Be Filled with the Holy Spirit: Ephesians 5:15-21
15 Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 18 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, 19 addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, 20 giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 21 submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.
What does it mean when the Bible tells us to be filled with the Holy Spirit?
It is because living the Christian life is a demanding experience and the standards are high...so, we need power and strength beyond what we have on our own
For example: The Bible says:
- we are to have love in our hearts
- we are to bring every thought into captivity and under the power of Christ
- we are to pray without ceasing
If we don't have something in us besides our own power to do these things that Scripture asks us to do; we are going to fail
Besides our own inabilities, then there is an enemy that fights against us called Satan
If we are not filled with the Spirit of God, then Satan will get the best of us; we will experience defeat repeatedly
You might say "well I thought I already had the HS"
If you’re saved, you do
When we accept Christ as Savior, the Holy Spirit comes to live within us, that's true: that's called the indwelling of the Spirit
Then we are added to the body of Christ by the baptism of the Spirit
The indwelling and baptism of the Spirit happen at the same time of accepting Jesus Christ as Savior, we are saved and added to the body of Christ at the same time
And I might add that the indwelling and baptism of the HS only happens one time
While it is true that the HS comes to live in us when we are saved, He doesn't always get control of us.
To be controlled by the Spirit means to be filled with the Spirit
We must understand how vitally important it is to be filled and controlled by the Spirit
When we speak of being filled with the Spirit, you could say there are three kinds of people:
- You have people that don't know The Lord at all, because they don't have the Spirit at all
- You have people who are Christians; the HS indwells them but they have never given control of their life to Him
- Then you have Christians who are consciously and knowingly giving their lives to the Spirit's control and live every day with His power
You fit in one of those categories
Did you know that for the Christian, to be filled with the Spirit is a command of Scripture: Ephesians 5:18?
If you will allow me a short English lesson:
If we look at the phrase "be filled with the Spirit" from its original Greek meaning...it is imperative: in other words, it’s a command to be filled with the Spirit; it is not optional
It is not something you think over or something you attain when you reach a certain level of sainthood; it is a command
Every believer is to be filled with the Holy Spirit of God!
That phrase is also plural: you could say "you all be filled with the Spirit"
It's not just for the preacher or the deacons or to the spiritual giants in the church...it is for everyone that is saved; the entire body of Christ
Then notice this phrase is in what we call the "passive voice": we are to "be filled"
Meaning that we can't fill ourselves with the Spirit: God must do that
Our place is to put ourselves in a position to be filled and controlled by the Spirit which I am going to talk about in a moment
Then the phrase "be filled with the Spirit" is in the present tense it means to keep being filled
When we were saved, the Holy Spirit indwelled us or came to live with us; a onetime event
But from that point on we are to be continually filled by the Spirit which can happen over and again
As we read the Word of God and confess sin or become aware of something in our life that is not under God's control.... then those are times when we are filled with the Spirit
Now I want to call to your attention:
Four Conditions of Being Filled with the Holy Spirit
Many Christians will attend church on Sunday because that is the right thing to do, but never move ahead with God
The thinking: If I seek to be filled and controlled by the Spirit, he might ask me to do things I don't want to do.
Someone might think I am a fanatic
If I am filled and controlled by the Spirit, he might make me give up things that I don't want to turn loose of
So, the thinking of most Christians, is just to take their relationship with Christ at a mediocre level; close but not too close
Yet at this mediocre level, Christians miss out on the blessings of truly walking with The Lord
First condition of being filled with the HS is that you must:
1. Desire to be filled
You must be hungry to be filled with the Spirit
John 7:37
On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, if anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink
Jesus said, "if anyone is thirsty come to me and drink"
In that passage Jesus was talking about the Spirit...so if you are thirsty to be filled with the Spirit of God and live with His power in your life...then Jesus said, "come and drink"
2. To be filled we must denounce sin in our lives
2 Cor 7:1
Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God.
