Be Filled with the Spirit (part 3)
Ephesians 5:18-20
September 15, 2013

Well, as you know we are continuing our study of the Holy Spirit.
Who He is, what He does, and what He desires to do in our lives.

And I must say that even in being prompted in my spirit to begin this study I continue to be amazed at how little I understood my need for the Holy Spirit.

I have loved to discover the things He does
And become enlightened to what He is doing in my life.

And even since this study I am weekly reminded of
How badly I need Him and our church body needs Him.

• He is our source of LIFE
• He is our source of SANCTIFICATION
• He is the One who QUALIFIES us
• He is the One who EQUIPS us
• He is our source of ASSURANCE
• He is our GUIDE

And so we know that He is on our side.
He is working for us.
And even more amazing than that, He is working IN us.

John 14:16-17 “I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you.”

Most recently we have begun examining those commands
That reveal how we are to relate to Him.

Scripture gives commands as to how we are to deal with the Holy Spirit.

One of those commands is a PASSIVE COMMAND stating, “And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit.”

The command is that you and I allow the Holy Spirit to fill us.
And the last two weeks have been talking about what that means.

• IT’S NOT SOME EUPHORIC EXPERIENCE
(Like getting drunk)

• IT’S NOT GETTING MORE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
(It’s Him getting more of you)

• IT IS TO SUBMIT TO HIS LEADING IN EVERY AREA OF LIFE

And last week we began to talk about how this filling occurs.

We read from Colossians 3 that we are to
“let the word of Christ richly dwell within you.”

And again, that doesn’t just indicate the necessity of reading the word,
But of letting what you read dwell there and dwell there richly.

In other words, it is to choose to obey what that word says.

In this life, you put the word of Christ in,
And then you face a struggle or a decision or a temptation,
At and that moment you either let the word of Christ dwell,
Or you let the will of the flesh dwell.

They are in a great battle within you.
Galatians 5:17 “For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please.”

Both are fighting to fill you.
You listen to one and you silence the other.

The command of Paul is that you let Christ win.
That you let yourself be filled with the Spirit.
That you let the Spirit win.

And we talked about some PRACTICAL WAYS
In which you help yourself WIN that battle.

And the main way you win that battle is to kill the enemy.
Colossians 3:5 “Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry.”

You and I must put to death the flesh.
• We are to die to self.
• We are to kill off the old man.
• We are to take off the old man and put on the new man.

Well, how do we kill the flesh?
We starve it.

Romans 13:14 “But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts.”

Most people today simply try to resist the flesh
Without ever starving the flesh.

They surround themselves with all sorts of worldly food
And then wonder why the flesh is so hard to kill.

Well, start making it harder on the flesh to prevail.
Cut off the avenues that it has to tempt you.
Starve it, and it won’t be so difficult to do what the Spirit says.

One passage we probably should have mentioned last week when we were talking about this was:

1 Corinthians 10:13 “No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.”
People often quote that verse wrong.
“I know the Lord won’t put on me more than I can handle.”

But that verse isn’t talking about suffering.
That verse is talking about temptation.

That verse is referencing the battle that the Spirit fights with your flesh.
That verse is making you promises about that battle.

Notice a few promises.
1) Common Temptation – temptation is common because the flesh is common.

2) Faithful God – God won’t let Satan turn the dial up too far

3) Promised Escape – God will always provide you with an out

I show you that because I want you to know that
You are not alone in your striving against sin.

God is fighting for you.

We kill the flesh by starving it and making it weak.
But God is also at work,
By limiting both the type and degree of temptation you receive
And making sure that there is always a way of escape.

God makes for sure, that if you are serious about resisting the flesh,
He will make a way for it to happen.

Furthermore we talked about the importance of
Being selective what you fill up with.

I mean, if you fill up with the world,
Don’t be surprised that you aren’t instantly full of the Spirit.

You are going to be full of whatever you fill up with.

Which is another reason to “let the word of Christ richly dwell within you”

• So, being filled with the Spirit is not some euphoric state, but rather a commitment to allow Him to have all of you and to submit to His leadership.

• The way to be filled is to fill up with the word of Christ, and then to let it remain there richly.

And that is what we’ve covered the last couple of weeks.

Before we ended last Sunday I told you that today we would begin
To talk about how to know if you are filled with the Spirit.

We want to be spirit-filled, but I’ve noticed that for some
There remains some confusion as to what exactly
A person looks like when they are.

• Do they levitate?
• Do they sort of float?
• Are their eyes glazed over, with a sparkle of heaven?
• Can you visibly see a hallo?

• Others want to know, do they speak in a strange language?
• Do they have supernatural perception and insight?

What are the characteristics of someone who is filled with the Spirit?

Well, fortunately Paul gives us those characteristics here in Ephesians 5.

FIRST YOU NEED TO NOTICE THAT
THEY ALL HAVE TO DO WITH THE TONGUE.

WHY?
Because the tongue is the barometer of what is on the inside.

I told you last week, that if you fill a glass with water,
And you shake it, water will come out.

“You are full of whatever comes out when you are rattled.”

When we aren’t stressed we do a good job of hiding the inside,
But put a little stress on us, or a little inconvenience, or a little frustration
And it isn’t hard to see what’s on the inside.

Your tongue will reveal what is there.

Adrian Rogers said, “What’s down in the well comes up in the bucket.”

James 3:8-12 “But no one can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil and full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God; from the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be this way. Does a fountain send out from the same opening both fresh and bitter water? Can a fig tree, my brethren, produce olives, or a vine produce figs? Nor can salt water produce fresh.”

Don’t full yourself that you are some sort of spiritual person
Just because you maintain some pious outer reputation.

Check your tongue.
It is untamable.
It is an accurate depiction of what you are full of.

• We say a person is “Full of it”
When they say things that are outlandish…

• When a person constantly gripes or complains we say they are
“full of bitterness”

We don’t say those people have bad tongues.
We know their tongues are merely revealing what they are full of.

Well, that is precisely how we know if we are full of the Spirit or not.

• It has nothing to do with your church attendance…
• It has nothing to do with how many years you’ve been a deacon…
• It has nothing to do with how many sermons you’ve preached…

None of those things indicate that you are presently filled with the Spirit.

Listen to your words, this is how you know.

And Paul mentions three types of speech
That come from a person who is filled with the Spirit.

1) ENCOURAGING OTHERS (19a)

“speaking to one another”

Now I want to spend a little time here this morning because I want to both
Explain what this means and I want to sort of refute a common notion.

There are others who would also agree that
Being filled with the spirit changes your speech.

Many today believe that it is an experience
That is accompanied by the speaking of other tongues.

I want you to know that that is NOT an indicator.

And I do realize that TONGUES IS A CONFUSING THING to a lot of people
So I want to take a second and sort of explain it this morning.

First off Paul says here “speaking to one another”

“speaking” translates LALEO,
It is another one of those onomatopoetic words.
Meaning it is defined by how it sounds.

And it literally means “to make a sound”
(la, la, la, la, la)

And you could say, “well that’s exactly like speaking in tongues”.
Not at all.

We are “speaking TO one another” – not to God as some suggest
And because our speaking is to “one another” that automatically implies speaking in a manner that is naturally understandable.

And I think it’s important we understand this,
Because I don’t want you to desire to be filled with the Spirit
And then feel the need to run off to some secret meeting to speak in tongues.

That is not what we are after.

So, TURN TO: 1 CORINTHIANS 14

The first thing you need to know is that tongues is a SPIRITUAL GIFT,
Not a common characteristic of a spirit-filled person.

And spiritual gifts are not handed out according to human will.
God gave them according to His desire.
The Holy Spirit chooses to manifest Himself differently in all believers.

1 Corinthians 12:4-11 “Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord. There are varieties of effects, but the same God who works all things in all persons. But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. For to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, and to another the word of knowledge according to the same Spirit; to another faith by the same Spirit, and to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, and to another the effecting of miracles, and to another prophecy, and to another the distinguishing of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, and to another the interpretation of tongues. But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills.”

And no one gets to choose their gift.
This reality forces us to be dependent upon one another in the body.
Otherwise, some would emerge as the “super-gifted”
And would try to run the whole show.

That was actually happening in Corinth.
Everyone wanted tongues because it was so flashy
Another thing you should know is that there is no such thing Biblically
As “unknown tongues”

The King James adds the word “unknown” in 1 Corinthians 14:2,
But it is italicized, indicating that it is not in the original Greek manuscript.

The languages spoken, were known languages.
Look at Pentecost where the foreigners in those regions
Understood what was being said
Even though they themselves did not have the Holy Spirit.

So this notion of a person being filled with the Spirit
And then getting some unknown ancient language to babble on,
Is totally unwarranted Scripturally.

Now in 1 Corinthians 14 Paul actually addresses the tongues issue.

FIRST HE IDENTIFIES THE PROBLEM.
(READ 1-5)

Did you see the problem?
The Corinthians were seeking only that which edified themselves,
Not that which edified the church.

Paul is NOT there advocating the reality of a person
Who only speaks to God in his spirit.

Instead he is saying, “You’re speaking in a way that only God can understand, and you aren’t helping anyone.”

Now Paul didn’t have an issue with actual spiritual gift of tongues,
But even that was pointless without interpretation.

The goal was never to do anything that merely edified yourself.

So the idea that people seek to be filled with the Spirit
So they can have this “private prayer language”
By which they edify only themselves is totally contrary to Scripture.

AND PAUL VALIDATES THIS POINT NEXT:
(READ 6-12)

Again, do you get his point?
What use is it to the church if you speak something that no one understands?

(vs 7) They are words that can’t comfort
(vs 8) They are words that can’t motivate
(vs 9) They are words that can’t instruct

It is pointless to help others, and therefore pointless.
AND THEN PAUL GIVES A VERY SARCASTIC REBUKE:
(READ 13-19)

His point is clear, what use is it to speak in some sort of gibberish
Where only your spirit prays but your mind is fruitless.

Paul did actually speak in foreign tongues,
But it wasn’t the goal in the church.
And it wasn’t the goal of his private experience.

He did it for missionary purposes.

FURTHERMORE SEEKING SOME SORT OF MINDLESS PRAYER IS CONTRARY TO THE BIBLICAL PURPOSE OF TONGUES.
(READ 20-25)

Tongues did not originate as a means of revealing new knowledge,
But as a means of concealing knowledge from the heard-hearted.

And there is much more that could be said here,
But I want you to see the main point.

Being filled with the spirit does evidence itself through speech,
But it is not through what is commonly called “Speaking in unknown tongues” like is done today.

