1044. The Filling of the Spirit

Welcome to The Daily Platform from Bob Jones University in Greenville, South Carolina.

The school was founded in 1927 by the evangelist Dr. Bob Jones Sr. His intent was to make a school where Christ would be the center of everything so he established daily chapel services. Today that tradition continues with fervent biblical preaching from the University Chapel Platform. Today on The Daily Platform, we're continuing a study series entitled Breath of Life, which is a study of the doctrine of the Holy Spirit. Today's message will be preached by John Dalton from the Office of Student Development and Discipleship. So we come to our theme for this week, the filling of the Spirit, and we really do build on the shoulders of the men who preached the previous messages as we look at one of the most personal aspects of our theme, the way the Holy Spirit of God intersects our daily lives. And we're going to look at the book of Ephesians this morning. Ephesians 5, verse 18 is probably the most common passage in the New Testament that deals with this topic. And that very short verse says, Now some have said that this is the central command of the book of Ephesians, even the focal point of the entire New Testament for believers.

That's impressive. Well, maybe even more so intimidating if you're the one doing the preaching. But whether or not you hold that particular opinion, I trust by the time we finish the study of our topic, we'll have a better understanding of this brief but powerful command. Now today, like no other day in our chapel series on the Holy Spirit, we're going to be confronted with the question, are we really interested in living every day in a way that pleases Jesus Christ?

Are we willing to let the third member of the Godhead intersect our lives in such a way that what we practice is really the spiritual life? I'm assuming that especially since viewing chapel is not required, you're probably tuned in today because you really are interested in practicing the spiritual life. But maybe you're really discouraged today. You may have been home for about three weeks now, maybe a little more, and maybe you've begun to struggle with some of your old ways. Maybe you're struggling with that whole academic transition and you're kind of being tempted to just quit, to give up. Maybe you're squandering your free time. Maybe you've had a major fallout with mom and dad or one of your siblings, and you're really not happy about that.

You went home with good intentions. You made plans to cultivate good habits and study hard and take time for the spiritual disciplines and be a blessing to your family, but it really hasn't worked out that way. And so as a result, you've kind of become more convinced than ever that the Christian life is really hard, and you're worn out and frankly disgusted. Well, your conclusion isn't completely right. You see, the Christian life isn't really hard.

It's actually impossible. Impossible without the daily ministry of the Holy Spirit of God. So really, my heart is that today's message will be encouraging to you as we examine this teaching about the Spirit that truly does make the Christian life possible. So as we come to chapter 5, verse 18, and we read this brief verse, it almost seems too brief, maybe even a little cryptic. We're supposed to be filled with him, with the Holy Spirit.

Is that all? That's the key to the spiritual life. What does it mean? Well, first this morning, let's look at what Paul does not mean when he says, be filled with the Spirit. First of all, this is not to be confused with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Paul says in Romans chapter 8, verse 9, that if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. All Christians have been indwelt by the Holy Spirit at conversion. So Paul's not giving us a command to receive the indwelling Spirit. That goes without saying.

That's assumed. He's referring to something that actually should be happening after the Holy Spirit indwells us. It's also not to be confused with the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Dr. Olinger preached a very clear message two weeks ago, explaining that the baptism of the Spirit is also something that happens to us at the point of conversion. Through the ministry of the Holy Spirit, we're placed into the body of Christ. So again, in Ephesians 5, Paul is referring to something that should happen after we have been baptized into the body of Christ by the Holy Spirit. But the filling of the Spirit should also not be confused with some kind of sudden ecstatic or mystical experience, which might somehow elevate me to a greater level of spiritual understanding or knowledge.

And many people have been very confused, thinking that somehow the filling of the Spirit, accompanied by an emotionally powerful experience, produces Christian maturity. You know, you get zapped. You see those bug zappers? That is what they call them.

I googled it this morning, okay? I think you know what I'm talking about. An unsuspecting mosquito races toward the bright light and gets zapped.

He is immediately transformed into a pile of nothing. Or kind of like when you play Mario Kart. I sometimes play with my kids. I'm absolutely awful at it. They have a good time laughing at me. But you know, when you're playing Mario Kart and you drive over one of those translucent psychedelic boxes with the question mark in it, and you get to become the bullet.

That's my favorite one. And as the bullet, you pass every trap, you navigate every curve in the road, you pass up all the other people. Of course, when I get the bullet, I still don't pass any other people. But some people think that that's how a Christian reaches maturity.

