"THE FULLNESS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT"

JOHN 4:13-14; 7:37-39; EPHESIANS 5:18-21

INTRODUCTION

          The late Dr. Homer Lindsay tells the gripping story of an air tragedy that occurred in his seminary days at Southwestern Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas. One morning at breakfast, he was reading the Fort Worth Star Telegram. An Article told of a tragic plane crash. A young student was making one of his final training flights. Evidently, he froze at the controls. Fear causes people to freeze up sometimes. His instructor was heard yelling; “Turn over the controls!” “Turn over the controls!” The student pilot did not. Both were killed in the crash. Tragedy can occur when those who are in training do not turn over the controls to the wiser instructor. In the Christian life, you and I must learn to turn over the controls. I would like to share with you on the topic: “The Fullness of the Holy Spirit.”

I.                  THE BIBLICAL BASIS FOR BEING FILLED

WITH THE SPIRIT (EPHESIANS 5:18)

          Why do you and I who have been born of the Holy Spirit need to be filled? We need to be filled because the Word of God commands us to be filled. Therefore, it is safe to say that anyone who is not filled with the Spirit is a defective Christian. Ephesians 5:18 states, And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit. There are two commands in this verse. The first command is do not get drunk. The second is be filled. One is a prohibition. The other is an imperative. The command to be filled with the Spirit is binding on all Christians everywhere in every age. In other words, the command to be filled is timeless. There are no exceptions. Therefore, we must conclude that since we are ordered, commanded, or obligated to be filled with the Spirit, we are sinning if we are not filled. And your failure to be filled with the Spirit constitutes one of the greatest sins against the Holy Spirit.

When you received Christ as Lord and Savior of your life, the Holy Spirit came to live within you. We call that the indwelling of the Spirit. You were also brought into the body of Christ, which is called the baptism of the Spirit. Then at the same time, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise. The Holy Spirit becomes resident within your heart. He indwells you from then on forever. However, unfortunately, when the Holy Spirit comes to live within us, He does not always get control of our lives. Sometimes we push Him off into a closet in some dark and unkempt corner of our soul. Yes, the Holy Spirit is an occupant in your life, but He has no access to the TV room, or the master bedroom, or the kitchen, or the garage. He is resident in your life, but He is not the president of your life. Only when you come to the place in your Christian experience where you understand the vital importance of giving control of your life over to the Holy Spirit will you be able to live the victorious life.

          It is believed that the average church is filled with three different kinds of people. First, there are those who come to church but do not know the Lord Jesus Christ at all (the natural persons). The Holy Spirit does not live in such persons so they cannot be filled with Him. Second, there are others who are Christians, the Holy Spirit lives within them, but they have never yielded the control of their life to the Spirit (carnal Christians). They are believers but they do not live a very Christlike life. They live on a carnal level. The flesh dictates their lives. Then the third, there are others who consciously and knowingly have given over their lives to the Spirit’s control. Such Christians live everyday with the knowledge that there is power within them, the Holy Spirit, who is the third person of the Trinity controls their life and destiny. I do not know at which level you find yourself, but if you do not come to the place, where the Spirit of God controls your life, your days, as a believer will be marked by discouragement and defeat.

          In Ephesians 5:18, the Apostle Paul draws a contrast between two experiences. A person who is filled with alcohol is controlled or dominated by alcohol. Its presence and power have overridden his normal abilities and actions. I believe that most of us have seen what drunkenness can do to a person. A person who is under the control of alcohol is a changed person in a negative sense. A man in a well design Stacy Adams’ suit begins to look like a homeless person. A shy person becomes obnoxious and speaks profanity. A decent and well-mannered person begins to shout obscenities to anyone he sees. Why does this happen? It is because he is under the control of alcohol. To be filled with alcohol can make you a fool. It is interesting that we often say someone is under the influence of alcohol. On the other hand, when you are filled with the Spirit, you are under the influence of the Spirit. Instead of doing things in your own strength and abilities, you allow the Holy Spirit to empower you. Unfortunately, many believers do not enjoy the unlimited spiritual wealth at their disposal, because they are not filled with the Holy Spirit. Some of you who are sitting under the sound of my voice have spiritual gifts that are untapped or unused. You do not have great concern to share Christ with lost people in your community or neighborhood. There are some of you that your devotional life is uneven, if not totally neglected, and you anticipate reading the newspaper more than reading the Bible. If you pray, it is a cheerless duty and a tedious task rather than a joy.

