FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT
EPHESIANS 5.18-21
Why is it that so many Christians feel there is something missing in their spiritual life? We read the NT accounts of believers and feel that our faith is just not that exciting, why? We read about the Holy Spirit coming upon individual believers and groups of believers with such power that they were able to make a dramatic impact on the community around them – then we look at our own lives and the life of our church and think – where did it all go wrong for me (us)? This morning if you feel that spiritually things have gone a bit flat or that you have lost that initial excitement and joy of the Lord Jesus then this is for you. Over the past number of weeks we have been looking at what the Bible teaches us about the Holy Spirit. This morning we are going to see what the Bible has to teach us concerning being filled with the Holy Spirit.
At the start of this sermon let me once again say that the Holy Spirit is a person. When we speak of being filled with the Holy Spirit we do not mean that the Holy Spirit is some sort of liquid that is poured into some empty vessel (which is us). Nor is the Holy Spirit some ‘force’ or ‘power’ like electricity which we get plugged into and filled with power. To use any of those terms is to affirm wrong ideas concerning what is meant by the phrase ‘being filled with the Holy Spirit.’ We must at all times remember the Holy Spirit is the third person of the Holy Trinity who brings us into a relationship with God the Father through Christ the Son.
The first thing I want to do this morning is to clear away some generally accepted but Biblically wrong teaching concerning being filled with the Holy Spirit. I have deliberately chosen the phrase ‘filled with the Holy Spirit’ and not ‘baptism of the Holy Spirit.’ The latter generally has been taught for years in many churches as a second experience of the Holy Spirit which is accompanied with speaking in tongues. However it is interesting to note that 1 Corinthians 12.10 teaches us that God does not give the gift of tongues to everyone. Therefore it cannot be the mark of someone who has been ‘baptised in the Holy Spirit.’ Secondly those passages in Acts which have been used to support this teaching are in fact historically unique. Let me explain quickly.
Acts 2 The Day of Pentecost – is the fulfilling of the promise of Christ of the coming of the Holy Spirit on the disciples and the church in Jerusalem. It is the fulfilment of the promise made to Joel that God would pour out His Spirit upon His people. It is also important for us to recognise that the disciples had become believers in Christ before Pentecost whereas we are post-Pentecost believers.
Acts 8.12-17 Is the extension of the work of the Holy Spirit to the church in Samaria. In verse 16 it simply says the Spirit had not yet come to them – this was a divine decision. It was also to confirm the authority of the apostles in the gentile church.
Acts 19.1-6 the coming of the Holy Spirit on the believers at Ephesus was the fulfilment of the extension of the work of the Holy Spirit to the ends of the earth. Once again historically it was the affirming and establishing of the authority of the apostles in the wider church.
In each of these cases the coming of the Holy Spirit upon the believers was accompanied by the laying on of the hands of the apostles and speaking in tongues. Each is a unique historical event and not a pattern for all individuals or all churches through history.
Turn with me now to Ephesians 5.18-21 and let us see what we are taught here about being filled with the Holy Spirit. As always let us get the context correct. Ephesians 4.17-5.18 is a passage of practical nature. The key teaching lies in the command that believers are to ‘lay aside the old self’ and ‘put on the new self, which is created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness’ (Ephesians 4.22-23). Then we come to 5.18 READ.
Verse 18 Paul begins by stating a negative – ‘do not be drunk on wine.’ This may seem a strange command to give to a church but all around them at Ephesus were pagan shrines and temples. Much of pagan worship involved excess alcohol to the point where people lost control and indulged in all sorts of debauchery. Paul does not want them to give themselves over to something which takes over their minds and their actions. He wants them to function normally. We should take heed there. Paul is saying that their worship is to be different from the carnal chaotic worship of the pagans. Instead he writes ‘be filled with the Holy Spirit.’ The Greek verb for ‘be filled’ is ‘pleroo’ and in this context it is according to the scholars – imperative, passive, present continuous. Which means that ‘pleroo’ is a command for them to obey, and not a suggestion that they might like to take on board. ‘Pleroo’ is in the passive voice which means the Holy Spirit takes the initiative and comes upon the believers. ‘Pleroo’ is in the present continuous tense which means that it is an ongoing command and something which is to be a daily occurrence in the life of the believer. Paul commands them to be filled to completeness right where they are at that present moment. This is no casual statement by Paul but an exhortation which he expects the believers at Ephesus, and us, to obey. The believer’s part is to surrender his or her life to the filling of the Holy Spirit, which comes by faith.
The result of this filling of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer will be seen in praise and worship of God and fellowship with other believers (verse 19). It will also be seen in a life of thanks expressed to God for all that we have received (verse 20). It will also be seen in a life of submission in the Lord to one another (verses 21ff). I want you to note that when Paul illustrates the outworking of the fullness of the Holy Spirit in the life of a believer it is not in emotional terms, nor in manifestations of exciting gifts or works but in terms of relationships. Primarily the focus is on our relationship to God and then our relationship to other believers, and finally our familial relationships and social relationships.
