Message for THE LORD S DAY MORNING, March 11, 2012 MESSAGE 4 in Getting To Know the Holy Spirit Sermon Series Christian Hope Church of Christ, Plymouth, North Carolina by Reggie A. Braziel, Minister What Does It Mean To Be Filled With The Holy Spirit? Message 4: Getting To Know the Holy Spirit Series Ephesians 5:15-21 (NKJV) This morning as we continue with our series on Getting To Know The Holy Spirit I would like for you to please turn with me in God s word to Ephesians the fifth chapter. Ephesians 5:15-21 (NKJV) PRAYER 15 See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, 16 redeeming the time, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 18 And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, 19 speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, 20 giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 21 submitting to one another in the fear of God. Heavenly Father, this morning we pray for wisdom and understanding in regards to this very important subject of being filled with Your Spirit. Father as we study Your word help us to sort through the confusion and misunderstanding that is so prevalent today with regards to this subject. We ask these things in the precious Name of Christ. -AMEN ************************************************************************************ I N T R O D U C T I O N
We hear a great deal of talk these days about being filled with the Holy Spirit. *Turn your TV or Radio on to a religious station and no doubt you will hear some preacher talking about being filled with the Holy Spirit. *Go to a Bible bookstore and you will likely find a whole shelf full of books dealing with the topic of Living A Spirit-filled Life. * Perhaps you work with some people who are members of a Charismatic or Pentecostal Holiness Church who use the term spirit-filled a lot in their every day conversations. In verse 18 of our scripture text the apostle Paul gives us a two-fold command from the LORD. vs. 18 And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit. Let s look at these two commands separately: (A) The first command says, And do not be drunk with wine. In the Hebrew Septuagint the word for drunk is methusko, which means to drench or soak. When someone is drunk they are said to be soaked with alcohol. And if you have ever been around someone who is drunk you know they wreak of alcohol. They smell like they have been drenched or soaked with alcohol. Alcohol is not a stimulus it is a depressant. It depresses the highest centers of the brain. When a man is under the influence of alcohol the drink effects the man s self-control, his wisdom, his understanding, his balance, his judgment, and his ability to think through the consequences of his actions. Paul goes on to give the reason why Christians should not be drunk on wine, and that is because in drunkeness, there is dissipation. Dissipation refers to the loss of one s moral restraints. (B) Now notice the second command in verse 18...
v.18 But be filled with the Spirit. The Greek word for be filled is the word pleroo (play-roo) which means to be filled to the brim or to be completely satisfied with. Paul is drawing a direct parallel between being drunk with wine and being filled with the Holy Spirit. You see in both of these commands the issue is influence or control. A person under the influence of alcohol experiences altered thinking, altered behavior, and altered speech. Of course with alcohol that radical change almost always ends in a negative result. That is why we are commanded, Do not be drunk with wine. But be filled with the Spirit. The filling of the Holy Spirit produces altered thinking, altered behavior and altered speech. It means the Holy Spirit s influence can be seen in every area of our life. Whereas drunkenness ends in negative changes, being filled with the Holy Spirit results in positive changes. Consider the radical change in the apostles when they were filled with the Holy Spirit. They were transformed from cowards into the most courageous men this world has ever seen. Well now that we have laid the scriptural groundwork for this message, I would like for us to consider three important thoughts regarding Being Filled With the Holy Spirit. I. What Being Filled With the Holy Spirit Doesn t Mean II. What Being Filled With the Holy Spirit Does Mean III. How I Can Know I Am Filled With The Holy Spirit? First of all, let s consider.. I. What Being Filled With the Holy Spirit Doesn t Mean
1. As I mentioned earlier, there is a lot of confusion when it comes to understanding the meaning of being filled with the Spirit. (A) One misconception is that Being filled with the Spirit is an EMOTIONAL experience. I would imagine this is the first thing most Christians think when you talk about being filled with the Holy Spirit. We hear about strange things happening to people who claim to be filled with the Spirit. -Some begin to shake and tremble and fall on the floor. -Some dance around as though they are stepping on hot coals. -Some bark like a dog or laugh uncontrollably. -Some weep some shout..and still others begin to speak strange talk. And since this is all done in the name of the Holy Spirit many assume that is what the filling of the Holy Spirit is all about. Listen very carefully to what I m about to say. Can there be emotion when one is filled with the Holy Spirit? Yes! But is emotion evidence that one is filled with the Holy Spirit? Not necessarily. If emotion is evidence of the filling of the Spirit why don t we ever read of the apostle Peter shaking and trembling and falling to the ground? And why don t we read anything in the scriptures about Paul laughing uncontrollably or John dancing around and shouting? Here s my point: I have known many people in my life-time whom I believe were filled with the Holy Spirit who exhibited a very calm, gentle, courageous Spirit and a deeply spiritual demeanor.
