1 00:00:01,040 --> 00:00:04,920 Can we show our appreciation to the praise team with our hands? 2 00:00:09,200 --> 00:00:12,040 I wish we could have kept going. That was glorious. 3 00:00:12,040 --> 00:00:14,960 And I just want to let you know. Maranatha Bible Church, you're a 4 00:00:14,960 --> 00:00:16,840 gift. You're a gift. 5 00:00:16,840 --> 00:00:19,760 In my life. I praise God for what he's doing 6 00:00:19,760 --> 00:00:22,840 in this church and what I mean by this church. 7 00:00:22,840 --> 00:00:24,320 I'm not speaking about this building. 8 00:00:24,320 --> 00:00:27,200 I'm not speaking about the events that we have necessary. 9 00:00:27,200 --> 00:00:30,440 I'm speaking about you, your lives, your consecration to the 10 00:00:30,440 --> 00:00:32,360 Lord, your love for the word of God. 11 00:00:32,360 --> 00:00:39,800 I like Paul, always thank God the Father for you, for your 12 00:00:39,800 --> 00:00:43,920 faith, for your love for him. May it only grow and intensify 13 00:00:43,920 --> 00:00:48,560 for his glory, and may he continue to keep his hand on NBC 14 00:00:49,200 --> 00:00:51,360 in these trying and difficult times. 15 00:00:52,240 --> 00:00:57,960 I'm just so grateful today. I want to do something today 16 00:00:57,960 --> 00:01:00,480 different. I don't want us to go to Mark 17 00:01:00,600 --> 00:01:03,360 today. This is going to be a different 18 00:01:03,360 --> 00:01:09,760 message, one that may be a reminder to many of us. 19 00:01:10,440 --> 00:01:13,480 But even Peter said that we can be stirred up by way of 20 00:01:13,480 --> 00:01:16,800 reminder. My desire, my prayer, is that 21 00:01:16,800 --> 00:01:21,680 this would demand in a response from us, that this would cause 22 00:01:21,680 --> 00:01:25,960 us to pursue the Lord in a new way, in a fresh way, as we've 23 00:01:25,960 --> 00:01:30,120 entered into 2024. And so I want to look at one 24 00:01:30,120 --> 00:01:36,200 particular verse, and this verse is a command, but it's a command 25 00:01:36,480 --> 00:01:41,120 filled with so much promise, so much wonderful, glorious 26 00:01:41,120 --> 00:01:45,360 consequences. And my desire again is that as 27 00:01:45,360 --> 00:01:48,040 we hear it and unpack it together, it would. 28 00:01:48,040 --> 00:01:50,960 Create a cry in our. Hearts for us to experience it 29 00:01:50,960 --> 00:01:54,280 for ourselves. And so if you have a copy of 30 00:01:54,280 --> 00:01:57,640 God's Word in your hands, I ask you to please meet me in the 31 00:01:57,640 --> 00:02:03,640 book of Ephesians in chapter 5 and verse 18. 32 00:02:12,470 --> 00:02:17,550 Here's what the Lord says to us today. 33 00:02:19,550 --> 00:02:25,590 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be 34 00:02:25,590 --> 00:02:32,840 filled with the Spirit. Do not get drunk with wine, for 35 00:02:32,840 --> 00:02:38,360 that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit. 36 00:02:39,440 --> 00:02:43,920 This is not a suggestion, this is not an option, this is a 37 00:02:43,920 --> 00:02:47,080 command. Let's ask the Lord to help us 38 00:02:47,160 --> 00:02:55,400 understand it and obey it. Though we come to you wanting to 39 00:02:55,400 --> 00:03:00,360 be filled with the Holy Spirit and Lord, even perhaps in our 40 00:03:00,360 --> 00:03:05,000 weakness now we ask for the filling of the Holy Spirit, and 41 00:03:05,000 --> 00:03:09,200 we pray that the presence of the Holy Spirit would be so obvious 42 00:03:09,200 --> 00:03:12,160 to us. And that Lord, the things that 43 00:03:12,160 --> 00:03:17,080 we will hear about the Holy Spirit filling us would cause us 44 00:03:17,320 --> 00:03:24,080 to yearn a greater, more intense, consistent, protective 45 00:03:25,480 --> 00:03:27,240 relationship with the Holy Spirit. 46 00:03:28,240 --> 00:03:30,960 We trust in your help at this time. 47 00:03:31,880 --> 00:03:34,120 In Jesus name we ask these things. 48 00:03:34,480 --> 00:03:38,000 Amen. Be filled with the Holy Spirit 49 00:03:39,080 --> 00:03:40,760 that is my exhortation to you today. 50 00:03:41,440 --> 00:03:44,800 Be filled with the Holy Spirit. And before we understand what 51 00:03:44,800 --> 00:03:47,120 this means, I want to give you a heads up that we're going to 52 00:03:47,120 --> 00:03:49,920 look at this with three headings. 3 very simple 53 00:03:49,920 --> 00:03:53,080 headings. I want us to #1 understand what 54 00:03:53,080 --> 00:03:56,400 the meaning of being filled with the Spirit is. 55 00:03:57,440 --> 00:04:00,960 I want us to then consider secondly the effects of being 56 00:04:00,960 --> 00:04:04,680 filled with the Spirit. And then lastly, I want us to 57 00:04:04,680 --> 00:04:10,040 understand very clearly the ways that we are filled with the Holy 58 00:04:10,040 --> 00:04:13,280 Spirit, the meaning of being filled with the Holy Spirit, the 59 00:04:13,280 --> 00:04:16,800 effects of being filled with the Holy Spirit and the way or ways 60 00:04:17,040 --> 00:04:20,839 that we can know the filling of the Holy Spirit. 61 00:04:21,839 --> 00:04:24,400 And before we can understand the meaning of what it means to be 62 00:04:24,400 --> 00:04:26,840 filled with the Holy Spirit, let's clarify two major 63 00:04:26,840 --> 00:04:31,640 misconceptions concerning this verse that a new believer might 64 00:04:31,640 --> 00:04:35,360 have, or perhaps a misunderstood student of the word of God. 65 00:04:35,840 --> 00:04:38,200 The first thing that we need to understand is that Paul is not 66 00:04:38,200 --> 00:04:41,520 suggesting that as Christians we are void of the indwelling 67 00:04:41,520 --> 00:04:45,480 presence of the Holy Spirit and. Though we have confessed faith 68 00:04:45,480 --> 00:04:47,880 in Christ, it is our responsibility to somehow 69 00:04:47,880 --> 00:04:52,840 acquire him. That is not the case for one 70 00:04:52,840 --> 00:04:55,120 simple reason. And the reason is this, that 71 00:04:55,120 --> 00:04:58,840 when you call upon the Lord Jesus Christ, when you offer 72 00:04:58,840 --> 00:05:03,160 your repentant faith, you know the indwelling presence of the 73 00:05:03,160 --> 00:05:05,520 Holy Spirit. You are sealed with the Holy 74 00:05:05,520 --> 00:05:09,520 Spirit. You receive him as a guarantee. 75 00:05:10,720 --> 00:05:13,600 And so the very same epistle, what we're told be filled of the 76 00:05:13,600 --> 00:05:18,360 Holy Spirit, assures us in the first chapter of our inheritance 77 00:05:18,360 --> 00:05:21,600 of the Holy Spirit upon our confession upon our faith in 78 00:05:21,600 --> 00:05:23,200 Christ. So look at Ephesians chapter 79 00:05:23,200 --> 00:05:29,360 one, verse 13. The same letter, the same author 80 00:05:31,440 --> 00:05:37,240 who says in him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the 81 00:05:37,240 --> 00:05:42,160 gospel of your salvation and believed in him, were sealed 82 00:05:42,160 --> 00:05:48,400 with the promised Holy Spirit. And so upon salvation you 83 00:05:48,400 --> 00:05:54,000 receive the Holy Spirit, you receive his person, you receive 84 00:05:54,000 --> 00:05:58,040 his seal, you receive the guarantee that he will be with 85 00:05:58,040 --> 00:06:01,440 you and he will sanctify you until the day of redemption. 86 00:06:02,120 --> 00:06:04,800 And so this is not Paul suggesting that you and I have 87 00:06:04,800 --> 00:06:08,920 to search and strive for the Holy Spirit's presence and 88 00:06:08,920 --> 00:06:10,840 reality to be known in our lives. 89 00:06:10,840 --> 00:06:14,320 He's there when you believed in the Son of God. 90 00:06:15,960 --> 00:06:20,360 The Second, probably more common misconception that may be true 91 00:06:20,360 --> 00:06:23,480 for many believers is that Paul, in saying be filled of the Holy 92 00:06:23,480 --> 00:06:26,880 Spirit, is inferring that the presence of the Holy Spirit in 93 00:06:26,880 --> 00:06:32,080 our lives is incremental. In other words, that when we're 94 00:06:32,080 --> 00:06:35,240 saved, we received like a portion of the Holy Spirit and 95 00:06:35,240 --> 00:06:38,120 then it's up to us to have more of the Holy Spirit. 96 00:06:38,600 --> 00:06:41,880 And depending on our hunger and our spiritual disciplines that 97 00:06:41,880 --> 00:06:46,080 will determine how much of the Holy Spirit you will experience. 98 00:06:47,000 --> 00:06:49,480 And so you have some who again innocently might believe, well, 99 00:06:49,480 --> 00:06:52,040 here's somebody who has a quarter of the Holy Spirit, who 100 00:06:52,080 --> 00:06:53,560 here's somebody who's a little bit more spiritual. 101 00:06:53,560 --> 00:06:56,800 So they have maybe reach the halfway point of the Holy 102 00:06:56,800 --> 00:06:58,880 Spirit. And there are very few who have 103 00:06:59,160 --> 00:07:04,000 the fullness of the Holy Spirit. And the reason why that might be 104 00:07:04,720 --> 00:07:08,760 confusing is because Paul contrasts the filling of the 105 00:07:08,760 --> 00:07:11,760 Holy Spirit with the negative command of not being drunk with 106 00:07:11,760 --> 00:07:14,320 wine. And we understand that to be 107 00:07:14,320 --> 00:07:17,560 drunk with wine you have to drink it, and it's a substance. 