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A WALK ON THE WISE SIDE (6): UNLEASHING THE HOLY SPIRIT (1)

(Ephesians 5:18-21)

There is a common misconception about Christianity and Christians that is


unfortunate. To illustrate, a young farm boy came home from church one
Sunday to find his pet donkey kicking and frolicking in the corral for the
sheer fun of it. The boy looked at him and said, “You must not be a
Christian. You’re having too much fun.” Already he accepted that in
becoming a Christian you give up fun, enjoyment in life.

This idea gnaws at us and so when we come to a passage like Ephesians


5:15-17, “15) Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise,
16) making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. 17) Therefore
do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is” – when we
read that we think – “Yea, that’s what I should do all right. But there would
go the good times. So long, fun!” I Charles Spurgeon told one time about
certain monks whom he saw in Rome. As they passed each other they
would greet one another in deathly tones and convey, in Spurgeon’s words,
the pleasant information. “Brother, we must die;” to which the other would
respond, “Yes, brother, we must die.” Spurgeon went on, “I was glad to be
assured upon such good authority that all these lazy fellows are about to
die; upon the whole, it is about the best thing they can do; but till that
event occurs, they might use some more comfortable form of salutation.”

Unfortunately, that’s how people view Christianity and Christians. It is true


that if we walk wisely, we will give up certain pleasures – the pleasures of
sin. But those are fleeting. It’s a case of trading pleasure for joy, not
pleasure for somberness, but pleasure for happiness. While we may not
experience absolute bliss and pure happiness every moment of this life, we
can certainly have fun, contentment, happiness and joy that goes beyond
anything this life can offer and that is the message of verses 18-21 of
Ephesians 5.

You will recall that having urged us to walk wisely, Paul identifies four
general commands that further define this wise walk. We’ve looked at 3 –
I) Use time wisely. Don’t waste your life. Live it for eternity. II) Uproot
foolishness and in its place III) Understand the will of God. Today we want
to begin looking at the fourth element – one that leads to a life of joy,
fulfillment and contentment – and fun – IV) Unleash the Holy Spirit.
Follow along as I read verses 18-21, “18) And do not get drunk with wine,
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for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, 19) addressing one
another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making
melody to the Lord with your heart, 20) giving thanks always and for
everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 21)
submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.” Key words – Be
filled with the Spirit. Unleash Him and let Him dominate. That is the
instruction. So -- How do we do this? Three parts. I) Eliminate Riotous
Sinfulness II) Embark on Reverential Submission and III) Enjoy
Rapturous Serenity. This is the birthright of every true child of God.

I. Eliminate Riotous Sinfulness

That is the message of the first part of verse 18, “18) And do not get drunk
with wine, for that is debauchery,” Before he gives the positive, Paul
addresses something that is its negative counterpart – don’t get drunk. Why
not get drunk? Because it is debauchery, says the Bible. The word
“debauchery” means foolish waste. If you want a living color picture, turn
to I Peter 4:3-4, “3) For the time that is past suffices for doing what the
Gentiles want to do, living in sensuality, passions, drunkenness, orgies,
drinking parties, and lawless idolatry. 4) With respect to this they are
surprised when you do not join them in the same flood of debauchery, and
they malign you.” Verse 3 defines debauchery. It is to live for the desires
of the flesh, to throw inhibition to the wind, to spend and to live wastefully.
You get another picture in Luke 15:13 where concerning the prodigal son,
the Bible declares, “13) Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he
had and took a journey into a far country, and there he squandered his
property in reckless living.” The word “reckless” that is used there is our
same word. It means to be wasteful in resources or lifestyle – to not think
beyond the moment – things that drunkenness is designed to promote.

