Led By the Spirit

Ryan LaRue

The Work of the Spirit • Sermon • Submitted a year ago

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God wants to lead His people. I will be led by the Spirit in all I do.

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Led By the Spirit

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Welcome

Support our Youth’s trip to HYC

Don’t miss Wednesday the 21st - I’m going to be preaching that night about the Love of God.

Recap of last week: “The Necessity of the Spirit”

This morning: “Being Led By the Spirit”

Prayer

Text

Romans 8:13–14 KJV 1900

13 For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. 14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

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Lesson Connection

I’m going to present a scenario this morning that I know you’re going to identify with, because we’ve all been in this sort of situation before…

There’s a husband and wife who are driving across state lines to shop at a particular store that they don’t have back home. The wife is pretty excited to be able to get to go. Husband spends some time checking out directions before they leave.

They get into the city, they are on their way. But at some point, the directions he thought he had weren’t working at all. As a matter of fact, start feeling like they’re in a maze more than a city. And they’re looking for a landmark or a helpful sign that will point them in the right direction.

And they both have different ideas of what to do. Husband thinks left turn. Wife thinks right. They go with Husband’s left, and after a while, they haven’t gotten anywhere. And Wife says, “I told you we should have went right...” Husband says, “I know where I’m going.” Husband doesn’t know where he’s going. Wife tells Husband he doesn’t know where he’s going. Husband asks Wife who’s holding the steering wheel. Wife says “someone who doesn’t know where they’re going.”

You know the drill… and tension is rising in this vehicle. Were they ever going to make it where they were going? And they had fear whispering that they might wander into a dangerous part of town.

And what I’m about to say takes a while, but… desperation finally outweighs testosterone… and Husband stops to find someone with directions. And not only that… the person he finds is actually headed to the same area they are. And suddenly, the tension leaves. Fear subsides.

And why??? What changed there??? They still didn’t know where they were or where to go. They still hadn’t walked into the store yet. They were no closer to what they had set out for.

But here was the difference: Now, someone was leading them who did know where they were and did know where they should go. And their knowledge was going to make all the difference.

When we’re walking through life and we start becoming uncertain about what we’re supposed to do...

“What choice should I make?”

“How do I know this will get me where I need to go?”

“What if I go the wrong way; make the wrong choice?”

I am thankful that I can report to the Church today that we have the One who knows all and sees all and is prepared for all who can and will direct us if we will submit to His leading!

It’s the Holy Ghost! And it will guide us through life and one day into glory!

God Has Always Desired to Lead His People

You see, God knows that we don’t know our own way. We are actually pretty helpless when we are trying to go through life relying only on our own ability.

God used the prophet Jeremiah to speak these words, making it clear:

Jeremiah 10:23 KJV 1900

23 O Lord, I know that the way of man is not in himself: It is not in man that walketh to direct his steps.

If I’m left to my own direction, I will most surely make choices that lead to heartache, hurt, and chaos. I’ll make a mess of it real quick. And if you’ve lived any significant length of time, you’ve seen this in your life and in others.

But with that - thankfully - God doesn’t leave us in that hopeless situation. We have an assurance that He Himself will be our guide through life if we will trust Him.

There is such a thing as being led of the Holy Ghost. And it’s beautiful. His guidance is perfect! When He points us in a direction, we don’t ever have to fear or question it - He’s perfectly wise in all things!

When we hear the voice of the Lord - in a direct word, through Scripture, or from the lips of our spiritual leadership - we can be sure it’s not going to steer us wrong.

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Israel Was Led by the Spirit in the Wilderness

Now, I’ve got some examples of being led of the Spirit.

One clear example of God leading His people is found in Exodus. 400 years in Egyptian slavery. And then, all of a sudden, Israel is delivered by the mighty hand of God.

And I would mention that this was a completely broken people. They were deprived (of nourishment and dignity and even children). The were beat up. They had been through it over there. And that’s just the reality.

And then, they get out of Egypt finally. And what happens? For 40 years, they wander in circles out in the wilderness. But it wasn’t because God freed them just so He could see them go in circles. He let that happen because if their disbelief. And murmuring.

God had a very specific plan. Not just to bring them out of Egypt, but to put them into the Promised Land. But they were going to have to believe The One in charge, and that He had a plan. I’VE GOT TO DO THE SAME. OR I’LL GO IN CIRCLES.

Let me ask this question: What good does it do for God to deliver you, and they you turn in circles in life? There’s Christian people who do that. They’re delivered from the world, but they’re not delivered from themselves. And so they turn circles. GOD DOESN’T WANT YOU TURNING CIRCLES. HE WANTS YOU TO BE LED!

And so, it’s interesting… to get them from Egypt to Canaan… He got them there in truly spectacular fashion:

Exodus 13:21–22 KJV 1900

21 And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night: 22 He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people.

And every morning, they got up and did what the Spirit did. PRAISE GOD!

And God’s desire to guide us is going to require us to trust. There’s a lot of times we are not going to understand His direction. Because His ways are so far above ours, sometimes He steers us in ways we can’t understand because He knows they are best for us.

