7. The Leading of the Spirit (Romans 8:14)
This sermon was preached on 10/12/2009
We saw last time that one aspect of the leading of the Spirit is mortification of sin in the life of a Christian. This makes clear that the leading of the Spirit includes developing a life of holiness by putting to death the attitudes and actions of the sin still remaining within us. But mortification is not all that is meant by the leading of the Spirit and I want to consider some other aspects of the Spirit’s leading. (There is another aspect of the Spirit’s leading that I don’t intend to focus on in this address, and that is the witness of the Spirit which Paul mentions in the next verses. I plan to comment on this aspect in later sermons.)
Before I do so, I would point out that Paul’s words indicate that this leading of the Spirit is a common experience of all God’s people. Paul makes this clear by linking the leading with membership of God’s family. There is no such person as a Christian who is not being led by the Spirit. This divine leading has active and passive elements to it or objective and subjective sides. Objectively, he has given us commandments which he enables us to obey subjectively; actively we respond to the commandments and passively we are enabled to obey them.
It is also the case that the leading of the Spirit is the crucial aspect of living the Christian life. We are familiar with the way the words are used in everyday Christian speech; often it is used in connection to sudden or strong impulses that a person feels. For example, a person who we have not seen for years, perhaps never even thought about for a long time, suddenly comes into our minds. That may very well be the Spirit indicating to us that we should pray for that person. But we cannot deduce from this that every impulse is from the Spirit. Nor can we limit the leading of the Spirit to such experiences. The fact of the matter is that every area of the Christian life has to be under the leading of the Spirit.
The imagery of being led by the Spirit implies that he goes ahead of us in company and that he has a destination in mind. In order to be in his company we need to be Christlike. This aspect is found in Galatians 5 where Paul, in contrasting the roles of the flesh and the Spirit, says that the leading of the Spirit will result in Christians producing the fruit of the Spirit, and in effect become increasingly like Jesus.
But the Spirit also has a destination in mind. I have here a quotation but I don’t recall who said it: ‘He knows the only path which leads to Heaven. He knows the difficulties and dangers which beset us, the intricate maze of life’s journey, the numerous false routes by which Satan deceives souls, and the proneness of the human heart to follow that which is evil; and therefore does He, in His infinite grace, take charge of those who are “strangers and pilgrims” in this scene, and conduct them safely to the Celestial Country. O what praise is due unto this heavenly Guide! How gladly and thankfully should we submit ourselves unto His directions!’
Matthew Henry depicts this divine leading as follows: ‘They are led by the Spirit of God, as a scholar in his learning is led by his tutor, as a traveller in his journey is led by his guide, as a soldier in his engagements is led by his captain; not driven as beasts, but led as rational creatures, drawn with the cords of a man and the bands of love. It is the undoubted character of all true believers that they are led by the Spirit of God.’
I would like to consider to aspects of the leading of the Spirit: his leading into truth and his leading through situations of testing.
The Spirit and appreciation of truth
Jesus refers to this in John 16:13: ‘When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.’ The immediate context is Jesus’ promise to his disciples that the Holy Spirit would reveal to them truths that they could not appreciate at the time. There are two applications that we can make to ourselves.
First, the truth that we need to know was conveyed to the church through the apostles whom the Spirit used to write the New Testament. In other words, the truth that Jesus has in mind when he says ‘all truth’ does not refer to truths found outside the Bible. It is true to say that London is the capital of Britain or that hydrogen and oxygen are components of water. But we don’t need the special work of the Holy Spirit to understand them (although we do need his common grace to do so). The ‘all truth’ that Jesus refers to is God’s plan of salvation revealed in Scripture. The Spirit leads us to understand God’s purposes and never leads us contrary to the Bible.
Second, it is evident from Jesus’ words that this type of understanding is a developing one. Although the disciples have been with Jesus for three years, they are still not ready to appreciate some deeper truths of God’s word. And that happens with us as well. Understanding Christian doctrine is not primarily a matter of brain power but of Christian maturity. The Holy Spirit gradually develops this type of maturity within each of his people.
I think it is worth noting that understanding biblical truth intellectually is not the same as understanding it experimentally. Take the doctrine of providence. It is easy to give an intellectual explanation of this doctrine: ‘God is in control.’ But that is not the same as appreciating providence experimentally. How does God do this? This leads on to the second aspect of the leading of the Spirit, which is being taken into situations of testing.
Before we consider testing, we should note that learning truth progressively is how Jesus learned truth as far as his humanity was concerned. Luke, in particular, points this out: ‘And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favour with God and man’ (Luke 2:52). Isaiah prophesied of this in Isaiah 50:4: ‘The Lord GOD hath given me the tongue of those who are taught, that I may know how to sustain with a word him who is weary. Norning by morning, he awakens; he awakens mine ear to hear as those who are taught.’
