Ephesians 5 - 1/18/26 - Pastor Charlie Branch

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Charlie Branch with a word from God.

If you would please turn with me to the

book of Ephesians,

the book of Ephesians, chapter 5.

Ephesians 5 · chapter mention

And uh going to continue just kind of uh

thoughts here, just simple things coming

up. Just dealing with some uh primary

truths in our Sunday school class. just

want to be obedient to the Lord. Felt

like this is where he led me uh this

morning. We'll not be here uh in the

worship hour today. Um we'll be in the

book of Genesis during the preaching

service, but uh the Lord didn't give me

liberty to teach uh in the book of

Genesis this morning. So, I just want to

share uh with you what he put on my

heart for Sunday school. And it's always

best we just obey him.

>> Amen.

>> It's always best and I know he's got

something for us. So, Ephesians chapter

Ephesians 5 · chapter mention

5, I want to begin reading verse 15.

Ephesians 5 verse number 15.

Paul says, "See then that you walk

circumspectly,

not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the

time, because the days are evil.

Wherefore be ye not unwise,

but understanding what the will of the

Lord is. Be not drunk with wine wherein

is excess, but be filled with the

spirit, speaking to yourselves in psalms

and hymns and spiritual songs, singing

and making melody in your heart to the

Lord, giving thanks always for all

things unto God and the Father in the

name of our Lord Jesus Christ,

submitting yourselves one to another in

the fear of God.

Now I want to read look at these verses

that we've read this morning for just a

little while and consider that truth

that's mentioned in verse number 18 uh

where the Bible says he says where and

be not drunk with wine we're in his

excess but be filled with the spirit and

I want to I want to ask three questions

if the Lord would help us I want to ask

what it what first of all what does it

mean to be filled with the spirit what

does being filled with the spirit look

like and what will the filling of the

spirit bring about in my life? And I

want to ask and answer those three

questions out of this text for just just

a little bit of time. And uh I think we

many times just because we we're

familiar with the church and we're

familiar uh with the atmosphere and the

order and everything that goes on here,

I think we forget of the simplicity of

this truth. I think we also forget of

the necessity of it. You understand that

the Christian life is impossible without

this without this truth being a part of

your life. If you are not filled with

the spirit, you cannot operate as a

Christian.

>> Right?

>> And the necessity of that cannot be

overstated.

>> And Paul begins here in this thought. He

he begins not in the chapter, but with

this thought. He begins, if you want to

look at the beginning of the chapter,

you could say this in verse number one.

He says, "Be ye therefore followers of

God as dear children." And so that

imperatively is the first part of the of

being filled with the spirit. We must be

willing to follow. And he gives an

instruction here in this chapter that

we're to walk in love. Uh that we're to

walk in light and we're to walk as he

leads us in this chapter according to

verse number 15. And one writer said it

this way in the New Testament. I don't

remember exactly who it was that said

it, but he said it this way. He said,

"If we live in the spirit, let us also

walk in the spirit." Now, the truth of

that is that if you're saved, you are

alive spiritually. The spirit of God has

made you alive. Ephesians 2 tells us

that you hath he quickened. You have

been made alive who were dead in

trespasses and sins. And so you are

living if you are saved, you are

presently living in the spirit of God.

You are living by his power. But there's

a difference between living in the

spirit and walking in the spirit.

>> Paul tells us in the book of Romans

chapter number eight, he says, "Walk in

the spirit and you not you shall not

fulfill the lust of the flesh." And so

where there's a problem with sin, that

means there's a problem with the spirit

of God in your life. where there is uh

absences or where there are things

present that shouldn't be in your life,

that's a problem of the spirit of God

having control of your life. And so he

labels here in this chapter number five,

he tells us to walk circumspectly. And

that that means to walk carefully. We

ought to we ought to be uh careful about

where we put our foot to. Amen. And uh

that's that's literal and and uh typical

as well. see that you walk

circumspectly, not as fools, but as

wise. Verse 16, redeeming the time

because the days of evil. And so, we're

to walk carefully, but we're to walk

countingly. We're to redeem the time.

