Being led by the Spirit (Quality: Good)

[0:00] Paul's Epistle to the Romans chapter 8 and the 14th verse Paul's Epistle to the Romans chapter 8 and the 14th verse For as many as are led by the Spirit of God they are the sons of God.

[0:30] For as many as are led by the Spirit of God they are the sons of God. Paul was one who knew much with regard to the law and the gospel having been taught by the Holy Spirit the vast difference between being under the law and being under Christ.

[1:03] But how in this Epistle to the Romans we see the distinction between natural Israel and spiritual Israel.

[1:15] from the time the Lord called the children of Israel as a nation right up to this present time Israel as a nation have been surrounded with enemies scattered throughout the whole of the earth.

[1:38] but how the Lord in his word has promised that that nation would eventually be gathered back to Israel which some of us have seen during our lifetime.

[1:52] but in spite of all that all the enemies who have tried to overthrow them they still remain as a nation.

[2:06] How during the last great war how Hitler tried to dispose of the whole of the Jewish nation as many thousands upon thousands were murdered but still that nation remains and will remain down to the end of time.

[2:30] It matters not what enemies may rise up against Israel as a nation that nation must and will survive. but how we see spiritual Israel as we see Israel as a nation and there is a vast difference and as Paul speaks in this 8th of Romans he sets forth that difference between Israel as a nation and spiritual Israel and that which is carnal and that which is spiritual.

[3:13] In my younger days I often used to envy the Jews and I've done much business with them in time past and I found them to be in most cases far more honest and straightforward than the Gentiles and perhaps more worthy of acceptation than the Gentiles.

[3:39] But they're very distinct as a nation there is something very distinct with the Jew which is so different to the Gentile naturally speaking.

[3:52] But how we find it so spiritually those who have the Spirit of Christ both Jew and Gentile who are led by the Spirit.

[4:04] now here having clearly set forth the difference between that which is carnal and that which is spiritual we come to this conclusion for as many as are led by the Spirit of God they are the sons of God.

[4:28] And this brings us to a very important question as to our own standing because the answer to this question will reveal a lot whether we are led by the Spirit of God or whether we are not.

[4:46] it doesn't matter how much religion we may have how much we may be accepted by others but if we are not led by the Spirit well then there is no hope for us.

[5:04] It matters not how good and acceptable we may be in the eyes of men. We shall never be acceptable in the eyes of a just and holy God until we are led by his Spirit to know something of the law and then something of the gospel.

[5:27] There are those who like Paul of old or Saul as he was then who had a religion of a sort and were satisfied with it was very zealous in it too and went to great lengths like so many today but they know nothing whatever of being led by the Spirit and if we are led by the Spirit we should know something of our wretchedness by nature we should know something of this flesh because here in this chapter he speaks of those two spirits the Spirit of the life which is within us our flesh and that Spirit which is implanted by the Lord which is none other than the Holy Spirit it is that Spirit which seeks after holy things it is that Spirit which seeks after righteousness that Spirit which seeks after everything which is good and upright and acceptable unto God but how

[6:37] Paul realised that he had another Spirit how he delighted in the law of God after the inward man and that inward man was the working of the Holy Spirit but he saw another law in his members warring against the law of his mind and bringing him into captivity to the law of sin which is in his members now you see if we are taught by the Holy Spirit we should know so much of what we are by nature we should know so much of our own spirit and there will be times when we should groan within ourselves ourselves I know that today this is unusual we don't hear of many who know what it is to groan within themselves because of that spirit which they possess but this is the way in which the children of Israel are taught the spiritual

[7:41] Israel they groan within themselves because of this spirit that they have in the flesh the spirit of the flesh now that spirit then of the flesh will seek after everything of the flesh and those who are in a fleshly religion a carnal religion being twice dead dead in sins and dead also in a form of religion they too will know nothing with regard to the working of the Holy Spirit but their spirit will be after self as a solemn thing when we realise the awfulness of our spirit by nature because it is a verse to all that's good and it's against the working of the Holy Spirit it will have nothing to do with God whatever whatever we may possess whatever blessings we may have had in times past the spirit of our flesh it hates

[8:45] God it hates his ways and it has no desire to follow him or be led by him the spirit of the flesh will seek to follow the things of the flesh the desires of the flesh and the fulfilment of the flesh and there we will remain apart from the grace of God the grace of God is demonstrated and spoken of in God's word as the new birth and as those wise men of old were led to Christ so those who are quickened into divine life will be given that spirit the spirit of Christ and if we have not the spirit of Christ well then we are none of his now the spirit of Christ and this I believe is often the stumbling block to the children of God how

