Living The Spirit Filled Life

Ephesians 5:15-21

Transcript

Ephesians 5, 15 to 20. 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 for everything
from God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. These are the words of
our God. Thank you brother John. Before we look into this text, let's have a
word of prayer. Father, we praise you for your word, for the clarity and the
goodness of your word. And Lord as we open this text, I pray that you would open
our eyes that we would behold the wonderful things that are found in your law.
Lord, I pray that you would enable us to see and to really embrace the goodness
of life lived in the fullness of the Spirit. So we pray for your help this
morning in Christ's name, amen. Now we all want our lives to count. We want to
be significant, our lives to be meaningful, fruitful, fulfilling. We want to
make an impact. We want to do something big that makes a difference. And that's
good, right? I mean after all, we shouldn't want to live a pointless life. But
here's the problem. In our fallenness, we often try to find our sense of
identity, our worth, our value in the wrong places. We have this vision, this
ideal life in mind that we think will give us fulfillment and purpose. This
ideal could be our situation at work. It could be an income that we don't
currently have but we would like to attain. It could be our family, our home,
the things that we achieve or accomplish, how we compare to other people, or
even how people see us, whether they see us as influential, respected, or sought
after. And the more we try to pursue significance and to get our sense of worth
in these kind of evasive dreams and fleeting ideals, the more frustrated and
discontent and restless and angsty and even disheartened we become. But friend,
here's the good news. In Christ, we don't have to live that way. We have
everything that we need for life in its fullness. We come to a text in the book
of Ephesians that shows us how to live. And one of the reasons that I love this
text is that it gives clarity in the midst of our confusion. And it shows us
what we ought to pursue. Now this text is found, as I mentioned, in the book of
Ephesians. And the book of Ephesians shows us in a powerful way who God is and
all that He has done and is doing and will do for us in Christ. And in showing
us the character and glory of God, we also begin to see in this text who we are
and what we have and how we ought to then live, really live, as those who are in
Christ Jesus. And so the book begins by showing us that our real identity, our
value, our worth, is rooted in Christ. In chapters one through three of
Ephesians, we see that we are blessed with every spiritual blessing in the
heavenlies in Christ. We're chosen. We're accepted and the beloved. We're
redeemed and forgiven of sin. We're brought into the family of God. We're kept
secure by the Spirit, made alive by His grace. We have good works that we are
called to walk in. We've been made participants and co-laborers with God Himself
in His eternal plan to reconcile all things under the authority of Christ. And
these are great and glorious truths, but if we're going to really experience
them and live in the joy and freedom and goodness of these Gospel blessings,
then we're going to need to learn how to walk in the power of the Spirit.
Because the truth is, from this text, a fruitful life, a fulfilling life, is a
Spirit-filled life. So let's live a life filled and empowered by the Spirit. So
in order for us to do that, we need to answer three questions from this text.
Why do we need the filling of the Spirit? What does a Spirit-filled life look
like? And then how can we be filled with the Spirit? Those are the questions
that we'll seek to address as we learn to live a life filled by the Spirit of
God. So let's begin with seeing our need for the Spirit. Chapter 5, verse 15.
The scripture reads, 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. Now the book of
Ephesians can be basically broken down into two main parts. Chapters 1 through 3
are Gospel blessings. Chapters 4 through 6 are Gospel living. And the key word
in the second half of the book is walk. Chapter 4, 1 begins with this
exhortation to walk worthy of the calling to which you have been called. I love
that simple word walk. In fact, it's the most common word in the New Testament
that describes the Christian life. Yes, the Christian life is war. Yes, the
Christian life is a race. But the Christian life, above all things, is a walk.
