Being and Walking in the Spirit

We must be live and walk IN THE SPIRIT

· What does that mean?

· How we do that?

Background

There are two points in the bible and gospel around which everything hinges, the cross and the Spirit.

The Cross & the Spirit

20. “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.21. “I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain.”

Galatians 2:20-21

God’s Eternal purpose

The eternal purpose of God, the reason for the creation of the Earth, the creation of man and the incarnation, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is to make us (the elect) into living stones built into a house for God in the Spirit.

Living stones are created by to crucifying us in Christ so that we are dead to the Adamic nature and resurrect us by the Spirit .

5. you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

1 Peter 2:5

This house is the New Jerusalem the consummation of all things

12. “He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. And I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God. And I will write on him My new name.13. “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” ’

Revelation 3:12-13

1. Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea.2. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.3. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God.4. “And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”

Revelation 21:1-4

The flesh and the Spirit

We find in the Bible “THE FLESH” and “THE SPIRIT” and these two are contrary to one another.

16. I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.17. 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.18. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

Galatians 5:16-18

What does “IN THE SPIRIT” mean?

Lets tart by saying it is a mystery, a "spiritual" mystery.

5. Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.6. “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.7. “Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’8. “The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

John 3:5-8

9. But as it is written:

“Eye has not seen, nor ear heard,

Nor have entered into the heart of man

The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”

10. But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.11. For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God.12. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.13. These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual.14. But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.15. But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one.16. For “who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ.

1 Corinthians 2:9-16

God is Spirit

23. “But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.24. “God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

John 4:23-24

God is Spirit. We need such a full revelation of the Spirit. We need to accept the vision of this Spirit found in the Bible and abide in Christ and be diligent to enter that “rest” called “the Spirit”.

Philippians 1:19 speaks of the bountiful supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ. The reason the supply of this Spirit is bountiful is that the Spirit includes God, the riches of the Father and the Son, all of Jesus’ humanity, and the nature of Christ. This Spirit also includes crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension. All this is found in the Spirit.

In him dwells the fullness of the Godhead bodily

God’s Holy Spirit is also one-spirit with our spirit

17. But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him.

1 Corinthians 6:17

To walk according to “the Spirit “means to walk according to both the divine Spirit and the human spirit, according to the two spirits mingled as one. The two spirits are mingled not in the heavens or outside of us but within us.

1. .... Thus says the Lord, who stretches out the heavens, lays the foundation of the earth, and forms the spirit of man within him:

Zechariah 12:1

19. “Then I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within them, and take the stony heart out of their flesh, and give them a heart of flesh,20. “that they may walk in My statutes and keep My judgments and do them; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God.

Ezekiel 11:19-20

This is the outworking of God’s eternal purpose. This is what God intends to accomplish is IN THE SPIRIT. If we would have ongoing real spiritual experiences, we must have a clear understanding that the focus of God is the mingled spirit, the divine Spirit mingled with the human spirit.

Verses speaking about “IN THE SPIRIT”

Ezek 37:1 The hand of the Lord came upon me and brought me out IN THE SPIRIT of the Lord, and set me down in the midst of the valley; and it was full of bones.

Matt 22:43 He said to them, “How then does David IN THE SPIRIT call Him ‘Lord,’ saying:

Luke 1:1 7“He will also go before Him IN THE SPIRIT and power of Elijah, ‘to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,’ and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

Luke 10:21 In that hour Jesus rejoiced IN THE SPIRIT and said, “I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight.

John 11:33 Therefore, when Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her weeping, He groaned IN THE SPIRIT and was troubled.

Acts 19:21 When these things were accomplished, Paul purposed IN THE SPIRIT, when he had passed through Macedonia and Achaia, to go to Jerusalem, saying, “After I have been there, I must also see Rome.”

Acts 20:22 “And see, now I go bound IN THE SPIRIT to Jerusalem, not knowing the things that will happen to me there,

Rom 2:29 but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, IN THE SPIRIT, not in the letter; whose praise is not from men but from God.

Rom 8:9 But you are not in the flesh but IN THE SPIRIT, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.

1 Cor 14:2 For he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God, for no one understands him; however, IN THE SPIRIT he speaks mysteries.

Gal 3:3 Are you so foolish? Having begun IN THE SPIRIT, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?

Gal 5:16 I say then: Walk IN THE SPIRIT, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.

Gal 5:25 If we live IN THE SPIRIT, let us also walk IN THE SPIRIT.

Eph 2:22 in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God IN THE SPIRIT.

Eph 4:23 and be renewed IN THE SPIRIT of your mind,

Eph 6:18 praying always with all prayer and supplication IN THE SPIRIT, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—

Phil 3:3 For we are the circumcision, who worship God IN THE SPIRIT, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh,

Col 1:8 who also declared to us your love IN THE SPIRIT.

1 Tim 3:16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh, Justified IN THE SPIRIT, Seen by angels, Preached among the Gentiles, Believed on in the world, Received up in glory.

1 Pet 4:6 For this reason the gospel was preached also to those who are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God IN THE SPIRIT.

Rev 1:10 I was IN THE SPIRIT on the Lord’s Day, and I heard behind me a loud voice, as of a trumpet,

Rev 4:2 Immediately I was IN THE SPIRIT; and behold, a throne set in heaven, and One sat on the throne.

Rev 17:3 So he carried me away IN THE SPIRIT into the wilderness. And I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast which was full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.

Rev 21:10 And he carried me away IN THE SPIRIT to a great and high mountain, and showed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem,