God's Holy Spirit, Part 3

Our news has been filled with war lately. War and destruction, fighting among peoples, peoples not necessarily countries, but factions within countries, and factions within factions, new factions growing up and supplanting old factions. This concept of war that decimates, that destroys families, that shatters lives, kills innocent people, is considered by many people on this planet a necessity for human civilization to progress. Now, hopefully that flies against your thought and mine. But there is a book recently published called The Culture of War by Martin van Creveld. And in that book, it says that fighting itself can be a source of great, perhaps even the greatest joy that comes to humans. And it talks about the cultures of war and the things that come out of war, and the societies, and the symbols and things. It exonerates war in that sense. But you know, when a person says that perhaps the greatest joy comes out of decimation and hurting and killing others, that flies right in the face of one of the fruits of God's Holy Spirit, that shows that joy is a result of having an agape type of love, of really wanting to serve and help others, not kill others for the promotion of self. The author of The Culture of War believes that war is a necessity for the upward development of civilization. And while it may bring misery and suffering to billions, these are merely small prices to pay for the general good that results in the end. Therefore, nations must plan for and prepare for war. It is the crucible in which great societies are born. And what spirit dominates that type of thinking? I hope that's shocking to you. It shocks me. We in our Church of God culture would say, Oh, that is terrible! That's awful! Hurting other people! Well, that's just terrible. We should never have that kind of thought. I mean, that's human logic. That's human nature. That's an ungodly spirit. Okay, let's turn to James 4, verse 1. Now, here is a question to us in the Church. We drop down here. James says in chapter 4, verse 1, Where do wars and fights come from among you in the Church? We just established how awful war was, and it comes from a wrong spirit, and it's a terrible thing. And who would ever think of justifying war? And then we're presented with this question, Well, where do wars come from among you in the Church? And we're kind of stumped by that. And we might say, But wait a minute. Those are justifiable wars. Those are necessary wars. That type of war is necessary for a stronger upward-moving Church. To get things better, great Churches are built through war, through some sort of contest or whatever. It's important to settle scores. It's important to promote me, myself, the things that are right, the things that are done fair, not unfair. And so, therefore, war in the Church is actually a good thing. Now, you probably haven't come to that, but don't we as humans justify that? Well, somebody said that about me, or I'm being held back, or this is an opportunity that's not coming to me, or whatever, whatever. Pretty soon we've got our own book called The Culture of War in the Church by John R. Eliot, or whatever your name is. And we can justify acts that we would consider to be heinous if somebody actually picked up a weapon, but we have the weapons of warfare, the Bible says.

The Holy Spirit is from a different kingdom, a different government, a different nation that truly is growing and being edified and being raised up. And the Holy Spirit, the mind of God, is about love through humility. It's serving through humbling oneself and actually elevating and contributing to the welfare of the whole, of the family, and congealing it, stitching itself together by what every part does through this agape love. It's about sacrificing and serving, and the joy and the real peace that comes to all through it. So I have a question. We've talked about two spirits here already. Here's a question for me, a question for you. What spirit or which spirit do you allow yourself to be led by? Now we all would say, oh, God's spirit, of course. But is that true? Have we tested? Have we really determined? Are we really in tune with only one spirit? I think as a church member, I tend to think, I'm all over here. I'm only with God. I'm only with Scripture. I'm only with truth. I'm only with agape, the mindset of God, the Holy Spirit. So anything that affects me is coming from God. And I like to think that way. And I'm pretty confident about that until I pick up Paul's writings and say, oh, there's two spirits at work here. There's the carnal fleshly human nature, which I tend to follow and be led by. And then there's the one that I should be led by, which I don't allow myself to be led by. So in this sermon series, I've been led by God's spirit to look at three aspects of the Holy Spirit that are a little bit humbling. The first is the reality of the Spirit world versus this importance of the physical flesh materialism that you and I tend to put our treasure into. The second was the fact that anything that God touches, anything that his Spirit impacts, anything that God is involved with, is trending towards oneness, a harmony, not just a piece, but a harmony that stitches everything together. So anything other than that is of someone else. And this third and final one, today we want to look at Holy Spirit Part 3. What does it mean to be led by the Holy Spirit? Led by the Holy Spirit. It's one thing to have it, one thing to know it, it's one thing to be inspired by it, illuminated by it, made wiser by it, but to actually use it and be led by it, to move from where I am to where God wants me to be, is something else.

