The Reality Of The Spirit-filled Life

The Reality Of The Spirit-filled Life

Sermon preached at the 2002 Revival Camp of Gospel Light Christian Church
by Evangelist John R Van Gelderen
on 04 June 2002 morning service

Text Gal 2:20

I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

Well, I trust you had a good night of rest and that you did have some time to get alone with God. As you know, we're dealing with the progression of truth on the ministry of the Holy Spirit. And we are dealing with both personal and corporate revival. Remember, revival is that restoration to life, a restoration to spiritual life, that is the Christ-life or the Spirit-filled life.

We began last night by looking at man’s problem of sin. We saw it revealed in the works of the flesh. We saw it also revealed also in the strength of the flesh. That even though we may be trying to live right, if we depended on our own strength to do it, it still is unbelief. It is the arm of the flesh. It will fail us and it does fail us every time we depend on it. And so we dealt last night with that problem of walking in the flesh.

Now, I want to focus this morning on the matter of walking in the Spirit. And so, we will focus more on that aspect this morning. So let’s go to the Lord in prayer, let me encourage you to ask the Spirit of God to truly open your eyes and to truly be our teacher this morning.

Father, we rejoice in the opportunity of this morning hour. I thank you Lord for the words that we already heard spoken to us and, Lord for the truth that we have sung. Now Lord as we again look at your Word, O blessed Spirit of the living God, would you open the eyes of our hearts. Lord illumine the truth and I pray Lord, this morning, that you will so open eyes and so convince of truth that literally for some in this audience this morning, that the truth as you reveal it to their hearts, Lord, that it will make a watershed difference. Lord that literally for some, this will be a turning point. I mean, a radical turning point. Lord, would you do it? O blessed Spirit, open eyes. Lord for some who already understand this truth in some measure, Lord, I pray that they would be deepened in it, that they would be strengthened in it. Ah, would you lift up the Saviour before us. Would you meet with us? Do what man cannot do. Lord, show thyself strong. We thank you for it now. In Jesus Name. Amen.

About a century ago, Jonathan and Rosalind Goforth were serving the Lord in the country of China. They were very actively involved in the ministry. They were very sincere and very hardworking. Rosalind was very much a part of her husband’s ministry. She was a very energetic lady and a very energetic personality, at times, it was a snappy personality, if you know what I mean. And that produced some friction and occasionally caused some problems. In fact it was very interesting to note that on one occasion, she was on one side of a very thin wall. Some Chinese workers were on the other side of the wall and she overheard their conversation as they were talking about her. And they said, “Well, we know she is a good lady and we know she loves us but oh, her quick temper and her impatience. Oh, if she would only live more as she preaches.” Well, that was about all Rosalind could take. She got up angry and stormed off. But the more she thought about it, the more she realized that much of the time she did not live as she preached; and she was grieved, for she longed to have victory over sin, but how to get there, she knew not.

On another occasion, they had built a new home - Canadian style, they being from the country of Canada - and of course that was a novelty in China, especially 100 years ago. And so they decided to have an open house and let the Chinese come through and see the house especially because there was a rumour abroad in China at that time that the so-called foreign devils ate children, and have them pickled in jars in the cellars, and this kind of thing. And so they decided they better let the Chinese folk come in and check the cellar, check the cupboards and see there were no pickled children there in the house literally; it was a serious matter. So day after day, month after month, people came through and it was a very interesting time. They would look everywhere. I mean, they opened the cupboards, they checked things out, they picked things up and they occasionally took things. It was a very interesting time. Well, one day, a group of Chinese women had come in and they no sooner got into the house when one of them blurted out perhaps obnoxiously, “Ah, the smell of these foreign devils is unbearable!” Well, that was about all Rosalind could take and she said, “How dare you speak like that? Leave the room at once!” And as they scampered to get out the door, one of them said to the other, “Ah, the foreign devil lady has a temper just like ours.” Well, as Rosalind came back into the house after a job well done, Jonathan, who was in the study with the door ajar, stepped out. Rosalind said, “Never shall I forget the look on his face.” As he said, “Oh Rose, how could you lose yourself? The work of months of self-sacrificing love, can be undone in just such a moment.” And immediately Rosalind interrupted and she said, “Oh but Jonathan but you just don’t understand. They…” And he interrupted and said, “I heard it all. Certainly you have reason to be annoyed but were you justified with all that is hanging in the balance and God’s grace sufficient for patience?” As he turned to go back to his study, he simply said, “I am so disappointed.” My, that last phrase went in like a knife. Rosalind loved her husband; she longed to please her husband. More than that she loved the Lord and she longed to please the Lord; but how? She had tried so many times before and failed. How do you live in victory? Ah, my friend, before I go on, perhaps you are here this morning and this is exactly what you are wondering and you think to yourself, “I’ve tried so many times before. I’ve confessed sins and gotten things right with God - only to go out and fall flat on my face once again.” How do you live in victory?

