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Sermon Notes of Rev.Dr.I.J.W.Oakley (15-9-1996 Guisborough Evangelical Church)
Throughout Ephesians there has been constant comparison
between the believer and the non-believer. Now we have another – filled with
the Spirit, as opposed to filled with wine.
This does not suggest that, then
or now, all unbelievers are full of wine. But many were, and are still, and many
others attach certain values to alcohol. They imagine it to be a stimulus, when
in fact it is a depressant. It depresses and knocks out the highest centre of
all in the brain, which provides self-control, discrimination, balance and
wisdom. People temporarily feel better and more confident. More primitive
elements take control. Man believes he is being stimulated, but in reality his
control over himself is being diminished.
This is the big difference
between being filled with wine and being filled with the Spirit. The man filled
with the Spirit has self-control and balance. Instead of the wastefulness of the
drunkard, who wastes time, money, energy and whose reasoning powers and morality
is impoverished, the man filled with the Spirit is built up, added to, improved,
his mind, heart and will are stimulated and empowered. His life does not depend
on passing happiness, but joy unspeakable and full of glory.
The man filled with the Spirit
rejoices in the Lord. The joy of the Lord is his strength. His personality is
expanded, he enjoys a thrilling and exciting life. He is even able to rejoice in
tribulation – so unlike the morning after the night before of the man filled
with wine. The blessing of the Lord brings wealth, and he adds no trouble to
it (Proverbs 10:22).
More than that, this is a command to the people at Ephesus. They have been redeemed by Christ’s blood, trusted in Christ, sealed by the Spirit, saved by grace through faith, and now God commands them to be filled with the Spirit. It is not just for a select few, or the lunatic fringe, but for every Christian. Not a possibility for some, but a command for all, not a luxury but a necessity.
To be filled means to come under
the control of, influence of, total possession of the Holy Spirit. Not something
poured into us as though he was a liquid going into a bottle. He is a divine
person, the third person of the blessed Trinity. To be filled means to be
possessed and controlled by a divine person. Possession of whole personality –
mind, emotions and will. Meant to be continuous and daily experience. Not a
second experience of God or a second divine work of grace. The Greek plhrousqe
en pneumati is present, imperative, passive. Be continually filled. If it
meant once for all, a different form of the Greek plhpow
would have been used.
Constantly, day by day, week by
week, year by year, he is under the
control of the Holy Spirit. It is not enough to possess the Holy Spirit, must be
possessed by the Holy Spirit. Not enough to be born of the Spirit, must be
filled and controlled by the Spirit. This is God’s purpose for our lives once
we come to know Him. Not something we get later on. We have been blessed with
all spiritual blessings in Christ. All we need is found in Him. To have Him is
to have every spiritual blessing.
Sometimes this is not realized,
because of lack of teaching or lack of a sense of need. In some instances,
Christians do not always maintain their walk with the Lord or remain consecrated
to Him. They wander and drift. Then they come back to the Lord, and back under
the control of the Spirit. It may take a crisis in life, or several crises. And
one Christian’s experience will be totally different from another’s.
Several questions arise from
this. Does this mean that once we are under the Spirit’s control we have
arrived, do we cease to grow, have we reached sinless perfection? Not at all.
Only when controlled by the Spirit will we grow. He must be present for us to
grow. The back-slidden Christian, ruling his own life, is not growing in
spiritual things.
Does being filled with the
Spirit mean our own personality is obliterated? Not at all, but it is enriched,
developed, directed and energized so that we can function to God’s glory. Our
personalities, hands, eyes, lips, will, mind – under His control, to live as
we were meant to live.
Does this mean we have to do
nothing? Can we become passive and leave it all to Him? Not at all. We should be
more active than ever. Work out your salvation with fear and trembling for it
is God who works in you (Philippians 2:12,13). Fight, wrestle, put on the
armour of God. But we do so in His strength and under His direction. It is not a
hopeless struggle and fight in our own strength – which can be the experience
of many Christians.
Being filled with the Spirit is the only way to live the Christian life, and to grow. Here is the secret and source of our enabling.
When the Holy Spirit controls
the believer, He enables him to function in God’s will and for His glory. This
affects our Christian service and Christian character. Makes Christ real and
vital in the life, and that soon shows. Streams of living water will flow
from within him (John 7:38ff).