We're to buy back what we've lost. You

see, but because of sin, we lose days,

>> right?

>> But I'll tell you this, when you live

for Christ, you gain.

>> Amen. You are adding to what God has

already given unto you. And notice what

he says again in verse 17. He says,

"Wherefore, be ye not unwise, but

understanding what the will of the Lord

is." So, he's already mentioned in verse

15 that a foolish man does not walk

carefully. Notice that in verse 15, see

then that you walk circumspectly, not as

fools. You've ever seen a a drunk

stagger around? You know what? They

don't walk carefully, do they? That's

why they fall down and stumble and step

off of things that they shouldn't. Amen.

>> But he mentions it again in verse 17.

This same type of unwis lack of wisdom

is present. Look what he says by a man

that does not know what the will of God

is. He said be you not unwise but

understanding what the will of the Lord

is. And that understanding means to take

hold of. You see we we talk about a lot

of times and the will of God is not a

mystical thing. Let me put that out

there to you. Okay? If you do what the

Bible says is the will of God, you are

in the will of God.

>> Right?

people talking about, well, I don't know

what the will of God, you know, young

people, it was, you know, I don't know

who the will of God is for my life as a

spouse, man, woman. I don't know who it

is. Well, if you do what God says is the

will of God,

>> what'll happen is you'll wake up and

you'll find yourself one of these days

in the will of God,

>> right?

>> Married to the right person, living the

right life. Because if you follow the

principles of this book, Amen, you're

not going to miss that. You're

>> right. And I think sometimes we we

mysticize things way too much. We want

God to put it on a page of scripture and

say, "This is the man. This is the woman

that I'm supposed to marry." But he's

not going to do that. He does. He's not

going to write it in the sky. He's not

going to tell you a name in your in your

dreams. Amen. It just does not work that

way. But this is what we do. We line

that person up with the word of God. I

don't know why I'm talking about this,

but I just feel led to. Amen. We line

that person up with the word of God.

What does their character say?

>> How do they measure up with the

scriptures character-wise? What is the

condition of their life?

>> What is the uh I guess you would say

what is the contrition of their spirit

unto the Lord? How how surrendered are

they to the will of God? If you ask them

if they're willing to do whatever God

wants them to do and go wherever God

wants them to go, would they say yes?

That's the most important thing. Because

somebody who is unsurdered and

unsubmitted is not going to be submitted

or surrendered to you. Right?

>> And so I notice here in the text, and

I'll say more about that in a minute,

but he says we're to be not unwise, but

understanding what the will of the Lord

is. There's some things that we should

know about. And the will of the Lord is

the most cut and dry thing in the

scripture. You know, there's many things

the Bible says. You can look 1

Thessalonians 5, this is the will of

God, or 1 Thessalonians 4, this is the

will of God. even your sanctification

that you should abstain from

fornication. He he labels that

specifically that though it is the will

of God for children of God to abstain

from sexual sin.

>> Right?

>> In everything give thanks. 1

Thessalonians 5. For this is the will of

God in Christ Jesus concerning you. And

the list goes on. But notice in this

text there's a statement here. He begins

describing first of all we consider here

this uh will of God. be be not unwise,

but understanding what the will of the

Lord is. There's a grasp that we should

have. And then he goes right into verse

number 18 with that connecting word

there. And be not drunk with wine. We're

in his excess. But be filled with the

spirit. Every connotation of walking in

the will of God and living the Christian

life in the Bible, it is a life of

discipline.

>> It is a life of control. It's a life of

character. It is a life that's lived

privately more than publicly. The

Christian that you are is the person

that you are when nobody else is

watching. You're

>> right.

>> And I'll say for myself as well as um

all the rest of us, most of the time

we're not as good Christians as we seem

to be, are we?

>> Right.

>> Amen. And so we've got room to grow.

