Being Filled with the Spirit

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Sunday 08/12/18 

Series: For edification

Message – Being Filled with the Spirit

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Being Filled with the Spirit

Last week we looked at Ephesians 5:17-21, but spent most of our time in verses 17 & 18 which set the pace for the entire teaching last week, this week and probably next as well.

Eph. 5: verse 17 says,

(17) So don’t be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.

Now, this week…who can tell me WITHOUT looking at their notes, what this means?

 

It means…

Sit in judgment of your own actions and heart…

  • Stop being non-reflective.
  • Stop being stupid and without understanding…
  • Stop acting rashly and in the impulse of the moment
  • Start constantly being aware that you’re here on the earth to glorify God & honor Him by bearing much fruit and being a light to the world.

This is, in part, what Paul was saying when he told them to wake up from sleep and arise from the dead so that Christ could give them light.

In other words, stop walking around with your head in the clouds as though you have nothing to do.

Transformation is your occupation.

Transformation into Christ’s image by separation from conformation to the world.

Question: Has the decisions you’ve made this past week support living these words? Or has your time and mental/emotional focus largely been wasted on self.

Today we are talking about Being Filled with the Holy Spirit

But I first want you to see the logical progression of Paul’s encourgemenets.

He has told them:

  1. As Dear Children imitate God
  2. Walk in Love
  3. You are no longer darkness – so do not walk in darkness and sin and DO NOT EVEN FELLOWSHIP with it or those who live in it!
  4. You ARE light – so walk in the light so it may reveal Christ and expose evil
  5. WAKE UP so Christ may give you Light
  6. Buy back every moment for the sake of Christ because the season we are in is profoundly evil and getting worse!
  7. So don’t sleep and don’t live unaware that God’s will for you is transformation into Christ’s image and that you let the light of your transformed life shine to the world around you.

NOW – he goes on to encourage us to CONSTANTLY be FILLED with the Holy Spirit of God!

So what is being filled with the Spirit?

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“Filled” is the Greek word plēroō, which means “to fill up, to cause to abound, to furnish or supply liberally, to flood, to diffuse throughout.”

A person filled with the Spirit is wholly imbued, affected & influenced by Him. It does NOT look like drunkenness or lewdness or as if we have lost all motor control – we will see this in the examples we look at today.

Now because there is a LOT of deception out there about this topic of being filled with the Spirit, let me clear a few things up first.

  • Being filled is NOT the same thing as being baptized in the Holy Spirit which is mentioned in Mark 1:8; Acts 1:5; Acts 11:16; Acts 19:1-3. Nor is it the same thing as being Baptised in fire mentioned in Luke 3:16.
    • In fact, it could be argued that it is mechanically the complete opposite of being baptized. In baptism WE are submerged into water or Christ or with the Holy Spirit. Being FILLED is to take Him IN – NOT upon!
  • As verse 18 indicates and I have already stated – being filled has to do with influence and control which is why a anti-example is drunkenness.
  • We must remember that WHO we are dealing with is part of the Godhead! Like the gifts, WE ARE NOT IN CONTROL – which is in fact the whole point of being filled – WE are BEING controlled – in a manner of speaking though steered, led and guided might be better terms.
    • So being filled with the Spirit is to be close to Him, surrendered to Him, listening to Him, seeking Him, to get lost in Him and be influenced by Him without any resistance at all.
    • These things you have a measure of control over… but the filling is all HIS work.
    • We see a beautiful example of this whole thing in James 4. Like in this chapter of Ephesians, James pits the actions of the flesh with being controlled or moved by the Holy Spirit. Turn to James 4:1-5

James 4:1-6 HCSB “(1) What is the source of the wars and the fights among you? Don’t they come from the cravings that are at war within you? (2) You desire and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. You do not have because you do not ask. (3) You ask and don’t receive because you ask wrongly, so that you may spend it on your desires for pleasure. (4) Adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? So whoever wants to be the world’s friend becomes God’s enemy. (5) Or do you think it’s without reason the Scripture says that the Spirit He has caused to live in us yearns jealously? (6) But He gives greater grace. Therefore He says: God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”

 

  • The Words desire and jealousy mean to earnestly long after and regard with love.
  • The indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit has a jealous yearning for our friendship with God. The Christian who lives in compromise can’t help but be convicted by it.
  • In the margin of the Revised Version translation, we learn that God has placed His Spirit within us, and that He yearns for complete control over our hearts. He can best overcome inordinate desire and teach us how to pray. God wants more of us. His love is insatiable in its yearning for every room and cupboard of our inner life, and He is ever wishful to give more grace.

