THE FILLING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

Pastor James J. Barker

Text: EPHESIANS 5:18-20



INTRODUCTION:


  1. One of the major doctrines in the Bible is the doctrine of the Holy Spirit.
  2. And of the several aspects of the person and work of the Holy Spirit, none is more vital to the Christian’s growth and spirituality than the filling of the Spirit (Eph.5:18).
  3. The Holy Spirit’s filling is vital because it is the means by which He controls our behaviour and performs His work through us (Christians).
  4. If you are saved, you are either spiritual or carnal (cf. I Cor.2:15,16; 3:1-4). The carnal man is a man walking in the flesh; he is controlled by the flesh.
  5. The spiritual man walks in the Spirit and is controlled by the Holy Spirit. It is impossible to be both carnal and spiritual at the same time, for they are opposites (cf. Gal.5:16,17).
  6. Now there is a conflict between our two natures, but we will not be studying that today. Today I would like for us to look at Eph.5:18-20 and understand what it means to "be filled with the Spirit" (5:18).

  1. IT MEANS BEING CONTROLLED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT
  2. IT MEANS BEING JOYFUL
  3. IT MEANS BEING THANKFUL
    4.

     

    I. IT MEANS BEING CONTROLLED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT.

      1. You will notice that this a command from God. The Spirit-filled life is not optional; it is obligatory.
      2. Keep in mind that we are never commanded to be indwelt by the Holy Spirit, or sealed by the Holy Spirit. These experiences need not be sought by any true Christian. Once a person receives the Lord Jesus Christ as his Saviour, he immediately is indwelt and sealed by the Holy Spirit (cf. Eph.1:13; 2:18,22; 3:16; 4:30; 5:8,9).
      3. These ministries of the Holy Spirit are linked with our position in Christ. God did this for us the moment we were saved.
      4. But we are commanded to be filled. The word translated filled in the original Greek text is in the present tense, signifying continuous action. The idea is to "keep being filled."
      5. The next time you read through the Book of Acts, note how often the believers were filled with the Spirit (cf. 2:4; 4:31).
      6. At this point we should stop and consider: if it is vitally important to be filled with the Spirit, how are we to do it? The key is found right here in Eph.5:18 – "And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess…"
      7. This is much more than a warning about drunkenness, even though drunkenness was a big problem in the ancient world. (It’s still a big problem today.) The Bible draws both a comparison and a contrast between drunkenness and being filled with the Spirit (cf. Luke 1:15; Acts 2:4,13-18).
      8. The comparison is in the matter of control. A drunken man is being controlled by the wine, and thinks differently, and acts differently and talks differently than he normally would when sober.
      9. A Christian who is filled with the Spirit will also think differently, and act differently, and talk differently, because now he is being controlled by the Holy Spirit. This has absolutely nothing to do with emotionalism.
      10. Interestingly, alcoholic beverages are often called "spirits." God says, "Do not be under the power and influence of spirits, but be under the power and influence of the Holy Spirit."
      11. Are there certain conditions for being filled with the Holy Spirit? Yes, there are conditions to be met. First, we must acknowledge that we are dead to sin (cf. Rom.6:6-14) and we need to confess and forsake all known (I Cor.6:19,20). We must yield ourselves completely to God (Rom.12:1,2). We must let the word of Christ dwell in us richly (Col.3:16; cf. Eph.5:19,20). In other words, we must be right with God. We cannot be walking in the flesh and be filled with the Holy Spirit.

     

    II. BEING FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT MEANS BEING JOYFUL.

      1. There are many results of being filled with the Spirit. (cf. Eph.5:21,22,25).
      2. Today we will look at the first two that are mentioned here: being joyful (5:19) and being thankful (5:20).
      3. We are to speak to ourselves "in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs…" (5:19). Nothing thrills the soul like good, Christ-exalting music. And nothing quenches the Holy Spirit like worldly, sensual music (I Thess.5:19). Remember a few weeks ago we studied Eph.4:30 – "And grieve not the Holy Spirit." Certainly worldly rock-type of music grieves the Holy Spirit.
      4. Not all of us can sing well. Some of us cannot make melody on a musical instrument. But every born again Christian can make melody in his "heart to the Lord."
      5. When we are filled with the Spirit we will not sing the old worldly songs that please the flesh, but new songs that are in harmony with the purposes of God (cf. Psalm 40:3).
      6. When we are filled with the Spirit we will sing out of joyful hearts that love God. It disturbs me at times to look out over the congregation and see some people not singing.

     

    III. BEING FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT MEANS BEING THANKFUL (5:20).

      1. When the Holy Spirit is in control, there is gratitude to God, a deep sense of appreciation, and a sincere expression of it (cf. Heb.13:15).
      2. Thankfulness goes along with spirituality and godliness.
      3. "When gratitude dies on the altar of a man’s heart, that man is well-nigh hopeless" – Bob Jones Sr.
      4. One night a pastor preached a message on thankfulness, and his text was I Thess.5:18,19. A lady approached him after the meeting and said: "I don’t see how it is humanly possible to give thanks ‘in everything’" The preacher replied: "You are right. It is not humanly possible. That is why you must be filled with the Holy Spirit."

    CONCLUSION:

    1. A sour-faced Christian offered a tract to an unsaved man. The unsaved man looked at the Christian’s unhappy face and said: "No thanks. I’ve got enough troubles already."
    2. Let’s not be like that Christian. Let’s be filled with the Spirit.


    Pastor James J. Barker
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