Value #2 - Spirit-Filled Lives
Notes
Transcript
Together as a congregation we are in a new season of exploring who we are. We are charting the future with Jesus and asking Him to shape us and show us the way forward. Together we have answered the question “why does Leask Gospel Tabernacle exist?” With our mission statement that reflect’s Jesus’ great commission:
The Mission: Developing passionate Jesus-followers.
We also asked God for a vision. How does He want us to focus, what is He working on right now. Our vision statement is
The Vision: Taking Jesus with us everywhere.
To our families, friends, communities. We want to be empowered witnesses for the gospel in a dark and dying world.
Now we are talking about our values. These are the things we are saying we hold near and dear as a congregation. These things need to come from Scripture, and are our DNA. They shape who we are and what we do.
Our first value is:
Our Values
Relationship with Jesus
Relationship with Jesus means everything. Jesus told us to abide - it’s a life or death thing. If we are not connected to Jesus, we are dead. How do we do this? Through Scripture, prayer, and praise!
Now today we are talking about the second thing we hold near and dear; that shapes us:
Value #2 - We value Spirit-filled lives.
What is the Spirit-filled life, and quite honestly, why do we care?
Spirit-filled lives are folks whose lives are permeated, or saturated with the Holy Spirit. And we care about this because the Bible cares about it, and tells us that this is not only necessary, but natural!
We’re going to look first at the need for Spirit-filled lives according to Scripture. Then, explore practically some of the ways this is lived out.
The Need for Spirit-Filled Lives
The Need for Spirit-Filled Lives
Turn with me if you would to Ephesians 5. As you do, I want to make special note of this:
Scripture is replete with examples of being filled with the Holy Spirit. In the Old Testament, the Spirit came upon certain people at certain times, empowering them. People like Joshua, Gideon, Sampson, or even King Saul or King David. All of these experienced the Spirit of the Lord coming upon them. Move into the New Testament, and we find that Jesus Himself was filled with the Holy Spirit:
And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness
We’ll explore this more in a minute. Continuing on, we see the apostles and believers in Acts were also full of the Holy Spirit. So we come to Eph 5:18, where Paul says:
And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit.
Isn’t that just interesting statement? Paul says, “don’t get drunk.” Makes sense. But then he contrasts it with being filled with the Holy Spirit! Lest we think this is optional, this is an imperative for all believers - we should want to be filled with the Spirit!
Paul spends the greater portion of Ephesians 5 talking about what should characterize the believers. He tells them to “walk in the light.” Light and Dark are archetypes in God’s Word of that which is good and right, and that which is evil and wrong, respectively. He tells them to flee those things that are evil, or wrong and instead pursue Godly behaviour. Live wisely, because these days are evil! Then He says, don’t be drunk, instead be full of the Spirit! Most of us can understand the actions of someone who has had too much alcohol:
Emotionally volatile.
Not making sense.
Off balance
Irrational.
People will drink as a social thing, to relieve the pressure of the day, to escape reality. Alcohol allows us to - temporarily - feel good about something or numb pain. The problem is, it doesn’t last. Instead, we only hurt ourselves and others in being drunk. Interestingly Scripture doesn’t condemn the use of alcohol itself, but admonishes that we should be careful not to allow ourselves to engage in excess, leading to intoxication. Instead, Paul says, be filled with the Spirit. Then he characterizes what that looks like:
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,
submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.
What a way to live! Being filled with the Spirit, much like being filled with wine, has an effect on us. Yet the effect of being filled with the Spirit of God is so much better than a temporary relief from alcohol! Those filled with the Spirit are characterized as singing, and making melody to the Lord, thankful, joy-filled, and even submitted to one another in a selfless manner. Oh man - how much better to have real, lasting joy. To be filled with what God’s living Spirit offers. Peace that passes understanding, joy unspeakable, and evangelistic boldness are not found in drink, but in the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon believers!
If we go over to Acts 2 for a minute, we see the coming of the Holy Spirit - the outpouring of the Spirit upon the apostles. Let’s look at this passage together:
And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.
Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven.
And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language.
And they were amazed and astonished, saying, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans?
And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language?
Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia,
Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome,
both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians—we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.”
And all were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?”
But others mocking said, “They are filled with new wine.”
