Be Filled with the Spirit - Part 2

Amen, as always, enjoy that worship. If you would take your Bible and turn back to Ephesians chapter 5. I did say earlier that we'll be in verses 18 to 21. That means we'll divide those verses and tie all of these verses back together. Now I did say earlier in our Scripture reading it is good to finally be back in our study of Ephesians. Remember the series title of our study through the book of Ephesians? We're looking at the believers, riches in Christ Jesus. It was good to take a break. It's good to take a break sometimes like that. And it was very good to study some much needed subjects.

And I'm confident that all that we studied throughout the past few weeks have ministered to you, they've ministered to me, and I think it's been good for our church. Now before us, here in chapter 5, we have some of the most important teaching in the Scripture for us who are believers. And that is because here in chapter 5 verses 1 to 21 Paul gives three of the most practical and much needed commands that relate to everyday Christian living. I think that we need to make sure we focus on what? Everyday Christian living. Now starting in verse 1 Paul calls these Ephesians and he calls us to be imitators of God.

And then starting in verse 15 Paul calls us, he called these believers to live as the wise, not as the unwise. And here in verse 18 Paul is calling the Ephesians, he's calling us to be filled with the Holy Spirit. And then this call to be filled with the Holy Spirit, Paul starts off with a negative. He starts off by saying, "Do not get drunk with wine which leads to all sorts of sin and sinfulness." I like what the Amplified says here, it says corruption and stupidity. Yes corruption and stupidity, that's accurate. And then Paul moves to the positive by saying to always be filled or keep on being filled with the Spirit of God.

Now let me give you a little pastoral instruction here. It's been a while since we've been in all of this study together. I would encourage you to go back and study and read verses 1 to 21. You have your notes, I encourage you to take notes. You have study helps, many of you have good study helps, good study Bibles, maybe even get some of my notes, go back to some of those messages and get these commands. Get this teaching about being imitators of God, living as the wise, not as the unwise, and then also being filled with the Spirit. Now in our message this morning we are back in these verses that have to do with being filled with the Spirit.

We were in these verses back in December, but I want to revisit some of what we studied some four months ago. Now why do I revisit what we covered back in December? First of all it's been a while, so we do need reminding. We do forget, isn't that right? We forget some of these things. And some of you were not even in the life of our church back then, so some of this revisiting is new information for you. And then second, the great importance of this teaching. This teaching on being filled with the Spirit can and should radically revolutionize your Christian walk. Yes, radically revolutionize your Christian walk.

And then third, we have the great need to live every day, every day, filled with or controlled by the Spirit. Now when it comes to being filled with the Spirit, before we look at what it is, we need to see what it's not. Before we can look at what it is, we need to see what it is not. And you know for some of you, you automatically think of some of the gross errors that some make here. First, this is not like we see with our charismatic friends, our Pentecostal friends. Paul is not talking about some wild, supercharged emotional event where someone is hit by some lightning bolt from heaven.

And as a result, they somehow are elevated to some next level spiritual holiness. You know that kind of experience where regular Christians look at them and marvel. No, that's not what Paul's talking about. And then second, on the other side, this is not living the Christian life like a lifeless statue. This is not living the Christian life void of emotions and void of Christian experience and anything experiential. This is not living the Christian life void of the influence and the leading and the prompting and the guiding of the Holy Spirit.

You might not realize it, but both of those errors are trying to live the Christian life by works, human efforts. The first is nothing but supercharged human emotions and false experiences that are blamed on the work of the Holy Spirit. And the second is nothing more than knuckle down self effort that is fueled by rules and dry doctrine. And it is void of a legitimate Christian experience and even legitimate Christian emotions. And I could say more there, but I think you understand those errors. But we need to see what being filled with the Spirit is not from the Scriptures.