And He did this exact thing for Israel. Look at this:

Exodus 13:17–18 KJV 1900

17 And it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God led them not through the way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said, Lest peradventure the people repent when they see war, and they return to Egypt: 18 But God led the people about, through the way of the wilderness of the Red sea: and the children of Israel went up harnessed out of the land of Egypt.

The Shepherd Desires to Lead His Sheep

Something we see in Scripture a lot is the nature of God to lead us by Hs Spirit as our “Shepherd.”

Sheep are not driven; they are led.

And any caring shepherd is going to carefully choose the route the sheep are going to take. He’s going to select it, not for his own comfort, but based on what was best for the sheep.

What route is going to have the best water?

Which way is going to provide the most grazing?

Which is going to be the most safe from the wolves?

Which is going to be the least dangerous way?

Don’t you know that the Good Shepherd is looking ahead to see the things you CAN’T see!!!

In the 23rd Psalm, the writer uses this shepherd/sheep theme. The Shepherd leads us beside the still waters. He leads us in the paths of righteousness. He is with us even in the valley of the shadow of death. Goes before us to prepare a table where we can eat while our enemy has to watch.

And do you know what the result of us being willing to be led is? It’s in what follows us…

Psalm 23:6 KJV 1900

6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: And I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

I’m here on this Sunday morning to let a body know that if we follow His Spirit as it leads us, there will be blessing!!!

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I Will Be Led by the Spirit in All I Do

And I’m confident of it enough to tell you that God will lead us by His Spirit just like He did Israel!

“Now, Bro. LaRue, I sure haven’t been seeing any pillars of fire or cloud around here. That’s a little extreme.”

Actually, we’ve got something even better than what they had! We’ve got the fire of God’s Spirit inside of us by being baptized with the Holy Ghost.

And so… we don’t have to depend on some external sign like a pillar. Because if we’re doing it right, then we are in daily communion with the Spirit! And that directs our steps! WOW!

And so, it’s as simple as this…

You’re needing God to give you some direction. You’re not sure.

And some people at this point… they need God to show them some physical sign. Every time. There’s some, that it would take an entire Christmas light display on their street that spelled out, “RYAN, IT IS NOW TIME FOR YOU TO SHOUT.” And it would take that much to move them.

WORSHIP ISN’T BASED ON DIRECTION. WORSHIP IS BASED ON HOW WORTHY HE IS!

But you’re needing direction. And I’m not saying God doesn’t give signs like that. But you haven’t seen one.

So what do you do?

You get into prayer. You talk to God about it and ask Him. And you get yourself in the Spirit.

And check this out… even if you feel like you didn’t get a clear direction from God in prayer… if it’s time to make a decision on whatever the issue is, do what you feel like you should do when you finish praying. And that’s an example of discernment.

Because, who here after leaving a service or prayer meeting or prayer throughout your week, ever felt like doing something wrong? That doesn’t happen. The Spirit will lead us and guide us into all truth.

And I believe God will lead you to the right thing.

Leading is just what God does. He’s really great at it. As a matter of fact, there are presidents and world leaders (some of them in evil nations) that don’t have any kind of relationship with Him, and they have no idea… but they’re doing exactly what He wants.

Leading is what He does. And following is what His children do. See, that’s the difference: we are intentionally following Him.

Romans 8:14 KJV 1900

14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

Being willing to follow God is like a mark that separates us from those who are not.

And here’s the sobering part of that Scripture: if I won’t be led by His Spirit, then I’m not acting like a son or daughter. In fact, I’m not a son or daughter.

Acts 3 Shows What Happens When Believers are Spirit-Led

If we’ll follow the Spirit of God, there are benefits to it.

We won’t be led to unnecessary temptation (Matt. 6:13).

We’ll be led around traps Satan has laid out for us (Ps. 91:3).

And we’ll enjoy spiritual safety (Ps. 78:53).

But let’s talk about the “why” to this for a minute. We know that He leads us the right way for our own good. Because… I don’t know what is for my own good! I have to rely and trust on Him!

BUT - we also have to recognize that really, He’s leading us in the way that will best serve His kingdom.

Psalm 23:3 KJV 1900

3 He restoreth my soul: He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

“The paths of righteousness” sure sounds great! But for what? “For HIS name’s sake” - not ours!

And so, He’ll direct us into conversations so we can be a witness. He’ll lead us to meet a hurting soul, so we could pray for them. He’ll even order our steps through a job transfer based on what’s best for His church over what’s best for us.

I’m talking about the kingdom!

The Spirit Led Peter and John to Minister

Let me show you what I’m talking about…

Peter and John were making a very familiar trip: going to the temple to pray. They knew the sights and sound of it all. They had made this trip more times than they could count.

It was about 3:00, and there was that buzz of activity all in and around the temple.

And as they approached that gate that was called “Beautiful,” something caught Peter’s eye. His eyes locked on a lame beggar sitting beside the gate.

There was no particular reason why this one man stole Peter’s attention in this moment, because the city was full of people in situations like this. There was no “social safety net” like what we have today. And so begging was consistent, all over.

