Living by the Spirit’s Power
Introduction:
Good reminders of how we are to live.
Ephesians 5:15-20 NLT
15 So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. 16 Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. 17 Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do. 18 Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit, 19 singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts. 20 And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Examine the scriptures:
Ephesians 5:15-20 NLT
Living by the Spirit’s Power
15 So be careful how you live.
- Be careful how you live.
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- Don’t be fooled by false teaching.
Colossians 2:8 NLT
8 Don’t let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ.
Mark 13:22 NLT
22 For false messiahs and false prophets will rise up and perform signs and wonders so as to deceive, if possible, even God’s chosen ones.
2 Peter 2;1-2 NLT
The Danger of False Teachers
2:1 But there were also false prophets in Israel, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will cleverly teach destructive heresies and even deny the Master who bought them. In this way, they will bring sudden destruction on themselves. 2 Many will follow their evil teaching and shameful immorality. And because of these teachers, the way of truth will be slandered.
Be careful how you live. “The stakes are high.”
Matthew 7:13-14 NLT
13 “You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. 14 But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it.
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- The stakes are high.
Don’t live like fools,
The word fool used here is not describing someone with intellectual limits, rather it is describing someone who does not believe the message of the gospel and is living apart from God and his Word.
Proverbs 14:7 NLT
7 Stay away from fools,
for you won’t find knowledge on their lips.
Proverbs 1:22 NLT
22 How long will you fools hate knowledge?
Luke 24:25 NLT
25 Then Jesus said to them, “You foolish people! You find it so hard to believe all that the prophets wrote in the Scriptures.
Galatians 3:1-3 NLT
3:1 Oh, foolish Galatians! Who has cast an evil spell on you? For the meaning of Jesus Christ’s death was made as clear to you as if you had seen a picture of his death on the cross. 2 Let me ask you this one question: Did you receive the Holy Spirit by obeying the law of Moses? Of course not! You received the Spirit because you believed the message you heard about Christ. 3 How foolish can you be? After starting your new lives in the Spirit, why are you now trying to become perfect by your own human effort?
Psalm 14:1 NLT
1 Only fools say in their hearts,
“There is no God.”
- Don’t live like fools.
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- Fools do not believe the message of the gospel and are living apart from God and his Word.
but like those who are wise.
Proverbs 1:7 NLT
7 Fear of the Lord is the foundation of true knowledge,
but fools despise wisdom and discipline.
John 6:29 NLT
29 Jesus told them, “This is the only work God wants from you: Believe in the one he has sent.”
If you need wisdom:
James 1:5 NLT
5 If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.
Colossians 1:9-10 NLT
9 So we have not stopped praying for you since we first heard about you. We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding. 10 Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better.
- Live wisely
16 Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days.
Colossians 4:5 NLT
5 Live wisely among those who are not believers, and make the most of every opportunity.
Our time on earth is brief.
James 4:14 NLT
14 How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone.
Psalm 39:4 NLT
4 “Lord, remind me how brief my time on earth will be.
Remind me that my days are numbered—
how fleeting my life is.
- Our time on earth is brief. Make the most of every opportunity.
17 Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do.
Spend time in the Word.
God’s general guidelines for life are found in the Bible.
God’s will for us is described throughout His Word.
Psalm 119:105 NLT
105 Your word is a lamp to guide my feet
and a light for my path.
Proverbs 3:5-6 NLT
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart;
do not depend on your own understanding.
6 Seek his will in all you do,
and he will show you which path to take.
Romans 12:2 NLT
2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
Accept counsel from other believers.
Proverbs 11:14 NLT
14 Without wise leadership, a nation falls;
there is safety in having many advisers.
- Seek God’s will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.
- Understand what the Lord wants you to do, and then do it.
Romans 12:6-8 NLT
6 In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. 7 If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. 8 If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.
18 Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit,
Do not get drunk on wine.
Galatians 5:16 NLT
16 So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves.
Galatians 5:22-23 NLT
22 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!
Practical
Colossians 3:16 NLT
16 Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts.
- Let the Holy Spirit guide your lives.
19 singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves,
Corporately worship the Lord.
Psalm 22:22 NLT (David)
22 I will proclaim your name to my brothers and sisters.
I will praise you among your assembled people.
Psalm 100
A psalm of thanksgiving.
1 Shout with joy to the Lord, all the earth!
2 Worship the Lord with gladness.
Come before him, singing with joy.
3 Acknowledge that the Lord is God!
He made us, and we are his.
We are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving;
go into his courts with praise.
Give thanks to him and praise his name.
5 For the Lord is good.
His unfailing love continues forever,
and his faithfulness continues to each generation.
and making music to the Lord in your hearts.
Not just in public, but also worship the Lord in private.
- Worship the Lord both corporately and privately.
20 And give thanks for everything to God the Father
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NLT
16 Always be joyful. 17 Never stop praying. 18 Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:6 NLT
6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.
- Give thanks for everything to God the Father.
in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
John 14:6 NLT
6 Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.
Romans 8:34 NLT
Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us. (Interceding for us.)
Jesus intercedes for us.
- Jesus Christ is our mediator and representative as we approach God.
