Ephesians 5:18-21
THE EVIDENCES OF A SPIRIT FILLED LIFE
Intro: What is the greatest need we have here at Gilead
Baptist Church? Is it a new building? Is it more
people? Is it more money? Is it a better Pastor? Is it
a youth program? Maybe we need a church van. Well,
if we were to go around the room asking each individual
what we need here the answers would be as varied as
the number of people present in the service. Therefore,
since I have the floor, I will tell you what I think we need.
By the way, it isn't any of the things I mentioned! What
we need this evening is the medicine Paul is prescribing
in these verses to the church in Ephesus.
He tells them that they need the power of the Spirit
of God working in their midst. I would submit to you that
this is exactly what this church needs tonight as well. If
we came to the place where the majority of the people
in this congregation were truly walking in the Spirit and
living a Spirit filled life, all the things I mentioned at the
beginning, and more, would b a reality.
Now, let me say that we Baptists are a little afraid of
the Holy Spirit. We are afraid He'll make us talk funny
and do weird stuff. Because of that there has been a
tendency among some Baptists to avoid emphasizing
the presence and ministry of the Holy Ghost. I just want
to go on record this evening and tell you that we need
Him and all that He brings with Him. We need Him and
His presence and His power in a desperate way. We
shouldn't fear the Spirit of God, but we should welcome
Him and create an atmosphere where He feels at
home, an atmosphere where He can work unhindered
in this church.
In our text this evening, Paul is telling the Ephesian
believers what the Spirit-filled life is all about. He tells
them that when they are walking in the Spirit, there will
be some evidence of His presence in their midst. It is
that truth that I would like to focus in on this evening. I
want to share with you the Evidence Of The Spirit Filled
Life. When you and I are filled with the Holy Ghost, we
will still speak English, but we will be more like Jesus
than we have ever been. That is what the Spirit of God
wants to do in your life and mine. He wants to duplicate
the life of Christ in every saved individual. Are you filled
with the Spirit this evening? Let's check the evidence
and see where we stand.
I. V. 18 OUR WALK WITH THE SPIRIT
This verse teaches the following:
A. Control - As liquor controls the life of the
drunkard, Pro. 23:29-35, the Spirit of God
should control the life of the believer. (In their
walk, their talk, their thoughts, their attitudes,
their actions, etc.)
B. Completeness - The word "filled" means "to be
full to the top; lacking nothing; nothing short
of complete." If there is room for any other
thing in our hearts, then we are not filled with the
Spirit. His will should be our will. His thoughts
should be our thoughts. His desires should be
our desires. The Holy Spirit is to be in absolute
domination of our lives.
C. Consistency - This little verb is in the "active
tense." This means that it is to be a constant
state of being. Very literally, we are to "go on
being filled with the Spirit." Sadly, this kind of
consistent living in missing from many Christians
walk with God.
D. Compliance - This verb is also in the "passive
voice". This means that this filling is something
that is done to us. It is not something we can
work up on our own, but we are to be vessels
that God can fill and use for His glory. That
means that we are to be clean, ready and open
to the filling of the Spirit of God.
E. Command - It is also worthy of noting that this
verb is in the "imperative mood". This makes it
a command. Paul is not offering us an option for
living, but is laying down the command of God
for our lives. When all these things are taken
together, it seems clear to me that it is the Lord's
will for every believer to be filled with the Spirit at
all times. When we aren't, then it seems obvious
that we are walking in rebellion and sin before
the Lord, James 4:17. Why is this so serious of
a matter? Because when we are not walking in
the Spirit as we should be, we will not be able to
hear His voice when He speaks and God will not
be able to use us as He desires to.
I. Our Walk With The Spirit
II. V. 19-20 OUR WORSHIP OF THE SAVIOR
These verses teach us that we are to be:
A. A Celebrating People - This verses teaches us
that we are to be making "melody in your heart to
the Lord." As individuals, we are to be so filled
and thrilled by all that the Lord has done in and
to us that our hearts are filled with a song of
praise for Him. The word "melody" means "to
pluck, to strum or to vibrate." The image is of
someone playing a harp. I think that Paul is
telling us that when we are filled with the Spirit of
God, we will be walking in close communion with
Him. As this takes place, the Spirit will fill our
hearts with love for Him and like a master
musician plucks the strips of a harp to produce
beautiful music, the Lord will pluck the strings of
our hearts and will produce a symphony of
praise to the glory of God. Have you ever been
guilty of walking around with a song in your
heart? Ever been guilty of making up your own
songs of praise to Him for all He has done for
you? That's what Paul is talking about. When
we are walking in the Spirit, He will produce
worship for the Savior!
B. A Contented People - Not only will the Spirit
teach us to worship Him with songs of praise, but
the Spirit will teach us to worship Him by trusting
Him. As the Spirit of God takes control of the
believer's life, the believer will be brought to the
place where he learns to trust the Lord for every
need and for everything. As we grow in the Lord
we come to understand that He is on our side,
Rom. 8:31. When this truth becomes a reality in
our hearts, we will be able to say with David,
"The LORD is my Shepherd, I shall not want."
We will know for certain that our God is able to
look after us, and that all He is doing, whether
we like it or not, is for our good and His glory,
Rom. 8:28.
What I am trying to say is that the Holy Ghost
will teach us contentment. This was Paul's
experience, Phil. 4:11-13, 1 Tim. 6:6-8. This will
be our experience also as we yield to the filling
of the Spirit of God. As we come to understand
the valuable lesson that God is in control of even
the smallest details of our lives, we will come to
develop an attitude of gratitude, even for things
that we do not understand.
