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Filled with the Spirit
Question 1:
Whom would you most like to imitate in some area of life?
THE POINT
The Holy Spirit enables us to live as fully devoted disciples.
THE BIBLE MEETS LIFE
In the 1993 movie Groundhog Day, Bill Murray portrayed Phil, a grumpy weatherman who got stuck living the same day, February 2, over and over again. Every morning he woke up to the same song and the same DJ announcing, “It’s Groundhog Day!” The movie made viewers think: What if I had to live the same day over and over until I got it right?
You likely remember some days when you made some bad choices—choices you would love to correct. If only you could do that one day over. Unfortunately, when we live our lives in our own power and by our own wisdom, we are going to have more days of failure than success. And we don’t get the chance to do it over again.
The Bible calls us to live as “imitators of God” (Eph. 5:1). We are to imitate both God’s love and His purity in the way we live. But that kind of life is only possible as we allow the Holy Spirit to fill us.
WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?
Ephesians 5:8-14
8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light—9 for the fruit of the light consists of all goodness, righteousness, and truth—10 testing what is pleasing to the Lord. 11 Don’t participate in the fruitless works of darkness, but instead expose them. 12 For it is shameful even to mention what is done by them in secret. 13 Everything exposed by the light is made visible, 14 for what makes everything visible is light. Therefore it is said: Get up, sleeper, and rise up from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.
Paul often used contrasting word pictures to describe what the life of a believer should be like and how it should be different from the lives of those without Christ. In Ephesians 5, Paul contrasted light and darkness.
Paul reminded the Ephesian believers that in the past they “were … darkness.” He does not say they were in darkness, but that they were darkness. Their lives were so completely saturated with sin that darkness characterized their lives. Earlier (vv. 3,5), Paul had mentioned sexual immorality, impurity, greed, and idolatry as sins, and such sins would have been a part of this darkness. All that was in the past, though. They were “once” darkness (emphasis added), but no more! And as people who belong to Christ, no room remained in their lives for the things of darkness.
Question 2:
What does it look like to walk as children of light?
Now the Ephesians had become “light.” Their lives were now characterized by light, and they revealed light to the world around them. Of course, the light didn’t arise from them; the light originated “in the Lord.” This is true of all believers. Paul gave us three charges that grow out of the fact that we are light:
- Walk in the light.
- Produce the fruit of light.
- Discern what pleases the Lord.
Because they were now light, Paul warned the Ephesian believers not to “participate in the fruitless works of darkness.” Scholars disagree concerning what Paul meant when he said to “expose” the works of darkness. Some take this to mean we are to publicly reveal and disclose the personal sins committed by church members, but that doesn’t seem to fit Paul’s argument. Some argue that exposing the works of darkness means making clear how evil those works are. Others believe we should expose works of darkness by our lives, not our words. So, if we aren’t even to mention the works of darkness, how can we expose them? By living as light in the Lord. This is in line with Paul’s statement in verse 13: “Everything exposed by the light is made visible.” We are to live in a way that demonstrates a stark contrast between the works of darkness and light.
We don’t expose other people’s evil so that they can be shunned. In fact, Paul used what appears to be part of an ancient hymn to emphasize our goal: “Get up, sleeper, and rise up from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” Our goal is to help those who are asleep in darkness to “rise up” and encounter the Messiah. It’s a call for the lost to find the love, forgiveness, and light of Christ.
Ephesians 5:15-18
15 Pay careful attention, then, to how you walk—not as unwise people but as wise—16 making the most of the time, because the days are evil. 17 So don’t be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. 18 And don’t get drunk with wine, which leads to reckless living, but be filled by the Spirit.
After driving my last car for twelve years, I finally got a new one. I then found myself parking as far away from other cars as I could to keep from getting any dents or dings. When I first got it, I would even go outside during the day to check on it. I was paying close attention to my car because of its value (compared with my old one).
Paul told the Ephesians to “pay careful attention” to their lives. My car will get old just like my last one. It will eventually get little scrapes and scratches. It’s just not worth the attention I had been giving it. My life, on the other hand, requires my attention—my careful attention.