[9:48] Satan will bring scripture and bring it before our eyes and he'll say you cannot be a child of God because you have not the spirit of Christ you can see what your spirit is like nothing at all like the spirit of Christ you're worldly minded you're taken up with the things of time your very thoughts for the most part throughout the day throughout the week throughout the year are occupied with the things of time and carnality and therefore you have not the spirit of Christ if you had the spirit of Christ you would not seek after these things you would find no pleasure in them and your flesh would not be satisfied with them either but what Satan doesn't tell us is this that the spirit of the flesh is ever with us apart from those occasions when it's subdued by the spirit of

[10:49] Christ now the spirit of Christ is that which is implanted within the heart with its quickening power into our simple body often referred to as the seed the seed of grace and as that seed grows so it will make room for the things of God in our body of sin and death and as soon as there is that movement there will be those two opposites within Esau and Jacob and how they will fight inwardly one against the other and therefore the child of God he knows two spirits he knows that spirit which seeks after good but he also knows that spirit which is evil that spirit over which he has no control and as he sees others who appear to have some control over their spirit he feels that he's missed the way that this

[11:58] God has not looked upon him that he knows not anything with regard to the spirit of Christ and how clear it is if we have not the spirit of Christ we are none of his but you are not in the flesh but in the spirit if so be that the spirit of God dwell in you now if any man have not the spirit of Christ he is none of his now this spirit of God dwells in and it dwells in a body of sin and death and this is something we've got to remember our body is not changed our flesh isn't altered as we're quickened in a divine life it is a new birth and as a woman with child so there are those two lives one within and one without so it is spiritually there is the old nature without but it carries within the spirit of Christ and like the Lord having spoken to Joseph of old that which is in within

[13:06] Mary is conceived by the Holy Spirit there is a holy conception and it is that which is conceived it is likened to a natural conception here we see the things of nature and the things of the spirit running parallel but they never meet we see the Jewish nation and the way that is protected and we see spiritual Israel and the way in which spiritual Israel is protected we see the way in which the child in the womb is protected and we see the way in which the new birth is protected within a body of sin and death where would that spirit of grace be if it was not protected in this body of sin and death only those who are led by the holy spirit are led into these things do you know anything of them people talk very much with regard to their leadings how they've been led into this situation and how the lord has opened this door and that door for them and it's good when we can see it but we need greater leadings than that we need to be led to know what we are as sinners before god we need to be led to know what we are capable of doing and also the sinfulness of what we are capable of doing without which we should know nothing of the spirit of christ but it is only when the spirit of christ is implanted within our body of sin and death that we realise what it is because it's like a light it shows up that enmity it shows up that evil it reveals everything of our fallen nature as the lord sees fit to reveal it to us but there will be times when that holy spirit will seek after the lord because that holy spirit seeks after spiritual things it is the spirit which christ through his work upon the cross his work of redemption has brought about he said he will send the comforter and that comforter will come within his body of sin and death and it will seek comfort not in the flesh not in the things of time you know we get so worldly minded we get so taken up with this that and the other don't we but where do you go when the lord comes and when the lord touches your heart when the lord softens your heart where does it send you to the things of time or are you led to god's word are you led to lordify your god or are you led after the things of the spirit does it bring you into self satisfaction so that you can say well now i feel the holy spirit within and i can rest now and i can take my fill the world and enjoy it of course not it'll make the world a duller place to you it'll make it empty whatever you may possess will be of little consequence to you it'll bring us to this part and it's a word which we so seldom use because we need to be so much in the spirit to mention it give me christ or else i die that is being led of the spirit when we're able to say give me christ above everything else in time everything else doesn't matter if christ is mine then all is well but without him what a solemn state we're in and as he goes on in this eighth of romans how he tells us if we are the lord's people we shall never be separated from him do you think that that nation of israel is separated from the knowledge of god could we have a clearer instance of the protecting care of a nation could we have a greater proof of god's word being true could we have a greater proof that there is a god who is protecting and watching over that nation and has done throughout the ages could we have a greater proof that this god who loves his people far more than that nation don't let us think that the jews as a nation will be saved only part of them will the same as part of the gentiles but to be brought to know something of it we should have this security he says in all these things we are more than conquerors so whatever may come before us whatever enemies we may have he says for thy sake we are killed all the day long and how true this is with natural

