Ephesians 5:15-20: Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Be Filled With the Spirit-Part I
This week I want to focus on the statement, Instead, be filled with the Spirit.
The Bible reveals God as the Father, as the Son, and as the Holy Spirit. These are three distinct personalities, yet the Bible is clear that there is but one God. In the ministry of Jesus on the earth, he prayed to the Father. When he was baptized by John the Baptist, the Holy Spirit descended on him.
This reality of the three distinct personalities of God is known in the Christian church as the doctrine of the trinity. There is but one God, but he reveals himself to us in three distinct persons. Suffice it to say, this is a mystery that is difficult for the human mind to comprehend.
In John chapters 14-16 Jesus is preparing his disciples for his soon departure. He tells them that he must go, so that the Holy Spirit will come. In one dimension the Holy Spirit has always been in the earth, but the Holy Spirit came in a fresh, powerful way under the New Covenant on the Day of Pentecost. The disciples experienced the baptism of the Holy Spirit, which John the Baptist proclaimed. The Holy Spirit came to actually live inside each individual believer.
Look at some of the words that Jesus spoke about the coming Holy Spirit. John 14:17. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor, to be with you forever--the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. John 14:26. But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. John 16:7-8. But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment. John 16:13-14. But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.
Then in Acts 1:8 Jesus said just before his ascension, But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. The book of Acts records the power of the Holy Spirit that was demonstrated through the early disciples of Jesus. John added in I John 4:4, You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one in the world. The early church could overcome their enemies because the Holy Spirit, the one who is greater, was living inside of each of them.
So, here is a list of nine advantages of the Holy Spirit taken from the passages above.
1. The Holy Spirit will be with you forever.
2. The Holy Spirit will be in you.
3. The Holy Spirit will teach you all things.
4. The Holy Spirit will remind you of what Jesus said.
5. The Holy Spirit will guide you into all truth.
6. The Holy Spirit will tell you what is yet to come.
7. The Holy Spirit will convict the world.
8. The Holy Spirit will give you power and boldness to witness.
9. The Holy Spirit will give you victory over your enemies.
Beginning next week I want to examine these nine advantages of the Holy Spirit.
The writer of the book of Proverbs repeatedly contrasts foolishness and wisdom. In Ephesians 5:18 Paul contrasts drunkenness, or being filled with alcohol, to being filled with the Holy Spirit. He clearly says, don't do one, but do the other.
What are some of the contrasts between the state of drunkenness and the state of being filled with the Spirit of God?
1. The Holy Spirit will give you righteousness, peace and joy. Drunkenness will give you some degree of euphoria, and a hangover the next morning. Plus, it can lead to many other physical problems.
2. The Holy Spirit will give you the boldness to witness and to demonstrate the truth of the gospel. Drunkenness will give you boldness to partake in debauchery.
3. The Holy Spirit will give you the power to destroy the works of the devil. Drunkenness will give you the power to destroy what is good including meaningful relationships.
4. The Holy Spirit will convict you of sin. Drunkenness will tell you it is okay to do whatever you want.
5. The Holy Spirit will lead you into truth. Drunkenness will lead you to believe a lie.
6. The Holy Spirit will show you things to come in the future. Drunkenness will lead to memory loss.
The decision should be easy for each believer. Choose to reject drunkenness, and choose to be filled with the Spirit of the living God. More next week..
Wayne L. Williams
wayne@fotwm.org