108 00:07:17,560 --> 00:07:22,680 And so they kind of misapply the parallel, and they equate 109 00:07:22,880 --> 00:07:27,040 drinking alcohol with the experience of the Holy Spirit 110 00:07:27,040 --> 00:07:29,800 filling us. And so they kind of view the 111 00:07:29,800 --> 00:07:37,440 Holy Spirit as a substance that you can have an empty tank, a 112 00:07:37,440 --> 00:07:40,880 full tank of a three quarter filled tank of the Holy Spirit. 113 00:07:41,200 --> 00:07:43,680 And here's where this is clarified. 114 00:07:43,880 --> 00:07:46,800 The Holy Spirit is not a substance. 115 00:07:46,800 --> 00:07:52,320 He's a person, he's a person. And sometimes you even hear this 116 00:07:52,320 --> 00:07:55,720 the way people pray or refer to the Holy Spirit as an IT. 117 00:07:55,720 --> 00:07:59,680 No, he's a he and he's a person. What does that imply? 118 00:07:59,800 --> 00:08:03,160 Well, if we just learned that upon salvation and believing, 119 00:08:03,240 --> 00:08:07,520 you receive the sealing of the Holy Spirit, and he's a person, 120 00:08:07,520 --> 00:08:09,880 well, what does that mean? You receive all of him? 121 00:08:10,440 --> 00:08:12,280 You don't receive a quarter of a person. 122 00:08:12,280 --> 00:08:14,080 You don't receive half of a person. 123 00:08:14,280 --> 00:08:16,880 You receive a person in his totality. 124 00:08:17,960 --> 00:08:20,720 And so Paul is now suggesting again that the Holy Spirit can 125 00:08:20,720 --> 00:08:23,720 be known in fragments or in units. 126 00:08:23,880 --> 00:08:27,880 He's a person, and when he seals you, you have all of him. 127 00:08:28,920 --> 00:08:31,360 OK, good. So we clarified these two 128 00:08:31,360 --> 00:08:34,880 misconceptions, but it still begs the question, what does it 129 00:08:34,880 --> 00:08:38,559 mean for us to be filled with the Holy Spirit again? 130 00:08:38,559 --> 00:08:41,720 If we have an understand that he's a person and we receive all 131 00:08:41,720 --> 00:08:44,680 of him, then what does this suggest? 132 00:08:45,720 --> 00:08:48,520 And here's what I propose to you, a phrase that I've used 133 00:08:48,520 --> 00:08:51,120 before, a phrase that I believe is worth repeating. 134 00:08:51,880 --> 00:08:55,800 Perhaps Paul's argument here and commanding us to be filled with 135 00:08:55,800 --> 00:09:02,440 the Holy Spirit, is less about us seeking to have more of him, 136 00:09:04,120 --> 00:09:07,600 and it's actually about him having more of us. 137 00:09:09,280 --> 00:09:14,720 This is less about us having more of the Holy Spirit, and 138 00:09:14,720 --> 00:09:21,240 this is actually more about the Holy Spirit having more of you. 139 00:09:24,240 --> 00:09:31,640 You can safely replace the word filled with the word controlled. 140 00:09:33,200 --> 00:09:37,000 Do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be 141 00:09:37,000 --> 00:09:41,760 controlled with the spirit you're saying. 142 00:09:41,760 --> 00:09:44,640 Why would you do that? And is it appropriate to do 143 00:09:44,640 --> 00:09:46,040 that? And I say absolutely. 144 00:09:46,040 --> 00:09:49,280 It is because that is the very essence of Paul's command here. 145 00:09:49,640 --> 00:09:53,120 That is the very reason why he connects being filled with the 146 00:09:53,120 --> 00:09:56,200 Holy Spirit with a negative command of not getting drunk 147 00:09:56,200 --> 00:10:00,080 with wine. So this insertion is appropriate 148 00:10:00,240 --> 00:10:04,080 if it helps you clarify the meaning, because the reality is 149 00:10:04,080 --> 00:10:07,440 that when somebody is inebriated by wine, what happens to 150 00:10:07,440 --> 00:10:10,120 somebody that arrives that state of mind? 151 00:10:10,800 --> 00:10:13,040 They are under the control of another substance. 152 00:10:14,320 --> 00:10:18,960 So what Paul is saying is don't get under the control of another 153 00:10:18,960 --> 00:10:20,240 substance. If you're going to be under the 154 00:10:20,240 --> 00:10:22,640 control of anything, let it be the Holy Spirit. 155 00:10:23,200 --> 00:10:26,160 Let him fill you. Let him intoxicate you. 156 00:10:26,680 --> 00:10:29,640 Let him be the thing that determines your behavior, your 157 00:10:29,640 --> 00:10:31,720 words, your actions, your walk in life. 158 00:10:31,960 --> 00:10:37,560 This is what he is getting at. Be controlled of the Holy Spirit 159 00:10:38,840 --> 00:10:44,360 to be filled as to have him have absolute domination of who you 160 00:10:44,360 --> 00:10:46,520 are as a follower of Jesus Christ. 161 00:10:47,880 --> 00:10:51,480 Why do people pursue intoxication or any other 162 00:10:51,480 --> 00:10:56,320 substance that removes them from sobriety and brings them to 163 00:10:56,320 --> 00:10:59,360 another state of mind? They do so intentionally. 164 00:10:59,480 --> 00:11:04,160 It's not accidental and the main reason is because to do so 165 00:11:04,160 --> 00:11:07,840 offers something that these people believe that they need. 166 00:11:08,640 --> 00:11:10,280 So let's talk about that for a moment. 167 00:11:10,600 --> 00:11:15,840 When you think about those who find joy or are finding 168 00:11:15,840 --> 00:11:19,840 themselves bound by alcoholism, some rely on it to forget. 169 00:11:20,520 --> 00:11:24,680 To forget their troubles, forget the troubles of the past, their 170 00:11:24,680 --> 00:11:28,000 worries for tomorrow. And so they indulge and over 171 00:11:28,000 --> 00:11:32,160 indulge in this substance as an escaping agent to numb 172 00:11:32,160 --> 00:11:35,720 themselves from the unfavorable realities that they are facing. 173 00:11:36,000 --> 00:11:40,480 This is a way to feel carefree, and sometimes that's what you 174 00:11:40,480 --> 00:11:42,440 see with people who are intoxicated. 175 00:11:42,440 --> 00:11:46,000 They loosen up, they're able to have a song in their mouths, 176 00:11:46,160 --> 00:11:49,640 they can laugh, and there are other obvious negative 177 00:11:49,640 --> 00:11:53,480 consequences that follow. Others actually depend on 178 00:11:53,480 --> 00:11:57,240 drinking to aid them, and so it's not really an escape 179 00:11:57,240 --> 00:11:59,200 mechanism, it's more an assistance. 180 00:11:59,760 --> 00:12:03,520 And some people in the world today rely on this to loosen up 181 00:12:03,520 --> 00:12:07,520 again in social settings, to become less self-conscious, to 182 00:12:07,520 --> 00:12:10,440 be more approachable, and to find the confidence to approach 183 00:12:10,440 --> 00:12:13,120 others. So this is really some kind of 184 00:12:13,120 --> 00:12:17,120 form of help to them. And so they come to a place 185 00:12:17,120 --> 00:12:22,160 where they are intoxicated so that they can be someone else. 186 00:12:22,880 --> 00:12:27,760 Others simply enjoy the sensation of drunkenness. 187 00:12:27,760 --> 00:12:32,000 It's an experience and an excuse to again be somewhere else, be 188 00:12:32,000 --> 00:12:36,160 someone else that demands and comes at a price of abandoning a 189 00:12:36,160 --> 00:12:38,880 sober mind and our God champion sobriety. 190 00:12:40,600 --> 00:12:43,680 All in all, listen, we can confidently say that for most 191 00:12:43,680 --> 00:12:48,440 reasons, drunkenness is a form of aid, and it is an entryway 192 00:12:48,440 --> 00:12:53,760 into a desirable experience. A form of aid and an entryway 193 00:12:53,760 --> 00:12:57,560 into a desirable experience. And in some sense and to an 194 00:12:57,560 --> 00:12:59,640 extent, this is what Paul is saying about being filled with 195 00:12:59,640 --> 00:13:05,360 the Holy Spirit. He offers the same to be filled 196 00:13:05,360 --> 00:13:09,480 with the Holy Spirit is to tap into a holy assistance, a state 197 00:13:09,480 --> 00:13:13,920 of mind that makes way for a sanctifying, joy filled God, 198 00:13:13,920 --> 00:13:17,800 glorifying experience. And not just for a moment, not 199 00:13:17,800 --> 00:13:21,480 just a buzz, but as a way of life depending on your 200 00:13:21,480 --> 00:13:24,320 willingness to yield to his control as Paul. 201 00:13:24,720 --> 00:13:28,680 Suggests here, and that's in fact the reason for this 202 00:13:28,680 --> 00:13:29,680 exhortation. This is. 203 00:13:30,200 --> 00:13:33,680 The prayerful reason for this message today that as you hear 204 00:13:33,680 --> 00:13:37,840 what Paul has to say, you would realize that he, the Spirit, 205 00:13:37,840 --> 00:13:42,000 through him longs for each of us to reach a state of the 206 00:13:42,000 --> 00:13:46,080 Christian life that the Spirit is willing to bring us into. 207 00:13:46,600 --> 00:13:52,240 Look at Ephesians 515. This is the context in the same 208 00:13:52,240 --> 00:13:54,560 section where he says be filled with the Holy Spirit, he says 209 00:13:54,560 --> 00:13:57,480 earlier. Look carefully then, how you 210 00:13:57,480 --> 00:14:03,280 walk, not as unwise but as wise. Paul is concerned about how we 211 00:14:03,280 --> 00:14:08,080 walk, and walk is a simple term of a way of life, your 212 00:14:08,080 --> 00:14:10,680 consistent way of life, your day-to-day way of life. 213 00:14:10,960 --> 00:14:13,960 And so in the same place where he says I want you to be careful 214 00:14:14,160 --> 00:14:19,120 and calculated and strategic and invested, mindful of how you 215 00:14:19,120 --> 00:14:22,600 walk. Consider this exhortation be 216 00:14:22,600 --> 00:14:26,000 filled to the Holy Spirit. If you're going to walk this 217 00:14:26,000 --> 00:14:28,680 walk that God wants you to have. If you want to reach the heights 218 00:14:28,680 --> 00:14:32,320 of glorious promise and experience that you must know 219 00:14:32,320 --> 00:14:36,040 something of a constant filling of the Holy Spirit. 