Returning to the Source Ephesians 5:18NLT
It was said that Francis d’Assisi once invited a young man to join him on a trip to town to preach. Honored to be given the invitation, the young man readily accepted. All day long he and Francis walked through the streets, byways, and alleys, and even into the suburbs. They rubbed shoulders with hundreds of people. At day’s end, the two headed back home. Not even once had Francis addressed a crowd, nor had he talked to anyone about the gospel. Greatly disappointed, his young companion said, "I thought we were going into town to preach."
Francis responded, "My son, we have preached. We were preaching while we were walking. We were seen by many and our behavior was closely watched. It is of no use to walk anywhere to preach unless we preach everywhere as we walk!”
NLT: Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit,
"The saloon is a liar. It promises good cheer and sends sorrow. It promises prosperity and sends adversity. It promises happiness and sends misery.... It is God’s worst enemy and the devil’s best friend." -Billy Sunday
TM: Don’t drink too much wine. That cheapens your life. Drink the Spirit of God, huge draughts of him.
Here Paul is referring about the drunken orgies commonly associated with pagan worship ceremonies of that day. They were supposed to induce some ecstatic communion with the deities. In 1 Cor.10:19-20 Paul refers to such as the “cup of demons.”
Vs. 18...But to be filled with the Spirit. Means to be in communion with God not induced by drunkenness, but by the Holy Spirit.
Paul’s call is for every believer to live continually under the influence of the Spirit. Confess all known sin, and live a pure submitted life.
Smith Wigglesworth said, “I never get out of bed in the morning without having communion with God in the Spirit.”
The new birth doesn’t automatically eliminate the old nature. We live in bodies that are susceptible to sin, so we must stay filled with God’s Spirit.
Galatians 5:16NLT So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves.
“What we call the beginning is often the end. And to make an end is to make a beginning. The end is where we start from.” TS.Eliot
Here’s 5 commands to keep within this one verse.
First, Paul’s talking about yielding control of our life to God’s Spirit.
Ephesians 5: 19-21NKJ 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.
When someone’s drunk we say “they’re under the influence.”
Here’s how Christ exemplified this way of life.
Luke 4:1NKJ Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness,
Second, Paul’s statement is a command. “Be filled!”
He didn’t say, “If you’d like to,” or “It would be nice.”
No, if you’re going to please God then you must be filled with the Spirit constantly.
Romans 13:12,14NLT The night is almost gone; the day of salvation will soon be here. So remove your dark deeds like dirty clothes, and put on the shining armor of right living. 14. Instead, clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. And don’t let yourself think about ways to indulge your evil desires.
Third, this verse applies to every believer. Sometimes we look at someone and say, “They love Jesus so much; why can’t I be like that?”
The difference is the filling of the Spirit, not the fact that they have something you don’t.
1. Desire it. 2. Pray for it. 3. Obey all the Spirit’s promptings (the more we obey Him the more we will be controlled by Him and “filled” with Him). 4. Spend time in His presence and inside His Holy Word.
Fourth, you can’t fill yourself. Like filling your car, you must regularly pull up to the pump.
Matthew 5:6NKJ Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled.
Are you hungry? Are you thirsty?
Fifth, it’s a continuous action.
Rev. Dwight L. Moody was to have a revival campaign in England. One preacher protested, "Why do we need this ’Mr. Moody’? He’s uneducated, inexperienced, etc. Who does he think he is anyway? Does he think he has a monopoly on the Holy Spirit?" Another and wiser preacher responded, "No, but the Holy Spirit has a monopoly on Mr. Moody."
You can’t run your car on a single tank of gas; you’ve got to keep going back to the source.
Why is it that way? Because we live in a world that depletes us spiritually, and constantly contend with a core of carnality that seeks to defeat us. So, “Be filled with the...Spirit.”
Benediction.
