What Are You Looking For?
What Are You Looking For?
Be Filled With The Spirit
God told Abraham I am your exceedingly great reward. God is all we are to look for. We must be filled with Him – His Spirit at all times. Nothing else will satisfy you.
Everybody is looking for the same thing. There is emptiness (a void) in each and everyone one of us – saved and unsaved. That emptiness must be filled. There are many ways to fill the void. You can get drunk and drugged. Apostle Paul in Ephesians 5 demands we “be filled with the Holy Spirit”. Listen to Paul:
15 See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, 16 redeeming the time, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 18 And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, 19 speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, 20 giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 21 submitting to one another in the fear of God.[c]
There are two spirits described in the passage. The first is the spirit of alcohol and the second is the Holy Spirit. We can be filled with both but not at the same time. When you are drunk, you are filled with the spirit of alcohol and it controls you – thus dissipation (debauchery, overindulgence, recklessness). When drunk with wine, your pursuit of peace, love and joy (or happiness) eventually elude you.
In the USA, “In 2012, 10,322 people died in drunk driving crashes - one every 51 minutes - and 290,000 were injured in drunk driving crashes”. - See more at: http://www.madd.org/statistics/?gclid=CJacr5fRhsICFS1k7Aodpl0Agg#sthash.p9EkPJ0B.dpuf. In addition, many marriages and homes are wrecked by drunks and the drugged. Message – Don’t get drunk especially these holidays when alcohol flows more freely. The Scripture argues for moderation but total abstinence may be best for some. We are to be sober minded and have the mind of Christ.
On the hand, we are being asked to “be filled with the Holy Spirit” – The Spirit of God. Originally, Paul’s Greek grammar is, "be constantly being filled with the Holy Spirit." I like this rendering by Masson, “Paul’s Greek is too compressed. ‘ “By the Spirit” is too precise; “in the Spirit” is too vague. We propose: “seek the fullness which the Spirit gives”’. Unlike alcohol, The Holy Spirit takes total control of us as we submit to Him and “walk by the Spirit”. Galatians 5:16-22.
Paul is saying, let the in-filling you desire be not of wine but let it be what the Spirit supplies – God Himself. In fact Paul already prayed for the Ephesians and us. “16 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, 17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— 19 to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God” Ephesians 3:16-19.
Paul told us who the Spirit is and how we got Him. “13 In Him (Christ) you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who[b] is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory” Ephesians 1:13-14.
Now Paul is saying have more of Him and keep on having more of the Spirit dwell in you. How do we have more? We must be devoted to God. As Jerry Bridges said, our devotion must be fueled by a fear (reverence) for God, understanding of God’s love and our desire for God. In essence, we are being called to practice “godliness”. Paul said to Timothy, “Exercise yourself toward godliness. 8 For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come” 1 Timothy 4:7.
We must train ourselves in godliness. We have been given everything to live godly or holy in God 2 Peter 1:3. You can have great ministry without being godly meaning you do not desire God Himself. This is the greatest fear I have for myself. Am I longing for God? Are you longing for God? Those that thirst will be filled. “As the deer pants for water so my so soul pants for the living God”. Is this my song? May I yearn for God every passing moment of my life.
Out of the in-dwelled Spirit in me, God the Spirit longs for God the Father and the Son because the Spirit takes from Christ all things that are Christ’s and makes them known to us. John 16:5-15.
Our luke-warmness and lack of obedience in loving one another, shining as light and redeeming the time are all as a result of our not being filled with the Spirit constantly. When I am filled and overflowing, I have a passion and desire to please God; and out of that passion come obedience and the other good works. Only faith in God pleases God and faith comes from the Word of God. Let’s douse ourselves with the Word of God and pray without ceasing. Jesus is the Word made flesh and now He lives in us by His Spirit. Let’s fall in love with God over and over again. God is love and He already loves us too much.
Next week we will look at the effects of being filled with the Spirit – worship and THANKSGIVING (gratitude) “for all things to God”.
Keep in mind that you, the drunk, the drug addict, the good person, the bad person are all looking for the same thing – to fill the void in each of us. Be filled with the Spirit and help others to be filled with Spirit – God Himself, the ONE you are looking for. Lord, fill us with Yourself. Amen.
