January 18, 2004 Ephesians 5:18
¡§The Spirit-filled Christian¡¨
INTRODUCTION
Let¡¦s try a little experiment. I¡¦m going to mention some events or players in past and present day history, and you see what comes to mind as I say these things. Here we go:
„X the death of Princess Diana
„X the city of Atlantis
„X WMD in Iraq or Iraq in general
„X The assassination of JFK
„X Vietnam
If our experiment worked, what happened as I said some or all of those things was that questions came into your mind. Did the city of Atlantis ever exist, and if so, did it sink into the sea as the legend says? Was there only one gunman targeting President JFK on that fateful day in Dallas? How long will there be a U.S. presence in Iraq, and will there ever be a stable Iraqi government there? Just recently, a group in England started a new probe into the death of Princess Diana to see if it was really an accident. All the questions have not been answered to their satisfaction, so they¡¦re going to ask them again.
This week, President Bush announced a new initiative ¡V a permanent space station on the moon by 2015 to be used as a launching point for a manned expedition to Mars. I¡¦m not sure why President Bush wants man to go to Mars. Up to now, all the billions of dollars that have been spent on gaining information about the red planet have been focused on one question: was there ever life on Mars? I can answer that question: NO! Now, since I just saved the U.S. government and its taxpayers 100¡¦s of billions of dollars, I think that they could send us a small thank you in the form of a check for a million dollars to build us a church building.
Let me throw one more subject at you and see if any questions come to mind: being filled with the Spirit. Last week, we talked about characteristics that will manifest themselves in a Spirit-filled church and how that kind of church will be very attractive to people. We want to be a Spirit-filled church. Since this church, like every church, is made up of people, the only way that we can be a Spirit-filled church is if we have Spirit-filled people. But what exactly does that mean? And other than the fact that it is commanded in the Bible that each of us be filled with the Spirit, what reason should you or I have for wanting this filling? These are questions that we are going to answer this morning in order to combat the confusing and false information that is out there about the Spirit and, more importantly, to help us get right in the center of the will of God for our lives.
1. How do you DEFINE what it means to be ¡§full of the Spirit¡¨?
„X NOT the same as being ¡§baptized¡¨ by the Spirit ¡V baptism makes you a part of the body of Christ
¡§For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body...and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.¡¨
1 Corinthians 12:13 (NIV)
¡§...if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.¡¨ Romans 8:9 (NIV)
„X It is when the Spirit gets control of your life
¡§...those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. ...if the Holy Spirit controls your mind there is life and peace.¡¨ Romans 8:5-6 (NLT)
Illustration: Have two glasses ¡V one clear, one colored ¡V already filled with a colored liquid (kool-aid) to illustrate that each Christian is already filled with the Spirit in the sense that He is already inside of us. But then, point out that with the colored glass, the glass controls the color that the outside world sees. The color of the liquid inside is unable to show through. With the clear glass, it is very easy to see the color of the liquid. Likewise, the more clear we are and the less in control we are, the more control the Spirit can have over our actions and attitudes.
¡§The point is one of control. If a man is filled with anger, than anger controls his life. If a man is filled with greed, then greed dominates his life. If a man is filled with love, then love influences all he does. And if a man is filled with the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit will have the controlling interest in your life. It is ¡§control by consent.¡¨
¡§Let me stop and make a critical distinction: Being filled with the Holy Spirit does not mean I have more of the Spirit, it means the Spirit has more of me. I do not need more and more of the Spirit ¡V as if the Spirit were a drug whose effectiveness depended on increased dosage. God works just fine in small doses. It is we who must allow God to do his full work in us.¡¨
2. How does the Bible DESCRIBE people who were ¡§full of the Spirit¡¨?
John the Baptist ¡V Luke 1:15-17; Matthew 3:1-12
WEIRD! - ¡§John¡¦s clothes were made of camel¡¦s hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey.¡¨ Matthew 3:4 (NIV)
Jesus said of him that there was not a greater born among women (Matt. 11:11).
