The Just Shall Live by Faith

The Just Shall Live by Faith
“How to be Filled with the Holy Spirit”
Ephesians 5:1-21

Wayne J. Edwards, Pastor

   Every Christian can have the abundant life Jesus promised, but most Christians will never experience it.

• They do not realize the price Jesus paid for our salvation included the peace, power, and presence of the Holy Spirit.
• They do not know how to stay connected to the Holy Spirit in their daily life.
• Therefore, other than their participation in a local church, there is no evidence of their salvation.
• No transformation – no desire to be conformed to the image of Christ.
• No sanctification – no desire to be holy; to come out of the world and live for the glory of Christ.
• No multiplication – no desire to see others saved or a willingness to openly share the gospel of Christ.

Three Essential Evidences of Being Filled with the Holy Spirit:

• A Transformation of life – a steady progress of spiritual growth. 2 Corinthians 5:17
• A Sanctification of life – a continuous victory over the sins of the flesh, a constant manifestation of the character of Christ, an insatiable desire for the genuine worship of God, and a sincere love for the family of God.
• A Compassionate life – a strong desire to see sinners saved and the saved trained to become disciples.

1. The Person of the Holy Spirit –

   Many Christians refer to the Holy Spirit as an “it” or “force” an “influence” or “power,” but not a real person.

• The King James Bible refers to Him as the Holy Ghost, but in 1611, the word “ghost” did not refer to the apparition of a deceased person, but rather to an “immaterial being,” – a spiritual being without a physical body.
• The Holy Spirit refers to the Third Person of the Triune Godhead – He is coexistent, coequal, and coeternal with God the Father and God the Son.
• Both the Old Testament and the New Testament present the Holy Spirit as a Person with personal characteristics who does personal things such as speak, think, feel, act, etc.
• The Holy Spirit has life and gives life – Romans 8:2.
• The Holy Spirit is omniscient – He searches the deep things of God, comprehends the thoughts of God, and reveals them to man – 1 Corinthians 2:10-11.
• The Holy Spirit is omnipresent – there is no place to hide from His presence – Psalm 139:7.
• While the Holy Spirit is a Divine Power, He is also a Divine Person, just as God the Father and God the Son.

2.  The Work of the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament –

   While each Person of the Triune Godhead works in their own unique way, there is a unity of purpose in their desire to reach a common goal, which is to draw out of the world, a people for God’s possession, who will glorify and magnify Him forever.

• From Genesis to Malachi, the predominant Person in the scriptural narrative is God the Father, as He reveals Himself and his plan for our redemption through His dealings with the Hebrews.
• In the gospels, the predominant Person in the scriptural narrative is God the Son, as He fulfills God’s plan for man’s redemption through his life, death, burial, and resurrection.
• From the Book of Acts forward, the predominant Person in the scriptural narrative is God the Holy Spirit, whose divine assignment is to “call out and assemble” God’s people.

The Holy Spirit works in four basic areas to accomplish His assignment:

• Regeneration –
  • In the New Testament, it means to be “born again” by the Holy Spirit – John 3:3.
  • In the Old Testament, it means God gave men a “new heart” and put His Spirit within them – Ezekiel 36.
• Inspiration –
  • In the New Testament, the Holy Spirit “indwells” the believer – 1 Corinthians 3:16-17, 6:19-20.
  • In the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit “came upon” those God chose for a special work – Joshua, David, Saul – but the Holy Spirit also withdrew from those who proved themselves unworthy of His power.
• Preservation –
  • In the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit restrained man’s propensity toward sin until God removed it and then He cleansed the earth with a flood.
  • In the New Testament, the Holy Spirit is restraining man’s propensity toward sin until He removes Himself, and the Church is raptured from the earth.

• Motivation –
  • In the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit equipped persons to perform specific tasks, regarding the Tabernacle, the Temple, and the government of the people.
  • In the New Testament, the Holy Spirit grants all believers a “measure of grace” through which they are to edify the Church and glorify Christ.

3.  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.

To be filled with the Holy Spirit the believer must:

• Empty themselves of pride, self-sufficiency, independence, and the desire for self-control. The Holy Spirit will not share the throne of our heart with anyone, or anything.
• Present themselves unto the Lord – God will not fill what is not dedicated to Him. Therefore, the believer must submit their body, mind, will, and emotions to the Lord.
• Ask – in Luke 11:13, Jesus chided his disciples – “If ye then, being evil know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him?”
• Obey – the believer must be ready to obey what the Holy Spirit prompts them to do without hesitation, reservation, qualification, or equivocation.
• Believe – to trust the Lord with all our heart, lean not on our own understanding, but in all our ways acknowledge Him, and allow Him to direct our paths. (Proverbs 3:5-6)