Be Filled with the Spirit
Eph. 5:18
Introduction
We continue our lesson about our duties as Christians. We cannot live circumspectly, redeem the time, live wisely, and understand the will of the Lord unless we are filled with the Holy Spirit.
Pentecostalism had made wrong teachings about the Holy Spirit and because of that, there’s a lot of confusion and issues about the Holy Spirit. But God is not a God of confusion. So today, let us see the what Word of God teaches us about being filled with the Holy Spirit. Let me start first with the
basic truth about the Holy Spirit, then we will go directly to our main topic.
I. The Holy Spirit.
A. The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Godhead. The Father is God, the Son (Jesus Christ) is God, and the Holy Spirit is God.
B. The Holy Spirit is not merely an influence or an invisible force like electricity which the Cults teaches.
C. The Holy Spirit is a person, He possesses personal characteristics, He does things only a person can do, He has emotions, and has a definite office.
D. The Holy Spirit plays an important role and His works are:
1. In Old Testament times:
a. Creation (Gen. 1:2; Job 33:4).
b. Inspiration of the Scriptures (Ex. 31:3; 35:31; Num. 11:17; 24:2; 27:18; 1Chr.28:11-12; 2 Chr. 15:1; Ezek. 8:3; 11:1; Da 4:8; Zech. 1:1; Mic. 3:8).
c. Anointing God’s servants (Gen. 41:38; Ex. 31:3; Ps. 51:11-12; Isa. 48:16;
59:19).
2. In Jesus’ Life
a. In His birth (Mt. 1:18; Lk. 1:35).
b. At His baptism (Mt. 3:16).
c. In His miracles (Mt. 12:28).
d. In His teaching (Acts 1:2).
e. In His temptations (Mt. 4:1).
f. In His resurrection (Rom. 1:4; 1 Pet. 3:18)
3. Toward the unsaved
a. Convicting and drawing men to Christ (Jn. 16:7-11).
b. Regenerating those who trust Christ (Jn. 3:5-6).
4. Towards Christians:
a. Indwelling (Rom. 8:9).
b. Sealing (Eph. 1:13-6:24; 4:30; 2Co 1:22).
c. Imparting spiritual gifts (1 Cor. 1:22).
d. Teaching (1 Jn. 2:20,27).
e. Giving access to the Father (Eph. 2:18).
f. Affirming that we are children of God (Rom. 8:15-16).
g. Interceding (Rom. 8:26-27).
h. Producing fruit (Gal. 5:22-23).
i. Giving power over sin (Rom. 8:12-13).
j. Sanctifying (1 Cor. 6:11).
k. Empowering and overseeing world evangelism (Acts 1:18; 13:4; 16:6-7).
l. Resurrecting (Rom. 8:11)
Illustration: You Can’t Do It!
An old man once said, that it took him forty years to learn three simple things. The first was that he could not do anything to save himself; the second was that God did not expect him to; and the third was, that Christ had done it all, and all he had to do was to accept the accomplished fact. When it
comes to Holy-Spirit filled living and the grace of God, always keep this little saying in your hearts and minds:
You can’t.
God never said you could.
He can; He always said he would! Source: Practical Bible Illustrations From Yesterday and Today.
II. Meaning of “being filled with the Holy Spirit.
A. To be filled with the Holy Spirit means to be yielded to the Holy Spirit’s control
B. To be filled with the Holy Spirit is to be under the influence of the Holy Spirit.
C. To be filled with the Holy Spirit is not the same being “indwelt” by the Holy Spirit.
1. At the moment of salvation, a Christian is “indwelt” by the Holy Spirit, and He is constantly with us and will never leave us.
2. At the moment of salvation, a Christian may also be filled with the Holy Spirt but this filling is not permanent.
D. The Filling of the Holy Spirit is not to be confused with the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. The Baptism of the Holy Spirit takes place at conversion (Acts2:38, 1 Cor. 12:13). The filling of the Holy Spirit may be repeated many times.
E. The filling of the Holy Spirit provides spiritual power for the ministry
F. The filling of the Holy Spirit is a command. It is not optional or something we can ignore as a Christian and it does not belong to a blessed few.
III. How can we be filled by the Holy Spirit?
A. There must be an aspiration (or deep desire). Scripture admonishes us to hunger and thirst for righteousness (Mt. 5:6), and to keep asking, seeking, and knocking for the blessing of God (Mt. 7:7-8).
B. There needs to be an acknowledgement (recognition) of the lack of this blessing. Let us not pretend to be we really are not.
C. There needs to be an abandonment (or leaving of sin). Pray that God will show you all things in your life which are not pleasing to Him. And then with His help,abandon them, let them go.
D. There needs to be an abdication (or giving up) of the throne of your heart by self, and Christ must be placed on this throne.
E. There must be an appropriation of the promise that He will fill us (taking the promise as one’s own). Believe that God keeps His promise, even though you
may not feel any emotion. As you go about your work for Christ, you will
experience a power and blessing which will indicate the filling of the Spirit. As He fills you, be very careful to give the praise to God, and to glorify His name for it.
F. The secret of being filled with the Holy Spirit is total surrender. We must
surrender our wills, bodies, possessions, and every aspect of our lives to His
control.
IV. Evidences of the filling of the Holy Spirit
A. Witnessing in supernatural, foreign languages (Acts 2:4-11).
B. Bold witness of Jesus Christ (Acts 4:8-12,31).
C. Good reputation (Acts 6:3,5).
D. Heavenly-mindedness (Acts 7:55-56).
E. Standing against false teaching (Acts 13:8-10). The book of Ephesians gives
instruction about the filling of the Holy Spirit, but absolutely nothing is said about the gift of tongues (Eph. 5:18-21). None of the other N.T. passages which deal with the Holy Spirit’s influence in the believer’s life mention tongues, but they do mention the following marks of a Spirit- filled life: (1) Abounding in hope (Rom. 15:13). (2) Spiritual living (Gal. 5:22-24). (3) Spiritual wisdom (Eph. 1:17-18). (4) Spiritual strength (Eph. 3:16). (5) Sound doctrine (1 Jn. 2:27).
Illustration: No Room for the Spirit
Dwight Lyman Moody said, “I believe firmly that the moment our hearts are emptied of pride and selfishness and ambition and everything that is contrary to God’s law, the Holy Spirit will fill every corner of our hearts. But if we are full of pride and conceit and ambition and the world, there is no
room for the Spirit of God. We must be emptied before we can be filled.” Source unknown
V. Conclusion:
The world needs spirit filled believers who will be an effective witness. To do the Lord’s work we need to be Spirit filled. Will you surrender everything to the Lord that you may be Spirit filled and be a mighty instrument in the Lord’s hand?
