Ephesians Part 11

Ephesians chapter 5. We're in verse 15, we're going

Ephesians 5 · chapter mention

verse 15 through, 19, 15 through 20 this morning.

Look carefully. Then how you walk not as unwise,

but as wise making the best use of the time because the days are

evil, therefore, do not be foolish.

But understand what the will of the Lord is and do not get drunk

with wine for that is debauchery.

But be filled with the spirit addressing one, another in

Psalms, and hymns, and spiritual songs singing, and making Melody

to the Lord with your heart giving.

Thanks always and forever. For everything to God the

father, in the name of our Lord. Jesus Christ.

Let's pray Heavenly Father we thank you for your word, we

trust and expect that you're going to nourish us that you're

going to feed us that you're going to train us that you will

equip us. and got in particular today, as we look at the command

and the promise About the baptism in the Holy Spirit.

Now, we ask that you would fill us again for us today, Phyllis

overflowing, so that there's no room for anything else.

We thank you for it in Jesus name.

Amen. So your Bible may break up the

letter here in Ephesians with different headings, for example.

At the beginning of chapter 5, mine has a little heading.

It says walk in love. And then down at verse 22 of

chapter 5, it says wives and husbands.

So depending on how how the translators of your particular

version did that verse 21 may fall in the section that we're

covering this morning. It may fall in the next section.

Either way, it's okay, but I'm just going to do verses 15

through 20 today and then Next week we'll start in verse 21,

but verse 15 is where we're going to pick things up.

Of course, we're still in the very practicals of Ephesians.

We started off with the big. Now we're zooming in on the

specific and we're really getting into other portions of

how. So we were told, you were made

new. We were told take off the old

man, we were told put on the new man, but now we're getting more

and more power so that we can actually do.

So, if you felt a little bit discouraged before, if you felt

a little bit like, man, the pressure was on me.

Well, good news. You don't have the Our to do

anything on your own and you were never expected to.

And the Holy Spirit, will fill you.

So, that's where we're going to get to in a few verses, but

let's take it one person at a time.

So, starting in verse 15, the command is, he says, look

carefully. Then how you walk?

Or we could say how you live. He doesn't mean necessarily

about walking. He's talking about your Walk of

Life or the way you live look carefully.

Then how you walk not as unwise but as wise, what's he talking

about here? See, paying attention to what

you're doing and why you're doing it.

The norm, the default setting for most people is to drift.

This is the default setting for most lives.

There, a ship at sea, but the sales are not up.

The rudder is not set. There's no navigation that's

happened. We're just at Sea and we said,

well, I'm a ship and unfortunately, a lot of

Christians live this way as well.

Well, I'm a ship. The Lord made me a ship, and I'm

out at Sea. That's where I belong.

Well, so far, so good and yet, there's also a mission and yet,

Also a purpose and it takes deliberate thought and it takes

deliberate effort. And it takes intentionality to

actually, make sure we're pursuing something worth

pursuing. This can happen in any area of

life. This can happen for just a

normal person, right? What are you supposed to do in

life? Well, you're supposed to grow

up. Okay?

And to what end to what purpose? Well, get married.

Okay, to what end to have kids. Okay?

To what end? So you can love them, okay?

And then what and then you You work.

And then what will you retire? Why?

So you can relax and then what will you die?

And then what you go to heaven, to what end?

What was the purpose of anything?

Have we given thought to our Direction?

Have we given thought to our motive, have?

We given thought to the deliberate things that were

supposed to be doing look carefully, actually, pay

attention to how you live in conduct your life, not as

unwise, but as wise skilled and expert is the idea that he's

talking about here when he's talking about Not unwise, but

wise, what kind of what kind of deliberate effort are?

You putting into the way you're living your life right now?

as a Christian, of course, Also, just as a person, I mean,

there's all kinds of things that would bless us and benefit us

when we put some deliberate effort into leading ourselves,

some discipline into the way that we live our lives, to make

sure. Do I have a purpose?

Do I have a reason? Do I have a motive?

You know, it's funny in the business that I own the coaching

practice that I have these guys, they they make a significant

financial investment to work inside of the business that I

have. And the very first thing that we

do, the very first thing. They like, all right, I'm ready

to get into this thing, you know.

I'm ready to lead my family with strength and love, it's going to

be amazing, it's going to be incredible, it's going to be

powerful. The very first thing, we do

these grown men who are accomplished in all kinds of

areas of life is I set their bedtime with them?

That's the very first thing we do.

I'm not joking, that's the first thing and it almost all of them

need it almost all of them. I'm like, hey.

So what's your bedtime like? Well, you know, sometimes this

sometimes that and I'm as guilty as anybody else sometimes this,

sometimes that what's your wake time?

