LIVING A HOLY SPIRITFILLED LIFE

religiosity or humility
Sammie
Sammie

outline

Introduction

Who is the Holy Spirit?

intro

And so the subject of our text, the Spirit-filled life, is vital for every
Christian to understand and practice. As often has been said, the
Christian life is not difficult; it is absolutely impossible, apart from the
power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus said (John 15:5b), apart from Me you can
do nothing. But in the same context, He repeatedly promised to send
the Holy Spirit to live in us as the divine Helper (John 14:16-17, 26;
15:26; 16:13). So the Christian life must be the Spirit-filled life. To walk
wisely, to redeem the time in these evil days, to understand the will of
the Lord and live in light of it, we must be filled with the Spirit.

To live wisely in evil days, you must live continually under the
control of the Holy Spirit

THE DEITY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

THE HOLY SPIRIT IS A PERSON.

A. The Holy Spirit is thought by some to be an "essence" or "power" of God rather than a
separate person, because "ruach", the Hebrew word for Spirit, also means breath, and
"pneuma", the Greek word for Spirit, also means wind or air. We as Christians know He is
a person.

The early Church scholar, Arias, caused division with his declaration that God the Father
was the only true God, that Jesus was a created being, and the Holy Spirit was only an
essence. This doctrine is known as the Arian heresy.

B. The Holy Spirit has the characteristics of a person

1.I Corinthians 2:10-11 - the Holy Spirit searches and has knowledge.

2.I Corinthians 12:11 - the Holy Spirit distributes gifts as He wills.

3.Romans 8:27- He has a mind.

4.Romans 15:30- He loves us.

5.John 15:26,16:13- He testifies of Jesus and exalts the Father and Son
over Himself.

6. Personal pronouns are used when referring to the Holy Spirit (

John 14:16-17,John 16:7-15). "Comforter" inJohn 14:16is "parakletos"
which means "One who comes alongside of to help". The Holy Spirit is
always with us ready to help when we ask Him to.

C. Personal acts are ascribed to the Holy Spirit.

1.Acts 13:2- the Holy Spirit speaks.

2.Romans 8:26- the Holy Spirit intercedes for us.

3.I John 2:20-27.John 14:26- He teaches us.

4.Acts 16:6-7- the Holy Spirit guides Paul, sometimes forbidding things.

5.Genesis 6:3- the Spirit strives with man.

D. The Holy Spirit can receive treatment as a person.

1.Ephesians 4:30- He can be grieved by us.

2.Hebrews 10:29- We can insult Him.

3.Acts 5:3- He can be lied to.

4.Matthew 12:31-32- He can be blasphemed.

E. The Holy Spirit is identified with the Father and the Son as a person.

1.Matthew 28:19- He is named with the Father and Son in baptism.

2.2 Corinthians 13:14- He is named with the Father and Son in benediction.

3.Acts 15:28- He is identified with the believers as a person.

IV. THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT IS AGAPE.

A. InGalatians 5:19-23the works of the flesh are contrasted with the

fruit of the Spirit.

The realm of works is the realm of the flesh. Fruit is God's method; it is
the natural consequence of relationship.

B. As we abide in Christ, we bear fruit. When we bear fruit, the Father

washes and cleanses us so that we will continue to bear. If we do not
abide in Christ, we will not be able to produce fruit (John 15:1-8).

There is one fruit of the Spirit followed by eight adjectives that define the super natural love of God.

1. Joy is love's consciousness. When we love, we are so filled with joy that even normally miserable
tasks are pleasurable.

2. Peace is more than the cessation of hostilities. Love that wishes no ill is the basis for true peace.

3. Longsuffering is the characteristic of love that makes us kind after being continually mistreated,
without keeping track of the offenses.

4. Love is gentle, not harsh or abrasive.

5. Love is the only positive motive for goodness. Some people are "good" because they fear the
consequences of doing something wrong, but that is not true goodness.

6. The faith mentioned in this verse is not the gift of the Spirit listed in1 Corinthians 12:9 but is a
loving trust in people.

7. Meekness does not vaunt itself and does not seek praise and honor.

8. Temperance is moderation.

E. These characteristics of agape love are the result of the Holy Spirit's work in our lives.

THE WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT IN THE LIFE

OF THE BELIEVER

THE HOLY SPIRIT AS HELPER

The Holy Spirit is a helper Who comes alongside us to guide us in our Christian walk (John 14:16).

II. THE HOLY SPIRIT AS TEACHER

The Holy Spirit is our Teacher (John 14:26,1 John 2:27,1 Corinthians 2:13,14).