Now, the present tense command indicates this should be a lifestyle choice.
It is not saying avoid getting drunk at some one time. Rather, it is saying do
not get drunk – all the time. But notice also that it says, “Do not get
drunk.” It does not say, “Do not drink.” Many teach that the Bible is
against any kind of drinking. In the home where I was raised, we were
taught that it is wrong to drink. I don’t regret that, and I can tell you that
one reason for that was that there was alcoholism not too far removed in our
family. It is never a bad policy to stay as far away from sin as possible, and
drunkenness is sinful. You’re probably in trouble if you find yourself
sitting around drinking, wondering just which sip it is that pushes one over
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the edge isn’t very wise. But the prohibition is against drunkenness, not
drinking. The Bible definitely prohibits the loss of control associated with
too much drinking. It says in Prov 23:20-21, “Be not among drunkards or
among gluttonous eaters of meat, 21) for the drunkard and the glutton will
come to poverty, and slumber will clothe them with rags.” Drunkenness is
condemned, but will you notice, so is gluttony. Be careful when pointing
fingers, right? Now, the dangers of drunkenness are further elucidated
beginning in Prov 23:29-35. Look at the results: “Who has woe? Who has
sorrow? Who has strife? Who has complaining? Who has wounds without
cause? Who has redness of eyes? 30) Those who tarry long over wine; those
who go to try mixed wine. 31) Do not look at wine when it is red (the color
denoting greater strength), when it sparkles in the cup and goes down
smoothly (that is when it has taken on an inordinate attraction). 32) In the end
it bites like a serpent and stings like an adder. 33) Your eyes will see strange
things, and your heart utter perverse things. 34) You will be like one who lies
down in the midst of the sea, like one who lies on the top of a mast. 35)
“They struck me,” you will say, “but I was not hurt; they beat me, but I did
not feel it. When shall I awake? I must have another drink.” The solution to
all problems? The Bible gives its own summary statement in Prov 20:1, “1)
Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler, and whoever is led astray by it is
not wise.

The issue is addressed again in I Tim 3:3 where in listing the qualifications
for an elder Paul says that he must be “not a drunkard.” It doesn’t say
“never drink”, but “not a drunkard.” The word used is comprised of two
Greek words – παρα which means beside, and οινος which means wine --
literally, “not one who sits long at his wine.” It is a great visual. Everyone
drank wine in those days. Water unsanitary without boiling, so the custom
was to drink wine with dinner – usually heavily watered down. The word
“drunkard” pictures one who is still sitting at the table long after the meal is
over with, hand still clutching the bottle, lingering long over the wine. The
prohibition is against drunkenness, not against drinking. It is speaking of
the person who purposefully and gradually works his way into a stupor.

Some who want the Bible to teach abstinence have insisted that it is grape
juice that is in view when the Bible mentions wine, but then Eph 5:18
makes no sense, “And do not get drunk with grapejuice?” No – it is real
wine, though watered down, and it is never to gain control. Why do people
drink in the first place? To forget problems and failures. To cover over
emotional pain. To lose inhibitions so as to be able to say what one wants
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or do something that one will regret later. Simply to have a rip-roaring
good time. But there is always the price to be paid later.

The issue is control. And what Paul is saying is, whatever the issue, I have
a better way to cope. Don’t let wine control you, let the Holy Spirit. He
brings joy with no bad after affects. Wine and the Holy Spirit can both
control, but whereas wine is a depressant, the Holy Spirit is an eternally
productive stimulant. D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, MD turned preacher says
this, “Take up any book on pharmacology and look up ‘alcohol’, and you
will find, always, that it is classified among the depressants. Further, ‘it
depresses first and foremost the highest centers of the brain…They
control everything that gives a man self-control, wisdom, understanding,
discrimination, judgment, balance, the power to assess everything; in
other words everything that makes a man behave at his best and highest’.
What the Holy Spirit does, however, is the exact opposite. ‘If it were
possible to put the Holy Spirit into a textbook of Pharmacology, I would
put him under the stimulants, for that is where he belongs. He really is a
stimulant…He stimulates our every faculty…the mind and the intellect…
the heart…and the will…” Beloved, God’s way is always best.

Alcohol promises one thing but delivers another. A member of AA wrote


to Ann Landers: "I drank for joy and became miserable - I drank for
sophistication and became obnoxious - I drank for friendship and made
enemies - I drank for sleep and awakened without rest - I drank for
strength and felt weak - I drank "medicinally" and acquired health
problems - I drank for bravery and became afraid - I drank to make
conversation easier and slurred my speech - I drank to feel heavenly and
ended up feeling like hell - I drank to forget and I was forever haunted - I
drank for freedom and became a slave!"

