This morning we continue our series entitled, “Power of Fellowship.” We are learning to walk with God and truly fellowship with Him. In our last message I talked about being led of the Holy Spirit. This message will flow in the same vein. We will look at three scripture passages today.
(John 1:11, 12 NKJV)
He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name.
In John 1 the Apostle talks about Jesus and how Jesus came to His own people, but for the most part, they failed to receive Him. The few that did receive Him, those who believed in His name, were given the right to become children of God. The Greek word for “children” here is: teknon.
(Romans 8:13,14 NKJV)
For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit 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 sons of God.
In Romans 8 the Apostle Paul contrasts living in accordance with the flesh (or living as a mere human) with living led of the Holy Spirit (which is how Jesus lived). He explained that living in accordance with the flesh leads to death. But if you put the works of your flesh to death and you allow the Holy Spirit to guide you, this leads to life. Paul calls those who are led of the Holy Spirit “sons”. The Greek word for used for “sons” here is: huios. I contrasted the different Greek words for a reason. I will explain those later in the message.
Lastly, let’s look at what Paul said in his letter to the believer in Galatia.
(Gal 5:16-18 NKJV)
I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
In this letter Paul went to great lengths to describe the works of the flesh (sin) and the fruit of the Holy Spirit. He once again contrasts the works of the flesh with the works of the Spirit and boldly declares that if we walk in Spirit, being led of the Holy Spirit in all things, we will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh. In other words, if you are led of the Holy Spirit, you will be empowered to resist and refrain from sin.
So what does this mean to you today? A few things.
1. The word translated “children” in John 1:12 is a word that gives us the picture of a young child. When you are Born-Again you are a child of God, but you are a baby-Christian. The Word translated “sons” in Romans 8:14 is a word that still gives the connotation of the father-son relationship, but this time it is more of a pupil or apprentice. When are first Born-Again you have a relationship with God, and you are His child, but you don’t know how to live like who you are. You have the Holy Spirit living inside of you, but you don’t know how to hear His voice. Once you start to learn His voice and you allow yourself to actually be LED of the Holy Spirit, you can live your life the way Jesus lived His. You can graduate from being a little baby to a full-grown son who performs His Father’s will on this planet.
2. Every Born-Again believer is a child of God (John 1), but you graduate from the child stage to the son stage (Romans 8 and Galatians 5) when you learn to be led of the Spirit of God.
3. The point of making time to spend time with God is so that you can hear His voice and perform His will. The more you develop your relationship with God, the better equipped you will be to allow the Holy Spirit to lead, guide and direct you everyday of your life.
4. As you develop your relationship with the Father, directly, by His Spirit, you will learn to respond to the divine impulses God initiates in your heart. It is through these impulses that the Holy Spirit guides you down the path to your destiny.
5. Once you are Born-Again God’s Spirit is living inside of you. But you don’t know how to hear of His voice or tap into His power. So you can either continue to live the way you have been living, which will make you a carnal Christian. Or you can make the effort to develop your relationship with God through His Spirit, so you can allow Him to lead you as you walk through life. This is the only way you will become the man/woman you are called to be. This is the only way you will leave the mark in this world you were born to leave. This is how Jesus lived. The question for you now is: will you continue to walk in the flesh or will you put forth the effort to learn to be LED of the Holy Spirit?
Declaration of Faith:
Father, I made Jesus my Lord. I am Born-Again. Your Spirit lives IN me. You are a Spirit and the Holy Spirit is my direct connection to You. Through Holy Spirit I am able to hear Your voice and know Your will. Through Holy Spirit I discover myself, I receive the revelation of my purpose, and I tap into the grace to perform it in the earth before I die. Through Holy Spirit I am led to abstain from sin and even the very appearance of evil. I develop my relationship with You in fellowship and I am led of Your Spirit every day, in every way. This is my declaration and I declare it by faith. In Jesus’ name, Amen!
This is Today’s Word. Apply it and prosper!