We must say to God, "If there is any sin in my life that is displeasing to you, point it out"…
Show me what it is and I will confess it and turn from it
We cannot be filled with the Holy Spirit if we are harboring sin in our lives
We must come to the point where we want God's Spirit so much to control us that we are not going to let anything get in the way
3. We must dedicate ourselves fully to Christ
I must be willing to say, "Lord I want you to take control of my life"
Romans 12:1-2 is the key: present our bodies to God as a living sacrifice and don’t be controlled by the world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind or your thinking
To be filled with the Spirit, we must present ourselves as a sacrifice to God
In other words, "Lord you have it all. No strings attached. God, it is all yours. I submit myself to you"
God can accomplish in you more than anyone else, right?
So why would you NOT want to give ALL of yourself to God?
Consider this:
1 Thess 5:19 tells us not to quench the Spirit
Eph 4:30 tells us not to grieve the Spirit
Listen:
Quenching the Spirit happens when you DON'T do something God tells you to do
Grieving the Spirit happens when you DO something God told you NOT to do
You can't do things that quench and grieve the Spirit of God and expect to be filled with the Spirit…not going to happen
4. To be filled means depending daily on the Holy Spirit
Often, we call depending on the Spirit; walking in the Spirit
Our text today started out with "be careful how you walk".
Walking in the Spirit is trusting in The Lord every moment
Trusting in The Lord should be like breathing, we should do it without even thinking
Galatians 5:16 says "walk in the Spirit and you will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh"
We must depend on the Holy Spirit every moment.
So, we have talked about what it means to be filled with the Spirit and how to be filled.... but what are the results?
According to v19 and 20, we are going to be different people
19 addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, 20 giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ
A song in our heart and thanks on our lips
When we are filled with the Spirit of God, our love, our fellowship, and our relationships will be different
Being filled means when we come together and lift our voices in praise, we truly worship God
Being filled means when we are filled with the Spirit, we are full of worship and joy
And when we are filled with the Spirit, we are thankful
People who are Spirit filled don't go around griping and complaining
A Spirit filled person is characterized by a spirit of gratitude
Show me someone who says they are a Christian, yet they are never happy and always complaining...and I will see a person who is not Spirit-filled
Spirit filled people have joy in their hearts, worship God and are grateful
But notice also, v20 says a Spirit filled person is submissive
"submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ"
A Spirit-filled person is not someone that is always looking to be out front or always trying to be first
He or she is not always trying to draw attention to themselves
The text goes on to explain what these relationships are
When a Spirit filled wife is blessed with a Spirit filled husband then there is sense between them of how the family is supposed to be run according to God's plan
She looks to him to lead and care for her and the home
He loves her and treats her right (wife/husband relationship follows)
This relationship doesn't have to be forced; it just happens if both are filled with the Holy Spirit
At the beginning of chapter 6 the Bible speaks about how children are to honor and obey their parents
Then later in chapter 6 it talks about bondservants and masters....in other words how we are to act in the work place if we are Holy Spirit filled
When we are filled with the Holy Spirit of God, the result is that we will be speaking in a different way, singing in a different way, giving thanks in a different way and submitting in a different way
All of those things are found in Ephesians, but in the broader context of the NT, being Spirit-filled also means:
We are involved in Spirit filled service to The Lord
We cannot serve God out of our flesh
We have examples such as John the Baptist, the Apostle Paul, the disciples being filled
The first deacons in the church were required to be Spirit-filled men
When we are filled with the Spirit of God, we serve God out of the overflow of our lives!
We will live Christ-like
Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
All those things describe the character of Christ
How do we have those things in our lives? Give our lives under the complete control of the Spirit
We will live in victory
Talking about the war over temptation and Satan!!
The HS wants to guide and direct our lives if we will put him in charge!
So here it is:
Are you filled with the Spirit?
Have you given control of your life to the Holy Spirit?
Are you still hanging on to your life, afraid to trust God?
Step out in faith and trust God completely by giving your life in complete control of the HS