220 00:14:38,040 --> 00:14:40,560 If drunkenness affects your behavior, so does being filled 221 00:14:40,560 --> 00:14:43,760 with the Holy Spirit. You know that drunkenness 222 00:14:43,760 --> 00:14:47,800 enhances the likelihood of our actions in our speech to be more 223 00:14:47,800 --> 00:14:52,280 embarrassing, shameful, foolish, regretful, and downright 224 00:14:52,280 --> 00:14:55,720 destructive on every level. And on the other hand, to be 225 00:14:55,720 --> 00:14:59,280 filled the Holy Spirit increases a different behavioral pattern. 226 00:15:00,520 --> 00:15:07,360 The fruit of the Holy Spirit. You know them, Lovejoy, peace, 227 00:15:07,960 --> 00:15:12,400 patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, 228 00:15:12,400 --> 00:15:16,400 self-control. Holy Spirit longs to make that 229 00:15:16,400 --> 00:15:22,480 more manifest, to stretch those realities, to grow you into that 230 00:15:22,480 --> 00:15:26,520 place where you are, a walking garden that glorifies the lore 231 00:15:26,520 --> 00:15:30,360 with a special fragrance that he enables and stimulates. 232 00:15:32,320 --> 00:15:34,640 Some of us who are the unfortunate witnesses of what 233 00:15:34,640 --> 00:15:40,240 drunkenness does to a person realize that when they bring 234 00:15:40,240 --> 00:15:46,120 themselves to that place, they become a different person, and 235 00:15:46,280 --> 00:15:49,560 it makes you act like a completely different individual. 236 00:15:51,520 --> 00:15:54,640 And I argue in the same way. The Holy Spirit offers the same 237 00:15:54,640 --> 00:15:56,960 outcome. And when you are filled with the 238 00:15:56,960 --> 00:15:58,800 Holy Spirit, you are a different person. 239 00:16:00,280 --> 00:16:02,600 Not in a shameful way, not an embarrassing way, but in an 240 00:16:02,600 --> 00:16:05,440 amazing way. What does the Holy Spirit want 241 00:16:05,440 --> 00:16:07,320 you to be like? Who does he want you to be? 242 00:16:07,320 --> 00:16:10,040 Like the Son of God? Christ Jesus? 243 00:16:11,240 --> 00:16:13,160 If drunkenness affects your behavior, so does being filled 244 00:16:13,160 --> 00:16:16,280 with the Holy Spirit. If drunkenness has an impact on 245 00:16:16,280 --> 00:16:19,240 those around us, so does being filled with the Holy Spirit. 246 00:16:20,640 --> 00:16:23,480 You know a person who has developed a habit of getting 247 00:16:23,480 --> 00:16:24,560 drunk. You also know that they've 248 00:16:24,560 --> 00:16:26,680 developed a reputation along with it. 249 00:16:27,360 --> 00:16:29,520 The drunkard doesn't usually improve their relationships. 250 00:16:29,520 --> 00:16:35,160 They don't really offer much positive force and impact on 251 00:16:35,160 --> 00:16:37,760 social gatherings, at least civilized ones. 252 00:16:39,240 --> 00:16:42,520 Disorder, inappropriateness, lack of sensitivity, and loss of 253 00:16:42,520 --> 00:16:43,600 control. Sometimes. 254 00:16:43,600 --> 00:16:46,280 Violence is usually what drunkards bring to the table, 255 00:16:48,120 --> 00:16:50,400 and in the same way person who is filled with the Holy Spirit 256 00:16:50,400 --> 00:16:56,160 does make an impression on others, but for the good They 257 00:16:56,160 --> 00:16:59,200 carry a blessed fragrance, As I said, not a repulsive one. 258 00:17:00,160 --> 00:17:02,600 And there's no doubt that the aroma that they exude from the 259 00:17:02,600 --> 00:17:05,200 Spirit's influence is recognizable, and it is 260 00:17:05,200 --> 00:17:08,319 delightful to those who are around them. 261 00:17:08,319 --> 00:17:11,760 Let me prove that to you. When there was a need in the 262 00:17:11,760 --> 00:17:14,319 local church, in the early church, in Acts chapter 6, 263 00:17:15,640 --> 00:17:18,040 there's a practical ministry need. 264 00:17:18,040 --> 00:17:22,319 And when the resumes were needed, the requirements for the 265 00:17:22,319 --> 00:17:26,480 candidates were spelled out in Acts chapter 6 verse 3, where 266 00:17:27,240 --> 00:17:30,920 we're told by the apostles who instructed the church. 267 00:17:30,920 --> 00:17:34,760 Therefore, brothers, in Acts 6, three pick out from among you 268 00:17:34,760 --> 00:17:38,800 seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit. 269 00:17:40,080 --> 00:17:44,840 Find men who are full of the Spirit and of Wisdom whom we 270 00:17:44,840 --> 00:17:47,520 will appoint to this duty. You know what this tells me? 271 00:17:47,880 --> 00:17:51,560 This is what it tells me. Being filled with the Spirit is 272 00:17:51,560 --> 00:17:53,720 not a distinguishing mark between the saved and the 273 00:17:53,720 --> 00:17:56,280 unsaved, it's a distinguishing mark among the saved. 274 00:17:58,960 --> 00:18:02,680 Yes, we all receive the Holy Spirit when we're saved, but not 275 00:18:02,680 --> 00:18:04,520 all of us are walking in the filling of the Holy Spirit. 276 00:18:06,120 --> 00:18:10,480 And so as believers, the early church indicates the scriptures 277 00:18:10,480 --> 00:18:12,440 indicate because there's the facts of being filled with the 278 00:18:12,440 --> 00:18:15,840 Holy Spirit, we can look at believers and say that person's 279 00:18:15,840 --> 00:18:20,840 filled with the Holy Spirit. That person ain't that person's 280 00:18:20,840 --> 00:18:22,240 walking in the fullness of the Holy Spirit. 281 00:18:22,240 --> 00:18:27,040 That person is sorely lacking. He says look for men who are 282 00:18:27,040 --> 00:18:29,000 full of Holy Spirit. Evidently, I can see. 283 00:18:29,000 --> 00:18:30,600 I can know. I can study. 284 00:18:30,880 --> 00:18:34,680 This is a person who's filled with the Holy Spirit, and I 285 00:18:34,680 --> 00:18:37,720 don't know about you. But although I am eternally 286 00:18:37,720 --> 00:18:40,720 grateful for being sealed by the Holy Spirit, sealed until the 287 00:18:40,720 --> 00:18:44,760 day of redemption, I am not willing to live my life 288 00:18:45,320 --> 00:18:48,560 uncontrolled by the Holy Spirit. I want it. 289 00:18:48,640 --> 00:18:50,960 I want to live it. I want it to mark my life. 290 00:18:52,000 --> 00:18:55,880 And some may be content to take Paul's command here as a 291 00:18:55,880 --> 00:18:59,560 suggestion and not to take it as a command not to take it 292 00:18:59,560 --> 00:19:01,240 seriously. But I want to remind you that 293 00:19:01,240 --> 00:19:04,200 there is a great cost at approaching this command and 294 00:19:04,200 --> 00:19:06,320 hearing it with indifference. A great cost. 295 00:19:07,480 --> 00:19:09,880 You're going to hear the effects and I pray that it gives you a 296 00:19:09,880 --> 00:19:15,400 divine jealousy and it sets you on a path to live depended upon 297 00:19:15,400 --> 00:19:18,400 the Holy Spirit. But there are things beyond 298 00:19:18,400 --> 00:19:21,400 this. Message is 1 message to 299 00:19:21,400 --> 00:19:23,880 communicate the great treasures that come with being filled with 300 00:19:23,880 --> 00:19:25,680 the Holy Spirit. But let me make this comment 301 00:19:26,080 --> 00:19:30,720 here under the point that if drunkenness impacts those around 302 00:19:30,720 --> 00:19:32,440 us, so does being filled with the Holy Spirit. 303 00:19:32,840 --> 00:19:35,600 If you examine the Book of Acts carefully, you will notice that 304 00:19:35,600 --> 00:19:38,720 there is a pattern. And the pattern that you will 305 00:19:38,720 --> 00:19:41,880 notice is that when the Lord desires to accomplish something 306 00:19:42,280 --> 00:19:47,840 in His church through His church, he will often do so by 307 00:19:47,840 --> 00:19:50,440 recruiting a person who is filled with the Holy Spirit. 308 00:19:53,640 --> 00:19:57,760 God uses people who are filled with the Holy Spirit, So you 309 00:19:57,760 --> 00:19:59,480 just. Read it in Acts Chapter 6 verse 310 00:19:59,480 --> 00:20:01,560 3. There is a need in the church. 311 00:20:01,680 --> 00:20:06,280 Find several men who are full of the Holy Spirit. 312 00:20:06,280 --> 00:20:08,360 It doesn't end there. Go with me to Acts again. 313 00:20:09,120 --> 00:20:12,200 You're already there, I'm sure. So that's Acts 6. 314 00:20:12,200 --> 00:20:14,320 Three. Look at Acts 917. 315 00:20:24,770 --> 00:20:29,530 So Ananias departed and entered the house, and laying his hands 316 00:20:29,530 --> 00:20:33,650 on him, he said, Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to 317 00:20:33,650 --> 00:20:35,610 you on the road by which you came. 318 00:20:36,000 --> 00:20:40,720 Has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled 319 00:20:40,880 --> 00:20:45,880 with the Holy Spirit. So here's Saul of Tarsus, who 320 00:20:45,880 --> 00:20:48,840 had a temporary blindness. God sent this man Ananias to 321 00:20:48,840 --> 00:20:50,640 minister to him to lay hands on him. 322 00:20:51,000 --> 00:20:53,480 The scales would fall from his eyes, but he would also know a 323 00:20:53,480 --> 00:20:57,000 filling of the Holy Spirit, and it would be necessary for the 324 00:20:57,000 --> 00:21:02,800 ministry that he was called to. Paul needed to be filled with 325 00:21:02,800 --> 00:21:07,200 the Holy Spirit. Look at Acts Chapter 11, verse 326 00:21:07,200 --> 00:21:15,810 22. The report of this came to the 327 00:21:15,810 --> 00:21:20,010 ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to 328 00:21:20,010 --> 00:21:23,010 Antioch. When he came and saw the grace 329 00:21:23,010 --> 00:21:26,290 of God, he was glad, and he exhorted them all to remain 330 00:21:26,290 --> 00:21:31,730 faithful to the Lord with steadfast purpose, for he was a 331 00:21:31,730 --> 00:21:36,650 good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. 