Be Filled With The Spirit

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Ephesians 5:15-18 See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, 16 Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. 17 Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is. 18 And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;

God is calling a people to Himself through Christ Jesus. God is calling a people to have an INTENTIONAL RELATIONSHIP with Him, not a RELIGION. A RELATIONSHIP.

Are You In A Relationship With Jesus –
Or In A Religion?

If you are in a RELATIONSHIP with Jesus it will effect your daily lives. Before I was married I dated other women. But now that I am married the Sherry this is the relationship I pursue and live by. The same is true of Jesus Christ.

Your “Walk” Or Manner Of Life Changes
If You Are In A Relationship With Jesus.

The Christian is called to walk “circumspectly”. When I first read this word I quite frankly didn’t know what it meant. So I looked it up. “Circumspectly” is the Greek adverb ἀκριβῶς akribōs, (pronounced ak-ree-boce’) which means:

“to be careful or diligent, to walk (that is, live) in the right or correct way”.

This text is addressed to Christians, saved by faith in Christ. We are commanded to walk in the right way, that is, live our lives the way that God wants us to live them. The Scripture then says we are not only to live our lives in the right way, but we are not to live as unbelievers do. You see, the word “fools” is a reference to the lost person. The Bible tells us that:

Psalm 14:1 … The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.

The “fool” is someone who lives their lives as if there is no God.
The “fool” wastes every day of their lives.
The “fool” – those who reject Christ – does not cherish life, but squanders it.
The “fool” wastes life by doping up, drinking up, partying down.
The “fool” puts more pleasure in stuff than in the God Who gives life.
The “fool” is someone who does not love the God of Scripture.

Life is so very precious. Life is the greatest gift you have been given. Do not squander it, but live following Jesus. The Christian way of life is a life that follows Jesus.

The Christian is never too busy to follow Jesus.
Walking with our Redeemer, we “Redeem the Time”.

If you are too busy to follow Jesus, then Beloved you are just too busy. Jesus calls busy people to follow Him – to put Him first. Our Lord Jesus called Simon and Andrew to follow Him:

Mark 1:14-18 … Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, 15 And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel. 16 Now as he walked by the sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. 17 And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men. 18 And straightway they forsook their nets, and followed him.

Work is a great thing – but your greatest work is to follow Jesus!

Jesus called James and John busy mending their nets (Mark 1:19-20).
Jesus called Matthew Levi working as a tax collector (Mark 2:14).

Too many people say “I will follow Jesus when I have more time – but now I’m busy. Maybe when I’m older I’ll follow Him.” Oh Beloved, redeem the time, for the days are evil. Jesus warned us to be careful to not let STUFF steal our time. He said:

Luke 12:15 … Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.

Your stuff is just not that important. What is most important? Your life. Where is life? It is in following Jesus.

Matthew 16:24-26 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. 25 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. 26 For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

Be FILLED With The Spirit

Ephesians 5:18 And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;

God wants to have all of your life. Several years ago I saw a bumper sticker that I put on my car. It’s not there now because I’m in a different vehicle. The bumper sticker said:

“God is my Co-Pilot”

That sounded good to a young Christian named David. But as I’ve studied the Scripture and lived my life I found out this bumper sticker theology is all wrong. You see, “God is my Co-Pilot” assumes that I am driving and controlling my life, and God is sitting in the right hand seat ready for me to call on anytime I need Him. In short, this assumes that God is lesser than I am, and that God is my Servant. But that is not what the Scripture teaches. The Scripture says:

be filled with the Spirit

Let God have ALL of you.
Let Him have ALL of your heart ALL the time.
“Religion” says “let’s get a little Jesus”.
The devil loves it when you have “a little jesus”!
The devil parties when you trade relationship for religion.

Let me tell you something about “religion”:
Everyone is “religious”.

Now you may not agree with me, but it is true. “Religion” is a belief in something that may or may not effect your life. Atheists believe in nothing – but that’s a belief. Politicians believe in the swill that they try to sell you. Everyone has a religion. The Bible tells us this.

1 Corinthians 8:5-6 … there be gods many, and lords many, But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.

Did you know that the King James Version of Scripture has, I am told, 783,137 words in it’s text. Of the 783,137 words in the Bible the words “religion” or “religious” is only found 7 times. SEVEN TIMES! God is not calling us to “religion” but to a day by day walk with Him.

We are not to be filled with OURSELVES.
We are not to be filled with PRIDE.
We are not to be filled with FEAR.
Our focus is to be the LORD JESUS CHRIST!

Matthew 16:24 … If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

Mark 8:34 … Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

Luke 9:23 … If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.

