Ephesians 5:18 And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; 19: Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; 20: Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; 21: Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.

Introduction

For the last two Sundays, we have been considering Paul’s admonition to believers in Ephesus to be filled with the Spirit. And to guide us through this study, I suggested three headings, namely, the Comparison, the Command, and the Consequences. We have already talked about the Command and the Comparison. This morning, I want us to consider the consequences or the results of being filled with the Spirit. But before we do that, let’s have a quick review on what we have covered so far.

I - The Comparison

First, we looked at the comparison.

Ephesians 5:18 And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;

Paul by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit compares being filled with the Holy Spirit to drunkenness! He uses the illustration of drunkenness. The basic idea Paul wants to convey in this comparison or illustration is that of control. Paul is essentially saying, “do not be controlled by the alcoholic spirits, and instead be controlled by the Holy Spirit.”

When a person is truly filled with the Holy Spirit, he is no longer the one controlling his body. He goes where the Spirit wants him to go and he doesn’t go to places where He convicts him not to go. When a person is truly filled with the Holy Spirit, he is no longer the one controlling his mind. His mind is centered on the things of God. When a person is truly filled with the Holy Spirit, he is no longer the one controlling his speech. He is speaking the things the Spirit of God leads him to say or not say.

And “Being filled with the Spirit” is synonymous to “letting the word of Christ dwell in us richly.” This truth highlights the importance of having a steady and constant diet of the Word of God. When we are filled with the Word of Christ, the Spirit takes that truth and uses it to guide and direct us.

II - The Command

Then we looked at the command.

Ephesians 5:17 Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is. 18: And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;

This Spirit-filling is not optional. It is not a suggestion. It is a command and it is a command to be obeyed.

1. It is Principal Command

It is an extremely important command.

2. It is Passive Command

God is implied as the source of the filling. We are the recipients of the action. We as believers do not fill ourselves, God does the filling when we ask Him to fill us or control us.

3. It is Plural Command

This command applies to every believer in Christ. It is not reserved for a few special super spiritual Christians. Every Christian without exception can be filled with the Spirit.

4. It is Perpetual Command

The words “be filled” here is in the present tense. It refers to continuous action. “Be filled” means “be continually filled,” “keep on being filled,” “be filled again and again and again”.

III - The Consequences

Having dealt with the meaning of the divine command to be filled with the Spirit, now the question is how can I know that I am filled with the Holy Spirit? What are the positive consequences or outcome of being filled with the Spirit of God? The apostle answers this with three clear evidence for judging the Holy Spirit's full operation in our lives. But I want us to be clear that the evidence of the Spirit fullness in one’s life is not becoming out of control and bark like a dog nor laugh uncontrollably nor roll on the floor nor pass out and fall over backwards, which is happening in some Charismatic churches today. These have nothing to do with being filled with the Spirit. The man who is filled with the Holy Spirit does not go out of control. He does not go off into some wild, uncontrolled state, but instead, walks thoughtfully and carefully with God, and his testimony has power with men.

For the Bible says in …

2 Timothy 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

God has not given us the spirit of fear but of power and of love and of sound mind or a controlled mind, controlled by the Spirit. When we are filled with the Holy Spirit our minds are not wandering off into a thousand of things or places.

Ephesians 5:19 and the following verses tell us the effects of being filled with Spirit of God. It gives us the three major effects of being controlled by the Spirit of God. That is what I want us to look at this morning.

Ephesians 5:19 Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; 20: Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; 21: Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.

Worldly and carnal intoxication leads to excess and ruin, but the fullness wrought by the Spirit of God results in the following: joy, gratitude, and submission.

1.   Joy

One of the positive consequences of having the fullness of the Spirit is joy. “Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;” This is a general expression of joyful attitude and disposition. Those who are filled with the Spirit have joyful attitude and disposition which manifest itself in their speech and in their song. They speak words that edify and build up the hearers and sing songs that exalt the Saviour.

The first thing Paul describes as being impacted by being filled with the Spirit is our speech.

Matthew 12:34 … out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.

The mouth speaks what the heart is full of. Whatever is in your heart; whatever fills your heart determines what you say. So, how can you tell that you are “filled with the Spirit”? A good question to ask whether you are Spirit-filled or not is: “How is my speech? Is it profane or pure? Is it self-focused or Saviour-focused? Does it tear down or build up? Does it corrupt or does it minister grace unto the hearers?”

If you are filled with the Spirit of God and desire to retain His gracious presence and control, speak about Him.

Colossians 3:17 And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.

The second thing Paul describes as being impacted by being filled with the Spirit is our song.

Ephesians 5:19 Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;

A Spirit-filled person results in a joyful heart filled with singing to the Lord. Those who are filled with the Spirit express among themselves their joyous emotions in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs.

I may not be able to sing like a professional singer, but I have a song in my heart. I love songs and music that exalt and praise my God. Isn’t it wonderful when we come together, and you and I have sought to live the Spirit-filled life during the week and we get to come to church and get to sing together? That is a wonderful thing!

The Prince of Preacher Charles Spurgeon once said, “Beloved, when the Spirit of God fills you, you will not only speak, but sing. Let the holy power have free course: do not quench the Spirit. If you feel like singing all the while, sing all the while, and let others know that there is a joy in the possession of the Spirit of God which the world does not understand, but which you are feeling, and to which you wish to bear witness. Oh, that the Spirit of God would come upon this entire church, and fill you all to overflowing! May the members of other churches that are here tonight take home fire with them, and set their churches on flame! The Lord bless you, for Jesus Christ’s sake! Amen.”

