know, we oftentimes think of the gifts of the Spirit of God in 1 Corinthians 12, where it says there are various gifts, but it's all the same Spirit.

We talk about these different gifts that people can receive once they receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Without recalling the fact that the Holy Spirit itself is a gift from God. You know, in three weeks we're going to rehearse the anniversary of that great day of Pentecost, when on that day, a festival, that God began to build the church, that He poured out the Holy Spirit in a very powerful way. And I think the story is very familiar to most of us.

I'm not going to read all of it. It's contained in Acts 2. But I do want to focus here on a portion of that great message that Peter gave, that great sermon that he gave on that day of Pentecost, because I think it's important, and it may begin to answer some of the questions. Let's look at Acts 2, and we're going to pick it up in verse number 37. Acts 2, and we're going to begin reading verse 37.

This is after Peter's been speaking for a while, talking about the fact that Jesus Christ is the very Messiah that they were hoping for, and they were individually responsible for taking the life of their own Savior, their own Messiah. And they began to understand that as he was preaching.

Verse number 37, now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and they said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? And Peter said to them, Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Brethren, there's at least two things that we can know here, for sure, here in verse number 38 about God's Spirit. You can know that the Holy Spirit is a gift. It's a gift from God. And you can know that you have received that gift. You can have confidence in it. You don't have to doubt.

You don't have to waver. Because if you really repented of your sins, and you really were baptized, and you really did have the hands laid upon you, you can be rescued. You have received the gift. We don't have to be assailed by doubts.

Did I really get it? Did I really receive that gift? You know, we don't have to worry about that. We can know it by faith that God said, if we do these things, you will receive the gift. Did you notice it in verse 38? Peter said, Repent, let every one of you be baptized in the name of the Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

God doesn't lie. And so we know if we've done those things, we can be assured that we've received the gift. We can take it to the bank. We don't have to have doubts about it. There's no reason to wonder. But now, having received the gift, what are the consequences of that? What are the responsibilities? We're going to touch on that here in a moment. Let's go to the second thing that we can know from Scripture about God's Spirit. The second thing that we can know from the Scriptures is that the Holy Spirit dwells in us.

The Holy Spirit of God dwells in us. Now, there's a section of Scripture that let's take a look at here. It's an important passage. Let's go over to 1 Corinthians 6. I'm going to read some things here. We'll begin reading in verse number 9, and then we'll eventually get to a Scripture that brings home this point. 1 Corinthians 6. And I'm going to start reading here in verse number 9. 1 Corinthians 6. He says, Don't you know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Don't be deceived.

Neither will fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, will inherit the kingdom of God. What a list! Wow! And it's a fairly obvious list of things that God does not approve of. We understand that to be the case. It's fairly clear also that just not everyone is going to inherit the kingdom of God.

And then he says something else here as we read on in verse number 11. And such were some of you, but you were washed, and you were sanctified, and you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God. All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any. Foods for the stomach, and the stomach for foods, but God will destroy both it and them.

Now the body is not for sexual immorality, but it's for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. And God raised up the Lord, and He will also raise us up by His power.

Don't you know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a harlot? Well, certainly not. Or don't you know that He who is joined to a harlot is one body? With her, for the two, He says, shall become one flesh. But He who is joined to the Lord is one Spirit with Him.

So flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but He who commits sexual immorality, sins against His own body.

And so we see here, you know, and I suppose we could argue for a long time, what does it mean to sin out of the body or in the body? But that's not really where Paul is going. What Paul is saying is you can argue about all the sins you want, but fornication you sin against your own body. So why is that important? We'll notice verse number 19. Don't you know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit which is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? So he says, don't you know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit? So that's where it resides. It resides in you. God gives it to you. It's inside of you.

That's how he describes it.

So what are the consequences of this simple truth, that God's Spirit is in you. It dwells in you. What is it that the Holy Spirit is doing there?

What's it doing? Nothing?

Is it asleep?

Is our life untouched by it?

Is it our life undirected by it?

You know, why is it there? Are we not being led by it? Are we not being taught by it?

You know, doesn't the Holy Spirit influence us on a daily basis in our life? Or is it subliminal to us? We don't even sense it. We don't notice it. We're unaware of it. We don't even know that it's there.

But if you don't know, how do you know that it's doing anything? But maybe that we haven't quenched it.