 

  • Finally, if one is to be influenced and controlled by the Holy Spirit – their actions would agree with what the Bible says is the mission of the Holy Spirit – which is always going to be JESUS focused – not FLESH focused!

Like I said last week – this TAKES TIME and we have biblical examples of those who were filled with the Spirit and NONE of them appear drunk!

Being “filled” with the Holy Spirit is really talking about total surrender to Him…allowing Him control over what we do, how we live, what we say, what we think about as well as how we think about it.

Now there are times that we can be filled – on the spot. If our hearts are on the right things and we are loving and rejoicing in the things of God – it can happen spontaneously and in a moment, lasting only a short while – and this is good. Let’s see our first example of this…Turn to Luke 1:39-41

“(39) Now Mary arose in those days and went into the hill country with haste, to a city of Judah, (40) and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth. (41) And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.”

Now remember that Elizabeth KNEW the words the angel spoke to her husband about their “yet to be born son” – John.

Also, we need to realize that in a very unique and special way, Elizabeth was already filled with the Spirit by being pregnant with a son who was filled with the Spirit even in her womb!

So, though it is not specifically written, I believe we are on good ground to say that the Lord and the things of God were very much in this mother’s heart! Like Lydia – her heart was focused upon the right things and the Lord was the center of her rejoicing!

So when she heard Mary’s voice, and her Spirit filled son leaped within her – she herself was filled AND SPOKE prophetically and with boldness!

Luke 1:42-45, “(42) Then she spoke out with a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! (43) But why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? (44) For indeed, as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. (45) Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord.”

Now remember that to be filled is to be surrendered and controlled. So what we are seeing here is a picture of the heart of the Holy Spirit. We are treading on precious and holy ground here… Notice, the one outstanding thing about this encounter is that the entire focus is Jesus!

  • The Spirit was excited and so John leaped
  • The Spirit was filled with words about the Messiah and so Elizabeth spoke
  • The Spirit was filled with Joy at the entrance of Jesus and his mother Mary whose surrender to God’s word and work was so beautiful and complete – so Elizabeth was filled with joy and rejoicing!

Can you see – to be filled is to be a conduit for the Spirit of God! To see what He sees, to love what He loves, to rejoice in what delights His heart, to move at His impulse and speak His words. It is to be one with the Spirit of God.

Now let’s skip a few verses down where we see John’s father Zechariah at the circumcision and dedication of his son, remembering that he has had 9 long months to ponder his lack of faith at the angel’s revelation that they would have a son. His heart, like Elizabeth’s was focused upon the God of Israel and rejoicing in His work with a heart filled with joy and humility.

Luke 1:67-79, “(67) Now his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying: (68) “Blessed is the Lord God of Israel, For He has visited and redeemed His people, (69) And has raised up a horn of salvation for us In the house of His servant David, (70) As He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets, Who have been since the world began, (71) That we should be saved from our enemies And from the hand of all who hate us, (72) To perform the mercy promised to our fathers And to remember His holy covenant, (73) The oath which He swore to our father Abraham: (74) To grant us that we, Being delivered from the hand of our enemies, Might serve Him without fear, (75) In holiness and righteousness before Him all the days of our life. (76) “And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Highest; For you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways, (77) To give knowledge of salvation to His people By the remission of their sins, (78) Through the tender mercy of our God, With which the Dayspring from on high has visited us; (79) To give light to those who sit in darkness (sleep) and the shadow of death (arise from the dead) , To guide our feet into the way of peace.”