Ill. When we see someone shouting as they
pass through one of life's valleys, we know that
the flesh doesn't produce that. It is the work of
the Spirit of God. Our selfish, critical spirits will
have a difficult time existing in the glory of His
abiding presence and power. Remember, when
He fills a life, there isn't room for anything else!
I. Our Walk With The Spirit
II. Our Worship Of The Savior
III. V. 19, 21 OUR WITNESS AMONG THE SAINTS
(Ill. It seems to me that dealing with the Spirit of God
and with the sovereign will of God are far easier
than dealing with the people of God. Has that been
your experience as well? One fellow got it right
when he penned the following words of poetry:
To live above with saints we love,
Oh, won't that be glory!
But, to live below with saints we know,
Now, that's another story!
It's like that song we hear from time to time called
"Where Could I Go?" The second verse says this,
"Neighbors are kind, I love them everyone, we
get along in sweet accord..." Give me a break!
There are times when we seem to have a difficult
time getting along with one another. However, when
the Spirit of God is in control of our lives, He will
produce this peace and harmony that, sometimes,
believers can only sing about. Notice what the Spirit
of God will do for those who are filled by His
presence and power.
We are told that we are to:
A. Encourage One Another - We are told that the
Spirit of God will cause us to sing psalms to one
another. This is referring to the Psalms of the
Old Testament and to other Psalms that we
popular in the early church. The point is, that
when we are walking in the Spirit, our objective
will be to help brother in his walk with God. We
will be an encouragement to those who are
around us. This was the spirit that filled a man
named Barnabas. We are told that he went to a
place called Antioch and was an encouragement
to the believers there, Acts 11:22-26. Did you
see why Barnabas was able to be a blessing?
Acts 11:24 tells us that he was "full of the Holy
Ghost." In fact, his real name is Joses, Acts
4:36, but he was given the nickname Barnabas
by the Apostles. The name Barnabas means
"Son of Consolation, or Son of
Encouragement." The Spirit of God so worked
in this man that he was a blessing in the lives of
other believers all around him.
May the Lord help us to be an
encouragement! When we are filled with the
Spirit, He will work through us to produce
encouragement for others. You watch that
person who is constantly discouraging people in
the Lord's work. That person is not walking in
the power of the Holy Spirit!
B. Edify One Another - Then we are told to sing
"hymns" to one another. This refers to songs
that are filled with "religious content". The
whole point being that we are to be active in
helping one another grow in the Lord. Contrary
to popular belief, the Lord never called any one
of us to tear another believer down. He has,
however, called everyone of us to build one
another up in the Lord! (Ill. Rom. 14:9; 1 Thes
5:11)
You see, as the Spirit grows us as
individuals, He will use the gifts, talents and
knowledge He gives us to be a blessing to those
around us. God never intended for any of us to
be a pond. A pond just takes in and never gives
anything out. As a result ponds become
stagnant and foul. On the other hand, the Lord
says that His people are like rivers, John 7:38;
John 4:14. We receive from Him and we allow
what we have received to flow back out of us so
that others can benefit too. Are using what you
have been given for the edification of others?
Or, are you just growing stagnant in the Lord?
C. Exhort One Another - Paul next speaks of
"spiritual songs." This refers to the song of the
heart. It has the idea of us coming together for
worship, and when we do, doing our voices
together in praise to the Lord Who died for us
and redeemed us by His grace. I think the idea
here is that our public worship should be an
outward reflection of what God is doing in our
hearts. So that when we come together and let
the inside come to the outside, others in the
congregation are exhorted, or challenged, to
strengthen their own walk with the Lord. That's
why we should never be ashamed to everything
we have into our public worship. You never
know who needs that encouragement. You
never know what the Lord can do if you will just
turn loose and worship Him as He deserves to
be worshiped.
D. Exalt One Another - Finally, in verse 21, we are
commanded to "submit ourselves one to
another." What does this mean? Well, the
word "submitting" is a military term. It means "to
fall in rank under another." Certainly, there is a
thought here concerning submitting tot he
leaders of the congregation. However, it runs
deeper than that. The primary idea Paul is trying
to get across is that God's people must learn to
put everyone else ahead of themselves.
We live in an hour when such thinking is
unheard of. After all, everyone is demanding
their own rights these days. No one wants to
give an inch. However, in the church, things are
to be carried out differently than they are in the
world. Notice what Paul said about this matter,
Phil. 2:3-4. Then, in verses 5-11 of that same
passage, Paul lifts up Jesus as the Supreme
example of this ideal. The point Paul is trying to
make is that when we are walking in the Spirit as
we should, He will enable us to forfeit our own
rights for the good of the church. I did not say
that we should compromise the truth! If
someone is out of line with the Word of God,
then they must be dealt with. However, when we
are walking in the Spirit of God, we will not seek
to force our way regardless of what it does to the
peace of the church. The Spirit filled person will
back down before they will disrupt the peace in
God's House. It all comes down to a willingness
to take the backseat instead of demanding our
own way.
Conc: if you were to be arrested this evening on the
charge of being "Spirit-filled", would there be enough
evidence to convict you? Or, has the Lord shown you
some areas that need work in your walk with the Spirit,
your worship of the Savior or your witness to the saints?
If there is a need in your life, this altar is the place to get
that taken care of.