Let me say this about singing in church services. We sing not to fill up time, we sing because we want to express our joy in the Lord.

We’re Marching to Zion

Isaac Watts (1674-1748)

Robert Lowry (1826-1899)

Come, ye that love the Lord,

And let your joys be known;

Join in a song with sweet accord,

And thus surround the throne,

Let those refuse to sing

Who never knew our God:

But children of the heav’nly King,

Shall speak their joys abroad,

Then let our songs abound,

And ev’ry tear be dry;

We’re marching through Immanuel’s ground,

To fairer worlds on high,

Chorus

We’re marching to Zion,

Beautiful, beautiful, Zion:

We’re marching upward to Zion,

The beautiful city of God.

Ephesians 5:19 Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;

“In your heart” indicates that these joyful expressions are not to be merely mechanical movements of lips. “Unless our praise springs from the heart, it is not acceptable to the Lord.”

2. Gratitude

The next thing Paul mentions as the positive consequence of having the fullness of the Spirit is gratitude. A Spirit-filled heart is not only filled with joy, but also filled with thanksgiving.

Ephesians 5:20 Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;

Thanksgiving is a product of a Spirit-filled heart. When you are filled with the Spirit of God, you are grateful for that which God is doing in your life.

Four things are said here about giving thanks that is a product of Spirit-filled life:

It is to be “Always”.

Ephesians 5:20 Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;

It is a lifestyle. It is constantly having a thankful heart, a grateful heart.

It is “for all things”.

Ephesians 5:20 Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;

Not that all things are good but because if we are true children of God, we know that all things, good and bad will work together for our good and for God’s glory!

It is “unto God and the Father”.

Ephesians 5:20 Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;

James 1:17 says, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.”

Since the Father, is the Giver of every good gift, therefore, He should be the receiver of all heartfelt thanksgiving. He is the One we give thanks to.

It is “in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ”.

Ephesians 5:20 Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;

If it wasn’t for Jesus Christ, we would have no reason to give thanks because we would be desperate, hopeless, and helpless people. But because of what our Lord Jesus did, He is the basis of all of our thanksgiving back to God. Starting with salvation and going all the way through sanctification, Jesus Christ is His name, and we give thanks. In everything, give credit to Him and through Him because He is the means of all God’s blessings in our life.

A thankful heart cannot exist apart from the working of the Spirit in the life of the individual. People may say, “Thank you” out of common courtesy or because they are genuinely moved by some special gift, but to be thankful in all things the individual must be filled by the Holy Spirit.

Warren Weirsbe …

“Paul commanded his readers to be thankful for all things at all times. This exhortation in itself proves our need of the Spirit of God, because in our own strength we could never obey this commandment. Can we really be thankful in times of suffering, disappointment, and even bereavement? Keep in mind that Paul was a prisoner when he wrote those words, yet he was thankful for what God was doing in him and for him (Eph. 1:16; 5:4, 20; Phil. 1:3; Col. 1:3, 12; 2:7; 3:17; 4:2). When a Christian finds himself in a difficult situation, he should immediately give thanks to the Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, by the power of the Spirit, to keep his heart from complaining and fretting. The Devil moves in when a Christian starts to complain, but thanksgiving in the Spirit defeats the Devil and glorifies the Lord. “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” (1 Thess. 5:18)”

3. Submission

The next thing Paul mentions as the positive consequence of having the fullness of the Spirit is submission.

Ephesians 5:21 Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.

Curtis Vaughan states, “Submitting …” denotes that attitude of reciprocal deference that becomes and marks out those who are filled with the Spirit. It is opposed to rudeness, haughtiness, selfish preference for one’s own opinions, and stubborn insistence of one’s own rights.”

Doesn’t this remind us of Jesus Christ?

Philippians 2:5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 6: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 7:  But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:

By nature, we want to promote ourselves, but the Holy Spirit enables us to be meek and to submit ourselves. As you read Ephesians 5:19 and on, you will find that the apostle Paul applies this meekness and submissive disposition to every relationship of life, such husbands and wives (5:21–33), parents and children (6:1–4), and masters and servants (6:5–9). 

Only a heart controlled by the Holy Spirit can maintain such an attitude of meekness and submission in every relationship of life. This submission is beautiful because it is not done out of compulsion but out of fear of God, that is out of reverence to God. What a wonderful thing when we prefer one another out of love and reverence to God.

Ephesians 5:21 Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.

Closing Exhortations

A. W. Tozer some 50 years ago made a pronouncement “If the Holy Spirit was withdrawn from the church today, 95 percent of what we do would go on and no one would know the difference. If the Holy Spirit had been withdrawn from the NT church (in Acts), 95 percent of what they did would stop, and everybody would know the difference.”

God has called us to a supernatural life and this supernatural life cannot be lived out without His Holy Spirit. Be filled with the Spirit! There’s the command. If we do not obey this command, we cannot obey any other. But when we surrender to the control of the Holy Spirit, God produces in us the fruit of the Spirit - “love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance” (Galatians 5:22-23).

Are you joyful, thankful, and submissive? Are you being controlled by God's Spirit. D. L. Moody once said, “God commands us to be filled with the Spirit, and if we are not filled, it is because we are living beneath our privileges.”

Has the Lord shown you some areas that need work in your walk with the Spirit? If there is a need in your life, I invite you to come and take care of it today.

AMEN!