That practice is NOT evidence of being spirit-filled.

SO WHAT IS?
“speaking to one another”

Yes, but what do we speak?
(I don’t think the mention of “psalms and hymns and spiritual songs” is meant to explain how we speak to one another, but rather how we praise in the next point)

So what do we speak?

Colossians 3:16 “Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.”

There Paul indicates that the type of speech is to
Teach and admonish one another.

The word “admonishing” here does NOT indicate a REBUKE.
It simply means “to put in mind”

When a believer is filled with the Spirit, their speech is such that
They continually speak the truths of God.

Statements like: “You know Scripture says…”
Or “Have you considered what Jesus said about that..?”

It is to speak the truth into a situation and teach others.
(Is that not a fingerprint of the Holy Spirit? – “guide you into all the truth”)

Just read the life of Christ.
• Every moment was a teaching moment.
• Every opportunity was a teaching opportunity.

There were times when He sat everyone down for a sermon,
But some of His greatest stuff was just given in idle conversation.

His mind was saturated with the truth of God,
And so when He spoke, the truth of God came out.

So it is with a person who is filled with the Spirit.
They speak the truth of God.

And might I remind you again that Scripture is coming out,
Because Scripture is what they are putting in.

It is evident that the “word of Christ” is “richly dwelling” within them.

They are constantly encouraging others.
It is that edifying work that Paul wanted the Corinthians to practice.

Encouraging Others
2) PRAISING CHRIST (19b)

“in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord;”

The first section was directed “to one another”
This one is directed “to the Lord”

So here a believer isn’t just encouraging others, but he is praising Jesus.

“in psalms” – this is an interesting word.
(It can be referencing the O.T. Psalms, but not necessarily)

PSALMOS
“a striking or twitching with the fingers on musical strings,
And thus a song to musical accompaniment”

Now I know our Church of Christ friends have told us that
The New Testament never mentions instruments, but that just isn’t true.

Look, there are instruments in the Old Testament and there are instruments in heaven,
It only makes sense that they are in the New Testament too.
In fact Paul says we are to be “making melody”.
That word is PSALLO

Which is the verb, which means
“To twitch, or twang, or pluck on a stringed instrument”

In the Septuagint they use it to represent singing and playing the harp.

So we are definitely talking about musical instruments here.

He also mentions
“and hymns”
HUMNOS
“songs of praise addressed to God”

A Spirit-filled believer doesn’t just sing along with music,
They sing praises to God.

Paul also mentions
“and spiritual songs”

This is a generic word that just means to sing.

I think you get Paul’s point.
A spirit filled person constantly sings “psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with [their] heart to the Lord;”

They are overcome with praise to Jesus.

Psalms 33:1-3 “Sing for joy in the LORD, O you righteous ones; Praise is becoming to the upright. Give thanks to the LORD with the lyre; Sing praises to Him with a harp of ten strings. Sing to Him a new song; Play skillfully with a shout of joy.”

Psalms 147:1 “Praise the LORD! For it is good to sing praises to our God; For it is pleasant and praise is becoming.”

Praise is becoming.
It just fits.

I’m glad I don’t sit up here on the stage, I did at Crawford,
And it just amazed me the number of people who refused to sing.

Seriously?
After all Christ has done you are motivated just a little to praise His name?

• Well, I don’t like those songs…
• Well, I don’t sing well…

WHO CARES! – IT’S NOT ABOUT YOU!
“It’s all about You, Jesus, and all this is for You, for Your glory and Your fame, it’s not about Me, as if You should do things my way. You alone are God, and I surrender to Your ways.”
Praise just fits!

Psalms 30:4 “Sing praise to the LORD, you His godly ones, And give thanks to His holy name.”

Psalms 40:3 “He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God; Many will see and fear And will trust in the LORD.”

Does the Holy Spirit not long to glorify Jesus?
Then why would a Spirit-filled person fail to do that?

• If you are Spirit filled you will teach the truth (like the Spirit does)
• If you are Spirit filled you will praise Jesus (like the Spirit does)

When you are shaken, that’s what will come out.

Encouraging Others Praising Jesus
3) THANKING GOD (20)

“always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father;”

The first section was “to one another”
The second was “to the Lord”
This one is “to God, even the Father”

AND WHAT DO WE GIVE TO HIM?
Gratitude!

We give Him thanks “for all things”
And we do it “in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ”

WHY?
Because in Jesus all the promises of God are fulfilled.

2 Corinthians 1:20 “For as many as are the promises of God, in Him they are yes; therefore also through Him is our Amen to the glory of God through us.”

All that God promised is fulfilled in Christ.
He is the greatest gift of all time.

And we should spend the rest of our lives thanking God for all that He has done for us, because when He sent Jesus, He did it all!

And that sort of gratitude is evidence of a spirit-filled life.

Acts 16:22-25 “The crowd rose up together against them, and the chief magistrates tore their robes off them and proceeded to order them to be beaten with rods. When they had struck them with many blows, they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to guard them securely; and he, having received such a command, threw them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks. But about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God, and the prisoners were listening to them;”
That is what I’m talking about.
Paul and Silas were just ordinary men,
But they were ordinary men who were filled with the Spirit of God.

And because of that they rejoiced and they praised and they encouraged

THAT IS WHAT IT MEANS TO BE FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT
• They encourage others with the truth…
• They praise Jesus in song…
• They give thanks to God for everything…

People filled with the flesh are just the opposite.
• They don’t encourage others, they drag others down…
• They don’t praise Jesus, they’re too busy focusing on themselves…
• They don’t give thanks for all things, they are too discontent and unfulfilled…

And there you have it.

Being filled with the Spirit is NOT some sort of mystical event that produces some private, self-glorifying mystical moment.

Being filled with the Spirit is extremely practical.
It is when you allow God’s Spirit to have every area of your life
And He is allowed to use you fully.

And when He uses you fully you start doing the things
He would do if He were in human form.

If He were in human form,
• He’d use His mouth to encourage the saints.
• He’d constantly sing songs of praise to Jesus.
• He’d never cease to give thanks to God in all circumstances

And so, when a believer is filled with Him, that is precisely what they do.

And that’s how you know if you are filled with the Spirit.

NOW LET’S RECAP TO CLOSE
• Paul commands us to let the Holy Spirit fill us.
• That means letting Him have more of you.
• To do that, you need to let His word have full authority in your life.
• You need to kill the flesh by starving it.
• And you need to fill up, not on the world, but on the things of God.
• And when you do it is evident through your speech (encouraging, praise,
gratitude)
• We started by asking are you willing to be filled with the Spirit?
• Then we asked, are you willing to starve the flesh?
• Now let me ask you, are you filled with the Spirit?

Is the word of Christ richly dwelling within you?

If it isn’t, then you know what to do.

 

NEXT TIME we meet you’ll see that
All of this is not only the key to Christian victory,
But is also our human obligation.

 

Ephesians 5:18-20 “And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father;”

Be Filled with the Spirit – part 2
Ephesians 5:18-20 (18)
September 8, 2013

We have been talking about who exactly the Holy Spirit is,
And what exactly the Holy Spirit does.

• He is fully God
• He is the Promised Helper
• He convicts the word of sin, righteousness and judgment
• He guides us into all the truth
• He glorifies Jesus
• He is typified as water giving us spiritual life
• He is typified as fire sanctifying us to the Father
• He is typified as oil anointing us and qualifying us to serve God
• He is typified as wind equipping us and making us able to serve
• He is typified as a seal, giving us assurance of our salvation
• He is typified as a dove, being a gentle guide in our lives

That is who the Holy Spirit is, and that is what He does.

Last week we began looking at some of those commands
That relate to how we respond to Him.

And the first we have begun to look at
Is the command to “be filled with the Spirit”

Now let me recap just a little for those who were not able to be with us last week.

Ephesians 5 is a chapter full of commands, but if you desire,
You can easily break those commands down into 4 sections.

Ephesians 5:1 “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children;”

Ephesians 5:15 “Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise,”

Ephesians 5:18 “And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit,”

Ephesians 5:21 “and be subject to one another in the fear of Christ.”

Now, of all those commands three are active commands,
Meaning they are something that you are to do.

And one of those commands is a passive command,
Meaning it is something you are to allow.

And it is this passive command that makes all the difference.
“be filled with the Spirit”

The reason this command is important
Is because it is the key to all the others.
None of us has the ability within ourselves
To “do” all the things that Christ commands,
Unless we first allow ourselves to be filled with His Spirit.

Let me give you a verse that sort of helps explain this:
Philippians 2:12-13 “So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.”

That verse helps us see the balance that in order for us to faithfully do all that God requires, we actually need Him at work within us.

So in order to live the Christian life as it was intended to be lived, we must
“be filled with the Spirit”

And we even talked a little last week, about how this
Was the sole explanation for the success of the early church.

• They didn’t seek out the most educated people…
• They didn’t seek out the most experienced people…
• They didn’t seek out the most influential people…
• They didn’t seek out the most innovative people…

They wanted people who were filled with the Spirit.

• It was because Peter was filled with the Spirit that he boldly confronted Jews at Pentecost and in Jerusalem.

• It was because Paul was filled with the Spirit that he could boldly confront Elymas the magician on his first missionary journey.

• When the church needed deacons, the apostles said to get men “full of faith and full of the Holy Spirit”

• When the church expanded and a congregation sprung up in Antioch, the Jews needed to send a believer down to evaluate and lead that church. They sent Barnabas because he was a man “filled with the Holy Spirit”

That was the single most important criteria.

And that should not be new information to us.

After all, we studied that the Holy Spirit is our anointing.
He is oil.
He is the One who qualifies us for ministry.

Apart from him you have no right or ability to serve God.

It doesn’t matter how successful men have been in worldly endeavors,
Apart from the filling of the Holy Spirit,
They cannot be successful in spiritual ones.
And this was not only the secret for the early church,
But the secret for us as well.

• If you want victory in your personal struggle against sin…
• If you want success in your ministry for the kingdom…
You must be filled with the Spirit, on your own, you will never succeed.

Well, what does it mean to “be filled with the Spirit”?
(still recapping)

And remember we first started talking about WHAT IT WAS NOT.

It is not some state of mystical euphoria.

That is why Paul said, “And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit”

They mystical religions believed you communed with deity
Through various stages of euphoria.

• It could be frenzy induced…
• It could be drug induced…
• It could be sexually induced…
• It could be alcohol induced…

And Paul was very quick to point out that being filled with God’s Spirit
Is not some form of fleshly euphoria.

The tragedy is that is what some people seek.
They really don’t want the Spirit, they want the euphoria.
This is NOT what Paul is telling you to get.