Well, some time after that, the Goforths were back in Canada for a furlough. While there, Rosalind went to a bible conference and she heard a preacher by the name of Charles Trumbull, stand up to preach. In this service, she was seated on the front row and Charles Trumbull in his message painted two pictures. First of all, he painted a picture of those whose lives are basically up and down. Occasionally, they are up there on the mountain top with visions of the grandeur and glory of God. Ah, but then, there is a dimming of the vision, and there is a sagging and there is a cold mist that begins to creep in, that leads to a discouragement and disobedience and even a downgrade experience. And Rosalind thought to herself, “Ah, that is a picture of me. That’s me!” And he continued to paint a picture of that life that in certain areas is regularly defeated, surprised by victory instead of being victorious, surprised by defeat, and Rosalind thought to herself, “That is a picture of me.” And then, right in the middle of the message, Charles Trumbull stopped for a moment and said, “Now, if you are here today and you truly desire God’s highest and God’s best and yet the picture that I’ve just painted, pictures your present experience, would you raise your hand?” Now, keep in mind, he did not say, “Bow your heads and close your eyes.” And immediately Rosalind thought to herself, “I’m on the front row! And everyone will see me if I raise my hand and they all know I am a missionary (and they think I’m a good one). And they know my husband Jonathan.” These kinds of thoughts. Well, the Spirit of God spoke to her heart and said, “You’re a hypocrite if you keep your hand down. If you truly desire God’s best, humble yourself.” And up went Rosalind Goforth’s hand along with many others.

And now Trumbull painted a second picture. This time, of life, not only as God has planned it, but life as God has made abundant provision for it - a life truly of victory rather than defeat, a life of peace rather than worry. And Rosalind thought to herself, “Sounds wonderful but I doubt whether it is possible. I’ve tried so many times before and failed. How do you get there?” At last, the service came to a conclusion and Trumbull pointed out, "As you leave the service, you're going to be handed a slip of paper with some Bible verse references on it. If God is speaking to your heart, let me encourage you to meditate on these promises in the Word of God.” Well, she took the piece of paper and next morning, she began to go down through that list of verses, meditating on them and it was about half point down through the list that she came to a clear understanding that the victorious, triumphant, victorious life is to be the normal Christian life. Now, she still didn’t know how to get there. But she had at least recognized that victory is to be the norm, not the exception. Well, before she left that conference, she bought a sermon in print by Charles Trumbull on the text we are about to look at. The sermon was entitled “The Life that Wins”. And she went home and later she was reading that sermon out loud to her family. And in this sermon, Trumbull gave his own testimony how that for 25 years as a Christian worker, he was defeated and discouraged though others would have looked at him and said, “Oh, he is a fine example. Look at all the things he does.” He knew that there was something missing. He knew that there were things in his life that were not right. Some of those things we talked about yesterday - those sins of the converted life. He knew there was a hollowness to the motions and rituals of his Christian ministry. Then he made a statement in his testimony that the Spirit of God used to open the eyes of Rosalind Goforth. And this is the statement Trumbull said, “I finally came to realize that Jesus Christ actually and literally lives in me.” Now that was the statement. And Rosalind said it was as if the clouds began to roll back and the light of God came down and she began to realize, “Ah, Jesus Christ Himself is the sufficiency for victory and He lives in me.” Oh, my friend, what a realization! You see, if you are truly born of the Spirit, if you are born again, blood bought – then the fact is the Spirit of Jesus Christ lives in your body and that ought to make a radical difference.

Well, as Rosalind began to depend on the reality that Christ lived in her, she accessed that life that wins. And her life began to transform by the power of God. My friend, it wasn’t just a passing thing that went away after a few weeks. No! For months and months there in Canada, she continued to grow and then when she went back to China, so powerful was the transformation that was still taking place in her life that one of the Chinese workers came in one day, representing all the others, and ask Jonathan “What has happened to Rosalind? She’s changed. She’s different. She doesn’t snap at us anymore!” And he pointed out that the workers who did not want to work with her, now they wanted to work with her. Now, let me tell you something, my friend, that’s a miracle. That’s revival on a personal level. She was restored to spiritual life. That’s what happened. Oh, she stepped from that pathway of the flesh-filled life to the pathway of the spirit-filled life.

The title of this message this morning is “The Reality of The Spirit-filled Life”. It is not enough for us to talk about it. We need the reality of the Spirit-filled life. Our text, Galatians 2:20, not an unfamiliar text, but oh, let's look at it this morning and ask God to open our eyes afresh and anew. The apostle Paul writes here under inspiration: I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. Ah, what marvellous words. This verse of Scripture beautifully encapsulates the reality of the Spirit-filled life and here’s what I want us to see from the truth of God this morning. That the reality of the Spirit-filled life is the Spirit of Christ living the life of Christ through the believer in Christ. Now friends, this morning, please, please do not hear that statement as pious-sounding rhetoric, not at all. The Bible is actually teaching that the reality of this concept called the Spirit-filled life is none other than the Spirit of the glorified Christ on the throne of power, living that divine, conquering, triumphant, victorious life through our vessels of clay. Now how can that occur? As we look to the Scripture this morning. I want us to see there are 3 truths which reveal that the reality of the Spirit-filled life is the Spirit of Christ living the life of Christ actually through the believer in Christ.