In summary, Emotions and feelings are never an accurate gauge of the depth of one s spirituality. (B) A second misconception people have is that being filled with the Spirit means progressively getting more and more of the Holy Spirit. Some believe that the filling of the Spirit is a lot like filling the gas tank on a car. You start out with a full tank then eventually you re down to ¾ of a tank, then ½ a tank, then a ¼ of a tank, then you have to fill up again. Being filled with the Holy Spirit doesn t mean we get more and more of the Holy Spirit. When you and I accepted Jesus Christ as our LORD and SAVIOR, God didn t give us ¼ of His Spirit, or ½ of His Spirit, or ¾ of His Spirit. He gave us all of His Spirit. Now if He gave us all His Spirit, how can we possibly get more and more of His Spirit? (C) A third misconception is that the filling of the Holy Spirit is only reserved for a few super Christians. If that were true, then why did Paul issue the command to all Christians? It is God s will that all His people be filled with the Holy Spirit, not just a select few. Being filled with the Holy Spirit isn t necessarily an emotional experience. Nor does it mean to progressively get more and more of the Holy Spirit. Nor is being filled with the Holy Spirit reserved for a few super Christians. We are ALL commanded to be filled with the Spirit. Secondly, let s consider
II. What Being Filled With the Holy Spirit Does Mean 1. To be filled with the Holy Spirit doesn t mean I have more of the Holy Spirit, but rather the Holy Spirit has more of me. 2. Being filled with the Holy Spirit is not an event it is a process. As you and I yield more and more control of our lives to the Holy Spirit we become more and more filled with the Holy Spirit. -You can t be full of yourself and also full of the Holy Spirit. -You can t be full of worldliness and also full of the Holy Spirit. -You can t be full of sin and also full of the Holy Spirit. 3. We are controlled by whatever fills us. -If I am filled with anger then anger controls me. -If I am filled with greed then greed controls me. -If I am filled with hate then hate controls me. 4. If I am filled with the Holy Spirit then the Holy Spirit controls me. 5. How do I allow the Holy Spirit to take control? How can I be filled with the Holy Spirit? Let me suggest two keys: KEY #1: I must regularly CONFESS my SINS. I JOHN 1:9 (NKJV) If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. The Greek word for confession is homologeo (homolo-gee-o) which means to speak in agreement with God. Simply put, when we confess our sins we are saying, Father, I agree with You. I am a sinner. I have missed
the mark. I have fallen short of Your glory. And when you and I confess our sins on a regular basis, we become keenly aware of the ugliness of our sinful nature and the beauty of God s amazing grace. OBJECT LESSON: JAR WITH A LID ON IT. As you can see, there is nothing in this jar. It is empty. It could be filled if it weren t for one thing, there s a lid on it. The only way this jar can be filled is to remove the lid. Now let s think of this jar as your life and mine. God truly desires to fill us with His Holy Spirit, but you see He can t because we have a lid on our heart. It might be the lid of pride the lid of a sinful habit.the lid of a bitter spirit the lid of an uncontrolled tongue or the lid of an unforgiving spirit. The only one who can remove the lid is you. And the way we remove the lid is by confessing our sins and repenting of them. Confession of sin on a regular basis is one of the keys to being filled with the Holy Spirit. (B) KEY #2: I must SURRENDER my will for my life to God s will for my life. ROMANS 12:1,2 (NKJV) I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. OBJECT LESSON: 2 jars and a pitcher. (1 jar with water, one jar with Coca Cola) Let s say this jar (WATER) represents the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit desires to FILL this jar (COKE) but He can t because it is full of something else.w-o-r-l-d-l-i-n-e-s-s. There is only one way this jar (COKE) can be filled with the contents of this jar (WATER) and that is it must be completely emptied. Perhaps the biggest reason why many Christians have never known what it truly means to be filled with the Holy Spirit is because their lives have been filled with so much