I want to point to some legitimate works of the Spirit in the life of the believer that are not the same thing as being filled with the Spirit. Now for some of you, this is educational. You're ignorant here. And some of you, this is extremely helpful. You understand some of this, but this will fill in some of the blanks. For some of you, this will give you some answers. And you need this more than you know. First being filled with the Spirit is not the same thing as the seal of the Holy Spirit. When someone is sealed with the Holy Spirit, that is when one hears the Gospel and they savingly believe in Christ.

They are then sealed with the promise, work of the Holy Spirit in the life. This means that when someone comes to saving faith in Christ, the Holy Spirit comes in to dwell within that person. And as a result, the Spirit seals them. The Spirit preserves them. So they are sealed. They are secure. This even speaks to eternal security. We studied this back in Ephesians 1, verses 13-14. Listen to what Paul says.

"In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the Gospel of your salvation, and you believed in him, you were sealed with the promise Holy Spirit." So being filled with the Spirit is not the same thing as being sealed with the Spirit. And then second, being filled with the Spirit is not the same thing as being baptized into the body of Christ. When someone is converted to Christ, and they savingly believe in Christ, they are spiritually immersed or baptized into one body, the body of Christ, that is the Church. This happens to all who come to faith in Christ. Jew, Gentile, slave, or free, no matter what denomination.

And in this baptism, which is a spiritual baptism, this is not a physical baptism, it is Christ who baptizes or immerses the believer into this one body, the body of Christ, the Church. Listen to 1 Corinthians 12-13. Paul says, "For in one Spirit, Holy Spirit, we are all baptized into one body." Jew or Greek, slave or free, "And all were made to drink of one Spirit." So being filled with the Spirit is not the same thing as being baptized into the body of Christ. And then third, being filled with the Spirit is not the same thing as the indwelling Spirit. We see this in different scriptures.

I'll just mention too, in John chapter 14 verse 16, Jesus told his disciples that he would give them the helper, capital H, that's the Holy Spirit, and that he would be with them forever. And this helper is the Holy Spirit, which takes up residence in all lives of all believers. In fact, Paul says in Romans 8-9 that if anyone does not have the Spirit, the Holy Spirit, that one does not belong to Christ. They are not a Christian. But listen to John 14, 16 and 17.

Jesus says, "And I will ask the Father and He will give you another helper," that's the Holy Spirit, "who will be with you forever." Verse 17, "Even the Spirit of truth," that's the Holy Spirit, "whom the world cannot receive because it neither sees Him nor knows Him," and he says to his disciples, "You know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you." So being filled with the Spirit is not the same as the indwelling Spirit that all believers possess. Fourth, being filled with the Spirit is not the same as the anointing of the Spirit. Now this can be confusing for some. We need to see this more than we may know.

The Holy Spirit is the one that anoints the believer with the anointing of an abiding presence. The Spirit abides within the believer and the Spirit teaches the believer the things of God. This anointing speaks of a special gifting of the Spirit of God within and this gifting is for the purpose of teaching the believer. First John 2, 27, the Apostle John says, "But the anointing that you receive from Him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you.

But as His anointing teaches you about everything and is true and is no lie, just as it is taught you abide in Him." So being filled with the Spirit is not the same as the anointing of the Spirit. Now notice what we have quickly seen here. There's a lot more I could have said. I have quickly shown you the real, spiritual, and practical workings of the Holy Spirit in the believer. And if you are a believer, you've been converted to Christ, you experience the work of the Spirit in your life as I have spoken of. And look, I challenge you. This will be good for you here. Go study the seal of the Holy Spirit, Ephesians 1, 13, and 14.

Go study that baptism of the Spirit into the body of Christ, 1 Corinthians 12, 13. Go study John 14, 16 to 17, and other verses about the indwelling Spirit. And then study even the anointing of the Spirit in 1 John 2, 27. Alright. Now we're finally ready to look at what it means to be filled with the Holy Spirit and what happens as a result. And I want us to look at three things that Paul gives us here in verse 18 to 21. I want us to look at the setting of this command. That's at the beginning of verse 18. Then I want us to look at the command itself. That's at the heart of the teaching, the end of verse 18.