Perhaps we don't think much about God's Spirit.

Maybe it's because it's not really in our conscious mind. We don't credit the Holy Spirit for the things that it's actually doing in our lives. Well, you know, I was moved by the Holy Spirit not to make that decision.

You know, I was moved by the Holy Spirit to keep me from making that foolish mistake. We often attribute the things to the Holy Spirit sometimes. Why?

Why?

Perhaps it's because we're not sure.

Perhaps it's because we're not in tune.

Perhaps it's because we just don't know.

So there are two things so far that we can know about God's Holy Spirit. Number one, that it's a gift from God. And number two, that it, that gift, dwells in us.

Although there's a third one, and I think it's very important for us to know, that's really the main thrust, I suppose, of the message today. The third one is that the Holy Spirit actively leads us.

The Holy Spirit actively leads us.

It doesn't sleep.

The reason the Holy Spirit works in us, the reason it is there, is to make a difference.

It's there to make a difference in our lives. God gave it to us. That's why God gave us this gift. One of the reasons is to make a difference, is to lead us.

But you know, when you're being led, that's the way God's Spirit works. It doesn't push you. It doesn't force you. It doesn't twist your arm and say, come along. It leads. It says, this is the way, follow it. Follow my lead.

That's just the way God designed it to work. If we're being led by the Holy Spirit, to me that means that the Holy Spirit is actively leading in our lives. And I suppose the question that we have to individually ask is whether we are prepared to follow.

To follow its lead.

There's another section of Scripture of Paul's writings that I'd like to turn to. Let's go over to Romans chapter 8.

Romans chapter 8.

This is often known as the Holy Spirit chapter. I'm not going to read it all to you, but I think there's a part of it that we need to consider. Romans chapter 8, and we'll pick it up in verse number 8.

Romans chapter 8, verse number 8.

It says, Now, that little statement right there probably summarizes the way that some Christians feel. That I'm flesh and blood, and so it's not possible for me to please God.

So why try? You know, God just said it right here. You know, we who are in the flesh cannot please God. So if it's impossible for me to please God, no matter how hard I try, then why should I try?

But the problem is that Paul doesn't stop here. He keeps going. So let's read along here, too. We'll pick it up in verse 8 again. It says, So we see that ties into point number 2. The Spirit dwells in us.

If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not Christ's. He's not God's. If he doesn't have the Spirit. Verse 10. And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.

But if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, again tying into that second point, then he who raised Christ, and referring to the Father, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.

Now, maybe you haven't thought about this before, but it's God who's going to raise us from the dead through that Spirit that dwells in us. If we don't have that Spirit in us, we're not going to be able to be raised from the dead. This gift is absolutely vital and necessary.

And of course, other Scriptures talk about stirring it up, following its lead, and that's how we're going to live an everlasting life.

It is through this Spirit that God says is dwelling in us. Verse 11. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life, I think he's talking about eternal life, to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.

Therefore, verse 12, brethren, we're debtors, aren't we? We're debtors, not to the flesh, not to the ways of the flesh, to live according to the flesh. Verse 13, because if you live according to the flesh, you're still going to die. But if by the Spirit we put to death the deeds of the body, we'll live. He's talking about eternal life. We'll live.

And then he goes on, verse 14. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God. You know, some people say, I can't please God, so I try to give up. But God tells us, look, we have to put to death the deeds of the body, the Spirit helps us to do that. We follow its lead. We begin to do that.

You know, I've heard some people say that, you know, once I got baptized, my struggle was harder, it seemed. You know, it seemed like, you know, it got harder instead of easier. When I received God's gift of the Holy Spirit and I began to walk this new way of life, it became harder, and the struggle was harder. And it's true. I think in a lot of cases that when God's Spirit comes into us, in a sense, the fight is on. You know, the light is beginning to shine, and our enemy, who is the Prince of Darkness, wants to crush and destroy whatever it is that God is trying to build.

And this is a potential son or daughter of God now that's begun a journey. And so the struggle is on. You know, that struggle that we have, in a sense, will go on for the rest of our physical lives. No doubt. Because it's a struggle between the drawings of the Spirit and the drawings of the flesh. You know, we've got that to deal with as well, besides our enemy. In fact, there's another scripture that says the Spirit and the flesh are opposed to one another. Because the flesh has appetites that we naturally want to fulfill, and many of those appetites are not only us, but they're harmful to other people.

