Walk in the Spirit!


“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. Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambi- tions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.”(Galatians 5:16-26, 6:6-18)

“Let him who is taught the word share in all good things with him who teaches. Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith. See with what large letters I have written to you with my own hand! As many as desire to make a good showing in the flesh, these would compel you to be circumcised, only that they may not suffer persecution for the cross of Christ. For not even those who are circumcised keep the law, but they desire to have you circumcised that they may boast in your flesh. But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but a new creation. And as many as walk according to this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God. From now on let no one trouble me, for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus. Brethren, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.”


What should we do to walk
in the Spirit?
We should preach and follow
the beautiful gospel.

The apostle Paul wrote about the Holy Spirit in his epistle to the Galatians. In Galatians 5:13-14 he said, “For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’”

In brief, the message is that since we have been saved and freed from sin by believing in the beautiful gospel, we must not take this liberty as an opportunity to indulge ourselves in the lust of the flesh, but through love we must serve one another and follow the beautiful gospel. As God has saved us from all our sins, it is fitting for us to preach the gospel. Paul also said “If you bite and devour one another, beware lest you be consumed by one another” (Galatians 5:15).



Walk in the Spirit to be filled with the Holy Spirit

In Galatians 5:16 Paul said, “I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.” And in verses 22-26 he said, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.” Here, Paul tells us that if we walk in the Spirit, we will bear the fruit of the Spirit. The Holy Spirit requires us to walk in the Spirit. But we live in the flesh.

We human beings are born with flesh that cannot bear the fruit of the Spirit. Even if we try to walk in the Spirit, our nature can’t be changed. That is why only those who receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit by believing in the beautiful gospel can walk in the Spirit and bear the fruit of the Spirit.

When the Bible tells us to walk in the Spirit, it means we should preach the beautiful gospel so that others can also be forgiven for their sins. If we live for this beautiful gospel, we will bear the fruit of the Spirit. In other words, it is not a matter of changing human nature. When we walk with this beautiful gospel, we can bear the fruit of the Spirit, namely love, joy, peace, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. The fruit of the Spirit helps us save others from their sins to have eternal lives.



The lusts of the flesh vs. the desires of the Spirit

Paul said, “The flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you may not do the thongs that you wish” (Galatians 5:17). Since we, who have been redeemed, possess the lust of the flesh and the Spirit at the same time, these two elements are always at odds with one another. The result is that neither one can completely fill our hearts.

The Spirit leads us to wish, from deep in our hearts, to preach the beautiful gospel and serve the Lord. It makes us zealous to engage in spiritual works. It helps us save people from their sins by preaching the beautiful gospel of God.

But on the other hand, our desires stir up the lust of the flesh so that we cannot walk in the Spirit. This is the eternal conflict between the Spirit and the lusts of the flesh. When a person is consumed with the lusts of the flesh, he ends up making provisions for the flesh. The flesh sets its desire against the Spirit. They are in opposition to one another, so that we may not do the things that we wish.

Then what is involved in walking in the Spirit? And what kinds of things are pleasing to God? God said that preaching and following the beautiful gospel is the life of walking in the Spirit. He gives the hearts to walk in the Spirit to those who have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, so that they can lead a spiritual life. The commandment God gave us to bear the fruit of the Spirit by walking in the Spirit was an admonition and an order for us to save others from their sins by preaching the beautiful gospel. Walking in the Holy Spirit means living a life that is pleasing to God.

In order to walk in the Spirit, we need to have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit first of all. We first have to believe in the beautiful gospel that God gave us if we wish to receive the Holy Spirit that dwells in us. If we do not believe in the beautiful gospel deep in our hearts, we will neither receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit nor obtain salvation from sin, which means we won’t be able to walk in the Spirit.

The Spirit gives us the desire to preach the beautiful gospel, to serve the Lord and bring glory to God. This desire comes from a heart that is dedicated to God and to preaching the beautiful gospel to the entire world. It also comes from a heart that is willing to do whatever it takes to preach the beautiful gospel. Those who believe in the beautiful gospel and receive the Holy Spirit after they are forgiven for their sins are able to walk in the Spirit and dedicate themselves to preaching the gospel. This is their spiritual inheritance from above.

Those who have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit come to obey the Holy Spirit and walk in the Spirit, even though they still have the lusts of the flesh because the Holy Spirit dwells in them. Paul said, “Walk in the Holy Spirit.” What he meant by this is that we must preach the beautiful gospel of the water and the Holy Spirit that Jesus gave us so that we can help others to be forgiven for their sins.

Sometimes while walking in the Spirit, we walk according to the flesh. The lust of the flesh and the desire of the Spirit fight against each other in our lives, but what we have to know and recognize clearly is that those who have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit should live the life walking in the Spirit. Only in this way will we be able to live lives filled with the blessings of God. If those who have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit refuse to bear the fruit of the Spirit, they end up perishing by bearing the fruit of the flesh. Their fruit is perishable and miserable. Therein lies the reason for us to live by walking in the Spirit.