[18:36] Israel there is enmity in every nation against the jews and even in this land there is that hatred against the jews and why is it as we have said as we have done business with them they seem to be very acceptable and yet isn't it like the children of god there is something that the worldling sees they hate them the same as the jewish nation is hated it seems that the world and satan as they attack israel as a nation so they attack spiritual israel then we should know something of it we should be led as it were into battle by the lord led into that place where all these nations will come up against us where we should meet with opposition where there will be times when we are surrounded as israel was with the enemy approaching with the sea in front of us the mountains either side and there's no escape to be brought into that impossible place but the lord was leading them and they were led by the spirit and they went through the red sea the red sea of his precious blood spiritual as israel led through there's no way to heaven apart from passing through that red sea do we know anything of it of his crimson blood do we value it or when israel came down to that red sea and as they went across so when spiritual israel as they brought down to the article of death when everything is behind forcing them forward when there's no escape as they would turn to the right hand or to the left they'll hear a voice behind them saying this is the way walking in it through the sea of his blood now for as many who are led by the spirit this is the church of god there's no denomination mentioned here there's only one denomination and men make so much don't they today of the denomination and they talk of zion as if zion is just one denomination but it's not never has been never will be and people are more concerned with the denomination than they are with their own souls and they're standing before god but if we are led by the holy spirit we should belong to that one denomination zion and those who are led by the holy spirit we remember some years ago hearing a dear old deacon down in wiltshire give out that hymn oh zion when i think of thee i wish for pinions like a dung and mourn to think that i should be so distant from the place i love he gave it out with such feeling such reality within his heart and little did he realise or little did we realise that he was almost there very soon afterwards he entered that zion he was led by the spirit and as he was led by the spirit he felt it he realised it and he knew it to be led by the spirit we were talking to a deacon only last lord's day and he was telling us how he'd been so cold in his own heart and then as he was out in the fields working he was attracted to some sheep and he saw the way in which those sheep were protected and his mind went right the way back to the way when he was called by grace when the holy spirit entered within his heart the way the lord had led him and he was able to give out that hymn with feeling amazing grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me he was brought to know something of his wretchedness the same as john newton was have you i put the question to you it's a very important question have you known what it is to be brought as paul says in this previous chapter wretched man that i am you won't boast of your goodness but you will boast of what this god has done now then as many then as are led by the spirit of god they are there's no question about it they are the sons of god you and i can rest upon this if the holy spirit leads us into it not unless not unless that holy spirit leads us into the reality of it can we rightly rest upon this word we may speak of some wonderful leadings and i suppose the worldling could the worldling is looked upon as god by god watched over by god kept by god in a natural way but he knows nothing of the work of the holy spirit within he knows nothing of that rightly with regard to providence but how the child of god is led by the holy spirit he's led to see the broken law and that law is so distinct to him so real to him and the breaking of that law is so real to him he knows it he doesn't need to be told he's a sinner he knows it he's been led by the holy spirit to see it and not only does he know it he feels it there's many who call themselves sinners but very few know what it is to feel it to see sin smarts but slightly to own with lip confession is easier still but oh to feel cuts deep beyond expression and when that sin is felt within the heart that poor sinner cannot rest he cannot rest why because there's life within and that life is a movement and it's a movement because of that law which is broken and then to be led by the holy spirit to Calvary where the

[25:33] Lord is to have a little hope raised up as yet he's not brought to this part where there is no condemnation because he's a condemned sinner he is condemned and he knows what condemnation is and he knows what's brought it about it's not which something which God has brought about is what he's brought about it's not something which Adam has brought about he may not know anything about Adam and the fall but he does know about himself he knows with regard to his own sin he knows the awful condition that he's in and as he stands before a just and holy God which he can see by faith the sinner under the law doesn't know what faith is perhaps but it is an exercise of faith it is faith which reveals the reality of these things faith is believing trusting and he sees this

[26:43] God he believes this God as being holy he believes he's broken the law why because this new life is able to recognize things that's never before he can see things he can feel things he can understand things which he never did before this is all part of the new birth and he's graciously being led by the holy spirit into these things and he's led he's not pushed into them he's gently led he sweetly leads my soul along his loving kindness oh how strong and how this God he leads his people and as he leads them into the law so he'll lead them into the gospel and there's a vast difference between the law and the gospel now the law of God condemns and he's condemned he's a condemned sinner in his own feelings but as he's brought by the holy spirit so he can thank God but do you know he can't even thank God only by one way and we can read the scripture so quickly and rapidly without taking real notice of what's involved but he says