Moment by moment, day by day, abiding in Christ, pursuing the great command and
the great commission. Five times Paul uses this word walk to mark key movements
in his exhortations on how to live in the light of our Gospel blessings. And so
5, 15 through 21 is kind of the final walk section. It really summarizes the
challenges and exhortations of what Paul has been saying so far. In 5, 15
through 21, the passage basically breaks down into three commands that are
marked by various contrasts. Do not do this, but do this. And so he begins by
saying, look carefully then, in conclusion, in summary, based on all that I've
said, look carefully on how you walk. Not as unwise, but as wise. Here is an
exhortation, a call to reflect and evaluate. To seriously consider, to assess
and take stock of how we are living. Paul's saying, listen, don't just crank
through life. Do do do do do do. Stop. Get unplugged. Be still. Ask the hard
questions. Don't live an unevaluated life as one who is unwise, but rather walk
in wisdom. So if we're going to carefully take stock of how we walk, we need to
understand the difference between an unwise walk and a walk of wisdom. Now
Ephesians helps us to understand how the unwise live. You see, those who are
foolish live as if the truths of the gospel have no real bearing on their day-
to-day lives. They build their lives on those things that are fleeting, those
things that are temporal. They pursue meaning in all the wrong places. Sadly,
many Christians can live that way. We can just kind of go through life with our
American values. We're nice people, but there's no weight of eternity that
shapes our values, our pursuits, our perspectives. In reality, we're not that
different a lot of times from our nice moral neighbors. The Bible calls that an
unwise way to live. It might look nice. We're not doing any harm to anyone, but
the truths of the gospel are just so far removed from our day-to-day Christian
experience. And friend, that is a foolish way to live. Don't live that way, Paul
says. Instead, walk in wisdom. Who are the wise? They're the ones who bridge the
gap between what they know and the truths that they claim to believe and then
how they actually live. They live in the light of God's eternal redemptive
purposes, and everything in life revolves around that. They're the ones who see
life, trials, tragedies, the trajectory of life, the day-to-day trenches of life
through the lenses of the gospel. And in Ephesians 5, they are the ones who make
the most, the best use of time. They're the ones who, if you will, seize the
moment. That's the idea here of making the best use of time. They're the ones
who live life to the full. They buy up every opportunity to fully maximize their
lives for the glory of God and for the good of others. They're the ones who are
passionate about knowing and loving and serving and becoming more like Jesus
Christ. Gospel truths aren't just kind of out there. They just permeate
everything that's going on. They're the ones, according to Ephesians, that make
the best use of life, that live it to the full. That's why Paul goes on to say,
therefore, in verse 17, don't be foolish. Don't be ignorant. You don't have to,
but rather understand what the will of the Lord is. Again, this idea of
understanding is not just kind of conceptual or theoretical knowledge. It's a
deep knowledge that compels us to action. You don't have to be ignorant. You
don't have to just crank through life. You don't have to walk in a foolish
manner. No. Because of the grace that is ours in Christ Jesus, because of the
goodness of what God has done and is doing and will do, we can walk wisely. We
can make the best use of our lives, maximizing it for God's glory and for
others' good. But if you're going to walk that way, if you're going to pursue a
life that is full and fulfilling in Christ, shaped by the gospel, you need help.
I need help because we can't live that way on our own. That's why we need verses
18 through 21. We need the filling of the Spirit. A.W. Tozer once noted that the
Christian life is a supernatural life empowered by a supernatural aid. Through
the ministry of the Spirit, we can live the Christian life in its fullness. When
we look at the ministry of the Spirit, he ministers essentially the peace and
presence and power of Christ as we submit in faith to his working in our lives.
So verse 18 through 21 says, Do not get drunk with wine, for that's 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 for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus
Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ. Why do we need
the Spirit? Because only through the Spirit can we walk wisely. And so the next
question then is, what does a Spirit-filled walk look like? Now there's a once
again a comparison and a contrast presented in verses 18 and 19. Don't get
drunk, but be filled with the Spirit. We're going to go back to that in a
moment. But notice in verses 19 through 21 what the filling of the Spirit
produces or what the evidences of a Spirit-filled walk look like. If you look at
verses 19 through 21, you'll see all these I-N-G words addressing one another in
psalms and spiritual song, singing, making melody, giving thanks, submitting.
All of these words are evidences. They show us what a Spirit-filled life looks
like. The first evidence in this text of a Spirit-filled life is heartfelt
praise. Heartfelt praise. Praise that is both corporate as we address one
another, but it's also profoundly personal as we make melody to the Lord with
our heart. You see, a Spirit-filled Christian is one who overflows with praise.
They have a song in their heart. They want to rejoice in the truths of the
Gospel, and they can't keep it in. It's got to find an outlet. C.S. Lewis once
said, Joy in expressed is joy in complete. If you're excited about something,
you've just got to find a way to get it out. I mean, think about it. If the
Bills are in the Super Bowl this year, if. I highly doubt that you're going to
watch that game alone. And that's like you have COVID and you're isolated or
something like that. But if you have a choice in the matter, you're going to
watch that with friends because you're going to want to celebrate that. You're
going to want to rejoice in that. And even if you're a quiet person like my
wife, you're going to get excited if you start seeing certain things developing
and a potential for win. You're going to be joyful and it's going to express
itself. A Spirit-filled Christian is one who rejoices. They know the truths of
the Gospel and it just fires them up. And they can't keep it in. In fact, we see
this modeled right off the bat in the book of Ephesians. As Paul writes, he
begins immediately by saying, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ. He's blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies. And he
just unloads on all these blessings. He just rejoices in it. Listen, a Spirit-
filled Christian is one who rejoices in the Gospel and therefore there's
heartfelt praise. Rejoicing corporately as we worship with God's people,
rejoicing personally as we come into the presence of Christ day by day. There's
just heartfelt praise. Joyful worship. Secondly in verse 20, we see not only
heartfelt praise as an evidence of the Spirit-filling, but then also joyful
gratitude. Verse 20, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father
in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Gratitude. It's the overflow again of a
heart that is captured by grace. And this verse demonstrates the comprehensive
nature of thanksgiving and gratitude in the Christian life. We of all people
ought to be known not for our complaining, but for our thanksgiving. Think of
what we deserve and think of what we've been given in Christ. In fact, if you
think about just the pattern we see of Christian growth in the Christian life,
we see that the more we understand who God is, the more we see our guilt and how
short we fall, which was meant to drive us not to despair or self-improvement,
doing more better, but rather that guilt was meant to drive us to grace as we
see afresh what God has done for us in Christ and the free forgiveness that he
offers to all who will confess and repent and turn from sin. And when we
experience that cleansing, sanctifying grace, what does that produce? Gratitude.