We also said that being filled with the Holy Spirit is not the same as receiving the Holy Spirit, or being baptized with the Holy Spirit.

Those things occur at salvation.

And you can be a believer, with the Holy Spirit indwelling you,
And still not be filled with the Spirit.

The Corinthians were a good example of that.
Chapter 6 tells us the Spirit of God was in them,
And yet Chapter 3 reveals that they were fleshly men and women.

So when Paul tells you to be filled with the Spirit
He is not telling you to go out and get more of the Holy Spirit
As though you do not have all of Him.

John 3:34 “For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God; for He gives the Spirit without measure.”
You received the Holy Spirit (all of Him) at salvation.

“Being filled with the Spirit is not a matter of how much of Him you’ve got, it’s a matter of how much of you He’s got.”

He is “in” you, but because of sin and stubbornness and fleshly desires,
He has not been able to “fill” you, or have full control in your life.

Paul’s command here is that you let Him.

This is a passive command, indicating that the Holy Spirit wants to fill you.
He wants to have full reign in your life, but you have to let Him have it.

HE WILL NOT TAKE OVER.
He will warn, He will convict, He will guide, He will teach, He will discipline, BUT HE WON’T FORCE YOU.

You must let Him fill you.

And last week I simply asked you if you would be willing to let Him do it.
Hopefully this week you determined to let Him work.

Well let’s continue on with our study now this morning.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT?

It simply means to let the Holy Spirit
Have full control of every area of your life.

It means to have nothing in your life that is “off limits” to Him.
It is to open every aspect of your life to His control.

Your friendships…
Your ambitions…
Your possessions…
Your desires…
Your actions…
Your time…
Your money…

You get the idea.
Can He fill you?

Well, I’m going to suppose that this week you said, “Yes”.
I’m going to suppose that because you are believers in Jesus Christ, you decided that being “filled with the Spirit” is something that you want to happen in your life.

Well, let’s keep this on the practical side.

HOW DOES THIS OCCUR?
Well, again I remind you that this is a passive command.
You don’t necessarily do it, He does it, you just allow it.

But how does one become “filled with the Spirit”?

I have to tell you it’s not as deep and technical as you think.

Let me ask you this.

How do you fill a jar with water?
(you pour water into the jar)

• Now if you want the jar to be filled with water, do you pour oil into the
jar?
• And if you want the jar full of water, then you have to put enough water
in to fill the jar.

If you want to be filled with the Spirit,
Then you have to pour it in, enough to be filled,
And you must pour in what you desire to be filled with.

SO HOW DO I POUR THE HOLY SPIRIT IN?
Again, you don’t, He does the work, you just let Him.

TURN TO: COLOSSIANS 3:16-17

Now you must recognize that these are sister passages.

You can see that because the effects of being filled with the Spirit
Are the exact same effects of letting the word of Christ richly dwell within you.

And you also notice that they are both passive commands.
You must let this happen.

The passive aspect is important.
Some will read this and say, “Oh, I get it. Being filled with the Spirit is the same as being filled with the word of Christ, so if I want to be Spirit filled I just have to read the Bible.”

WRONG
You can read the Bible until you are blue in the face
And not be filled with the Spirit.

The Pharisees read the Scriptures like crazy
And it didn’t benefit them in the least.

John 5:39 “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me;”

They read it, but got nothing from it.
Notice now what Paul said here in Colossians 3
“Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you…”

First you have to let IT dwell within you.
(not something else)

And you have to let enough of it dwell within you, to fill you.
(i.e. “richly” or “abundantly”)

It’s not just about reading the word,
It’s about letting the word have its place in you.

It’s about letting the word do all that it wants to do in you.

How about a practical illustration?
Look further down in the chapter here in Colossians 3.

Colossians 3:18-25 “Wives, be subject to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives and do not be embittered against them. Children, be obedient to your parents in all things, for this is well-pleasing to the Lord. Fathers, do not exasperate your children, so that they will not lose heart. Slaves, in all things obey those who are your masters on earth, not with external service, as those who merely please men, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve. For he who does wrong will receive the consequences of the wrong which he has done, and that without partiality.”
Now those are simple commands to understand
And difficult commands to obey.

You go home today after having read those commands
And immediately they are put to the test.

• Your husband is a punk
• Your wife is irritable
• Your parents are unfair
• Your children are relentless
• Your master is unreasonable

And every one of those commands just seems impossible.

At this point you have a choice.
You either let those commands dwell in you, or you do not.

The either get to stay or they have to leave.

Are you going to let those words “richly dwell” within you,
Or are you going to push them aside?

It is clear that the word of Christ has a desire for you.
It is clear that the Holy Spirit is longing to lead your life.
BUT HERE IS THE KICKER.
Something else is wanting to lead you to.

WHAT IS THAT?
The flesh

You read those commands about relationships,
But those people irritated you and instantly there is a battle.
What the Spirit says to do VS. What the flesh wants to do.
Galatians 5:17 “For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please.”

You must choose which one you will allow to rule.
You must choose which one you will allow to dwell.
(They refuse to dwell together)

WHICH ONE ARE YOU GOING TO LET DWELL?
WHICH ONE ARE YOU GOING TO BE FILLED WITH?

Example of those who chose the Spirit.
1 Thessalonians 2:13 “For this reason we also constantly thank God that when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the word of God, which also performs its work in you who believe.”

Example of those who chose the flesh.
1 Corinthians 3:1-4 “And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual men, but as to men of flesh, as to infants in Christ. I gave you milk to drink, not solid food; for you were not yet able to receive it. Indeed, even now you are not yet able, for you are still fleshly. For since there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not fleshly, and are you not walking like mere men? For when one says, “I am of Paul,” and another, “I am of Apollos,” are you not mere men?”

So the Spirit desires to have that first place in your life,
But you have to be willing to let Him.

NOW, THAT REALLY OPENS THE DOOR TO ANOTHER ASPECT HERE.
This is a hard choice to make.
Is there any way to make it easier?

Well just as the Bible is clear what you ought to be doing with the Spirit,
The Bible is also clear what you ought to be doing with the flesh.

KILL IT

Look back at the first part of Colossians chapter 3.

(VERSES 5-10)
Literally there Paul says “put to death the members of your earthly body”
(your enemy isn’t as hard to beat if he is dead)

All of those deeds that are characteristic of the old man, kill them off.
Make them die.

And that shouldn’t be shocking, after all, wasn’t that exactly what Jesus said would be necessary if we wanted to follow Him?

Matthew 16:24 “Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.”

Self has to be denied
The flesh has to be killed
That is the only way to follow Christ.

And that is really what salvation is all about.
You die to self.

WHY DO YOU THINK WE BAPTIZE YOU?
We are symbolizing your death and resurrection

Romans 6:4 “Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.”

Paul said:
Galatians 2:20 “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.”

Are you getting the picture?

• There is a war going on inside of you.
• Two forces are struggling to guide your life.
• They won’t dwell together, and you must choose which one gets to stay.

And Scripture is clear.
Choose the Spirit and kill the flesh.

TURN BACK TO EPHESIANS
(chapter 4)

(VERSES 17-24)

You are now a child of God, why in the world would you want to continue living like a pagan in the world?

Do you know why the world lives like they do?

Look at what Paul said (17-19)
• Their mind is futile
• Their understanding is darkened (remember Satan blinds the minds…)
• They have no spiritual life inside them (i.e. the Holy Spirit)
• They are filled with ignorance
• Their hearts are hard to the things of God
• They are callous, unable to be moved
• They live for sensuality (whatever feels good)
• And they are greedy, wanting more of it

Is that really how a Christian should live?
No, in fact Paul says, (20) “But you did not learn Christ in this way”

Christ never intended to save you
So that you could continue on living for the flesh.

We’re called to take off the old self, which is another way of saying “kill it”

And we are called to put on the new self (20-24)

It’s the same admonition that Paul made to the Colossians.

Look, you have two things seeking to lead you.
One is the flesh, and the other is the Spirit.

You are going to have to choose to let the Spirit win.
• “Be filled with the Spirit” (not the flesh)
• “Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you” (not the flesh)

YOU MUST KILL THE FLESH.

HOW DO YOU KILL IT?
STARVE IT

TURN TO: ROMANS 13:11-14

Now you will notice there again
PAUL is talking about choosing the Spirit over the flesh.

Verse 11 begins with the command “Do this”
Do what?

Well, it’s all those commands that started back in chapter 12,
And there has been a bunch of them.

But again, all those commands
Are impossible to follow in your own strength.
We need to be filled with the Spirit in order to obey.

And that is what Paul is talking about here again.

And so, you need to once again kill the flesh and put on the Spirit.
(READ VERSE 12-13)

That is the same thing Paul was saying
To the Ephesians and the Colossians.
Choose which one you are going to allow yourself to be filled with.

And then look at the key here in verse 14.
“But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts.”

HOW DO YOU KILL THE FLESH?
“make no provision” for it.

In other words, starve it out.

And incidentally this is the #1 reason
Why Christians stumble in sin.

Christians are determined to try and resist the flesh without starving it.

We all have our major temptations we face.
• Could be alcohol…
• Could be sex…
• Could be gossip…
• Could be lying…
• Could be money…

Take someone who struggles with alcohol.
They can go into a rehab and actually do good when they are there.
WHY?

Because while they are there they have no access to alcohol.
They are not making provision for the flesh.

But when they get out, their friends, their circle, their refrigerator,
All makes provision for them, and they are easy prey.

Look,
• If alcohol is your struggle you can’t keep a beer in the fridge…
• If pornography is your struggle you can’t keep internet where that is
accessible…
• If gossip is your struggle you can’t keep going to the beauty shop or
the coffee shop or wherever it is you do it…
• If greed is your struggle you can’t keep searching ebay looking at all
the stuff you don’t have…

You can’t expect to defeat the flesh every time, you must starve it.
DOES THIS MAKE SENSE?
LET ME PUT IT ANOTHER WAY.
You are full of whatever you are filling up with.

• If you’re filling up with the world, then that is what you are full of.
• If you’re filling up with the things of God, then that is what you are full of.

So, if you are fighting the flesh and you are trying to kill the flesh,
THEN BY ALL MEANS STOP FEEDING IT.

If you want to be empty of the flesh, then stop filling up with it.
• That can be the stuff you watch on television
• That can be the music you listen to
• That can be the websites you visit
• That can be the friends you run with

You are going to be full of whatever you fill up with
• If you don’t want to be full of the flesh, then kill it. Starve it.
• On the flip side, you want to be filled with the Spirit. Feed it.

