Sermons and Outlines

Eph. 5:18 HOW TO HAVE A SPIRIT-FILLED LIFE

Intro: Ill. Man and new car. He saves for it, buys it, has it delivered to his home.

Then he has it parked in his driveway, washes it, waxes it, shows it off to his

friends, even sits in it all afternoon long. But, he doesn’t know how to start it, so

he has to push it wherever it goes. That is a silly sounding story, but that’s how

many Christians run their spiritual lives. They know they are saved, sealed and

indwelled by the Holy Spirit, but they have never quiet gotten the hang of, or

understood being Spirit-filled. O they have faith, but they end up pushing it

around instead of allowing it to carry them through life. For these people,

Christianity is a constant battle, everyday a struggle.

If you and I are going to experience the fullness of the Christian life, then we

must learn how to be filled with the Holy Spirit. It isn’t enough just to be saved.

That will get you to Heaven, but unless you are filled with the Spirit, you will have

a rough road here below.

This verse gives the Christian a command. It says, “You be filled with the

Holy Spirit.” Too many read these words and say, “Well, the Bible says that we

ought not drink.” And, it does! But, it also says much, much more. While this

verse does give us a “don’t”, it also give us a “do.” Christianity is far more than a

bunch of “don’ts”, there are a whole lot of “do’s” to keep you busy too. In fact, if

you will spend your time doing the do’s, you won’t have time to do the don’ts.

Eph. 5:18 tells us not to be under the influence of alcohol, but rather to be

under the influence of the Holy Ghost. Today, let’s look together at How To Have

A Spirit-Filled Life. I want to help you reach your fullest potential for God. I

want to help you be Spirit-Filled.

I. REASONS FOR BEING FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT

(Ill. We are to be filled continuously, consciously and conspicuously. Until this

is a personal reality in your life, you will never be able to fully enjoy, appreciate or

participate in the Christian life. There are several good reasons why we should be

Spirit-filled.)

A. Obedience to God -

1. Eph. 5:18 is a command, not a suggestion, Ill.

Imperative mood! The Christian who is not Spirit filled is in rebellion

to God!

2. Present Tense, which tells us to be filled now and to remain filled

forever.

3. Plural. This means that every Christian has an obligation to be Spirit

filled, not just leaders.

4. (Ill. Baptist tendency to spend more time on 18a than 18b. Many feel that

drunkeness is a tremendous evil. It is a sin, but no more so than failing

to obey the Lord. In fact, it might not be as bad! (Ill. I have had more

trouble out of Baptists who were not Spirit-filled than out of drunks and

lost people!) (Ill. How would we react if a drunk came to lead the

service? Yet, we think nothing of doing the Lord’s work in an unfilled

condition!)

5. Spirit filling is not the privilege of s few, it the command for all. It is not

the abnormal Christian experience, it is the normal Christian experience!

B. Obligation To God - Not only do we owe God our obedience in this matter

of Spirit-filling, we also have an obligation to Him. We are obligated to

God in every area of our lives. We must strive to be everything we can be

for His glory and to do this, we must be Spirit-filled! Notice several areas

where it is especially important.

1. Your Worship life - Eph. 5:19-20 - To experience true worship, we must

be sensitive to, and controlled by the Spirit of God - John 4:24. (Ill. The

difference.)

2. Your Wedded Life - Eph. 5:22-25 (Ill. The wife is to submit to her

husband as unto the Lord - “Feminism is dead wrong!”) (Ill. The

husband is to love his wife as if he were Christ loving the church.)

Neither husband or wife can fulfill their duties to the other until they are

living under the influence of the Spirit. Until they are, the home is out of

balance! (Ill. Children need the filling also - Eph. 6:1-4)

3. Your Work Life - Eph. 6:5-9 We are to do our job as if we were

working directly for the Lord. You ought to serve your boss as if He

were Christ Himself! Our daily work ought to be carried out with the

same enthusiasm that we have when we go the church. Every Christian

ought to let his light shine brightly on the job. (Ill. Lazy, slow, critical,

dishonest versus honest, careful, punctual, trustworthy, hardworking.)

There is a great need for Spirit-filled workers on the job.

4. Your War Life - Eph. 6:10-17 - We are locked in mortal combat with a

powerful spiritual foe, the devil. The only hope we have of succeeding in

life is to war in the Spirit. Ill. He is after your home, your family, your

marriage, your faith, your health, your happiness, anything he can ouch

and destroy. Your only hope is to be Spirit-filled!

5. Your Witness Life - Eph. 6:18-19 - To be a good witness demands that

we be Spirit-filled. Otherwise, our words will have a hollow ring to them

and they will have no power to touch the heart. (Ill. Acts 1:8)

C. Opportunity Before God - Eph. 5:14-16 - These are dark days against

fierce enemies, but these are also days of great opportunity. The world

needs our message and our hope. We have a tremendous opportunity to

share the Gospel with a lost world, but to take advantage of this great

privilege we must be filled with the Holy Spirit of God.

II. THE REQUIREMENTS FOR BEING SPIRIT-FILLED

A. Conversion - The filling of the Spirit is an exclusive privilege of the

redeemed. Step #1 is to receive Jesus into your heart and life! (Ill. Many

lost!)

B. Commitment - It is a commitment to a Person. (Ill. He is a Person, not an

it!) Open all the doors of your life, (heart, home, marriage, family, job,

finances, etc), and invite Him to come in and take control of everything.

then yield to Him, (Ill. Passive Voice). We are to make a commitment to the

Spirit of God to live under His influence. (Ill. Alcohol - It influences and

controls every part of the personality of the drunk.) (Ill. The Spirit - He will

change your walk, talk, courage, power, everything!) Ill. But, we have to

allow Him to do His work and keep it a part of our daily lives by total

dependence upon Him. (Ill. A Drunk - He gets thee by drinking, stays there

by drinking more!)

C. Claiming - Ill. Col. 2:6 - We received Christ by faith and we must have faith

that He will also fill our lives. If you have dealt with your sins, opened the

doors of your life to Him, then claim the filling of the Spirit by faith. (Ill.

Not about feelings - The tree will be known by the fruit it bears!)

III. THE RESULTS OF BEING SPIRIT-FILLED

A. Relationships will change

1. Toward God - Strengthened, filled with praise and adoration. You will

have a true spirit of worship. His work will not be a drudgery.

2. Toward Others - Love them, forgive them, submit to them, serve them.

B. Reactions will change - Criticism will be replaced with thanksgiving - 1

Thes. 5:18. God will receive the glory and honor due Him!

C. Reality will change - Ill. Gal. 5:22-25 - The fruit of the Spirit will be on

display in the life of the Spirit-filed Christian! (Ill. Gal. 5:16!)

Conc: Can you honestly say that you are Spirit-filled? If not, I challenge you to

come before the throne, open all the doors in your life, hand the Spirit the keys and

give Him control! It will make all the difference in you Christianity!