332 00:21:38,600 --> 00:21:41,080 And a great many people were added to the Lord. 333 00:21:42,800 --> 00:21:45,400 So here are these several men. In Acts chapter 6. 334 00:21:46,120 --> 00:21:49,680 There was a ministry need. And through the discernment of 335 00:21:49,680 --> 00:21:53,280 the leaders, the apostle of the early church find men who are 336 00:21:53,280 --> 00:21:56,240 full of the Holy Spirit. Here's. 337 00:21:56,240 --> 00:21:59,320 Paul the great apostle and Ananias was sent to him for a 338 00:21:59,320 --> 00:22:01,200 mission, a purpose, a great purpose. 339 00:22:02,800 --> 00:22:04,560 He needs to be filled with the Holy Spirit. 340 00:22:05,720 --> 00:22:08,960 Here's Barnabas sent to the church at Antioch, and we're 341 00:22:08,960 --> 00:22:11,520 given a description of this man who is effective for the Lord, 342 00:22:11,680 --> 00:22:15,280 who was a trustworthy individual who is fruitful and effective in 343 00:22:15,280 --> 00:22:16,280 his ministry. Why? 344 00:22:16,280 --> 00:22:19,440 For he was a good man. Not just a good man, he was full 345 00:22:19,440 --> 00:22:24,320 of the Holy Spirit. If you are a person who desires 346 00:22:24,320 --> 00:22:28,040 to be used of God, then you will take Paul's command seriously. 347 00:22:28,040 --> 00:22:32,640 Here you will want to be full of the Holy Spirit walking in the 348 00:22:32,640 --> 00:22:36,520 fullness of the Holy Spirit, protecting your fullness in the 349 00:22:36,520 --> 00:22:39,640 Spirit, because God uses people who are filled with the Holy 350 00:22:39,640 --> 00:22:45,680 Spirit, and it's obvious when the Lord recruits those among 351 00:22:45,680 --> 00:22:48,560 his own. He finds those who are yielded 352 00:22:48,560 --> 00:22:52,840 to the Spirit's influence if drunkenness. 353 00:22:53,160 --> 00:22:54,880 Affects your behavior. So does being filled with the 354 00:22:54,880 --> 00:22:56,960 Holy Spirit. If drunkenness impacts those 355 00:22:56,960 --> 00:22:58,960 around you, so does being filled with the Holy Spirit. 356 00:22:59,240 --> 00:23:03,800 If drunkenness promises a happier in look and outlook, 357 00:23:04,280 --> 00:23:06,200 being filled with the Spirit guarantees it. 358 00:23:08,480 --> 00:23:11,520 I can remember my days in high school and college as a 359 00:23:11,520 --> 00:23:17,520 professing Christian. A whitewashed tomb, Pretty on 360 00:23:17,520 --> 00:23:21,640 the outside, dead on the inside. And I remember being among those 361 00:23:21,640 --> 00:23:25,480 who are not even whitewashed tombs, they were just walking 362 00:23:25,480 --> 00:23:29,120 skeletons. And I can remember whenever we 363 00:23:29,120 --> 00:23:32,280 would gather together in social gatherings. 364 00:23:33,200 --> 00:23:36,560 Seems as though we couldn't get together unless we had alcohol. 365 00:23:37,760 --> 00:23:39,960 Seems that we couldn't do anything unless somebody went 366 00:23:40,400 --> 00:23:44,600 and made a trip to the near liquor store and and I remember 367 00:23:44,600 --> 00:23:49,040 even being an unsafe person. Thinking to myself at one point, 368 00:23:49,040 --> 00:23:53,280 why is it that almost every single time we hang out, whether 369 00:23:53,280 --> 00:23:56,640 it's in a basement or we're going out to some kind of event, 370 00:23:56,960 --> 00:24:00,480 that we? Need to put this nasty stuff in 371 00:24:00,480 --> 00:24:04,880 our mouth to come to a place where we have no control. 372 00:24:07,440 --> 00:24:10,880 Even then I thought it was strange there was such a 373 00:24:10,880 --> 00:24:16,040 dependency on this to just even have a good time to apparently 374 00:24:16,040 --> 00:24:20,280 make memories. In one sense, Paul is telling 375 00:24:20,280 --> 00:24:25,240 these believers not to turn to drunkenness, to try to tap into 376 00:24:25,240 --> 00:24:27,880 a bliss or state of ecstasy. You know why? 377 00:24:27,880 --> 00:24:29,560 Because you have the Holy Spirit. 378 00:24:31,560 --> 00:24:33,120 You have everything that you need in him. 379 00:24:33,760 --> 00:24:36,960 You know what the psalmist says, right in Psalm 4, verse seven? 380 00:24:37,560 --> 00:24:43,040 You have put more joy in my heart than they when their grain 381 00:24:43,040 --> 00:24:49,680 and wine abound, you have put more joy in my heart in Psalm 4, 382 00:24:49,680 --> 00:24:54,760 verse seven, than they when their grain and their wine 383 00:24:54,760 --> 00:25:00,960 abound, I have more than them, more security, more assurance, 384 00:25:01,640 --> 00:25:07,880 more joy because I have him. If drunkenness tries to allure 385 00:25:07,880 --> 00:25:12,560 people with an happier outlook in look, the Holy Spirit 386 00:25:12,560 --> 00:25:15,440 guarantees it. This is what it means to be 387 00:25:15,440 --> 00:25:18,080 filled with the Holy Spirit. It's not so much about us having 388 00:25:18,080 --> 00:25:21,840 more of Him, but about Him having more of us. 389 00:25:23,120 --> 00:25:25,440 And so now I want to speak to you about the effects of being 390 00:25:25,440 --> 00:25:28,120 filled with the Holy Spirit, because what I just said to you 391 00:25:28,120 --> 00:25:31,040 were just general observations, but the. 392 00:25:31,800 --> 00:25:35,680 Apostle Paul here in this very same text gives us four specific 393 00:25:35,880 --> 00:25:40,560 practical outcomes that we inherit and we enjoy when we do 394 00:25:40,560 --> 00:25:43,520 know the filling of the Holy Spirit, and so let's read it. 395 00:25:43,520 --> 00:25:46,560 Back in Ephesians 5 we read verse 18. 396 00:25:47,360 --> 00:25:52,680 Let's read it again and continue the thought in verse 19 down and 397 00:25:52,680 --> 00:25:55,680 do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery. 398 00:25:55,680 --> 00:26:01,000 But be filled with the Spirit addressing one another in psalms 399 00:26:01,000 --> 00:26:04,800 and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the 400 00:26:04,800 --> 00:26:09,400 Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything 401 00:26:09,400 --> 00:26:13,520 to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 402 00:26:13,800 --> 00:26:18,840 submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ. 403 00:26:19,600 --> 00:26:24,840 Between verse 19 to 21, what you have here is Paul spelling out 404 00:26:24,840 --> 00:26:30,080 the sequence of the results when one is walking in the filling of 405 00:26:30,080 --> 00:26:33,240 the Holy Spirit. And I believe that there are 406 00:26:33,240 --> 00:26:35,040 four. Four. 407 00:26:35,040 --> 00:26:37,400 Not limited to these four. We could talk about boldness and 408 00:26:37,400 --> 00:26:39,560 courage and preaching and witnessing and all these 409 00:26:39,560 --> 00:26:41,920 different things that are found in the New Testament. 410 00:26:41,920 --> 00:26:44,520 But I want to. Speak to you of the highlighted 411 00:26:44,760 --> 00:26:49,040 outcomes that Paul spells out, the main ones that can ensue 412 00:26:49,040 --> 00:26:53,160 from a person who has received the filling of the Holy Spirit. 413 00:26:54,560 --> 00:26:58,600 So here for if you want to know what you can know if you take 414 00:26:58,600 --> 00:27:02,040 this command seriously, this is what you will experience. 415 00:27:02,920 --> 00:27:08,600 Being filled number one with the Holy Spirit causes us causes us 416 00:27:08,600 --> 00:27:11,880 to be actively engaged within a community of faith. 417 00:27:12,400 --> 00:27:16,280 Being filled with the Holy Spirit causes us to be actively 418 00:27:16,280 --> 00:27:17,880 engaged within a community of faith. 419 00:27:18,040 --> 00:27:19,200 Saying where do you see that from? 420 00:27:19,640 --> 00:27:21,880 Well again this is from Paul's first mark. 421 00:27:22,160 --> 00:27:26,600 Notice how this point of singing psalms and hymns and spiritual 422 00:27:26,600 --> 00:27:30,520 songs is in the context of the first few words of verse 19, 423 00:27:30,600 --> 00:27:37,160 addressing one another, addressing one another. 424 00:27:37,160 --> 00:27:39,720 He's not speaking about you. Singing in your kitchen, 425 00:27:41,360 --> 00:27:42,880 although that's true in the Holy Spirit. 426 00:27:42,880 --> 00:27:47,080 Can cause a song in your heart while you do your dishes is it's 427 00:27:47,080 --> 00:27:49,360 true as you're driving in your car, it's true as you're taking 428 00:27:49,360 --> 00:27:50,880 a walk. The filling of the Holy Spirit 429 00:27:50,880 --> 00:27:54,560 can cause you to sing passionately unto the Lord, yes, 430 00:27:54,840 --> 00:27:58,680 but Paul's concern here is that there is a singing that takes 431 00:27:58,680 --> 00:28:01,600 place in the context of addressing one another, implying 432 00:28:01,720 --> 00:28:05,200 relationships. When you're filled with the Holy 433 00:28:05,200 --> 00:28:07,920 Spirit, understand this. You will be. 434 00:28:07,920 --> 00:28:14,080 Somebody who will be driven, excited, longing, convicted 435 00:28:14,920 --> 00:28:20,120 about being in a consistent and invested community of believers. 