Be Filled with the Spirit

JD Greer, so here's my point to be filled with the spirit is about being under the control of an absolutely alive to the realities of God in the world fullness with the spirit is a felt sense of the attributes of God the son and the Holy Spirit is more than a doctrine or life does that mean you're just kind of a stamp that we get in our spiritual passport, make sure will get into heaven to my pastor, JD Greer explained that we are just sealed with the spirit, the Scripture says were also filled with the spirit like a pretty important detailed today's teaching as part of our series called rushing when you missed any of the previous messages, and online. JD Greer.com.

Now let's dive into this message title be filled with the spirit somehow become controversial among Christians, which is a tragedy because this subject doesn't really need to be controversial. The irony is that God give the Holy Spirit the purpose of unifying the church. The irony is in some ways it is our discussions about the Holy Spirit that is most divided the church. This is one the subject of the fullness of the spirit that really does not need to divide us at all like a lot of the people that talk about this end up using different terms for the same thing and end up talking past one another. Understanding what I'm going to say to you this morning is what makes the difference between a mundane spiritual life kind of adjuster wrote sort of going to the motion spiritual life and the light that is overflowing and exuding with joy right. Anybody need more joy in their spiritual life. Anybody I do big fans especially upset about how I think that applies to you, big applies, all this. This is for you okay Ephesians chapter 5 verse 18. Have your Bible, and much open to bear. Ephesians chapter 5 verse 18.

You listen as I read these three verses in their entirety.

Please vibrate seem and do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the spirit addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ there three questions about the fullness of the spirit that I see answered in those three verses. They are, they are first of all, what is the filling of the spirit.

And secondly, when are we filled by the spirit and then lastly, how are we filled by the spirit. So what is it ways it happened and how does it happen is that widows are all up three big questions be answered three short little verses I don't know all answered at least. Similarly, in those verses the beginnings of the answer. That's what will try to try to touch on so much as go to Lowe's in order number one what is the filling of the spirit. The word filled in Greek, the Paul uses here literally means permeated are saturated. It's it's it's when every part of you is is consumed with something.

For example, the same word in Greek is used in Luke 428 when it says that the audience was filled with rage and never been so angry at something that it wasn't like to be does isolate your anger to one area, it just consumes you.

That's all you could think about it. See you just focused on value been so angry at a friend or so angry your spouse are so angry at the person who cut you off in traffic or whatever that you just just consumes you combats feel the same idea that he's using here you have you ever been hurt and you been filled with pain that gives you pretty good picture of it.

I thought several years ago came down with what turned out to be a staph infection and about whether try to diagnose it that you know that my my knee was about the size of a basketball and so they they need to draw some fluid out of it needed to do it in an emergency situation as her tongue for what was wrong is by temperatures of about 105° and so when winter winter in a hurry they could deaden the skin.

They can deaden the feeling of the skin, but they can't designate your down the bone in attendance, and so on. They had to go through the kneecap and the tendency to get this and when that happened you know I mean it wasn't my knee that hurt is there driving that needle in there.

It's my hope by was alive with pain, I couldn't see straight. I couldn't talk straight, couldn't think about anything. As you work because I was filled with pain. That's the image that that is that is giving there or you notice the contrast that he draws will be drunk with wine, but be filled by the spirit use the word filled with wine, but that's what he means, don't be filled with wine. When you are when you are drunk. That's not any of you think of this, a lot of personal traits but when a person is drunk. Alcohol doesn't affect one part of their body consumes all so that your thinking is affected your speech is affected your reflexes are affected all of you. We draw blood sample from any party or body was all consuming alcohol on that's that's the idea being for being permeated by the spirit.

I did one last word pictures and some of you maybe communicate better with that right… Ms. McGuire represent you.

I melt with this job array reps of the Holy Spirit with some of you think is altogether fitting better and we put that in there like this now when I started this up, which is the only way that my kids will drink milk right so I stir this up and then I say where is the chocolate in this. It's in every part of it right every molecule there of the milk is attached to the chocolate so that when you drink it you get chocolate and that has been out here for a while. I was I got the picture you feel your permeated so that every part of you is consumed by saturated by affected by and alive by the spirit.

Now the contrast that he draws her to alcohol is a good one.

He says don't be filled with wine, but to be filled with the spirit because there are some ways that mean filled the spirit is similar to being filled with wine.

But then there are other ways that it is very different. So let's talk first about the ways that being filled with wine to be filled. The spirit of similar when you are filled with alcohol.