And now the Spirit of God tells us, you can't indulge in those appetites. You know, you may do this, but you can't do that. You know, and you can't do the other thing. But that this is the way to go is what God's Spirit leads us to do.

How does it do that? Well, hopefully we'll cover that as we go along. So all of these revelations are available to us, and the struggle begins, in a sense. And something begins to take place. But then we see in verse 14 that God says, For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God. So that makes the question, I think, that I asked at the beginning of the sermon today, maybe more pertinent, doesn't it?

How have we been led by the Spirit of God recently? What has it led us to do? What has it led us not to do? What has it led us towards? What has it led us away from? Because, you know, this is how God's Spirit works. Has there been a leadership of the Holy Spirit in our lives? And how does it lead us? Because it says those that are following the lead of the Holy Spirit are sons of God. Let's go on to verse number 15. For you did not receive the Spirit of bondage again.

You know, how many Scriptures talk about that one of the reasons that Christ came was to free the captives. You know, we've been slaves to sin. And God is bringing us out through liberty, to freedom. And so He says here, you did not receive the Spirit of bondage again to fear. But He said, you've received the Spirit of adoption, which why we call Abba Father. So this is a Spirit that God has given to us that impregnates us with actually God's power and His Spirit. And we become His begotten sons and daughters.

This isn't a Spirit that brings us into bondage. It brings us into a family. Notice as we go on verse 16, the Spirit itself bears witness with our Spirit that we are children of God. And if children, then we're heirs, heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ. If indeed we suffer, I wish you wouldn't have added that, but that's the reality. If indeed we suffer with Him, that we may be glorified together with Him. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed. Where is God taking us?

He's taking us to a glorified state of which we don't even understand how great it is. I consider, verse 18, that the sufferings of this present time, it means there's a future time when that suffering won't be there. The sufferings of this present time aren't worthy to be compared with the glory that is going to be revealed in you. For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. So we see here that God's Spirit is among many things here. It actually begets us as His own children. Let's go to another point here. We talk about the Spirit being the point we just finished as we're following the lead of the Spirit.

We know that the Holy Spirit leads, and we have to follow. And I think we have a pretty good idea of the direction of that leadership, of where it's taking us. Let's look at a fourth thing here that we can know about the Holy Spirit. We can know that the Holy Spirit teaches us things that we otherwise would not know. God's Spirit teaches us things that we otherwise would not know. Let's go to 1 Corinthians 2. We'll pick it up here in verse number 9.

It says, but it's written, Now that's a staggering thing to consider here. We haven't seen, we haven't heard. It hasn't even entered into our hearts at all the things that God has in store for us. But He begins to reveal it through His Spirit. Let's notice that in verse number 10.

But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. So we know the Spirit is a rebel later.

So we know there's a spirit in man that we have right out of the womb. Just being born, that there's a difference between human beings and the animals.

And there is a spirit in man that can know the things of a man. Verse number 11.

We assume from reading this there's a non-physical element in man that puts man above the animals. We understand that. It's a spirit in man. It's because we have the spirit in man that we can understand the things of a man. But Paul is saying this, that there are things of God that is impossible for you and I to know. And it's impossible for us to understand. And so in a way, here we are groping in the dark. Having no idea of our destiny, having no idea of what God has in store for us, just blind to the purpose that God has given to you and to me. And our inability to understand these godly principles is compared to an animal trying to read a book that you and I could read. An animal is not going to be able to understand it. At all. And we're just as blind. If we believe what God says, we are just as blind until the spirit of God begins to open our minds. Because if we're truly understanding these things, then God's spirit is beginning to work either with you or it's in you.

And that's what enables us to understand what God thinks of things and what He has in store for us and what it all means.

Let's go on here.

Verse number 12.

Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the spirit who is from God. And we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. These things we also speak, not in words which man's wisdom teaches, but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. So we're talking about things now that really aren't reachable by man. At all. Without the help of the spirit of God. And the invocation of that is that the Bible that you have there on your lap, and I've got here in front of me, is that that Bible here, in a sense, it can be read by a lot of different people. You know, it's in how many different languages? You know, all around the world people can read this, but there must be more than what's on the printed page in order to understand it. There's more than what's just on the printed page, and we can understand it with God's Holy Spirit. Let's go on to verse number 14.