But for some reason that Peter would have been hard pressed to explain, the whole world seemed to stop when his eyes come on this needy man.

Peter was experiencing something new: and it was the leading of the Holy Ghost. It had just been poured out on them!

God had ordained that lame man would be healed that day. So He simply led Peter and John to that place at that time and then turned Peter’s attention toward the beggar. Peter stood looking at him, and as he did, the voice of the Lord directed him to speak not just to the man, but also to his condition:

Acts 3:6 KJV 1900

6 Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.

POWERFUL. Just incredibly POWERFUL.

And because Peter and John were both so sensitive to and submitted to the leading of the Spirit, someone’s life was changed forever.

I want to be SENSITIVE to the Spirit! And the Lord is growing this local church in that, for sure!

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I Will Be Sensitive to the Spirit and to the Needs of Others

So just like then, God wants to do ministry through hands and voices of US!

He still wants to add to His church. And He will use US for that!

And I really believe that as we go through life, God will orchestrate our steps to place us in a position of spiritual potential.

But here’s the deal: we have to be quick to hear and respond to His voice in those situations. And that means we’ve got to live with an awareness of God’s leading.

If He puts me in that situation and all I can do is wonder about what will happen if I do what He says, and these beggar’s aren’t sincere, and who knows if I’m really being led of God for this… and blah blah blah…

I wonder how many miraculous moments have been missed out on because people reasoned their way out of it. Or simply were living in unbelief that God could do something and work that way.

Look - when our lane at the grocery store seems to be going slower than all the others, rather than getting frustrated, we should be mindful of ministry opportunities around us. Maybe the lady in front of us can’t find her coupons so we end up walking to our car at the same time as a man or woman who God has been drawing. Hmmmm.

Maybe the traffic was slow so we are at the right place at the right time to pray with someone who has suffered loss.

Maybe God has a plan for us to minister today, if we’ll follow His leading!

Being Led By the Spirit, Peter Acted in Faith

Now when that happened at the gate called Beautiful, Peter didn’t just become aware of the lame man’s condition - he allowed God’s Spirit to lead him to act in faith.

Why would God have stolen Peter’s attention if He wasn’t about to show His power to heal?!

Peter didn’t believe he was merely there to observe. He knew he was to act.

The People Were Amazed at the Power of God

And everybody around knew about the man and his condition. He was over 40 years old. He was always at the temple. But he had never been seen as he was on that day. Jumping! Leaping! Shouting!

But along without, God isn’t just running some sideshow. He doesn’t perform to entertain.

The reason He led Peter and John there to perform that miracle was so many, many people would be able to hear the message of salvation. They were all wondering at what had been done. But Peter declared what was needed to be said.

He told them about how they had crucified the Messiah. And then he called on them to repent. And then, thousands believed because two men were led by the Spirit to stop and act!

I Will Act in Faith So Others See the Power of God

I want to tell you: don’t hesitate to pray for someone in the aisle of a department store! Don’t be intimidated by the climate of our day by sharing your testimony of God’s healing with someone in the hospital! Don’t be timid or bashful when interacting with the server at a restaurant.

You never know what God might have already been doing in their lives and what He is now willing to do for those He has led you to!

If God will trust you enough to lead you to a hungry heart, then you have to trust Him enough to put your faith into action! He was leading you in the first place to use you for His Kingdom, for His glory!

Conclusion

Internalizing the Message

Franklin Roosevelt, like every world leader, had a duty that taxed his patience. He was frequently forced to endure long receiving lines at the White House as person after person waited for the special moment to shake his hand. He felt the pressure to speak to each of them, but he complained that no one really paid any attention to what was said.

It is reported that he decided to try an experiment one day during a reception. As each person passed through the line and grasped his hand, he murmured, “I murdered my grandmother this morning.” The guests responded with phrases like, “Marvelous! Keep up the good work. We are proud of you. God bless you, sir.” Each was totally oblivious to what he had just said. No one appeared to actually hear his words until the guests reached the end of the line.

While Roosevelt was greeting the ambassador from Bolivia, the ambassador was surprised. He composed himself, leaned over, and whispered, “I’m sure she had it coming.”

And you have to wonder how often we treat the voice of God and His guidance in the same way!

We know God is speaking and providing direction, but we blindly continue on our own way without giving attention to the directions He has provided. If we do hear His words, we find some way to explain away what they call us to.

To succeed in the Christian walk, each of us have to commit daily to being a follower of our God who leads. To be a follower, we must listen faithfully to the voice of God as He directs our way. When we do, we will be perfectly positioned for a safe passage to a secure destination and empowered to be effective servants of our King along the way.

The voice of His Spirit will speak to us regularly to ensure we are walking the right way. Jesus promised this before the New Covenant had even been enacted.

John 16:13 NKJV

13 However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.

The Spirit of truth now lives inside each of us. He will guide us. Will we listen?

Let me tell you: YOU CAN BE LED OF THE SPIRIT. YOU CAN! EVERY DAY!

If you still don’t have the Holy Ghost, that is evidenced by speaking in other tongues - you need it and you can have it today!

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