Notice what he says here. There's a

contrast that he labels in verse number

18. and be not drunk with wine where in

his excess but be filled with the

spirit. So this is an emphasis on

control. This contrast is labeled here

just as the it's a contrast in the

difference of character but it's a

comparison in the in the in the likeness

of control. Notice that be not drunk

with wine. So the comparison here is the

control but the difference is character.

You look at what a drunk person have the

way they operate. They're controlled.

But what what are they doing? They're

controlled to wickedness.

>> They're controlled to things that are

going to defile them. They're controlled

unto perversion. That's why he says it's

excess. There's a there's an there's a

measure of sinfulness. Be not drunk with

wine where is excess, but be filled with

the spirit. And so the same manner that

a drunk man is controlled by his

alcohol, we are to be controlled by the

spirit of God.

>> So what does that tell us? Number one,

the control of the spirit's inward.

Amen.

>> A drunk man, he didn't get drunk by

looking at a glass of wine, did he?

>> Right?

>> He had to intake it. If you're going to

be controlled by the spirit, you've got

to have an intake,

>> right,

>> of the spirit of God. How do you get

that?

It's the word, isn't it? So what you

intake is what you're going to be

influenced by. So he says here in the

text, but be filled with the spirit. So

there's not only here that there's an

intake, but this influence is a filling.

It means to be completely filled up.

That word filling there means to be

completely controlled. It has the image

of this. You think about a uh if you

took this water bottle here and it was

full, you would say that that thing's

filled. It'd be filled completely to the

top. You are a container.

Yes.

>> Your what does what does Paul say? He

said your body is the temple

>> right

>> of God. Ain't that right? That's what he

said. He said it's the temple of God.

You're not your own. You're bought with

a price. Therefore, glorify God. What

did he say? In your body, in your

spirit, which are the Lord's. And so, if

you're a container, amen, you are

controlled by what you're filled by. So,

he says, be filled with the spirit, the

spirit of God. That is the control of

the Holy Ghost in our life. And so the

contrast is seen in our character that

we're to not be controlled by the flesh,

but we're to be controlled by our faith,

to be filled with the spirit. Then

there's a connection here, and this is

what I want to get to, okay? You say,

"Preacher, I already know all this

stuff." You probably do, but it's good

to remember it. Amen. It helped me just

reading over it again. Notice what your

Bible says. The last part, notice the

last punctuation of verse number 18. You

see that little punctuation there? You

know what that does?

That connects connects this text

together to verse number 19. It's a

continued statement. Be not drunk with

wine where his ex says. And tell me, all

right, I get this wrong all the time. Is

that a colon or a semicolon?

Somebody tell me.

>> Semicolon. That's what I thought. Okay,

I didn't want to embarrass myself and be

wrong. Okay, but it's a semicolon. Now,

notice it again in our text. It's

mentioned there. Verse 18. Be not drunk

with wine where is excess. semicolon

connected but be filled with the spirit

again semicolon verse 19 speaking to

yourselves and psalms and hymns and

spiritual songs.

Okay. So what it means number one to be

filled with the spirit what it means to

be filled with the spirit is for the

scriptures and the spirit of god to have

complete and total control of your life.

the way that your brain operates the

limbs of your body. That is the control

that the spirit of God is to have over

every outlet of your life,

>> everything. And so that's what it means

to be filled with the spirit. Well, what

does it look like to be filled with the

spirit? Well, notice what he says in

verse 19. It's connected statement.

Speaking to yourselves in psalms and

hymns and spiritual songs, singing and

making melody in your heart to the Lord.

Now, remember I just said it was inward,

didn't I? that alcoholic, he has to take

that alcohol inside of him. He doesn't

get drunk looking at the glass. Amen. No

more than you can be spiritual looking

at that book. Amen. Amen. That's right.

Look what he says again. Notice it in

verse 19. Speaking to yourselves,

okay? Now, that's not craziness. All

right? But it's an internal meditation.

