In the April 1989 edition of Time magazine, an article appeared which, I believe, is still relevant for us some 30 years later. It was titled, “How America Has Run Out of Time,” and the opening lines say it all:
“If you have a moment to read this story with your feet up, free of interruption, at your leisure . . . Put it down. It’s not for you. If, like almost everyone else, you’re trying to do something else at the same time - if you’re stuck in traffic, waiting in the airport lounge, watching the news, if you’re stirring the soup, shining your shoes, drying your hair . . . read on. Or hire someone to read it for you and give you a report!”
The fact is that the days in which we live are so hurried, that one is left to ask, “How can I be sure I am doing what I really ought to be doing with my life?” As a child of God who want to live life on purpose, making sure that my life counts for both time and eternity, this is a very important question; and it’s a question Paul answers in today’s passage.
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In verse 18, Paul tells us, “Be filled with the Spirit.” He tells us that the primary reason for living a Spirit-filled life is that it is essential to living according to God’s wisdom and making the most of the opportunities given us in this life (vs. 15-16) and to make sure we are able to understand and walk in God’s will for our lives (v. 17).
Paul tells the folks at Ephesus that God’s will is not that we get drunk on wine, but that we be filled with the Holy Spirit (v. 18). This was especially appropriate thing for him to say to the Ephesians, whose city was in the heart wine country, where over-indulgence was common. The wine god—Bacchus was honored by his devotees by having drunken orgies. So Paul contrasts the way followers of the wine god, Bacchus sought to honor him with the way God calls us to honor Him as followers of Christ.
Drunkenness degrades both the drinker and others. The activity of the pagan Greeks was demeaning. The activity of the Christian, by contrast, should be uplifting. And that’s how the Christian can live, as he allows the Spirit to fill and empower him from day to day.
While the pagans lived “under the influence” of alcohol, Paul says Christians are to live “under the influence” of the Holy Spirit!
Which brings us to Paul’s command in verse 18b. Notice four things Paul tells us about how to live our lives empowered by God’s Spirit from this command.
1. This is a command for our good.
This command is in the imperative mood, which means it’s a command from God. It is not a suggestion, a recommendation, or polite piece of advice. It is a command. We have as much of an obligation to obey this command as we do any other command found in Scripture. To live the Spirit-filled life is not optional for the Christian, but obligatory.
Corrie Ten Boom would illustrate the importance of living the Spirit-filled life this way. She would hold up a glove and say, “I have a glove here in my hand. The glove cannot do anything by itself, but when my hand is in it, the glove can do many things. It is not the glove, but the hand in the glove that acts. The Christian is the glove. It is the Holy Spirit (the hand) in us who does the work. We have to make room for the hand so that every finger is filled.”
God did not give Himself for us only to leave us on our own to try to do our best to live our lives for Him. No, He not only gave Himself for us, but He gives Himself to us; and He does this through the presence of His Spirit in our lives. The moment I trusted Christ as my one and only Savior, God’s Holy Spirit took up residence within me.
“When you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit.” - Ephesians 1:13b (NLT)
He resides in me, now He must be allowed to preside over me. And God commands us to allow His Spirit to fill every part of my life so I might stand firm in all the will of God. This is a positive command, for just like all of God’s commands, it is given to us for our own good, so we might experience God’s best.
“Now His commands are not a burden, because whatever has been born of God conquers the world. This is the victorythat has conquered the world: our faith.” - 1 John 5:3b-4 (HCSB)
2. This is a command for every Christian.
What this means is the promise of the Spirit filling every area of my life to enable me to live life on purpose is the heritage of every Christian, whether are one who’s known God a long time, or hardly any time at all. Weather you’re be a spiritual giant or a spiritual infant, the promise of a purposeful life by the guidance and empowerment of the Holy Spirit is for you!