FEED IT
HOW?

Colossians 3:16 “Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.”

We don’t read the Bible because that instantly makes me “Spirit filled”
We read the Bible because it feeds the Spirit and helps us win the battle.

And it’s not like you don’t know this.
I’ll bet you can look back on your times of victory and your times of defeat
And make a direct correlation
To what you were putting into your life at the time.

FEED THE SPIRIT
STARVE THE FLESH

So here is the deal this morning.

Paul commanded us to “be filled with the Spirit”

• That is a passive command, meaning we must allow the Spirit to fill us.
He wants to, but we must let Him.
• The problem is that something else wants to fill you as well, and that is the flesh.
• And as a result you have a war taking place inside of you between the flesh and the Spirit.
• You are going to have to choose which one gets to stay and which one has to go.

You do that the same way you treat stray dogs or cats that come up.
You feed the ones you want to stay
And you starve the ones you want to leave.

If you want to be filled with the Spirit then it’s time
To start letting the word of Christ richly dwell within you.

Feed the Spirit, learn what He is saying, let His word remain and obey it.

If you want to kill the flesh, then starve it.
Quit feeding it, make no provision for it.
At least weaken your enemy before you try to fight him.

And, as I said last week, this is the single most important aspect
To living the Christian life of victory.

You must be filled with the Spirit.
If you are not, you cannot expect victory in your life or ministry,
I don’t care how hard you try.

Now, we didn’t make it as far as I had hoped again this morning,
But again let me leave you with just a thought for the week.

HOW DO I KNOW IF I AM FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT?

We’re going to talk about it next week, but how do I know?
It’s not mystical or mysterious.

If a glass is full, and you shake the glass,
Whatever it is full of is what comes out.

Well, there you have it.
You are full of whatever comes out when you are rattled.

Matthew 15:18 “But the things that proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and those defile the man.”

And I think you get the point.

So “be filled with the Spirit”
“Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you”

Next week, we’ll examine what that looks like.

Be Filled with the Spirit – part 1
Ephesians 5:18-20 (18)
September 1, 2013

Well, as you know we have been studying the Holy Spirit.
We have spent several weeks now trying to determine exactly who He is,
And what exactly He came to do.

We know that He was promised throughout the Old Testament and the gospels, and that the promise of His coming was fulfilled at Pentecost.

Acts 2:39 “For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.”

And we know that in every regard He is fully God.
• The Old Testament saw God the Father as “God to Us”
• The gospels saw Jesus as “God with Us”
• Pentecost sees the Holy Spirit as “God in Us”

We know His fingerprints.
• To Convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment.
• To Guide us into all the truth.
• To Glorify Jesus.

And we know His purposes through those emblems that reveal Him throughout Scripture.

• He is WATER – the One who gives us spiritual life
• He is FIRE – the One who is sanctifying us from the world and to God
• He is OIL – our anointing, giving us the right to serve God
• He is WIND – our power, giving us the ability to serve God
• He is a SEAL – the One who gives us assurance of our salvation
• He is a DOVE – the One who gently guides us and leads us in life

That is what He does,
And if you have missed any of those, I encourage you to go back and get the CD from those services and learn exactly how the Holy Spirit benefits the life of a Christian.

But beyond all those emblems, and all the fingerprints,
The greatest reality we see of the Holy Spirit
Is the absolute difference He has continued to make
In the lives of believers ever since the day of Pentecost.

And this really isn’t hard to see.

If we look at the apostles in the gospels we find
Some of the most fickle human beings of all history.

One minute they are boldly proclaiming Jesus as the Christ, healing the sick, and casting out demons.
The next minute they are arguing over who is the greatest, sleeping in the garden, and trying to talk Jesus out of the cross.

Perhaps none epitomized that more than Peter.
• Next to Jesus, Peter could walk on water, but when Peter took His eyes of
Jesus, he sunk.

• Next to Jesus, Peter would fight an entire Roman cohort, but apart from
Jesus, a servant girl could intimidate him.

We find throughout the gospels that being near to Jesus
Gave the disciples great confidence, boldness, and power;
But when they were on their own, they were weak and failing men.

We learned then that men, apart from God, can accomplish nothing.

John 15:5 “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.”

We know that apart from Jesus, not to expect too much
From these self-centered, cowardly disciples.

And that is a problem because in the first chapter of Acts, Jesus left.

That, in reality, opened the door for us to see the real difference
That the Holy Spirit made in the life of these men.

• We have Peter, a man who three times denied Jesus, speaking boldly at Pentecost and again in Acts 4 in the very city, and to the very men, who crucified Jesus.

• We have Philip, who once fled from the arrest of Jesus, boldly taking the gospel into foreign lands and confronting sinners with the truth.

• We have James, at one time so concerned with his own glory that he actually had his mother approach Jesus to secure his spot at Jesus side, actually laying down his life for the church.

WHAT GIVES?
Well you know – it was the presence of the Holy Spirit.

These were not great men.
These were Spirit-filled men.

You cannot miss that fact when you study the book of Acts.

In recent years the church has done a tremendous amount of research, and put forth tremendous amounts of effort and resources
Focusing on what they call, “METHODOLOGY”

They are searching for the most successful methods
For doing the work of the church.

Some have even gone back to search out the methods of the early church
Thinking there must have been some sort of genius to their methods.

But the brilliance of the early church
Was not that they were men with brilliant ideas or methods.
The brilliance of the early church is that they placed
The highest priority on being filled with the Spirit.

• It wasn’t about METHODS.
• It wasn’t about EDUCATION.
• It wasn’t about EXPERIENCE.
IT WAS ABOUT BEING FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT

• When they looked for PREACHERS, it wasn’t about seminary degrees.
• When they looked for LEADERS, it wasn’t about those with worldly success and experience.
• When they looked for GUIDANCE, they weren’t concerned about who had the most innovative ways of thinking, or who had the best grasp on his culture.

They only wanted men full of the Spirit.
Because the Spirit made the difference in their churches.

Acts 4:8-12 “Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers and elders of the people, if we are on trial today for a benefit done to a sick man, as to how this man has been made well, let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead — by this name this man stands here before you in good health. “He is the STONE WHICH WAS REJECTED by you, THE BUILDERS, but WHICH BECAME THE CHIEF CORNER stone. “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.”

Acts 6:2-5 “So the twelve summoned the congregation of the disciples and said, “It is not desirable for us to neglect the word of God in order to serve tables. “Therefore, brethren, select from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may put in charge of this task. “But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” The statement found approval with the whole congregation; and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas and Nicolas, a proselyte from Antioch.”

Acts 11:22-24 “The news about them reached the ears of the church at Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas off to Antioch. Then when he arrived and witnessed the grace of God, he rejoiced and began to encourage them all with resolute heart to remain true to the Lord; for he was a good man, and full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And considerable numbers were brought to the Lord.”

Acts 13:9-10 “But Saul, who was also known as Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, fixed his gaze on him, and said, “You who are full of all deceit and fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease to make crooked the straight ways of the Lord?”

ONE THING MATTERED
To live a life of personal victory, and to be successful in ministry,
They knew they must be filled with the Spirit of God.

That is the secret to the boldness, power, and success of the early church

That is the secret to victory in your own personal Christian life.
That is the secret to success in your ministry for God.
HE IS THE KEY

We can’t just know who the Holy Spirit is,
We must be filled with the Holy Spirit.

AND THAT IS WHAT WE BEGIN TO LOOK AT THIS MORNING.

And for that study we look to the 5th chapter of the book of Ephesians.

Now Ephesians 5 is a wonderful chapter.
It is easily recognized by 4 very distinct commands as to what a Christian should be.

Ephesians 5:1 “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children;”

Ephesians 5:15 “Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise,”

Ephesians 5:18 “And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit,”

Ephesians 5:21 “and be subject to one another in the fear of Christ.”

That is pretty clear, and there is much then to say about
What it means to be godly and not worldly in this life.

This chapter is filled with practical statements and commands
That deal with living the Christian life in the right way.

And in this chapter, verses 18-20 really give us the key to it all.
These 3 verses unlock for us THE ABILITY TO OBEY the commands.

We already learned who gives us the ability to serve God didn’t we?
(the Holy Spirit is wind)

We already learned who sanctifies us and makes us holy didn’t we?
(the Holy Spirit is fire)

If you approach these commands from a human effort mentality
I don’t mind telling you that you will fail and fail miserably.

I mean just look at verse 3 of this chapter.
Ephesians 5:3 “But immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints;”

I don’t have to tell you that human effort will never achieve that.

In fact, that is why we are studying the Holy Spirit to begin with,
Because so many of us have become frustrated
With our inability to live like we feel we should.

• We hate our continual failures…
• We hate our constant return to sin…
• We hate that we aren’t past issues we thought we should be long past…

And one of the reasons it is so frustrating
Is because we have tried so hard.

If Baptists get an “A” for anything, it’s effort.
We try hard to be the people we are supposed to be.

But effort, determination, commitment, knowledge, focus, education, ingenuity, and things like that
Can NEVER make you succeed.

We have to learn we can’t win spiritual battles with human means.

I’m always amazed by the world’s attempts at deliverance.
Today the magic cure is EDUCATION

• We’ve seen it with AIDS

• A few years ago I was asked to be involved at the school with a program that reenacted a car wreck with a drunken teenager…

• We see drug use among our young people and so we have “red ribbon week”…

• I heard Dick Butkus the other day on TV, and how he is traveling to school after school speaking about the dangers of steroids and other performance enhancing drugs…

And it doesn’t seem to matter if it is AIDS or alcohol or drugs or steroids,
The world always goes after the same solution – EDUCATION
“We just have to educate people”

And I’m not opposed to education, I think the truth about anything should be known.

The problem is that people don’t sin because of lack of education,
People sin because of their fallen sinful flesh that loves sin.

The truth about AIDS has not stopped promiscuous sex
The truth about car wrecks has not stopped drunkenness
The truth about drugs has not stopped it’s use

Because education can’t fix the problem, and it can’t fix the church either.
Neither can effort or desire or commitment

And all of those fail for the same reasons – THE FLESH
The flesh is weak
The flesh is fallen
The flesh craves sin

We need something to battle the flesh.

And we know what that is.
Galatians 5:16-18 “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law.”

Only the Spirit can overcome the flesh.

And that is why here in Ephesians 5,
All of those commands are good,
But apart from obedience to the command found in verse 18,
You cannot fully obey them.

We need to understand that the Holy Spirit is not just a good ally
He is absolutely essential to living the Christian life the right way.