Truth No 1 – The provision for the Spirit-filled life is the Cross

Oh yes, the provision of the Spirit-filled life of holiness - holiness to be what we ought to be and service to do what we ought to do - is the Cross, the finished work of Christ, the sacrifice of Christ, the substitution of Christ, there on the Cross. Now, look please with me at the text. The authority of Scripture here says, and this is of course Apostle Paul’s writing, he is writing under inspiration, he is writing here as a saved man. If you are saved, then these are words you must choose to identify with. He said, I am crucified with Christ. Have you ever considered the “with” in this phrase? You see, as we read the Gospels, we picture Christ on the Cross crucified, but have you picture yourself there with Him? Now, please do not misunderstand me. Only, only Jesus Christ died for our sins. He is the Saviour, and yet our text here says I am crucified with Christ. If He died for our sins, in what sense are we crucified with Christ? It is in this sense, the sense of dying unto sin. Romans Chapter 6 – the fact that when you were saved, God concluded you to be crucified with Christ. That is, when Jesus died unto sin once and for all, you died with Him unto sin. In other words, sin is no longer your master. You see, before you were saved, you had an unregenerated spirit. The Bible calls that the “old man”. That unregenerated spirit, that old man, was dead to God, that is, separated from God, and it was alive to sin. It wasn't non-existent. No! Ephesians tells us that it was dead in trespasses and sins. I mean the old man is revelling in trespasses and sin. He is dead to God but he is alive to sin.

But oh, my friend, when you get saved, there is a radical transformation that takes place positionally. The old man dies with Christ and is raised a new man which means the old man is gone. He doesn’t come back to life to bother you now; the old man is gone. We still have the sin principle and the flesh that we have to deal with in the body of sin. But our centre has been changed. The old man died with Christ was raised a new man. In other words, the unregenerated spirit that was dead to God and alive to sin, now there is a reversal. The regenerated spirit is dead to sin and alive to God, so that sin no longer is the boss, the ruling master. Sin may still try to act like that. Sin may exert its power but it has no authority to do so and you do not have to listen to sin because sin is no longer your master. Oh my friend, we need to recognize that, that sinless work of Christ, that crucifixion, that substitution, that shed blood, is a sufficient sacrifice not only to free us and deliver us from the penalty of sin which is hell (though that is a glorious truth). But recognize, my dear friend that, that same sacrifice that same shed blood, that same finished work of Christ on the Cross, is also the power to deliver us and free us. It is the provision. It is therefore the authority! I mean to emancipate us from the power of sin right now. Look at Chapter 1 verse 4 – an incredible statement of Scripture, an incredible rhema of God. It says at the end of Verse 3: Our Lord Jesus Christ, verse 4, who gave Himself for our sins. Why? That we might have forgiveness of sins? That’s true, but not what it says here. That we might have eternal life? That’s true, but it's not what it says here. Notice what it says: who gave Himself for our sins that, in order that He might deliver us from this present evil world. What an amazing statement - the crucifixion, Christ on the Cross, that we have been crucified with Christ unto sin. Now notice it says who gave Himself for our sins that He might deliver us. I mean, free us from this present evil world. There are many Christians who think “Well, bless God, someday we’ll get to heaven and things will be nice up there, but down here we just struggle along and occasionally, we might have some victory but most of the time, we live in defeat.” That is blatant unbelief. That is an insult to the finished work of Jesus Christ. Oh, my friend, we need to recognize that the provision, the authority, the grounds, the basis for the Spirit filled life is the Cross. Not only powerful enough to free us from hell, but powerful to deliver us from the power of sin this moment. Well, let's move on.

Truth No 2 – The Person and Power of the Spirit-filled life is the Spirit.

The second truth I want us to see, and I trust the first one will continue to unfold as we move along here is that the Person and power of the Spirit-filled life is the Spirit. Now, that seems like that should go without saying, yet this is where we miss it. Here’s what happens. We hear about this concept called the Spirit- filled life. We know we're defeated and discouraged. We know something’s missing and we think to ourselves, “That’s it. Ah, the Spirit-filled life, oh, that’s it.” And so we say to ourselves, “I am going to live a Spirit-filled life.” No, you are not. You are not the agent. You see, the Person and power of the Spirit-filled life is the Spirit. Now how does this work? Well, let’s look back at the text. It says: I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me. You see, we are not robots. We still live, yet not I. In other words, there’s a change of centre. Christ lives in me. See, the point is this. An old man died with Christ was raised a new man. That’s the regenerated spirit, but not only that, but the Spirit moved in. So that 1 Cor 6:17 says that He that is joined to the Lord is One Spirit. What an amazing thought! One Spirit with the Lord! That’s what it says. Oh, what an amazing thing, the old man died with Christ was raised a new man and the Spirit that moved in is not the Spirit of the earthly Christ. No, it is the Spirit of the glorified Christ. The Christ who won the victory, who sits on the throne of power. It is the Spirit of the conquering Christ that lives in your body.

The life of Christ

Now, there are two aspects to this that I want us to see and they are vitally connected. First of all, we are talking about the life of Christ. Notice the text says, Christ lives in me. Christ lives! See there’s life there, and it’s not ours. We are talking about divine life being incorporated in the human personality. In other words, no longer is our life animated by the lower life of just us. No, our soul, our personality is now animated by divine life. Christ lives in me, It’s not that He just moved in. Christ lives in me. It is not just that He resides at the address called your body. It says Christ LIVES in me. Ah, consider the word of Philippians 1:21 For to me to live is Christ. Friend, do you see it? It does not say "for to me to live is to try my very best for God". You know, that sounds noble but your very best won’t cut it, and neither would mine because the flesh profiteth nothing (John 6:63), I know that in me (that is in my flesh) dwelleth no good thing (Romans 7:18). Doesn't say that. It doesn’t say “for me to live is to attempt Christ’s likeness”. Again sounds noble but the attempt of your flesh and my flesh will never be Christ-like. The flesh never gets better. It only gets worse. What it does say is for me to live is Christ - literally, Christ living in me, through me, not instead of me but through me. What an amazing possibility. Now how in the world can that happen? Is that really true? Well, think of this. Just as the Holy Spirit authored the Word of God, but He used 40 different human instruments, using their faculties, their minds, their bodies and yet it is the Word of God, in the same way, the same Spirit can live the life of the divine glorified Christ through our faculties, our minds, our bodies and yet it is the life of Christ. God knows how to do that. Oh yes, we are talking about a life. You see new life in Christ is Christ’s life in you, so that new living in Christ is literally Christ living in you! So we are talking about the life of Christ.