Notice what happens? The apostles receive the Holy Spirit, and they begin to boldly proclaim the gospel, speaking in many different tongues as God’s Spirit empowered. Many people are amazed by this, but some go, “meh, they’re drunk.” What!?! Yet without a willingness to see what God was up to, that was their best guess. Peter though gets up and goes, guys, it’s 9 AM! Nobody’s drunk at that time! This is fulfillment of the OT prophecy from Joel:
“And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions.
Do you know one of the big differences between the OT filling of the Holy Spirit and the NT? In the OT the Spirit came upon certain people at certain times. But now, now it is an outpouring upon all who believe, one which doesn’t just happen once, but again and again we should seek to be filled. Too often we look for just one experience. But instead, look for God to fill you again and again, afresh! This is something - according to Scripture - we should desire! Jesus Himself was full of the Spirit, and walked in step with Him. This is the other side of this coin. To be filled, and to walk in step, and Galatians 5:16 tells us:
But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.
If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.
Friends, we must be filled to overflowing with the Spirit of God, walking in step with Him in such a way that our lives are permeated by His presence and forever changed. Gal 5:25 even pictures a “follow the leader” idea, where we are following the Holy Spirit as He leads us! Being filled with the Spirit is right in line with our first value: Relationship with Jesus. We are not meant to be stagnant Christians, but to live fully alive in the presence and power of the Spirit of God! This is how we abide! As we dig into God’s Word, as we come to Him in prayer, as we worship Him, we do so in the presence and power of the Spirit. Something is different, something changes. Some will stand there and only see a silly thing. Often throughout history when the Holy Spirit has sparked revival, there have been those who said “ah, they’re drunk.” Let them say that! Truth is, it’s not alcohol that transforms us, but the Spirit, filling us to overflowing, so that God, through us, touches others, even as we see in the book of Acts.
Living out Spirit-Filled Lives
Living out Spirit-Filled Lives
So then, what does the Spirit-filled life really look like practically?
Scripture gives us much to work through on this. I’m not going to be exhaustive, but instead touch on two major points of living Spirit-filled lives. Two big ways that we want to focus on here at LGT are the fruit of the Spirit, and the gifts of the Spirit. We want to see the fruit of the Spirit growing in your life, and the Gifts of the Spirit being exercised in this congregation!
Jon story - fruit of the Spirit song.
Can anybody name the fruit of the Spirit?
Let’s turn to Galatians 5:22-25.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.
When someone is filled with the Spirit and walks in step with Him, this is the type of fruit that gets produced!
I want to break this down:
Love - Agapé love - God’s love. This is the love that God the father shows to the Son, and that was poured out for us in Jesus. This same love of God shown to us must be shown by us to others. Selfless, other-focused love, and freedom in Christ.
Joy - Rejoicing in the Lord, no matter the trial or circumstance. We can’t produce this kind of joy - which goes far beyond the typical happiness - because it is produced within us by the Spirit as we walk in step with Him! This is also a choice that the Spirit strengthens and empowers us to make - choosing joy despite life’s circumstances.
Peace - This kind of peace is deep-rooted. Connected to joy, it is the peace of having right relationship with God. Jesus told the disciples in John 14 not to let their hearts be troubled, because they believe in Him! In Christ our peace is found, brought to life through the presence of God abiding in us!
Patience - Slow to anger. Even as our God is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love (which desires to see humanity free from slavery to sin), so we should be slow to anger, but instead exercise patience.
Kindness - Being kind to others, generous, and caring for them. To care for the widow and orphan in their distress, as James put it.
Goodness - Along with kindness, goodness is about producing good works that glorify God and help others.
Faithfulness - empowerment to remain faithful to Jesus and others around you. (EBTC - Galatians)
Gentleness -
Galatians Structure
the quality of not being overly impressed by a sense of one’s self-importance,” thus bringing together the ideas of humility, meekness, and considerateness.
Self-control - Is the ability to control your emotions, actions and desires. Being self-controlled meant putting away the desires of the flesh, not allowing your emotions to run away with you, and having your action be in line with that which is pleasing to God.
This is like the exact opposite of the fruit that is produced when someone is filled with alcohol, or such vices.
Galatians What Is the Life in the Spirit? (vv. 22–26)
Whereas the flesh destroys fellowship; here the Spirit creates fellowship, unity, and holiness.
Paul says that if we belong to Christ we’ve crucified the desires and passions of the sin-filled life. Our life - now lived in the Spirit - produces beautiful fruit.