AND THIS MORNING we are just going to begin talking about what it means to be filled with the Spirit and what it means to walk by the Spirit, and even how to practically do that.

Now we zone in on verse 18.

“And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit.”

Now, we aren’t going to spend a ton of time on the first part of that verse,
But a little discussion is crucial to understanding where Paul is going.

Obviously in Christianity we have learned the dangers of drunkenness.

And for some strange reason alcohol
Has always been a hotly debated topic in the church.
Can a Christian drink alcohol?

Look, most of the alcohol they drank was to purify the water,
And in that regard you had to drink it.

The problem was those who lingered long at the jug and turned the alcohol into a means of euphoria. (i.e. drunkenness)
I don’t know any Christian
Who is under the delusion that drunkenness is ever ok.

In fact Paul says “that is dissipation”

“dissipation” translates ASOTIA
It literally means, “that which is unable to be saved”

• It is a word that is used of people who are hopelessly sick.
• It is a word used of people in such vile living that they appear beyond
redemption.

I hope that gives your mind some insight
As to what Scripture thinks of drunkenness.

The reason Paul brings it up here is because
He is using drunkenness to contrast what it means
To be filled with the Spirit.

The pagan religions of Paul’s day focused tremendously on things like drunkenness in their worship of pagan deities.

The idea was that through various forms of euphoria you actually encountered and communed and were even filled with the spirit of the deity.

And this communion was achieved through various forms.
• There were forms of drugs that were used…
• Chants and frenzies were used…
• Orgies and prostitutes induced a sort of sexual euphoria…
• And alcohol was a widely popular method…

One could get drunk, and that drunkenness brought on
A supposed communion with the spirit world.

To sort of give you an idea of the benchmark in Paul’s day,
When the Holy Spirit fell at Pentecost and they all began speaking in tongues what did the people say was occurring?

Acts 2:13 “But others were mocking and saying, “They are full of sweet wine.”

Drunkenness was a highly popular method
Of supposedly walking in closer connection with deity.

THE PROBLEM?
People began to bring such practices even into their Christian worship.

I mean, if it works for pagan gods, why not use it in our religion.

Incidentally we actually hear of people today claiming to be “drunk in the Spirit”, and that is precisely the sort of thing Paul is rebuking here.
You will see later in the text that being filled with the Spirit does not produce drunkenness, nor does it produce falling down, nor does it produce flopping, or babbling, or any other sort of weird behavior.

It actually produces speaking in psalms, hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart, and total gratitude to God.

And that is Paul’s point.

People were seeking the effects of what they supposed
It should be like when they were full of the Spirit
Instead of seeking the Spirit Himself.

They knew what they should feel when they communed with God,
And in order to manipulate that feeling that actually used alcohol to help.

Remember the Corinthians?
What were they doing even in their Lord’s Supper to help the experience?

1 Corinthians 11:20-21 “Therefore when you meet together, it is not to eat the Lord’s Supper, for in your eating each one takes his own supper first; and one is hungry and another is drunk.”

They were so fleshly and in search of euphoria
That they helped with alcohol.

BUT WE AREN’T SEEKING THE EUPHORIC STATE
That is not what God has for you.

“And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit.”

To put it plainly don’t seek the experience, seek the Spirit.

And people do, don’t they?
• If they didn’t get some sort of emotional high, then they don’t think the Holy Spirit was there.

• In contrast, if they got the tinglies, then that must have been the Holy Spirit.

It’s all backward.

We are not seeking some euphoric state, we are seeking the Holy Spirit.
We must “be filled with the Spirit”

WELL, WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?

First, let me tell you what it doesn’t mean.

Obviously it is NOT some sort of ecstatic, euphoric experience.
• But it is also NOT the same as possessing the Spirit.
• It is NOT the same as being baptized with the Spirit.
• It is NOT the same as receiving the Spirit.

When Paul says to “be filled” he is NOT saying
For you to get the Holy Spirit as though you do not have all of Him
And you are in need of more.

Listen, the Holy Spirit is given at salvation.

Isn’t that what Peter told the Jews at Pentecost?
Acts 2:38 “Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

And let me remind you that God
Does not parcel out the Holy Spirit in stages.

John 3:34 “For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God; for He gives the Spirit without measure.”

When God gives the Holy Spirit, He gives all of the Holy Spirit.

When Paul commands you to be filled,
He is not commanding you to in some way go out and get the Holy Spirit.

Take the Corinthians for example.

DID THEY POSSESS THE HOLY SPIRIT?
1 Corinthians 6:18-19 “Flee immorality. Every other sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the immoral man sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?”

The Corinthians had the Holy Spirit.

WHAT WAS THEIR PROBLEM?
They were not filled with the Holy Spirit,
Instead they were walking in the flesh.

1 Corinthians 3:1 “And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual men, but as to men of flesh, as to infants in Christ.”

And that was clearly seen in their conflict, their extortion,
Their tolerance if immorality, their drunkenness, their role swapping,
Their idolatry, their lack of brotherly love, their weak doctrine,
And their chaos in the corporate worship service.

They had the Holy Spirit, but they were not filled with Him.
So when you believe in Christ, and are truly saved
God gives you His Holy Spirit, it is the promise.
And you receive all of the Holy Spirit that you are ever going to get.

So why does Paul command us then to “be filled with the Holy Spirit”?

It’s not a matter of how much of Him you’ve got,
It’s a matter of how much of you, He’s got.

The word “filled” is an interesting word.

• It can symbolize a glass “filled” with water.
The idea is to be totally saturated with the Spirit of God.

• It can symbolize a sail “filled” with wind.
The idea is that the Holy Spirit is driving your life.

• It can symbolize a person’s emotion as in “being filled with
sorrow”
The idea being that the Holy Spirit drives the will of a person

The Holy Spirit doesn’t just want to dwell in you, He wants to fill you.
He wants to saturate all of you, guide your life, and direct your passions.

Furthermore the command “be filled with the Spirit” is in the Passive Tense.

That means it is not something we go do, but something we allow.
It pictures something God desires to do in your life,
If you will let Him do it.

THE HOLY SPIRIT DESIRES TO FILL YOU.
He wants to fill your life, He wants to fill your sails, He wants to fill your emotions.

After all, He is a guide, just as we saw two weeks ago.

HOWEVER, JUST LIKE JESUS, HE IS A GENTLE GUIDE.

Matthew 12:19 “HE WILL NOT QUARREL, NOR CRY OUT; NOR WILL ANYONE HEAR HIS VOICE IN THE STREETS.”

He is not a squawker or a manipulator or one who will threaten you.
He wants to fill you, but He is not going to force His will upon you.
He wants you to let Him fill you.

I had a conversation with a fellow last week, who has struggled with a particular sin for quite some time in his life.

And he had reached a point where due to his constant failure and return to sin, he had deduced that God either wasn’t real, had no power, or just didn’t care.

Why would He let His children continue to return to sins that destroy them?
And the answer is that God doesn’t “let” you.

• I asked this man if the Bible spoke of this sin, and if it ever condoned it?
He said “no”

• I asked this man if when he is about to do it, if something inside of him warned him first?
He said “yes”

• I asked this man if other believers had been a voice of reason and help to him in this struggle?
He said “yes”

And all of those are indicators that God is not “letting” you sin.
He is warning you through His word, through His Spirit, and His church.

He is telling you at every turn not to do that, not to return.

And yet this man was upset because God didn’t physically stop him.

I reminded him that God most certainly could.
• I told him God could rip your arms off so that the action was impossible.
• God could rip your tongue out to prevent the iniquity.
• God could cause you to go blind to stop the sin.

Is that what you want?
Of course not.

See, the Holy Spirit is not a bully or a tyrant.
He does not force His will upon you.
But He sure offers it to you.

He wants you to let Him have FULL control of your life.
• He wants you to let Him guide your paths.
• He wants you to let Him blow your sails.
• He wants you to let Him fill your emotions and desires.

The problem is not that He is too passive,
The problem is that we are too stubborn.
We refuse to allow Him to have the control He desires.

I’ve told you many times that this year to prepare for Africa we went through a study by John MacArthur about the “Fundamental Christian Attitudes”

In his sermon OBEDIENCE MacArthur was commenting on Ephesians 3:17
It is actually part of a prayer that Paul prays for the Ephesians.

In that prayer, Paul prays:
Ephesians 3:17 “so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith…”

Now Paul is not praying that the Ephesians will get Christ in their heart,
They already have Christ in their heart.

He is praying that they will let Christ DWELL in their heart.
And this is precisely the same thing he is talking about
With the Holy Spirit in chapter 5.

He is not telling the Ephesians to get the Holy Spirit,
But for them to let the Holy Spirit fill them.

And commenting on that passage, MacArthur said this:
“Christ, if you’re a believer, is already in your heart but He may not be settled down, He may be up all the time fixing things. You remember that wonderful little book, “My Heart Christ’s Home.” I read it as a young man and it had a marvelous effect upon me, it’s a picture of a house, like the heart and Christ comes in and He goes into the living room which is the realm of fellowship and He goes into the dining room which is the realm of appetites and He goes into the library which is the realm of thought. And there’s work to do in all those places and all those places received His purging. And then, all of a sudden, when all of that is done there’s a terrible stench coming out of somewhere and Christ finds a closet and opens it up and there are all the hidden iniquities. And Christ can’t settle down and be at home until all that work is done. And that’s what the Apostle Paul is praying. He’s praying that the Spirit of God would strengthen your inner man so that sin would be dealt with and the response to the cleansing of Christ would be a complete response and Christ could settle down at be at rest because sin is being dealt with. That’s what Paul’s praying for. He’s praying for the Spirit to come, bring His strength to the inner man, do a cleansing work so that Christ is comfortable in your life.”
(Fundamental Christian Attitudes: Obedience, Selected Scriptures, September 22, 1996 90-115)

And that pertains precisely to what we are talking about here.
The Holy Spirit is in you, and He wants to fill you,
But you must let Him have complete control.

He’ll fill every aspect of your life, but you must let Him do it.
Now, I know we are out of time and we probably haven’t answered all your questions as to how to let Him do this.

We’ll get there, but this week I want to stress to you
That apart from the filling of the Holy Spirit
You will live a life of weakness and failure.

And it is essential that we both begin to allow Him
To fill us as He desires to do.

Only then are we like those people in the early church
Who had such boldness, such conviction, such power,
And such effectiveness for the kingdom.

• They didn’t want educated people…
• They didn’t want experienced people…
• They didn’t want influential people…
• They didn’t want famous people…
• They didn’t want innovative people…

They wanted Spirit-filled people.
Those were the people who lived the right kind of life
And had the right kind of ministry.