And then gratitude then fuels greater growth. So this cycle of God, guilt,
grace, gratitude, growth, that's what we see throughout the New Testament.
That's what we see throughout the Scriptures. And then, of course, that's what
we see as an evidence of a Spirit-filled life. There's just thankfulness. Now
you might be thinking, wait a second, he says being thankful for all things.
Like are we supposed to be thankful for sin, for wickedness, for those things
that are devastating or hurtful? Think here's the idea. Especially when we
compare Scripture with Scripture. We are called in the fear of the Lord to hate
evil. But even in a evil world where we see sin abounding, we can be thankful
for the promises and provisions of God that give us hope and empower us to press
forward. You see, in the struggles, in the sorrows, in the heartaches, when we
take time to give thanks to God, here's what happens, it reorients our whole
mind. Haven't you experienced that before? Something's going on, you're just
overwhelmed by a worry or a sorrow, and you take time to just stop, reflect on
what you have in Christ and give thanks. And here's what happens. You begin to
see, my God is great. He never changes. Circumstances changes, people change,
things change, he doesn't. He's given me everything I need. I deserve hell, he's
given me heaven. I was an enmity, he made me a son. That gives perspective,
friends. The feeling of the Spirit leads to gratitude, which reorients our whole
perspective away from the stuff that so bogs down our lives onto that which is
eternal and good and beautiful and true. The third evidence here we find in this
text of a Spirit-filled walk is humble submission. Humble submission, submitting
to one another out of reverence for Christ. You see, the Spirit-filled are those
who have already first submitted themselves to God and then are liberated to
submit themselves in service to others. Here's the idea. Sending to one another
means humbly laying down our agenda and even our lives so that others might
flourish. When I think of what this looks like, I think of Philippians chapter 2
where the scripture reads, do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in
humility, count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you not
look out for his own interests, but also to the interests of others, have this
mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus. The text goes on and then
shows us the humility and submissiveness of Christ to the will of the Father.
This is what a Spirit-filled life looks like. Heartfelt praise, joyful
gratitude, humble submission. Now are these the only evidences? Well, no,
because Galatians 5 tells us about the fruit of the Spirit. Christ-like
character, Christ-like conduct, things like love, joy, peace, long-suffering,
gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness. Things we can't manufacture or produce on
our own, but things the Spirit does in our lives as we submit to Him. So again,
we've seen why we need the Spirit. We can't live this kind of life apart from
His grace and help. What it looks like to live a Spirit-filled life, but here's
the question. How can we be filled with the Spirit? How can we be filled with
the Spirit? Let's go back to verse 18 and notice the comparison. Do not get
drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit. Once
again, the primary command or emphasis is not the negative, it's the positive,
showing us what we should pursue by way of contrast. Now be filled, for those
English people, that's a passive verb. And it's not superintuitive. What does it
mean to be filled? Now if I walk into a Chinese buffet and at the door it says,
be filled, believe me friends, I know exactly what to do and I know exactly how
I'm going to do it. It's not going to involve anything that's green. It's going
to involve three things, MSG. I'm telling you, I know exactly what to do. It's
superintuitive. So if I walk in and it says be filled, I'm just going to say,
yup, thank you. But how can I be filled with a person? Remember, the Spirit of
God is not like a force. Sometimes we think of the Spirit almost like the force
or something, like this isn't the thing you're looking for. Like no, that's not
the Spirit, He's a person. How do we walk and get filled with a person? Well see
the comparison. Don't get drunk with wine, for that's debauchery, but be filled
with the Spirit. Now at first glance when you read verse 18, in its context it
seems kind of random. Like we're talking about walking, wisely we're talking
about making the best use of time and then we're saying don't get drunk. But we
all know that's not a good thing, but why is that command there? Because it
helps us to understand the positive. Now I grew up, not in the suburbs, Adam, I
grew up in an area that was, let's just say, not exactly Mr. Rogers'
neighborhood. He would not have wanted to be our neighbor. And every time around
Christmas, when it started to snow, we lived about three doors down from a bar.