The law of the Spirit

Secondly, and this is intrinsically connected, we are talking about the law of the Spirit. Now listen to the words of Romans 8:2 as they connect the 2 truths. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus – there is your connection, and it goes on to say hath made me free from the law of sin and death. Now notice what that does not say. It does not say that the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has totally eradicated my sin nature, no longer will I sin. No. This side of heaven is the sin principle, the flesh and the body of sin. We still live there. We have a change as sinners but we still live in a body of sin (Romans 6:6). And so it does not say that the sin nature is eradicated. It doesn’t say that we will no longer have any tendency to sin. You ask the saint of God who walks with God for decades and he’ll tell you that you that he still has tendency to sin. What it does say is this, and listen very carefully to the words of Scripture: For the law of the Spirit life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. It does not say that the law of sin and death is no longer there, but that we are made free from the law of sin and death. This is what is called the principle of counteraction, where a greater law counteracts and overcomes a lesser law. Let me seek to illustrate this from the physical realm. In the physical realm, we are well aware, are we not, of the law of gravity? That downward pressure toward planet Earth that let us know that if we take a rock and throw it in the air, that rock is going to come down back. Why? Because of the law of gravity. But you know there are other laws that can counteract and overcome the law of gravity. One such law, in very simple plain terms is the law of hot air rising. And, of course, a hot air balloon is banking on that law and if you ever seen that, it is fascinating. You see that balloon filled up with the hot air and when they are ready, the pilot reaches out and he unclips that rope and that balloon just begins to soar skywards and when it does, a child might look up there and be tempted to say “Wow, look at that. There is no more law of gravity.” Now we know that there is still the law of gravity. Now what’s happening? Another law - a greater law, the law of hot air rising - is counteracting and overcoming a lesser law. Now, I want you to suppose with me that you are going to take a hot air balloon ride. And so you are at the side and you see that giant balloon now filled with that hot air. And they explained to you how it all works and finally, they said to you that it is time for you to get into the basket. And so you take that giant step into the basket and they explained the final aspects to it all and they asked you that question, “Are you ready?” and you say, “Yes”. And the pilot reaches out and unclips that rope and immediately that balloon soars skyward and when it does, you do. Why? Because you are in the basket and therefore you are intrinsically connected to that law of hot air rising and as it counteracts and overcomes the law of gravity, you benefit from it. Why? Because you are in the basket! Well, let’s supposed you are taking this ride and enjoying yourself and you say, “This is amazing” and you look down on Singapore and you see GLCC and you find your flat over here and you are noticing things, you are just enjoying the ride. And after about an hour, you begin to think to yourself, “You know, this is just amazing. I’ve never hung in mid-air before for an hour. You know, this is just incredible. I’ve been up in mid-air for one full hour. You know, I don’t think the law of gravity has any more power over me.” So you boldly stepped out of the basket - only to discover that the law of gravity is still there, as you’re plummeting downward toward planet Earth. So what’s the key? Stay in the basket. Keep depending on the basket. I’ll put it this way – keep abiding in the basket. Why? Because every moment, not just some or even most, no, every moment that you are depending on the basket, you are vitally connected to that law of hot air rising and as it counteracts and overcomes the law of gravity downward, you benefit from it. Why? Because you stayed in the basket.