The Spirit and situations of testing
Again we see this exemplified in the life of Jesus. After he was baptised, he ‘was led by the Spirit in the wilderness’ (Luke 4:1). The baptism was a mountain-top experience in the life of Jesus, an occasion when he received the Father’s affirmation of his divine relationship and the Father’s empowerment (the Spirit) for his years of public service. Almost the first thing that the Spirit did was to lead or compel Jesus to go into the desert to face the temptations of the devil. Of course, the Spirit was not responsible for the temptations but he did use them as an occasion of testing. The consequence of this period of testing was continued power and courage because Jesus went to Nazareth and spoke boldly to the villagers despite their hostility towards him.
We often find ourselves in similar situations. There has been a time of spiritual blessing when we have experienced the Lord’s favour and enjoyed his fellowship. Suddenly we find ourselves in a time of temptation, almost as if the Lord, who had been so near, had abandoned us. Or a adverse situation has come our way in providence, which looks likely that things will become difficult. How are we to react to such situations?
First, we must remind ourselves that the Spirit is in control of the situation. He has taken us into it because he chose to. The fact that a situation is difficult or unpleasant does not mean that we have not been led by the Spirit into it.
Second, we must recognise that difficult situations are good for developing spiritual character. It is easy to be ‘spiritual’ during a mountain-top experience. But when things seem to be going wrong, when God does not seem to hear our prayers, it is then that the devil can tempt us to doubt God’s care. If the only voice we listen to is the devil’s, then we will not progress in the spiritual life. But we have to realise that the same events are both a temptation and a test – a temptation from the devil and a test from God.
The usual situation that a Christian will confront is that God will not remove an external temptation. Take as an example a Christian who spends too much time watching the television. God will not send down an angel to carry the box out of the room. Instead God gives a way of escape, which is the on/off switch in this case. But it is not enough to switch the TV off, because the person may still wish it was on. He or she has to start doing something profitable, otherwise they will soon resume watching the TV.
Let’s take a couple of practical examples. The first one is when something goes wrong in one's life. Such a situation has been sent by God to see if we still respond by trusting him. At the same time, the devil will come along and suggest to us how unkind God has been in responding in this way after all the times we have prayed or all the money we have given. The test has become a temptation. We will either pass the test or fail the temptation.
We should also note that even good providences are also times of testing from God. We mentioned earlier about the Christian who loses his job and how that can be a test. But take the opposite scenario. A Christian gets promotion with an increased salary. That too is a test from God. If that Christian fails to increase his givings to God in line with his increased earnings, then he fails the test.
I read this comment on how a Christian should respond to testings and trials: he is not there inadvertently, he is not there in isolation, and he is not there indefinitely. God has arranged it, the Spirit is with him, and there is a limit to the test because we will not be tested above what we are able. God wants us to make progress, which is why these tests have come.
When we come into such situations we value God’s commandments and promises. The commandments give us guidance on how to respond and the promises give us hope and assurance during these times of difficulty. If these difficult situations had not come, we would not have experienced the Spirit’s maturing ministry in our lives.
But what happens if we do not respond correctly, which is often the case? Does the Spirit stop leading us? The answer is no, because he leads us to repent of our wrong responses.
Before I do so, I would point out that Paul’s words indicate that this leading of the Spirit is a common experience of all God’s people. Paul makes this clear by linking the leading with membership of God’s family. There is no such person as a Christian who is not being led by the Spirit. This divine leading has active and passive elements to it or objective and subjective sides. Objectively, he has given us commandments which he enables us to obey subjectively; actively we respond to the commandments and passively we are enabled to obey them.
It is also the case that the leading of the Spirit is the crucial aspect of living the Christian life. We are familiar with the way the words are used in everyday Christian speech; often it is used in connection to sudden or strong impulses that a person feels. For example, a person who we have not seen for years, perhaps never even thought about for a long time, suddenly comes into our minds. That may very well be the Spirit indicating to us that we should pray for that person. But we cannot deduce from this that every impulse is from the Spirit. Nor can we limit the leading of the Spirit to such experiences. The fact of the matter is that every area of the Christian life has to be under the leading of the Spirit.
The imagery of being led by the Spirit implies that he goes ahead of us in company and that he has a destination in mind. In order to be in his company we need to be Christlike. This aspect is found in Galatians 5 where Paul, in contrasting the roles of the flesh and the Spirit, says that the leading of the Spirit will result in Christians producing the fruit of the Spirit, and in effect become increasingly like Jesus.
But the Spirit also has a destination in mind. I have here a quotation but I don’t recall who said it: ‘He knows the only path which leads to Heaven. He knows the difficulties and dangers which beset us, the intricate maze of life’s journey, the numerous false routes by which Satan deceives souls, and the proneness of the human heart to follow that which is evil; and therefore does He, in His infinite grace, take charge of those who are “strangers and pilgrims” in this scene, and conduct them safely to the Celestial Country. O what praise is due unto this heavenly Guide! How gladly and thankfully should we submit ourselves unto His directions!’
Matthew Henry depicts this divine leading as follows: ‘They are led by the Spirit of God, as a scholar in his learning is led by his tutor, as a traveller in his journey is led by his guide, as a soldier in his engagements is led by his captain; not driven as beasts, but led as rational creatures, drawn with the cords of a man and the bands of love. It is the undoubted character of all true believers that they are led by the Spirit of God.’
I would like to consider to aspects of the leading of the Spirit: his leading into truth and his leading through situations of testing.