Then I want us to look at the results. So the setting of the command, the command to be filled with the Spirit and the results of being filled with the Spirit. Now some of this I'll be brief because I did cover this in a part one, but some of this I will take a little more time here and I will make some much needed application. So number one, the setting. The setting. We see this at the beginning of verse 18. Look at your copy of God's Word. Paul says, "And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery." Now the setting of the command might surprise some of you, but it's found behind the verse. It's found in their pagan past.

Most of these Ephesian Christians had come out of paganism where alcohol was a major part of their lives. Based on a practical or a more moral level in their pagan past, the use and abuse of alcohol was just a normal part of life. And their abuse of alcohol naturally led to all sorts of sin, all types of corruption, and more sinfulness. One commentator, he said this is the wild living of the prodigal son. Simply Paul was pointing at their use and their abuse of alcohol from their past. He was alluding to the abuse of alcohol from their past that led to all types of sin, all sorts of sinfulness, and all kinds of moral corruption.

But then second, on a spiritual or a more religious level. In their pagan past, the use of alcohol, the abuse of alcohol was a part of their religions. It's rather simple. They worshiped many pagan gods. They were polytheistic people. And drunkenness was not just a part of those idolatrous religious practices, but it was at the center of all of that worship. Go study their religions, their pagan religions. They even had a god of wine, which was the god of agriculture, fertility, and winemaking. So simply Paul was pointing to their use and their abuse of alcohol from their religious past as well.

He was alluding to how drunkenness and drunken sinfulness was at the heart and the center of their religion and religious practices. So this new command, this new command to be filled with the spirit was up against. It was in contrast to their pagan past. Paul was contrasting a new life of being filled up with the spirit of God up against their old life of being filled with drunkenness that led to all kinds of sin and corruption. He is contrasting the new life of being filled up and controlled with the spirit of God up against their old religious pagan past and of drunkenness, which was mixed in with all kinds of really satanic paganism.

And you know for us, our setting might be a lot different, but yet our setting is much the same. In our past or in your past, you may have been involved in drunkenness, which led to all sorts of excessive living. You may have been involved in drunkenness that really led to prodigal living. In your past, you may not have been involved in drunkenness, which was all tied up in paganism, but many, many are tied up in all kinds of God's little gee. Think about this. Many people are tied up into the gods of money and materialism. Yeah, money and materialism become God's little gee. Many are tied up into the gods of entertainment and amusements.

We live in an affluent society, and entertainments and amusements, a good thing can turn into a bad thing. They can become a God. Many today in our culture are all tied up into the gods of sex and sexuality and perversions of all of those good things. Many people today are tied up into the gods of their looks and they're consumed with their body and even consumed with health and the human body. It can become a God. And many are tied up into the gods of pride and power and prestige. We could just keep going on and on because the lists of little gee gods is endless. So my question is this.

At this point in the message, when God calls and He commands us to be filled with the Spirit of God in our everyday Christian walk, what setting is that command up against? What is that command compared to? Maybe a little different for you than it is for me. And then number two, I want us to look at the command. I want us to look at the command. I said it's at the heart of the teaching and it is. Look back at verse 18. Paul says, "And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, dissipation, excess." That's the background. "But be filled with the Spirit." Well we finally get to the command.

Again it's at the center of what Paul is teaching here. And we know for certain what it is not. We've taken the time there. We know better than to confuse this with other works and functions of the Holy Spirit of God in the life of the believer. So I think we're straight there. Now I did this before in part one and I want to do it again. I want to look at these things in reverse order. I want to turn the verse around. First of all I want us to look at what or who the Spirit is. You will notice that in your English translation it does not say Holy Spirit but it says Spirit. Now there are some that can misunderstand the verse.

They can think that Paul is speaking of the human spirit but that's not the case. Here Paul is speaking of the Holy Spirit of God not the human spirit or the spirit within a man. That's why this word Spirit is capitalized in your English translation. That's because the translators understood and understand that Paul was and is speaking of the Holy Spirit of God. So let that get into your mind. This is the Holy Spirit of God. But then second, what is this command? It's at the heart of the teaching. So we've got to ask what is this command? Now the key to understanding what God is saying here is understanding the language.