We want to be those kind of people.
And we’ll talk more about this in the coming weeks.

Ephesians 5:18 “And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit,”

The Spirit Guides You
Romans 8:14
August 18, 2013

As you know we are studying the Holy Spirit.
We want to know who He is, and we want to know how to follow Him.

We read much about the Holy Spirit in Scripture
And we see various commands like “be filled with the Spirit” or “walk by the Spirit” and we want to know what that is all about.

So we are studying the Holy Spirit.

This is now the 12th sermon we have had on this subject
And everything thus far has been about who He is.

It is vitally important you know who He is,
Before you jump off the dock and go to follow Him.
None of us want to follow the wrong spirit, so we find out who He is.

And this morning we are going to look at the final aspect of who He is.
• We’ve seen the PROMISE of the Spirit
• We’ve seen the PERSON of the Spirit
• We are looking at the PURPOSE of the Spirit

By now we know His FINGERPRINTS,
Which help us discern when it is really the Holy Spirit at work.

• Convict the world of sin
• Guide you into all the truth
• Glorify Jesus

And we have been looking at those VARIOUS EMBLEMS
That further help explain Him.

WATER – The Holy Spirit gives life.
You were physically alive before, but when He moved in, you became truly alive for the first time.

FIRE – The Holy Spirit sanctifies you.
He sets you apart from the world, and He sets you apart unto God. He is the One who is purifying you an making you what God desires you to be.

OIL – The Holy Spirit anoints you.
He is what qualifies you to serve God. You have no right on your own to be in the King’s service, but the Holy Spirit grants you that privilege.

WIND – The Holy Spirit equips you.
Wind represents power, and it is the Holy Spirit who gives you the ability to serve God. We see Spiritual gifts, and we understand that this is the Holy Spirit manifesting Himself in order to help you do God’s service.
SEAL – The Holy Spirit Seals you.
He is the source of your assurance. Jesus makes you secure, the Holy Spirit lets you enjoy that security. He is a seal that you are God’s child, He is a pledge that you truly will receive your inheritance one day.

And based upon those truths we all understand that
The Holy Spirit is a tremendous benefit to our lives.

Apart from Him:
No Life – couldn’t even be a believer
No Sanctification – couldn’t ever please God
No Anointing – no right to serve God
No Power – no ability to serve God
No Assurance – no joy as we do serve God

It is obvious that we need the Holy Spirit.
It is obvious that we want the Holy Spirit.

Do not look at the perversions done in His name today
And let them convince you that
The Holy Spirit is someone to be avoided. He is not.

You need Him, You want Him
He is God in us.

Well this morning I want to look at the final emblem we see of Him.
(There may be more, but these are the ones that I recognize)

And this morning we are going to look at the most famous.

If I handed out sheets of paper this morning and asked everyone
To draw the Holy Spirit, most in here would draw the same thing.
They would draw a DOVE.

The Holy Spirit is represented by a dove.
Matthew 3:16 “After being baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and lighting on Him,”

WHY A DOVE?
Well, we see a dove at various times in Scripture.

The other famous dove was the dove in Noah’s day.
Genesis 8:6-12 “Then it came about at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made; and he sent out a raven, and it flew here and there until the water was dried up from the earth. Then he sent out a dove from him, to see if the water was abated from the face of the land; but the dove found no resting place for the sole of her foot, so she returned to him into the ark, for the water was on the surface of all the earth. Then he put out his hand and took her, and brought her into the ark to himself. So he waited yet another seven days; and again he sent out the dove from the ark. The dove came to him toward evening, and behold, in her beak was a freshly picked olive leaf. So Noah knew that the water was abated from the earth. Then he waited yet another seven days, and sent out the dove; but she did not return to him again.”

That dove there was obviously a symbol of hope,
And even a type of guide for Noah and those on the boat.

The dove was the informant who gave Noah the information he needed to know
That they would soon exit the ark.

Of course we don’t push the illustration too far,
Because that dove left and didn’t return and the Holy Spirit never does that.

But we do see a picture of hope and a guide.

Jesus spoke of a dove as He spoke to His disciples.
Matthew 10:16 “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves.”

And we understand there that dove a represented innocence, or purity.

This was also understood in the fact that
The dove was a bird of sacrifice.

For those who were poor and could not afford a ram or a bull,
They were allowed to sacrifice doves.

So a dove was gentle, and innocent, and pure.

But really when we see the Holy Spirit
Taking the form of a dove at Jesus’ baptism,
The dove had more to do with Jesus than it did the Holy Spirit.

• This was the Spirit that was upon Jesus.
• The dove represented Jesus’ nature.
• The dove represented Jesus’ personality.

Matthew 12:15-21 “But Jesus, aware of this, withdrew from there. Many followed Him, and He healed them all, and warned them not to tell who He was. This was to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet: “BEHOLD, MY SERVANT WHOM I HAVE CHOSEN; MY BELOVED IN WHOM MY SOUL is WELL-PLEASED; I WILL PUT MY SPIRIT UPON HIM, AND HE SHALL PROCLAIM JUSTICE TO THE GENTILES. “HE WILL NOT QUARREL, NOR CRY OUT; NOR WILL ANYONE HEAR HIS VOICE IN THE STREETS. “A BATTERED REED HE WILL NOT BREAK OFF, AND A SMOLDERING WICK HE WILL NOT PUT OUT, UNTIL HE LEADS JUSTICE TO VICTORY. “AND IN HIS NAME THE GENTILES WILL HOPE.”

I hope you remember that passage in relation to Jesus.
It spoke of His gentle character as He would lead the people.

By reason of God’s Spirit being upon Him,
Jesus would not only proclaim justice,
But would do it in a gentle manner.

“He will not quarrel, nor cry out”

“quarrel” is the Greek word EPIZO
It means “to wrangle, or harass, it could even mean to brawl”

Jesus wasn’t that type of leader or preacher.
He didn’t brow beat people or intimidate them or threaten them.

“cry out” translates KRAUGAZO
That word is an onomatopoeia which is a word defined by it’s pronunciation.

Like when you speak of a horse’s “Nay” or a cow’s “Moo”

KRAUGAZO meant “to squawk like a raven”
It was someone yelling excitedly.

That wasn’t who Jesus was,
Because that wasn’t the Spirit that was on Him.
He was gentle, He was kind, He was hope, He was peace.

“A battered reed He will not break off”
That represented someone so broken by life, that they were beyond repair. The world throws them away, but not Jesus.

“A smoldering wicked He will not put out”
That represented someone whose light is almost gone. The world discards them, but not Jesus.

Jesus was kind, Jesus was gentle, Jesus was hope, Jesus was peace.
And “He leads justice to victory”

And because they are both God,
That is also the nature of the Holy Spirit,
And that is why the Spirit came in the form of a dove.

The Holy Spirit is also a gentle guide.

How many times do we see this in the Scripture?
Matthew 4:1 “Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.”

Acts 8:29 “Then the Spirit said to Philip, “Go up and join this chariot.”

Acts 13:2 “While they were ministering to the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”

Acts 16:6-7 “They passed through the Phrygian and Galatian region, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia; and after they came to Mysia, they were trying to go into Bithynia, and the Spirit of Jesus did not permit them;”

Acts 20:22-23 “And now, behold, bound by the Spirit, I am on my way to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit solemnly testifies to me in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions await me.”

Or go read the seven churches in the book of Revelation.
All 7 messages end with the same phrase:

Revelation 3:22 “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.'”

It is obvious that the Holy Spirit is a guide.
Now He is not a yeller and a screamer.
He is not a brute.
He won’t threaten you or brow beat you.

• He is a dove.
• He is a gentle guide.
• He won’t discard you
• He won’t throw you aside
• He is in the business of gently guiding you to justice and to victory.

That is who He is.
• He is your source of life
• He is your source of sanctification
• He is your source of anointing
• He is your source of ability
• He is your source of assurance
• And He is your guide as to how to live.

And that leads us to our text this morning.
“For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.”

Now I hope to come back and look at the entire passage
Surrounding this verse in a few weeks,
But for now I really just want you to focus in on what Paul says here.

Paul is very clear that there is a distinguishable way
To determine who is a child of God.

It is those “who are being led by the Spirit of God”

And this makes perfect sense to us.
Do you respond differently to your children than you do everyone else’s?

Of course you do.
You are constantly watching your kids to see if they need a little correction.

You tell them to “sit down” “be quiet” “come here” “say, ‘Thank You’”.
Your life is constantly guiding your kids.

And the parents who are the best parents are those who take that role the most seriously and are continually watching and guiding their children.

At times this guidance even turns to discipline.

And that is also a mark of God’s guidance.

What do we read in the book of Hebrews?
Hebrews 12:7-11 “It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits, and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness. All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.”

God is continually dealing with us as sons.
He guides, and at times He even corrects and disciplines.

To what end?
“so that we may share His holiness”

He is our Father, and He is always leading us.

Now, what we learn especially from the verse in Romans
Is that the agent through whom God leads us is “the Spirit of God”

It is the Holy Spirit that guides God’s children.
• He leads them as to how they are to walk.
• He corrects them when they need correcting.
• He may even orchestrate discipline in our lives.

But He is guiding us, He is leading us.

And you need to know this.
If you are a child of God.
Then you “are being led by the Spirit of God”.

Often times you hear believers pray that God will lead and guide them.

I understand the motive behind that prayer.
They are saying they want God in charge directing their path.
There is nothing wrong with that.

Psalms 25:4-5 “Make me know Your ways, O LORD; Teach me Your paths. Lead me in Your truth and teach me, For You are the God of my salvation; For You I wait all the day.”
Psalms 139:23-24 “Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts; And see if there be any hurtful way in me, And lead me in the everlasting way.”

But you do need to understand,
A believer is never in danger of God not leading them.

If you are a child of God, the Holy Spirit is leading you.
He is guiding you.

Now, you may not be following His lead, or obeying His guidance,
But He is leading none the less.

“For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.”

If you are His child, He is leading you.
Isaiah 48:16-17 “Come near to Me, listen to this: From the first I have not spoken in secret, From the time it took place, I was there. And now the Lord GOD has sent Me, and His Spirit.” Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, “I am the LORD your God, who teaches you to profit, Who leads you in the way you should go.”

Jeremiah 10:23 “I know, O LORD, that a man’s way is not in himself, Nor is it in a man who walks to direct his steps.”

God is always the One who directs His people.
And now, it is the Holy Spirit who directs and guides God’s children.

He has a plan for your life, and He is pushing you towards it.

I suppose then that the next logical question is how does He do it?

