Secret Formula For Walking By The Spirit — Tim Conway

Freedom from Legalistic Rules in Walking by the Spirit

And I think a lot of times we get guys that they're like looking for this set of rules about what it's going to mean to walk in the Spirit when the reality is walking in the Spirit is a place of freedom.

Forgiveness and Acceptance Through Christ

It's a place of freedom why? Because I have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and the reality is if I fall into sin today, I'm still forgiven. And so, I'm not accepted by God on that basis. That's already been dealt with.

That's taken care of. And now, I'm free. I don't have to walk around and do penance. I don't have to wait until the day of atonement and make sure that all our sins are already atoned for for Christians.

And we have freedom. And now we can use our freedom to be creative and come up with ways to love the brethren and love people in the world. And if you just come up with some list of rules, like you're going to rigidly try to keep to walk in the Spirit, that's often what happens.

Fixing Our Eyes on Christ Rather Than Ourselves

It's like, I'm going to drive home. I need to live in the Spirit. So you're thinking about living in the Spirit. It's almost like that's the opposite of what you need to be doing. It's like that becomes so introspective and so absorbed with yourself.

And what you're really seeing here is it's like Paul is saying stop being absorbed with yourself. Because that's what people who want to be under the law and under the list and under the rules and under the rigidity are always doing.

They're thinking about what am I doing? How am I performing? And I've got to do this to please God. Rather than looking at the cross, because the thing is, you'll recognize chapter 1 and chapter 3 both start with Christ crucified.

Christ dying. That's the real focal point of the faith of this Gospel that Paul's setting forth. That's why he said these guys are pursuing another Gospel. Because they've moved away from that reality.

The Hearing of Faith and the Secret of the Spirit's Power

They started by the hearing of faith. They started with their eyes set on Christ. What happened? Judaizers came along and they said, you know, you guys really need to be thinking about other things here.

And they pulled their eyes off of it. And the reality is we can pull our eyes off of Christ just as fast trying to come up with some new scheme. You can talk to one another. Well, what do we have to do to walk in the Spirit?

I'll tell you what to do. You need to read this book over here. You really want to do it? Go to this conference over here. This is what's going to really make you holy. I'm not saying there's anything necessarily wrong with going to a conference or reading a book, but you can get it in your head.

Here's the secret formula for walking in the Spirit. Well, the formula for walking in the Spirit is namely this. It is to absorb your life with Christ and faith in Him and trusting, I'm accepted by Him.

And it says you're trusting there and your eyes are on Him that the Spirit is pleased to come along in His mysterious way. Where's that channel that the Spirit of God is here? But some in this room, He may be pouring power into more than others.

And the one reality that you just can't get away from in Scripture is that we receive and we are supplied by the Spirit by the hearing of faith. And it's faith in Christ that's always the issue. If somebody is tapping the power of the Spirit more than others, their eyes are glued on Christ.

Their hope is set more firmly. They're embracing. They're clinging to Him. They're crying to Him. They're looking to Him. They're hoping in Him. They're in the Scriptures looking for Him. They're digging Him out.

Their delight is in Him. Their thoughts are on Him. And that's where the Spirit is pleased. And you see what happened to the Galatians. The Galatians have these teachers come along and they're saying, look over here.

Look at this. Get your eyes off Christ. They weren't saying it like that, but that's what's happening. It's like their eyes are on Christ, but then they're saying, let your eyes follow my fingers over here.

And next thing you know, their eyes aren't on Christ anymore and Paul's saying, you foolish Galatians, where are you looking now?

Regulations Cannot Produce Holiness

I think of the Colossians that had all the regulations they wanted to submit to. And Paul said that they were of no value.

In stopping the indulgence of the flesh. Timothy 2. The indulgence of the flesh, that's right. You say you have the man-made religion and all these rules and everything. But we know this, the religion of God, the religion of the Scriptures, and the religion that the Spirit of God is most excited to throw His power into or the only place He's excited to throw His power into is that which glorifies Christ.

Imitating Christ Through Sacrificial Love

And if we're seeking any other way, any other means of sanctification, but the reality is that in all of this, it's not just a matter of absorbing ourselves with Christ, it's then as free people, we go out and we imitate Him.

You can't just see Him and then be passive. See Him and be static. It's see Him and He's always saying, follow Me. And then when you get to the end, it's the people who did the things Christ did and lived like He lived and sought to love like He loved, sought to give of themselves sacrificially and deny themselves like He did, who in the end are hearing, well done.

Who are hearing, I was hungry and you fed me. But I like Galatians 5 .13 because it sets flesh over against love. Love isn't some new legalistic rule and bondage that's thrown on our shoulders. That's not what it is.

Intimacy with Christ Bears Fruit for God

Love is a freedom and it's a Spirit-wrought fruit. And we bear fruit for God. That's what Romans 7 says. The reality is we've got to get away from the law. We're married to Christ. We belong to another.

To Him who died and was raised from the dead so that we may bear fruit for God. We belong to Him. We need to be married to Christ. Intimacy with Christ. That's how we bear fruit for God.