Whatever is ¡§normal¡¨ for Christians is going to seem ¡§weird¡¨ to the world and to those Christians who are not living the ¡§normal¡¨ Christian life.
BOLD! - ¡§You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?¡¨ Matthew 3:7 (NIV)
Stephen ¡V Acts 6:6 ¡V 7:60
PEACEFUL - ¡§...they saw that his face was like the face of an angel.¡¨ Acts 6:15 (NIV)
FORGIVING - ¡§While they were stoning him, Stephen...cried out, ¡¥Lord, do not hold this sin against them.¡¦ When he had said this, he fell asleep.¡¨ Acts 7:59-60 (NIV)
Philip ¡V Acts 8:4-8, 26-40
EVANGELISTIC - ¡§Philip...proclaimed the Christ...¡¨ Acts 8:4
Acts 1:8 ¡V When the Holy Spirit is in control, then we will be witnesses. He will tell us what to say. He will bring to our remembrance those things that we have learned.
AVAILABLE - ¡§Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, ¡¥Go...¡¦ So he started out... The Spirit told Philip, ¡¥Go...¡¦ Then Philip ran...¡¨ Acts 8:26-30 (NIV)
3. How do you DESIGN a plan for how to become ¡§full of the Spirit¡¨?
„X Empty yourself of other things that control you. ¡§Do not get drunk on wine...¡¨Ephesians 5:18 (NIV)
Holy Spirit can¡¦t control a person that is already controlled by sin.
„X Obey what commands God has given ¡§...do not grieve the Holy Spirit...¡¨ Ephesians 4:30 (NIV)
Start where you are.
„X Yield yourself to the control of the Spirit ¡§...let the Holy Spirit fill and control you.¡¨ Ephesians 5:18 (NLT)
It¡¦s a command, but it¡¦s a passive command. We are used to active commands like ¡§Go get the milk.¡¨ A passive command says, ¡§Sit still, and let me pour the milk in your glass.¡¨
„X Worship God in the company of other Christians ¡§speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; always giving thanks...¡¨ Ephesians 5:19-20 (NASB)
Worship opens the pathway for the Holy Spirit. It¡¦s not private worship that is spoken of here. It is corporate worship. You¡¦ve got to be involved in worship with the community of believers ¡V church ¡V in order to filled with the Spirit.
4. Why should I DESIRE to be a person who is ¡§full of the Spirit¡¨?
After all, most of the people that the Bible speaks of as having been full of the Spirit met with some disastrous opposition. John the Baptist was beheaded; Stephen was stoned; Jesus was crucified. Being full of the Spirit seems to lead to being full of pain. Why should anyone desire that for themselves?
„X Benefits for your relationship with God
Overcome temptation (i.e. Jesus¡¦ temptation Matt. 4:1-11)
¡§...live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.¡¨ Galatians 5:16 (NIV)
Overcome nagging doubts about your salvation
¡§For his Holy Spirit speaks to us deep in our hearts and tells us that we are God¡¦s children.¡¨ Romans 8:16 (NLT)
„X Benefits for your relationship with people
Better family relationships
¡§Wives, submit...¡¨; ¡§Husbands love...¡¨; Children obey...¡¨; ¡§Fathers, do not exasperate your children.¡¨ Ephesians 5:22-6:4 (NIV)
Better work relationships
¡§Slaves obey...¡¨; ¡§...masters, treat your slaves [with respect (6:5)]...Do not threaten...¡¨ Ephesians 6:5-9 (NIV)
CONCLUSION
The most important question you have to answer in regards to the Spirit is this: has He come into your life at all through your acceptance of Jesus as your Savior? The biggest issue both for salvation and for the filling of the Spirit is the issue of control. Who is going to be in control of your life? God or you?
Over the next several weeks, we¡¦re going to be taking a look at the characteristics that will become a part of your life as you yield to the control of the Spirit over your life. They¡¦re called the fruit of the Spirit.