[28:04] I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord so then with the mind I myself serve the law of God with his mind his own natural spirit but with the flesh the law of sin so with his mind is occupied upon God it's the work of the holy spirit which sets his mind and his affection upon things above but the flesh is the law of sin and all the while his life remains he's got this law of sin within his heart and he will have right down to the end and these two are enmity one with each other but the holy spirit will lead that person to plead for mercy now in the gospel indeed throughout the whole of scripture you'll find that there's a very clear indication between the righteous and the wicked and especially in the parables you'll see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked you'll see those who are led by the spirit and those who are not led by the spirit and you couldn't have a clearer evidence than the case of the prodigal and the elder brother and whatever others may say there's no evidence whatever to believe that the elder brother was a child of god because he wasn't there was no shedding of blood and if there's no shedding of blood well then there's no remission of sin but it shows the length that one can go to and how he said he had everything yes he did in his own mind all that he had as the father said all that

[29:54] I have is thine yes like people today they take the promises they apply them to their own hearts they take god's word they put it to their own situation and therefore they come to one conclusion but they're not led by the holy spirit into the scriptures it's not the holy spirit that leads them to the promises it's those things which they take and all god's word they take as being theirs everything with regard to salvation they take as being theirs why because like haman who would the king like to honor more than myself and therefore these so called religious folk who are nothing more than pharisees they despise the blood and the righteousness of the blessed redeemer but how the child of god as he's led by the spirit he sees a beauty here he sees something which raises up a hope within his heart as he's led by the spirit he finds a cure for his malady like the lepers to be able to come before this god with all his uncleanness with all his wretchedness and to be able to plead and to be able to bring as it were the promises in the scripture like job of old to fill your mouth with arguments and say lord thou dis cure that woman thou can cure me thou dis cure that man thou can cure me my case may be far worse but thou art all powerful there's no limit although we may put a limit ourselves but there's no limit to the saving power of god it doesn't matter who we are what we are what sins we've committed there's no limit whatever to his saving power now there are men today they say there's no limit to those who he'll save there is there is a limit and that limit that limit is to those who are called it's limited to those but to know something of it to be led by the holy spirit to see the beauty in the teaching in the scriptures why was it that the lord chose that nation apart from any other nation why has he watched over them as he has and why does he still watch over them why for a reason because they're

[32:32] Israel as a nation he watches over them and also for our instruction if this god looks after a nation upon this earth so clearly so wonderfully and it's something we don't look at very often and yet there's much spiritual teaching in that and as we see Israel today and remember that when Israel is surrounded with the enemy we're told to look up because the time of the second coming of the lord is at hand and as we see Israel surrounded today with the enemies there is the proof and the evidence that the second coming is imminent when we know not at that time is far nearer now than when the gospel was first proclaimed but to be led by the spirit to see the way in which the lord is leading Israel as a nation and then if he watches over a nation as Israel surely he watches over

[33:41] Israel the spiritual Israel far more or how they're more in his care than any nation and although man may go to great lengths to overthrow them and you see whatever man has done he's never put an end to Israel and whatever God does or the devil does Israel spiritual Israel must and shall remain and God sees fit to watch over them and protect them and as many as are led by the spirit that they are the sons of God and to know something of being led for your salvation now you see one is led to see the broken law they're led to see their weakness they're led to see their inability to do anything but they're also led to Christ they're led to the scriptures they're led to see that there is a way a way which will suit them a way which is acceptable to them and acceptable to God this is the beauty of the gospel it's not just acceptable to God it's acceptable to them because that sinner as he's brought under the law he's made whereby he will accept anything it's not a question of accepting Christ as his saviour he's brought to see that there's nothing else that he can accept but apart from that he sees a beauty in it and what's the beauty of it the law is abolished there is no law as far as he's concerned there is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ

[35:26] Jesus who walk not after the flesh but after the spirit now it doesn't say run it says walk in other words the progress is not rapid it's likened to walk in a step at a time and what do we read in the psalms the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord a step and therefore this leading of the spirit is in steps here a little there a little line upon line precept upon precept there's this teaching there's this leading this is guiding and as they walk after the spirit they seek after the things of the spirit and that which is within them cannot live upon anything else apart from that which is spiritual and the flesh cannot live upon anything else apart from that which is carnal and these two are opposite therefore the flesh is seeking to be fed upon carnal things and the spirit is seeking to be laid upon spiritual things and the

