Pastor's Connect Blog

Connect Blog

Ephesians 5:18-20

January 28, 2018

“And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; 19 Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; 20 Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Ephesians 5:1-17

A believer absent the filling of the Holy Spirit is like a brand new car without gas; it looks good but won’t run.

The Definition of the Spirit-filled Life

“And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit.”

There is both a contrast and a comparison in this verse between drunkenness and Spirit-filling … A person who is filled with alcohol is controlled or dominated by the substance, thus he is said to be under the influence; therefore, being filled with the Spirit is to be controlled, dominated, or under the influence of the Spirit.

The filling of the Holy Spirit is not a matter of you getting more of the Spirit (you have all of Him you will ever have), it is a matter of the Holy Spirit getting more of you.

The Decree for the Spirit-filled Life

Written in:

2nd Person – YOU!

2ND Person Plural – All of you (no exception) Can you imagine a church filled with Spirit-filled believers?

Imperative – A command, not an option to be considered

Present Imperative – All the time (not just at church on Sunday morning)

Present Passive Imperative – the subject is not doing the acting, but is being acted upon. Your job is to yield, HE does the work.

The Demonstration of the Spirit-filled Life

1. Demonstrated in the Believer’s Walk (See Galatians 5:16-23)

2. Demonstrated in the Believer’s Work (See 1 Corinthians 12:4-11)

3. Demonstrated in the Believer’s Warfare (See Ephesians 6:12-18; Zechariah 4:6)

4. Demonstrated in the Believer’s Witness (See Acts 1:8; 4:8-10)

5. Demonstrated in the Believer’s Worship (See John 4:24; Ephesians 5:19-20)

Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; 20 Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

“I don’t won’t the world to define God for me. I want the Holy Spirit to reveal God to me.”

A.W. Tozer

The Directions for the Spirit-filled Life

There is not a plan per say in the Scripture (not an ABC or 123); however, there are certain requirements:

1. Want it

2. Recognize your insufficiencies without the Holy Spirit

3. Repent of sin

4. Yield everything/Surrender all

Look up and discuss:

Ephesians 4:30 “And grieve not the Holy Spirit ….”

Breaking the heart of the Spirit by doing something you should not do

1 Thessalonians 5:19 “Quench not the Spirit”

Refusing the will of the Lord … disobedience

QUESTION > “Are you filled with the Spirit?”