We have heard “Walk in the Spirit,” but some of us might think “How can I do so, when I can’t feel the Holy Spirit inside me?” Some of us think we could only recognize the indwelling of the Holy Spirit if God appeared and spoke directly to us. But this is a misunderstanding. The Spirit gives us the desire to live for the beautiful gospel of the water and the Spirit.

There may be times that we are sure He dwells within us but cannot feel Him because we are walking according to the flesh. Some may even think He is sleeping inside us. They are the ones who have received the Holy Spirit but still walk with the flesh.

These people only comfort their own flesh and act as it dictates, but suffer in the end due to the incremental requirements of the flesh. Even the ones who have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit tend to live according to the lusts of their flesh, because they think it is natural to do so. But those who submit to the flesh eventually become slaves to the flesh.

The Lord tells us to live according to the Spirit. This means serving the beautiful gospel. It also means that we must devote ourselves entirely to the beautiful gospel of the water and the Spirit. Rejoicing in the gospel and living by it is to live according to the Spirit. We have to live like that by learning what it means to walk in the Spirit. Are you walking in the Spirit?....READ THE FULL SERMON HERE

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In Matthew 11:12 it is written that, "And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force." This passage is known as one of the most difficult passages in the Bible. However we have to pay attention to the phrase "from the day of John the Baptist." It surely proclaims that the ministry of John was directly connected with Jesus' ministry for our salvation.

Jesus wants us to enter the Kingdom by bold faith, as bold as violent men. We sin every day, we are fragile but He permits us to enter His Kingdom by the daring faith regardless of our wickedness. So this passage means that people can take the kingdom of heaven by the faith in the beautiful gospel that says that Jesus blotted out all the sins of the world through His baptism by John and His blood on the Cross. In other words, it means that Heaven can be taken through the bold faith in this beautiful gospel of Jesus' baptism and blood.

Jesus' baptism took away all our sins, and our faith in it guarantees that we will receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. We must preach this gospel to our neighbors, relatives, acquaintances, and to everyone else in the world. We must have faith in the beautiful gospel that says that the sins of the world were transferred to Jesus through His baptism. Through our faith we will obtain the bliss of redemption and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Jesus' baptism took away all our sins and His blood was the judgment of the sin. We must explain to non-believers the beautiful gospel of the water and the Spirit. Only by doing so, will they come to believe in the gospel and receive the Holy Spirit. I want you to believe it. Only by having faith in Jesus' baptism by John and His blood on the Cross can man be forgiven for all his sins and receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

Everyone can become a son of the Lord, in whom the Holy Sprit dwells, and one of our brothers and sisters by believing in the beautiful gospel of the water and the Spirit. You should have the same faith in the beautiful gospel as Paul had. I thank the Lord for giving us this beautiful gospel and praise Him. Amen.

t is written in Matthew 3:13-16, “Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at Jordan to be baptized by him. And John tried to prevent Him, saying, ‘I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?’ But Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.’ Then he allowed Him. When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him.”

John the Baptist appears in this passage. Why did Jesus have to be baptized by John? Jesus had to be baptized in order to take on all the sins in the world, and take them all away according to God’s plan.

“The Government will be upon His shoulder” (Isaiah 9:7). Here “the government” means that Jesus is the One who has the authority and power as the Master of Heaven, as the King of the world. This is the authority granted only to Jesus Christ. Jesus did a wonderful thing to take away all the sins of mankind. This wonderful thing was for Him to be baptized by John. What Jesus meant by saying “Thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness” is that taking away all sins of the world was right and fitting.

Romans 1:17 says, “For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith.” God’s righteousness is revealed in the gospel. Does the true gospel of the water and the Spirit really reveals God’s righteousness? Yes! The true gospel is that Jesus Christ took away all the sins of the world through His baptism and crucifixion. The gospel of the water and the Spirit is the beautiful gospel in which the righteousness of God is revealed. How did Jesus take away the sins of the world? He took away all the sins of the world when John baptized Him in the Jordan River.

“All righteousness” is “pasan dikeosinin” in Greek. This means that Jesus took away all the sins of mankind in the most just and wonderful way. It means that Jesus’ cleansing of all the sins of the world was absolutely just and fair. Jesus had to be baptized by John in order to blot out the sins of the world.

God knew that Jesus’ baptism was absolutely necessary in order to bring peace to mankind. Jesus could not have become our Savior, if He hadn’t been baptized by John and shed His blood on the Cross. Jesus served as the sin offering in taking away all the sins of the world.

God says in Isaiah 53:6, “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way. And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” Jesus had to accept all the sins of the world in order to do God’s will. This is the reason that Jesus came as a sin offering in the flesh of a man and was baptized by John.

Jesus had to accept all the sins of mankind and be judged for them so that He could fulfill God’s plan and express His undying love. When Jesus emerged from the water after His baptism, God said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17).