We need desperately to take that on board this morning. So 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 and yet nowhere is anything like that taught in the NT. It is the very fact that we are biblically ignorant concerning the person and work of the Holy Spirit that we so easily and readily accept the nonsense that is taught concerning the filling of the Holy Spirit in a believer’s life. You see we have become obsessed with emotional experience concerning all aspects of our Christian faith, as if the level of emotional experience is a barometer to everything spiritual. I am not denying emotions play a part in our faith but they do not actually tell us very much about our faith. They certainly do not tell me or anyone else if I am filled with the Holy Spirit or if they are. We also neglect to listen to what Scripture teaches and to examine for ourselves (and dare I say actually think for ourselves) concerning being filled with the Holy Spirit. The experience of someone else concerning the Holy Spirit, whether authentic or not, is not equal to what Scripture teaches. What the Bible teaches is that when we come to authenticating the filling of the Holy Spirit in a believers’ life we should see someone who is Christ centred and not Christian centred in their faith. We will see someone who as Paul says in verse 19 following is focused on praising God, thanking God, encouraging other believers and has a submissive heart towards others in the Lord Jesus. Examine your heart this morning and are those the things you find there? Not are you happy? Not are stirred with emotion? No, is your focus Christ and because of Him are you intent on praising God? Are you thankful to God for what He has given you in all circumstances? Are you building other believers up? Are you being faithful, humble and submissive to Christ as you live in the God-given relationships in your life?
I want also this morning to point out that every Christian believer has the Holy Spirit – Romans 8.9, Acts 2.38. In John 14.16 Jesus promised that the Holy Spirit would dwell in the Christian believer forever. Therefore the indwelling of the Holy Spirit is permanent and indissoluble relationship between the believer and the Holy Spirit. We can see as well from Acts 2.4 that all of the believers in the upper room were filled with the Holy Spirit and when Peter preached he told his listeners that this same Holy Spirit was for them and their children – Acts 2.38-39. Again in Acts 4.31 they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, again in Acts 7.55 Stephen is filled with the Holy Spirit and in Acts 13.9 it is Paul who is said to be filled with the Holy Spirit. It would appear from these and other NT passages that being filled with the Holy Spirit was something which every believer was to experience habitually but that there would also be occasions when the Holy Spirit would come upon them specially for ministry.
Also it would appear from passages such as Acts 6.3 that it is evident to others within the church those who are ‘full of the Spirit.’ So how can they tell – well Galatians 5.22 along with Ephesians 5.19ff are good starting points – the fruit of the Spirit is evidence that the believer is filled with the Holy Spirit. Look at Ephesians 5 again – praising God, giving thanks to God for everything, encouraging in praise other believers and the submitting to one another in the Lord.
Finally – How can we be filled with the Holy Spirit?
Romans 12.1-2 Paul exhorts the believers at Rome to present themselves to be filled with the Holy Spirit.
Luke 11.9-11 Jesus instructs the disciples to Ask for the filling of the Holy Spirit
Galatians 3.2-3 – have faith, it is not by human effort that we gain the fullness of the Holy Spirit but by faith in God.
Acts 5.32 – although there is also a part for us to play. When we obey God by obeying His Word He gives us the fullness of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Disobedience grieves the Holy Spirit – Ephesians 4.30, nor should we live in such a way that we quench the Holy Spirit by our sin – 1 Thess.5.19.
Therefore I would say to each of us to be filled with the Holy Spirit is not an event but an ongoing relationship with the Holy Spirit. That daily we should be asking and seeking to be filled by the Holy Spirit by submissively opening our lives to Him as we seek God in the means of grace which He has provided for us. This filling is both habitual and episodic. There will be specific times when we will know the fullness of the Holy Spirit equipping us for ministry or to meet a specific situation. More commonly there will be that sense of being loved, secure and kept in the Saviour’s hands as we obediently follow His will for our lives. It is something that we can neglect with our apathy and block with our disobedience and sin. Without it we are merely trying to live the Christian life on our own strength and all we will experience is defeat in temptation and deadness in our spirit. You know we refuel cars so that the engine has the fuel to power the wheels. As Christians we sometimes are guilty of running on empty.
Can I say in closing – we are not empty vessels into which the Holy Spirit is poured like a liquid and He is not some power socket that we plug into to be empowered for service. He is the third person of the Holy Trinity who brings us into a right relationship with God the Father through the finished work of Jesus Christ, God the Son. To be filled with the Holy Spirit is to be fully engaged in that relationship and to know the joy of the Lord in that relationship.
Amen.
