A henpecked husband was advised by a psychiatrist to assert himself. "You don’t have to let your wife bully you," she said. "Go home and show her you’re the boss."
The husband decided to take the doctor’s advice. He went home, slammed the door, shook his fist in his wife’s face, and growled, "From now on you’re taking orders from me. I want my supper right now, and when you get it on the table, go upstairs and lay out my clothes. Tonight I am going out with the boys. You are going to stay at home where you belong. Another thing, you know who is going to tie my bow tie?"
"I certainly do," said his wife calmly, "the undertaker."
It seems that we all want to be the boss in our lives. But as we continue our journey through Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, we’re going to find that we had better rethink that attitude.
Let’s take a moment to review the context for today’s passage. Although verse 18 is part of a larger section of material that starts at 5:15 and continues all the way through 6:9, let’s go ahead and place it in its more immediate context:
See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another in the fear of God.
Ephesians 5:15-21 (NKJV)
You’ll remember that last week, we diagramed this passage as follows:
See then that you walk circumspectly
• not as fools but as wise
o redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
• not ... unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is
• not be drunk with wine ... but ... filled with the Spirit
o speaking...
o singing and making melody...,
o giving thanks ...
o submitting to one another...
The overall command here is to walk circumspectly, or as many translations put it, live carefully. We do that by observing each of the three pairs which are introduced by the word “not” and contrasted by the word “but”. We looked at the first two last week:
• not as fools but as wise, which was further explained by the phrase “redeeming the time, because the days are evil”
• not ... unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is
This morning we’ll look at the third contrast
• not be drunk with wine ... but ... filled with the Spirit
Then we’ll look at the four participle phrases which describe the results of heeding that command next week.
Let’s go ahead and read out loud together the passage we’ll be focusing on this morning:
Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.
Ephesians 5:18 (NIV)
This third contrast contains two commands that at first glance may appear to be unrelated. But I don’t think there is any doubt that Paul purposely groups these two commands, as we will clearly see in a moment.
Although Paul is giving his readers a command here that is consistent with the teaching in the rest of Scripture, his main focus here is clearly not the issue of the drinking of alcoholic beverages. Remember that Paul is writing here in a section where he has been pointing out to his readers that, as followers of Jesus Christ, they can no longer continue to live their lives in the same way that they had done so prior to their conversion experience. Paul realized that many of these Gentile believers would have been familiar with, and even previously participated in, the cult of Dionysius, the god of wine. A major feature of that worship was the orgies where the participants became highly intoxicated with wine in order to cause Dionysius to fill the worshiper’s body so he or she would comply with the will of their god.
So the main issue here is not so much drunkenness, but rather the concept of leaving behind the life of darkness these Gentile Christians had once been engulfed in. So I’m not going to spend a lot of time on that part of our passage this morning, other than to say that the Bible very clearly teaches that drunkenness is a sin. On the other hand, one cannot legitimately make the case that the Bible totally prohibits the drinking of alcoholic beverages, either. That is one of those issues where I believe we need to apply the principle of liberty where we allow others to live out their own convictions. However there are a couple of caveats. First, we can never allow our freedom to become a stumbling block to our brothers and sisters in Christ. And secondly, we should not try force our own personal convictions onto others.
So we’re going to spend our time this morning on the second half of this verse, on the second command that Paul gives us there:
...Instead, be filled with the Spirit.
This is another one of those passages that has been misapplied within the body of Christ because many have not taken the time to examine this verse carefully within its proper context. And as a result, many Christians are chasing after some experience that will “validate” the work of the Holy Spirit in their lives or assure them that they have the Holy Spirit. But as we’ll discover this morning, it is not an issue of us getting more of the Holy Spirit; it is an issue of the Holy Spirit getting more of us. It’s not about an event; it’s about a lifestyle.
I know that I run the risk of boring all of you to death, but there is really no way that we can adequately understand this passage without a Greek grammar lesson this morning. In fact, that’s one of the main reasons I’ve chosen to only tackle this one verse, actually only the second part of this verse, this morning. While our English versions all capture some of Paul’s meaning, there is no way to really comprehend this crucial and important issue without looking at this passage word-by-word. And as we do that, we’ll discover five important observations that will help us understand:
HOW TO BE FILLED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT
1. Being filled is an issue of control
Perhaps the most critical thing we will do this morning is to get a grasp on the meaning of this word that all of our English translations render “filled”. When we use the word “fill” in English we normally think of something being placed into a container such as milk being poured to the brim of a glass, or filling the tanks in our cars with gasoline. But those examples don’t really convey the meaning of the word Paul uses here.