• I mean we read that the Holy Spirit led Jesus to the wilderness.
• We read that the Holy Spirit led Philip.
• We read that the Holy Spirit led the church at Antioch.
• We read that the Holy Spirit led Paul.

How does He do that?
In those instances it is not made clear to us how.

But Scripture is not unclear as to how He does it.

One clear way has always been SCRIPTURE.

TURN TO: 2 Peter 1:19-21

2 Peter 1:19-21 “So we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts. But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.”

Now Peter is clear there.
No Scripture was ever written apart from the Holy Spirit’s inspiration.

“men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.”

That also means that no one can interpret Scripture
Apart from the help of the Holy Spirit.

Isn’t that what Paul taught us in 1 Corinthians 2?
“a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them.”

God wrote it, and so only God knows what it truly means.
And that is why Peter said:

“no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation,”

We don’t read a verse and ask, “What does that mean to me?”
No, you don’t get to determine the meaning.

It only matters what God meant when He wrote it.

So the Holy Spirit guided men what to write,
And then guides men as to what it means.

Our job, then is only to follow that guidance.
“So we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place”

That is a great analogy.
If it is dark, you are prone to trip and stumble.
A light guides you where to walk.

That is how the Holy Spirit leads you.
He leads you like a lamp in darkness.

What did the Psalmist say?
Psalms 119:105 “Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.”

That is how the Holy Spirit is guiding you.

What did we study when we looked at His fingerprints?
John 16:13 “But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.”

Remember He guides you “into all the truth”

We also remember that He is totally focused in this regard.
“He will not speak on His own initiative.”

That means not only is He a guide, but He is a RELIABLE GUIDE.
He never gives bad advice.
He never gets a wild hair.

He always guides according to the truth.
And He guides you into the truth of Scripture.

We are reminded of what Paul told Timothy:
2 Timothy 3:16-17 “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.”

It is God who spoke the Scripture (the Holy Spirit) and He does so
To lead us into being the type of person God intends for us to be.

The Holy Spirit is constantly guiding you,
And He is doing so through the word of God.

But that isn’t the only way He guides.

TURN TO: Colossians 3:15-16

Now this is a unique passage, and actually it is a sister passage
To one that we read in Ephesians.

Ephesians 5:18-19 “And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord;”

The only difference is there Paul says, “be filled with the Spirit”
In Colossians Paul says, “let the word of Christ richly dwell within you”

But obviously he is speaking about the same reality.

And that further emphasizes the fact that
The Holy Spirit works to lead us through the Scripture.

But in that same passage we see another way the Spirit of God leads us.

(15) “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts…”

• Ever hear someone say, “I just don’t have a peace about that”?
• Ever hear someone say, “I just got some red flags there”?

Why do you suppose that is?

That is the Holy Spirit who has brought about an absence of peace
In regard to a specific situation.

And this also works in regard to how we live.

As a believer, have you ever gone out and done something you knew you weren’t supposed to do?

Maybe you knew ahead of time, but it was just going to be too much fun,
So you did it anyway.

Now, if you aren’t a child of God, the only thing that bothers you
Is the fear of getting caught.

But if you are a child of God, and you go out and do something
In clear violation of God’s will.

HOW DID YOU FEEL?
Terrible.

You know what that feeling was?
• It was a lack of peace.
• Instantly you knew that you and God were not on the same page.

You were still His child.
But you could sense that there was a displeasure there.

That is another way the Holy Spirit leads a believer.
He gives peace and He takes it away.

So He uses the Scripture to guide you.
He uses peace within to guide you.

Now there are other sort of secondary ways in which He leads,
But it really always comes back to those two.

For example:
He can lead through the church.

Take for instance a sinning brother, and how the whole church
Eventually rebukes him and calls for repentance.

That rebuke is the Holy Spirit leading the body
To bring about a drastic form of leadership in his life.

Listen to Paul:
1 Corinthians 5:3-5 “For I, on my part, though absent in body but present in spirit, have already judged him who has so committed this, as though I were present. In the name of our Lord Jesus, when you are assembled, and I with you in spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus, I have decided to deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of his flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.”

He uses the church to guide believers
Through the equipping of Spiritual gifts.

Ephesians 4:11-13 “And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.”

There the Holy Spirit guides other believers
By equipping some to preach and teach the word.

But in all reality that still comes back to His use of the Scriptures and of peace, even if it is corporate peace.

The main thing I want you to understand is that
You are not living this Christian life
According to your own understanding.

In fact:
Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.”
You have a guide.
You have a leader.

And this is a good thing.

For Scripture is clear about the consequences of having no leader.

Matthew 15:14 “Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind. And if a blind man guides a blind man, both will fall into a pit.”

That is the danger.
We need someone to guide us in this life.

• We aren’t out looking for signs…
• We aren’t trusting fate…
• We aren’t leaning on our own intelligence…

We have a guide.
• He is gentle, not rude.
• He is compassionate…

And He always leads us according to the will of God.

If we follow His leadership we end up sanctified,
Enjoying abundant life, useable to God,
Equipped for every good work,
And totally assured of who we are in Christ.
And you put all those together,
And that is the purpose of the Holy Spirit.

He has come:
• To Give you Life
• To Sanctify You
• To Anoint You
• To Equip You
• To Give you Assurance
• And to Guide you as to how to live

That is His purpose.

And you can see He is not someone to dread, or to fear, or to reject.
Listen to Him, follow Him, obey Him, and let Him use you.

And that is where we are going next.

We have now seen who He is.
When we meet next time we’re going to start talking about
How to walk according to the Spirit.

And there is found the secret of Christian victory.

The Spirit Seals You
Ephesians 1:13-14
August 11, 2013

Well, it feels like it has been nearly forever since we last enjoyed our study of the Holy Spirit. Indeed it has been about 4 weeks.

But this morning I want to get back to it,
As it is certainly an important topic of study.

We are studying the Holy Spirit
Namely because He is the answer to our human weakness.

Apart from Him believers experience failure in ministry and failure in their own personal lives as they strive to be who God desires them to be.

HE IS THAT IMPORTANT TO THE CHRISTIAN LIFE.

However, because the truths about Him have been so perverted in our world today, many have found themselves in a mode where they sort of avoid Him.

The purpose of our study is to first understand who He is,
And secondly to learn how to follow His leadership.

We began by looking at the box He dwells in,
Or “His fingerprints” as I like to call them.

It is those outer parameters that give us the criteria
By which we can tell whether the Holy Spirit is actually at work or not.

We don’t recognize Him by a “feeling”
(I could just feel the Spirit)

We recognize Him by the criteria given to us in John 16.
• He convicts the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment
• He guides us into all the truth,
• He glorifies Jesus

Now, when those things occur, you can be certain that
The Holy Spirit is at work – and that is true whether you feel Him or not.

And from there we have been taking a closer look at some of those EMBLEMS that are used to describe Him in the New Testament.

This helps us to understand the purpose of the Holy Spirit.

First we looked at the fact that the Holy Spirit is typified by WATER
And we noted that the Spirit gives life.

There is physical life and then there is spiritual life.
While all men are alive physically, only those with the Holy Spirit are alive spiritually.
He gives new life, abundant life, eternal life.

Apart from Him you cannot even be a believer in Jesus Christ since the Holy Spirit is the agent who both draws you to Christ and gives you life.

Second we noted that He is represented by FIRE
And we spoke of the reality that the Spirit sanctifies you.

That is to say that the Holy Spirit separates you
From the world and separates you unto God.

He is that purifying agent in your life.
And we noted that apart from the Holy Spirit you cannot please God.

And then, just before the African trip we looked at two emblems, namely OIL and WIND

• Oil represents our anointing, which is our authority to serve God.
• Wind represents our power, which is our ability to serve God.

The Holy Spirit makes you adequate to serve and able to serve.

He equips believers with spiritual gifts,
Enabling them to accomplish spiritual goals.

And without Him, we have absolutely no right even to attempt it.
It is the Holy Spirit who qualifies us for ministry.

And that is where we left off.
• He is WATER giving us life
• He is FIRE sanctifying us to God
• He is OIL anointing to serve God
• He is WIND equipping us to serve God

This morning I want us to see a fifth emblem which represents the Holy Spirit in Scripture and that is A SEAL

And this reality is vitally important for us to understand.
It especially helps us understand why we so greatly desire the Holy Spirit.

And to do that we are going to look at this passage
Here in the book of Ephesians.

Now, just to give a little context, the letter that Paul wrote to the Ephesians is one of the MOST ENCOURAGING books of the Bible.

It is written primarily to help believers understand all the benefits of being a Christian and then to encourage believers to live accordingly.

One of the phrases that stands out immediately is the phrase “in Him”.
It is used in one form another 12 times in the first two chapters.

And it is a phrase meant to help you understand
All the benefits that you have if you are “in Christ Jesus”

In fact Paul’s prayer as he writes this letter is:
Ephesians 1:18-19a “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe.”

Paul wants believers to know the benefits of being in Christ Jesus.
For example:

In Him we have ELECTION
Ephesians 1:4 “just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love”

In Him we have REDEMPTION
Ephesians 1:7 “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace”

In Him we have INHERITANCE
Ephesians 1:10b-11 “In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will,”

In Him we have RESURRECTION
Ephesians 2:4-7 “But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.”

In Him we have PEACE
Ephesians 2:13-14 “But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall,”

And so you see it is a letter about Christian benefits
And then Christian expectations.

Then in verses 13 &14 find a benefit of Christianity
That comes in Christ, but is uniquely tied to the Holy Spirit.

It is a benefit that is for all those in Christ Jesus,
But it is a benefit that is enjoyed through the Holy Spirit.

To say it another way.
If you are a Christian this benefit is yours,
But if you neglect the Holy Spirit you will never enjoy it.

WHAT IS THIS BENEFIT?
Assurance
We had a funeral here in our church a couple of years ago, and the preacher was a blind African American man. I’ll never forget how he opened the message.

“I hear a lot on television about insurance. Geico and state farm and progressive and they all want to know if I’ve got insurance. Well I tell you today you can get insurance but what you really need is the BLESSED ASSURANCE”

Insurance is what we buy to protect us when things go wrong.
What we really want is the assurance that things won’t go wrong.

Religious people today use religion as some sort of insurance.
I’ll go to church, or I’ll give a little money
That way I can have a little insurance when I stand before God.

But FAR BETTER than that is assurance ahead of time
That God is already pleased with you.

We all want assurance.

And the assurance that is available to every believer
Is the assurance that heaven is real and they are going there.

There is no reason for a believer to hope they go to heaven.
A believer should have hope because they know they are going to heaven.