I'll sometimes this sometimes that well, who determines these

things? The moon.

Your kids, like how do we know when we're supposed to go to

bed? Like how many episodes were

going to binge? It's a simple thing but it's

always the simple things that mean the most it's always it's

always those things that Make the biggest difference.

Now got some guys, their work schedules are absolutely insane.

You've got to have like a calculus degree to figure out

when they're going to be working.

So some are some, it's easier than others.

But putting effort into something, deliberate, putting

effort, into something specific and saying there will be good

fruit from this pay attention to how you walk.

Pay attention to how you live, pay attention to how you conduct

your life. Now, in this context, of course,

the holy spirit's directing us. He's talking about the Holiness

to the degree that we walk in Holiness as to walking and

worldliness. He's just been teaching and

instructing, take off that old man.

Put on the new man. Pay attention to how you walk.

He could also be saying, pay attention to how you dress.

Pay attention to what you put on that new man, that new life.

Are you pursuing that? Are you deliberate with that?

Because it's those things that you think that, don't mean a lot

that mean a whole lot. My clients experience the same

thing. I tell guys be consistent with

your bedtime and your wake time and I don't care what their

bedtime awake time is. I just tell them that they have

to pick it. But be consistent with it

brother, give it 21 days and you're going to start to feel

like a different person. Your body is actually going to

start to actually reward you because you've given it

consistency. Even if it's not enough sleep,

your body will still function better because your body goes.

Thank you. You jerk.

I finally know what we're doing because you kept me guessing all

the time but now I got something to work with and you lease your

reprogramming me and they start to go.

Whoa, like I feel better. I feel differently?

Yeah. We're just starting to stack up.

There's a lot more good fruit. To come.

But we start with the basics know I wanted the advanced

stuff. Now you haven't gotten out of

kindergarten yet, once you get out of kindergarten will go to

first grade when we finished, first grade will go to second

grade. Yes, eventually we can

experience all the good fruit will graduate will go all the

places that we should, but it starts with paying attention to

the simple things. The Christian Life is the same

way, pay attention to the simple things.

One of the simple, but profound and important things is after

you become born again, every believer should be baptized with

the Holy Spirit. Every Christian should be Filled

with the spirit of God, this is God's will.

This is God's intention. This is God's plan.

So this is something to pursue. This is something to care for.

But I'm going to keep talking about this idea of wisdom here.

This idea of skillfulness this idea of being expert, not

necessarily an expert, but pursuing expertise in your walk

with the lord. Well, I'm just going to be one

of those normal Christians. There's, there's not such thing

as a normal Christian. There's just people who love the

Lord their God with all their heart soul, mind and strength.

Now, yes, there is carnal Christianity and this is what

the Lord is telling us to flee from.

I'm born again. I'm going to heaven when I die.

Well, that was never the plan. That was just, that was the

infancy. But we want to grow out of this

carnality. We want to grow into maturity,

I'm going to have you turn to First Kings.

Old Testament, you're going to flip to the left in your Bible.

So, as you flip back there, you might see first Samuel, second

Samuel. If you see that, you're almost

there, keep turning to the right at that point.

If you see Chronicles, you came too far to the right, go back to

the left. First Kings chapter 10 is where

1 Kings 10 · chapter mention

we're going? First Kings chapter 10, going to

1 Kings 10 · chapter mention

read to you verses one through nine.

So, King Solomon, he is the son of David.

So, David, and Bathsheba had Solomon.

Solomon becomes King. Solomon has sought The Lord At

the beginning of Solomon's, Reign.

The Lord said, ask me anything you want.

And Solomon said, give me wisdom.

Give me wisdom to rule your people and the Lord said because

you didn't ask for money because you didn't ask me for the death

of your enemies because you asked me for wisdom, I'm going

to give you wisdom and I'm going to give you money and I'm going

to give you the death of your enemies and I'm give you Victory

and I'm going to give you peace but Solomon was filled with the

wisdom of God. There was an Excellence about

the way he led the kingdom. There was a the Holy Spirit

Direction on his life. So now when the Queen of Sheba

heard of the fame of Solomon concerning, the name of the

Lord, she came to test With hard questions.

So this is a ruler in her own, right.

So if she's a ruler, she's got hard questions that are

genuinely hard questions. May be regarding rulership, may

be regarding a kingdom, may be regarding particular other

things. We don't know all the details.

But she came to Jerusalem with a very great group.

I don't know what that word, is Retin-A retinue.

She came with a huge Caravan with camels bearing spices, and

very much gold and precious stones.

And when she came to Solomon, she told him all that was on her

mind. I was about to make a joke, but

I decided not to and Solomon answered all of her questions.