It's the internal ministry of the

scriptures and the spirit in your life.

speaking to yourselves. Notice what he

labels in the verse. Speaking to

yourselves in psalms and hymns and

spiritual songs. Now, of course, we know

what Paul was writing about here. They

didn't have the New Testament. Amen.

They had the psalms, the spiritual

songs, the hymns that are mentioned here

is what David wrote and what Moses wrote

and what the prophets wrote. It was a

meditation on the word of God.

>> We know that the Hebrew language, that

language, every letter has a musical

notation. And you can look that up in

history, you'll find that. And that's

the way that the Hebrew boys learned the

first five books of the Bible. They

would sing it and they could quote the

entirety of the penetuk because they

could sing it. That's that's not that's

not something that's that's unknown.

That's something that we're very

familiar with. And so when he says

speaking to yourselves, first of all,

that means there must be a meditation on

the word alone. I want I want to

emphasize this. Okay? Notice what he

says first. He says speaking to

yourselves. So that emphasizes first of

all speaking is just words, isn't it?

There's no measure of music. There's no

tune put to that. But speaking is just

words. And so that tells me primarily

that we're to be meditating on the word

by itself.

>> All right. Then notice what he says

again. Speaking to yourselves in psalms

and hymns and spiritual songs. So

there's speaking, then there's singing.

Singing. That is the the uh this the the

heart producing worship. Now I don't

want to dive too deep in this. I I I I

wrote some things down here and I don't

want to get too far off with this. Okay,

but singing is will take control of your

life.

>> Right?

>> You say, "What do you mean by that?"

Well, what you allow yourself to listen

to.

>> What you sing with

>> is what you're going to intake is what

is what you're going to find your life

patterns itself to. You're right.

>> This is why it's so important for our

children that we influence to them that

worldly music is bad for their health.

>> Amen. All types of. And I'll say this

myself. I'll be honest with you. I love

music. And I struggle with this for many

years as a young man. I love all types

of music. And that's not right.

>> You'll never hear preachers say that in

the pull pit. But I'm telling you the

truth. That's the flesh in me.

>> And so here's what happens when you

allow that stuff. You go into a

restaurant and you hear a song you not

listened to in 5 10 years, however long

it's been, or before you got saved, you

know what happens? You can immediately

remember by that tune.

>> You're right.

>> Before they ever say a word, you can

remember what the song is.

>> Don't act look at me like I'm crazy.

>> You're right.

>> You know I'm right about that.

>> And so what this does here, when we

place that song, when we put the

scripture to a song, it's designed to

make an imprint on our mind. Well, the

devil has t taken that

>> and turned it and the music industry is

pretty much the biggest industry in in

the world basically.

>> It's what he uses to control the minds

of untold millions. But he tells us

we're to be singing. And so that means

there's a measure of uh this singing

that we're to be doing. It has to be

done properly. I'll deal more with this

in the future here at the church, but I

just want to get get this off my heart

this morning. So they're speaking,

they're singing, then they're sounding.

Look what he says in verse 19. And

spiritual songs, singing and making

melody

in your heart to the Lord. And so all of

this is connected.

Truth must be spoken. We would agree

with that.

>> All right. But truth must be sung. And I

think what we've lacked in this day and

time is a lot of churches have built

their ministry off of singing.

>> Come on.

>> But you know what? A lot of singing is

not doctrally right.

>> All right.

>> So, you know what happens? As the

singing drifts, then the preaching

drifts.

>> Yeah.

>> And as the singing influences the rest

of the service, the preaching has to

follow along with the singing. But you

see, that's never the way it was meant

to be. You're

>> right.

>> The preaching is meant to influence

everything else.

>> And if the singing doesn't line up with

the preaching, or and I'll say this, or

if the singer doesn't line up with the

preaching.

>> Yeah. Come on.

>> That's a negative influence.

>> Yeah. If it, and let me just say this,

okay? If a singer is not faithful to

church and they come in and sing a song

about the faithfulness of the Lord,

well, that doesn't that make them a

hypocrite? You're

>> right.

