The Price of Blessing # 2
“How to be Continually Filled with the Holy Spirit”
Ephesians 5:1-21
Wayne J. Edwards, Pastor
The very instant a person is born again, they are indwelt by the Holy Spirit, who was, in fact, the agent of their regeneration.
- Galatians 3:5 – “Did God give you His Spirit and work miracles among you by the works of the law, or by your believing what you heard?
At the same time, that new believer is sealed by the Holy Spirit and baptized into the body of Christ.
- Ephesians 1:13-14 – “In Him 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, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.”
At the same time, that new believer was predestined to become conformed to the image of the One who saved them.
- Romans 8:30 – “Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.”
- In Acts 2:22ff, Luke said the Holy Spirit empowered the disciples to preach the gospel in the languages of the multitude of people who had come to Jerusalem from all over the world, for the observance of Pentecost, and 3,000 Jews were saved.
- In Acts 10:1ff, Luke said the Holy Spirit “fell on the house of Corneliius,” a Roman Military Officer, and that the first Gentiles were saved.
- This is the work of “regeneration” – that initial call of the Holy Spirit upon the unregenerate; those who are, as the Apostle Paul described them, “Dead in their trespasses and sins.”
- By His own volition, the Holy Spirit quickened us to see our sin, our need for a Savior, and Jesus as the Savior we needed.
- By His power alone, we were inspired to receive Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, and we accepted those acts of the Holy Spirit by our faith alone.
- However, in Ephesians 5:15-18, the Apostle Paul said, “See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore, do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit.”
- Being “filled” with the Holy Spirit is not a one-time, dramatic event that makes us super-spiritual so that we are no longer tempted by sin, or immune to avoid life’s difficulties and problems.
- To be filled with the Holy Spirit is to live in the assurance that, as far as we can know our own souls, our sins have been forgiven, and every area of our lives is under the full control of the Holy Spirit.
- This circle represents the fullness of the Holy Spirit in the life of a born-again believer in Jesus Christ.
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The level of the fullness of the Holy Spirit God desires for those He saves. |
| The level of the fullness of the Holy Spirit the majority of believers attain. |
- Where would you draw YOUR CIRCLE?
1. What it means to be Filled with the Holy Spirit –
Being filled with the Holy Spirit is not:
- The baptism of the Spirit or being sealed by the Holy Spirit.
- A dramatic event that causes a person to live on a higher plane and never have to deal with life’s problems.
- An ecstatic experience that causes a person to speak in tongues, bark like a dog, or fall backward in a trance.
Being filled with the Holy Spirit is to live in confidence that our sins are forgiven, and that every area of our lives is under the full authority and control of the Holy Spirit.
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The Three Types of Persons*
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1. Natural Person (Self-Directed Life) One who has not received Christ as their Savior: self is on the throne, making decisions and controlling the various areas of life; resulting in frustration. Jesus is outside of their life – 1 Corinthians 2:14
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2. Spiritual Person (Christ-Directed Life) One who is directed and empowered by the Holy Spirit: Christ is on the throne; self has yielded to the Lordship of Christ, and the various areas of life are in balance – 1 Corinthians 2:15
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3. Carnal Person (Self-Directed Life) One who claims to be a Christian but lives in defeat. Jesus is “in” their life, but not on the throne. Self is directing the decisions and actions and the various areas of their life are frustrated – 1 Corinthians 3:1-3
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*Adapted, with permission from
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“The Holy Spirit wants to infuse our minds with the mind of Christ, permeate our hearts with the love of Christ, and sanctify our bodies as instruments to glorify Christ!”
Why most Christians are not experiencing the abundant life?
- Primarily, they equate their good works and acts of self-righteousness with the provision God has made for us through Jesus Christ.
- In effect, they are trusting in themselves to do that which only the Holy Spirit can do in them, for them, and through them, and they cannot succeed.
- Some have characterized this person as a “carnal Christian,” one who has made a profession of faith in Jesus Christ, but who manifests no credible evidence of being truly born again.
How can we be continuously filled and overflowing with the Holy Spirit?
- Make sure you have been “born again” by the Holy Spirit.
- Fully surrender your life unto the Lordship of Christ.
- Just as you received Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord by the verbal and visible expression of your faith in the truth of God’s Word, so you can now verbally and visibly allow the Holy Spirit freedom to sanctify every area of your life as holy unto the Lord.
- Expect to see incremental changes in your study of God’s Word and in your time of personal and corporate worship.
