When we talked about Covenant with God a few weeks ago, obviously the Holy Spirit is a part of the trinity, and he is God as much as the Father and Son are.

But what we were talking about before was the relationship side of God - meaning the Lordship of Jesus Christ, our righteousness to the Father through Jesus, and how the Holy Spirit initiates and works that process out.

This week, we are going to talk about walking in the Spirit and what that means.

So when I say Covenant with the Holy Spirit, what i mean is our commitment to walking with him daily.

What does it mean to walk in the Spirit?

1. To walk in the Spirit, we must be in tune with the Spirit.

1 Corinthians 2:14-18 …people who aren’t spiritual can’t receive these truths from God’s Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them and they can’t understand it, for only those who are spiritual can understand what the Spirit means. Those who are spiritual can evaluate all things, but they themselves cannot be evaluated by others. For, “Who can know the Lord’s thoughts? Who knows enough to teach him?” But we understand these things, for we have the mind of Christ.”

Notice: spiritual, not religious.
- Perfect attendance at church doesn’t make you spiritual.
- Knowing all the Jesus answers doesn’t make you spiritual.

You can’t be in tune with the Holy Spirit without a real relationship with him.

2. To walk in the Spirit, we must know what the Spirit does.
Most people see the Holy Spirit as a guide, but there’s so much more to the Holy Spirit than that.

John 16:7-8 But in fact, it is best for you that I go away, because if I don’t, the Advocate won’t come. If I do go away, then I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will convict the world of its sin, and of God’s righteousness, and of the coming judgment.

Just like Jesus broke the law down into three simple parts (Love God People Self), the work of the Holy Spirit can be summed up in three parts:

Part 1: Sin
The Holy Spirit convicts us of sin.

If we didn’t have someone to show us what sin was, we would never realize our need for saving. A result is that we realize we need Jesus and we believe in him. Even after salvation, the Holy Spirit leads us by helping us know what is sin.

Part 2: Righteousness
The Holy Spirit shows us what righteousness really is.

We can know what sin looks like, but until we know what righteousness looks like, we can’t understand it. The Holy Spirit reveals who God is to us, and from that revelation, we see what real righteousness looks like, and through Jesus, the Holy Spirit gives us access to that righteousness.

On top of that, we are empowered by the Holy Spirit to be able to live the life God has called us to live.

Part 3: Judgment
The Holy Spirit reassures us that God has already won the victory.
We know that we are overcomes because the Holy Spirit reminds us that the enemy has already been defeated. The Holy Spirit reminds us of this so that we can reject temptation that comes from someone who has already lost, therefore, you have no reason to respond to the temptation in the first place.

Proof of the above:
John 16:9-11 The world’s sin is that it refuses to believe in me. Righteousness is available because I go to the Father, and you will see me no more. Judgment will come because the ruler of this world has already been judged.

3. To walk in the Spirit, we must know what that looks like.
First, what it doesn’t look like:
- Galatians 5:19-21 When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these.

What it does look like:
- Galatians 5:22-23 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

These are the qualities we should have as a result of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

So then what does walking in the Spirit look like in real life?
Dealing with sin
- Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you today.
- Listen as he speaks to you throughout the day.
- When a fruit of the flesh presents itself, you listen to the Holy Spirit.
- He gives a way of escape
- He gives peace in the trial
- He give comfort in the storm
- He gives strength to endure
- He give power to resist
- He fights on your behalf
- When you are tempted to lust, you respond with self-control.
- When you are tempted to worry, you respond with faithfulness.
- When you are tempted to retaliate, you respond with gentleness.

SMALL GROUPS
1. What do you think about the Holy Spirit? Do you need him? Why?
2. How would you define walking in the Spirit?
3. What are some things that need to happen in your life so that you can walk by the Spirit?
4. What is the one thing that keeps you from walking in the Spirit?

So what do I do now?
1. The Holy Spirit is a free gift, just like salvation.
2. To be filled with the Holy Spirit, you simply have to ask him to fill you. “I receive”
3. To walk in the Spirit, you need to
- engage with him every day,
-ask him to empower you for the day ahead
-do what he tells you to do
-take the way of escape he offers
-allow him to guide you along the path of your purpose