worldliness that there was no room for the Holy Spirit. Until we are willing to empty ourselves of worldliness and offer our lives as living sacrifices to God by surrendering our body, our time, our talents, our treasures, our priorities and our desires, we will never know what it means to be filled with the Holy Spirit. You see, it is a day by day process of yielding, surrendering and sacrificing our will for the will of God. It means each and every day when we get out of bed we pray, Father, not my will, but Your will be done! What does it mean to be filled with the Holy Spirit? It doesn t mean I get more of the Holy Spirit, but that the Holy Spirit gets more of me. It means I live my life under the influence and control of the Holy Spirit. Thirdly, let s consider III. How I Can Know I Am Filled With The Holy Spirit? 1. In our scripture text, Paul gives us three identifying marks of a person who is filled with the Holy Spirit. (A) First of all, A Spirit-filled Christian is a JOYFUL Christian. Ephesians 5:18b,19 (NKJV).. but be filled with the Spirit, to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, Brothers and sisters, is there praise on your lips and a song in your heart? There will be when you allow the Holy Spirit to be in control of your life. So many Christians walk around with long, sad, faces grumbling and groaning as though life has dealt them an unfair hand.
My friend if that describes you, you need to get over it! -Your heavenly Father loves you! -Your Savior is coming to get you! -The Holy Spirit dwells within you! -Your sins have been forgiven! -You have a heavenly mansion built for you! -And you have a heavenly reward awaiting you! Rejoice in the LORD ALWAYS! I will say it again REJOICE! (B) But not only is a Spirit-filled Christian a joyful Christian, a Spirit-filled Christian is a THANKFUL Christian. Ephesians 5:20 (NKJV) giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, When you are filled with the Holy Spirit your heart will overflow with thanksgiving and gratitude toward God. A Spirit-filled Christian is thankful to God on good days and bad. A Spirit-filled Christian is thankful in good circumstances and bad. A Spirit-filled Christian is thankful in times of plenty and times of want. (C) A Spirit-filled Christian is a JOYFUL CHRISTIAN and a THANKFUL CHRISTIAN, then Paul tells us a Spirit-filled Christian is a HUMBLE Christian. Ephesians 5:21 (NJKV) submitting to one another in the fear of God. A Spirit-filled Christian doesn t think less of himself,
but rather thinks of himself less. A Spirit-filled Christian doesn t have to be first. A Spirit-filled Christian doesn t need to be right. A Spirit-filled Christian doesn t need to be best. A Spirit-filled Christian doesn t seek to be served but rather to serve. A Spirit-filled Christian doesn t seek glory and honor for self, but gives all glory and honor to the LORD. A SPIRIT-FILLED CHRISTIAN IS A JOYFUL CHRISTIAN. Are you joyful? A SPIRIT-FILLED CHRISTIAN IS A THANKFUL CHRISTIAN. Are you thankful? A SPIRIT-FILLED CHRISTIAN IS A HUMBLE CHRISTIAN. Are you truly humble? *********************************************************************************** C O N C L U S I O N As we close this morning I will you think about this? God is ready and willing to fill you with His Holy Spirit. In fact, He is more willing to fill you than you are to be filled. You don t have to beg God to do what He has already promised to do, you simply need to clear the way in your own heart. Spirit of the living God, fall fresh on me. Spirit of the living God, fall fresh on me. Melt me, mold me, fill me, use me. Spirit of the living God, fall fresh on me.