Stand on the sea-shore looking at the ocean, you can see the sun reflected from its depths. Look at a lake you can see the sun reflected from its shallow waters. Look at a pond, and you see the same great sun. Look into the dewdrop of the morning, and there it is again.
The sun has a way of adapting itself to its reflections. The ocean’s not too large, nor the dewdrop too small. So God can fill any man, whether his capacity be like the ocean, the lake, the pond, or like the dewdrop. Whatever the capacity, there is opened up the possibility of being filled with the presence and power of God’s Spirit.
3. It is a command to cooperate.
In essence, Paul is telling us “Let the Sprit fill you.” In other words, the Holy spirit will fill your life if you will only cooperate!
If the Spirit is not working freely in our life, it is not because He is reluctant, but that we are resistant.
So how do we cooperate with the Spirit and let Him fill our lives?
When is a pitcher full of water? When there is nothing in it except water, and the water comes all the way to the top of the pitcher. Suppose you have a pitcher of coffee and want a pitcher of water. If you empty half the coffee and fill up the pitcher with water, what do you have? A pitcher filled with coffee and water. If you leave one sip of the black liquid in the pitcher, you still have a pitcher of coffee and water. It is only when you empty out all of the coffee and wash the pitcher that you can then have a pitcher full of water.
You see, the Holy Spirit is actively working in the lives of every Christian to enable us to be our best for God and do our best for God.
Paul says that God is at work “to make her (the church - every Christian) holy, cleansing her (the church - every Christian) by the washing with water through the Word” (Ephesians 5:26 NIV).
There are two ways the Spirit washes us with water through the Word.
A. The Spirit convicts us of where sin is in control.
As we’re convicted of unconfessed sin by the Spirit through our exposure to the Word each day, we need to claim the cleansing power of the cross by confessing every known sin God’s Spirit reveals to us. These are what we commonly call sins of commission.
B. The Spirit convicts us of where self is in control.
As we’re convicted about areas of life where we have not yielded to the Holy Spirit to live in God’s will and apply God’s wisdom, through our exposure to the Word each day, we need to claim the cleansing power of the cross by confessing it as sin as well. These are commonly called sins of omission.
“For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.” - Romans 14:23b
If I am walking by faith, then I am obeying God’s commands and yielding to His Spirit to allow Him to enable me to walk in God’s will and to apply His wisdom (1 John 5:3b-4).
How do we deal with either type of sin?
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” - 1 John 1:9 (ESV)
As we claim the cleansing of the cross as the Spirit brings conviction to our hearts through exposure to God’s Word, we can get out of the Spirit’s way and make it more and more possible for the Spirit to do His complete work in us. But this is a decision I must make daily.
“Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness.” - Romans 6:13 (NIV)
4. This is a command to persist.
Literally, Paul says “be being filled with the Holy Spirit.” So yielding to the Holy Spirit is a decision I must make daily, indeed, moment by moment. If we are to apply God’s wisdom and walk in God’s will, we must daily pay the price of saying “no” to self and “yes” to the Spirit.
A bridge was built over a river. It was decided once it was open to the public, a $1,000 prize would be given to the l00th car to drive across it. A crowd gathered and excitement was high. At last, the car that would be number 100 was seen in the distance. The crowd cheered as the car approached the other end of the bridge. But then the car came to a halt, paused, and then made a U-turn. A police car raced after the car. Once apprehended, the driver was asked why he turned around. “Oh,” he said, “when I saw the sign about a $1.00 toll, I decided I didn’t want to pay the price.” Little did he know what that small price could have gained for him!
Many folks lose out spiritually because what God asks of them looks like too high a price to pay. You’ll never know what you’re missing when you won’t pay the price!
“Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to finding yourself, your true self. What kind of deal is itto get everything you want but lose yourself?” - Matthew 16:25-26a (The Message)
Conclusion:
To neglect the filling of the Spirit is to reject the filling of the Spirit; and to reject the filling of the Spirit is to reject God’s will and wisdom; and choose to not live a life of purpose.