Now, let’s make the analogy. I hope you’ve already made it. The law of sin is like the law of gravity. It is that constant tendency downward. The law of the Spirit is like the law of hot air rising, a greater law that counteracts and overcomes the lesser law. In other words, basically the basket is parallel to Christ. We are to depend on Christ. We are to abide in Christ and as we do, we are intrinsically connected to that law of the Spirit that counteracts and overcomes the law of sin. Now let me just say this. If you‘ve been saved through any time at all, there undoubtedly have been plenty of experiences of what I am talking about. Whether you understood the dynamics or not, there’ve been times, especially often right after you’ve got saved, when you just trusted the Lord and God blessed, there is the supernatural lift. But if we are not careful, we are so prone to wander. We are so prone to get out of the basket and even still, there may be times where you get so desperate that you cry out to God, “God if you don’t bless, I’m had!” By the way that’s God dependency. Just get back into the basket and guess what happens?. God blesses. But if you do not understand the spiritual principles involved, here’s what happened. As soon as the crisis of desperation is over, we stepped out of the basket and as we fall flat on our faces, we think to ourselves “I don’t get this. Yesterday I had victory. Today I’m falling flat on my face, what’s wrong?” We don’t understand that the same principle of getting into the basket, that choice of dependence, is the same principle that we need to stay in the basket. The key is choosing to depend on Christ. Now, when you understand this principle and you consciously step into that basket and you understand how to stay in that basket by choice after choice after choice to keep depending on the old sufficiency Saviour, oh my friend, when that happened, you experience what Rosalind Goforth experienced - that lift up of the Spirit, that power of the Spirit, that enablement of God Almighty in you counteracting and overcoming the law of sin. And after a while, you may think yourself “This is so glorious. I didn’t know it could get this good this side of heaven. I have never in my life experience such sustained victory over sin.” If you are not careful, you might think to yourself, “You know, I don’t think the law of sin has any more power over me”. And you just stepped out of the basket, and there as you go just plummeting back downward you recognize that the law of sin is still there. By the way, the higher you soar, the further you can fall. So what’s the key? Say it – stay in the basket. Keep depending on Christ. Keep abiding in Christ. Why? Because every moment – not just some, or even most, but every moment, what a promise - every moment that you depend on Christ, you access the almighty law of the Spirit to counteract and overcome the law of sin and death. And my friend, when we fail and we fall and we’re discouraged, it is because we stopped depending on Christ. You depend on Him. You access the Almighty Spirit of the living God. I mean, He is the Spirit of God. He doesn’t fail. You access the life that wins. That’s glory. My friend, isn’t a wonderful thing to recognize that the law of sin means I’m able to sin but the law of the Spirit means that not I but Christ enable me not to sin. Why? Because he doesn’t sin. He is the life that wins.

Last summer my home church that I’m based out of in Michigan, my wife and I went back to serve. And because I used this illustration, they arranged to surprise my wife and I with a hot air balloon ride. I’ll never forget it. Up to that point, my wife would say to me, “You know John, if you ever try to take one of those hot air balloon rides, you’re doing it by yourself.” Well, because they surprised us with this, she went along with it. She enjoyed it as much as anybody. But I’ll never forget. We got to the side and they filled this balloon up with hot air. You look up and you see this giant hot air balloon above you. They explained how this works and they finally said, “Alright, it’s time to get into the basket.” And so you get in and you literally stepped into the basket. Now, for me, it was one giant step. For Marilyn, it was 2 or 3 small steps. But nonetheless, you stepped into the basket.

And that day, my sister and her husband, the pastor of the church there, they got in there as well. So it was the four of us, and the pilot. So the 5 of us were all standing there. The pilot explained some final things, and then he said, “Are you ready?” We all smiled and said, “Yes.” I remembered watching that arm reached out as he unclipped that rope, immediately the balloon just soared skyward. And I mean it was just like a split second and you were 100 ft in the air and you just kept on going and you were immediately aware of the fact that you were rising by a power not your own. By the way, it wasn’t a struggle - you go with the wind. It seems so easy and by the way, you have to make a choice to stay in the basket. That was a pretty easy choice. By the way, if we would recognize the same truth spiritually, it would be a whole lot easier. And for me, I was tall enough physically but if I were to lean out far enough, I would have flipped out. Yes I choose to stay in the basket. And that’s the same point. We must keep choosing to stay in the basket, to keep depending on Christ. Oh what a glorious difference it makes. I was at a meeting in the city of Detroit and there was a man who came up to me after I’ve preached the same message the next day and he said, “You know, at work today, something came up and normally, I would have exploded. Normally I would have gotten irritated, said this, said that, and be a bad testimony. Oh boy, but today,” he said, “I just kept thinking to myself, stay in the basket, stay in the basket.” And he experienced victory. By the end of the week, he came back to me. He said, “Today at work, it’s a Friday, we have a staff meeting.” He said, “I knew it was going to be a contentious and potentially provoking meeting. I’ve been so burdened about my testimony, I didn’t want to blow again and,” he said, “I was so concerned about it and,” he said, “how about if I literally take with me to the staff meeting a little basket. I put it on the table in front of me to remind me to stay in the basket.” May I say to you that that man looked me in the eye with the glow of God on his face! And he testified of victory that day by a power not his own. Oh my friend, that’s what we are talking about. That’s the reality of the Spirit-filled life.

You see we are not saying, we are not saying that the Spirit somehow comes and enables your flesh to do right. That’s not what we are saying. Your flesh will never do right. It will never get better. It gets worse. We’re not saying that the Spirit enables your flesh to do right. We’re saying that IT IS THE SPIRIT! A lady said to me after I’ve preached this one time with tears in her eyes. She said “You know when you made that statement that it is not the Spirit enabling the flesh but rather it is the Spirit of Christ,” she said, “it dawned on me what the reality of this is and I recognize, oh there is hope!” For as long as you think that it is the Spirit strengthening you, you know, your own frailties and there is no hope. But when you realized it is the Spirit, not instead of you but through you, oh, my friend, He is not frail. He never fails. By the way, do not get the wrong idea of the word “help”. If, by the word “help” you mean his power together with my power, we’ll make it, no, no, you’ve got the wrong idea. If by help, you mean, I don’t have any power, I’m going to cast myself on Him, that’s the help we are talking about.

And one more thought here before we move to the third truth. The Spirit of God is not working us up to victory. That is not what we are talking about. It is not what the Scripture teaches. He is not working us up to victory. No the victory has been won. It’s done. Jesus said, It’s finished. And the Spirit of God is not working us up to victory rather He is working from the platform of victory that Jesus Christ already won, now manifesting that one victory through our lives. The Scripture says, Thanks be unto God which giveth us the victory. Not the victories, THE VICTORY! There is one victory (i.e. Christ’s victory) and it is manifested to our bodies as we depend on Christ, as we stay in the basket.