The Greek word “pleroo” has three shades of meaning:
• A force which moves
This word was used to describe wind filling the sails on a ship, thus providing the force which moved the vessel. When we apply that concept to our spiritual lives, we find that the Holy Spirit is the force who moves us along in our day-to-day walk with the Lord.
I remember when I was younger and we would go camping along the White River. We would often make little rafts out of small branches and then put them into the river and follow them downstream as the current carried them. Those rafts did not have the ability to go where they wanted. They were completely subject to the flow of the river.
That’s the picture of how a Spirit-filled Christian is to live. Instead of focusing on our own wants and desires, we’re to allow the Holy spirit to be the current that determines where we go in our lives.
• Permeation
When some of you came in this morning, you grabbed a cup of coffee. And then those of you who really don’t like the flavor of coffee added sugar, sweetener and/or one or more of those little cups of flavored creamer to your coffee. And once you stirred it into your coffee, it filled, or permeated every drop of coffee in that cup. So every sip took on the flavor of what you added to that coffee. If we’re filled with the Holy Spirit then every part of our life ought to bear the flavor of His presence in our lives.
• Total control
The third shade of meaning, and the one most prominent in the New Testament, conveys the sense of domination or total control. We can clearly see that if we look at how that same word is used elsewhere.
When our Lord told the disciples that He would soon be leaving them, he spoke these words to them:.
Because I have said these things, you are filled with grief.
John 16:6 (NIV)
Jesus was pointing out that their grief was so overwhelming that it dominated their thoughts. In other words, it controlled them.
We see this concept even more clearly in Acts 5 in the account of Ananias and Sapphira:
Then Peter said, "Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land?
Acts 5:3 (NIV)
There can be no doubt that the way Peter uses the same word in that passage is to picture how Satan had control of the heart of Ananias.
This meaning is also confirmed by the context. Remember that Paul has already contrasted for us being filled by the Holy Spirit and being drunk. What do we call it when someone gets drunk and then drives their car? [Wait for responses] That’s right “driving under the influence”. Which is really just another way of saying “driving under the control” of the alcohol. And, as we’ve already seen, for Paul’s readers, there was an association between becoming drunk and being controlled by the pagan gods. So I have no doubt that Paul’s readers would have clearly understood the message here:
Don’t be under the control of your wine, instead, be under the control of the Holy Spirit.
We are not merely empty vessels into which the Holy Spirit is poured like a liquid nor is He is merely some power socket that we plug into to be empowered for service. He is the third person of the triune God who brings us into a right relationship with God the Father through the finished work of God the Son, Jesus Christ, and who dwells permanently in our lives. We don’t need to get more of the Spirit. But we do need to allow the Spirit get more of us.
2. Being filled is not an option
The verb translated “be filled” is in the imperative form. That’s just a technical way of saying that it is a command. And that command is also in the second person plural – y’all be filled. That grammatical construction gives us several insights into this passage:
• This is addressed to all Christians. Being filled with the Holy Spirit is not just for “Super-Christians” or for some elect group that has an extra dose of the Holy Spirit. Every follower of Jesus Christ is to be filled, or controlled, by the Holy Spirit.
• This is a command, which means that it is not optional. Although, as we’ll see in a moment, the filling of the Holy Spirit is all God’s work, this is not merely some prayer request or something that we are to ask God for.
• Since the Bible commands it, this must be something that is possible for every follower of Jesus Christ to obey and God will give us whatever is necessary to do that.
3. Being filled is a process
The command to be filled is in the present tense. I hope that by now, we have made this point so many times in our journey through Ephesians, that we understand that the present tense indicates a continuing action. So we could very accurately translate this command:
Keep on being filled, or controlled, with the Holy Spirit.
Being filled with the Holy Spirit is not some one-time ecstatic, emotional event or experience, but rather something that needs to occur on a day-to-day, moment-by-moment basis.
I think far too many people picture being filled with the Holy Spirit similar to the way we fill up the gas tanks in our cars. We fill up our tanks, and then we drive around for some period of time. Then, we watch to see when the price per gallon is going up, so that we can fill up before the next price increase. And then if we mistime that and the gas gauge nears empty, we stop at the bank for a loan and then go fill our tank up again. And we repeat this process over and over as needed.
There is a sense in which the Holy Spirit operated somewhat in that manner in Old Testament times. God would give the Holy Spirit to a specific individual for a specific period of time in order to accomplish a specific task. But from the day of Pentecost on, that all changed. As we saw all the way back in chapter 1, the very moment that we commit our lives to Jesus, the Holy Spirit comes to dwell permanently in our lives. We get all of the Holy Spirit we will ever get right then and there.