Paul’s point is, avoid being controlled by something leading to debauchery


– the waste of our physical, personal or emotional resources on satisfying
our own desires. Instead, submit to the Holy Spirit, which leads to a
lifestyle of service and submission that will bring more joy than wine or
revelry could ever hope to bring – and it lasts. I am reminded of the story
of some gathering or other where the hostess noticed her distinguished
guest, George Bernard Shaw, standing alone in a corner. “Are you
enjoying yourself, Mr. Shaw?” she asked. To which he replied, “Certainly
I am enjoying myself. There is nothing else here to enjoy.” That is
precisely Paul’s point in Ephesians 5:18. You don’t have to live a
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debauched lifestyle devoted to self in order to find enjoyment. There is
someone else very much available who can far surpass anything that you or
wine can do for you.

II. Embark on Reverential Submission

Referring again now to Eph 5:18, “And do not get drunk with wine, for that
is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit” This is one of the key verses in
the Bible relating to living a truly Christian life. Having established the
negative – do not be living a profligate lifestyle, fulfilling selfish desires
that give pleasure now but lead, in the end, to a wasted life. Leave the self-
indulgence behind and instead, Be filled with the Spirit. The key word is
“filled”. We know what it means for a glass to be filled with water. But
what does it mean for you and me to be filled with the Holy Spirit?

The words might imply that the believer is like an empty vessel that is
needing to filled up with the Holy Spirit. But why? Why be filled? Listen
to how the word πληροω, filled, is used in other places. Paul says in Col
1:9, “9) And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you,
asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual
wisdom and understanding.” What does it mean to be filled with the
knowledge of His will? It’s not urging us just to get filled up with
knowledge. It is urging us to use the knowledge. It means to have that as
the controlling factor in life. In Philippians 1:11 Paul prays that they may
be, “11) filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ,
to the glory and praise of God.” Again the idea is that this fruit of
righteousness be a visible, controlling factor in this life. To be filled by is
to be controlled by. Kittel’s nine volume dictionary of NT words says the
word filled “implies that man is completely controlled and stamped by the
powers which fill him.” Whatever fills one characterizes his or her life.
So, to be filled with the Holy Spirit is to be controlled by Him.

The drunk man is controlled by wine. The believer is to be controlled by


the Holy Spirit. As we saw in Eph 3:17, the HS is the one going before and
preparing each room of our heart house so that Christ can settle down and
feel at home there. He gets sin out and Himself in so that control is no
longer by self, but by Him. This contrasts with other activities. We are
baptized in the Holy Spirit, and sealed by Him – but these are one-time
actions that occur at the moment of conversion. The only one that has a
command associated with it is this – be filled with the Holy Spirit.
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In the OT there are numerous instances where people are said to be filled
with the Spirit. In most of the cases, some kind of prophesy results -- the
Lord speaking through the person. In Exodus 31:3 and 35:31-33, Bezalel is
filled with the Spirit as a craftsman working on the tabernacle. In the NT,
we again see people being filled with the Spirit in the early days of the
church. In Acts 2:4 concerning the disciples, “4) And they were all filled
with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave
them utterance.” In 4:8, Peter is filled with the Spirit and gives a sermon to
the rulers and elders. Throughout the book, people are filled with the Spirit
and usually preach or speak. In 13:9, on the island of Cyprus, Paul, filled
with the Spirit, calls out a magician for spreading deceit about the Lord and
blinds him. So, it is clear that throughout Scripture, people are filled with
the Spirit prior to certain mighty works of prophesy, speaking or deeds.
What is common in every single instance, however, is that the person is
controlled by a power outside himself. Whether it is to do daily work as
was the case with Belazel, to bear witness to Christ, or to call out error,
these people were controlled by the Spirit of God.

Now Paul’s instruction in Eph 5:18 takes this concept to a whole new level
because he uses the present tense which means that he is not anticipating a
once-in-awhile filling of the Spirit. In the OT, Spirit-filling is a sometimes
occurrence. Paul is envisioning a continual, ongoing, never-ending,
constant process. Remember that the filling of the Spirit is in contrast to
being drunk with wine. The chief characteristic of being drunk is that one is
under the control of the wine. Even our laws recognize that. If you are
driving drunk, you are guilty of DUI – driving under the influence. Paul’s
point is instead of driving under the influence of alcohol, be DUI with the
Holy Spirit. In simplest terms, to be filled by the Holy Spirit is to be under
His influence. And whereas this was a once-in-awhile occurrence in the
OT, it can now be a constant occurrence.