The Spirit and appreciation of truth
Jesus refers to this in John 16:13: ‘When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.’ The immediate context is Jesus’ promise to his disciples that the Holy Spirit would reveal to them truths that they could not appreciate at the time. There are two applications that we can make to ourselves.
First, the truth that we need to know was conveyed to the church through the apostles whom the Spirit used to write the New Testament. In other words, the truth that Jesus has in mind when he says ‘all truth’ does not refer to truths found outside the Bible. It is true to say that London is the capital of Britain or that hydrogen and oxygen are components of water. But we don’t need the special work of the Holy Spirit to understand them (although we do need his common grace to do so). The ‘all truth’ that Jesus refers to is God’s plan of salvation revealed in Scripture. The Spirit leads us to understand God’s purposes and never leads us contrary to the Bible.
Second, it is evident from Jesus’ words that this type of understanding is a developing one. Although the disciples have been with Jesus for three years, they are still not ready to appreciate some deeper truths of God’s word. And that happens with us as well. Understanding Christian doctrine is not primarily a matter of brain power but of Christian maturity. The Holy Spirit gradually develops this type of maturity within each of his people.
I think it is worth noting that understanding biblical truth intellectually is not the same as understanding it experimentally. Take the doctrine of providence. It is easy to give an intellectual explanation of this doctrine: ‘God is in control.’ But that is not the same as appreciating providence experimentally. How does God do this? This leads on to the second aspect of the leading of the Spirit, which is being taken into situations of testing.
Before we consider testing, we should note that learning truth progressively is how Jesus learned truth as far as his humanity was concerned. Luke, in particular, points this out: ‘And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favour with God and man’ (Luke 2:52). Isaiah prophesied of this in Isaiah 50:4: ‘The Lord GOD hath given me the tongue of those who are taught, that I may know how to sustain with a word him who is weary. Norning by morning, he awakens; he awakens mine ear to hear as those who are taught.’
The Spirit and situations of testing
Again we see this exemplified in the life of Jesus. After he was baptised, he ‘was led by the Spirit in the wilderness’ (Luke 4:1). The baptism was a mountain-top experience in the life of Jesus, an occasion when he received the Father’s affirmation of his divine relationship and the Father’s empowerment (the Spirit) for his years of public service. Almost the first thing that the Spirit did was to lead or compel Jesus to go into the desert to face the temptations of the devil. Of course, the Spirit was not responsible for the temptations but he did use them as an occasion of testing. The consequence of this period of testing was continued power and courage because Jesus went to Nazareth and spoke boldly to the villagers despite their hostility towards him.
We often find ourselves in similar situations. There has been a time of spiritual blessing when we have experienced the Lord’s favour and enjoyed his fellowship. Suddenly we find ourselves in a time of temptation, almost as if the Lord, who had been so near, had abandoned us. Or a adverse situation has come our way in providence, which looks likely that things will become difficult. How are we to react to such situations?
First, we must remind ourselves that the Spirit is in control of the situation. He has taken us into it because he chose to. The fact that a situation is difficult or unpleasant does not mean that we have not been led by the Spirit into it.
Second, we must recognise that difficult situations are good for developing spiritual character. It is easy to be ‘spiritual’ during a mountain-top experience. But when things seem to be going wrong, when God does not seem to hear our prayers, it is then that the devil can tempt us to doubt God’s care. If the only voice we listen to is the devil’s, then we will not progress in the spiritual life. But we have to realise that the same events are both a temptation and a test – a temptation from the devil and a test from God.
The usual situation that a Christian will confront is that God will not remove an external temptation. Take as an example a Christian who spends too much time watching the television. God will not send down an angel to carry the box out of the room. Instead God gives a way of escape, which is the on/off switch in this case. But it is not enough to switch the TV off, because the person may still wish it was on. He or she has to start doing something profitable, otherwise they will soon resume watching the TV.
Let’s take a couple of practical examples. The first one is when something goes wrong in one's life. Such a situation has been sent by God to see if we still respond by trusting him. At the same time, the devil will come along and suggest to us how unkind God has been in responding in this way after all the times we have prayed or all the money we have given. The test has become a temptation. We will either pass the test or fail the temptation.
We should also note that even good providences are also times of testing from God. We mentioned earlier about the Christian who loses his job and how that can be a test. But take the opposite scenario. A Christian gets promotion with an increased salary. That too is a test from God. If that Christian fails to increase his givings to God in line with his increased earnings, then he fails the test.
I read this comment on how a Christian should respond to testings and trials: he is not there inadvertently, he is not there in isolation, and he is not there indefinitely. God has arranged it, the Spirit is with him, and there is a limit to the test because we will not be tested above what we are able. God wants us to make progress, which is why these tests have come.
When we come into such situations we value God’s commandments and promises. The commandments give us guidance on how to respond and the promises give us hope and assurance during these times of difficulty. If these difficult situations had not come, we would not have experienced the Spirit’s maturing ministry in our lives.
But what happens if we do not respond correctly, which is often the case? Does the Spirit stop leading us? The answer is no, because he leads us to repent of our wrong responses.
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