There was nothing hidden from the King that he could not

explain to her. And when the Queen of Sheba had

seen all the wisdom of Solomon, the house that he had built the

food of his table, the seating of his officials, and the

attendance of his servants, their clothing, his cupbearers,

and his burnt offerings, that he offered at the house of the

Lord. There was no Breath in her.

And she said to the king, the report was true that I heard in

my own land of your words and of your wisdom but I did not

believe the reports until I came and my own eyes had seen it.

And behold the half was not told to me your wisdom and prosperity

surpassed the report that I heard happy are your men.

Happy are your servants who continually stand before you and

hear your wisdom blessed. Be the Lord, your God who is

delighted in you and set you? You on the throne of Israel

because the Lord loved Israel forever.

He has made you King that you may execute Justice and

righteousness. Praise God.

When we walk with the Lord, we when we walk full of his spirit

and full of his wisdom, people take notice there's a way to

live a life of excellence in pursuit of the Lord, not to put

on a show. The motive is the glory of God.

The motive is not look at my Excellence.

The motive is I want to live in accordance with Kingdom ways and

Kingdom principles. Well, Kingdom ways, and Kingdom

principles are excellent, Kingdom ways.

And Kingdom principles don't allow you to binge Into the

Night. A television show Kingdom ways

and Kingdom principles, do change the way that you wake up

in the morning Kingdom ways and Kingdom principles interact

change. All of your interactions with

with all people, so you're not pursuing Excellence for the sake

of Excellence. It's really pursuing the Lord

and pursuing. The Lord brings a deliberate

effort. It brings a sensitivity to the

Holy Spirit where he would say do it like this and not like

that. Do it like it this way, is

better than that way you go. Well, that's brilliant.

Why didn't I think of that hope? Because you're not me in the,

but the Holy Spirit knows all things.

He'll lead us and guide us into all truth Thea lot.

Rich theological truth and simple ways for how to organize

your garage better. The holy spirit is your helper.

In all things. He will guide you in everything

and every single thing you do, does he care about that?

He cares about you. He cares about you and it,

pleases him to give us a garden. It pleases us, it pleases him to

give us jurisdiction it. Pleases him to give us an

opportunity to attend something to till it in to keep it.

So, as he's plant, as he's given us, a garden to work in 1:58,

keep to fill the Earth and subdue it.

If if anyone would turn to him and seek his wisdom and his

counsel, he's eager to answer that question.

Do I need to go seek the Lord for four hours?

To ask him, how to organize the garage?

Probably not, but I would say as you're organizing the garage,

you can say, Lord, I'm stumped. What should I do about this, or

what should I do about that? I'm seeking you.

Lord, we should I plant strawberries.

Here, should I plant this there? How, what might be the right way

to do it? The Lord will direct you and

guide you because he fills you with wisdom, he fills you with

Clarity. He fills you with truth, he

fills you with Excellence, he'll tell you what tree stand to use.

He'll show you what which job to turn down hill Show you which

phone call to make. He'll guide us in all these ways

to the point where people take notice.

And they don't, she doesn't glorify Solomon.

She says your God is done this. Your got this is obviously not

some dude who's read a bunch of books and figured a bunch of

stuff out. Clearly, this is the love that

God has for you and for his people a wise life leads people

to glorify God because they see his kingdom.

So and we continue in verse 16, we were to be managers of our

time why we live in evil days. So it's all more important that

we shine God's light and just like Solomon, we can't get this

wisdom on her own. We need the Holy Spirit to fill

us and to guide us verse 17, he continues.

Sorry, we're back in Ephesians now, let me go there.

Ephesians 5:17. Therefore, do not be foolish,

Ephesians 5:17

but understand what the will of the Lord is this is a command.

Hey, don't be foolish. Okay, understand the will of the

Lord will before earlier. Few verses earlier, we were told

discern the will of the Lord verse 10, try and discern,

what's pleasing to the Lord. Try and discern, what's pleasing

to the Lord. Now, we're told now we're

commanded. Hey, no, no.

The will of God. Really, hey know, the will of

God. All right.

Hop to it? No, the will of God, what a

crazy command. If we couldn't actually walk it

out, what a ridiculous thing to tell us what to do.

Don't be foolish, understand the will of the Lord and how might

one do that? Well, he continues in the

following verses, he tells us, how can, you know, the will of

the lord, we can do the will of the Lord.

First of all, through his word through his scripture and then

from there, we can know. The will of the Lord by being

filled with the Holy Spirit, don't be foolish.

Stan. What the will of the Lord is

this implies, this obviously means this necessitates that you

can know the will, the lord. Well, his ways are not our ways.

That's a true statement, that's in the scripture and yet the

follow-up that all of scripture reveals is he wants us to know

his ways. His ways are not our ways.