Are you allowing yourself to be led by God's Spirit or by the Spirit that comes from a human type of logic that would seem logically best, that would seem that our nature is more in tune with the one that can be justified as fair concerning me? Or are you being led by a Spirit that the Bible says transcends all understanding? That's the challenging one. The one that transcends all human understanding is the one that we're to be led by. So it's not always going to feel just like the right fit. It's not going to feel like the right thing to do. It's not going to feel like the one that's going to solve all my problems because it transcends my type of human understanding. In this sermon, we're going to analyze the application of Romans chapter 8 verse 14, which in part says, "...for as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God." How many times we've read over that? We say, oh yeah, that's us. True Church of God, we're led by the Holy Spirit. And we see the evidence everywhere. We see the truth. We see the commandments, the holy days. We see the direction God wants. We feel special. The only thing is, is, are we led by that Spirit? Once again, this series is not to beat you up. It's to beat me up. This series is to keep me on my toes. This is what God inspires me as I pray to be thinking about and focused on. While the time is at hand, while God is listening to our prayers, where we really do have the peaceful existence to be focused on spiritual growth and not running from enemies and running from persecution and have our minds so complicated by the craziness of an end time that's falling apart during the tribulation, this is our time to be growing into the children of God. And those who go to a place of safety, we read, have proven themselves. They've shown. They've already passed tests. They've already demonstrated to God the character that he is looking for. So let's look at what it means to be led by God's Holy Spirit. Summarized, and these are my words and they hopefully are imperfect because I am imperfect, but if you look at being led by God's Holy Spirit, what that encapsulates, as far as what I can wrap my mind around, is God directing your conversion. God directing your conversion, as opposed to a Laodicean mind where a person is getting their conversion or their ideas or concepts from a different source somewhere else and not having that genuine 24 karat gold with the impurities all refined out of it that God has brought a person and converted them into a pure state that they've bought that from Jesus Christ. They've been getting it somewhere else. We kind of buy from here and buy from there and we end up thinking that we're in good shape. But it turns out five of the virgins were foolish. They hadn't really been converted. So being led by God's Holy Spirit is allowing Him to take us through that process of conversion, and we actually are doing it. We are following Him there. A good example of this is found in Deuteronomy chapter 8 and verse 15. It concerns some other children of God. They aren't called very often the children of God. They are in some cases, but normally they're called the children of Israel. Deuteronomy chapter 8 verses 15 and 16 says, this God who led you through that great and terrible wilderness, that's kind of like you and me, really. We're in a great and terrible wilderness today. God's Spirit doesn't exist out there. This isn't God's world. It's a present evil age. It's filled with Satan and his demons and children, sons of the devil, as it were. People pursuing that kind of thing where they think hurting billions of people is a good thing.

Who led you? Are we being led? God is trying to lead us through this. The question is, am I being led by God through that great and terrible wilderness? Or do I like to sort of make stops along the way? Well, let's go over and see Sin City and have a little sin. Take a break. Then we come back on the trail again. Oh, what about over here? Let's go over here and do some worldly stuff. See, are we being led through the wilderness? Or are we wanting to continue in the wilderness? Notice, in which were fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty land where there was no water. We could use that as a parallel with all the pain and suffering that sin commits in a world without God's Holy Spirit. But God wants to lead us with His Holy Spirit somewhere else. Going on. Who brought water for you out of the flinty rock? See, the world has no water, and yet by a living miracle, Holy Spirit has come to a few. And to us, it's very available. It's very refreshing. It's very vitalizing. It is full of life and full of nutrients. It's just wonderful if we will drink it. If we thirst for righteousness. Who fed you in the wilderness with manna? Out in that desert wilderness, there's no food. And here's all the food you can eat. Just go pick it up and eat and eat and eat. It's just food. It's the bread of life, which your fathers did not know. He led you and fed you that He might humble you. Notice this humility, that He might humble you and that He might test you to do good in the end. So this way is not a way of necessarily just easy. Everything's beautiful. My health is just perfect. My finances are fine. My car never runs out of gas. I never do a brake job. Everything's never have a cavity. I'm in the church. No? We're going to be tested. We're going to be humbled. We're going to do good. Do, do good. We're being led to be doers of good in the eyes of God. So God is trying to direct your path through this present evil age to a promised land. They were headed for what was the land of Canaan. We are headed for a spiritual promised land, a heavenly country. In Exodus chapter 15 and verse 13, we see a little bit more about God wanting to lead His people. The Exodus and the whole experience of Israel is given to you and me kind of like a stage drama so that we can see in physical terms how this plan for you and me is to work out in our heads in the spiritual realm. Exodus 15 verse 13 said, You, God, in your mercy have led forth the people whom you have redeemed. You have guided them in your strength to your holy habitation. Now this hadn't happened yet. For you and me, they hadn't reached the promised land, but they did reach a point where they would meet God at the temple. And they had reached the point where He was with them in the pillar of cloud and fire. For you and me, we have a journey to take as well before we get to our heavenly country, before we get to the resurrection at the return of Jesus Christ. But God is trying to guide us in strength to His holy habitation. Am I being led there? That's the question. It's a process. It involves, in another series we went through, it involves our calling, our acceptance, part of the responsibilities that God has, part of the responsibilities that we have. But then when all that's established and settled, we have to get up and go.