436 00:28:22,880 --> 00:28:30,640 The Holy Spirit does not 'cause you to justify isolation. 437 00:28:33,240 --> 00:28:36,880 He does not cause you to be cynical toward the local church. 438 00:28:37,840 --> 00:28:42,800 He does not cause you to have a light commitment to the body of 439 00:28:42,800 --> 00:28:45,960 Jesus Christ. When the Holy Spirit fills you, 440 00:28:46,360 --> 00:28:50,960 you will have a heart swollen toward the bride of Christ. 441 00:28:53,360 --> 00:28:57,640 Your life will be very much orbited around a community of 442 00:28:57,640 --> 00:29:01,440 believers who regularly. Meet to sing, to receive the 443 00:29:01,440 --> 00:29:05,520 Word, to worship, and to serve. That's what the Holy Spirit will 444 00:29:05,520 --> 00:29:10,840 do in you and if a professing follower of Christ. 445 00:29:10,840 --> 00:29:14,480 Does not have that conviction and that belief. 446 00:29:14,880 --> 00:29:17,640 That could very well be a sign that not only are they lacking 447 00:29:17,640 --> 00:29:20,760 insight, let me say this boldly, but they are lacking the 448 00:29:20,760 --> 00:29:24,680 presence and the influence of the Holy Spirit and His fullness 449 00:29:24,680 --> 00:29:27,280 in their lives. Full stop. 450 00:29:30,120 --> 00:29:32,520 So a person who doesn't take the local church seriously is a 451 00:29:32,520 --> 00:29:35,560 person in my estimation, according to this, who does not 452 00:29:35,560 --> 00:29:37,160 know the feeling of the Holy Spirit. 453 00:29:38,520 --> 00:29:42,000 Because when you're filled, you will love the church. 454 00:29:43,080 --> 00:29:45,560 When you're filled, you will serve in the church. 455 00:29:45,800 --> 00:29:49,240 Notice my language is very specific, actively engaged 456 00:29:49,240 --> 00:29:53,000 within a community of faith. Actively engaged, you won't be 457 00:29:53,000 --> 00:29:55,520 able to help it. You'll be so stirred. 458 00:29:56,400 --> 00:29:59,600 You remember what it was like when you knew the filling of the 459 00:29:59,600 --> 00:30:01,920 Holy Spirit by the grace of God, when you first got saved. 460 00:30:02,200 --> 00:30:07,080 Church was exciting. You were longing. 461 00:30:07,360 --> 00:30:12,400 Nothing can get in your way. Well, you don't have to just 462 00:30:12,400 --> 00:30:15,280 reminisce on those memories. You can know it for the rest of 463 00:30:15,280 --> 00:30:16,880 your life. Through the help of the Holy 464 00:30:16,880 --> 00:30:22,480 Spirit, He increases that desire, He protects that desire, 465 00:30:23,240 --> 00:30:27,680 and He gives you the energy to be actively engaged with other 466 00:30:27,680 --> 00:30:30,760 believers. Addressing one another, the Holy 467 00:30:30,760 --> 00:30:34,160 Spirit's filling, will cause you to know one another in your 468 00:30:34,160 --> 00:30:37,080 Christian walk. Being filled with the Holy 469 00:30:37,080 --> 00:30:39,600 Spirit causes that number two. Being filled with the Holy 470 00:30:39,600 --> 00:30:46,000 Spirit cause us to sing wholeheartedly unto the Lord. 471 00:30:47,080 --> 00:30:49,120 What is he saying? That same verse, addressing one 472 00:30:49,120 --> 00:30:55,000 another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and 473 00:30:55,000 --> 00:31:00,080 making melody to the Lord. Now notice this with your heart. 474 00:31:02,240 --> 00:31:06,000 So I'm not speaking here about a singing that is superficial. 475 00:31:06,080 --> 00:31:07,720 I'm not seek. I'm not speaking here about a 476 00:31:07,720 --> 00:31:13,000 singing that is distracted. I'm not here sing speaking about 477 00:31:13,000 --> 00:31:15,160 a singing that is under compulsion. 478 00:31:15,520 --> 00:31:18,480 What Paul is saying here is that when a person is filled with the 479 00:31:18,480 --> 00:31:20,760 holy. Spirit to one another. 480 00:31:20,920 --> 00:31:24,160 The Holy Spirit can be in our singing, but it requires us to 481 00:31:24,160 --> 00:31:28,600 be filled with Him and ultimately to the Lord. 482 00:31:30,840 --> 00:31:34,000 May I make a side note as well? Notice what Paul says here in 483 00:31:34,000 --> 00:31:37,560 psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, Singing and making melody 484 00:31:37,560 --> 00:31:40,120 to the Lord with your heart. Do you notice the variety of 485 00:31:40,120 --> 00:31:44,360 style mentioned here? You have churches who are 486 00:31:44,360 --> 00:31:50,040 dividing, splitting over styles of singing, and Paul here is 487 00:31:50,040 --> 00:31:51,840 very open to a variety of styles. 488 00:31:51,840 --> 00:31:54,840 You want Paul and the Holy Spirit is more concerned more 489 00:31:54,840 --> 00:31:57,080 than anything. Substance. 490 00:31:58,160 --> 00:32:03,200 Substance. And so as long as the style 491 00:32:03,200 --> 00:32:10,120 doesn't interfere or dilute the substance, we have license to 492 00:32:10,160 --> 00:32:13,400 offer the Lord a variety of ways of singing to Him. 493 00:32:16,320 --> 00:32:20,440 Maybe somebody needs to be encouraged by that as well. 494 00:32:22,480 --> 00:32:26,960 Being filled causes us to sing passionately unto the Lord. 495 00:32:26,960 --> 00:32:29,760 Let her singing be accurate, let it be honorable. 496 00:32:29,960 --> 00:32:33,840 There is variety available, but what the Lord is pressing on 497 00:32:33,840 --> 00:32:36,440 here is that there's something from the heart that He helps us 498 00:32:36,480 --> 00:32:41,600 bring to each other and to God. Being filled #3 with the Holy 499 00:32:41,600 --> 00:32:46,160 Spirit causes us to offer radical gratitude. 500 00:32:47,160 --> 00:32:52,960 Radical gratitude, verse 20. Giving thanks always and for 501 00:32:52,960 --> 00:32:56,400 everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus 502 00:32:56,400 --> 00:32:59,200 Christ. Notice the quality of 503 00:32:59,200 --> 00:33:06,080 Thanksgiving He says always. And he says for everything 504 00:33:07,200 --> 00:33:10,760 that's supernatural that can only come from the Holy Spirit's 505 00:33:10,760 --> 00:33:13,680 help. And just like singing, there is 506 00:33:13,680 --> 00:33:16,840 a Thanksgiving. From the heart. 507 00:33:17,360 --> 00:33:21,920 That God wants to help us know and express. 508 00:33:22,640 --> 00:33:24,320 This is not a hypocritical Thanksgiving. 509 00:33:24,720 --> 00:33:26,080 This is not a gritting your teeth. 510 00:33:26,080 --> 00:33:28,480 This is the Christian kind of thing to do to give thanks. 511 00:33:29,040 --> 00:33:34,440 Though I really feeling many other emotions that don't make 512 00:33:34,440 --> 00:33:38,600 sense to give thanks with. And that is not to say let me 513 00:33:38,600 --> 00:33:40,200 say this. That is not to say that being. 514 00:33:40,200 --> 00:33:43,160 Thankful, always and for everything, deletes any other 515 00:33:43,160 --> 00:33:46,120 feelings. Because when he says for 516 00:33:46,120 --> 00:33:47,760 everything, that means for everything. 517 00:33:47,760 --> 00:33:50,760 In difficult times and trying times and pressing times, in 518 00:33:50,760 --> 00:33:55,040 challenging times, you can know sorrow. 519 00:33:55,040 --> 00:33:57,000 It doesn't make you less spiritual, You can weep. 520 00:33:57,000 --> 00:34:00,920 It doesn't make you less Christian or sensitive to God or 521 00:34:00,920 --> 00:34:03,200 faithful trusting in his promises. 522 00:34:04,640 --> 00:34:08,320 Paul, in a catalogue in Corinthians expresses that right 523 00:34:09,239 --> 00:34:11,639 sorrowful yet always rejoicing. And he lists different things 524 00:34:11,639 --> 00:34:15,520 that seem paradoxical, but it's true because of the Holy Spirit. 525 00:34:15,639 --> 00:34:19,920 What this means is that despite what you're being cascaded with 526 00:34:21,199 --> 00:34:23,920 that might want to bring you down, that might want to make 527 00:34:23,920 --> 00:34:30,600 you somber and unpleasant, you can still know gratitude. 528 00:34:31,719 --> 00:34:34,639 With all of that complexity in your heart, you can know this 529 00:34:34,639 --> 00:34:39,320 dominant sense of Thanksgiving to who look at this God, Not 530 00:34:39,320 --> 00:34:43,000 just God, God the Father, God the Father. 531 00:34:44,719 --> 00:34:49,920 Always and for everything. You can see God as Father and 532 00:34:49,920 --> 00:34:52,679 address Him as such. I may not understand this I may 533 00:34:52,679 --> 00:34:57,120 not comprehend, but I can still see Him as Father and address 534 00:34:57,120 --> 00:35:02,680 him as such. I think of Paul and. 535 00:35:02,760 --> 00:35:06,680 One of my favorite examples of his thankful spirit when he was 536 00:35:06,680 --> 00:35:09,880 on his way to Rome. And that was a very bumpy 537 00:35:09,880 --> 00:35:14,640 journey. Weeks at sea, Storm tossed No 538 00:35:14,640 --> 00:35:18,360 sunlight. Anxiety that so crippled those 539 00:35:18,360 --> 00:35:19,960 on the ship they couldn't even eat. 540 00:35:20,560 --> 00:35:23,400 And Paul, who was a prisoner on that ship, ends up becoming the 541 00:35:23,400 --> 00:35:24,240 captain of. It. 542 00:35:25,200 --> 00:35:28,600 I love that. Such control, such revelation, 543 00:35:28,600 --> 00:35:30,680 such absolute faith. And you've heard me say this 544 00:35:30,680 --> 00:35:33,200 over and over again. Whenever we speak about trusting 545 00:35:33,200 --> 00:35:34,600 God is one of my favorite examples. 