As I mention everything is affected by the presence of that alcohol you think how you react to you talk to all affected certain things that used to bother you. Don't bother you anymore and certain things I don't usually bother you start to bother you when you are filled with alcohol consumers filled with alcohol. They lose a lot of their inhibitions is that not true right when somebody is drawing the loser. Inhibitions on this past week I was flying back here to Raleigh-Durham and Zion learn about the legs of my flight, I got upgraded to first class which was an awesome you know benefit and so I go sit down in first class are going pretty good method on Exodus friendly looking lady and so she struck up a conversation and about three sentences into it on like this lady struck. She is let me before we got on the plane she was drunk. She said Mary Jesus.

Jesus chatty Kathy to butter you know the whole time and you normally I like to be able share price of the person sitting next to but it sounds like this remember thing that I'm I'm saying here.

But I noticed how does, how she was saying stuff I don't think she would typically cite I'm just talking victims or mice just talk. She's like she says she said I think I recognize you from our previous flight and I she said because I noticed you and I think she felt how awkward that was just checking you out or maybe I was even there, yes so so I unite I take my I did. I pulled my first maneuver that always pull and I don't want to talk to the person next to me it's my book.

My book another one I wrote the disabled and I I put it right up close my face and I start reading it you think that stops his woman. Of course not.

She's like what are you ready now. Typically, that would be a great Ian interest me to say about the Bible about God and getting that garage there but again, this was was useless, precipitous, off-site, well that's got to be like.

I love the Bible start crying or somebody that so I just give them as I while inside, so I put my second maneuver, which is to lay my head back and leaned it like I back like it was going to sleep and I think that's Dr. absolutely not she, you know, leans over and like to mess with my light. She's like I'm will turn off your light for you. Make sure that you're comfortable, goodness every 20 minutes. You keep talking so I pulled my final maneuver to get people to get her as I put my headphones in and I turned them up as loud as they would possibly go comfortably.

You think that's Dr. know she notices that my headphones are on that. I can hear her. So I kid you not.

She started yelling at me over the headphones about what she wants to talk to me about now, I would. I would guess that typically this lady was not like that, but with all this alcohol in her system. Her inhibitions have been removed. One of things that happens when the spirit of God comes into somebody is I don't want to start with. In a similar way, but in a similar way their inhibitions are removed. Hopefully not in a chatty annoying way but see that they begin to begin the not care as much about things that used to care about because they care about other things. So for example when you see the spirit of God coming to the church of the book of acts.

You seem to have an uncanny boldness so that Peter and asked annuities filled by the spirit stands up in front of a hostile crowd and says you need to repent. You need to believe in Jesus the same people that crucified Jesus. This is a St. Peter mind you that lesson, or a month or so before had denied Christ three times in the space of an hour now, I want to what others are doing to middle school age girl. Now he's in front of a hostile crowd filled with confidence and courage thing that happens and ask for their stand in front of the Sanhedrin angina filled the spirit may testify boldly. Jesus is the whole church is filled with the spirit of the end of acts four says that they'd went out everywhere preaching the word. Boldly it says acts 413 that the people were astonished at the boldness of the early church acceptor seven Stephen standing in front of people who have rocks in their hands about dystonia filled with the spirit intensifies boldly the Jesus now these people were not all type a loudmouths that was a characteristic personality of the the early church that these were normal people just so filled with the spirit for the mission of God that they spoke with boldness and power for Mubarak and I just ask you this. Has that ever happened to you as anybody ever been astonished by your boldness so alive with God's heart and his emotions so aware of his glory in a situation that you forget about your reputation and you forget about danger because your eyes are opened to the glory of God and the mission, it's your soak consume with him, but you forget about all the things you don't care about member I told you before that the presence of God is when the spirit of God makes God's attributes come alive to you what the definition of the present got listless and because the presence of God in your life is when the spirit of God makes the attributes of God become real to you start to feel the place that I get that definition is from Exodus 34 Moses says the God, let me see your glory.

But let me let me feel your presence. So God says Moses what you can't would be my presence will salmon and live so you can see my face.

Moses says please got is okay. Reports of rock covers with his hand in his presence passes by not present right presence passes by eminences while his presence is passing by, God declares his name to Moses what you got is God saying I am Jehovah. I am a God that is full of compassion on the God of mercy, God forgives sin, God forgives them for generations on end, God of justice basically declares the gospel to Moses as her from that, you see that the presence of God is on the spirit of God is taking the gospel the attributes of God is making them come alive to you so that in that moment you're so consumed with them.