In Nehemiah chapter 9, we see this once again shown by a physical example. Nehemiah chapter 9, verses 11 through 15. Nehemiah chapter 9 and verse 11.

This is one of the greatest events that took place in human history. And it's mentioned so many times in the Bible. It's been such an inspiration to the people of God. I was trying to describe this to my, well, I was describing this to my grandsons this week. But in Nehemiah 9, verse 11, it says, and you divided the sea before them. You ever walk down to an ocean? You walk out on the beach and maybe you're going to step your foot in, or maybe you're going to swim a little bit. But when you look at the ocean, it's a big, wide ocean. It just goes on and on and over the horizon. Imagine standing there and having the whole thing all the way over the horizon just rip apart and stand up, I mean deep. And now you see the canyons. Would you go walking down in there? Is that a place you'd feel real comfortable with in the windhouse through there all night? And that's another world down there. And it's just really big and spectacular and awesome. You divided the sea before them so that they went through the midst of the sea on the dry land. You and I have insurmountable obstacles in front of us. We cannot see where we need to go. We can't even understand God's plan of salvation, let alone know what we're supposed to be doing. And yet we have this opening. The minds become open and we can see what others cannot see. And we can march. We can walk. And so they went through the midst of the sea on dry land. Moreover, you led them by day with a cloudy pillar and by night with a pillar of fire to give them light on the road which they should travel. No one else can see that road. They can see the example of you walking that road and they think, oh hey, you're a good person. But do they want to hire you? Well, you don't really fit the schedule. Do they want to hang out with you? You don't really fit my type of fun. But you're really a nice person. You're really, really great people, nice neighbors.

You came down also on Mount Sinai and you spoke with them from heaven and you gave them just ordinances and true laws, good statutes and commandments. You made known to them your holy Sabbath and commanded them precepts, statutes and laws by the hand of Moses, your servant. You gave them bread from heaven for their hunger and you brought them water out of the rock for their thirst and you told them to go in and possess the land which you had sworn to give them. You know, that's God's part of your calling. God did all of that. And He's done all of that for you and me. We're really well set up.

But now let's go to Proverbs chapter 4 verses 10 through 15. Let's be reminded of our part, our responsibility in this journey to our salvation. Proverbs chapter 4 and verse 10. While God's part is always very inspiring and is so encouraging, so encouraging even that the people probably rushed on down into the ocean between those great walls of water, they trusted God. So you and I should say, yes, my opportunity is open here. Let's go! Our responsibility in the process is to be led by God and to avoid being led by Satan. You know, we don't always put that in the same verse of those who are led by the Spirit of God. These are the sons of God. We could maybe also write those who are led by the Spirit of Satan have become captives of an adversary who wants to kill them. So be careful who you're led by, something like that. Though we don't add to the Bible or take away from it, that is also a possibility. Proverbs 4 verse 10 deals with that very thing. Here my son receives my saying, and the years of your life will be many. I have taught you the way of wisdom. I have led you in right paths. When you walk, your steps will be not hindered, and when you run, you will not stumble. We say, oh, that's great. Yep, that's me. That's church. That's church guy, church gal. You know, we're good. Close the book. Let's go home. There's more to this. We're going to be led by God's Spirit, but take firm hold of instruction and do not let go. Keep her, for she is your life. Do not enter the path of the wicked.

Do not walk in the way of evil. Avoid it. Do not travel on it. Turn away from it and pass on.

Don't be led by Satan's Spirit and by the spirit of this age. Do you think that's unlikely to happen to you? I don't worry about that. I'm just, I'm in the church. I mean, you know, come on. This is just like foreign stuff to me. Well, let's remember something. It's easy to be led by another spirit. That spirit is enticing. It matches our carnal mind very well. It's a slippery slope. In fact, one of the first things that happened to Jesus Christ was to be tempted by that spirit to go that way.