>> If they can't get to church on time, if

they're not faithful to church is here

as often as they can, we get in the

choir and sing about how good it is to

be saved, how much we love the Lord when

we're not even faithful to church the

three times a week that we have it.

>> Come on.

>> How serious are we about it?

>> That's good.

>> Well, he says here in the text that this

is a constant thing.

Notice the last last punctuation. Verse

19. You see it again. Still connected.

>> Notice verse 20. Giving thanks. What's

that next word?

>> So all of this is connected to that

little word always. It ought to be a

constant thing in our heart. There ought

to be a song in our heart at all times.

>> David said, I believe it's Psalm 34 and

verse number one, he said, I'll bless

the Lord at all times. at all times.

Now, I'm going to deal with that verse

in just a minute. But this sing, the

speaking, the singing, the sounding in

our life, the ministry that we have,

first of all, is personal.

You've got to get your thought life

straightened out.

>> You will never be effective in the work

of God. See, this here's the thing about

it. God will give you victory. I'm

thankful God has allowed me I've I've

been been blessed to have a measure of

victory in my thought life. And God's

blessed me, and I thank him for that,

and I praise him openly for that. I'm

thankful that I can re my thoughts in

and be able to control those things. But

you know what? That's an everyday thing.

>> Yes.

>> There are days that I don't have control

of it like I should.

>> There are thoughts that I have. There

are thoughts that you have that you

think, man, that's that's really good

for a saved person to think that.

>> But I'll tell you, we've got people in

this day, and I know y'all don't believe

this. I know y'all here for Sunday

school this morning, but there's people

in this day and time that think it's

okay to let their thoughts run wild.

You're right.

>> They think, "Well, as long as I don't

act on it,

>> as long as I don't do something wrong or

say something wrong, my thoughts, that's

okay. I can get by with that."

>> I want to remind you something. God

knows your thoughts,

>> right?

>> And sin is not just anything I say or do

that displeases God. But it's anything I

think, say, or do that displeases God.

>> Comes back to a a great truth about

Christ. You know, people talk about

Christ. Well, it was possible that he

could have sinned. People say that, and

they're wrong. Here's why they're wrong.

Because if Christ could have sinned, you

know where he would have sinned first?

In his thoughts,

>> right?

>> What do you think about the Messiah

having bad thoughts?

>> He couldn't sin.

>> There was no g in his mouth. There was

no wickedness in his mind.

>> He had to be completely and perfectly

pure.

And so, you know what? God gives us a

victory in this life. He gives us

control over our tongue. Amen. If any

man seemth to be religious, James said,

"Brideth not his tongue." He said, "This

man's religion is in vain." That's what

he said. And so God gives us a victory

over our tongue. He gives us victory

over our hands, how we live our life,

what we do, our actions. He gives us

victory over what we say. But I'll tell

you this, what you going to deal with

for the rest of life is your mind.

>> Right? And

>> Paul said to the Corinthian church this

way. He said, "The weapons of our

warfare are not carnal, but they're

mighty through God to the pulling down

of strongholds, casting down

imaginations." Where's imaginations?

And every high thing that exaltth itself

against the knowledge of God, those high

things are what gets here, it's what

controls us. Adrien Rogers said it this

way. He said, he said the the brain and

he said the brain and the mind is like

the relationship to a piano of a piano

to a pianist.

>> And I like what he said about it. He

said, "Some of us have got a grand piano

and some of us have got to spin it."

Y'all didn't get that. Amen. Some of you

did, but

but the truth is, amen, the brain is

what controls your body, but the mind is

what tells the brain to do.

How are you living your life?

This truth here, what are you meditating

on? That is in the mind.

For with the heart man believeth under

righteous. With the mouth confession is

made under salvation. That heart, your

mind, all of that's connected. It's the

same.

You look up that word heart there in the

book of Romans. It literally translates

to the word mind. Well, people, you

know, people say, "Well, I I just, you

know, I had an a I made a profession and

I just, you know, I intellectually

believed."

