Living the Spirit Filled Life; Ephesians 5:18-33

Introduction - Living The Spirit Filled Life

PRAY TO START!

Recap Series

Chapters 1-3; How we are saved

God’s Plan (chapter 1)

Individually made alive (chapter 2)

Together became the people of God (chapter 2)

Chapter 4 transition to how we are to live

we talked about being united in the Spirit, in the gospel and discipleship

Last week - Living in a Dark world

we are to expose the darkness, but we do not do that by shouting it down. We do that by imitating God, reflecting the love of Jesus to those around us.

Today - Living a Spirit Filled Life

Ephesians 5:18 CSB

18 And don’t get drunk with wine, which leads to reckless living, but be filled by the Spirit:

Reckless - Wasted life, unsaved life

Prodigal son

Luke 15:13 CSB

13 Not many days later, the younger son gathered together all he had and traveled to a distant country, where he squandered his estate in foolish living.

Filled - Full to complete

You have all the Holy Spirit that you need right now

Ephesians 1:13 CSB

13 In him you also were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and when you believed.

You do not need more of God, more of the Spirit

You have all that you need to live the Spirit filled life

Ephesians 5:18–33 CSB

18 And don’t get drunk with wine, which leads to reckless living, but be filled by the Spirit: 19 speaking to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making music with your heart to the Lord, 20 giving thanks always for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 21 submitting to one another in the fear of Christ. 22 Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord, 23 because the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church. He is the Savior of the body. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives are to submit to their husbands in everything. 25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself for her 26 to make her holy, cleansing her with the washing of water by the word. 27 He did this to present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or anything like that, but holy and blameless. 28 In the same way, husbands are to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29 For no one ever hates his own flesh but provides and cares for it, just as Christ does for the church, 30 since we are members of his body. 31 For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. 32 This mystery is profound, but I am talking about Christ and the church. 33 To sum up, each one of you is to love his wife as himself, and the wife is to respect her husband.

When we are filled with the Holy Spirit our relationships are marked with humility and love, unconditionally.

Spirit Filled Relationships

No reckless living - then goes into speaking about relationships

what kind of relationships are reckless

causes you to sin

waste of time or resources

selfish relationships

where you are sucking the resources of another

where your resources are being sucked out of you

Notice - these relationships that Paul will begin to discuss will be mutually beneficial

Ephesians 5:18–21 CSB

18 And don’t get drunk with wine, which leads to reckless living, but be filled by the Spirit: 19 speaking to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making music with your heart to the Lord, 20 giving thanks always for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 21 submitting to one another in the fear of Christ.

Spirit filled relationships include encouraging each other in worship

This cannot be done from your recliner

Why technology is nice, but it cannot replace the gathering of God’s people

Spirit filled relationships include being thankful

thankful for each other

thankful for what your brothers and sisters have

material

relational

growing in Christ

Spirit filled relationships include submitting to one another

submission - to lower in rank, be under

this is done in the fear of the Lord, Jesus

fear - complete awe of who he is and what he has done for us

When I realize my sinfulness, the forgiveness that I have been given, I cannot think of myself as any higher than another

Spirit Filled Marriage

In the same way that other relationships are mutually beneficial, marriage is the same way

both the husband and wife are to be elevated in a spirit filled marriage

Ephesians 5:22–31 CSB

22 Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord, 23 because the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church. He is the Savior of the body. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives are to submit to their husbands in everything. 25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself for her 26 to make her holy, cleansing her with the washing of water by the word. 27 He did this to present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or anything like that, but holy and blameless. 28 In the same way, husbands are to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29 For no one ever hates his own flesh but provides and cares for it, just as Christ does for the church, 30 since we are members of his body. 31 For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.

Spirit filled wives are submissive to their husbands as to the Lord

Illustration - Me saying submit to Heather at Youth Group

submission - to lower in rank, be under

word not really in v22, grammatically carries over from v21

Submit to one another, wives, your husbands.

This does not mean that she should fear him, but look with a since of reverence and respect

not because he is superior, but because he is tasked with being held accountable for the spiritual welfare of the family

She does not submit to every man

We teach a false doctrine when we teach that women are inferior because of this word submission

they submit to their own husband

A godly woman respects the needs of her husband

Praying for her husband selflessly

That he would grow in the Lord

That he would grow in the image of the Lord

That the will of God would be done in his life

Spirit filled husbands are to love their wife

Heather - I do not have to love you… just respect

This is not agape

agape - the benevolent love, love that acts

so many have heard this word and think that word is here, we are to love our wives in a way that acts

Love - Agapao - deep affection and intimacy, strong NON-sexual affection and love for a person and their good, characterized by the giving up of their rights

A Spirit filled husband loves his wife sacrificially

denying himself to elevate her

denying himself to present her pure and holy

husbands should have a strong desire to see your wives growing into the image of Christ

“Is your wife growing more like Christ because of you? Is your wife growing more like Christ in spite of you?

A Spirit filled husband is to love his wife as himself

not loving her how you want to be loved

looking out for her needs as you would your own

cherishing her as the gift that she is that has been given to you

Christ sacrificed himself for his bride

Christ sanctified his bride

Christ provides and cares for his bride

A Spirit filled marriage should be a living illustration to the world

The illustration gives the ultimate picture of marriage to the world

the wife is the church serving Christ

the husband is how Christ loved the church

The illustration gives the ultimate purpose in marriage

to glorify Christ

as to the Lord v22

as Christ loved v25

as Christ does v29

It all points back to Jesus!

Wayne Grudem illustration

Teaching a Trinity Seminary, moves to a seminary in Arizona so that his wife, who has Fibromyalgia

she did not want him to leave the prestigious position that he had at Trinity because it elevated him more

Unconditional Submission and Love

Sad to hear “believers” speak about not living like they are supposed to in their marriage based on the other person

It always amazes me that our obedience to the word of God could be based on the obedience of another

Do we do this anywhere else in our spiritual life

Do not lie, do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do we obey those only if others are obeying?

Ephesians 5:32–33 CSB

32 This mystery is profound, but I am talking about Christ and the church. 33 To sum up, each one of you is to love his wife as himself, and the wife is to respect her husband.

Unconditional is a word that is not in this passage

The command does not give a condition

What did we do to earn the love of Christ

Marriage is not a contract that we enter that both parties must do certain things

What do we do to keep the love of Christ

Marriage is not a transaction of you give me and I will give you

What will we do that will remove the love of Christ

Marriage is not a relationship that will last only if do not sin