This series highlights the radio teaching of
Dr. Donald R. Hubbard on Ephesians 5:18
If it’s not about Jesus, it’s not about anything
Motto of the Fountain of Life
Part 6 of 6
SPS: 1st) to
examine the filling of the spirit from the vantage of its Essence, our Experience, and the Evidence;
2nd) to demonstrate it as orthodox teaching; 3rd) to
demonstrate that doctrines about the Holy Spirit and Jesus are interrelated.
Text: Ephesians 5:18: "And be not drunk with wine, which is excess,
but be filled with the Spirit"
As we go into the Scriptures we
pray to the Lord for fairness, humility and respect.
Recap of part 5:
Three results or evidence of being filled with Spirit of God:
Three results or evidence of being filled with Spirit of God:
First: Eph. 5:17:
We will have an understanding filled with the will of God.
Second: Eph. 5:19:
heart filled with praise.
Third: Eph. 5:20:
an attitude filled with a sense of gratitude.
Prior to addressing evidences 4 –
7 of the filling of the Spirit we will again review evidence one, two and
three, Ephesians 5:17; 19 - 20 in the light of grief and tragedy. We shall see
that praise, thanks and God’s will dwell together. I knew three young families. Two families lost an only child to birth
defects. The third family lost all three
children in an auto accident. What do
you say? How do you say it? What do they need to hear? Brethren, what do we say if one of those
parents would ask, “Pastor, how can I feel joy at God’s will for taking my
child?” The truth is that we don’t want
anyone to sing psalms and thank God for the tragic death of their child. Why does tragedy happen? I don’t know but I do know that God permits
it. That means that we can trust Him. Consider that we can give thanks unto God
because of what God is going to do and mean in our life through the death a
loved one. Things that we do not even
now understand. We don’t
understand. That is key. Nevertheless we can trust God with our life
and the life of our families and say, “I know my Father does well.” Brethren, a word of caution is in order
here. In the face of overwhelming grief,
allow the sufferer time to grieve before offering any verbal consolation. In fact, very often just being there with
them, just offering human touch is all the consolation that they can
absorb.
Still the cynic in me asks are
real people ever able to praise God when under real pain?” Let’s return to Paul and Silas in
Philippi. They were beaten with rods
thrown into the innermost dungeon with their feet in stocks. We read that with little thought. Their experience passes over our sanitized
American minds. There was pain,
humiliation, dehumanization and no visible hope of release. This was back breaking mind numbing
trauma. Shall I describe 1st
Century brutalization or 15th Century brutalization or 20th
Century brutalization? No need to do
that. Why make ourselves nauseous trying
to understand that kind of pain?
Nevertheless, in the midst of that type of suffering what did Paul and
Silas both do? Acts 16:25: They were praying and singing psalms of
praise to God. What does singing and
praising God have to do with filling with the spirit? Ephesians 5:18-19: “But be filled with the Spirit speaking to
one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody
with you heart to the Lord.”
Brethren, Paul and Silas were
manifesting the filling of the Holy Spirit in their extreme state of
persecution. A heathen jailer and his
entire heathen family and how many reprobate criminals were regenerated that
night because of the injustice and brutality showered on Paul and Silas? Who guessed, who knew, who understood that
all of them would be converted that night?
Yes it is correct to give thanks unto God because of what He will
accomplish in your life through your suffering and pain, things that you don’t
now understand.”
My carnal skeptic old man still
wants to argue and says, “But Paul and Silas were super Christians, super saints
filled with the Holy Spirit. I am just a
plain vanilla Christian. Vanilla
Christians can’t behave as Paul and Silas did.
Can they?”