And as I explain the construction of the language and the meaning of the actual word what God is commanding here through Paul it will just come to the surface. It will be real easy for you to see. First this command. This command to be filled is a present passive command. Now this simply means that this command has within it an ongoing work which means this verse can truly be translated. Keep on being filled and kept filled with the spirit. The amplified gets at this by saying ever be filled. Real simple ever be filled. It's accurate. And understanding this fact helps us to see that this is not leaning on the past.

This isn't leaning on an experience in the past. This isn't some kind of a one time event. This is for today. This is for tomorrow. This is also for the future. Then second this command. It is a passive voice command. This simply means that this cannot come from within. It can't even come from another. This filling cannot be produced by a man or from within the man. This means this verse can truly be translated let yourselves keep on being filled and be kept filled by the spirit. And understanding this fact helps us to see that this is not leaning to. Leaning to another or looking from within.

And then third this command to be filled is an imperative command. This simply means that this is not a suggestion. This is a command and it must be seen as a command for who? For all believers. This means this verse can be translated. All of you who are believers let yourselves keep on being filled and keep being filled with the Holy Spirit of God. And understanding this fact here helps us see that God expects us to be filled and to keep on being filled. He doesn't suggest it. It is a command. And then we need to see the actual meaning of the word. Now with the meaning of the word here there are several layers. It all comes together.

It all comes together. When we think of this word "filled" we automatically think of filling something up. Like a glass of water. Some of you had a cup of coffee this morning. Some of you had a cup of coffee when you came to church. Maybe some hot chocolate. We automatically think of being filled up when we look at this word. Now this is part of the meaning but this is not all that Paul was saying. This word here it was used in their day also to speak of the wind when it would fill up the sail of a ship. The ship could set sail. It could be on its way. It could be on its way when the sail of the ship was filled.

This word also was used of something being saturated or soaked. In that day when they preserved meat it was saturated. It was permeated with salt as a preserving agent. It was also used in that day to speak of being in total control. We can understand this illustration. If someone is filled with anger and rage, well they are filled with, they are in control of what? That emotion. And look at how the construction of the language and the meaning of the word all comes together to show us the meaning. The light bulb should be on bright for you. When a believer is filled with the spirit there is a sense in which they are filled and filled up.

But when one is filled with the spirit they are filled like the wind fills the sail of a ship. Therefore they can be carried along or guided by the Holy Spirit of God in the life. When one is filled with the spirit they are also saturated or permeated with the spirit of God. Therefore everything in their life is affected by the Holy Spirit of God. When one is filled with the spirit they are also controlled by the spirit. A lot like when one is filled with and controlled by anger and rage. Now the last time we were in these verses I gave us my double amplified paraphrase version. This is just how I put all of this in my words.

It all just comes together. It does for me. God through Paul. He is truly saying something like this. All of you who are believers let yourselves be filled with the Holy Spirit of God and let yourselves keep on being filled with the Holy Spirit of God. Let the Spirit of God fill you so that He may steer and guide you all of the days of your life. Let the Spirit of God fill you so that your whole life and being may be permeated by and affected by the Spirit of God. Let the Spirit of God fill you so that you may be totally controlled, totally controlled by the Spirit of God every day of your life. And look church we've all got to ask.

We've just got to ask does this describe how we live? Are we filled with the Holy Spirit so that every area of our life is saturated and therefore affected by the Spirit of God? Are we filled with the Holy Spirit of God so that every area of our life is carried along? It is guided. It is steered by the Spirit of God. Are we filled with the Spirit of God so that every area of our life is truly controlled by the Spirit of God? Now I want to take a little time here. I want to identify five types of Christians. Five types of Christians. Some of this will be a little humorous but it really gets serious. You know there's the blind man Christian.