They're looking for the bullet. Well, sad to say, there is no bullet and there's no bug zapper when it comes to the filling of the Spirit which is so crucial to our sanctification, our growth in holiness, our maturity in Christ's likeness. So we really need to deal with the misconceptions that sometimes get in the way of getting a true understanding. So that is not what, these are not what the filling of the Spirit means. Let's look at Ephesians 5 18 and just quickly unpack the verse itself so we understand what the passage is saying. Be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess. Now, no doubt Paul is warning the Ephesians about the dangers of drunkenness.

That's certainly there. Have you ever seen a man or a woman given over to alcohol, their behavior? What happens with it?

It changes many times, doesn't it? Maybe they become unruly or weepy or irrational or boisterous. They lose control of their natural inhibitions and do things they would never normally do if they were in control of their mental faculties. So what a valuable warning we have here about the dangers of alcohol. However, Paul's primary concern here is not necessarily drunkenness, but the characteristic results of drunkenness, carelessness, and unrestraint. The word excess here in Ephesians 5 comes from the same root word Jesus used to describe the prodigal son in Luke chapter 15. Some of you may have watched Sight and Sound's presentation of Jesus over the weekend.

I got to watch that along with Living Gallery's presentation, what a blessing those were. But that depiction of the prodigal son, Jesus telling that story, and it's kind of fresh in my mind as I'm even giving this message today. But that prodigal son, he went into a far country and he wasted his substance with excessive, a riotous living.

Same word. Paul simply saying that since the Ephesians have been supernaturally redeemed, they are not to live the life of the natural person that is wasteful and ruinous. That's the primary point that he's starting with here. But they should instead be filled with the Spirit. Be kept being filled is the awkward literal translation of that idea. Filled is the same word used to describe the reaction of the disciples when Jesus told them he was going to leave them in John chapter 16. They were filled with sorrow. You might remember the Pharisees were filled with anger when Jesus healed the man with the withered hand on the Sabbath. After seeing his miracles, some people were filled with fear.

In each case, the people were controlled. They were controlled by the particular emotion evidenced in their reaction. Great sadness over Jesus' departure. Great anger due to Jesus' violation of the Sabbath.

Great fear in response to Jesus' miracles. And so when we speak of being filled with the Spirit, we are speaking about the necessity of being controlled by the Spirit. I want us to just think through very quickly a little grammar here as we think of this idea of being filled because I think it helps us understand this concept a little bit more. The idea of being filled is a present action. Therefore, it demands regular application, consistent attention.

It's ongoing. It's not a simple past action like the indwelling Spirit or the baptism of the Spirit that comes with salvation. As a Christian, there is an ongoing need for me to give attention to the filling of the Spirit.

But it's also in the passive voice. Therefore, it comes from outside of me. Being filled with the Spirit is not filling with the Spirit. It's being filled.

And you know what? Some of that may be why you're having some struggles back home. You went home with good intentions, the things you wanted to accomplish, and after three weeks, you're just kind of frustrated.

You're empty. Maybe that's because you never sat down before you ever went home and prayed, Lord, what are the things that you really want me to accomplish during this time? I've got academics to accomplish. I need your grace.

I've got a family to learn to live with peaceably. I need your grace. And as a result of not even prayerfully laying those out, you're not only not getting his help to make the right plans about the outcomes, but then you're not getting his grace to help you on a daily basis.

The filling of the Spirit comes from outside of me. I must learn to practice dependence on the Lord. The Christian life was not designed to be lived in the power of the flesh, on my own good efforts and gritting of teeth. But lastly, it's in the imperative mode. Maybe goes without saying, but it's an imperative, so it's a command. So therefore, it requires obedience. So being filled with the Spirit, whatever that is, is going to require faithful attention. It's going to demand dependence on God, not self.

And it's going to require submission, being willing to place myself underneath. So while on the surface, there is a comparison being made here in this verse between the control of alcohol and the control of the Spirit, there is a much deeper contrast. That's going on between living a life of carelessness versus living a life of Spirit control.

And that really is kind of what things boil down to. Now, control is kind of an interesting concept, isn't it? Most of us like the word control, especially when we have it, when we're the ones that are in it. And that's what makes it difficult for the believer to grasp this truth. You and I cannot be in control if we're going to know this filling of the Spirit. We've got to let God the Holy Spirit have control.