That's one thing he had to face immediately and, in a sense, get out of the way. That's what you and I face daily. In Luke 4 and verse 1, it says, then Jesus being filled with the Holy Spirit, he had to decide who was going to lead him. He returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, being tempted for 40 days by the devil.

That's not something odd. That's not something to put out of our mind and think, oh, I don't want to think about being led astray or led by a different spirit. No, that's an absolute reality in our daily life. That's something that right up front Jesus Christ went up against.

He might say, well, but I'm strong in the Lord. Nothing's going to tempt me. Well, it's interesting that Jesus Christ put in the model prayer outline the following words. I'm going to read this from the New Living Translation, Matthew 6, 13. Don't let us yield to temptation. If that weren't there in a daily prayer, maybe we wouldn't have to fight it.

But the fact that it's there tells us something, and it says a little more, but rescue us from the evil one. And I've asked this before, why does Jesus in his model prayer outline tell us to ask to be rescued every day from the devil? If we're not treading, if we're not being led in that direction, why are we being asked to be rescued from there? There are two spirits. One is called the Holy Spirit.

The other is an unholy spirit. It's not of God. It's a spirit of this age. It's a spirit that originates from a different mindset. In 1 John 4, verses 1-3, we begin to find that actually we have a responsibility to choose and decide and be careful about which spirit we allow ourselves to be led by. Is it not done for us? It is done by us. It's not done automatically on some kind of autopilot, because we're in the church. It's done through a decision-making process called judging.

Okay? So let's look at 1 John 4, verse 1. Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God. I'll just concentrate on that for a minute. You're going through your day. Something comes to mind. You say, yeah, now that fits. God wants that. Obviously, God's Holy Spirit. Don't believe every spirit. Put on the brakes, right there. What do you mean? How sure am I that's God's Holy Spirit? That sure feels good, doesn't it? Sure feels like a fit. I think I was prompted there by God's Holy Spirit.

Why? Well, probably because it felt good for me. It advanced me. It rescued me. It put me in the driver's seat. It made me feel good. Okay? Caution flag goes up. This is feeling too good. It's kind of like when you were a kid, you know, and you were dreaming you were going to the bathroom. But you said, am I asleep? No, no, no, you're awake. You're really in the bathroom. You're going potty. This doesn't feel right. It sure feels warm, doesn't it?

So keep going. It's one of those things. Sometimes these things can feel real good, but don't believe every spirit. Test the spirit. Oh, all right. Now he goes on. He says, you know, test the spirits, whether they're of God, because or remember or I'm telling you this, because even many false teachers in the church have gone out into the world. And by inference, you might be going out also. You think, oh, no, not me. Well, starting to a head count. How many members were there when you first came into the church and how many are here now?

Okay, that's just a rough calculation. Or if you want to do a New Testament head count, how many were baptized on the first day? How many were still even in the faith when the time by the time you get to the end of the New Testament? And so now you're even getting to the ministry. Many ministers have gone out into the world, it says. And you might also is the implication here.

So there's some examination. I'd like to give you two points here for they're not the only points by any means, but two that should just pop right up and we can say, let's examine the spirits using two main elements. First of all, of an ungodly spirit.

You need to develop the skill of instantly discerning whether a spirit is of God or it's an ungodly spirit. Now this is this is a not a talent. It's not some sort of a feeling. It's not this is just as test. And the more you test, the more you can tell. People who test diamonds, for instance, they get to where they they just know diamonds. People who test gold, they can just tell there's some phony stuff out there weighted with lead in the middle. But after a while, the testers kind of know all the tricks. There are many things out there that you can spend your time and get used to. And one of them is testing spirits. Element number one of an ungodly spirit is it will be self directing and self promoting. Because that's what Satan is. He's a self director. I will do it my way. And he's a self promoter. I will be enhanced. That is a dead giveaway. Now it can come cloaked in all kind of Jesus language with special music and feelings and emotion bursting out and tears that you want to shed. But at some point, you're going to say, Hey, this is sure self directing. This is not what the Bible is telling me. This is a self directing, feel good, self advancing. I end up somehow higher, more elevated, more special in the end.

