Walk Filled with the Spirit (2)

Kalynk Lyxova/ Asdov/o3 Hociow

(God's Magnificent Work through Christ)

Ephesians 5:15-21

The Will of God (5:17)

“Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is.” (17)

Knowing the will of God is essential in our lives. In his prayer, Jesus said, “Your kingdom come, your will be done.”

I want to differentiate between the following:

-The revealed will of God or God’s general will.

-God’s particular will for each person.

What is God’s revealed will?

God’s general will is revealed in His Word. It is the same for everyone, all over the world and at all times. My focus, as your pastor, is to teach you the Word of God. It is our church’s primary SERVICE TO YOU. That is the reason I keep stressing to PLUG IN to a Bible Study group.

Do we really know the Word of God? Do we study it? Do we absorb His Word?

God wants us to be sanctified, to grow in his grace, to be filled with His Spirit, to be clothed with His garment, to have a renewed mind. Paul says: “It is God's will that you should be sanctified.” (1Thess. 4:3)

“Pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. (1 Thess. 5:18)

-I remember when Rev Krikor Aghabaloghlou was here preaching and sharing his life with us, some were saying why he needs to stay in Turkey in danger. He should come to US. What is God’s will? Safety?

God’s will is that each person has the chance to be sanctified. God’s will is to learn how to WALK with Him. It does not matter where you are, or what kind of job you have. It is important not to be foolish, as Paul says. To seek His will means to give a priority in our time, in our choices to be in tune with God.

We need to be very careful how we understand the subjective will of God, the particular will of God. Let me give you advice in this: the particular will of God has to be consistent with Scriptures. We are free to pursue our personal desires, but let us not equate that with the will of God.

Walk filled with the Spirit (5:18)

“Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.” (18)

It seems there was the problem of heavy drinking in Ephesus. Remember the Temple of Artemis and all the immoral acts surrounding it.

Yet a little wine for the stomach is good, says Paul. I don’t think Paul is against drinking. Paul is cautious about how one can be filled. Everyone has an emptiness that needs to be filled with something. We are talking about the addiction of constantly filling ourselves with “emptiness”. I have seen how alcohol destroyed homes. I have seen how alcohol destroyed and abused children, wives. Just this week in a nearby college fraternity, students demanded from a new student to drink an excessive amount of alcohol. Unfortunately he died. Alcohol is a depressant, not a stimulant.

In Acts we read that on the day of Pentecost, when the disciples were filled with the Spirit, some said thought they were drunk. Eli, the priest did the same mistake. When Hannah came out from her prayers, he thought Hannah was drunk.

Here is the deal. When we are filled with the Holy Spirit, we are completely filled with the Spirit of God. Paul is talking about filling our lives with the Holy Spirit, so God will be in control of our lives. It does not mean to get more of the Spirit of God. Either you have it or not. Filling in Spirit means to allow God’s Spirit to get more of you.

Three Expressions of being FILLED with His Spirit (5:19-20)

“Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.” (19-21)

a- “Speak with psalms and hymns. Sing songs and make music in your heart...”

We are talking about worship. But watch out, it is not just psalms and hymns, or worship songs, it is more than that. It is singing from your heart. We should worship not just with lips; we should worship from our inner being, our HEART. Paul is trying to tell his audience that the Spirit of the Lord can teach them to change their lifestyle. Jesus said true worshippers worship in truth and Spirit. Our whole lives should be an expression of worship, not just Sundays.

b- We should do it in gratitude, with thankful hearts. Remember last Sunday, having grateful heart was one of the keys to win on our immoral behaviors. To be grateful is to come humbly in the sight of God worshiping Him.

Today we will participate in the Holy Communion. We need to approach the Table, with broken hearts, asking God’s forgiveness. We should come with thankful hearts, because God is the provider of the “bread and wine” for our salvation.

c- The last command is: Submit to each other.

Paul is asking from Ephesians to be family of God, body, which submits to each other, without boasting. The members of the body edify each other. The members of the body carry each other, the members of the body submit to each other. We can do this when our head is Christ.

Let us walk filled with Spirit of the Lord

Let us approach the table, asking forgiveness, asking the Spirit of God to posses us.

Amen