Truth No 3 - The pathway to the Spirit-filled life is our faith

That brings us to the third and final truth that I want us to see here this morning. We’ve touched on it but I want us to just emphasize it a little bit further. We’ve seen that the provision for the Spirit-filled life is the Cross, and we have seen that the Person and power of the Spirit-filled life is the Spirit and now thirdly, I want us to see the pathway to Spirit-filled life is our faith. The pathway to the Spirit-filled life, this life of holiness to be of service to do what we ought to do, is our faith. Now look please at the text. This is significant. It says: I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live, yet not I but Christ liveth in me. Let’s go on, and the life which I now live, which life? Well, the one He just told us, not the self-life but rather that “not I but Christ” life. This life which I now live, and here we say in the flesh which simply means in the mortal body. How does he do it? Is it automatic? Is it just inevitable? No. He says, I live by faith. See, that’s man’s responsibility. I live by faith in the Son of God who love me and gave Himself for me. You see the access is faith; it’s not automatic. We are responsible to believe and my friend when we fail and we fall, it’s because we are not staying in the basket; it’s because we are not trusting, we are not depending. We have a responsibility to believe. Now think with me. Salvation is a gift. How do we receive it? By grace through, say it with me – faith. Ephesians 2: 8 & 9: For by grace are ye saved through faith (dependence) and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God not of works lest any man should boast. So it is not based on self-dependence or self-struggle. No, it is based on dependence on Christ. And here’s what I want us to see. In the same way, the Spirit-filled life is a gift. In fact, the ministry of the Spirit is called a gift in Acts chapter 2, the gift of the Holy Spirit. How do you receive this gift of God? What do you think? By grace through faith. Roman 5:2 says: We have access, by faith into this grace wherein we stand. The word “grace” is one of the marvellous words of the Spirit-filled life. Supernatural enablement, Spirit enabling, and it says we have access - there is the pathway - we have access by faith (God dependence) into this grace (Spirit enablement) wherein we stand. In other word, it is not automatic. The access is faith. If you don’t take that access, you’re in trouble. You miss out. We must keep depending. We must stay in the basket. Now we learn yesterday morning, excuse me, Sunday morning the Lord’s Day, that faith is that simple choice to depend on the reality of the words of God though yet unseen – that’s faith. We saw that the foundation of faith is the rhema of God. Remember Romans 10:17 – Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God, that rhema of God, that specific statement of truth, the word of God. Now, wait a second, why does Romans 10:17 say that the foundation of our faith is the word of God and yet our text today says that the foundation of our faith is the Son of God? Well, what’s the meaning of Jesus in John chapter 1? The Word! Oh, did you see it? There is a mystery of oneness between the incarnate Word, Christ, and the inscribed word, the Scriptures. So the point is simply this. When you depend on the word – the rhema, when you depend on the word of God, you are depending on the living Word of God. That’s how you depend on Christ and that’s why, as when we sang today in one of our songs, we ought to be looking unto Jesus. Looking unto Jesus, how do you do that? By creating some speculation in your imagination? No, not at all! We see Christ through the words. And as you look unto Jesus, the Spirit offers faith by convincing you of those words. Now you are faced with a choice and if you choose to depend on the reality of those words, He finishes the faith by enabling you in accordance to the words that you are depending on. That’s how it works. And may I remind us this morning in our text is a rhema - Christ liveth in me. That’s what it says. Do you realise that it does not say that Christ will live in me, as if it is out there. It is not a future but it is a present reality. Christ lives in me. That’s what’s real. Now, if you say, well, that is not really real in my life, you know I’m blown at big time – what’s the access? Faith. You see. This is what’s real. Christ lives in me but if He’s not being manifested in your life, it means you are not staying in the basket. You are not depending on Christ. It says Christ lives in me and when you choose to depend on the reality of those words, you access the reality manifestly in your life. Oh, would it not make a difference? Would it not make a difference if we would choose to depend upon the reality of the words, “Christ lives in us?”