I call this person the blind man Christian. You know I'm not making fun of blind people but when someone's blind what do they do? They mope around. They're in the dark. They have trouble getting from point A to point B and we understand that. When someone is blind or blinded they can't get their way around. They can't find their way from point A to point B. But you know when someone is truly a Christian and they do not understand that this is the way they are to live their life they just live their Christian life like a blind man. They mope around and they usually miss going from point A to point B and from point B to point C and so on.

You see? Are you a blind man Christian? You just kind of wing it in your Christian life? Then there's what I call the pecan pie Christian. I like pecan pie. My mother-in-law makes good pecan pie. But you know if it's pecan pie or lemon pie isn't it cut up? Little pieces? Right? Maybe you just take the whole pecan pie. If that's you I don't like you. You don't leave me at peace. But listen we can think of a pecan pie or any kind of pie it's cut up in pieces. See some of your pecan pie Christians because your life is divided up.

You've got certain areas of your life where God's in control but you've got certain areas of your life no it's cut up and it's set off to the side and you don't want the Spirit of God to affect that part of your life. You don't want the Spirit of God to govern and to guide that part of your life and what you don't realize is you've compartmentalized areas of your life. It's cut up. And then there's the rod under the kitchen sink Christian. You know when you have rod under the kitchen sink it usually sneaks up on you. Isn't that right? I mean your wife comes out of the kitchen and says honey we've got a problem.

The floor is rotten under the kitchen sink. And you know you say well I didn't know it there's garbage under there and all kinds of stuff under the sink. Everybody lives the same way. But what I'm showing you is this. There are Christians they have sin in their life and they allow sin in their life and it rots. It rots away. And you know you've got rotten areas of your life because you've allowed sin to just stay there and that sin has stayed there and it has rotten out certain areas of your life. The Spirit of God is not in control as He should be because you let that sin be there. And then there are the days gone by Christians.

The days gone by. You're like the guy that reminisces about playing football in high school. Days gone by. See there was a day when you lived your life like this. He was in control. You were under the control of the Spirit. But you know apathy is set in and you know you've just leaned on the past. And what happens is this. You think back to the days gone by when actually today it's rather dry. You can't lean on the days gone by. If you lean on the days gone by it's beyond dry. And then there's the fairy tale Christian. The fairy tale Christian.

They believe in these things but it's really more like a fairy tale because it's never appropriated in the life. They talk about it like it's a fairy tale. It's make believe because it isn't a part of everyday life. So the command. Let me read it in the Amplified. Paul says do not get drunk with wine for that is wickedness, corruption and stupidity. I agree with the Amplified. But be filled with the Holy Spirit and constantly, constantly guided by Him. And then number three. The results. We finally get to some new material. The results. Let's look back at the verses, verses 19-21. Paul abruptly changes and notice what he says.

Be filled with the Spirit addressing one another in Psalms and hymns and spiritual songs. Singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart. Giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ. Now when we look at these verses 19-21 they all go together. Some commentators call these the consequences of being filled with the Spirit. But you know I don't like that. Consequences has just kind of a negative ring. I don't like that. One writer I read this week, studied this week said verses 19-21 that this is the outcome of being filled.

I like that. It's more positive. But we need to see that there are certain outcomes. There are results of being filled with the Spirit and constantly guided with the Spirit. Now does Paul say that you are going to speak in tongues? No? He doesn't say that. Does Paul say you are going to run around the church and some Holy Ghost fit? No, he doesn't say that. Does Paul say that you are going to come to the altar and have some mystical experience where everyday Christians look up to you and they just dream that they could get to your place? He does not say that kind of stuff.

Dear Poggie, there are four results of living the life filled with the Spirit. Very practical and very spiritual. First, he says speaking to one another in Psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, it's one of the results of living the Spirit filled life. Here we see that being filled with the Spirit does something to how believers relate to one another. Being filled with the Spirit fills the heart and that comes out of the mouth. But what is in the heart that comes out of the mouth? Psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. The Psalms Paul is speaking out about here are the Old Testament Psalms that are put into music.