          Christians have more technology and equipment for evangelizing the world than ever before. And there are better-trained personnel. But one of the great tragedies of our time is this: Many Christians so often lack the fullness of the Spirit and total dependence for God’s power for ministry. Illustrations of the spiritual power that many Christians need but lack can be found in the first century church. It was said of the first century church in one city: These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also (Acts 17:6). There are four things said about the command to be filled with the Spirit. First, it is an imperative. That means it is not optional. This is not something you need weeks and months to ponder. The Bible says every believer no matter who you are, and no matter how long you have been saved, is commanded to be filled and controlled by the Holy Spirit. The statement is not a suggestion, it is an imperative, and it is a command. Second, it is in the plural rather than the singular form. The command is not given exclusively to some super spiritual saints or Christians. It is not given to some elite class or a selected few. It is not a private command for pastors, deacons or church leaders. It is for every born again believer.

          A Christian should not attempt to teach Sunday school class, serve on a committee, sing a song, preach a sermon, or witness to an unbeliever unless he/she is filled with the Holy Spirit. Third, it is in the passive voice, which means the subject is being acted upon from a source other than himself/herself. Nevertheless, when we become Christians we are not passive in receiving the Spirit’s fullness. When a person is drunk, he is not passive. He gets drunk by drinking alcohol. A believer becomes filled with the Spirit by drinking from the fountain of the Spirit. The truth of the matter however, is that you cannot fill yourself with the Holy Spirit. The filling comes from an external source. You are to place yourself in a position where the Spirit can control you. Fourth, it is in the present tense. Unlike the indwelling, baptism, and sealing of the Spirit, the filling of the Spirit is a repeated event. The indwelling, baptism, and sealing are positional truths, but the fullness of the Spirit is practical truth. The text says, be being filled with the Holy Spirit; continually give the control of your life to Him. As I grow in the Lord, I have come to understand that being filled with the Spirit is an ongoing process. As I read and study the Bible, the Holy Spirit reminds me of certain areas of my life that need to be yielded to Him. I then pray and give the control over to Him. You must never think that being filled with the Spirit is a once- and- for- all event. Being filled is a continuous thing, everyday seeking that the Lord will control our lives by His precious Holy Spirit.

          In the NT, we find many people who were filled with the Holy Spirit. For instance, the entire family of John the Baptist knew the filling of the Holy Spirit. In Luke 1:67, we read that John’s father, Zacharias, was filled with the Holy Spirit. In Luke 1:41 John’s mother, Elizabeth, was filled with the Holy Spirit. In Luke 1:15 John himself, we are told, will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from birth. On the Day of Pentecost, the 120 disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:4). In Acts 4:8 Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit again. The disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit after they had prayed for boldness to proclaim the word of God (Acts 4:31). The seven people chosen as leaders in Acts 6 were Spirit-filled men. The Apostle Paul knew the experience of being filled with the Spirit. If the first century Christians were filled with the Holy Spirit, you and I can also be filled. If they needed this experience then, you and I need it now.

II.               FILLED FOR A PURPOSE

          Why does God want us to be filled with the Spirit? God has a purpose in commanding us to be filled with the Spirit. In Acts 4:31 the disciples were filled with the Spirit to proclaim the word of God. The greatest question you need to ask yourself is, "What is my motivation in wanting to be filled with the Spirit"? Do you desire this fullness merely for self-enjoyment and self-gratification, or in order that Christ might be glorified?