His wonders to perform. That is so true, but that's not

the full picture. That's not the full story.

Yes that is a verse But that is not, that is not, that doesn't

mean what you think, it means, what's that, what's the quote

from the movie? The word you keep using that

word? I don't think it means you

think. It mean there's a lot of verses

in the Bible. I could say that about that.

You keep using that verse. I don't think it means what you

think of me. What was it?

Yeah, Princess Bride. Thank you.

We have the boys saying that we got to show.

The boys. Hudson hasn't seen it.

And then that first, I don't think it means you think.

It mean so, yes, his ways are not our ways, but he wants our

ways to be his ways, he wants his children.

We were just commanded be imitators of God as beloved

children. Well, how am I supposed to know?

He keeps himself separate and hidden in darkness from me at

all times. That's not true.

He reveals himself to those who seek him to those who hunger and

thirst. He gives the full cup of drink.

Understand what the will of the Lord.

Is this is why he gave us the scriptures.

And is why the Holy Spirit came to fill us.

The holy spirit is our helper. Jesus said, in John 16:13, when

John 16:13

the spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the

truth for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever.

He hears he will speak and he will declare to you the things

that are to come. The holy spirit will lead, us

will teach us, he will instruct Us in all truth.

Jesus was talking about the Holy Spirit and John there as though

he had. Come yet. he said when he comes

and then, of course, Jesus goes to heaven, Jesus ascends into

heaven, He sends the Holy Spirit, Jesus, ascended, and

then the Holy Spirit descended. And when he did, he fills his

church with light, he fills us with Clarity, so we can know how

to walk with the Lord, and how to understand how to perceive

his will, that's his Goodwill, that's his pleasure to do.

So, he keeps going here, Verse 18 and do not get drunk with

wine for that is debauchery. But be filled with the spirit,

don't get drunk with wine for that's debauchery that were

debaucheries. The same idea that was used for

the prodigal son. So remember the Prodigal Son,

the wasteful that word is wasteful.

That way that it's Sinful living wild, living everything that we

could imagine with that. Wild living has looked pretty

similar for a long time. Now, for thousands of years like

wild living has kind of always meant the same thing, we get the

idea. I'm out of control and I want to

get out of my mind and I will use whatever I can do to get me

there. So whether it's don't get drunk

with wine or whiskey or THC, or pills or beer take your

intoxicant, but the point is stop losing your mind.

Stop giving up your mind. Stop giving up your control.

Stop you Building and submitting to something else because why?

Well, alcohol gets us to do things that we wouldn't normally

do or other stimulants or intoxicants they can get.

They get us to places. They get us to feelings.

They get us to Sensations that were pursuing.

It's a piece that were pursuing or it's a boldness that were

pursuing. I'm too scared to do this thing

but I can get the as it's called, the liquid courage.

Or interestingly enough, alcohol is called spirits as well

spirits, that we don't want to be filled with so we feel free.

Yeah, but in these instances were actually still slaves to

sin, we feel bold but it's a false boldness.

We feel peaceful or joyful or relaxed but it's literally a

cheap chemistry trick taking place inside of our brains.

It's insignificant and it's temporary and it's fleeting,

we're pursuing something. We're seeking a pleasure.

The Lord doesn't condemn you for seeking a pleasure but it's

wrong because he's like you're not seeking the greatest

pleasure. This, it took all this bottom

shelf would be an understatement.

Payment, you know, we talked before about sexual intimacy and

the goodness of marriage and how it's Unholy and sinful outside

of the context of marriage. And we talked about, it's the

gas station, burrito compared to the Feast of the table of the

Lord. When the same way, when we're

talking about being filled with any other kind of intoxicants

sure, Frozen gas station, burrito, compared to the rich

table. Being filled with the Holy

Spirit. We're we're saying I'm seeking

something. I'm seeking a power.

Oh! Oh!

You'll get power. You'll get power.

There is a real power Jesus promised that there's a real

power, but we're settling for something too small.

Instead, what am I supposed to do?

What a strange comparison. Don't be drunk.

Okay, don't be drunk instead like a swap, like a

substitution. Hey, you know what you all do?

Instead of being drunk with wine?

What well, how would you even compare the two of these things?

Well, I tell you what y'all do is you ought to be filled.

You ought to be controlled by the Holy Spirit.

Huh. Interesting that he would make

that correlation interesting that he would connect some dots

there, why? Well because when I'm filled

with alcohol, alcohol, controls me, John Michaels, not in

control anymore. I do things that I wouldn't have

done. I've done things actually, when

I've been filled with alcohol that I wouldn't have done.