The hymns here that Paul is speaking about, this speaks of songs of praise to God and worship of God. These are not scripture like the Psalms but they are much like the Psalms. The spiritual songs Paul is speaking of here are best seen as any songs or lyrics that relate to spiritual matters. These songs may not be directed to God but they are definitely about spiritual matters. Now we need to ask what Paul is saying here and we do not need to look up here and say, "Well Pastor Chris, I don't sing, I don't play a musical instrument, so this does not apply to me." Don't do that.

God is saying that the heart and the life that is filled with the Holy Spirit of God will determine how we speak to one another. The result, the outcome of a Spirit controlled life will be speaking to one another so as to praise God, so as to build up one another in the faith, so as to promote a Christ centered heart and life all with one another. And notice this. Yes, this is the result of a Spirit filled heart and life but this also has the feel of a command. Paul seems to be saying that we are obligated, we are constrained to one another to speak to one another this way.

So one result of the Spirit controlled life is speaking to one another with words of praise to God, words of worship of God and promoting those things in one another. And we have an obligation to do these things in one another's lives. You know in all of my prayer and meditation over these verses, especially this part, there's one word that just jumped into my heart and in my mind, the word joy. The word joy. What's the opposite of joy? Negativity? Complaining? Grouchyness? Just being in that perpetual bad mood, now we all have a bad day, I know that.

But the opposite of joy is negativity, complaining, grouchiness, being in a bad mood, never building anybody up, always critical, always negative, always being judgmental, just that perpetual wet blanket, a negative Nelly. You know I've gotten a little personal with some of you. You're not as joy filled as you say you are. You're more negative, you complain more, you're more grouchy and you're more in a bad mood. You never seem to build others up. You know what it's like when you're around somebody that builds you up? It is self-evident.

But oh, you know what it's like when someone's negative, grouchy, complaining, critical, negative, judgmental. After a while, it's just a bad taste in your mouth. Are you a bad taste in other people's mouths? The second result is singing to God with singing and melody in one's heart. Look back at verse 19, addressing one another in Psalms and hymns and spiritual song, and here's the transition, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart. Here we see that being filled with the Spirit does something to how believers relate to God. Being filled with the Spirit fills the heart which comes out of the heart.

Now what is in the heart that comes out of the heart? The text says singing and melody to God from the heart. This singing simply means to sing with one's voice and in the New Testament it is always used in relation to praising God. And this making melody to the Lord can mean to literally play a musical instrument or to sing along with a musical instrument. Again, we have to ask what Paul is saying here, but we can't check out. We can't say, "Well, pastor, I can't sing. I can't play a musical instrument. I'm not musically inclined, so I'm just going to not listen." No, this is for all.

God is saying that the life and the heart that is filled with the Spirit will determine how we speak and relate to God. The outcome, the result of the Spirit-filled life will be an inner heart that praises God and notice it keeps in tune with a heart that praises God. And note this fact, yes, this is a result of the Spirit-controlled heart and life, but this also has the feel of a command as well. Paul seems to be saying that we are obligated to relate to God this way. So one result of the Spirit-filled life is speaking to God with singing and making melody in our hearts to God. Look, listen close, you're going to get it.

You show me a person whose heart is filled with partying, drunkenness, sinful lifestyle, all of that prodigal living, I'll show you a person who loves country music. I'll show you a person who loves rock and roll music. See they may not be able to sing, but they can sing those lyrics and they love what those songs say. And get this, they may never be able to carry a tune in their bucket, but their hearts are in tune with the message of what that music and those songs say. You see?

And with the Spirit-filled and Spirit-controlled Christians, their hearts are filled with singing to God and their inner hearts, listen, are in tune with praises to God. You know what it means when something is in tune, it goes together. Third, the third result, giving thanks to God always and for everything. Look at verse 20. Again, we see a shift. Giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Here we see that being filled with the Spirit does something else in how the believer relates to God. Being filled with the Spirit fills the heart which comes out of the heart.