[36:29] Lord leads that spirit after the spiritual things therefore it is that one is none other than the son of God but you are not in the flesh but in the spirit if so be the spirit of God dwelling in you now this dwelling in you doesn't mean to say it's always felt and realised a mother who is caring she doesn't always feel that child within but she does when it's quickened there's a movement and there's a movement heavenward as that child of God is quickened and there's a movement spiritually and that movement is the life within it seeks after spiritual life and it's led after spiritual life by the Holy Spirit and as the body without the spirit is dead so religion without the spirit is dead also but do we know anything of that within that seeks salvation not that seeks providence but that seeks salvation through the merits of the

[37:42] Lord Jesus now that soul will be led to see his righteousness he'll see that in that blessed way of salvation there's protection protection from every evil whatever satanic power may rise up there's protection there's safety and therefore he's brought to this conclusion as only he can be for I am persuaded and this is where the Holy Spirit will lead us to this holy persuasion that neither death nor life nor angels nor principalities nor powers nor things present nor things to come nor height nor depth nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord now he's left nothing out here nothing at all it's absolutely complete nothing can separate us from what the love of God now this

[38:50] Holy Spirit will lead us to love the Lord now you see there was the conviction there's a new birth there's conviction there's the law and all this before you're brought to know anything of the love of God now the religion today which is fashionable is to love the Lord first and then forget about sin but that's not the way the Spirit leads the Spirit leads to the law and then he leads us to see the law as a broken law then he leads us to the Spirit of Christ and then the love of God will be manifested within that soul as he realises what the gospel is because he sees that nothing he sees his safety so complete in Christ that nothing can separate him from that love and that love which he feels now you see he doesn't say my love to the

[39:50] Lord oh no that's not what's spoken nothing shall be able to separate us from the love of God not our love to God but God's love to us which is in Christ Jesus our Lord God the Father loved his son and therefore he must love the church whom his son redeemed because Christ is in them they are part of it now this may be our complaint as indeed it often is because we feel a lack of love toward the Lord and we see others they seem to have so much love to the Lord don't they and always praising the Lord and sometimes we have to go back and try and think how long ago it was when we felt such love to the Lord we trust we can go back many years and say well we did love the Lord then and we knew we loved him and we were certain that the

[40:52] Lord loved us but now you see we're so cold so hard there's no love within our heart as in those days and how we have to go back oh that I were as in days past when the love of God was shed abroad within our heart but have you ever thought if you know anything rightly of the love of God you're led by the Spirit to know it and if you're led by the Spirit to know it then you are a son of God we have God's word here for it for as many as are led by the Spirit of God they are the sons of God now the Spirit will lead you after the things of God and you'll be led for salvation and you'll be led to a complete saviour too and you'll be led from condemnation and you'll be led to love the Lord as never before for that way of salvation one said complaining about his heart and the coldness of it he said is it us with you do you find within your spirit that coldness that wretchedness why is it it's life isn't it a dead person doesn't feel coldness although they couldn't be any colder could they a corpse couldn't be any colder naturally speaking but they don't feel it but a living soul it feels the cold a living soul feels the hardness it also feels the warmth it feels love oh to be spiritually minded oh to be led by the Holy

[42:44] Spirit into the reality of these things and then when one is brought into that awful condition of hardness and coldness to be led by the Holy Spirit into the love of Christ and to know that nothing will separate us from it nothing nor any other creature couldn't be lower than that could it any other creature in other words including ourselves including ourselves whatever we may be it will not separate us from the love of Christ now that won't make us sin all the more will it it will make us very reverent it will make us lovely as God as never before for as many as are led by the Spirit of God they are the sons of God for ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear but ye have received the spirit of adoption whereby we cry

[43:44] Abba father father father or when we are able to see him in this paternal love the paternal love of Christ and the paternal love of God the father as a father like as a father pettieth his children so the Lord pettieth them that fear him he knoweth our frame he remembereth our weakness but nothing will ever separate us from him if we know anything of the work of the Holy Spirit within our heart oh that we might beg for more of it oh that we might seek for more of it and oh that we might examine ourselves as to whether we know anything right of the Holy Spirit without which we should never know anything of the love of God we must leave it may the

[44:46] Lord and his blessing amen