Spirit-filled Life

Scriptures: Ephesians 5:18-20 “Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, 19  speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, 20  always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Man is a tripartite being and we know that because it was written in the Bible in 1Thessalonians 5:23 “May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Body– is our flesh and bone, the physical part which was made out of the dust of the ground “for out of it you were taken; for dust you are, and to dust you shall return” ( Genesis 3:19 ). The body of man also has five senses: hearing, taste, sight, smell and touch. – Appetitive part

Soul– is our mind, will and emotions. The self-consciousness and logical part of our being. Genesis 2:7 “God breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.” The soul does not die when the body dies because Jesus said “Do not fear those who can kill the body, but rather fear Him (God) who can destroy both body and soul in hell “ ( Matthew 10:28 ). It is the soul of man that Jesus died to redeem on the cross. “To deliver their soul from death” (Psalm 33:19) “For the redemption of their souls is costly” (Psalm 49:8)

Spirit– the part that gives the man the ability to have an intimate relationship with God, because God is Spirit and we must worship Him in Spirit and in truth.( John 4:24) But the thing is after the Fall of Man, we become spiritually discerned (1 Corinthians 2:14) man does not understand the things of God because the spirit of man is limited to the things of man. That is why Jesus Words says “You must be born -again, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is
born of the Spirit is spirit. (John 3:5-6)

When we become new creations, by accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, it is in our spirit that the Spirit of God comes to reside. Ephesians 1:13-14 “ In Him (Jesus) you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having
believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise. – who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.

The Indwelling of Holy Spirit. “He lives with you and will be in you” ( John 14:17 )
1. Indwelling Spirit- creates new life in us, (2 Corinthians 5:17) it regenerates our souls and revived our spirit (Titus 3:5) bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, no longer slaves to sin but heirs and co-heirs with Christ (Romans 8:15-17)

– Having received Him, He will teach and guides us into all truth, helping us to understand the things of God and His ways. ( John 16:13, 1 Corinthians 2:12)

– Equips us with spiritual gifts (God-given abilities) to serve effectively for His glory to edify the church, sustaining us to overcome fleshly desires by producing Fruit of the Spirit in the life of every believer. ( 1 Corinthians 12:11, Galatians 5:22-23)

– Introduce/put us in the body of Christ, the universal Church (1 Corinthians 12:13) “For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit.
–
The Spirit of God helps us to draw near to Christ (John 6:44) No man can come to me, unless The Father who has sent me will draw him, and I shall raise him in the last day.” No man can come to me, unless The Father who has sent me will draw him, and I shall raise him in the last day.” Then Jesus Christ, He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire (Luke 3:16)

Every believer has the Holy Spirit but the Spirit does not control each believer. He may reside but not preside. So the question is not that do you have the Holy Spirit, but rather does the Holy Spirit have you? Do you live a life in surrender to His will or do you still live in your
stubbornness and rebellious will? The Bible tells us not to grieve the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:30) by disobedience.

Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery (depravity/corruption) – Why? Proverbs 20:1 “Wine is a mocker, Strong drink is a brawler,And whoever is led astray by it is not wise. Do not get drunk on wine! Wine may also represent or meaning what was written in the context found in Ephesians 5:11 “Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness” Instead, be filled with the Spirit!

When looking at Scripture, the indwelling of the Spirit appears to be different than being filled with the Spirit, it is not a single event (conversion, passed from death to life John 5:24) but it is a continual process, (transformation from glory to glory. 1 Corinthians 3:18, Romans 12:1-2) and it bears fruit in growth and spiritual maturity (Maturation 2 Peter 1:5-8) while serving the body of Christ and ultimately glorifying God.

How to be filled continually by the Spirit?
1. Delight yourself in the Lord (Psalm 37:4) and be hungry in the things of God – Matthew 5:6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled” Isaiah 44:3 “For I will pour water on him who is thirsty….I will pour out My Spirit.

2. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom. (Colossians 3:16) “ For the Word of God is spirit and life (John 6:63)

3. Empty your cup through sacrifices (surrendered life) There can be no filling without there first being an emptying. As we empty ourselves for God, He will fills us. Paul says in Philippians 2:17 “I am being poured out as a drink offering on the sacrifice and service of your faith.

Remember David in when he sins against God by taking a census of Israel troops instead of trusting God for their security and safety. God sent a plaque but later relented. David repented then God instructed him to build an Altar to sacrificed burnt and fellowship offerings. Araunah, the owner of the threshing floor gave it freely to his King David but David refused and he bought the place in full price. “ I will not present burnt offerings to the Lord my God that have cost me nothing. (2 Samuel 24:24-25) The Lord answered him with fire from heaven.

Romans 12:1 “ offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.

4. Deny yourself in Obedience to His words – Let His will be enthroned to your will. Matthew 16:24 “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.

5. Ask God in Prayer – James 4:2-3 “you do not have because you do not ask.Yet when asking don’t ask amiss or ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.

Fill my cup, Lord, I lift it up Lord! Come and quench this thirsting of my soul;
6. Wait upon the Lord– let us find a time to wait for Him a midst in all of our busyness. Spending time in prayer and meditating His words.

In the day of Pentecost, the disciples of Jesus are praying and meditating upon His words and they are patiently waiting for the promised Gift as Jesus instructed them Acts 1: 4-5 “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”

To be baptized in the Spirit means to be filled with the Spirit, it is more than just indwelling at the time of our regeneration but to be empowered! 2 Timothy 1:7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

Acts 1:8 “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

We are not reservoirs but channels, we are not wells but overflowing fountains. Jesus said in John 7:38-39 “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”  But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would
receive.

What happens when are being filled by the Spirit?
1. Overflowing of unspeakable Joy– speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, 20  always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

– utterance in other tongues as the Spirit enables them Acts 2:4, a gift and a sign for the unbelievers. (1 Corinthians 14:22)

2. Empowered to be an effective witness for God because of a strengthening and deepening relationship with God. The Bible is filled with stories of man and woman of God being empowered by God’s Holy Spirit. They did it with super-natural strength in humility acknowledging that it is not them alone but God working through in their lives. From Genesis to Revelation it was all written “ then filled with the Spirit of God”

Zechariah 4:6 “Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty.

Isaiah 61:1 “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me,Because the Lord has anointed Me To preach good tidings to the poor;He has sent Me to heal the broken hearted,To proclaim liberty to the captives”

3. Empowered to live victorious Christian life. Acts 20:24 “But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. In the book of Acts chapter 7, we read about Stephen even in his last moment in Earth, even facing death by stoning he was not hindered by fear but boldly proclaiming Jesus. Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God.

Why we struggle to receive the Holy Spirit?
1. Lack of Faith – “Without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” Hebrews 11:6

2. Unrepentant Heart– Isaiah 59:2 “But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.

3. Unforgiveness or Failure to forgive others blocks you from receiving God’s blessing

4. Seeking the gift rather than the Giver– Acts 8:18-23 Simon the sorcerer thought that the gift of God could be purchased with money.

What shall we do to be filled with the Spirit of God?

Repent, and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of
sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.. Act 2: 38.