Let's go on in the same passage. John's going to give us a little bit of help here. By this, you know the Spirit of God. Oh, every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ, it should say continues to come in the flesh is of God. And every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ continues to come in the flesh is not of God. What that's saying is the antithesis of self direction. Jesus Christ will continue to come through the Holy Spirit to lead you, just like he led the Israelites who said, Oh, no, we don't want to go around that way. We want to go this other way. They wanted to be self directing. Oh, no, we don't want to go that way. We want to go back to Egypt. Oh, no, we don't want this. We want that. Jesus said that he would never leave us or forsake us. And he said the Holy Spirit will come the helper. And he said, I will not leave you orphans. My father and I will come into you and we will live in you. But will they lead you? Will they lead me? Or will we be self directed? And this is the spirit of Antichrist. Here's the other one resisting to be led by God's Holy Spirit, which you have heard was coming and now is already in the world. All self direction, all self promotion. God doesn't know. I know best. And I will end up with the biggest pile of whatever it is I think I need. You know, being being led by the Holy Spirit is the key to being the sons and daughters of God. It's not self directed. It's being led by God versus being led by self or self promotion. There's some clear examples of contrasting spirits within church leaders the Bible gives us. James 3 13 through 17. This is directed at church leaders. James 3 13 says, Who is wise and understanding among you? He's not talking about church members. He's talking, he's using the Greek word sophos, which was the technical term that the Jews used for rabbi, for teacher and for scribe. So who are the rabbis, the teachers and the scribes among you?

Let him show by good conduct. Not by what he does, not by what he says, not by impressive words. But notice here, by good conduct. Good conduct comes from the word anastrophe, which is a Greek word, which means manner of life and behavior. In other words, a leader should show that he is led by God's Holy Spirit. That's what this is saying. A leader in the church should show by his life, by his conduct, that his behavior and his works are done in the meekness of wisdom. And verse 7 shows that meekness or that wisdom is the wisdom from above. This individual is being led by God through his Holy Spirit. Not self-promoting, self-directing, spewing out a whole bunch of words that sound really good. And everybody's like, oh, that made me cry. It's wonderful. Let's go home and advance ourselves and feel better. Don't do what God says. No. This teacher would even do more. This teacher would have his works done in meekness. The Greek word here is praetes or preyotes. Expositor's dictionary says it's an active attitude of deliberate acceptance of the wisdom from above. You and I and our leaders and the whole family and Jesus Christ himself need to be deliberately accepting the direction of God the Father in our lives.

Deliberate acceptance.

But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, don't boast and lie against the truth. This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthy, earthly, sensual, demonic. For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there. Different spirit feels really good, though. Self-seeking, envy, jealousy. He's getting in. That's not fair. That other person got more than that. That's not fair. Wait a minute. I got more than you? That feels good.

Every evil thing are there. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure. Strong's concordance says that word means pure from carnality. It doesn't have the self in it. Then peaceable. Peaceable comes from that root of peace, Irene. This word is Irene Coast. It means it brings peace with it. So the wisdom that is from above is without carnality. It brings peace along with it, this harmony along with it. A related form of this word is Irene Opio, which expositors and strong shows develops harmony, establishes harmony. It is gentle. The Greek word means equitable and fair. It doesn't just mean gentle. It means equitable and fair. It's looking out for other people. It's willing to yield. It's full of mercy. The Greek word for mercy means active compassion, having a desire to help others. And good fruits. Fruits of the Holy Spirit. God's Spirit. Without partiality and without hypocrisy, it means unfeigned, undisguised. It's the real deal. It's not some sort of a fake. God's teachers are to be led by His Spirit. False ones are led by something else. So we should be able to look and right away see that aspect of a false spirit immediately. It's a little self-promoting. It's a little self-directing. It's not really helping others. It's not an individual equally trying to assist and encourage and develop. Let's see this in clear practice in 3 John, verse 9-13. 3 John, verse 9-13.