I've done things when when my system had was full of THC that

I wouldn't have done. But those were things that were

that were substitutions, those were things that were cheat,

those were things that were sinful, those were things were

a, i yielded control in a way that I was totally out of my

mind. The difference, though, when

we're filled by the Holy Spirit, you'll still do things that you

wouldn't have normally done. But it's from a place of actual

submission, to the Lord, rather than a total lack of control.

It's true willful. And deliberate submission to

say, Lord, Use Me For Your Glory, use me and your kingdom,

man. I'm scared to say that I'm

scared to do that, but the Holy Spirit fills me with power, and

my desire and my will, and my intellect, or still crystal

clear the holy spirit's not possessing me as a robot.

Whereas alcohol, would make me think.

I bet I could knock out all three of those dudes.

It's not true. John Michael.

Well, it's not true and John Michaels, like, oh, I could

though, I feel like I could. Yeah.

You think that? But that's where you'd be wrong.

You're being lied to but the holy spirit will rise up on it.

The inside of you and it's a different, it's a different

yielding, it's a different control because I'm not out of

control. I'm not possessed in the sense

that a person who is demon possessed is also out of control

or a person who's full of wine or Spirits or whatever other

intoxicant. But it's a deliberate desire to

say, I want what the Lord Nothing would intimidate me,

man. Do I feel like the Holy Spirit

just wants me to go up to that person and say, God loves you.

I feel like he wants me to say that, but I don't feel like I'm

able to in the holy spirit's Wells, up within you and says,

you can because I am your power. I am your source and now I can

actually pursue something in righteousness and Holiness and

next thing, you know the holy spirit's using you say hey good

morning. I just want you to know God

loves you and they go they can thank you.

That means a lot to me or next thing you know, they're crying.

Or you're next thing they know or you don't know nothing.

And then Just go do whatever and you go on with your life and on

the other side of Heaven, the Lord shows you that they were on

their way to commit suicide, but you showed them a kindness and a

goodness. And they didn't give you any

fruit response from it, but it made a difference.

It's not my job to know. All the details is my job to

obey the Lord, but I need power to do.

So I need power to pursue the will of the Lord for my life and

the boldness in the power that comes from God.

It's real, that's the difference alcohol.

And in other intoxicants, they bring the false in the

temporary, but when the Holy Spirit fills you, the peace is

real and you get to remember it the next morning and there's not

punishment from a headache and the dehydration that comes along

with it. Or the or the jail sentence, the

joy is real, the boldness. And the power is real, God

himself fills you. And you actually have the real

piece that you've been seeking in a counterfeit.

You've had the counterfeit but he is the true drink. go to Acts

Acts 1 · chapter mention

chapter 1, So, you're turning to the left in your Bible, still in

the New Testament. Matthew Mark, Luke John acts

Acts chapter 1. Verses 6 through 8.

Acts 1 · chapter mention

So this is before Jesus has ascended.

Moments before Jesus. Ascends, and when they had come

together, they the disciples asked him Lord at this time,

will you restore the kingdom to Israel?

Because the disciples had still been holding on to this idea

that the Messiah was going to overthrow the Romans.

They were still holding on to it after everything.

Even after the resurrection, even after he spent 40 days with

them after he's been raised from the dead and some 40 days later

though. I hey Hey, we hadn't brought it

up in a while, but surely now like, no, we're going to start

killing Romans, right? Is this the moment where you're

going to restore the kingdom and to Israel where they want, they

want Power, they want Power. Jesus said, it's not for you to

know the times and the seasons that the father has fixed by his

own authority. But you will receive power.

When the Holy Spirit has come upon you and you will be my

Witnesses in Jerusalem and in Judea and in Samaria.

And to all the all of the earth, it's interesting.

Jesus knows what they're after. They want the power, they're

like we want Power. We've been subdued by the Romans

Jesus, all this stuff you've done.

It's been like it's been like this subversive Kingdom.

Like we're going to overthrow things and like this slow motion

kind of way but now's the time right?

He goes I know what y'all are after you want Power.

Power right? Like yeah, yeah.

Jesus seems like you will receive power.

Don't worry, when the Holy Spirit comes upon you and then,

who knows? What they would have been

thinking, because they still keep, don't, they still don't

get it. So, who knows what they were

thinking like, okay, okay, I see you.

Jesus, the power. When the Holy Spirit comes,

that's when we're gonna, and when the Holy Spirit came well,

well, they were filled with the nature of the character, the

wisdom, and the will of God, they finally went power power.

In the name of, Jesus Christ, rise up and walk, in the name of

Jesus Christ, shoulders be healed in the name of Jesus

Christ. Shut up demon, and come out

power, 0 power, and they didn't care anymore about the Romans.

And they said, let's take over the world with the real power.

They wanted their gas station burrito, I want to conquer the

Romans and and the Lord said that is a form of power.

