The Apostle’s Creed is our guide to affirming what we as Christians believe. The Creed brings us to this morning to affirm our belief in God’s Holy Spirit. As Christians we believe that God has chosen to express himself in three ways: as God the Father, Jesus the Son and through the person of the Holy Spirit who lives in a unique way within the life of all Christians.

God’s gift of the Holy Spirit is given so that he might bring to me ultimate satisfaction. What does that look like? It looks like a man named Frank Laubach. Frank Laubach lived in the early part of the twentieth century. He went to seminary; became a pastor; went to the Philippines to become a missionary; but then things fell apart in his life and it looked like his life work was going to go for nothing. He and his wife lost three children to malaria. Because of health reasons he was separated from his wife and their one remaining son. Then this strange thing happened to him as he sat alone, isolated, looking at a life of nothing up to that point -- he was in his mid-forties. And that thing is -- he met God. He discovered that it was possible to live in intimate communion with God through the Holy Spirit. Because of Frank Laubach a part of the world changed. He reached his part of the world for Christ, and then in the next season of his life, he developed a passion for world literacy, starting the world literacy movement.

In that moment when he felt the most deeply connected with God he said to God, "Fill up my mind with your mind to the last crevice. Catch me up in your arms, God, and make this as terribly glorious as any human being ever lived, if you will." He says about that experience, "As for me, I had never lived. I was half-dead; I was a rotting tree... until I reached the place where I wholly, with utter honesty, resolved and re-resolved that I would find God's will, and I would do that will, though every fiber in me said, ‘No.’ It is as though some artesian well had been struck in my soul, and strength came forth. You and I shall soon blow away from our bodies -- money, praise, poverty, opposition -- these make no difference, for they will all alike be forgotten in a thousand years. But this Spirit comes to a mind set upon continuous surrender." The point is when he sought God he found himself released to the filling of God’s presence within him-the presence of the Holy Spirit.

Now I ask the question for all of us, "Do those words describe your connection with God?" Or do you find yourself more as someone who is spiritually spent, emotionally flat, mentally dull and physically exhausted. I have been there. There have been times more often than I’d like to admit that I find myself struggling to know that I am personally connected to God that He’s really there. I am not a person who depends on feeling to sustain me spiritually. I "just do it" because that’s what I am to do with out any questions. I’ve found myself in those times longing for just a little bit of emotion to hold me over before the next down pour could come.

It is a way of describing what happens to us when we are filled with the Spirit, the Holy Spirit. The reason I have used this story is so to describe this for you before we name it. I want you to contrast in your mind the overwhelming sense of fullness when we are connected to God and the depth of the consciousness of emptiness when we are disconnected from Him.

This morning I want us to talk about not only our belief in the Holy Spirit but also about the Holy Spirit controlling and filling our lives. The purpose of the Spirit in the life of a Christian is to so control and fill our lives that we experience the very life of God moving through us. The question is though is the filling of the Spirit an experience truly taught in the New Testament? If it is taught, then why aren’t more believers encountering it? What difference will it make? What does it mean?

Who Is Holy Spirit and what does He do in our life? (John 14: 16, 26; Eph. 5:18) Both Jesus and Paul refer to this one called the Spirit or the Holy Spirit. Both give some clear roles or instructions as to what the Spirit does and who he is for our life. Paul say’s that we are to be filled with the Spirit. Who or what is "the Spirit"? Genesis 1:2 tells us God’s Spirit has always existed, "The earth was empty, a formless mass cloaked in darkness. And the Spirit of God was hovering over its surface."(Genesis 1:2). There has never been a moment in eternity where God’s Holy Spirit was not present. The Spirit of God, the Spirit, the Holy Spirit, is not created but eternal. In other words He is God! He has the same characteristics as God. He does only what God does and He is equal to God the Father and Jesus the Son.

Holy Spirit is also a person. He is not an impersonal force, vapor or ghost. He is not the junior member of the Trinity. He has the characteristics of a person, acts like a person and chooses to relate to us as a person. In John’s Gospel Jesus used terms like "counselor," "advocate" or "teacher" to describe both the role and personality of the Spirit. The actual Greek word that Jesus uses is the word "paracletos". It means "one who is called along side of to help".

The Holy Spirit is the one who, like a counselor truly listens, understands and guides us. He is like an advocate who is always in our corner, standing by our side. He is like a teacher who does all they can to stimulate us to grow more and more mentally and emotionally. If you have been thinking of Holy Spirit as some type of vague impersonal force, the images of counselor, advocate and teacher can help you relate to Him as a person.

The word that's used for the Spirit in both the Old Testament and in the New Testament mean the word "wind." There's something about the wind -its power, and yet its mystery. It's this tremendous force. You can feel it and you can know it, but you can't control it or order it around, that suggests Spirit. Human beings experience this mysterious, tremendous power, and it suggests to them something of the mystery and the power of the Spirit. Jesus used the wind as well for an analogy of the Spirit. He says, "The wind blows where it chooses. You hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit," and the word He uses for "wind" and the word He uses for "Spirit" -- they're the same word.

There's mystery in the Spirit. He can't be manipulated and controlled, and we need to think about the Spirit in a humble way. You know, people sometimes get very arrogant and dogmatic when they discuss the Spirit. And the Scripture warns about that -- Isaiah 40, verse 13: "Who has directed the Spirit of the Lord? Or as His counselor has instructed Him?" They forget that significant human transformation always involves training, not just trying.

Being transformed by the Holy Spirit is a long-term endeavor. It involves both God and us. It’s like crossing an ocean. Some people try, day after day, to be good, to become spiritually mature. That's like taking a rowboat across the ocean. It's exhausting and usually unsuccessful. Others have given up trying and throw themselves entirely on "relying on God's grace." They're like drifters on a raft. They do nothing but hang on and hope God gets them there.