          A. We are filled to glorify Christ. Sometimes people seek the fullness of the Holy Spirit for some type of emotional experience. Some seek certain sensation because they see other believers who may have had a particular experience, which they believe has come from the Holy Spirit. Some seek the fullness for wrong reasons. However, the purpose of filling is that we may glorify Jesus Christ (John 16:14). One of the   tests of a Spirit-filled life is, “Is Christ becoming more and more evident in my life?” Are people seeing more of Him and less of me? A person who is filled with the Holy Spirit may not even be conscious of it. Not one biblical character said, I am filled with the Spirit. Others said it about them, but they did not claim it for themselves.

          B. We are filled with the Spirit to live a holy life for Christ. God wants us to live lives that glorify His name. And it is only when we are filled with the Spirit can we glorify God. The Holy Spirit is the one who empowers us to live holy lives. Without the Holy Spirit, you cannot live a holy life.

          C. The fullness of the Holy Spirit empowers us for service. We are filled with the Holy Spirit to serve God and others. The fullness of the Holy Spirit made a difference in Peter’s life (Acts 2 & 4:8). The seven men chosen for practical ministry in Acts 6 were filled with the Holy Spirit. To be filled with the Holy Spirit as I said earlier is not optional, but a divine necessity. It is indispensable for the abundant life and fruitful service. The Spirit-filled life is not abnormal; it is the normal Christian life. Anything less is subnormal; it is less than what God wants to provide for His children. Therefore, to be filled with the Spirit should not be regarded as unique experience for a select few. It is intended for all, needed by all, and available to all Christians.

III.           THE RESULTS OR CONSEQUENCES OF

BEING FILLED VV. 19-21

          The first result of being filled with the Spirit is fellowship (v. 19). Speaking to one another in Psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. This is a spiritual fellowship for we do not address one another in the language of the world but in Psalms and hymns and spiritual songs. We need more spiritual fellowship than gossip among Christians. A believer who gossips is not Spirit-filled but carnal-minded. Christian fellowship encourages one another to worship the living God.

          The second result of being filled with the Spirit is praise and worship (19b). Youth and others who do not participate in singing, you are missing a great part of praise and true worship. Some of you say I do not know the song. Listen to the lyrics and sing along. If you want to sing only songs that you are familiar with, then your worship will be stale, because Christians are always composing and producing worship songs. You learn to do something by doing it. True worship is no mere external ritual performed only in houses of worship. Rather it is that warm-hearted praise and thanksgiving that comes only from a Spirit-controlled heart. Jesus said, God is Spirit and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth (John 4:24). The Holy Spirit produces such worship in the heart of a believer who is Spirit-filled. The natural expression of a Spirit-filled life is worship to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Even in times of sorrow or suffering the child of God, filled with the Spirit, will praise Him. Such is the natural expression of the Spirit controlled life.

          Third, the Spirit-filled believer has an attitude of gratitude (v. 20). Paul wrote to the Colossians, And whatsoever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father (Col. 3:17). In 1 Thessalonians 5:18, Paul writes, In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do you know the opposite of gratitude? It is complain or groan. The Greek word for complaining is gogysmos. It is like the sound of bees that have been disturbed from their hive. Paul is saying that a Spirit-filled person is the one who has an attitude of gratitude. Some people say it is humanly impossible to give thanks to God in everything. That is correct. It is not humanly possible; it is possible only in the heart that is filled with the Holy Spirit. Some Christians give thanks to God when things are going well; Spirit-filled believers give thanks to God always for all things.

          Finally, the Spirit-filled Christian is a submissive person (v. 21). Are you submissive to your parents? Are you submissive to your spiritual leaders? When the flesh is in control, self-expression dominates and the harmony is disrupted. When believers are Spirit-filled, there is mutual submission, never self-assertion. The Apostle Paul says when spiritual fellowship, praise and worship, an attitude of gratitude, and submission are evident in your life then, you are being filled with the Spirit.