It truly is, but it's just we've got bigger.

We've got, we've got bigger fish to fry.

Then then who is the ruling class over over this

geographical area at the moment. There is a significance to it

and the King himself will step foot in Jerusalem again, and

Rule, so we don't belittle that, but the timing wasn't right.

He said, he said, it's not for you to know the will and the

time of the seasons. So we're not belittling

geography because the Lord makes much of it.

But there's a time and a season and that wasn't it.

You will receive power. You want power.

I do and the Lord said you don't have to be ashamed of it but get

the right power, the power of the holy spirit that will guide

you that will minimize the ego of man which is Anita's and will

maximize the glory of God. You want Power, you can have

power, be filled with the holy spirit so this physical

intoxication, produces the counterfeit to the genuine The

Holy Spirit except when your filt always fear, you don't say

anything you regret. When you're filled with the Holy

Spirit intoxication makes us fools.

But the holy spirit makes us look like Jesus and fills us

with all the wisdom of God so we can walk in truth that we can

walk and power that we can walk free free from SIM.

So, when do I get the filling of the Holy Spirit?

Well, when we are born again, we are born of the spirit.

So the idea is think about it. Like, when you got saved, maybe

you got. It's like getting soaking wet,

but being filled with the Holy Spirit, you're totally submerged

in the water of God. There's all kinds of analogies

that people have used and preachers have tried to explain

it. Some have said, when you get

saved the Holy Spirit becomes a resident inside of you, but when

you get filled with the Holy Spirit, he becomes president.

Resident. You take, you, take whatever

clever idea you'd like, but there's a difference between the

initial bet, the initial salvation experience, where

you're born of the spirit of God, and the separate and

secondary filling of the Holy Spirit.

I'm not going to walk you through the different instances

instances that we see in the book of Acts.

And it's actually funny in my preparation for these sermons

each week. I'll probably listen to maybe

three sermons or so on the same passage by other preachers.

And there have been certain preachers that I've been

listening to as I've gone through this.

Aries week, after week after week, and I've watched them

Faithfully explained, the scriptures Faithfully.

Just take. What does the word of God, say

and unpack, the word of God. And then we came to this verse

on being filled with the Holy Spirit and the gymnastics begin

and they don't get any better as chapter 5 goes on as I'll talk

to you more about next week and in the coming weeks because we

talked about men and women and husbands and wives and the s

word. So we'll get into all that.

But it's been interesting. Watching these men Faithfully,

take the word of God, God the Bible says, and then they came

to these verse about the baptism in the Holy Spirit, like And

some would say there's not a separate in a secondary in

filling of the Holy Spirit, they said, you got everything in

Salvation and that's it. And that's the end.

I would have to agree with them. If I saw that in the scripture,

I would joyfully agree with them.

Except that, that's not what the word of God reveals or teaches.

So it's the idea of being filled continually.

Yes, we saw earlier in Ephesians, in Ephesians chapter

Ephesians 1 · chapter mention

1 and Ephesians chapter 4. You were sealed.

Ephesians 4 · chapter mention

You receive the Holy Spirit. Have you received the Holy

Spirit? Yes, I've received the Holy

Spirit. And yet, I haven't been filled

by the Holy Spirit until I asked and saw it, the baptism of the

Holy Spirit, we see that again in the book of Acts, where Paul

comes across some Believers. He says, have you guys received

the Holy Spirit and they said, we didn't know there was a Holy

Spirit. What man?

What kind of theology was going on around here?

So they're like yeah we love the Lord, we love the Lord, Jesus

Christ. Have you been filled with the

Holy Spirit one? Who's the Holy Spirit?

Like oh guys, So then they were filled with the Holy Spirit and

of course, the power of God Came Upon them as well.

So the idea to be filled to live filled.

It's not the idea of getting filled one time, but it's the

idea of staying filled all the time.

This is the command. Some some have said it this way.

Why do we have to keep being filled?

Well, because we leaked because we need we pour out.

That's the point. I'm filled so that I can pour

out. Oh, I feel empty, I feel drain.

Well, good, you're reminded of your need for somebody else,

you're not the end, all, be all. I've tried to minister from

that, from that perspective, before I've tried to think.

Like, man, I love God, and that's enough.

No, it's not. I need fresh Manna From Heaven.

If I don't have fresh Manna From Heaven, you will know it.

You will recognize it. You'll be like, man, Pastor

jams, preaching is like dry toast every single week

overcooked by about an hour and you'll start to just recognize

that more and more and more. What?

There's no overflow, why? Because I'm not filled with the

Holy Spirit. There it'll show up in other

areas of my life as well. Depending on the degree that I'm

get down to empty, be being filled be continually filled.

I want the spirit of God filling me.

