This was a guest speaker (Doug Sargeant), and I must admit I got lost a few times. But did I get anything out of it? A little, I guess…

Your Supernaturally Natural Life (Part 1)

Ephesians 5:18-21

• in book of Ephesians, Ch1-3, 4-5, 6-end talks about the wealth, victory and warfare of the Christian walk (respectively)
• Question: what is the one thing apart from which it is impossible to live the Christian life?
• “The glorious presence of the Lord filled the Temple.” 1 Kings 8:10-11
  • Does the glory of the Lord fill your temple? Or are you filled with cares of the world?
  • the physical temple is now become flesh & blood
• 1 Cor 6:19,20; 1 Cor 3:16,17
• Being filled with the Spirit is absolutely essential to living the Christian life. Attempt to live the Christian life by any other means and it will end up in fleshly legalism and the desire to control others.

Just what is the Spirit-filled life?

1. What does it mean to be filled with the Holy Spirit?
   • “Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, let the Holy Spirit fill and control you.” Eph 5:18 (NLT)
   • excess: Greek word means opposite of salvation; drunkenness leads to destruction of one’s character
   • “drunk with wine” vs. “filled with the Spirit”
     • Similarities:
       1. the person is under a power outside himself; spirits (liquor) vs the Spirit
       2. the person is fervent (Acts 2:13)
       3. the person’s walk is affected — both physically and morally
     • Contrasts:
       1. in drunkenness, there is dissipation and debauchery. The Spirit’s filling  produces fruitfulness
       2. in drunkenness, there is loss of self-control. But the “fruit of the Spirit is self-control” (Gal 5:23)
     • physical vs Spiritual ecstasy
2. What Is The Means by which I can be filled with Holy Spirit?
   • The Holy Spirit’s ministries to believers are once-for-all sovereign acts of God realized at the moment a person is saved and are in no way dependent on us
   • Irreversible and irrevocable:
     • indwelling (John 14:16)
     • baptism (1 Cor. 12:13)
     • sealing (Eph 1:13)
     • Guarantee (Eph 1:14)
     • Gifts (Rom 12:6)
     • Anointing (1 John 2:27)
   • filling of Spirit is CONDITIONAL & NOT permanent
   • “Be constantly, moment by moment, being controller by the Spirit” is…
     • command
     • continuous action
     • present tense
     • plural in number; for everyone to enjoy
     • passive voice; something you allow God to do through you for you
     • instrumental case
   • “Being filled” is entirely the work of the Holy Spirit, but He only works through our willing submission. it is the most important command for a believer to obey
     • can’t obey any other command when you break this one
     • will only live in spiritual detriment, death, etc.
   • “Fill” [pleroo] examples:
     • wind filling sail; carry along
     • preserving meat with salt; permeation
     • having total fear in heart; total control
       • “filling” isn’t like filling heart as a cup with H2O…
     • Great Commission & Great Mission are important BUT can’t be fulfilled without being filled
     • John 16:6; Luke 5:26, Luke 6:11, Acts 6:5, Acts 5:3
       • To be so permeated by the Holy Spirit as to be under His total control and carried along by Him
   • The Wilderness Temptation (Luke 4:1,14)
     • Jesus…being full of the Holy Spirit…was led by the Spirit…returned in the power of the Spirit.
     • We will never experience the power of the Spirit upon our lives until we are first filled/controlled by the Holy Spirit who leads us into victory over temptation and sin, and consequently empower us for service
     • It was not the methodology of the early church that caused it to grow. It was the spiritual power that overflowed from lives of those submitting to the power of the Holy Spirit
       • commitment vs submission
         • retains some control vs one equal voluntarily giving self to another equal to glorify God
   • be controlled by Spirit for power or be controlled by flesh
   • constant tug of war is NORMAL; when we are obedient to Holy Spirit we will not worry about the worry of world system
   • in Genesis “desire” means to seek total control of another (ie. Eve over Adam, Adam over Eve)
     • to see people want full control is to see absence of Holy Spirit