The Spirit Filled Life – Ephesians 5:18
THE SPIRIT FILLED LIFE
DATE: 2/6/2011
TEXT: Ephesians 5:18
INTRODUCTION:
Ill. A.W. Tozer said - “Any tiny work that God has ever done through me and through my ministry for Him dates back to that hour when I was filled with the Spirit”
People like Moody, Finney, Whitefield; all speak of the difference that was made when they were filled with the Holy Spirit
Nothing is more essential for the Christian than being filled with the Spirit
Yet, many know nothing of His fullness in their life,
Others are misled and misinformed as to what it is or what it means be filled with the Holy Spirit
The older I get the more thankful I am that I was never Bible College educated
Many of those old preachers I’ve learned from were lacking in education,
But what they lacked in education they made in the power of the Holy Spirit
They didn’t know much about homiletics,
But when they preached, things happened in the hearts of the people
Today we know a lot about Human Ability,
But in many cases, very little about a Heavenly Anointing
We are good at impressing people with our sermons,
But often lack the ability to influence people to live godly lives and give their lives to serve God
We brag about our degrees and what seminary we attended,
But all the Degree’s in the world will not take the place of the Spirit filled Life
Ill. Charles Spurgeon said, “The great King, immortal, invisible, the divine person called the Holy Ghost, the Holy Spirit: it is He that quickens the soul, or else it would lie dead forever; it is He that makes it tender, or else it would never feel; it is He that imparts efficacy to the Word preached, or else it could never reach farther than the ear; it is He who breaks the heart; it is He who makes it whole”
Only when we preach in the power of the Holy Spirit will our sermons become messages
Only when we work in the power of the Holy Spirit will what we say become a - “Thus saith the Lord”
We may reach the Ear,
But only when we are filled with the Holy Spirit will we reach the Heart
Any work, we do for God will be in vain unless we are filled with the Spirit
If we are to serve God it is essential …
That we be filled with the Spirit,
Let’s consider what it means to be –
“Filled with the Spirit”
~~~Prayer~~~
First, as we look at Ephesians 5:18 we see:
I. A “COMMANDED” FILLING
Paul says “be filled with the Spirit”
The word’s “be filled” are not a suggestion or a recommendation
They present a command given by God
Being filled is not something we pray about or seek because it is a good thing
Being filled is being obedient to God’s command
It is:
A. A ‘Personal’ Command
We all are to “be filled with the Spirit”
It is what God expects of us
Therefore, we are to take this seriously
Just as I am to obey any other commandment in the Bible,
I am also to be filled with the Spirit
If I am commanded to be filled and I am not filled,
I am being disobedient to God’s command
Truth: Most people who would never think about doing certain wicked things
If you asked them if they would rob a bank or kill a person they would say -
“Absolutely not! God says you should not steal or kill”
Yet, when it comes to being filled with the Holy Spirit
They never give it any consideration or treat the command with equal seriousness
Being filled is not a minor thing
It is a major thing in the Christian’s life, why?
It is A ‘Personal’ Command of God!
Let me also say that it is:
B. A ‘Plural’ Command
The words “be ye filled” is plural in meaning
That being filled with the Spirit is a command for every believer
When being preached, the average church member thinks it’s something for the pastor, evangelist, or missionary
While every pastor, evangelist, and missionary is to be filled with the Spirit,
Every believer—no exceptions—is to be filled also
The command to be filled with the Spirit applies to every believer
(Maybe it’s because you’re not really a believer!)
On the day of Pentecost, we read that “they were all filled with the Holy Ghost” - Acts 2:4
We also read in Acts 4:31 - “And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost”
On each occasion, every believer was filled
Imagine what would happen in a church if every believer was filled with the Spirit?
It would be a Pentecost every Sunday!
The members expect their pastor to be filled with the Spirit every time he stands and preaches (and they have every right to)
But at the same time, the pastor has every right to expect the members to be filled as well!
Every deacon, Sunday school teacher, member of the choir, every greeter, every altar worker, and even those sitting on the pews are to be filled with the Spirit
The question is: Do we desire to be filled?
Is there a hunger in our hearts to be filled with the Spirit of God?
If not, there should be
If not, I would question whether I’m truly a believer
The reason;
We are “Commanded” to be filled with the Spirit
John 14:15 – “If ye love Me, keep My commandments”
Secondly, we see:
II. A “CONTINUAL” FILLING
The verb “filled” is in the present tense meaning that we are to be filled and then kept filled
This is not a once in a life time event
Ill. John Phillips is correct in saying, “Most of the Holy Spirit's ministries to believers are once-for-all, sovereign acts of God. The indwelling, the sealing, the earnest, and the gift of the Spirit are in no way dependent on us. They are wrought in us by the Holy Spirit at the time of our conversion; they are irreversible and irrevocable. The filling of the Holy Spirit, however, is different.”