But we have the mind of Christ. Now that's quite a statement, isn't it? That we have the mind of Christ. And that can only be true because the Holy Spirit is dwelling in us. Which teaches us, which leads us, which forbids us, which encourages us, which points us in a certain direction, and it teaches us things that we otherwise could not know. Impossible to know. So what has the Holy Spirit taught you lately? How has it led you lately? You know, should the Holy Spirit be a non-presence for us? Are we on the opposite extreme of the day of Pentecost? You know, are we muddling through life knowing that the Holy Spirit is in us, but not having a clue where it's taking us or what it wants of us? No clue where God would like for us to go? Brethren, God does give us some clues as to whether we're being led by the Holy Spirit. There's a familiar scripture in Galatians 5. Let's go back there. It's kind of a list of the fruit of the Spirit of God. Let's notice that. Galatians 5. And we're going to pick it up here in verse number 22. Galatians 5. And verse number 22. Now, that's quite a list, isn't it? That's a nice list. In fact, I'll bet you're like me, you like to be around people that are like this. You know, that we see the fruit, in a sense, of this in their life. People who are loving. People that are joyful. People that are peaceful. People that are long-suffering. That are kind. That are good. That are faithful. That are gentle. They're self-controlled. You know, these make great neighbors. These make good fellow church members. They make good brothers and sisters. And I'd like to see more of that fruit in my own life. They are fruit, which can be evidenced by people that are being led by the Holy Spirit of God. So, brethren, this is one clue that we can have. One standard. One benchmark. That whether or not we are following God's Spirit. Whether we're being led by it. Or whether something else is going on in our lives. Let's read on to verse number 25. If we live in the Spirit, then let us also walk in the Spirit. Let's not become conceited or provoking one another or envying one another. So we see here in verse 26 a contrast of people picking at one another, provoking one another, and being one another. So this is one of the things we can see whether we're following the lead of God's Holy Spirit or whether or not. It's based on the fruit that's there in our lives. Let's go to another point here, number 5. Things we can know about the Holy Spirit. Is the Holy Spirit can be grieved. The Holy Spirit can be grieved. Let's notice that in Ephesians chapter 4.

Ephesians chapter 4. Talk about following the lead of the Holy Spirit. How do we do that? We'll talk about that here in a moment too as we focus on this point now, number 5. That the Holy Spirit can be grieved. Let's pick it up in verse number 17 here of Ephesians chapter 4. He says, This I say therefore, and I testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk in the futility of their mind.

We talk about following the lead of the Holy Spirit. Often God inspires us through the words of this book which are inspired by His Spirit. He says, Walk a different way. He says, I testify in the Lord that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk in the futility of their mind and having their understanding darkened and being alienated from the life of God.

We're talking about eternal life here. Because of the ignorance that's in them, because of the blindness of their heart. Who being past feeling and almost having no conscience at all, have given themselves over to lewdness, to the work of all uncleanness with greediness. But you have not so learned Christ.

You've been taught something different by the lead of God's Holy Spirit. Verse 21. If indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus, that you put off concerning your former conduct. You know, we just kept the seven days of eleven bread. And we've been focusing on the fact over the years that leavening typifies sin, and we're to put it off for seven days. And seven days is a complete number. Seven days in a week, seven days in the recreation of the earth, it shows completeness.

We're to completely put off something. The old man, the sin that so easily besets us and snares us and traps us, that we put the leavening out. But we also put something in. It's not the days of no leavened bread. It's the days of unleavened bread. So we're supposed to eat unleavened bread, which typifies God's truth, His sincerity in truth and His righteousness. And so this is how God's Spirit begins to lead us here. It says, in verse 22, You put off concerning your former conduct. You don't live the way you used to live.

The old man, which grows corrupt, according to this deceitful lust, and you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and you put on something else. You put something off completely. You put something on completely. You put on, verse 24, the new man, which was created according to God. Wow! We begin to become like Jesus was in the image of the Father. We begin to become like God. We begin to become like our Father. We begin to become like our older brother. We put on the new man, which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness. So we see here that we begin to change. We follow the lead of God's Spirit.

Verse 25, God's Spirit is leading us now to put away lying. Let each of you speak truth. Whatever you say to your neighbor, it be the truth, because we're members of one another. We're all in this together. You could be angry, but don't sin. Don't let the sun go down on your wrath. God's Spirit is leading us that if you have a righteous anger, be careful because it can lead to sin.