St. Louis Post Dispatch, 16
December 1979, Associated Press Release, “4 Killed When Balloon Hits Wires and
Burns.” The headline almost says it
all. Adding to the tragedy was that fact
that Gail gave her husband Glen this balloon ride as a Christmas present. Adding to the tragedy was the fact that
Glen’s buddies Jack and Rick thought it a great idea to go along. Adding to the tragedy was the fact that Gail
with Jack’s wife Lois, and Rick’s finance Kathy were all there watching. Glen, Jack, Rick and the pilot were all
killed. The women saw it. They saw the gondola hit the high-tension
wire, the sparks and the fire. They saw
as the added heat shot the balloon upward several hundred feet and continued to
burn until there was nothing left to burn.
And they saw it fall.
Do real people ever experience
the infilling of the Spirit while under real pain? Gail, Lois and Kathy are real. Call them plain vanilla if you wish, like you
and me. Gail shared her faith with an
unbeliever who was badly shaken in the face of death. With a peace that transcends understanding,
she displayed assurance that Glen leaped from the heat of the flames into the
arms of his heavenly Father.
Lois, very soon after, reportedly
said to a journalist, “Write this down!
We know that our loved ones are in heaven, not because of their own good
works but because of their faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ.” Kathy’s faith moved many. Rick died right there in front of her, yet
she also bore testimony to the triumph of Jesus Christ.
Remember we can give thanks to
God because of what He is going to do and mean in our life through the death of
our loved one. Things that we do not
even now understand. And God moves in
mysterious ways his wonders to perform, in ways that we do not even now
understand. This tragedy had a very very
small behind the headlines story that no one would notice or even care about,
but would affect tens of millions throughout the entire world. Several months before, Kathy had given
witness to a young hardened skeptic. He
also knew Glen and really liked him.
This hardened skeptic was Hank Hanegraaff. He recently wrote, “That night I saw the
reality of Christ in her life in a way I had never seen. The seeds she planted not only led to my
conversion, but also had an impact on what I am doing today.” Since then Hanegraaff has gone on to host the
“Bible Answer Man” program and has written many books on modern day Christian
apologetics. He is heard and read by
millions. Kathy’s orthopraxy in a time
of extreme grief has had an effect on tens of millions of people.
Still my skeptic says, “That
is just an isolated case, people I don’t know hundreds of mile from me.” That can’t happen here, can it? Carol Ann’s son Rodney died trapped in his
capsized tugboat at one of the locks west of Pittsburgh. For days the news showed the hulk of the tug
pinned against the lock by the current.
Finally when the snowmelt floodwaters subsided, crews could go in and
they found Rod. The news reporters were
there. They interviewed Carol Ann on the
local T.V. She talked of Rod’s smile and
gave witness about Jesus to a T.V. audience.
Carol’s composure and witness showed me that people I know in my own
church are filled with the Spirit, not theoretically but practically. Do vanilla Christians have any hope of acting
this way? Yes we do! Yes we can!
Yes we will!
When things break us apart we
known that God will build on our shattered dreams a new building dedicated unto
Christ. We can say with an overflowing
heart, “Father I want to give You thanks for what you are going to do in our
lives.”
Grief happens. In the midst of
heart ache we thank God for being God.
If you are filled with the Spirit of God, you have a heart filled with
the understanding of the will of God, and you have a heart that is filled with
the praise of God. And you have an
attitude that is filled with thanksgiving and gratitude toward God.
The next sections contain
controversial words. Let us all endeavor
to proceed without bias and with respect before drawing conclusions.
HARMONY or CONTROLL
Forth evidence: Ephesians 5:21. One of the evidences of the filling of the
Spirit of God is a spirit of submission to one another. Ephesians 5:21: “Submitting yourselves one to another in the
fear of God.” We are filled with
obedience to God submitting one to another.
We don’t lord it over one another.
I don’t sit in judgment over you.
It is Jesus Christ who is Lord.
Mom and dad and Uncle Joe and Aunt Helen manifested mutual submission as
a way of life, as something as natural as breathing. I would call it normal The spirit of submissions is so misunderstood
in the 21st Century.