546 00:35:34,760 --> 00:35:37,040 Paul could be so confident because he was told early in 547 00:35:37,040 --> 00:35:40,200 Acts 23 by the Lord Jesus himself, you're going to Rome. 548 00:35:41,200 --> 00:35:43,000 You're going to go to Rome and testify about me. 549 00:35:43,000 --> 00:35:44,840 And that's why Paul was so unmoved. 550 00:35:46,000 --> 00:35:49,480 But here he is now, taking charge of the ship leading the 551 00:35:49,480 --> 00:35:53,200 people in a pastoral way, almost. 552 00:35:53,200 --> 00:35:58,600 And there's this one little sliver of light among other rays 553 00:35:58,600 --> 00:36:00,760 of light in that story. Let me read it to you in Acts 554 00:36:00,760 --> 00:36:03,600 27, verse 35. Just envision it. 555 00:36:03,600 --> 00:36:08,960 Here they are in this ship, ready to fall apart, not knowing 556 00:36:09,200 --> 00:36:13,880 N from West, S from east. And we read here about Paul. 557 00:36:14,440 --> 00:36:20,120 And when he had said these things, he took bread, and, 558 00:36:20,120 --> 00:36:24,360 giving thanks to God in the presence of all, he broke it and 559 00:36:24,360 --> 00:36:32,480 began to eat. I love that sight, the deafening 560 00:36:32,480 --> 00:36:37,840 wind, the crashing waves, all these other men, professional 561 00:36:37,920 --> 00:36:42,640 sailors and soldiers, weaken the body, weaken the mind, and hears 562 00:36:42,640 --> 00:36:46,880 Paul standing strong chest out, exhorting them. 563 00:36:47,120 --> 00:36:51,320 And in the middle of all of this he takes bread, and he gives 564 00:36:51,320 --> 00:36:57,200 thanks to God, and he breaks it and he eats. 565 00:37:00,080 --> 00:37:02,200 Do you know how you can do that in the middle of a storm? 566 00:37:02,200 --> 00:37:04,360 Do you know how you can do that? In the middle of chaos? 567 00:37:05,600 --> 00:37:09,680 Be filled with the Holy Spirit again? 568 00:37:10,680 --> 00:37:13,800 You can hear this and say, oh man, you mean you're saying I 569 00:37:13,800 --> 00:37:15,160 got to do all this to be filled with? 570 00:37:15,160 --> 00:37:17,840 No, no, I'm saying you got to be filled the Holy Spirit, and you 571 00:37:17,840 --> 00:37:20,960 can do all of this. Don't put the cart before the 572 00:37:20,960 --> 00:37:24,200 horse. So this is a command, but this 573 00:37:24,200 --> 00:37:27,560 is a command. Pregnant with so much promise. 574 00:37:27,760 --> 00:37:31,360 Get excited about what the Holy Spirit's willing and able to do 575 00:37:31,360 --> 00:37:35,000 in you. Being filled with the Holy 576 00:37:35,000 --> 00:37:40,040 Spirit causes us to offer radical gratitude always and for 577 00:37:40,040 --> 00:37:46,160 everything. #4 Being filled with the Holy Spirit causes us to be 578 00:37:46,160 --> 00:37:48,120 in loving submission to one another. 579 00:37:48,400 --> 00:37:51,680 Verse 21 submitting to one another at a reverence for 580 00:37:51,680 --> 00:37:54,400 Christ. Remember that that's tied into 581 00:37:54,400 --> 00:37:59,440 verse 18, right? So verse 18 is the cup, and 582 00:37:59,440 --> 00:38:02,000 what's being poured out of the cup is all of these things, and 583 00:38:02,000 --> 00:38:05,840 the last thing here mentioned is submitting to one another. 584 00:38:06,880 --> 00:38:08,800 And so here's what Paul is saying that to be filled with 585 00:38:08,800 --> 00:38:11,640 the Holy Spirit causes us as individual believers to be 586 00:38:11,640 --> 00:38:14,360 lowly. And the loneliness that Paul has 587 00:38:14,360 --> 00:38:17,000 in mind here is measured by how we are willing to come alongside 588 00:38:17,000 --> 00:38:20,920 other believers in order to support them and to serve them 589 00:38:20,920 --> 00:38:24,040 with absolute humility and sincerity. 590 00:38:25,400 --> 00:38:28,760 Submitting to one another. Elevating your needs. 591 00:38:28,760 --> 00:38:34,400 Elevating who you are above myself and the spirit is ready 592 00:38:34,400 --> 00:38:37,960 to stimulate a longing. A lot like a genuine longing. 593 00:38:37,960 --> 00:38:40,640 Not just this is my duty as a Christian. 594 00:38:41,000 --> 00:38:42,720 No. A real thing. 595 00:38:42,720 --> 00:38:45,520 It gets in your blood where you look at another Christian. 596 00:38:45,520 --> 00:38:47,400 You say I really want to honor you. 597 00:38:48,400 --> 00:38:50,920 I really want to help you. I really want to respect you. 598 00:38:50,920 --> 00:38:53,920 I really want to listen to you. I really am willing to endure 599 00:38:53,920 --> 00:38:57,080 your shortcomings. Even I'm willing to do anything 600 00:38:57,240 --> 00:39:00,520 to maintain harmony in this place. 601 00:39:02,320 --> 00:39:06,680 The Holy Spirit with that cancels the urge to push for 602 00:39:06,680 --> 00:39:10,400 your own way to manipulate things and to have your agenda 603 00:39:10,400 --> 00:39:12,720 creep into situations or ministries. 604 00:39:12,840 --> 00:39:16,680 He cancels that because when you're filled with them he 605 00:39:16,680 --> 00:39:21,840 replaces selfish ambition with spirit LED submission. 606 00:39:24,160 --> 00:39:27,480 And if you and I need help and knowing what that exactly means, 607 00:39:27,480 --> 00:39:30,040 how does it look like to submit one another? 608 00:39:31,160 --> 00:39:36,000 Oh, be excited to know the reach of it, the depth of it, the 609 00:39:36,000 --> 00:39:39,640 spheres and the circles that it is willing to impact. 610 00:39:39,880 --> 00:39:42,520 Because we read this and then we see this little title. 611 00:39:42,840 --> 00:39:46,720 If you have the ESV Wives and Husbands, and then we read 612 00:39:46,720 --> 00:39:49,840 what's commonly referred to in the context of marriage, 613 00:39:49,840 --> 00:39:51,720 teaching about marriage. But do you realize we're still 614 00:39:51,720 --> 00:39:54,080 in the same context of being filled with the Holy Spirit? 615 00:39:55,040 --> 00:39:57,240 So verse 21, submitting to one another out of reference for 616 00:39:57,240 --> 00:39:58,360 Christ. OK, Paul's done here. 617 00:39:58,360 --> 00:40:00,600 He's moving on to another point. No, he's not. 618 00:40:01,120 --> 00:40:04,600 He's now expanding upon the different areas where the 619 00:40:04,600 --> 00:40:08,040 submission can be known. And what does he say next? 620 00:40:08,040 --> 00:40:10,360 Wives, submit to your own husbands as of to the Lord. 621 00:40:11,200 --> 00:40:12,960 Husbands loving your wives, right? 622 00:40:13,800 --> 00:40:15,640 Look at verse one of chapter six. 623 00:40:15,760 --> 00:40:17,960 Children, obey your parents in the Lord. 624 00:40:19,000 --> 00:40:20,440 Children, obey your parents in the Lord. 625 00:40:20,440 --> 00:40:22,280 Look what you read here in verse 5. 626 00:40:22,280 --> 00:40:24,960 Bondservants obey your earthly masters. 627 00:40:25,760 --> 00:40:28,480 Verse 9. Masters do the same to them. 628 00:40:31,320 --> 00:40:32,920 Do you want your marriage to be blessed? 629 00:40:32,920 --> 00:40:34,600 You need to be filled with the Holy Spirit. 630 00:40:36,240 --> 00:40:40,040 Children, Do you want an enriched relationship with your 631 00:40:40,040 --> 00:40:42,000 parents? Do you want to do your part and 632 00:40:42,000 --> 00:40:45,760 fulfill your duty? Be filled. 633 00:40:45,760 --> 00:40:48,680 With the Holy Spirit Fathers, do you want to know how you can 634 00:40:48,680 --> 00:40:51,760 raise your children? As an example, as a discipler 635 00:40:52,400 --> 00:40:55,520 mothers be filled with the Holy Spirit employers. 636 00:40:55,520 --> 00:40:59,080 Do you want to be a better boss? To your employees. 637 00:40:59,080 --> 00:41:00,960 Be filled with the Holy Spirit employees. 638 00:41:00,960 --> 00:41:05,120 Do you want to be a better contributor in your work field? 639 00:41:05,120 --> 00:41:06,840 Be filled with the Holy Spirit. This is what he's saying. 640 00:41:06,920 --> 00:41:09,800 Submitting to one another. And let me show you where the 641 00:41:09,800 --> 00:41:12,520 Holy Spirit can help you In your house, in your marriage, with 642 00:41:12,520 --> 00:41:15,760 your children, with your parents, with your Co workers 643 00:41:15,800 --> 00:41:18,600 everywhere. He impacts every sphere of your 644 00:41:18,600 --> 00:41:21,120 life. This is what he's saying. 645 00:41:23,480 --> 00:41:27,000 So you can't know blessings in your relationships unless you 646 00:41:27,000 --> 00:41:30,360 first establish this relationship with the Holy 647 00:41:30,360 --> 00:41:35,440 Spirit. How do we summarize all these 648 00:41:35,440 --> 00:41:37,480 realities? How do we summarize these 649 00:41:37,480 --> 00:41:39,440 promises and these outcomes? Very simple. 