And so He says, don't sin. Don't let the sun go down on your wrath. So God's Spirit is leading us to say, put it away. Don't let it linger. Because we could give verse 27 a place to our enemy, the devil. God's Spirit is leading us to verse 28. Let him who stole, don't steal anymore. One of the Ten Commandments. You shall not steal. If you stole before, don't steal any longer, but rather labor. Work with your hands with what is good, and that you may have something to give to someone else that has need.

This is a total turnaround here. That God's Spirit is leading us. God's Spirit leads us in verse 29. Let no corrupt communication or word proceed out of your mouth. Be careful with the words that you say.

Because they can cause great damage. Be very careful with the words that you speak, and I speak. Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth. But what is good when you do speak, something that edifies, something that encourages, something that helps other people. That's what God does. And that's what He wants His sons and daughters to do. Something necessary for edification that it may impart grace to those who hear your words. And notice verse 30, which I'm finally getting to, with this particular point. And don't grieve the Holy Spirit.

Which means it's possible to grieve it. There are other scriptures that say, don't quench it. It means it's possible if you quit following the lead of God's Holy Spirit, it will be grieved. If this is any parent that's trying to teach their child, follow this example that I'm setting. And after a while, they continue to go a different direction. It grieves the person who teaches. It grieves. And so it's possible to grieve the Holy Spirit. And so verse 30, don't grieve that Holy Spirit, which means we stop following its lead.

That's how we grieve it. By whom, talking about the Holy Spirit, by whom we were sealed for the day of redemption. It's through that Holy Spirit that God is going to raise us from the dead and give us everlasting life. He goes on, verse 31, let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and evil speaking be put away. Put that out, like leaven. Put it out. And verse number 32, put something else in. And be kind to one another. This is where God's Spirit is leading us. Be kind to one another and tender hearted and forgive one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.

And then he goes on. Talk about how God's Spirit leads us. Verse 5, be imitators of God. Wow! Be an imitator of God as His dear children. Walk in a different direction. Walk in love as Christ also loved us. He gave a new command that we love one another as He loved us. So we should walk in that love as Christ also loved us and gave Himself an offering and a sacrifice.

In verse 3, things to put off, God's Spirit says fornication, all uncleanness, covetous, let it be not named among you. Because that's not fitting for saints.

Verse 4, even filthiness or foolish talking or coarse jesting, they're not fitting. God's Spirit leads us to say, but rather give thanks. Because you know this, that no fornicator, no unclean person, no covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of God. Verse 8, you were once in darkness, but now you are in the light of the Lord. Walk in a different way. Walk as the children of light. For the fruit of the Spirit, it talks about it here, as goodness and righteousness and truth, and finding out what is acceptable to God. But don't have fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. For it's a shame even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret. But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light. For whatever makes manifest is light. And so, verse 15, he tells us to walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise and redeeming the time. Well, brethren, I'll wrap things up here. In a sense, I've said all this, in a sense, to say that God wants you and I to be responsive to the working of His Spirit, the leading of the Holy Spirit in our life. We should know that the Holy Spirit has been given to us. It's a gift from God. That it does lead us. That it does teach us. And we should be groping, in a sense, for the direction that it wants us to go. We should be actively following its lead. Then, like following the leader, we begin to become like our Father and like Jesus Christ. One last scripture here, 2 Corinthians 13, verse 14. There's a short statement here. 2 Corinthians 13, verse 14. Where Paul says something here. He's actually concluding his letter here. 2 Corinthians 13. And we'll read verse 14. We'll read verse 13 and 14. It says, All the saints greet you, the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Communion. I think that's an interesting word. You know, when you commune with someone, I think the image that I have is two people that are sitting close to each other, and they turn their heads to one another, and they're really interested in what the other person is saying. They're sharing something here, and they're sharing their heart with each other, talking earnestly about the things that are on their mind. This fellowship, as it can also be translated, this communion and fellowship that God grant, in a sense, in our lives, it says here, May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. So, brethren, let's strive to follow the lead of the Holy Spirit. It's a precious gift. We don't want to grieve it. We want to stir it up. We want it to actively follow the lead of the Holy Spirit in our lives, because it's taking us in a direction that we really want to go.