The mind is enlightened, the
affections are purified, the will is reinforced. In trial and suffering we are
under-girded and held. The effects of the control of the Holy Spirit are
endless. The New Testament is full of the ways He enables us to live the
Christian life, and the differences that He makes. We must confine ourselves to
the context here in Ephesians. The Holy Spirit makes a difference when we live
on God’s resources, grace and energy daily, and not on our own. He helps us to
walk circumspectly – wisely, carefully. He helps us to redeem the time –
make the most of every opportunity. He helps us in finding out God’s will,
discovering His purpose and plan for our lives.
In our church life, the Holy
Spirit helps us encourage and support one another. He helps our rejoicing and
gladness in the Lord. When He fills us we have a sense of gratitude and
thankfulness. Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs.
Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the
Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ (Ephesians
5:19-20).
The Holy Spirit also affects our
relationship with others. He gives us a graciousness and warmth in our dealing
with others. Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ (Ephesians
5:21). No self-assertion, but meekness and gentleness in Christ. In subsequent
verses Paul goes on the paint a picture of home life where there is harmony and
complementarity. Wives defer to husbands as the head, husbands love wives with
the sacrificial love which Christ had for the church. Children have respect for
parents. Parents take care in the upbringing and training of their children. In
industrial relations, workers serve their masters from the heart, as to the
Lord. Masters are fair, just and honourable in their treatment of workers. This
teaching, if implemented, would solve troubled society’s ills at a stroke. The
Christian faith offers the perfect blueprint for every relationship of life, and
also the means of carrying it out through the Holy Spirit. According to
G.K.Chesterton, the problem is not that Christianity doesn’t work, but that it
hasn’t yet been tried seriously.
The control of the Holy Spirit has a transforming effect on the personal life, church life, home life and industrial life. All motivated by reverence for Christ and desire to please Him, because of our love for Him and gratitude to Him. Though not practiced by the world, it must be practiced and will be practiced by us as we are controlled by the Holy Spirit and live lives in His energy and by His grace.
This is a clear command for us to obey. That we are born
of the Spirit and indwelt by the Spirit is a permanent fact of Christian life.
But filling of the Holy Spirit is conditional on our response and obedience to
the Lord. Different levels and degrees of the Holy Spirit working in our lives
depending on our response. It can be a minimal experience, or an abundant life.
A bare spiritual life, or full spiritual health. We have a clear responsibility
to face up to.
Too often we have to admit we
have not obeyed this command as earnestly or regularly as we ought. As a result,
our lives at times have been wrong with God, and we have been living below our
spiritual possibilities. Life has been lived at a distance from God, and our
lives have been in a mess. We have experienced a lack of hunger and desire for
God. Perhaps we have been afraid of what God might do to us and with us if He
took full possession. We have not trusted Him completely, thinking He might be
capable of playing a mean trick on us.
What we must do is abandon self
to God. This means facing up to things which are grieving the Holy Spirit and
quenching the Holy Spirit, sins which we are playing with and have not forsaken.
God says it has to go or else He cannot fully possess us. If we are to abandon
self to Him, that thing which He is putting His finger on has got to go. Let go
of all that is coming between us and God. We cannot be controlled by what is
contrary to His will and be controlled by the Holy Spirit at one and the same
time. Definitely and deliberately yield self to God that He may have His way in
your life. Definite relinquishing of control over the life. God must have His
way in the life. Will has to be handed over. He will take control of what we
yield to Him. If He is not Lord of all, He is not Lord at all. God wants us, not
just our service.
Ask Him to take possession, to
control and fill. If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink (John
7:37). How much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those
who ask him (Luke 11:13).
Abide in Him, keep in closest
contact. Each day, yield self afresh for that day. Seek His fellowship. Live
life in the light of His Word. Daily waiting on God. Daily walk, daily
obedience, daily confession of whatever disturbs our relationship with Him.
Consult with Him about everything. Be led and directed by Him. Obey His
prompting. Know His will in His Word.
There are no short cuts here. Someone once said to D.L.Moody, “The world has yet to see what God can do through one man wholly surrendered to Him.” Moody replied, “By God’s grace, I’ll be that man.” Need to daily confirm our submission. As we constantly submit, so we go on being filled with the Spirit in all the choices in daily life. As long as we keep believing, so long shall we keep receiving.
Be continually filled – dominated, ruled, controlled by
the Spirit. You have been born of the Spirit, but have you been filled by the
Spirit? It is not a question of having more of the Spirit, but of the Spirit
having more of you. Are you relying, cooperating and depending on Him? Or do you
obstruct and grieve Him? Is He resident, or president? Have to be yielded to
discover full possibilities in Christ.
Return to the Lord this morning. He delights to restore and recommission those who will confess sin and failure, and place their lives under the control of the Spirit.