I need the spirit of God feeling me because the infilling of the

Holy Spirit brings power to me. But it brings glory to God, it

helps me to truly and totally surrender.

When I was in high school junior year of high school, I got

filled with the holy spirit. So I was, I grew up in a

household where praying in tongues was as normal as

anything, my Saturday mornings where I remember coming down the

hallway and dad would be praying, or worshiping the Lord,

or reading his Bible, praying in tongues.

So, all that was just, I knew it was in the word of God.

And I saw that in my household but I had never experienced the

baptism the Holy Spirit personally, well, in high

school. I remember our youth.

Pastor telling us, it was Pastor Chris at the time.

Pastor Chris Morgan at Cornerstone, I remember him

saying, if you will be filled with the Holy Spirit he will

help you to kill the Deeds of the Flesh.

And I remember thinking I need that, I need that, I wanted

that. Why would you want that?

Because I was born again, I really was but I was carnal.

I was born again but I was carnal but I love the Lord, I

wanted the Lord and yet I was carnal Christian.

I wanted my gas station burrito, I wanted to go party and get

drunk. With friends and I would

continually do so. And yet I would also have this

urge in this love and roll towards the Lord.

So Pastor, Chris was preaching on the baptism, the Holy Spirit

sent, if you will be filled with the Holy Spirit, he will help

you kill the Deeds of the flesh. Not thought, sign me up for

that, because that's the issue I'm running into here.

I love you, God, but I'm an idiot and I don't feel any

power. I don't feel any, I can't get

free for my idiotic behaviors. What did I need?

I need a power power. Our well aren't you a new

creation? I definitely was.

That's why I desired the Lord. So after I got filled with the

Holy. See I remember he called me up

there and and he just he just began to pray over me.

I raise my hands to the Lord and instantly the power of God hit

me. And I was blown away by the by

what the goodness of God, there's no other word for it.

People want to know like technically what was it?

Like it was just a blessing and the kindness of the father

though it was the Holy Spirit. I mean how do you describe the

presence of God? I had been drunk, I had been

high. This was not those things.

This was power from on high and the presence of the Lord filled

me on. Just what do you do with that?

Sometimes you see people just fall into the floor.

Why? Because the weight and the glory

is just, it's the goodness of God.

It's not the Lord's. Bullying.

People and knocking people around.

Maybe you've seen preachers on YouTube, like, kicking folks and

knocking folks around. You better obey the Holy Spirit,

but if the Holy Spirit, don't tell you to kick, somebody

better not be kicking people. I can tell you that but the

point is the goodness. And the blessing of the Lord,

like, you don't need to push anybody.

If the power of God's on them, you don't need to hit anybody

and get him to fall down. You ever seen that, like,

sometimes in Pentecostal circles as kind of like a thing, you

give like the preacher a courtesy drop.

You know, he's like, laying hands on, everybody's like 87.

People just fell on the ground and now they come to you and

your life. It's all right.

I don't want to be the only dude up here, standing people going

to think, like, I'm like, that's all kinds of secrets in my life.

Why but what's wrong with that guy?

I just go down, like, make sure the ushers are there because you

like it. See how it's going to be bad if

you go out and it's not actually the power of the Holy Spirit,

but but we need to be filled, and filled, and filled, and

filled, and filled, you can be filled in your prayer closet.

That you can be filled during praise and worship.

You can be filled, you be filled in the lobby of the YMCA.

You can be filled, right here right now, how y as a Believer,

if you have submitted and bent the knee to the Lord Jesus

Christ. And then you ask the Lord to

fill you with the Holy Spirit. Ask him and true sincerity.

True sincerity. True sincerity that he will fill

you with this power that comes from on high being filled with

the Holy Spirit is the thing that changed my life.

Life and my life's trajectory out of carnal Christianity.

That was it, that was what made all the difference.

I didn't even get serious in the scriptures right away.

But I knew that I could continue to pray in tongues and pray in

the spirit and I knew that the Lord was building me up.

I knew that he was building me up.

I would be on my way to a party. Praying in, tongues knowing

exactly what I was about to do. Going God, help me, keep helping

me, and just praying, and praying, and praying, know,

like, I'm building up, this, the spirit, man hasn't gotten bigger

than the carnal man yet, but I know he's going to and I want

him to and I'm sorry for tonight and I know this is the stupidest

prayer I've ever prayed, and this is ridiculous.

Well, what other things were going on?

Well, I was I didn't have Fellowship.

That's the other thing. I didn't confess my sin.

If I had confess my sin that would have brought other Freedom

confess your sins to one another.

And one another that you may be healed.

I was I wanted to say isolated, I wanted to stay secret, I'll go

get drunk. I'll do what I'm gonna do and

I'll slowly mature out of this on my own.