650 00:41:39,600 --> 00:41:42,280 The filling of the Holy Spirit will enrich your fellowship with 651 00:41:42,280 --> 00:41:46,680 God, and it will sweeten your interactions and your 652 00:41:46,680 --> 00:41:50,720 commitments to one another. That's what he's ready to do, so 653 00:41:50,720 --> 00:41:53,840 he's longing to do. That's what the blood of Jesus 654 00:41:53,840 --> 00:41:57,880 made. Available to you and to me to 655 00:41:57,880 --> 00:42:04,360 enrich your fellowship with God and to sweeten the interactions 656 00:42:04,360 --> 00:42:06,240 and the commitments that you have to others. 657 00:42:07,520 --> 00:42:09,840 These are the effects of being filled with the Holy Spirit. 658 00:42:10,480 --> 00:42:14,800 So how do I get it? What is the way in which I am 659 00:42:14,800 --> 00:42:18,680 filled with the Holy Spirit? And we might agree that to know 660 00:42:18,680 --> 00:42:21,080 the control of the Holy Spirit, we must first surrender to the 661 00:42:21,080 --> 00:42:23,400 Holy Spirit. Lord, here's every part of my 662 00:42:23,400 --> 00:42:24,880 life. Here's my marriage, here's my 663 00:42:24,880 --> 00:42:28,480 work, Here's my ministry. I want you to have full control 664 00:42:28,480 --> 00:42:30,680 of it. That's pretty evident. 665 00:42:31,720 --> 00:42:34,000 And from there, some might say, well, there's so many things 666 00:42:34,000 --> 00:42:36,840 that come to mind in terms of the promise and even the 667 00:42:37,240 --> 00:42:39,760 availability of the Holy Spirit through prayer that we pray for 668 00:42:39,760 --> 00:42:41,840 the filling of the Holy Spirit. Yes, we pray. 669 00:42:42,320 --> 00:42:44,280 We pray and we ask. Holy Spirit, fill me, Holy 670 00:42:44,280 --> 00:42:45,880 Spirit, fill me. Holy Spirit, fill me. 671 00:42:45,880 --> 00:42:47,800 As I'm about to go into this meeting, fill me as I'm about to 672 00:42:47,800 --> 00:42:50,440 preach this message. Fill me as I'm about to have a 673 00:42:50,640 --> 00:42:53,080 difficult confrontation with a fellow believer, fill me. 674 00:42:53,080 --> 00:42:55,760 Yes, you can pray for it. You should always pray for it. 675 00:42:56,040 --> 00:42:58,160 But I want to speak about a component being filled with the 676 00:42:58,160 --> 00:42:59,680 Holy Spirit that is often overlooked. 677 00:42:59,840 --> 00:43:03,160 That is not considered that when you do see it, I'm sure will 678 00:43:03,160 --> 00:43:05,200 change the way you view this very thing. 679 00:43:06,880 --> 00:43:11,520 And the only way to see it is if you are willing to read a larger 680 00:43:11,520 --> 00:43:15,040 portion of a New Testament text and something will go off, I 681 00:43:15,040 --> 00:43:17,320 assure you, unless you've been paying attention. 682 00:43:18,160 --> 00:43:20,000 If you have been paying attention what I'm about to read 683 00:43:20,000 --> 00:43:22,680 and ask you to read with me, a light bulb will go. 684 00:43:22,680 --> 00:43:24,960 Off and you will see a paralleling truth that will 685 00:43:24,960 --> 00:43:29,680 unlock one of the main ways in which you and I know how to be 686 00:43:29,680 --> 00:43:32,240 filled with the Holy Spirit. OK, here's our final text in 687 00:43:32,240 --> 00:43:35,920 Colossians in chapter 3. Let's begin in verse 16. 688 00:43:37,640 --> 00:43:48,780 In Colossians 3 verse 16. Colossians 316 The Apostle Paul 689 00:43:48,780 --> 00:43:50,460 writing to a different group of Christians. 690 00:43:51,120 --> 00:43:55,640 But you're going to see something that'll perhaps 691 00:43:56,280 --> 00:44:00,360 surprise you. Colossians 316 reads, Let the 692 00:44:00,360 --> 00:44:03,680 word of Christ dwell in you richly teaching and admonishing 693 00:44:03,680 --> 00:44:07,640 one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and 694 00:44:07,640 --> 00:44:10,760 spiritual songs with thankfulness in your hearts to 695 00:44:10,760 --> 00:44:13,120 God. And whatever you do in Word or 696 00:44:13,120 --> 00:44:17,240 deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks 697 00:44:17,240 --> 00:44:21,880 to God the Father through him. Now check this out in verse 18. 698 00:44:22,200 --> 00:44:27,360 Wives, submit to your husbands as is fitting to the Lord. 699 00:44:27,960 --> 00:44:30,720 Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them. 700 00:44:31,120 --> 00:44:34,400 Children, obey your parents and everything, for this pleases the 701 00:44:34,400 --> 00:44:36,240 Lord. Fathers, do not provoke your 702 00:44:36,240 --> 00:44:38,840 children, lest they become discouraged, Bond, servants, 703 00:44:38,840 --> 00:44:42,360 obey, and everything those who are your earthly masters, not by 704 00:44:42,360 --> 00:44:45,080 way of I service as people pleasers, but with sincerity of 705 00:44:45,080 --> 00:44:49,040 heart, fearing the Lord. Does that sequence look 706 00:44:49,040 --> 00:44:52,880 familiar? It should, and it is. 707 00:44:53,320 --> 00:44:56,520 It almost mirrors Ephesians 518 to 21. 708 00:44:56,720 --> 00:45:00,280 Perfectly. The same kind of thought 709 00:45:00,280 --> 00:45:02,120 pattern, the same kind of outcomes. 710 00:45:02,360 --> 00:45:06,200 But notice the cause. What was the cause of singing, 711 00:45:06,200 --> 00:45:08,160 Of giving thanks, of submitting to one another? 712 00:45:08,720 --> 00:45:10,880 The cause was being filled with the Holy Spirit. 713 00:45:11,000 --> 00:45:13,280 What is the cause here in Colossians 316? 714 00:45:13,480 --> 00:45:16,520 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly. 715 00:45:20,200 --> 00:45:25,960 What does that mean to achieve? To know the filling of the Holy 716 00:45:25,960 --> 00:45:30,960 Spirit is correlated to richly investing God's word in your 717 00:45:30,960 --> 00:45:34,600 life. So you want to be filled with 718 00:45:34,600 --> 00:45:35,440 the Spirit? Yeah. 719 00:45:36,200 --> 00:45:39,680 Here's what you can say with these two texts married to one 720 00:45:39,680 --> 00:45:43,720 another consume God's. Word. 721 00:45:44,600 --> 00:45:47,400 Now think about it again. We can go back to the metaphor, 722 00:45:47,520 --> 00:45:53,000 or rather the connection between getting drunk with wine and 723 00:45:53,000 --> 00:45:54,160 being filled with the Holy Spirit. 724 00:45:54,160 --> 00:45:55,720 You can take that analogy too far. 725 00:45:55,720 --> 00:46:01,000 You can overly explain that. But I think even in that we have 726 00:46:01,000 --> 00:46:03,360 a clue to what it takes to be filled with the Holy Spirit. 727 00:46:03,360 --> 00:46:06,840 What does it take for somebody to get drunk, not thinking about 728 00:46:06,840 --> 00:46:09,400 drunkenness? You got to consume. 729 00:46:10,120 --> 00:46:13,240 You got to drink it, you got to put it in your mouth, you got to 730 00:46:13,240 --> 00:46:14,520 pick it up, You got to go buy it. 731 00:46:14,800 --> 00:46:19,760 You got to be willing to endure the taste of it, let it get into 732 00:46:19,760 --> 00:46:22,680 your bloodstream for it to have an effect on you. 733 00:46:23,800 --> 00:46:27,800 Paul saying don't do that, don't drink that, drink this. 734 00:46:27,800 --> 00:46:30,640 Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit. 735 00:46:30,640 --> 00:46:34,960 Again, he's not a substance, but the idea there of consuming 736 00:46:34,960 --> 00:46:37,640 something in order to be controlled by the Holy Spirit, I 737 00:46:37,640 --> 00:46:40,200 think is very appropriate. And when you come to Colossians, 738 00:46:40,320 --> 00:46:43,600 you see the substance that we must consume in order to arrive 739 00:46:43,600 --> 00:46:49,800 there, consume the word of God, indulge in it. 740 00:46:52,520 --> 00:46:56,760 You can't nibble at the Bible and expect to be filled. 741 00:46:58,000 --> 00:47:00,560 That's not going to happen. But. 742 00:47:00,560 --> 00:47:06,120 When you feast on it. And when you want to master it 743 00:47:06,600 --> 00:47:11,520 and when you code it and when you saturate yourself with it. 744 00:47:12,520 --> 00:47:15,880 Because notice his wording here In Colossians 316 he didn't say 745 00:47:15,880 --> 00:47:18,200 let the word of. Christ dwell in you, he said. 746 00:47:18,200 --> 00:47:19,760 Let the word of Christ dwell in you. 747 00:47:19,760 --> 00:47:24,720 What? Richly, Richly. 748 00:47:25,720 --> 00:47:29,160 A person doesn't get intoxicated by taking a sip of something. 749 00:47:29,560 --> 00:47:33,680 They have to drink more. You have to drink a lot. 750 00:47:35,960 --> 00:47:39,600 And in the same case here, if you want to know the influence 751 00:47:39,600 --> 00:47:42,160 of the Holy Spirit in your life, you need to know the word of 752 00:47:42,160 --> 00:47:45,080 Christ richly. You know what that word richly 753 00:47:45,080 --> 00:47:49,920 means abundantly. That doesn't necessarily mean 754 00:47:49,920 --> 00:47:52,840 that you have to consume large portions of scripture every 755 00:47:52,840 --> 00:47:55,440 single day. Some people do that, and there's 756 00:47:55,440 --> 00:47:57,680 no effect of the word of God in their lives. 757 00:47:57,680 --> 00:48:00,080 Just to say I read this many chapters isn't going to cut it. 758 00:48:01,680 --> 00:48:04,800 But to have this view of the scriptures, to have this longing 759 00:48:04,800 --> 00:48:08,440 to be deep in the scriptures, to have this desire to be mastered 760 00:48:08,440 --> 00:48:10,080 by the scriptures saying, well, how does that work? 761 00:48:10,080 --> 00:48:12,720 How does letting the word of Christ dwell in me richly 762 00:48:13,120 --> 00:48:15,960 correlate and contribute to the reality of me being filled with 763 00:48:15,960 --> 00:48:16,840 the Holy Spirit? Very simple. 