You would have our annual Christmas fight, about 50, 60 people out throwing beer
bottles at each other. You just see fists are flying. My mom would always say,
okay everybody get down, we're going to call the police and we want to make sure
like all of our lights are off so that our neighbors don't think we're calling
the police. It's like mom, or you say mom, we're like the only Christians in our
neighborhood, I'm sure they can figure out who's calling the police right now.
But mom would call the police and I remember just watching as a little kid,
watching these fights and people would, they were shirtless and it's snowing
outside and I thought how could they do that? And people are just getting busted
over the head with beer bottles and then they're fighting back and it's like,
man, what is going on? This was our yearly tradition. So one day I was like,
dad, how can these people be doing this? My dad was a simple man. He said, son,
when you're under the influence of alcohol, you do things you normally wouldn't
do. And listen, that helps us because we're not called to be under the influence
of alcohol, which leads to debauchery, things we would not normally do, but
rather by way of contrast, we're called to live under the influence of God's
spirit and do things we would not normally do, like heartfelt praise and joyful
gratitude and humble submission. So how then do we live under the influence, if
you will, of God's spirit? There are two ways. Number one, as our minds are
renewed with God's word. How do we live under the influence of the spirit? By
having minds and hearts that are renewed with God's word. Steph, if you could
put up Colossians chapter three. This passage is something of a parallel passage
to the Ephesians five text and you'll see some similarities here. Colossians
three says, let the word of Christ dwell in you richly. And then there's those
inwards, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and
hymns and spiritual songs with thankfulness in your hearts to God and whatever
you do in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving
thanks to the Father through him. You see the connection here? The spirit of God
fills us as the word of Christ dwells in us richly. And that should not surprise
us because even from the very beginning of scripture, we see that the spirit of
God gives life through the word. God speaks and the spirit gives life. Genesis
chapter one. Through the word of God, the spirit of God gives new life to those
who repent and believe. And through the word of God, the spirit transforms us,
making us more into the image of Jesus Christ. Second Corinthians reads, but we
all with open face beholding as in a mirror, the glory of the Lord are being
transformed from one degree to another. And this is done by the Lord who is the
spirit. The spirit of God takes the word of God as we behold the glories of God
and changes us to become like the son of God. That's the process. He gives life
and transformation through the word. And so the more that God's word is
transforming our thinking, our values, the more the spirit then is empowering
and influencing us to live in obedience to God's commands. Now in the Colossian
text, it doesn't just simply say, let the word of God dwell in you richly. It
says, let the word of Christ dwell in you richly. The word that is literally
about or centered on Christ. He's not just referring to the word of God
generally, but he's referring to the gospel of God revealed in the word of God
more specifically. You see the more the truths of the gospel are shaping us, the
more the spirit is transforming us. So friend, day by day, let the word of
Christ dwell in you richly. Don't just go through life and let this book and let
the glories in this book just kind of sit there on the shelf. Friend, it's good
to read other books, but the spirit of God's only going to transform you through
this book. It's good to learn and to listen, but let me tell you, the spirit of
God transforms us as we see the gospel of God and the word of God. Don't neglect
the scriptures. If you want to live a spirit filled life, let the word of Christ
dwell in you richly. Secondly, to live a spirit filled life, we not only need to
pursue a word in dwelt life, but we need to pursue prayerful, humble dependence
upon God for enablement. Twice in Ephesians chapter one and in chapter three, we
see Paul praying for the spirit's power to work in the lives of God's people.
You see, God is the one who ultimately gives us the desire and the power to do
his will. Apart from him, Jesus said we can do nothing and everything we do
apart from him is nothing. So walking in the spirit means that we live in
dependence upon God to do in and through us what we could not naturally do for
ourselves. And so day by day, moment by moment, we look to the Lord and say,
Lord, I need your grace. The tasks that are before me, the calling that you've
blessed me with, Lord, I need your spirit's help. It has been wisely noted that
prayer is a declaration of our dependence upon God. And as we pray, as we look
for the spirit's grace, the spirit of God then works. It begins to move in our
lives, changing us, changing our responses, changing our perspective, making us
more like Jesus Christ. And so spirit-filled Christians are those who live under
the influence of the Holy Spirit, daily renewing their minds with gospel truth
as they walk in prayerful dependence upon God to empower them to obey. So
friend, if you want to live a fruitful life, a fulfilling life, you must live a
spirit-filled life. And so here's the challenge. Live a life that is filled by
the spirit. Let's pray.