You were so filled with a sense of his mission that you speak with boldness too much about it. Astonished people because you see what they don't see or feel what they don't feel it's a really good to forget about everything else. Reminds me of the words of Charles Spurgeon who said that if you want to make somebody into an evangelist, put them into hell for 30 seconds.

If you could do that. Imagine the boldness that you would share Christ with.

If you had spent 30 seconds and how it came out that kind of understanding when you see the beauty of who God is and using our greatest salvation is using a great danger is to speak with an uncanny boldness, but astonished people. That's how I would say being filled. The spirit is like being filled with wine right missing some ways that it is different in the spirit you don't lose control of your mind like you do with alcohol. You gain control reason our point is out of physical movement out there that's not what you need to get drunk on Jesus, you drunk on Jesus new start act like you lost your mind you're so in some churches, additional CPU, the land that yet another fallen down and there on the hoopla and the hollering and laughing and barking like a dog and cluck like a chicken that's not know that is exaggerated made up what's forth with your doctor drunk on Jesus and I just lost my mind for Jesus just like Paul said no. Paul said that is not what it's like you said you see that that is debauchery that when Paul is talking to the Corinthians mother church services for 2014.

One. Things he criticizes them about this. People come in your church service. Nobody's were well around what are you hello I like a chicken with her head cut off and AAA and you guys were yelling, missing hoop and holler and scream in a dog. He said the gas. The unbeliever comes in and think you lost your mind.

That's not a compliment. He's giving to them like a miniature drunk on the spirit.

Please look at the bad thing EEE but he ends his discussion of what a spirit filled service look like with first ring is 1440. Let everything be done decently and in order drunk people do think Street decently like you walk a line decently and in order right so so the spirit of God doesn't make you lose your mind you gain greater control of your Mac.

That's one way it's different.

Here's a subtle way in the spirit you're not deadened to reality and the spirit your awaken to reality when you're filling wine you're deadened to reality as it reduces your sensitivity of things that hurt you emotionally and physically. That's why people go to the theme of every country music song I've ever heard. But the tragedy and that is alcohol cannot selectively deaden our goal one part of you can just deaden the part of you that's hurting. It deadens all of you, so that that you were left alive. You're less aware of reality, you're not as intelligent. You are not as quick and responsive because all of you is gold in deadened by contrast, get this, the spirit makes you more alive, more alive. Look back at the verses in your Bible leading up to verse 18 direct verse 15 reverses a little pulse it look carefully then how you walk, not as wise, but is unwise. Therefore, do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is do not get drunk with wine, but be filled with the spirit of words careful wives understanding the word you used about somebody when they're drunk they're not careful therefore is not wise, like they did, they don't have understanding because fullness of the spirit get this is not a dulled consciousness boldness of the spirit is an expanded one.

Your eyes are not close to the pain they are awaken to a God who is greater than pain. Your eyes are not your your heart is not shielded from pain, your heart is open to the glory and the presence and the beauty of Jesus for some of you.

The only way you ever know how to deal with pain is to get yourself to the tragedies you make yourself less alive for some of you it's because you were hurt in a relationship you quit trusting people.

That's less alive for some of you really grounded in alcohol you drowned in distraction you men that bear yourself and your work because your marriage is so bad that is less alive what God spirit does if you don't deaden you to reality. He opened your eyes to reality so that you see the greater plan of God. The greater goodness of God within the pain decouple biblical examples on this.

I'm saying things chapter 6 when my favorite Old Testament stories, which they're all my favorite one of them talk about one of them. Okay so this is really where my favorite cooking supper sex Elisha is coming into the city in Israel, not far from Jerusalem and is with one of the servants and the entire Syrian Army huge has laid siege all around the mountains and you know around this valley where they are in Elisha's servant is just beside himself as you would be due because hostile armies become white your country of face of the map and he realizes this, you know, and belongs only seem like that big of a deal in Elisha's turbine is out of his mind and he's like, what's wrong with you. Don't you see people but destroy us in Elisha just says this this this little casual comment through servant brought you to God and says God open his eyes and all of a sudden God opens his eyes and around this entire Syrian Army's servant sees a greater army which is the armies of God, angels in chariots of fire who outnumber the Syrian army 10 to 1 and they are standing there with their flaming swords and with their chariots of fire and all the sudden Elisha servant sees and he's not as terrified anymore about that Syrian Army we see what is happened.

There's two ways that Elisha could delve his servant.