Submission is to seek what is right and good for another and for you
under God. The Bible, through one of the
ministries of the Holy Spirit, advises us to love and care for others as we
love ourselves. It is abnormal to hate,
disrespect, abuse, manipulate or mistreat ourselves. It is sinful to hate, disrespect, abuse,
manipulate or mistreat others.
Sadly there is a cultural
antipathy to the word “submission”, which has even permeated into the
Church. Therefore we must spend some
time on the concept before moving on to vs. 22.
Slavery, domination and exploitation have been the carnal lessons
surrounding that word. Let us eliminate
one misunderstanding immediately.
Hebrews 12:4 asks us have we resisted unto blood striving against
sin? Therefore we see that Christian
submission to anyone never includes obeying a command to sin. I would also add, never includes obeying a
command to violate our conscience.
Regardless of the negative
baggage surrounding the word we see that Abel submitted by offering
sacrifice. Noah submitted by building an
ark. Sarah submitted to Abraham and
called him lord. David submitted to
Nathan’s correction. Paul considered
himself a bond slave to Jesus. Jesus
himself said to the Father, “Not mine, but thy will be done.” Biblically, submission is the example given
by Jesus himself. The spirit of submission that characterized these examples
was hearts seeking what was right and good for them and/or others under
God. Submission’s extreme value is that
it is directed away from self and it is voluntary. For Christians it is mutual for all, but is
manifested differently according to the nature of our individual callings. The paradigm surrounding submission must
change from issues of individual control to issues of mutual harmony.
Fifth evidence Harmony: Ephesians 5:22 – 6:4. Starting with Ephesians 5:22; “Wives be subject to your own husband as
unto the Lord. Husbands love your
wives.” This passage contains more than
illuminating the psychological differences between men and women and has
nothing to do with putting anyone in their place in a relationship. Here with injunctions given both to husbands
and wives, Paul is depicting a home filled with harmony from God. And remember, this is how God wants the world
to see the Church. God begins with wife
rather than husband. Here in dealing
with harmony of the home two things are to be understood in this passage of
Scripture if our homes are to be an example of Christ and the Church. Our homes are to be a living example of the
relationship between Jesus Christ and the Church and God speaks to our needs
out of Ephesians 5. The great need a man
has in a home is the respect of his wife.
If he does not have that respect, how can he develop his manhood under
God?
Certain commentaries and books
review this verse and present endless lists of submissive behaviors. Let me, rather, try to present a model of
submission which I think is linked strongly to respect. As a boy growing up in the coal fields, life
was real, not an idealized Christian fable.
I knew my dad and my uncles and my friends’ fathers would give their
lives for their families. Andy’s dad did,
in the Robena Mine explosion of December 1962.
Even as a kid I sensed a respect that those women had for those
men. They sensed a commitment in their
husbands. Life was not perfect then and
some families were in shambles. There
was disrespect too. The first grown man
I ever saw cry was constantly belittled by his wife. Outside his home he was regarded as one of
the strongest most successful men in town.
Nonetheless, I saw respect working up close in a lot of homes. Dad was “in charge” and “wore the pants in
the family” but he worked the graveyard shift.
I only saw him when he was asleep.
Mom shopped, cooked, cleaned and disciplined me. Often I would thank her for not telling dad
when I misbehaved. I was not always a
blessing from God to mom. Once she had
to chase me with a croquet mallet. Her
pride was saving the money dad earned and buying a brand new living room
set. Her pride was putting three meals a
day on the table. Her pride was her
service to the Catholic Daughters, the Christian Mothers, and watching my First
Communion. Mom and dad hosted a party
for my Confirmation. Church was a
serious thing with both of them.
Argue? Yes! Challenge authority? Somehow that was never an issue between
them. Well into her 90’s mom would tell
anyone who would listen that dad was a good man. However, Aunt Helen, my two neighbors Sophie
and Annie, Bill and Kenny’s mom and many other wives treated their husbands and
children the same way. Yes I know, the
1950s do not translate well into the 2010s, but I do not believe I was
deceived. I believe I saw submission
working in the form of respect and harmony in those families.