The Apostle John says, I wrote to the church. This is laid in the New Testament. I wrote to the church, but Diatrophies, who loves to have the preeminence among them, does not receive us. Let's just think here. Diatrophies is probably a cool guy. He had a really neat hairstyle. He probably wore shades, latest clothes, and some kind of a sports vehicle. He's the guy who was really cool. We'd say, I like Diatrophies. I want to be like him. I want to have what he has. He loves to have the preeminence. He does not receive us. So we see Diatrophies, though, as cool as he is, he is self-exalting, isn't he? And he doesn't receive us. He's not one that's bringing oneness or unity. No peace there. John says, Therefore, if I come, I will call to mind his words. What he says? No. His deeds, which he does. Remember, we were taught here to look at the deeds. A leader would be judged by his life. What he does is pratting against us with malicious words. Notice John isn't saying it's about me and him, me and him. No, it's about him versus us with malicious words. And not content with that, he himself does not receive the brethren and forbids those who wish to putting them out, putting them out of the church. Beloved, do not imitate what is evil, but imitate what is good. He who does good is of God, but he who does evil has not seen God. In contrast, Demetrius has a good testimony from all, and from the truth itself. And we also bear witness, and you know that our testimony is true. So what supports us in our and promotes everybody is of God, if it's done according to God's word and led by God's Holy Spirit. But what supports one, or me, or a clique, see, but really divides and separates others, that's the first element that we want to watch out for. Element two is lawlessness. An element of Satan's spirit, the wrong spirit, is lawlessness. And this one also feels very good. Oh, it's okay if you eat a little bit of unclean food, you know, as long as it tastes really good. Under certain circumstances, I've heard people rationalize this. You know, what's right is right and wrong is wrong. But when somebody says, well, you know, if you only have to work a few minutes into the Sabbath to keep your job and pay tithes to God to support the work, alarm bells should go off. You see, lawlessness are watering down God's commandments. That's of a different spirit. That's of the spirit that says, oh, did God tell you not to eat any of the tree of the non- but if you have just a little bite of that, it's going to help you. It's going to help you think more like God. It's going to be kind of like God's yourself. You'll know good and you'll actually be a better child of God if you have a little of that other tree. Well, that sounds logical. Yeah. More godly by disobeying God. But these tricks can come to our minds. And believe me, they can be packaged in such a way that we begin to water down God's commandments. In 1 Timothy 4, verses 1 and 2, that's actually a prophecy about our age. Now, the Spirit expressly says that in the latter times, some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits. We've got to test the spirits.

Giving heed to deceiving spirits. And doctrines of demons speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron. In other words, that which I used to think was wrong, I can sear that conscience which tells me that it's wrong, and I don't have to hear that anymore. Now I can convince myself that it's okay.

We don't want to do that. There's an easy test to see how much you are being led by which of these two spirits. You can develop a sense of picking out which spirit is good or bad with the two criteria I just gave you as a starter. Self-promotion and self-direction, and also a little bit of lawlessness thrown in. That's the slippery slope that Satan uses wrapped in religion and emotion and fairness and everything else.

You can perform a test on yourself to see how led you are by God's spirit versus another spirit. That's simply to read Galatians 5, 19-23. Break it down, analyze it, and say, what are my fruits? In other words, what is my life pattern here? Am I doing a little more of verses 19, 20, or a little less or a little more of 22 and 23? The fruits of the flesh, the fruits of God's Holy Spirit. Not just the deed. The deeds are a little glaring, a little shocking, but as Christ broke those down in Matthew 5 and 6, we see that each one contains many components, many layers, many small fragments that you and I and the Apostle Paul can admit that we are tempted by and sometimes actually slip into. Jesus gives us a criterion for grading that test. When you look at Galatians 5, fruits of the flesh we might call it, and then the fruits of the spirit, you can give yourself a grade at the end. And here's how the grading system works. I can give myself a grade. He says, you will know them by their fruits, not by their words, not by some heroic deed, not by a fake false facade that looks good on the outside. But he says, do men gather grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistles? Verse 17, Matthew 7, even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. So we can't look at that list of the fruits of the flesh and the spirit and say, oh, I got some here and some here and some here and some here and some here and actually grade yourself or myself. We're either being led by the Spirit of God and the fruits are showing it or we're kidding ourselves. And that Spirit is not being followed. I like to think of it as sitting on a chair watching the Israelites march through the Dead Sea, the Red Sea. Here they come. This is exciting. The walls and they're passing by. It's fun to watch people, animals go by. It's very entertaining as we sit there in our chair. If that's all we do, we march a little ways and sit down on the chair and watch the parade go by. You know what's going to happen eventually? They're going to pass on by and those waters are going to come in on us. We're not going to be there in the Promised Land. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit. That's what Jesus said. It's not possible. Nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire, therefore by their fruits. You will know them. So we can know our own tree type by the fruits. We can know others tree type by the fruits. Now that we're supposed to go around and do some sort of a spiritual check. But when somebody is offering or encouraging or enticing you or something comes to mind, we need to look at the fruits of that. I don't care how wonderful civilization puts forward, say, warfare as an art and a necessary art. And, oh, come and look at the sophisticated warfare our country has, the elements and the ordinance. Oh, and come be inspired by it.

You know, the end result of that is pain and suffering and it comes from a different God. Okay, we have seen what the Spirit should lead us to do. We should be doers of good.