Well, you can't believe in Jesus without

believing in him intellectually.

>> Faith cometh by hearing. Where do you

what what hears? The mind through the

ears hears. So, you can't separate

salvation from the mind. Faith cometh by

hearing. hearing by the word of God.

Without knowledge, there is no

salvation.

>> Amen.

>> And you don't have to have all

knowledge. Amen. But we know that a man

must know a few things. He must know

number one, he's a sinner. Amen.

>> Where's knowledge? That's here.

>> Yeah.

>> Knowledge. Must know that you're a

sinner. Must know that Jesus is the

savior. And must believe the gospel.

>> Right?

>> You have to know those things. And so,

we can't separate that. Look what he

said again. And he said, "Be not unwise,

but understanding." That's knowledge.

That's receiving. That's grasping what

the will of the Lord is. We ought to

know more today than we did yesterday.

>> Right?

>> And so he tells us here that our

consideration. He he gives us the

contrast verse 18, the connection is

that little semicolon. And then there's

the consideration here of how we ought

to live our life. We ought to be

speaking to ourselves, psalms and hymns

and spiritual songs, singing and making

melody in your heart to the Lord. I'll

be honest with you, you may not be able

to carry a tune in the bucket, but if

you're saved and you're filled with the

spirit of God, you will have a song.

>> Yes,

>> you will. You say, "Preacher, what is

it?" Well, I can tell you this songs

that I've had is these old hymns, man.

God blessed me with those things in the

middle of the night.

I mean, you think about the verses that

uh I think that verse comes to my mind

often times. Thou will keep him in

perfect peace. His mind is stayed on

thee because he trustth in thee. That's

a that's a song. That's a that's a

spiritual song. Brings comfort in

darkness. Look what he says in verse 20.

I want to deal with this for a minute

and I'll be done. Giving thanks always

for all things unto God and the Father

in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Now, you've probably heard me say this.

I know you've heard other people say

this. The Bible never says give thanks

for all things. It just says in all

things give thanks.

>> Well,

I hate to tell you this, but right there

it doesn't say that, does it? Notice it

again. Giving thanks always for all

things.

Now, I understand our lives are rid are

are riddled with junk. That's right.

>> We are victims of sickness,

many times of Satan, always of sin.

Somebody say amen right there. And so

because of that, we look at a situation

and we think to ourselves, these deep

dark places in our life, how can we give

thanks for that?

Well, I want you to notice the verse

again.

Look what he says. Giving thanks always

for all things. What's the next two

words?

>> God. unto God. You know how you can look

at every event in life that takes place

and be thankful for it is realize that

God is on the back side of that thing.

>> Yes.

>> Working it. What did he say? For all

things work together for good to them

that love God, to them who are the

called according to his purpose. You

understand the world doesn't know this

kind of thankfulness,

>> right?

>> We can give thanks for all of things.

You say, "Preacher, what about the

murders and martyrs and all of that

stuff?" Them people, them martyrs, they

went to their dying breath with

thankfulness on their lips. You

remember, you look there in the book of

Acts, the apostles there, Acts chapter

Acts 4 · chapter mention

4, when when Peter and John were called

in there to stand before the Sanhedrin

said they marveled that they were

unlearned and ignorant men. And they

threatened them, said that they speak no

more in the name of Jesus. And you

remember what happened when they left?

They left rejoicing

>> and thanking God. Why? Because they were

counted worthy. You're right.

>> To suffer.

Do you realize the sufferings of your

life? God has entrusted you with that.

>> You're right. Come on.

>> You ever thought about that? Think about

all Job went through. You know what God

was doing? He was entrusting him with

that trial.

>> Yes.

>> Cuz you know what? He knew what was

going to come out on the other side.

>> Amen.

>> The worst things in your life, when you

choose to view them from the eye of

God's providence, there is nothing that

you cannot thank God for.

>> Yeah.