Now, this was a one time example of Elizabeth – a lovely, spiritual woman under the old covenant and Zechariah her p husband the priest. This experience came and went, but the COMMAND of Paul to New Covenant people here in Ephesians 5 is in the Present Imperative – meaning, being filled with the Spirit is to be an ongoing and continual state of being – just like our Lord, Savior and “big brother example” – Jesus was!

Luke 4:1-2 “(1) Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, (2) being tempted for forty days by the devil…”

Notice that so far, every example of being filled was followed by speaking…and this is no exception since in every temptation Jesus’ response was led by the Spirit, but notice, being filled with the Spirit also controls our actions….what did these verses say, “BEING Filled…He was led”.

This gives us another insight into being Filled with the Spirit. It is a state of Maturity as well as unity.

Turn to Romans 8:14,

“For as many as are habitually led by the Spirit of God, these are the mature sons of God.”

Next week we will look at the famous example which is often taken out of context found in Acts chapter 2.

 

 
This service had content that is NOT written out here, so I would encourage you to listen to it WHILE you read…Blessings! 

I hope this teaching will challenge you and encourage you to place your trust in the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.

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Blessings!

 

Pastor Mark

View posts by Pastor Mark

Hi my name is Mark and though I am opposed to titles, I am currently the only Pastor (shepherd/elder) serving our assembly right now.

I have been Pastoring in one capacity or another for nearly 30 years now, though never quite like I am today.

Early in 2009 the Lord revealed to me that the way we had structured our assembly (church) was not scriptural in that it was out of sync with what Paul modeled for us in the New Testament. In truth, I (like many pastors I am sure) never even gave this fundamental issue of church structure the first thought. I had always assumed that church structure was largely the same everywhere and had been so from the beginning. While I knew Paul had some very stringent things to say about the local assembly of believers, the point of our gatherings together and who may or may not lead, I never even considered studying these issues but assumed we were all pretty much doing it right...safety in numbers right?! Boy, I couldn't have been more wrong!

So needless to say, my discovery that we had been doing it wrong for nearly two decades was a bit of a shock to me! Now, this "revelation" did not come about all at once but over the course of a few weeks. We were a traditional single pastor led congregation. It was a top-bottom model of ministry which is in part biblical, but not in the form of a monarchy.

The needed change did not come into focus until following 9 very intense months of study and discussions with those who were leaders in our church at the time.

We now understand and believe that the Bible teaches co-leadership with equal authority in each local assembly. Having multiple shepherds with God's heart and equal authority protects both Shepherds and sheep. Equal accountability keeps authority and doctrine in check. Multiple shepherds also provide teaching with various styles and giftings with leadership skills which are both different and complementary.

For a while we had two co-pastors (elders) (myself and one other man) who led the church with equal authority, but different giftings. We both taught in our own ways and styles, and our leadership skills were quite different, but complimentary. We were in complete submission to each other and worked side-by-side in the labor of shepherding the flock.

Our other Pastor has since moved on to other ministry which has left us with just myself. While we currently only have one Pastor/Elder, it is our desire that God, in His faithfulness and timing, may bring us more as we grow in maturity and even in numbers.

As to my home, I have been married since 1995 to my wonderful wife Terissa Woodson who is my closest friend and most trusted ally.

As far as my education goes, I grew up in a Christian home, but questioned everything I was ever taught.

I graduated from Bible college in 1990 and continued to question everything I was ever taught (I do not mention my college in order to avoid being labeled).

Perhaps my greatest preparation for ministry has been life and ministry itself. To quote an author I have come to enjoy namely Fredrick Buechner in his writing entitled, Now and Then, "If God speaks to us at all other than through such official channels as the Bible and the church, then I think that He speaks to us largely through what happens to us...if we keep our hearts open as well as our ears, if we listen with patience and hope, if we remember at all deeply and honestly, then I think we come to recognize beyond all doubt, that, however faintly we may hear Him, He is indeed speaking to us, and that, however little we may understand of it, His word to each of us is both recoverable and precious beyond telling." ~ Fredrick Buechner

Well that is about all there is of interest to tell you about me.

I hope our ministry here is a blessing to you and your family. I also hope that it is only a supplement to a local church where you are committed to other believers in a community of grace.

~God Bless!