Why? So I don't have to confess my

sin, well, but that's what also kept me stuck that.

All that also kept me in my immaturity, I won't confess my

son because I'm too prideful to confess my sin.

So the Lord will get me out of here.

Praise God. The Lord got me out of there but

it wasn't wise. It wasn't biblical.

It wasn't the holistic approach that he takes bring Fellowship

around you so you're not just you versus the flesh.

I need Brothers, I need the family of God.

Supporting me, encouraging me pointing now going.

Hey, I got you, I got you pursue the Lord, be filled with the

Holy Spirit. There is something better.

There is someone better. So being filled with the Holy

Spirit is the only way to know and discern.

What the will of God is when the scripture hasn't already made

something plain to us, how else can I know how is, can I know

what to do? The holy spirit will lead you

and he will guide you first Corinthians 2:11 tells us no one

1 Corinthians 2:11

comprehends the thoughts of God except for the spirit of God.

And yet he will reveal them to us so we don't know them apart

from him, revealing them. Now what does a person do after

they've been filled with the Holy Spirit back to Ephesians 5

Ephesians 5:19

verses 19 and 20 and we'll close with this and then we're going

to pray and seek the Lord and has to be filled verse 19.

What does a person do when they're filled with the Holy

Spirit, addressing one, another in Psalms, and hymns, and

spiritual songs singing and making Melody to the Lord with

your heart giving? Thanks always and for everything

to God The father, in the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ.

So, what is the life, look? What is the spirit filled, life?

Look like, there's a picture of it.

There's an extreme gratitude. There's a joy.

There's a bliss, and the Spirit-filled person not

everything always go on their way.

But if there's real power, his Power Beats our circumstances,

his power is better than what I'm facing, he really is enough,

and when I got into that place of enjoying his fullness, this

fruit continues to come, this route continues to leave me and

throughout the Book of Acts. See that this is the norm.

When somebody's filled with the Holy Spirit they speak, there

are filled with the Holy Spirit and began to prophesy.

They're filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in

other tongues. They're filled with the Holy

Spirit, they began to Worship the Lord.

The the infilling of the Holy Spirit brings this brings this

bubbling up being filled with alcohol, made John Michael a

loudmouth, more on being filled with the holy spirit makes your

Michael allowed now still, but a loudmouth for the glory of God

and not a moron. But someone who's speaking, the

truth of God because my purpose is, are the Love of God and the

love of people. So Worship in Psalms and hymns,

and spiritual songs singing and making Melody.

This is how, you know, if somebody's been filled with the

Lord, there's a song on your heart, spirit filled Believers,

you had songs in your heart, right?

You're just going through your life, you're going through the

day and there's just stuff bubbling up.

It just a song or let it out. Let it out, don't keep it

private. It's not just for you.

It is for you, but it's not just for you.

It's for the Lord. And as, for those around you,

you're always singing. You always humming.

You're always whistling. You always got something to go

by. When you're full you spill, when

you're full, there's a mess to be made but it's a glorious mess

and it brings glory to God giving thanks always and for

everything to God the father in the name of our Lord.

Jesus Christ being full of gratitude.

So this is the opposite of the person who make him find the cow

patty and every pasture that's if that's you you also need and

want to be filled with the Holy Spirit to see the goodness of

God because it is all around you.

It is not that the Lord has been withholding from you.

It is that your perspective is skewed.

You haven't seen the full picture yet, Christians should

be filled with God's spirit. Christian should be filled with

God's presence, and the fruit is good and glorious.

This is part of the will of God for every believer.

This was New Testament Christianity.

This is first century Christianity.

This is, this is not a new thing.

It's did not start in Azusa Street, Revival.

'S, this started on the day of Pentecost, contrary to what you

may be, have been told or what you may have believed.

The holy spirit is here for you. If you have submitted your life

to the Lord, Jesus Christ for you to be filled continually and

this is something that we desperately need.

This is why I said earlier Lord, don't let us just be Pentecostal

on paper that way. If somebody asked, what's your

theology? Well, my theology is that the

Holy Spirit has been poured out, and the gifts are still for

today. Great.

Do you operate in them? Do you see any power?

Do you recognize his presence? Are we experiencing that fruit?

No, but I sure believe it right. We won his power to be present

in our lives. I don't just want.

Correct theology. I don't want to just get an A+

on my Sunday school test, I want to actually walk it out with

fruit and with power, so that's what we're going to do right

now. We're just going to lay hands on

one another, and we're going to pray and ask the Lord to fill us

fresh with the power and the presence of the holy spirit.

So, let's stand to our feet together.

I'm going to turn on some music so that the Lord would Minister

to US during this moment We'll have some privacy.

We'll have some privacy.