The wife has a more powerful
influence over the husband than vice versa.
This is why Paul begins with the woman.
Ephesians 5 says wives respect your husbands and husbands love your
wives. The basic need of females is the
affection of her husband. Husbands
become aware of your wife as a total person.
She is not to be ignored or marginalized. If you resist the Spirit of God you will
become exploitative and manipulative or bossy or withdrawn. That is not love. Listen again husbands, when filled with
Spirit of God, you become aware of your wife as a total person. Eph. 5:25:
Husbands love your wives even as Christ loved the Church and gave
himself for it. The reason for the
antipathy over submission today is that there is not the proper love there
ought to be in the Biblical sense. The
way a man acts towards his wife is really how he thinks about Jesus. Perhaps Americans need a new approach to
marriage. Mordecai Joseph once gave a
marriage seminar at Ambassador College in Pasadena California. He brought a new approach to marriage which
was simple to understand. He said, “You
don’t get married, you give marriage.”
Brethren, is a relationship based on mutual getting different from one
based on mutual giving? If both are
committed to giving, will there be issues of leadership? Am I being naïve? With the Holy Spirit’s intervention in any
family, perhaps not.
The totality of the home includes
harmony with our children.
Ephesians 6:1: “Children, obey your parents in the
Lord.
Ephesians 6:4: “And fathers, don’t provoke your children to
anger; but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.” The children will see at home a microcosm of
faith at work. I have heard Dr. J.
Vernon McGee say that you will never have a child who respects the Church if
after Sunday Services you have roasted preacher for dinner. The responsibility is placed on the Father to
create a non-threatening environment that assists not forces their submission. Fathers, show Jesus Christ in your home life
and your children will honor (and obey) their parents (4th Commandment). Yes dads that means Jesus is in the family
daily, not just on Sunday.
Mothers are not mentioned with
the children here. Is that a deliberate
omission freeing them from responsibility not to provoke? No.
Mothers, show Jesus Christ in your home life and your children will be
holy (1 Corinthians 7:14).
Husbands, always be aware that
vs. 22 teaches so much more than your wife’s submission. Remember vs. 21 shows that submission is
mutual and it is done differently. Vs.
22 shows that wives submit to their husbands as to Christ. Wives, do you sanctify and possibly win an
unbelieving mate (1 Corinthians 7:14-15) by telling them to get saved and
Baptized at the breakfast table every morning, or by willing submission to
them? Wives, men will perceive your
concerned telling as yelling and will tune out.
And husbands are to submit to their wives by expressing not hiding or
withholding love in spirit, mind and body to the point of self-sacrifice. Fathers are to submit to their children by
accepting the responsibility of giving a proper example and providing for their
bodies, minds and spirits.
Submission is not demeaning,
stilted, forced or learned behavior. The
spirit of submission for the wife, the mother, the husband and the father that
should characterize their hearts is to seek what is right and good for others
under God. This mutual submission is the
foundation for harmony in the family.
And the great heavenly mystery is that the more we submit to Jesus, the
more mutual submission in its different forms becomes normal for us.
Sixth: Evidence:
Ephesians 6:5: “Servants be
obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and
trembling, in the sincerity of you heart, as to Christ.” The concept of masters, servants and slaves
has an evil connotation today. In the
Roman Empire of Paul’s time, masters had the right of life and death over their
slaves. Servants were the lower
class. For a side reading, see Paul’s
epistle to Philemon regarding the slave Onesimus.
One of the evidences is service
filled with knowledge of God. It is the
kind of man I am at work. It is how I am
on the job. Do I give an honest day
work? Does my 10 minute coffee break
always last 15 minutes. Do I always
arrive 10 minutes late? Am I always
argumentative? Do I always have a juicy
tidbit of gossip? If I am filled with
Spirit of God my service will be filled with knowledge of God.
I am to be a living
demonstration of Jesus wherever I am.