God gives us a new day every day to choose to take up our Cross and follow Jesus. The Cross that Jesus bore is a mark of unselfish love. Jesus did not have to die for us, but He did. Jesus did not have to give His life for us sinners, but He did. Even while suffering He carried His Cross to Calvary. While suffering, He was nailed to His Cross for you and I. He loved us with an infinite love, so much so that the Son of God gave His life for us. Beloved, if you are a Christian then you are a Christian because of Christ’s Cross. His Blood saved you. The Son of God loved you. Now YOU as SONS OF GOD are to walk through this life LOVING GOD FULLY. Again:

be filled with the Spirit

We are not told to be 50% percent filled with the Spirit and 50% us. No, we are called to complete devotion to Him Who loved us and gave His life for us. We are not told to be filled with the Spirit when it is convenient or comfortable. We are not called to be filled with the Spirit when it feels good, or when it is popular with the world. We are called to be wholly dependent on the Lord. We are called to be like the Apostle John who was often seen leaning into Jesus’ arms (John 13:23). If you love Him then you are called to let Him live through you, fully in you, all day, all the time.

You are not called to a religious moment or a religious act, but to a life of surrender to Christ.

What Does Jesus Call Us To Be?
We Are To Be Like Jesus.

What does a relationship with Christ look like? Our text is very specific.

We Are To Imitate Jesus In Sexual And Sensual Purity.

Ephesians 5:2-6 And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savor. 3 But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints; 4 Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks. 5 For this ye know, that no whore monger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. 6 Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.

We who are saved by Christ’s grace – by the Blood of the Lamb – are to walk sexually and sensually submitted to the Savior. We avoid fornication (heterosexual sin), uncleanness (homosexual sin), and covetousness (greed). When we are filled with the Spirit – for the Christian is indwelt by the Holy Spirit of God …

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy {Spirit} which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? 20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.

You are God’s Child if God’s Son died for you. Jesus had many female disciples who followed Him, but our Lord never committed sexual sin with any of them. God’s children are to be filled with Christ’s Spirit. We are not to follow the ways of this fallen world.

We Are To Imitate Jesus In The Use Of Our Tongues.

Ephesians 5:4 … Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks.

The New American Standard text makes this much clearer. It reads:

.. there must be no filthiness and silly talk, or coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks.

Jesus always chose His words carefully. He did not REACT when attacked, but carefully ACTED so as to bring the maximum amount of glory to our God. God hears our words, dear Ones. Our Lord Jesus told us:

Matthew 12:36-37 But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. 37 For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.

What you say matters. What you put on a social network matters.

When I GRUMBLE, my life gets darker.
When I GOSSIP, I tear down and infect others.
When I am GREEDY it hurts my body and my spirit.

It is better to praise God, and thank Him for the things He has allowed me to have. My God has been exceptionally good to me. He did not have to save me, but He did. No matter how rough the road I travel I know God says:

Hebrews 13:5-6… I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. 6 So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.

We Are To Imitate Jesus, Not The World.

Ephesians 5:8-12 For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light: 9 (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;) 10 Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord. 11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. 12 For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret.

You cannot change the world being like the world.
You’ve got to be like Jesus.
You’ve got to give glory to the Heavenly Father.
He adopted you, He loves you, and you should love Him.

The believer in fellowship with Jesus will walk in goodness, righteousness, and truth. We are to walk as Children of Light. We are not self righteous, but God glorifying. We do not reject fellowship with the lost – but we refuse to be as the lost are. That’s what we are told in this text. Read it again:

Ephesians 5:11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them …

We are to fellowship with SINNERS,
But not with SIN.

Every Christian should love and treat others with love, even those who walk in darkness. Where did Jesus spend a large amount of His time? He sat and ate with sinners. Jesus was brutally criticized by the religious crowd for fellowshipping with sinners. He told the Pharisees:

Luke 7:34-35 The Son of man is come eating and drinking; and ye say, Behold a gluttonous man, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners! 35 But wisdom is justified of all her children.

God wants His people to love the lost, to reach out to them, to care for them, to show them what a Child of God looks like. We are not to be self righteous, but Christ righteous. Jesus Christ came to seek and save those who are lost (Luke 19:10), to save sinners, not righteous people (Matthew 9:13). Let us be like Jesus. We are NOT to approve of sinful behavior, but we ARE to love the sinner and encourage that lost soul to “come and see Jesus”. The Scripture says:

Matthew 9:9-10 And as Jesus passed forth from thence, he saw a man, named Matthew, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he saith unto him, Follow me. And he arose, and followed him. 10 And it came to pass, as Jesus sat at meat in the house, behold, many publicans and sinners came and sat down with him and his disciples.

Imitating Jesus Will Give Me Joy

Ephesians 5:18-21 … be filled with the Spirit; 19 Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; 20 Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; 21 Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.

There is joy in following Jesus. Like that old song:

I have found His grace is all complete,

He supplieth every need;

While I sit and learn at Jesus’ feet,

I am free, yes, free indeed.

Refrain:

It is joy unspeakable and full of glory,

Full of glory, full of glory;

It is joy unspeakable and full of glory,

Oh, the half has never yet been told.

I have found the pleasure I once craved,

It is joy and peace within;