We don’t get filled up with the Holy Spirit and then expend Him as we live out our lives and engage in ministry. He is not some energy or force that eventually runs out and has to be replenished. He is a person who lives continuously and permanently in our lives. And the process of allowing Him to take control of my life is something that I must be engaged in 24/7.
4. I cannot fill myself
As we continue our Greek grammar lesson this morning the next thing we see is that the verb “be filled” is in the passive voice. In other words, the people to who Paul addresses this command are not the ones who are doing the action. Someone else is doing the action to them. Although I’ve already warned you about trying to picture the filling of the Holy Spirit as being analogous to the filling of the gas tank, perhaps that illustration is actually helpful here. The gas tank in our car cannot fill itself up. Someone else has to do the filling.
The same thing is true when it comes to the filling of the Holy Spirit. I can’t fill myself up with the Holy Spirit. Someone else has to do that. And this verse gives us a very clear picture of who is doing the filling.
Every English translation I could find translates this passage “be filled with the Holy Spirit, which would indicate that the Holy Spirit is what, or more accurately whom, we are filled with. But let’s compare that translation with a couple of other passages where this same Greek phrase is used:
to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles with the priestly duty of proclaiming the gospel of God, so that the Gentiles might become an offering acceptable to God, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.
Romans 15:16 (NIV)
Therefore I tell you that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, "Jesus be cursed," and no one can say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit.
1 Corinthians 12:3 (NIV)
For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body - whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free - and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.
1 Corinthians 12:13 (NIV)
In every one of these cases, this same Greek phrase is translated “by the Spirit” rather than “with the Spirit”. That would indicate that the Holy Spirit is the instrument by which the action is carried out. That certainly seems to fit much better with what we’ve already learned this morning. If the concept of filling is a picture of control, then it makes more sense that we are to be controlled by the Holy Spirit rather than with the Holy Spirit.
When we put together everything that we’ve learned so far this morning, we could very accurately translate our passage something like this:
All of you keep on being controlled by the Holy Spirit.
Given the context in which Paul writes this command, he makes it quite clear that we cannot live the kind of life he has been describing as a result of our own religious effort or even as a result of our spiritual discipline. Only God can cause that to happen as we allow ourselves to be controlled by the Holy Spirit who lives within us.
Although I think we would all agree with that statement, what I really want to know this morning, and I suspect the same is true for you, is how do I do that? That leads us to our final principle this morning.
5. The Holy Spirit fills me as I let the Word of Christ dwell in me
As we’ve seen many times in our journey through Ephesians, the best commentary on what Paul writes there is often his similar letter to the Colossian church. In this case, what Paul writes there is invaluable in helping us to understand how to be filled by the Holy Spirit. Let’s start by reading from chapter 3 of Colossians, and I’m going to begin with the end of verse 16:
... and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Colossians 3:16, 17 (NIV)
Does that sound familiar? Those words are nearly identical to those in Ephesians 5:19-20 where Paul is describing the results of being filled, or controlled, by the Holy Spirit. And what both of those passages have in common is that they make it quite clear that the result of being filled by the Spirit is that all of our attention and focus is removed from ourselves and transferred to our relationships with God and with others. Let’s read through both of those passages again and see where the focus is:
speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another in the fear of God.
... and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
So the idea of being filled, or controlled, by the Spirit seems to be connected with the idea of getting the focus off of self. But again, I want something more practical to tell me how to do that. And if we go back to the words that Paul wrote at the beginning of Colossians 3:16, right before the passage we just looked at, we find that practical instruction. Let’s look at those words:
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom...
Colossians 3:16 (NIV)
We can’t get any more practical than that. To be filled by the Spirit is to be filled with God’s Word. To be filled by the Spirit, I must allow God’s Word to infuse every part of my life. When you think about it, that makes a lot of sense. Since the Holy Spirit is the author of the Word of God, when we allow that word to permeate every area of our lives, we allow the Holy Spirit to fill, or control us.
Let’s return one last time to this contrast between being drunk on wine and being filled by the spirit. The word translated “get drunk” comes from a word that means to be saturated. In effect, the person who is drunk has been saturated with alcohol. The clear contrast that Paul draws here is that we need to be saturated with the Word of God in the same way that a drunk is saturated with liquor.
That obviously takes more than just the feeding we receive here on Sunday mornings. If we want the Holy Spirit to fill us, then we must feed ourselves a steady diet of the Word of God. We must continually allow God’s Word to saturate our lives as we listen to, read, study, memorize and meditate on it. And then we need to put it into practice in our day-to-day lives.
So we all have a choice here this morning. We can either take control of our own lives – we can be the boss – or we can yield that control to the Holy Spirit by saturating our lives with the Word of God. Who’s the boss in your life?