764 00:48:16,840 --> 00:48:19,720 Who authored it? The Holy Spirit? 765 00:48:20,160 --> 00:48:23,080 Are these words natural? No, they are supernatural. 766 00:48:24,760 --> 00:48:27,520 They're supernatural nature, and they are supernaturally 767 00:48:27,520 --> 00:48:31,240 experienced when they are met with faith and eagerness and 768 00:48:31,240 --> 00:48:34,760 humility. Let the word of Christ dwell in 769 00:48:34,760 --> 00:48:37,520 you richly, and then here are the sequence of things you can 770 00:48:37,520 --> 00:48:39,920 expect. You know, you have people who 771 00:48:39,920 --> 00:48:42,680 say very strange things and christen them. 772 00:48:44,040 --> 00:48:46,240 I'm not a word guy, I'm a spirit guy. 773 00:48:46,560 --> 00:48:50,920 What does that mean? What does that mean? 774 00:48:51,760 --> 00:48:55,800 You can't know the spirit unless you have the word You can't. 775 00:48:55,800 --> 00:49:01,480 And there's so many people who equate the spirits work and even 776 00:49:01,480 --> 00:49:07,560 the spirits filling to some mystical strange experience. 777 00:49:08,200 --> 00:49:09,840 Can we experience the Holy Spirit? 778 00:49:09,840 --> 00:49:11,080 Yes. Can the Holy Spirit do 779 00:49:11,080 --> 00:49:12,760 supernatural things? Yes. 780 00:49:12,880 --> 00:49:17,480 Can he open our eyes and can he do something in US and around us 781 00:49:17,720 --> 00:49:21,600 that is above the natural? Yes, he can. 782 00:49:23,760 --> 00:49:27,600 But to think that the Holy Spirit's filling is something to 783 00:49:27,600 --> 00:49:31,200 be sought after or separated from the word of God, you are 784 00:49:31,200 --> 00:49:33,920 dead wrong. You are dead wrong. 785 00:49:35,400 --> 00:49:39,200 Now again, I've seen this with my own eyes, even in the context 786 00:49:39,200 --> 00:49:42,440 of preaching, that people who believe that they are led by the 787 00:49:42,440 --> 00:49:44,440 Spirit don't rely on the Word. They don't. 788 00:49:44,440 --> 00:49:47,360 Study with the word. They almost see that as 789 00:49:47,360 --> 00:49:51,920 something that, again, is not spirit LED, not spiritual. 790 00:49:53,120 --> 00:49:54,680 You don't know the Bible, evidently. 791 00:49:54,680 --> 00:49:56,800 You don't know what it means to be filled with the Holy Spirit. 792 00:49:56,800 --> 00:49:58,920 You want to be filled. You want to know His influence. 793 00:49:58,920 --> 00:50:01,440 You want to know His leading? You're going to love the Bible 794 00:50:03,640 --> 00:50:07,640 and you're going to invest your time and you're going to drink 795 00:50:07,640 --> 00:50:11,920 and consume. And if you don't, if you don't 796 00:50:11,920 --> 00:50:14,000 have the word of Christ dwelling in your richly, can I say 797 00:50:14,000 --> 00:50:15,560 something? You're going to be weak and 798 00:50:15,560 --> 00:50:19,040 you're singing. If you don't have the word of 799 00:50:19,040 --> 00:50:21,640 Christ dwelling in you richly, you are going to be weak in your 800 00:50:21,640 --> 00:50:24,200 Thanksgiving. If you don't have the word of 801 00:50:24,200 --> 00:50:26,440 Christ dwelling in you richly, you will be weak. 802 00:50:26,760 --> 00:50:29,160 You'll be weak in your relationship with others. 803 00:50:29,360 --> 00:50:32,400 If you don't have the word of Christ dwelling you richly, you 804 00:50:32,400 --> 00:50:35,720 will not know the blessing of being with and part of the local 805 00:50:35,720 --> 00:50:39,000 church. You will not know a blessed 806 00:50:39,000 --> 00:50:42,680 marriage if you're not with the word of God and in the word of 807 00:50:42,680 --> 00:50:44,800 God richly. You will not know a blessing in 808 00:50:44,800 --> 00:50:46,040 your relationship with your children. 809 00:50:46,200 --> 00:50:47,920 You will not know a blessing in your relationship with your 810 00:50:47,920 --> 00:50:49,880 parents and any other sphere of relationship. 811 00:50:50,200 --> 00:50:53,520 Well, when you have this word, you invest in your heart the 812 00:50:53,520 --> 00:50:55,840 guidelines, the principles, the promises, the truth, and even 813 00:50:55,840 --> 00:50:59,960 the energy the Holy Spirit works with and through to make you a 814 00:50:59,960 --> 00:51:01,200 person. Full of him. 815 00:51:01,840 --> 00:51:07,120 Full of him. So how is 1 main way I'm filled? 816 00:51:07,480 --> 00:51:14,000 Colossians tells us, like this word rain in your life. 817 00:51:16,520 --> 00:51:20,600 Ask the Lord for this word to be sweet to you. 818 00:51:21,480 --> 00:51:25,280 Ask the Lord as we come to a close to expand your appetite. 819 00:51:25,520 --> 00:51:26,560 Because you know what's that cost? 820 00:51:26,560 --> 00:51:28,120 Many things. And one of the things is the 821 00:51:28,120 --> 00:51:30,680 Holy Spirit's filling in our lives. 822 00:51:31,840 --> 00:51:36,560 My friends, my brothers, my sisters, I exhort you to be 823 00:51:36,560 --> 00:51:40,400 filled with the Holy Spirit. And I praise God that he's made 824 00:51:40,400 --> 00:51:43,960 it so simple and so clear. And I pray that after all that 825 00:51:43,960 --> 00:51:46,160 you've heard, what can come about when we are filled with 826 00:51:46,160 --> 00:51:52,360 the Holy Spirit would make you very ambitious to seek it. 827 00:51:54,000 --> 00:51:56,960 Someone asked the Al Moody once if he was filled with the Holy 828 00:51:56,960 --> 00:52:00,480 Spirit. The Al Moody? 829 00:52:00,480 --> 00:52:01,840 Are you filled with the Holy Spirit? 830 00:52:02,760 --> 00:52:07,120 You know what he said? Yes, but I often leak. 831 00:52:10,680 --> 00:52:13,120 And that is true. Because to be filled with the 832 00:52:13,120 --> 00:52:15,160 Holy Spirit is not just one time thing. 833 00:52:16,000 --> 00:52:19,880 It's something that you and I walk in and we seek after. 834 00:52:21,200 --> 00:52:23,440 And although it's a promise from God, is conditioned upon a 835 00:52:23,440 --> 00:52:26,320 willing heart to say, you know what, I don't want to be in the 836 00:52:26,320 --> 00:52:28,720 driver's seat. Let me park Lord you take the 837 00:52:28,720 --> 00:52:33,120 driver's seat. And the way you do that is when 838 00:52:33,960 --> 00:52:37,440 you learn of him and you submit to what you read here. 839 00:52:37,440 --> 00:52:39,960 When the Holy Spirit sees that investment, he comes, and he 840 00:52:39,960 --> 00:52:41,880 does supernatural things in your life. 841 00:52:43,040 --> 00:52:46,560 Father, we thank you for the promise, the promise of the Holy 842 00:52:46,560 --> 00:52:49,520 Spirit, the filling of the Holy Spirit, the effects of being 843 00:52:49,520 --> 00:52:52,440 filled with the Holy Spirit, the way we can be filled with the 844 00:52:52,440 --> 00:52:56,360 Holy Spirit. Thank you that we can pray for 845 00:52:56,360 --> 00:52:57,680 it. Thank you that we can posture 846 00:52:57,680 --> 00:53:00,440 ourselves for it. But thank you also that you've 847 00:53:00,440 --> 00:53:06,240 reminded us that this book is supernatural is God. 848 00:53:06,240 --> 00:53:10,800 Breathe, and when we breathe it in, we breathe in the influence 849 00:53:10,800 --> 00:53:17,160 of the Holy Spirit. Lord, let faith arise. 850 00:53:18,120 --> 00:53:20,240 For some who might have heard this message and say that sounds 851 00:53:20,240 --> 00:53:26,240 too simplistic, help us believe again in the supernatural 852 00:53:26,240 --> 00:53:33,480 component of our faith, that you're ready to help us and 853 00:53:33,480 --> 00:53:34,640 Lord. For those who might be lacking 854 00:53:34,640 --> 00:53:38,480 joy, for those who might find their hope in other things, 855 00:53:38,480 --> 00:53:41,360 maybe people or substances, remind us again that we have 856 00:53:41,440 --> 00:53:46,320 everything in the Holy Spirit. We have so much in Him and so 857 00:53:46,320 --> 00:53:48,280 Lord. Now, even now we ask that you 858 00:53:48,280 --> 00:53:51,440 would fill us with the Holy Spirit so that what we're about 859 00:53:51,440 --> 00:53:55,360 to do in this moment, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual 860 00:53:55,360 --> 00:53:59,560 songs to one another and to the Lord, would be from the heart. 861 00:54:04,280 --> 00:54:06,840 So blow, Lord, a fresh wind into our sails. 862 00:54:09,400 --> 00:54:14,200 And may you be glorified in how we walk, not just now, but for 863 00:54:14,200 --> 00:54:17,960 the rest of this week, as we daily say, Lord, fill me As we 864 00:54:17,960 --> 00:54:21,400 come to this word and we say fill me, we ask these things in 865 00:54:21,400 --> 00:54:22,960 Jesus name. Amen. 866 00:54:23,480 --> 00:54:25,520 Amen. So I exhort. 867 00:54:25,520 --> 00:54:30,040 You now as you stand with me that address one another in 868 00:54:30,040 --> 00:54:34,840 psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, making melody in your 869 00:54:34,840 --> 00:54:40,080 hearts to the Lord. Let's stand and offer to one 870 00:54:40,080 --> 00:54:44,000 another the edification, and offer primarily to the Lord a 871 00:54:44,000 --> 00:54:46,360 sacrifice of praise that he is worthy of.