Seventh evidence: A life filled with power of God. Ephesians 6:10: “Finally, be strong in the Lord, and in the
power of His might.” A hard lesson! Not all Christians see it the same way. Some have lives with no warmth, no
growth. Some have lives with no
foundations just warm feelings and little understanding. We need to grow in grace and truth. Truth generally means orthodoxy. Grace may also mean spirit and often it is
emotion. Orthodoxy without spirit,
without emotion is without love and is cold.
Spirit, love and hot emotion without orthodoxy is shallow and easily led
astray by every wind of doctrine. Let
Christ be reproduced daily in our character and our conduct. Let His spirit and truth infuse our
lives. Let us grow in grace and
truth. This also is the infilling of the
Holy Spirit.
The eight beatitudes found in
Matthew 5:1-16 is another fine example of the Holy Spirit effecting our lives
and shaping our attitudes and behaviors.
Conclusion
1.
Essence/Experience/Evidence
– a review
2. Orthopraxis
- an application
RECAP of the essence: Why do we struggle in our Christian
Experience? The answer has to do with
the ministry of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
We spoke at length of the essence,
the absolute foundation of the fillibe
filled.”
ng of the Spirit, which is the verb “
ng of the Spirit, which is the verb “
Imperative mood: this mood means a command to be obeyed.
Present tense: this is the idea of a continuance to be
observed: It is happening now.
Passive voice: control to be obtained: In other words, it is not what we get, it is
what we give up, and that is our self-will.
Four Steps to be filled with
Spirit of God: Desire, surrender, ask,
accept:
RECAP of the experience. It is founded on the promise and the command. The Promise of Holy Spirit: Jesus said in Acts 1:8, “You shall receive power when the Holy Ghost is come upon you.” The Command for the Holy Spirit: Ephesians 5:18: “but be filled with the Spirit of God.” The experience deals with the incoming, the indwelling and the infilling of the Holy Spirit.
RECAP of the evidence: Orthopraxy:
Can we, therefore, find Scriptural evidence of this filling of the Holy
Spirit? Yes! We looked to Ephesians 5 and found several evidences
of being filled with Spirit of God:
First: Eph. 5:17:
We will have an understanding filled with the will of God.
Second: Eph. 5:19:
heart filled with praise.
Third: Eph. 5:20:
an attitude filled with gratitude.
Forth: Eph. 5:21:
submit one to another
Fifth: Eph. 5:22 – 6:4: harmony in the home – husbands, wives and
children
Sixth: Eph. 6:5:
servants be obedient to your masters
Seventh: Eph.
6:10: be strong in the Lord – the whole
armor of God
The ministry of the filing of the
Holy Spirit is illustrated primarily by Dr. Luke in the New Testament. For Luke, the primary activity of the Holy
Spirit is to fill believers. The filling
with Holy Spirit appears four times in gospel of Luke and 10 times in the book
of Acts.
The question we must ask today
is, “Am I living today in the power of the Holy Spirit? Is it a present reality in my life?
Let’s make sure that we live today for the glory of Christ and live
dynamically, not in our own power, but in the power of the Holy Spirit of God
who enables us by His filling us day by day.
And the great miracle is that the Holy Spirit changes our lives in ways
we do not yet understand. The above
seven evidences become our normal way of life, not our impossible goals
to attain.
BENEDICTION
Praise you Lord Jesus. Hallelujah and Amen. In us is a living well. From us there are rivers overflowing. May the Spirit produce in us and give us a
thirst for righteousness.
Brothers and Sisters Halleluiah
and Amen! In you is a living well. From you there are rivers overflowing! May the Spirit direct that flow so that it
will sanctify with righteousness every avenue of your life and touch many for
the Lord.
May the grace and peace of God
the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all!
Rev. George Relic, Assistant Pastor
Fountain of Life Church
2021 Old National Pike
Washington, Pa 15301
A congregation of Grace Communion International
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