A. When we are born again, we enter the dimension of the Spirit. In this dimension, we can be taught by Him to understand
the things of God that are beyond the reach of our experience or intellect (2 Corinthians 4:18).

B. The Holy Spirit brings the Scriptures that we have read or heard to our remembrance (John 14:26). It is so good to have
the right Scripture come to mind when we need it.

III. THE HOLY SPIRIT AS GUIDE

The Holy Spirit will guide us into all truth (John 16:12-13).

A. He will give us the discernment to judge between true and false teachings.

B. If we will open our hearts and read the Bible with the Spirit as our Guide, we will not stray from the truth and we will
have all we need to live the Christian life (2 Peter 1:3).

IV. THE HOLY SPIRIT IN PROPHECY

The Holy Spirit will show us things to come (John 16:13). The Spirit will help us to understand the prophecies in the books
of Daniel and Revelation and Ezekiel. Since we are living in the last days, these prophecies are becoming more clear each
day.

Living the life

Your religious pedigree does not guarantee your filling. It's not about
your label....it's about the desires of your heart. If you desire to be filled
with the Spirit more than anything else in life, stay on that train....ride it
all the way into the station. Whenever your flesh rises up with desires
which threaten your fullness, ask Jesus to cover those enemies of your
soul with His blood.

A Spirit-filled life will always result in a life that is filled with the fruit of
the Spirit. "But the fruit of Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,
goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control." (Galatians 5:22) If
you have the gift of tongues, but have not His fruit....you are not living a
Spirit-filled life. If you have been gifted by God to preach the Word, but
have not His fruit....you are not living a Spirit-filled life. If you are a Bible
scholar, but have not His fruit....you are not living a Spirit-filled life.
Gifts, knowledge, and experience are no substitute for His fruit.

How?

So Christian....here's the drill: Saying 'no' to sin....meditating on

Scripture....praying everyday....doing what God says to do....singing in
your heart to the Lord....Christian fellowship with other
believers....utilizing your spiritual gifts to His glory....sincerely praying for
those who get under your skin....hungering and thirsting to be Spiritfilled today....and then riding the wave....and staying out of the way of
what God is doing.

2). TO BE FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT IS TO LIVE WITH THE WORD OF GOD
PERMEATING EVERY AREA OF YOUR LIFE.

Ephesians 5:18is obviously parallel withColossians 3:16. Both texts are followed by joyful
singing, thankfulness to God, and instructions about wives and husbands, children and
parents, and slaves and masters. But inColossians 3:16, rather than saying, be filled
with the Spirit, Paul says, Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you. H. A. Ironside
observes (In the Heavenlies[Loizeaux Brothers], p. 269),

There is an old rule in mathematics that things equal to the same thing are equal to one
another. If to be filled with the Word is equal in result to being filled with the Spirit, then
it should be clear that the Word-filled Christian is the Spirit-filled Christian. As the Word of
Christ dwells in us richly, controls all our ways, as we walk in obedience to the Word, the
Spirit of God fills, dominates, and controls us to the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ.

So to be a Spirit-filled Christian, you must be growing in your understanding and

application of Gods Word.

TO BE FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT INVOLVES AN EVERDEEPENING RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD THROUGH
THE SPIRIT.

We need to remember that the Holy Spirit is a

Person, not a force. To be filled with the Spirit is not
a mechanical formula that you go through, where
you pull the Holy Spirit lever and all the goodies
come pouring out. Rather, it is a relationship with
the Triune God through His indwelling Spirit.
This relationship is ever-deepening, which means
that there is a difference between a newer Spiritfilled believer and a more mature Spirit-filled
believer. Both are filled, but the mature saint is
more filled than the young believer is. There are
degrees of filling that correspond with degrees of
spiritual understanding and surrender. As you grow
in the Word, the Spirit reveals new areas that you
need to surrender to His control. So your capacity
for being filled with the Spirit expands over time.

As a believer, you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you.
(Philippians 4:13) You will need to cooperate with the Holy Spirit if you are going to
live this day as a Spirit-filled Christian. Your job....don't feed your sinful
desires....and then hunger for today's impartation. His work....provide a wellspring
of living water and a daily impartation of His Spirit.

It's not like God has hidden the blueprint from us. It's right out there in the open for
anyone who desires this experience in their Christian life. The Holy Spirit inspired
St. Paul to explain it this way: "Be very careful, then, how you live - not as unwise
but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.
Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is. Do not get drunk
on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. Speak to one
another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your
heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the
name of our Lord Jesus Christ." (Ephesians 5:15-20)

FINALLY,

Forget "imitation." Think "impartation." Think filling. Think fullness.

THE CONCLUSION OF THE MATTER

Ecclesiastes 12:13-14