Why can this now be constant? It is because the Holy Spirit is available to
NT believers constantly. This was not true in OT times, but it is now. How
do we know? Because of passages that we’ve looked at before, like I Cor
12:13, “For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or
Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.” At the
time we accept Christ as Savior we are baptized into the Holy Spirit and He
becomes an official and permanent resident in our lives. Baptized once for
all. Jesus prophesied this in John 7:37-39,”On the last day of the feast, the
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great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to
me and drink. 38) Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out
of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’ ” 39) Now this he said about
the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the
Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.” The Holy
Spirit came and now everyone who “believes in Him” receives that Spirit.
He is there always, but He is not always the chief controller of life. We
can confine Him to quarters, amazingly, but that is not what God wants.
It’s not a question of how much of Him we have. We have all of the HS we
can ever have. It’s always a question of how much of us does He have.

The fact that we are commanded to be filled implies the possibility that we
may not be filled. It’s a command meaning, we choose. Do you see? Its
present tense urges we make a lifestyle of this, but we could choose to leave
the Holy Spirit confined to some little corner of our heart and control our
own lives. Its tragic, but we can do that. Paul instructs, “Be filled with the
Spirit.” “Be continually being filled with the Spirit” or “Keep on being
filled with the Spirit all the time.” Under His influence. So – how? Three
words – Repent, Relinquish, Renew.

First, we must have accepted Christ as Savior. He’s only available to


believers. Now, the issue is getting the Holy Spirit from His little confined
corner to the control center of your heart – and keeping Him there. To do
that we must first move sin out. He will not go where sin is resident. That
sends Him scurrying back to His corner. Selfishness. Self-centeredness.
Rebellion. I must repent. I must invoke I John 1:9, “9) If we confess our
sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness.” When we confess our sin as a believer, it does not re-
save us. That question settled once-for-all. But it does invite the Holy
Spirit to take control once again. To re-assume the throttle. It is the means
of being filled by Him. It is the key to living a truly Christian life.

Now, having confessed our sin, we consciously yield all of ourselves to


Him. Relinquish. Rom 6:13 says, “13) Do not present your members to sin
as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those
who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as
instruments for righteousness.” Invite Him into every decision, every
action, every thought – every corner of your heart and life.

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Finally, I must renew – always be renewing my mind. Look at the results of
Spirit-filling listed in verses 19-21, “addressing one another in psalms and
hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with
your heart, 20) giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in
the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Now, turn with me to Col 3:16, “16) Let
the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one
another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with
thankfulness in your hearts to God.” The results of Spirit-filling are
virtually synonymous with having the Word of Christ dwelling richly
within us. The Word brings the Spirit. It is the Word which the Spirit uses
to get His message across. To be filled with the Spirit, we must also be
filled with the Word.

I read of a fellow once who was in graduate school in Fort Collins, CO. He
wanted to conduct some cosmic-ray experiments, so he was calling nearby
Air Force bases to inquire about using old missile silos. Placing a call to a
base in Wyoming, he forgot to dial the area code and, unknowingly, he got
a wrong number. When the phone was answered, the grad student asked if
he might speak to the commander of the base. A long pause followed.
Then he heard a man holler, “Honey, it’s for you!”

Now, being filled with the Holy Spirit is something like that. We recognize
that we are under new management, so our first reaction to a problem, a
difficulty, a decision, even a joy – anything in life must be, “Holy Spirit, it’s
for you. I’m at your disposal, but you must tell me how to decide, how to
proceed, how to conduct myself. The results are yours and the direction is
yours.” And the reason this is a present tense command?

Fritz represents the Air Force Academy football team, making remarkable
catches – but not as a wide receiver or running back. Fritz is a prairie falcon
and team mascot, who stages spectacular halftime shows. Plunging from the
top of a stadium at speeds up to 100 miles per hour, Fritz can pluck a leather
pouch out of midair. A group of cadets raise, train, and show the falcons.
While a number of necessary factors enter into the training, there is one
that guarantees success: daily discipline for the birds. Should the trainers
relax the regimen for even a week, the birds would return to their wild state.
That’s us, folks. Give us a day off and we will back at our worldly
frustrations, and worldly lifestyle with the Spirit confined to quarters. So
Paul says, “Keep on being filled with the Spirit and with the Word.” Do it –
and we will look at the amazing results next week. Let’s pray.
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