Paul had already told the Ephesian believers not to go back to walk in darkness. Now, he switched his word choice and told them to walk “not as unwise people but as wise.” Wise people have more than simple knowledge. They know how to apply knowledge to their lives so that they please God. The unwise allow the folly of poor decisions to bankrupt their lives.
Paul defined a life of wisdom by three actions:
- Makes the most of time.
- Understands what the Lord’s will is.
- Filled by the Spirit.
Similar to the person who is “drunk with wine,” someone filled with the Spirit is also “under the influence,” but it is the control of God’s Spirit. A person filled with the Spirit speaks the truth of God. His actions place the focus on Jesus Christ rather than himself. Being under the control of the Holy Spirit leads a person to walk wisely.
The tense of the verb translated be filled indicates continuous action. The wise person continually allows the Spirit to fill his life. Be filled is also in the passive voice, meaning the work of filling is something done to the person; it’s not something he does. We do not fill ourselves. The Spirit does the filling. On the other hand, we can reject the filling of the Holy Spirit. We reject His filling when we intentionally engage in sinful behavior. We reject His filling when we surround ourselves with noise and activities that distract us from His presence. The wise man is open and ready for the filling of the Spirit.
Question 3:
What are some benefits of being filled with the Holy Spirit?
Ephesians 5:19-21
19 Speaking to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making music with your heart to the Lord, 20 giving thanks always for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 21 submitting to one another in the fear of Christ.
In these verses, Paul wrote what seems to be an ancient hymn about the life of a Spirit-filled person. He used several participles to describe our actions and behavior when we are filled by the Spirit.
- Speaking to one another. This is more than simply having a conversation, because we are to speak “in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs.”
- Singing and making music. These actions come from “your heart to the Lord.” Paul was calling us to more than simply “singing with feeling.” The heart represents the center of one’s being, so the idea here is that our worship involves every part of us.
- Giving thanks. When we are filled with the Spirit, we are grateful for a home. We are thankful for our families and our church family; it warms our hearts that we have the freedom to hear the pastor proclaim the Word of God.
- Submitting to one another. When we are filled with the Spirit, submission instead of selfishness will define our relationships. We submit “in the fear of Christ.” We certainly understand submitting to others because of the love of Christ, but here, Paul’s emphasis was on having reverent fear of Christ. When we see Him in His power, His glory, and His honor, we are awed and humbled by Him. We easily submit to Him, and we submit to others because we see Jesus.
Question 4:
What does submitting to one another in the fear of Christ look like?
When our lives are indwelt by the Spirit, we live differently. Spirit-filled believers come together and form a Spirit-filled community, a church fueled by mutual submission to one another. He leads us to grateful hearts and voices that together proclaim the truth, worship, and glory of God.
Question 5:
What do these verses teach us about the Spirit’s role in worship and thanks?
Engage
WORSHIP IN THE SPIRIT
One evidence of being filled with the Holy Spirit is the way we worship. List some of your favorite psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Then offer a line from one of them as a brief prayer of worship.
Psalms:
Hymns:
Spiritual Songs:
My Prayer:
“And don’t grieve God’s Holy Spirit. You were sealed by him for the day of redemption.”
EPHESIANS 4:30
LIVE IT OUT
The Holy Spirit enables us to live as fully devoted disciples. Choose one of the following applications:
- Be thankful. Next time you find yourself grumbling about things in your life, stop. Ask the Holy Spirit to show you all the good God is doing around you. Ask Him to fill your heart with gratitude.
- Evaluate your walk. Do some evaluation of how you are walking. Does the way you are living suggest the life of a wise person or a foolish person? Journal about ways you can make the most of the days God has given you.
- Submit. Submitting to one another can be hard. We are much more interested in people submitting to us. Choose a strained relationship and develop a plan to love that individual, considering his or her needs more than your own. Trust God to work in that relationship as you submit to Him and prioritize the needs of the other person.
We’d all love to have a few days back when we could make different choices. But that’s not the way life works. Thankfully, though, as Christians we can be filled with the Spirit and make the most of today.