I believe that. That's what it says,

ain't it? He said, "Giving thanks

always." That means all the time,

unceasing,

giving thanks always for all things.

That means there is nothing. You know

what this is? You know what this is?

This is sincerity.

>> Giving thanks always. That's that's

constant. That's eternal. We'll be

giving thanks when we leave here. Amen.

When we get to heaven. But he goes

beyond that. He says for all things unto

God and the father. So that is our

sincerity before God. No we may not be

thankful outwardly though we know we may

be broken on the outward from the

circumstances or situations of our life.

But the Bible says we can give thanks

for all things.

>> Amen.

>> Come on.

>> When you realize that every event

happens in your life.

>> Yes.

I'm so thankful that you've said this to

me so many times, but every event

happens in your life has to come through

and by the providential hand of God.

>> You're right.

>> No matter how bad, no matter how awful,

no matter how much you hate it

>> in the flesh, it had to come by his

hand. You know what you can do? You can

say, "Thank you."

>> Amen.

>> This what you want for me. This is what

I want for myself.

>> Amen.

>> That'll help you. Amen. Amen.

>> Lord, if this is what you want for me,

this is what I know I need. Know my

flesh doesn't like it, but I'll take it.

>> Amen.

>> And I'll thank you for it. That's easy

preaching, but that's hard living.

>> Amen.

>> Notice verse 20 again. Giving thanks

always for all things unto God and the

Father in the name of our Lord Jesus

Christ. That's why we pray in Jesus

name.

>> Amen.

>> You give thanks. You give thanks in

Jesus name. Verse 21. Notice this and

I'm done.

submitting yourselves one to another in

the fear of God. Now, we men, we love to

get to verse 22. Wives, submit

yourselves unto your own husbands as

under the Lord. We love that. Amen.

Women, don't get nervous on me, okay?

I'm going to help you right here. All

right, listen to what he says in verse

21. Submitting yourselves one to another

in the fear of God.

A Christian is to live a completely

subdued and submitted life. You say,

"What do you mean by that?" To every

believer that you come across, it

doesn't matter how long they've been

saved, doesn't matter uh how long you've

been saved or anything to do with your

life, if they're saved and you're saved,

you ought to be able to submit unto them

if they're right with God and you're

right with God.

>> Right?

>> They're not going to ask you to do

anything that's outside the will of God

if they're right with God. And you're

not going to ask them to do anything

that's outside the will of God if you're

right with God. So, you know what that

creates?

Fellowship,

>> right?

>> You know why we don't have fellowship in

this day and time? Because people ain't

willing to submit themselves.

>> You're right. Come on.

>> I will submit to any believer who is

desiring to follow God the same way that

I want to.

I know that sounds crazy, but that's

what he says. Submitting yourselves one

to another. You say, "Preacher, how can

you do that?" Well, the Holy Ghost is in

control of me. And if you're saved, that

Holy Ghost, the same one, is in control

of you.

>> So, you know what? He's going to tell

you the same thing he would tell me. And

so, the submission comes into this

factor in verse 21 when he says,

"Submitting yourselves one to another."

How can you do that? Well, you can

submit because there's been surrender.

Look what he says. Submitting yourselves

one to another. What's that last phrase?

In the fear of God. You know why?

There's no fellowship. Why? There's no

submission between brethren in the

church because there's no fear of God.

>> Come on.

>> There's no obedience to him and his

commands. Only when you are obedient,

man, I'm telling you, I'm telling you,

there is nothing greater in this life.

And I'm thankful that I've got to

experience this with a handful of people

down through my life, but being able to

sit down and talk with somebody that is

completely surrendered to the will of

God. They have completely submitted

their life unto Christ. And I in that

same moment I've prayed and asked God,

cleanse me of all sin and obviously they

have. And we sit down and have

fellowship and we can talk about

anything and everything completely

submitted one to another. They can give

an idea to me. I can give an idea to

them. And we can receive truth because

the boundary is the will of God.

>> Amen.

>> You see, people think we're in a prison.