Let me just encourage you. Many of you who have been here and have drunk the philosophy and the teaching of God's Word here through chapel and Bible classes and good relationships with other people, yet you still struggle with this concept of surrender. Can I encourage you to lay down your weapons, to be still and know that God is the one on the throne, and not live a life at your own bidding with yourself on the throne. You will not be filled with the Spirit if you demand to remain in control. And control over what?

It may not be that you want to tell people what to do. It may mean that you refuse to let go of the hurt that has been done to you. And God is asking you to surrender that. And to, as God for Christ's sake has forgiven you, to go and freely forgive the one that has hurt you. So the filling of the Spirit, what is it not?

Well, what is it? What does it actually mean? Well, keep in mind that this is not a fully developed concept in this text. Ephesians 5 18 doesn't say everything there is to say about the filling of the Spirit.

In fact, we simply have these very simple combined commands. Don't be drunk with wine, but be filled with the Spirit. What does that mean? Well, we're gaining a basic understanding from both the verse and the context of Ephesians 5, which we're going to return to right at the end.

But I believe we need to consider a couple of related concepts. First, this terminology of being filled with the Spirit is peculiar to Luke. Except for this reference here in Ephesians, Luke is the synoptic recorder who records in his gospel or in the book of Acts what it means to be filled with the Spirit. And in the sense that Paul uses the phrase in Ephesians, it's first applied to believers at Pentecost in Acts chapter 2, beginning of the church age. And so groups of believers, the first believers, the first deacons, Stephen, Peter, Paul, all displayed the results of being filled with the Spirit. They praised.

They prophesied. Often they spoke the Word of God with boldness. I think that's an interesting fruit of being filled with the Spirit. These passages are certainly worth noting and considering.

None of them fully develop the concept of the filling of the Spirit. I think a second concept that's important to understand is the whole concept of the Spirit of truth. References in John's Gospel especially use this terminology.

You see those referenced there. Dr. Newton, you might remember his message on conviction, made this powerful point that the Spirit convicts us not on the basis of emotion, but on the basis of truth. And where do we find truth? Well, John 17 says, Jesus says to the Father, sanctify them through thy truth. Thy word is truth. Let us be very clear that the filling of the Spirit does have everything to do with the Word of God. In fact, the filling of the Spirit will always be according to the truth of God's Word. Therefore, people who are filled with the Spirit do not conclude that in order to pay their bills, they need to cheat on their income taxes. Or conclude that because they're already engaged, they might as well take liberties with each other because we're going to get married anyway. Or suddenly conclude that it's time for me to leave my spouse and go find another one.

Why? Because those that are filled with the Spirit make decisions according to the truth of God's Word. So again, what are you doing with your Bible right now? Do you have a plan for regularly taking in the Word? Dr. Pettit often speaks to us about the importance of that daily discipline and how he began that in college. That was really where mine started too. And it becomes a part of your life.

One that you can't live without if you can develop that now. Christian maturity doesn't happen through osmosis. It doesn't happen because you go to Bob Jones. It happens through diligent attention and the enablement of the Spirit of God. Third, the idea of walking in the Spirit is an important concept to keep in mind as well. Galatians 5, 16 to 25, give us the understanding of this. And just a year and a half ago, we had a theme in our own chapels about walking in the Spirit in Galatians 5. We're not going to take the time.

We don't have the time to go through that whole chapter. But among other things, you'll remember that Galatians 5, Paul there is teaching the Galatians to display their Christian liberty by serving one another. Liberty, Christian liberty is not for serving self.

Finally, I can get away with doing whatever I want. No, actually I am liberated to serve others in love. But the problem was it was just as tempting for them to bite and devour one another. And Paul said, yeah, you're going to consume each other if you give into these temptations. Left to their natural proclivities, they would not love each other.

They would harm each other. So Paul tells them to walk in the Spirit so that they would not fulfill the lusts of the flesh, the fleshly tendencies to harm each other. And of course, then he goes into a litany of the works of the flesh, the fruits of the Spirit.

So like being filled with the Spirit, walking in the Spirit is in the present tense. It demands continuous attention. It's like two people running a three-legged race. You've got to pay attention to your partner.

You can't run it by yourself. You have to keep in step. So believers must keep in step with the Spirit so that they will not fulfill their fleshly desires. So I believe that there is a supplemental helpful concept here that we can incorporate into our understanding of the filling of the Spirit, that if we are filled with the Spirit, truly, it will enable us to deal decisively and convincingly and victoriously with the flesh. And if you're like me, you don't need to be reminded that you have one, one flesh.

That unredeemable part of you that you'll never get rid of until you're glorified. It's there. It's present.