The difference is that being filled with the Spirit is a command that is to be obeyed continually
It is a something that is repeated in the believer
We are to be filled again and again and again
It is something that is to be Continual in our life
And because it is to be Continual, we are reminded of:
A. Our Daily ‘Need’
We are to be filled Continually because we need the Holy Spirit’s presence and power Daily
In the context of this command to be filled, we are given several Relationships
1. vs. 19, 20 we find a reference to -
Our eternal relationship
Paul says – “Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;” “Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ”
This is our relationship to our Heavenly Father
Our filling will affects our relationship with God
2. In v.21 we have a reference to
Our social relationships
We read – “Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God”
There is not only our relationship to the Lord above,
But also to His people around us
Being filled with the Spirit enables us to live in harmony with others
And to bring blessing and benefit to them
Unfortunately, relationships with our spiritual family are often marked by division and strife
Which reveals a lack of the filling of the Spirit
3. In vs. 22-25 we have reference to –
Our marital relationships
In v.22 the wives are mentioned –
“Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord”
Then in v.25 the husbands –
“Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave Himself for it”
The secret to a heavenly marriage on earth is a husband and wife filled with the Spirit
Being filled with the Spirit is essential for our relationships to function and exist as God expected them to
Since these relationships are Daily,
We must be Continually and Daily filled with the Spirit
Since we are to be Continually filled,
Being filled with the Spirit is also:
B. Our Daily ‘Norm’
Truth: I think it was Vance Havner who said that we live such subnormal Christian lives that if we began to live a normal Christian life people would think us abnormal
How true! What we have accepted as normal is far beneath what God intends the Christian life to be
Being filled with the Spirit is to be the normal Christian life
A continual filling implies something that is habitual and normal
To not be filled would be abnormal
I have found that most seek the power of the Holy Spirit when faced with a special task
The young preacher is to preach his first sermon so he earnestly seeks the help of the Holy Spirit
The pastor prays that he will be filled each time he stands to preach the Word
Yes, we need to be filled for these occasions,
But being filled is not just for special or certain occasions
It is for everyday and in everything
We need to be filled for the ordinary as well as the special
We need to be filled for the little things as well as the big
In short, we are to stay full of the Holy Spirit
Being filled with the Spirit is not only a Daily ‘Need’ in the Christian’s life,
But it is also to be the ‘Normal’ Christian life
THE “COMMANDED” FILLING
THE “CONTINUAL” FILLING
Lastly, think with me of how being filled with the Holy Spirit is:
III. A “CONDITIONAL” FILLING
The simple fact that many believers are not filled with the Holy Spirit indicates that there are conditions for being filled
If we are not filled there is a reason
Let me close by giving you two conditions to being filled with the Spirit
First, there is:
A. A ‘Controlled’ Life
The word “filled” means more than just someone filling up a glass
This verb speaks of being under the total control of or dominated by something
For example, in John 16:6 we read of hearts filled with sorrow
“But because I have said these things unto you, sorrow hath filled your heart”
Also in Luke 5:26 we read of those filled with fear
(the palsy borne of the four)
“And they were all amazed, and they glorified God, and were filled with fear, saying, We have seen strange things to day”
As well, in Luke 6:11 we read of those filled with madness (the healing of the man w/ a withered hand)
In each of these cases something is controlling and dominating their emotions and feelings
Let me say here that being filled with the Holy Spirit is more than an emotional experience
I must confess that in my earlier years, as I read of the experiences of others, I sought the same experience
Ill. I read about D.L. Moody being filled with the Holy Spirit as he was walking down Wall Street in New York City, He said, “the power of God fell upon me as I walked up the street and I had to hurry off to the house of a friend and ask that I might have a room by myself, and in that room I stayed alone for hours; and the Holy Ghost came upon me filling my soul with such joy that at last I had to ask God to withhold His hand, lest I die on the spot from very joy”
I would read of Moody’s experience and my heart would cry for an experience like his
I wanted to be filled with the Spirit as he was
I would read of Charles Finney’s account of being filled and the other great men of God of the past
My heart longed to be filled as they had been
But again, I confess that I was more focused on the kind of experience they had
And in my immaturity missed what being filled with the Holy Spirit was about
Being filled with the Holy Spirit is not having an experience like Moody or Finney
It is allowing the Holy Spirit to take absolute control of one’s life
Now, there may be a glorious experience as theirs or similar to theirs, but the experience is not the reason for the filling, but the result of being filled
Being filled means that we have come to a moment when we yield ourselves completely to His control
If there is one area—however small—that is not under His control, we will not be filled
Do you want to be filled with the Spirit?
Then yield your life absolutely and totally to the Spirit’s control
As for Moody’s experience, he spoke of how when he was walking down Wall Street praying for the power of
God to come upon his life, that he looked up to God and prayed, “Take absolute sway”
That was the secret
That was the key
The first “Condition” for being filled with the Holy Spirit is a ‘Controlled’ Life
Secondly the Conditions for filling is -
B. A ‘Clean’ Life
The Holy Spirit will not fill a dirty heart with His power and presence
Yes, He may indwell us, but He will not fill us with His power if we are a dirty vessel
His indwelling is permanent
His filling is Conditional -
Conditional on being clean before God
We read in II Timothy 2:20, 21 –
“But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonor”
“If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work”