If we look at a summary of being led by God's Spirit as we transition, as we convert into the divine children of God, we should see growth in doing what God calls as good. Ephesians 2.10 says, for we are His workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works, not for good thoughts or knowledge or knowing the truth, but to do good works, which God has ordained that we should walk in them. So we are to be led by God's Holy Spirit to perform the works that the family of God would do. I'd like to clear up a misconception. Your salvation is not on some cruise control because you've been baptized or because you're in the true church. We're not sort of all in a cruise ship, you know, heading with the pilot off to some destination and all we have to do is show up at dinner and eat. You know, we actually are more of a land group and there are many different roads that we each have to walk and be responsible for. And yes, we are united in our faith, but we have responsibility that no one else can do for us. It's not a faith that Jesus does for you. Philippians 2, 12 says this, For it is God who works in you, both to will and to do for his good pleasure. God puts the will in you and he wants you to do it, and that pleases him.

We must be attentive to the Holy Spirit. And this is a big key when it comes to being led by God's Holy Spirit. We've got to start listening and following. God's Holy Spirit is always there trying to tell you many times a day what the right choice is. And the carnal mind is right there to excuse ourselves and defend why doing it the carnal way would be okay. And if we don't ever really get led by God's Holy Spirit and put our foot down and say, look, I'm going to make the right choice here, then how can we say we're being led by the Spirit of God? We have to be attentive to the Holy Spirit. Once we have tested it to see if it is holy, indeed, we have to decide to abandon our current alternate idea and actually to do good. In 1 Timothy 6, verse 18, Paul instructs Timothy the evangelist, the pastor. He says, let them do good, that they be rich in good works, that they may lay hold on eternal life. Now, a lot of people might not like that scripture. They would rather go back to the Gracie autopilot that says, hey, once I got baptized, I'm sort of just, everything's good, it's done for me. All I got to do is hang in there. But that's not what the Bible says. That's not what Paul says here. He says here to Timothy, stirring him up a little bit, that your church members need to be doing good, that they may be rich in good works. Why? Ready to give, willing to share, storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life. Wow! We have to be led by God's Holy Spirit to make all those choices and to actually perform. God's Spirit leads us to perform agape, not just believe or appreciate it, to perform it. It's called good works. We know, and Paul said in the Romans, don't be hearers only, but believers. He said the hearers are not justified. They're not just in the sight of God, but the doers will be justified. If we want to be justified in the eyes of God, we've got to do it. We have to be led to do it. As we begin to wrap this up, let me ask a question. What does a person who is led by God's Holy Spirit look like? Before you start looking around at others, pop a mirror up. Let's have a little mirror. Look here. What should this person look like in your case and in my personal case, personally? Now we see ourselves. I'm a member of the church. I'm keeping the Sabbath. I'm keeping the Holy Days. What is a person led by the Holy Spirit look like? Let's go to Hebrews 10, verses 19-25, and take a look at ourselves.

Hebrews 10, verses 19-25. This is actually very encouraging.

I think we're on the road. We're on the trail with God. We need to be led a little more. We need to be ready to be led. We need to make the decision. Look, this thought just came into my mind when this opportunity came up that I should do it this way. I'm going to listen to it this time. I'm going to turn off this computer and go pray because I haven't prayed yet. I'm going to put this book down because I haven't read God's Word yet. I'm going to go read some of it first. I'm not going to say what I'd like to say right now because it's best that I don't, though I'm craving to say that. These little things come to your mind and mine a lot. I should pick up the phone and call somebody instead of going shopping. I should visit somebody instead of doing my project. These little things flash in our mind, but we're real quick to say, oh, yeah, but they're probably not home. I'll read that later. We don't get led by God's Spirit. When do we say, I'm going to make a decision? First of all, whatever comes in those situations, and I test and I know it's of God, and he's putting that right there for me to do it, I'm going to start doing it. I'm going to actually start closing my little book, novel, whatever it is. I'm going to open this book, and I'm going to have a little read first. Then I'll go back to what I want to do. I'm going to go call a widow. I'm going to make a visit. I'm going to do this. I'm going to do that instead of what I want to do personally, or before, or with, or something, whatever God prompts us to do. Let's look at ourselves as those who are being led and responding to these prompts that God gives us. Hebrews 10, verse 19 says this, Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way, which he consecrated for us. This is a way. We're on a path. We're going to be led here through the veil, that is, his flesh, having a high priest over the house of God. All right. So let us draw near now with a true heart in full assurance of faith and of trust, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. We are ready to leave. We're ready to march here. We're ready to move along and be led by God. Let us hold fast the profession, I would say, of our hope without wavering. For he who promised is faithful. All right. So we are dedicated. We're trusting. And we're going to move with our faithful leader and let us consider one another in order to stir up agape and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together. See how that works? It comes right in with our walk with God, with our strong faith, with our doing good works, and assembling together. We are one as a family, as an organism. No self-promotion, no self-direction, but exhorting one another and so much so as you see the day approaching. You know, it's interesting that a member led by the Holy Spirit in this phrase is diligent to do good works on the Sabbath. It's a diligent person. It's not one who is, uh, days about me, my rest, my sleep, my sluggishness. I don't know if I want to be around anybody else. I think I just stay home, watch it on the boob tube. You know, no, this is somebody who would not forsake the assembling would consider one another and be there to stir up love and good works, who would come boldly before the throne of God, who comes to fellowship and worship with God the Father and Jesus Christ on the Sabbath, and exhorting one another, encouraging one another.