Be Filled With The Spirit
God told Abraham I am your exceedingly great reward. God is all we are to look for. We must be filled with Him – His Spirit at all times. Nothing else will satisfy you.
Everybody is looking for the same thing. There is emptiness (a void) in each and everyone one of us – saved and unsaved. That emptiness must be filled. There are many ways to fill the void. You can get drunk and drugged. Apostle Paul in Ephesians 5 demands we “be filled with the Holy Spirit”. Listen to Paul:
15 See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, 16 redeeming the time, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 18 And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, 19 speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, 20 giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 21 submitting to one another in the fear of God.[c]
There are two spirits described in the passage. The first is the spirit of alcohol and the second is the Holy Spirit. We can be filled with both but not at the same time. When you are drunk, you are filled with the spirit of alcohol and it controls you – thus dissipation (debauchery, overindulgence, recklessness). When drunk with wine, your pursuit of peace, love and joy (or happiness) eventually elude you.
In the USA, “In 2012, 10,322 people died in drunk driving crashes - one every 51 minutes - and 290,000 were injured in drunk driving crashes”. - See more at: http://www.madd.org/statistics/?gclid=CJacr5fRhsICFS1k7Aodpl0Agg#sthash.p9EkPJ0B.dpuf. In addition, many marriages and homes are wrecked by drunks and the drugged. Message – Don’t get drunk especially these holidays when alcohol flows more freely. The Scripture argues for moderation but total abstinence may be best for some. We are to be sober minded and have the mind of Christ.
On the hand, we are being asked to “be filled with the Holy Spirit” – The Spirit of God. Originally, Paul’s Greek grammar is, "be constantly being filled with the Holy Spirit." I like this rendering by Masson, “Paul’s Greek is too compressed. ‘ “By the Spirit” is too precise; “in the Spirit” is too vague. We propose: “seek the fullness which the Spirit gives”’. Unlike alcohol, The Holy Spirit takes total control of us as we submit to Him and “walk by the Spirit”. Galatians 5:16-22.
Paul is saying, let the in-filling you desire be not of wine but let it be what the Spirit supplies – God Himself. In fact Paul already prayed for the Ephesians and us. “16 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, 17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— 19 to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God” Ephesians 3:16-19.
Paul told us who the Spirit is and how we got Him. “13 In Him (Christ) you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who[b] is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory” Ephesians 1:13-14.
Now Paul is saying have more of Him and keep on having more of the Spirit dwell in you. How do we have more? We must be devoted to God. As Jerry Bridges said, our devotion must be fueled by a fear (reverence) for God, understanding of God’s love and our desire for God. In essence, we are being called to practice “godliness”. Paul said to Timothy, “Exercise yourself toward godliness. 8 For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come” 1 Timothy 4:7.
We must train ourselves in godliness. We have been given everything to live godly or holy in God 2 Peter 1:3. You can have great ministry without being godly meaning you do not desire God Himself. This is the greatest fear I have for myself. Am I longing for God? Are you longing for God? Those that thirst will be filled. “As the deer pants for water so my so soul pants for the living God”. Is this my song? May I yearn for God every passing moment of my life.
Out of the in-dwelled Spirit in me, God the Spirit longs for God the Father and the Son because the Spirit takes from Christ all things that are Christ’s and makes them known to us. John 16:5-15.
Our luke-warmness and lack of obedience in loving one another, shining as light and redeeming the time are all as a result of our not being filled with the Spirit constantly. When I am filled and overflowing, I have a passion and desire to please God; and out of that passion come obedience and the other good works. Only faith in God pleases God and faith comes from the Word of God. Let’s douse ourselves with the Word of God and pray without ceasing. Jesus is the Word made flesh and now He lives in us by His Spirit. Let’s fall in love with God over and over again. God is love and He already loves us too much.
Next week we will look at the effects of being filled with the Spirit – worship and THANKSGIVING (gratitude) “for all things to God”.
Keep in mind that you, the drunk, the drug addict, the good person, the bad person are all looking for the same thing – to fill the void in each of us. Be filled with the Spirit and help others to be filled with Spirit – God Himself, the ONE you are looking for. Lord, fill us with Yourself. Amen.
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