If you are always dithering and arguing with somebody, you just have that argumentative spirit. Now think about it, would it not make a difference if you would choose to depend on the reality that Jesus Christ lives in you. You know what you’re going to find? He doesn’t argue. See, you’re accessing divine life, the life that wins. That’s how it works. Or maybe you are prone to losing your temper. I mean, just blowing your stack on the same things you know of. Oh wouldn’t it make a difference if you choose to depend on the reality that Jesus Christ lives in you? You know what you’re going find? He doesn’t lose his temper! You see, we are often prone to griping, are we not. For wicked sins, just read the book on Numbers. Would it not make a difference if we would choose to depend on the reality that Jesus Christ lives in us? You know we’ll find he doesn’t gripe. Think about media choices, with television and cable and video, and all of that kind of things, the internet so forth. Now think about it. Would it not make a difference if we would depend on the reality that Jesus Christ lives in us? You know what you are going to find, that He never chooses a programme or watches a programme where God’s name is cursed. He doesn’t watch immodesty. He is not going to choose the sensual programme. He is not going to choose the filthy site on the internet. No. His is the life that wins. How about musical choices? Wouldn’t it make a difference if we were to choose to depend on the reality that Jesus Christ lives in us? You know what you’re going find? He doesn’t choose worldly music. He doesn’t choose sensual music. He doesn’t choose questionable music. His is the life that wins. Maybe you are emotionally unstable man, many people are in our world today. Wouldn’t it make a difference if you choose to depend on the reality that Jesus Christ lives in you? You know what you’re going find? He is emotionally stable. See He’s the answer. He is the answer. Maybe you’re here and you are bitter towards someone. Maybe they have wronged you to begin with. That may be true but it is not being right for you to get bitter and you’ve held this grudge and this resentment and you say to yourself, “Oh, you don’t understand preacher, 43 years ago (or whatever it is), this guy said this or did this. And you don’t understand it. How it ruins my life, mess me up and ruins my life. And I know I’m not supposed to be bitter, I know as a Christian I should forgive. But you don’t understand. Every time I think about it, it just infuriates me. I can’t forgive.” Oh fine, we are not talking about you. We are talking about Christ in you. He can forgive. Remember He forgave you. If you access the life that wins, you will see that with God all things are possible. Oh, how about those times when the Spirit of God prompts you and you know it that you need to go to that person and open your mouth and declare the Gospel and your flesh cries out “No way” and you think to yourself, “I can’t do it”. Well again fine, we’re not talking about you. We are talking about Christ in you. He can. Now I want you to understand when you access the life of Jesus in you, it is natural as anything, for Jesus to just walk up to someone and declare the Gospel. See that’s the answer. It is divine life incorporated into your personality and enabling you with supernatural power counteracting and overcoming that law of sin. That’s what we’re talking about. That’s how it works.

Now before we conclude, let’s tie in where we left off last night. In Galatians 5 remember we saw the phrase “Walk in the Spirit and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh”. That is a glorious promise. Walk in the Spirit and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. And now again, what is walking in the Spirit? Well, we noted last night “What is walking?” Walking is reiterated steps. What is walking in the Spirit? It is walking in reiterated steps in the Spirit. Well, how do we do that? We noted last night in Colossians 2:6, the Scripture says: As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in Him. How did you receive Christ Jesus the Lord? By faith, OK, so how do we walk? By faith. That what Corinthians says: For we walk by faith and not by sight. So the way we walk in the Spirit is by depending on the Spirit for the power to take the steps of obedience in a Christian life. Now herein lies a very crucial point of understanding. Faith is faith. Dependence is dependence. But the purpose differs. For example, in salvation, we depend on Christ for what we receive. There is no movement on our part unless we want to call the receiving movement, for we receive forgiveness of sins, eternal life, credited righteousness but in the Spirit-filled life, we are depending on Christ not for what we received but for what we do, based on what we have already received. In other words, now there is movement. You see, in salvation we depend on Christ for a new position, no movement. But in the Spirit-filled life, we depend on Christ for a new practice – you see, there is movement. In salvation, we depend on Christ for a new standing - no movement but in a Spirit-filled life, we are depending on Christ for a new walking based on that new stand. You see, the Spirit-filled life is not gaining something new. When you got saved, you got the Spirit. We are talking about accessing what you already have. We are not talking about a second blessing experience when you received something that you did not already have. No. You received the Spirit when you got saved. We’re talking about accessing what you have. We’re talking about the fact that you have the Spirit - the Spirit lives in you. But my friend, you need to function. And that comes when you depend on the Spirit to take the step. The point is, in a Spirit-filled life, there is the movement of the steps. Remember what James 2 says: Faith without works. The step of obedience is there. In other words, if you don’t tie your dependence to the step of obedience, it is not really dependence. It is acknowledgement. It is just those 2 angles of faith, understanding and agreeing without actually getting to dependence.

Basically there are 3 kinds of steps, thought steps, word steps and action steps. Take the action step of witnessing, of going up to someone opening your mouth and declaring the Gospel. Now how does this work? Oh remember when Jesus said to the paraplegic, take up your bed and walk. May I remind you this morning that that was humanly impossible. When did the man receive the strength to take up his bed and walk? I believe when he reached out for it. You see, here’s where people get confused. The Spirit of God prompts you to go to the person, to open up your mouth and declare the Gospel. And you say “OK Lord, I know I can’t do this but I know you can and God if you can zap me (dah dah), then I’ll go and do it”. And we want the zap. And all of a sudden, we feel like a super spiritual whatever and now we can go soul winning. No. That’s not what we are talking about. It’s not God’s way. It is recognising you know, “I can’t do this but God you can and though it seems impossible to me, I’m going to depend on you to do it”. And it is not just saying, “I believe God can help me.” If you stop there, that’s unbelief. It is depending on God to help you as you go to that person and open your mouth. You see, that’s the step; otherwise it is faith without works. Otherwise it is faith without the step. You don’t have God dependence for witnessing without taking the step. That’s where many Christians fail. They say “Oh I believe”, but they never take the step, they don’t believe. It is not enough to say that I believe that God can. An unsaved man can say, “I believe God can save me” while he keeps on depending on his own works. He’s not saved. We have to depend on God now to witness, it is not enough to say that God can help me to witness. No. It’s a matter of depending on God to enable you as you open your mouth and when you do, that’s when He quickened you. That’s when it’s “not I but Christ” and you find a new power. I have people write me and testified in written form that “I finally took that step of obedience and open my mouth”. I remember one lady wrote and said “and it was as if the Holy Spirit just took over. I said things and I know I couldn’t said it on my own.” That’s what we are talking about.