This morning I want you to know that
You receive assurance through the Holy Spirit.

Romans 8:16 “The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God,”

And first let me reiterate that ONLY He gives assurance. (not us)

• I have people in my office who want me to tell them they are saved…
• If you ever preach a funeral there is one thing the family expects you to say…

BUT WE CANNOT GIVE THAT ASSURANCE
(namely because we don’t know)

• I’m sure that most people who preached a Pharisee’s funeral put them in
heaven too.
• And I doubt anyone put the thief on the cross there.

Only the Holy Spirit knows the truth, and only He can give assurance.
If you have Him, you can have assurance.
If you don’t, the best you’ll ever get is man’s assurance.

So we understand why we need the Holy Spirit.
He gives assurance.

Now, please understand something here at the outset.
We are not here talking about SECURITY.
We are talking about ASSURANCE.

And there is a difference.
• A person can have security but no assurance.
They are secure, they just don’t know it.

• A person can even have assurance with no security.
They aren’t secure, but they have false assurance.

We are here talking about assurance, not security.

Now you need to understand that believers are 100% secure.

That is thanks to the redemption of Christ Jesus.
And we don’t have time to go all through this, but I’ll hit it quickly for you.

When Christ died upon the cross,
He totally paid the sin debt of every believer.
That is sin past, present, and future.

Some have difficulty thinking that Christ can pay for their sin after they are saved,
But if they will use their head for a second they will realize that
All of their sin was future in relation to the cross.

Christ paid for all of it.
When He died, He said, “It is finished!”

Now there are reasons why we know we are secure.
Romans 5:10 “For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.”

That is to say, if the death of Christ brought us to God,
Then the life of Christ can certainly keep us there.

That is what Jesus was referring to in John 10 when He said,
“No one can snatch you out of My hand”

His resurrected life means security for the believer.
Namely because of what He does in His new resurrected life.

He is our advocate, our intercessor.
Romans 8:34 “who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us.”

Hebrews 7:25 “Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.”

1 John 2:1-2 “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world.”
Even when believers sin, it does not separate them from God,
Because our great High Priest Jesus is interceding for us.

Because of Jesus, we are secure.

It was this security that Peter wrote about.
1 Peter 1:3-5 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”

Once you are in Christ Jesus, you can never be pulled out.
That is security.

Now granted not everyone who claims to be a Christian really is, and that is why we see some who said they were Christians fall away.

They didn’t lose their salvation,
They just showed that they never really had it.

1 John 2:19 “They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, so that it would be shown that they all are not of us.”

But the truly redeemed, those truly saved are totally secure.

What we are talking about here is that those who are secure
Should enjoy the assurances that go along with that security.

I mean, it is good to be secure in salvation,
But to be secure and still have no assurance is a tragedy.

A believer is secure and they should enjoy it.

Well, the Holy Spirit is the agent that imparts assurance to you.
He helps you enjoy the security that Christ provided.

I’ll read it again:
Romans 8:16 “The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God,”

So we definitely want security,
But we also want to enjoy the assurance that God intended to go with it.

This morning I want you to see that the Holy Spirit will give assurance,
If you are a child of God, and if you listen to Him.

So let’s look at our text this morning.

Look first at verse 13:
(13) In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation — having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise,”

“In Him” is Jesus.
All that happened here is a result of what Jesus did for you on the cross.

We aren’t talking about where you got security,
We are talking about enjoying it.

And Paul says:
“after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation”
And
“having also believed”

Because we know you can’t believe if you don’t first hear, right?

Romans 10:14 “How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher?”

Romans 10:17 “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.”

So if you heard and you believed.
“you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise,”

Now that is a unique term.
What is a seal?

It referred to the signet ring worn by a king.
For various reasons a king would take hot wax, and dip the ring into the wax, thus making a kingly seal.

And the seal could represent several things.

AUTHORITY – if the king gave his seal to you, then you spoke and ruled with the King’s authority.

OWNERSHIP – those things that were imprinted with the king’s seal were the king’s property.

AUTHENTICITY – no one had the seal but the king, and so anything with that seal, you knew it was from the king.

SECURITY – anything with that seal could not be revoked.

You may even remember King Darius wanting to deliver Daniel, but it was too late,
He had already placed his seal upon the verdict.

And that is exactly what we are talking about here with the Holy Spirit.
When you believed in Christ, you became a child of God,
And God then put His seal on you.

That seal represented
His AUTHORITY, His OWNERSHIP, His AUTHENTICITY, His SECURITY.

And here is the really simple point:

NOTHING LETS YOU KNOW YOU ARE CHILD OF GOD,
LIKE HAVING GOD’S SEAL, WHO IS THE HOLY SPIRIT

The presence of the Holy Spirit in your life is the chief and greatest indicator that you are in fact a saved child of God.

Romans 8:9 “However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.”

Romans 8:14 “For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.”

1 John 4:13 “By this we know that we abide in Him and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit.”

1 John 3:24 “The one who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. We know by this that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.”

Nothing proves you are a child of God
More than the presence of the Holy Spirit.

In fact, a non-Christian cannot receive the Holy Spirit.
John 14:17 “that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you.”

You may remember that was Peter’s logic in whether or not
To go ahead and baptize Cornelious and his Gentile relatives.

Acts 10:47 “Surely no one can refuse the water for these to be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we did, can he?”

If they had the Holy Spirit then Peter knew they were saved.

There is no greater proof of salvation than the Holy Spirit.
He is the seal indicating that you are in fact a child of God.

That is why we are looking for the Holy Spirit in our lives.

2 Corinthians 13:5 “Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you — unless indeed you fail the test?”

Galatians 5:19-24 “Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.”

We want to see if He is present within us,
Because this is the chief indicator that I am truly saved.
If I can’t see evidence of Him, then I have a serious problem.

Furthermore that is what we are looking for in the lives of others.

I do this as a pastor all the time.

When people are discouraged and come to me,
I don’t assure them they are saved,
But I do try and help them see if the Holy Spirit is in fact present in their lives.

He is the assurance.
He is the proof.

We are “sealed” by Him.

Now, that is not all.
(14a) “who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession,”

Not only is He a seal, but also “a pledge”

In the Greek “pledge” translated ARRABON
Forms of that word were used to refer to an engagement ring.

It is another word for “deposit” or “down payment”

The presence of the Holy Spirit is
Not just an indicator that you are God’s child,
But God’s way of guaranteeing that He has an inheritance for you.

2 Corinthians 1:21-22 “Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and anointed us is God, who also sealed us and gave us the Spirit in our hearts as a pledge.”

2 Corinthians 5:1-5 “For we know that if the earthly tent which is our house is torn down, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For indeed in this house we groan, longing to be clothed with our dwelling from heaven, inasmuch as we, having put it on, will not be found naked. For indeed while we are in this tent, we groan, being burdened, because we do not want to be unclothed but to be clothed, so that what is mortal will be swallowed up by life. Now He who prepared us for this very purpose is God, who gave to us the Spirit as a pledge.”
He is “a pledge”…”with a VIEW to the redemption”

In other words, the Holy Spirit is sort of that first taste of what is to come.
He is the reason we know there is something better on the way.

TURN TO: ROMANS 8:18-25

This is Paul explaining to the Romans how they can know for certain that heaven is real and that it is worth suffering for.

You notice in verse 18 that Paul is comparing the present suffering
To the future inheritance, and he says there is really NO COMPARISON.

HOW COULD HE KNOW THAT?

Two reasons:
(VERSES 19-22)
The first reason is creation.
• Creation is a credible witness because creation was here before the fall of
man.
• Creation saw this world before the sin curse.

(VERSES 23-25)
Paul said even we groan within ourselves for something better.

But how do you know there is something better?
You’ve never seen it.
You can’t look it up on the internet.

Yet you know it is there and you know it is better
Because the Holy Spirit inside of you groans for it.

He is the down payment.
And He causes you to hope for it, even though you haven’t seen it.

I know my inheritance is real, namely because of the Holy Spirit inside me.

And that is what Paul is talking about to the Ephesians.
He is “a pledge of our inheritance”
He is the reason we know it is real and it is ours.

So God has given us the Holy Spirit, as a seal
Letting us know we are in fact God’s child
And as a pledge, promising that the inheritance is as ours as well.

Romans 8:16-17 “The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.”

In other words, the Holy Spirit is the One who gives us our assurance.
We can know we are God’s child and that we are going to heaven
Because of the Holy Spirit.

And God has done this is so that you and I will praise Him for it.

(14) “who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, TO THE PRAISE OF HIS GLORY.”

The purpose of God doing this is so that
You will rejoice in God and praise Him for it.

1 Peter 1:3-6 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials,”

The purpose of this is so that you will bless God.

So, the Holy Spirit was given, not only to give you assurance,
But ultimately to cause God’s children to praise Him.
He is so valuable.

And that leads me to the final truth we need to see this morning.

Ephesians 4:30 “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.”

By the time we get to Ephesians 4
Paul is already talking about the practical life a Christian should live.

Things like not STEALING or not LYING or not SLANDERING.
And the reason is because all these things “grieve the Holy Spirit of God”

WHY DOES THAT MATTER?
Because it is by Him that you were “sealed for the day of redemption”

You really shouldn’t grieve the One who gives you assurance.

In Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians
He alluded that you can even quench the Holy Spirit.

1 Thessalonians 5:19 “Do not quench the Spirit;”

I want you to understand this.
Sinful living, grieves the Holy Spirit.
Now, committing a sin after being saved
Will not cause you to lose your salvation,
That is already done, and Christ is interceding for you.

However, sinning after being saved can cause you to lose your assurance, because it grieves the One who gives you assurance.

That is why obedience is so essential to the fulfilled Christian life.

God has saved us through His Son Jesus,
And has given us the Holy Spirit
So that we may enjoy that salvation.

• Do not grieve Him.
• Do not quench Him.
• Instead walk according to His leadership.

That life results not only in assurance,
But ultimately in a life filled with praise to God.

And this is another purpose of the Holy Spirit.

• This morning, do you have assurance?
• Can you see that the Holy Spirit dwells in you?

If so, then rejoice, and follow Him.
If not, then cry out to Jesus asking why.

• It may be that you have never truly trusted Christ and have never
received the Holy Spirit. (You need to)

• It may be that you are God’s child, but sin in your life has grieved and
quenched the Holy Spirit and you need to repent and enter His joy
once again.

But this morning, thanks to the Holy Spirit,
Not only can you have eternal life, but you can enjoy it!

Ephesians 1:13-14 “In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation — having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.”