He was afraid out of his mind he could of been like your scared take a shot of whiskey. Here's a shot of Jack Daniels. Let us calm your nerves and you'll be okay, but he didn't all his consciousness he expanded his consciousness. He help him see the greater power of God in the midst of the powers that were arrayed against him some excerpts they give you a second example centigrade in chapter 6 Paul this time is talking about how hard his life is and he says we are always sorrowful, yet always rejoicing.

We are poor that we possess all things we are are beaten-down, but we're not forsaken and he says all this, by the way, sacredness of sex and the spirit he sets why because what's the spirit of God done to him in the midst of his pain.

He showed them that there was a God who had a greater Pam plan than the people that were causing his pain did he was in the midst of pain. Seeing that there was a God he was sweeter than paint deeper than pain. A God who ultimately controlled everything in the midst of his poverty wasn't like God just a ton of money that here dispenses it. His eyes were open to see that he possessed all things. What happens when you're in the midst of pain. Listen to this is on the spirit of God deals with the some of you only what you think you can help you do it pain is to get you out the situation that you're in God heal this disease. God fix this financial problem God make this person go away. Take away this pain you should pray for that I and I pray to God does that for you, but I'm tell you that sometimes what God does is yet to give you a greater knowledge expand your knowledge in the pains of Eisai Romans 55 God said to brought his love in my heart so that Romans 828.

I know that in all things God is working for good to it.

For those who he loves, and those that love him. I know Romans 816 that he is bearing witness with my spirit in the midst of pain that I am a child of God. I feel forsaken. I know that I'm not go. I feel poor. I know that in him. I possess all things go. I feel like I'm beaten-down. I know that in all things are more than a conqueror through him who loves me, God, and cast off by every person that I know Hebrews 13 five.

I know that he will never leave me or forsake me. I know that his purpose is for me for good plans from your secure his promises are eternal and I have nothing to worry about his goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life.the fullness of the spirit. Okay, that's what God wants to do with you and in you and through you is you want to expand your consciousness.

So here is my point to be filled with the spirit is about being under the control of an absolutely alive to the realities of God in the world fullness with the spirit is a felt sense of the attributes of God estimate. The Holy Spirit is more than a doctrine for some of you that really is all you teach the doctrine to you. He is a doctrine okay I'm not against Dr. and I'm a PhD in doctrine.

I love doctrine, but is more than doctrine. It is a felt sense of his manifest presence Dean Martin Lloyd Jones passed her virtual line.

He said as he said have my time telling you care about doctrine diamond isn't enough doctrine is not enough of anything else sense of God's love as you believe it as a doctrine is that you sent it and you feel it what you hear in the midst of your pain is that there is a God who is greater than your pain distinction in God's presence. Nearness is a function not just of the doctrine of the Holy Spirit, but the real-life person of the spirit whose interests.

Thank you for joining us today on Senate life with pastor Arthur and theologian JD Greer to hear this message again or to share it with a friend visit us online@jdgreer.com Jamie been listening to your teaching about the Holy Spirit for a few days now. Can you tell us why you titled this teaching series rushing rent yet the question when the Holy Spirit came first to the church and ask chapter 2 English translations as he came in like a mighty rushing wind right here scholar savings account like a tornado. It was something that was somewhat terrifying. It wasn't like a calm breeze, but something that communicated power in the lives of believers that was going to change the story change that the conversation that's a recurring picture of the Holy Spirit that you're in see throughout the New Testament were supposed to be in such a dependent posture on him that we couldn't imagine getting up and going throughout the day without his energy and his wisdom making making spiritual truth. The reality I'm given us Christ mind and his heart, our newest resource is going to eight pairs so perfectly with our our study. It's it's 20 devotionals. It's also called rushing wind in its God to a scripture passage and devotional thoughts couple of follow-up questions. Short prayer guide it'll help with these trues are resonated with you from the series. In this study will help later rent so that it begins to saturate your life saving that these are not just concepts are hearing the truth that are transforming you little to give you a copy if you donate discarded JD Greer.com you becoming a gospel partner with us.

I'm just as our way of saying thank you. What this resource. Like JD said we let free to get in touch today when you call. I still have the option of donating to support this ministry that we can continue to equip people gospel centered teaching every day on your radio station when you give it a suggested level of $25 or more will say thanks by sending newest resource devotional down the Holy Spirit includes teaching from Pastor JD reflection question for your copy of this rushing wind understanding when you donate by calling 83358335 T-20 or go online to clear.com and Molly benefits might have you be sure to listen Thursday morning on Senate life