My friend, the same is true with word step. How about it when somebody provokes you? And normally you just lashed back out with words that wound and hurt. What’s the right step? A soft answer! You say, “That’s my problem, I can’t do it.” That’s the whole point. I’m not talking about you. We’re taking about Christ in you. He can. As you tie the dependence to the step of obedience, a soft answer would not seem so impossible. That’s when He quickens and enables you so that you actually take that step. That is accessing the life that wins. And that means my friend, that that area in your life that is the source part that has defeated you, and I mean plagued you, and I mean discouraged you over and over again, and you think, “God, it is impossible”, well, if we are talking about you, you are right. But we are not talking about you. We are talking about Christ in you, and with God, all things are possible. We must access that life that wins. You see, at any moment in time, you are either walking in the Spirit or you are walking in the flesh. It is never a mixture.

Now I want you to look at Chapter 1. As we bring to a close, it says in verse 15-16 it says: By His grace, (that’s the Spirit enablement, the Spirit-filled life) grace for what? It says, to reveal His Son in me. Is that not what we are talking about in Galatians 2:20 “Not I but Christ”. Christ manifested. Christ revealed. To reveal His Son in me, why? That I might preach Him. You see, that’s what makes it powerful. Let me ask you, in your life, who is seen? Who is heard? Is it not Christ but you, or is it not you but Christ? You say “What do you mean, seen and heard”. Oh, we are not talking about something physical but we are talking about something spiritual and it is just as real as physical. And my friend, who is seen and who is heard? If you are having marriage problem, let me ask you something. Would it not make a difference if Jesus Christ was seen and heard for a change? It makes a radical difference. It literally would change your marriage. See, that’s what we are talking about. In the work place, who is seen? Who is heard? When you witness who will they see? Oh, this is what this is talking about when Christ is revealed in us, and then when we preach Him, it is not I but Christ. There’s a dynamic of a supernatural enablement there, the Spirit of Christ shining through us and drawing people to the uplifted Christ. That’s what we are talking about. My friend, when it is literally not I but Christ then the result is verse 24, one of the most incredible statements in the book of Galatians, it says And they glorified God in me. Amazing, you see, bringing glory to God is not just words that we use to praise God. Some people say right words but they live like the devil. Bringing glory to God must flow from the reality of I live, yet not I but Christ lives in me, so that He is seen, He is heard, He is given the way, given the honour and glory due Him and when that happen, He is glorified in us. And my friend, that’s an amazing thought. That means when we are walking in the Spirit, He’s seen. He’s heard. He’s glorified and that means when we are walking in the flesh, He’s not seen, He’s not heard and He’s not glorified and every time a child of God who’s born of the Spirit walks in the flesh, you are blocking the glory of God. You are robbing God of His glory. My friend, we need to recognise what a wicked vile sin it is to literally rob God Almighty of His glory because we walk in the flesh. And there are people that are so deceived. It is a pathetic thinking. They say “Oh, I’ve lived for God for 40 years.” My friend, in God’s record book, it is going to be like a year and a half. Why? Because the only part of those 40 years that you really live for God is when you are walking in faith. When you’re in the basket, when it’s not I but Christ. The rest of it, if it’s not Christ but you, that doesn’t bring glory to God. That wasn’t living for God and people are deceived. Oh my friend the way we stepped from that pathway of the flesh to the pathway of the Spirit is that one step but that doesn’t mean you have no more responsibility. That doesn’t mean that (dah-dah) now you’ve grown up overnight. No. It doesn’t mean that you can stop growing and it is only in the moments of the pathway of walking in the Spirit that you depend on the Spirit that you are actually growing spiritually.

My father went home to be with the Lord in 1997. As I mentioned, his favourite theme was the Spirit-filled life and there’s a certain section of words that my father often wove into many of his messages. In fact, the last recorded message that my father preached, he was at a meeting in Atlanta, Georgia, when God took him home early one Sunday morning. He didn’t get to finish the meeting. He shook up the meeting, I tell you that. Well anyway, the last recorded message we had from my father, I never forget listening to it just before the funeral service, and we were there at my brother Wayne’s house. I was listening to it and I heard that same so familiar words that I’ve heard him say so many times. I can just picture him, in my mind’s eye, as he would look upwards and the light would hit his eyes and I could see those eyes had filled up with tears. His lip would begin to quiver as he said: “And when I go to heaven, and I would go from the Lord Jesus Christ, to the very first time that He looks at me. (I had my answer then, but no it ceased to be). Then I recognise I have heard that voice before. Oh He reaches out. And I will know I have felt that touch before, in the lives of Spirit-filled believers”. You see my friend, that is the reality of a Spirit-filled life. Let’s bow our heads to pray.

Father help us to us to be honest today. Oh blessed Spirit come and search us. Lord help us to be honest about robbing you of your glory. Lord hear our confession that you will awaken us. Lord help us to be honest about attempting to do your work in our power, so that it is not Christ but us. Oh blessed Spirit, oh put our minds to the futility of flesh dependence. Lord for those today who are discouraged with specific sins that have defeated them repeatedly, oh today may they see glorious truth, and may they access the life that wins, and nothing is impossible with God. Oh help us with the true state of repenting, that Jesus Christ might be glorified, and magnified. We thank you for it. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

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