Now whereas the other results may have been harder to see, this is simple. It's easy. If the heart of the life is filled with the Spirit and controlled by the Spirit, well there is thankfulness to God. There is a deep sense of thankfulness, gratitude, and an appreciation to God. But what does the Spirit-filled believer thankful to God for? What? The text says it. Everything. Isn't that what the verse says? I like what William McDonald says here. Many of you have his work, the Believer's Bible Commentary. He says of this thankfulness, and I'm quoting, "It is not occasional but continual, not only for the pleasant things but for all things.

One can be thankful for sunshine. It takes the power of the Spirit to be thankful for the storms of life." Isn't that good? Albert Barnes says this thankfulness is for all things and for all people. And notice this. This is the result of the Spirit-filled heart in life, yes, but this also has the feel of a command and an expectation as well. Paul seems to be saying that we are obligated to be thankful to God always for all things and for all people. All means all. So one result of the Spirit-filled heart in life is a heart and a mouth that gives thanks to God always and for all things. Look, I just have one word.

It just keeps coming to my mind during all this. It's thankfulness. Thankfulness for every circumstance, for every person. But you know some of you are compartmentalized. You're thankful over here. But for certain parts of your life, it's dominated by fear and worry and fretfulness. It's dominated by frustration and bitterness and anger. You can be so thankful over here, but yet you could be so unthankful over there. Look, when we're fretful, when we worry, when we're bitter, who are we doing those things against? God. Then fourth, the fourth result, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.

Look back at verse 21, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ. Notice my sub-point just came out of the text. Here we see that being filled with the Spirit does something else in how the believer relates to one another. They submit to one another. But what is this submitting to one another? This verb to submit was one that Paul used often. We see this over 20 times in his writings. And this generally speaks of a submission to those worthy of authority and respect. We understand this. Christians submit to civil authority. Christians submit to parental authority.

Christians submit to authority in the workplace and to authority in the church. Why? Because they deem that authority worthy of respect. But here Paul is not speaking of that kind of submission. He is speaking of a submission one to another. And this is a voluntary submission one to another in the life of the church. And this has nothing to do with authority. This is a submission one to another out of mutual love and respect and need for one another. One of the old commentators I have in my library, Charles Erdmann.

Erdmann says of this submission one to another, and I'm quoting, he says, "Submission to our fellow Christians, modesty of demeanor, humility and unwillingness for dispute, forbearance, gentleness, these are the unmistakable proofs of the Spirit's power." Let me say that again because it's so good. He's so right. He says submission to our fellow Christians, modesty in our demeanor, humility and unwillingness for dispute, forbearance for one another, gentleness, these are the unmistakable proofs of the Spirit's power.

And he goes on to say, "Such mutual submission to their fellow Christians should be rendered in the fear of Christ, that is in reverence to Him who is recognized as Lord and Master of all." And get this, this is the result of a spirit-filled, spirit-controlled life. But yes, this has the feel of a command as well. Paul seems to be saying that we are obligated to, we should be constrained to do what? To submit to one another. And you know, you show me a Christian who can't get along with believers in the local church. You show me a Christian who can't or they won't humbly and gently submit to one another.

And I'll show you a Christian who is not spirit-filled. They may be faithful to church now. They may be here when you're not here. They may know their Bible. They may be able to teach their Bible. They may know their doctrine. They may know their theology. But let me tell you something. You show me someone who says they are a Christian and they won't humbly, gently submit one to another. They are not spirit-filled. And you'll get fooled by them many times.

Again remember what Erdmann says, "Modesty of demeanor, humility, and unwillingness for dispute, forbearance, gentleness, these are unmistakable proofs of the Spirit's power." Show the results, the outcome of always being filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with words of praise to God, words of worship to God, and promoting these things in one another. All in joy. All in joy. Singing and making melody in our hearts because our hearts are in tune with God. All with joy. Always in everything and in every way giving thanks to God for everything.