It's every day. And so in order to deal with that, the pride, the selfishness, the conceit, the greed, the lust, all of those things, there must be something regularly, moment by moment, I love that hymn, moment by moment, giving attention to the Spirit of God and his plans, which are truth according to God's Word. So the degree that I'm filled with the Spirit to that same degree, I will not fulfill my fleshly passions. So here's an attempt at a definition. What does the filling of the Spirit mean? Simply means to be completely submitted to the control of the Holy Spirit so that I may understand and fulfill the Father's will.

You say, boy, you know what? I really started out this break wanting to do that. Or maybe I started at college wanting to do that.

And it's been three years. I'm in my last semester. That's really what I wanted, but I've drifted far from that. I've actually come to the point where I want to run my own life.

I want to do my own thing. My plans, even seniors, maybe are controlled by the passions and the urges that I have for myself. I've shut out wisdom and counsel from my parents and from godly teachers and pastors in my life.

And I'm doing my own thing. To live that way as a Christian has to be one of the most unpleasant experiences imaginable. It's as if you're living in the wilderness without water and constantly searching and seeking for what you can find to satisfy you. So to be filled with the Spirit means I've given up my own plans. I've submitted myself to the Spirit's control so that he can help me understand what God's plan is for me. And not only can I understand what it is, but as the Spirit of truth speaks into my heart through the Word, I can actually do it. Philippians 2, God is the one working within me, both the willing and the doing of his good pleasure. I've got to work out my own salvation with fear and trembling.

Yes, but God is doing the enabling. What a beautiful thing. And I think it's a wonderful way of capturing what the Spirit of God does as we are filled with him.

So what's the result? What are the results of being filled with the Spirit? And here I think we go back to Ephesians 5.

If you've studied this at all, you know that this passage breaks down very neatly, very evidently, to help us see that there are at least three in Paul's words under inspiration, the book of Ephesians, results that come automatically as a result of being filled with the Spirit. First of all, we sing to each other, speaking to yourself in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord. You may not be a great singer. None of us are great singers. Well, there are a few of you that are great singers, but not all of us are great singers. But you can't help but sing when you're filled with the Spirit because a Spirit-filled believer is a joyful believer, full of the joy of the Lord.

Smiles often cross his face, not only when he's talking with others, but when he's singing. Giving thanks to God in verse 20, giving thanks always for all things. And you know what? That's been kind of hard for some of us, maybe, as we've had to deal with this whole interruption to our semester. I remember my dad telling me, John, there are no real interruptions in the ministry. They're actually Holy Spirit-ordained opportunities, right? But we've looked at this as an interruption.

We've kind of growled and groused and complained. The Spirit-filled believer gives thanks for all things, unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, because we understand Psalm 84-11, that God doesn't withhold any good thing from those of us that walk uprightly. Romans 8, that all things work together for good, that all of God's plans are good for me. And so, by faith, I give thanks. And finally, we learn to submit to each other, submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God. And then we have those beautiful relationships that are enumerated then in chapter 5, and then into chapter 6, husbands loving their wives, wives learning to submit to their husbands, children obeying parents, parents, dads especially, not provoking children to anger, servants being obedient to masters, and masters treating servants with thoughtful consideration. All of this is possible.

They say, well, you don't know my husband, or you don't know my dad, or my mom, or you don't know my boss. Granted. But God says, if you're filled with the Spirit, you can submit to each other in the fear of God in each of these relationships. Where are you at today? Where are we today? I trust that this may just spark our attention so that we can start praying and asking God to give us a greater understanding of the Spirit, to give us a greater appreciation for the filling of the Spirit, and to willingly go to him today even, and completely unreservedly submit to him and to his control, knowing that doing so will give us an understanding and an ability to do the Father's will.

Father, thank you for your precious word. These themes are so huge. They can't be done justice in 25 minutes, and they're even beyond our understanding.

We can't fathom all that's involved here. But Lord, we want to be living Spirit-filled lives. We want to be spiritual people.

And so much of that is up to us and what we will do with our choices even today. May today, may we be about acknowledging our great need for you, dealing with our sin. There's sin in our lives that some of us need to repent of.

Get it cleaned out. Claim the blood of Christ and your promises. And then get into a regular relationship with you, giving constant attention to your plans and your will for your glory. In Jesus' name, amen. You've been listening to a sermon preached by John Dalton from a chapel service at Bob Jones University. Join us again tomorrow as we conclude this series on the Holy Spirit here on The Daily Platform.