So we look at God's Holy Spirit. Let's conclude by reading a passage that puts this topic into sort of a strong context with your Christian life and mind. It brings it all home. It's found in Romans chapter 8. The Apostle Paul wasn't just a preacher and a teacher and a great man and a great writer. The Apostle Paul was one of the best brothers you'll ever have. He was there for you. Paul wouldn't let anything hurt you or get in your way or anybody hurt you. Paul wouldn't let you get even hijacked by your own personal deceptions or your own personal self-promotion. Paul wouldn't let himself stop serving even if somebody else wanted to stop him from serving. Paul was the most loyal, trustable friend that you and I in the flesh, besides Jesus Christ, could imagine. Paul's going to tell us something here in Romans 8. Romans 8 and verse 1. He says, Look, there's now no condemnation. There's no lake of fire. You're slated to destruction for those who are in Christ Jesus. Now, you and I have to ask ourselves, are we really in this? Are we moving along? Are we following the pillar of cloud and fire? Are we being led by Jesus Christ and led by the Holy Spirit? If so, there's no condemnation who are in Christ Jesus who walk not after the flesh, but walk after or are led by the Spirit. If you're being led by the Spirit and you're really trying and each of those things that God puts in your mind as he looks out through your eyes, he says, This is what I want you to do here. Oh, I want you to do this now. And if you're being led by God's Holy Spirit to do those things in humility, setting yourself aside, putting others in the forefront of your mind, then there's no condemnation. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the penalty of the law of sin. Remember how Paul talks about this? He sometimes just pops out the word. He's made him free from the penalty of the law of sin. That's why he has no condemnation.

Even death. If you look at the Greek here, it means he's made me free. He's talking about the penalty of the law of sin. Even death, Paul says. For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh on the account of sin. He condemned sin in the flesh that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh, but walk according to the Spirit. We're led by that Spirit. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. The word live in the Greek means to be alive for, to be really active in. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God, it's not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then those who are in, the Greek preposition there, en, means about or those given wholly to, totally to. So then those who are about the flesh or those who are given wholly to the flesh cannot please God. But you are not about or given wholly to the flesh, but you are about or given wholly to the Spirit if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. That's what you and I need to be. Given wholly, given totally, given to, about. We're about the things of God's Spirit, led by His Spirit. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he's not His. That's why those who are led by the Spirit are the sons of God.

And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit of life, the Spirit is life because of righteousness, the righteousness that we do through the prompting of the Spirit by God. But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus Christ from the dead, God the Father, dwells in you, God the Father who raised Jesus Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit, which dwells in you. Verse 12. Therefore, knowing these things, we are debtors not to be of the flesh, but to live according to. Again, the Greek words here would say, to be quick or lively about the flesh. We are not to be quick or lively about the flesh. For if you are lively about the flesh, you will die. But if you are lively about the Spirit and you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God. See how that fits in its context? For you did not receive the Spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship by which we cry out, Abba Father. The Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God. And if children then heirs, heirs of God and joined heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together. Paul continues on in this chapter talking about the sufferings, because he himself suffered so greatly to be humbled and serve other people. Just as Jesus Christ gave and humbled himself and suffered to serve. And so we should be able to humble ourselves and suffer and serve one another. This is what it's about. God wants us to be wholly given to things of His Spirit and nothing to do with the things of the wrong spirit. So analyze your role in the body of Christ. Ask yourself a question like I do. Are you following God's lead to love more? To be humbled more? To serve more? To promote all of the family of God? Do you need to be led to love more? To promote others? To help others? To love others? Remember Jesus' statement, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him? We have the ability to ask God for the Holy Spirit, more the Holy Spirit. The Bible talks about stirring up, Paul to Timothy, I believe, stir up that which you receive through the laying on of my hands. We need to stir up and become more active in order to be led by God's Holy Spirit. So resolve in your life, as I am in mine, to be led by God's Holy Spirit to perform humbly the agape love that flows through His family.