But I'll tell you this, when you get in

the will of God, it's just like walking

through a through a forest

path and opening into an open field and

finding out that the sun does shine on

the other side of this. That there is

light and there is joy and there is

blessing.

What happens to us? We get so focused

sometimes on just getting there. We

don't like the narrow path that it takes

to get there.

>> Yes.

>> Bible still says straight is the gate.

>> That's for salvation. But that's also

that's also for your life.

>> It's a narrow way. People can call us

narrow-minded if they want to, but I'll

tell you this. I might be narrow-minded

here, but I can tell you in my heart

when I get out in them that field of

grace,

>> submitting. I'm tell you this husband

marital bliss. The greatest marital

bliss that you'll ever experience is

when your wife is submitted to the will

of God and you're submitted to the will

of God and you two can love one another.

You're right.

>> Perfectly.

>> Come on.

>> Being willing to do whatever and go

wherever God asked you to.

>> And I'm thankful that I've got to

experience that.

>> That's the greatest blessing of life. I

think that is

in this text. He begins dealing with

that in verse 22. That's why he starts

dealing with the marriage. But I want to

remind you all of this is connected.

What was the question?

What does it mean to be filled with the

spirit of God? What does it look like?

Well, let me ask you, how much of your

mind is filled with a song?

>> I'll be honest with you, and I I say

this not boastfully at all, but I'm

thankful that God has put enough word,

enough song in my mind that I have to

willfully push it out.

>> Yes.

>> To try to find something else that that

serves the flesh. That's not boastful.

I'm just telling you the truth. God puts

it in. If you want it, he'll do it.

>> You're right.

>> He'll put it in there. He will. But I'll

say this. What's it going to bring in

your life? It's going to bring

fellowship.

>> Yes.

>> What does being filled with the spirit

mean? It means to be controlled by the

spirit, led by the scriptures, means to

be completely filled up. What does it

look like? Well, you have a song.

You have the scriptures on the inside.

Your mind, your inward is is filled with

the word of God and with the witness of

the spirit. What's it going to bring?

It's going to bring fellowship. It's

going to bring submission. And it'll

bring joy. Amen. I tell you what, that's

what I want.

>> This what I decided. I decided this. And

it ain't been that long ago I decided

this. I decided that I'm going to be

submitted to his will. If nobody else in

my life is,

>> I'll do whatever he asked. Here's the

thing about it. Until you make that

resolve, God can't use you.

>> Right.

>> Amen. You got to be completely submitted

to his will. Kenneth Wu said this. He

said, "Subjecting oneself to another is

the opposite of self assertion, the

opposite of an independent autocratic

spirit. It is the desire to get along

with one another, being satisfied with

less than one's due, a sweet

reasonleness of attitude." I don't know

about you, but that's about the best

definition I've ever heard of that. A

sweet reasonleness of attitude. Ain't

ain't reasonable people nice to be

around. Amen.

>> Christian people ought to be more

reasonable than anybody.

>> Amen. Father, thank you for this day.

Thank you for this time. Lord, help us

to be filled with the spirit. Lord, you

told us in your word if we live all if

we live in the spirit, let us also walk

in the spirit. Lord, please give us

strength to do that. Lord, help us not

have confidence in the flesh, Lord, our

own or anybody else's. Lord, let us

trust in you. We love you. Thank you for

loving us. Bless the worship hour. We

give you thanks for what you do because

we ask it in Jesus name. Amen. God bless

you.

>> Thank you for joining our service

[music] today. We'd love it if you join

us in person the next time you are able

at Meadows Baptist Church. Our [music]

physical address is 2988 Stewart Road in

Walnut Cove, North Carolina. Our service

times are Sunday school at 10:00 a.m.,

Sunday morning worship at 11:00 a.m.,

Sunday [music] evening worship at 6:00

p.m., and Wednesday evening Bible study

at 700 p.m. For more [music]

information, visit us at

meadowsbaptisturch.com.

Thanks again for tuning in.

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