Sermon Outlines . Volume 03 | Issue 17

Living in the Spirit

(Romans 8:9-17)

The Holy Ghost is so called, not because He is holier than the other Persons of the Godhead, but because one of His special functions is to sanctify – that is, to cultivate holiness in man.

We cannot have the Father and the Son without the Spirit. Neither can we have the grace of Christ and the love of God without the communion of the Spirit.

The Spirit is the abiding representative of the Godhead in the heart of the believer. He is the omnipresent teacher, comforter and sanctifier. When He reveals Himself the truth is all aglow, the hearts of Christians are warmed and the consciences of sinners are awakened. When He is grieved away or His light is quenched, formalism and fear, unbelief and worldliness prevail.

If we would have the grace that is in Christ and the love of God shed abroad in our hearts, we must secure the communion or fellowship of the Holy Spirit. We must live in the Spirit of God. That means several things.

  1. Living in the Spirit Means Ownership by the Spirit (v. 9).J. C. Vaughn told of a skeptic who was trying to confuse an uneducated Christian man by apparently-contradictory passages in the Bible. He asked how it could be that we were in the Spirit and the Spirit in us. The skeptic wasn’t ready for the keen insight of his “uneducated” opponent. The man replied, “Oh, there’s no puzzle ’bout that. It’s like that poker. I put it in the fire, and the fire’s in the poker.”As Vaughn observed, a profound theologian could not have come up with a better answer!When He’s in us He owns us. We are His to do with as He pleases, because we are in Him and He in us. Glory to God!
  2. Living in the Spirit Means Righteousness and Holiness.F. D. Huntington gave a superb definition of holiness when he stated that “holiness is religious principle put into motion. It is the love of God sent forth into circulation, on the feet, and with the hands of love to me. It is faith gone to work. It is charity coined into actions, and devotion breathing benedictions on human suffering, while it goes up in intercession to the Father of all piety.”
  3. Living in the Spirit Means a Love Obligation to the Spirit (v. 12-13)Many years ago, throughout New England and the Middle States, the sun was obscured one day without apparent reason, and night came at noon. The Connecticut Legislature was in session, and some of the members proposed an immediate adjournment. Colonel Davenport said, “I do not know whether this is the day of judgment or not. But if it is the day of judgment, it cannot overtake us at a better place than at the post of duty. Let us light the candles and go on with the business.”I’m obliged to the Spirit for He has given me strength of participation in life. I am in love with Him. My obligation is not out of stern-faced duty, but out of a bond of love.
  4. Living in the Spirit Means We Are Heirs (v. 13-17)Several years ago my wife and I had a will drawn up leaving all our worldly possessions to our children. They are our flesh and blood. What we have is theirs. In such a manner, all that God has is given to His children who are His heirs. How awe-inspiring and awesome to think that His resources are ours.Let us live in the Spirit and He will live in us.
    (DGK – copied from PREACHING pg.41-42, July-August 1987)