The Spirit Led Life
Lately the Lord has been really dealing with me on how important it is to be fully yielded to Him
John 14:12: "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.
We are to do the work Jesus did while he lived among us and GREATER WORKS. How do we do this? How do we know what the greater works are? We have to be led by the Spirit and that is what I will be teaching on for the next few days. Leading the Spirit led life.
Let’s consider the Lord Jesus life. He lived and walked as a man not as God. He lived and walked as a spirit led man so that we could see that it can be done and to follow in His footsteps.
2 Corinthians 8:9: For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.
Jesus gave up all His Godliness so that we could see how a Spirit led man lived, walked and served.
We will be looking at the Lord’s life as an example of how a Spirit led believer lives throughout the next few lessons.
Today, I want to start by just considering several important things.
Galatians 1:3-4: Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, 4. who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father,
Jesus gave himself for us, so that we could be delivered from this present evil age.
What is this present evil age? It is the world, the world’s ways, the world’s views, opinions and answers.
Believe me when I tell you, no matter how logical, believable or right the world’s answers are, they are ungodly and will lead you down the wrong path.
Proverbs 14:12: There is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death
The Living Bible says it this way:
Before every man there lies a wide and pleasant road that seems right but ends in death.
We cannot go our own way, it will always, always lead to problems, wrong decisions and being out of fellowship with God.
When you took the first step , and confessed with your mouth and believed in you heart that Jesus died for you and was raised from the dead, your spirit was reborn .
2 Corinthians 5: 17: Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
Old things , your old way of thinking , of doing , of being, of living have passed away, ALL THINGS have become new.
This is an instantaneous change, but our flesh wants to hold us back.
So it is up to us to develop our spirits to the point that we do nothing without being led by the spirit. We must develop a listening spirit, a willing spirit , and an obedient spirit to live this new life.
1 Corinthians 6: 19-20: Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 20. For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's.
The Holy Spirit dwells within us and will direct us if we will only listen. We must train ourselves to do this.
Romans 8:14-17: For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. 15. For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, "Abba, Father.'' 16. The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17. and if children, then heirs heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.
If we are led by the Spirit we are the sons of God and His spirit bears witness with out spirit that we are His children. We have been grafted into the vine, but we must nourish ourselves to stay there.
Why is it so important to be led by the Spirit?
- We have a purpose filled life. We are called for a purpose and we need to be led in how to accomplish what God has called us to, so that everything we do glorifies God and not man.
John 14:12: Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.
- We are to do the works of Christ and greater works . We cannot accomplish this in our on power. We must be led by the Holy Spirit.
Matthew 28:18-20: 18. Then Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.
- "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
- "teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.'' Amen.
- we are to spread the Gospel and make disciples (not converts) teaching them the things of Christ. In other words mentor new converts.
How do we accomplish this? Believe me if you try to do this on your own power, you will fail. Any thing man originated and not God originated will not succeed for very long.
John 6:38: For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.
Jesus’ entire ministry was spent doing the Father’s will, not His own.
John 6:63: "It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.
( we will build more on this in the next session.)
Jesus spent time alone , in God’s presence.
John 8:1: But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.
This passage is the story of the woman caught in adultery. Once again the leaders were trying to trip Jesus. But you see, He went to the Mount of Olives, He went to spend time with God and He knew how to answer, because He was led by the Spirit. He didn’t have to consult the disciples or get their opinion, or even how they would handle it.. No, He knew and answered.
This is how Jesus spent his life, time with God and we are going to discuss how to do this in the next lesson, how to hear and know that we are hearing God’s voice, how to develop your spirit.
Let me close with this:
Matthew 13:18-23: 18. "Therefore hear the parable of the sower:
- "When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is he who received seed by the wayside.
- "But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy;
- "yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles.
- "Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful.
- "But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.''
There are so many times in our lives that at some point we have been each of these types. But to be led by the Spirit we must be good ground, understand the Word and produce fruit.