We want to see each other growing in this fruit. This is part of being Spirit-filled; your life will ever more produce this kind of fruit.
What area of life does Gal 5 22-23 not touch on? Do you lack joy? Ask God to pour out the Spirit upon you! Do you lack gentleness or patience, ask the Holy Spirit to begin working these thing afresh in you! Do you struggle with desires, habitual actions, or sins that need to be conquered? Ultimately, God sets us free from these through the power of the Holy Spirit. The more we press into this, the more we live free in Christ.
Again we are reminded of Luke 4:1:
And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness
Jesus Himself was full of the Holy Spirit, and demonstrated this fruit. He is our example of it!
We want to walk in step with the Spirit, be filled with hIm, and see this fruit present in our lives and the life of this church.
There is another practical way Scripture gives us for being full of the Spirit, and that’s the gifts He gives.
Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith;
if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching;
the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.
To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.
For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit,
to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit,
to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues.
All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.
We don’t have time to examine all of these, but we have covered this before, and you can find that message on our YouTube channel.
Let me say this: All of these gifts need to be active in our church. Not just some, but all. Some of these gifts are easy to see, serving, teaching, mercy. Some are harder to understand, like tongues, prophecy, and the like. The expectation is that our hearts are willing to grow in these gifts as the Spirit empowers. Listen, when we say to the Spirit, “oh sorry, we don’t like what you’re doing here, or we’re uncomfortable with that” we end up quenching the fire of the Holy Spirit. Instead of walking in step with Him, being filled to overflowing, we tell God to turn off the tap. May it never be said of us that we quenched the fire of the Spirit! Not when the apostle Paul himself desires for all to prophesy, and for each of these gifts to be present. Not when the early church saw the exercising of these gifts. And certainly not when our Lord Jesus Himself, full of the Spirit, healed, raised, and proclaimed the good news of salvation! We walk in His power through the Holy Spirit, following His example. Friends, let there be wisdom, mercy, right teaching, bold faith, tongues, prophecy, healing, etc. in this church! For all of this is from one and the same Spirit who gives to us as He wills. May we be willing to live these out!
Conclusion
Conclusion
Seeing people whose lives are filled to overflowing by the Holy Spirit is something we deeply desire here in this church. This is a non-negotiable. We will press into this, we will teach this, and we will seek God to continue pouring out His Spirit in mighty ways.
And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit,
Friends, be filled with the Spirit - the one who brings joy, who transforms your life. Walk in the power of the Spirit, as Christ, the apostles, and some in the early church did. It’s not about a once and done experience, but an ongoing - and growing - filling with the Holy Spirit.
Our strategy for living out this value is to be growing in the fruit, and using the gifts. We want to see the fruit that demonstrates life - love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control flow out of this people. We want to see the gifts of mercy, faith, teaching, generosity, prophecy, tongues, healing, service, discernment, wisdom, etc. We want to see those gifts thrive in abundance. Guess what, when God pours out His Spirit, amazing things happen! Revival takes place - just go read Acts! And the people of God get a fire under them about proclaiming the good news.
Practically speaking, how will this value meet the functions of our church and your life?
Well, here’s some suggestions for you:
Pray for the filling of the Holy Spirit.
To cultivate the fruit of the Holy Spirit
To make you a bold witness.
Take a spiritual gifts test and ask God to show you how you can use those gifts.
Volunteer for an area at your church where that gift set might be needed.
For us as a church, we will cultivate the Holy Spirit’s filling by:
Making intentional space in our worship services and prayer gathering for the Spirit to move.
Prayer Meeting
Encouraging the gifts through right teaching and practice
Encouraging all of us as we come together to demonstrate the fruit to one another
Modeling the fruit and gifts from leadership.
Brothers and Sisters, the filling of God’s own Spirit is ours. The challenge we have before us is to be willing for God to pour out His Spirit in new and fresh ways. We value this because Scripture tells us that it is important for our relationship with Christ - even abiding in Him - to be filled with the Holy Spirit. In the Old Testament, God’s Spirit came upon certain people at certain times. But now, now we have the Spirit poured out upon all believers! Do you desire to see a fresh move of God? Do you desire for God to do great things? We need Spirit-filled lives for that to happen! Don’t resist the moving of the Spirit, but allow Him to saturate your life. So live and act from this place of walking in step and being filled with God’s Spirit. May we, as a body, see God continue to do great things, by His Spirit.
Pray