All in joy and all with thankfulness, submitting one to another while being motivated by a great love and a reverence for Christ. All in joy, all in thankfulness. Now before I move to the conclusion, this is how we need to react. We got to know this folks. We need to memorize these verses. Now look, I love scripture memory. I'm far more impressed with the man or the woman who knows the verse and knows how to apply it and live it. If you memorize it and you can't live it, rather empty, hypocritical. We need to know this. We need to be able to speak it and live it. I want to begin to close by answering the question.

How are we filled with the Spirit? We've got to ask that question. First and foremost, we've got to see the need. We must see that if we are not filled with the Spirit like we've seen in the verses, then we are living in spiritual weakness. We are spiritually underdeveloped. We are living at a level of spiritual defeat. We are probably allowing sin in our lives because why? We are not fully under the control of the Spirit in our lives. And if we have lived like this for too long, we are horribly immature and you may even be backwards spiritually. Last time I dealt with this, I used the word retarded. It's politically incorrect.

Some Christians are spiritually retarded because they've not lived the Spirit-filled life. So we have to see the need. Now real quickly, I want to give four responsibilities that we have from the Scriptures that relate to being filled with the Spirit and how. This comes out of William McDonald's work. I've changed it up through the few months and I've kind of made it my own, but number one first, we must confess all known sin. If we see that we are not filled with the Spirit, well that's sin. That's sin. And if we are not filled with the Spirit, chances are we've allowed other sin to come into our lives.

And in our efforts to surrender to this work of God, we may find sin in our lives and the Scripture tells us what to do. John 1.19 says, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." So we must confess sin and repent of sin and get it out of our lives, out of our lives, out of our lives if we are going to be filled. Second, we must empty ourselves before God. In Galatians 2.20 Paul says, "I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.

In the life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me." Here we see that if we are going to be filled, we must be emptied. Far too many Christians can't be filled because their life is too full. And that makes perfect sense. Paul says that if we reckon ourselves empty and we do the work of emptying ourselves of sin and self and anything that prohibits this filling, then and only then can we be filled. So we must empty ourselves so as to be filled with the Spirit. Third, we must surrender ourselves to God for the work.

In Romans 12.1 Paul says, "I appeal to you therefore brothers by the mercies of God to present your bodies as living sacrifices." Let me say that again, to present your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual act of worship. Here we see that to be filled we must present our bodies and even our entire lives. Remember we can't be a Pecan pie Christian. We must present our bodies, our entire lives to God as a living sacrifice. And this surrender means the surrender of the body, the mind, the will, everything. So we must surrender ourselves completely up to God.

Fourth, we must let the Word of God dwell richly in us. Paul says in Colossians 3.16, "Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs with thankfulness in our hearts to God." Here Paul tells us that to have Christ inhabiting our lives, that takes place by allowing the Word of God to dwell richly in our lives. And notice the connections Paul's making here. Paul connects the Word to Christ and the Word and Christ to this dwelling, this inhabiting.

He seems to be saying that for Christ to inhabit our lives, it starts by allowing the Word of God to inhabit our hearts and minds and lives. So we must work. We must work to allow the Word to richly inhabit our hearts and lives. Now we don't have time for this, but in our part one back in December I explained how we can reject the Holy Spirit, how we can grieve the Holy Spirit, how we can quench the Holy Spirit. You got to go get that on your own. I can't give you everything. Now what have we seen this morning? What do we have before us that we've got to learn? What do we have in front of us that we've got to study, meditate on, memorize?

We've got to pray, roll up our sleeves. We've got to work hard for this work. I'm going to read it in the Amplified. Be filled with the Holy Spirit and constantly guided by Him. We should study this work. We should submit to this work. And we should expect this, this to be the standard of Christian living. You know I thought about it. I might need to alter some of our church membership class information and put this in here. This is the standard. So let's pray. Let's commit these things to the Lord and let's look forward to this standard being the standard today, tomorrow, the days, the weeks, years to come. So let's pray.