Neither trying nor drifting are effective in bringing about spiritual transformation. A better image is the sailboat, which if it moves at all, it's a gift of the wind. We can't control the wind, but a good sailor discerns where the wind is blowing and adjusts the sails accordingly. Working with the Holy Spirit, which Jesus likened to the wind in John 3, means we have a part in discerning the winds, in knowing the direction we need to go, and in training our sails to catch the breezes that God provides. That's true transformation.

When does the Holy Spirit come into our life? The New Testament says that it is when we become a Christian. Romans 8:9 says, "You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ." That means if you don’t have the Holy Spirit you are not a Christian. Some will say to persons today that you become a Christian and then later the Spirit comes into your life. Yet if I don’t have the Spirit living in me then the Bible says I am not a Christian. So either the Spirit enters my life when I am saved or he does not. I can’t belong to Christ and not have his Spirit within me.

What does the Spirit do in our life? The New Testament records over twenty-three specific tasks that Holy Spirit does for us. He convinces us of our need of Christ. He places us into Christ’s spiritual body. He also lives or dwells within us. One primary thing, though, that He does is to make us truly alive spiritually. Titus 3:5 says that God "gave us a new life through the Holy Spirit." The Holy Spirit is intimately involved in the creation of life for me spiritually.

So this One who is eternal, fully God, fully personal, who is the source of all life—this one has come to live in me! Understand that this means that you and I have all of God living in us. There is not just a little bit of God in me and a little bit in you. I have in the person of Holy Spirit all of God in me and all of God in you. I do not need a portion of God’s presence but all of God’s presence. A flower needs all of the sun’s presence to give it life. We might think that one flower doesn’t require all the power of the sun. Yet if you take away any portion of the sun’s power, that plant along with all the others on the planet will die. It takes all of God—all of His Holy Spirit to give you life. This One who gives me life, the source of all life is to fill up my life with Himself!

What does it mean to be filled then with the Holy Spirit? (Eph. 5:18) If that is who the Spirit is then what does it mean to be filled with Him? How can I be filled with a person? I need you to understand that to be filled with the Holy Spirit is not a mechanical phrase. We have said that all that Holy Spirit is comes to live within me so I can’t "get" more of what already resides in me. To be filled does not mean that the Spirit is a kind of substance, vapor or liquid with which you fill a container, as if you were a "glass" and God needs to fill up your "glass" with more of Himself. It does not mean you have more of the Spirit or less of the Spirit. Remember the Spirit is not a force but a person.

It also does not mean that after you become a Christian that you then get the Holy Spirit. Being filled with the Spirit is not some type of second experience that completes an inadequate salvation. It is not something that is to never be repeated. It is also not necessarily emotional.

It’s easy to see that there are two commands in this verse. One is negative: "Do not get drunk with wine" and the other is positive: "but be filled with the Spirit". That contrast shows us that it is not an issue of a mechanical matter of volume but one of control. A person who is drunk is not in control. God controls a person filled with the Spirit. We are then commanded to be filled or controlled by the Spirit.

So what does it mean? Very simply to be filled with the Spirit is to be yielded to and controlled by the Holy Spirit. It is a metaphor of life in which the Spirit has total and full control. It’s a picture of what happens when a person allows the Spirit to guide my thoughts, my perceptions and my actions. To be full of the Spirit means to be in utter surrender to the Spirit—to be flowing and overflowing with the life of the Spirit.

The language of verse 18 also tells us that this is some thing that is repetitive-it is to be continually experienced. It is inclusive-it is for all believers. It is something in which we ourselves are not in control-God is the one who fills us. The question is who is in control of your life? Is it you or is it the Spirit?

How can I be filled with the Spirit allowing Him to have total control in my life? There are no formulas for being filled with the Spirit found in the scripture. Let me give you some suggestions that could guide us: First, We need to admit we are not under the Spirit’s control. If I am going to allow God to be in control of my life then I must admit to myself that He is not in control. Second, for the Spirit to control my life then I will also need to be willing to let go of or abandon some things that hinder His control. The things that fill my life are the things that control me. So if there are places where what fills my life are obviously not pleasing to God then those things will need to be released. Thirdly, we need to choose to place our life under the absolute rule of Christ in our life. It is an acknowledgement or recognition of His right to tell me how to live my life. Then you simply ask or invite Him to be in control. Holy Spirit will never force His way into our lives but is anxious for the invitation to do so. Finally this is something we accept by faith regardless of the feelings or lack of feelings we may have. It’s not what you feel that matters it’s how you live. It will be obvious that I am living life under the influence, the control of the Spirit of God.

What am I like when the Spirit controls my life? The New Testament guides us by telling us we will be more Christ-like in our character. Paul said that, "when the Holy Spirit controls our lives, he will produce this kind of fruit (results) in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23). Acts 1:8 explains that we will posses a power we did not previously know, "But when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, you will receive power…"(Acts 1:8). In the passage we have been discussing this morning Paul says that our worship will be transformed, our attitude toward God’s gifts and our relationships will be changed, "Then you will sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, making music to the Lord in your hearts. And you will always give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. And further, you will submit to one another out of reverence for Christ." (Ephes. 5:19-21)

More like Jesus daily, having ability to meet all my challenges, worship like I’ve never known, gratitude overflowing and my relationships with others totally new. That is what it is like to be controlled by the Spirit!

So this brings us back to where we started…I will seek for that which controls me. I will not know the fullest experience of my relationship with God unless I desire it. I cannot desire it if there are competing issues of control in my life. I will find when I seek and I will seek when all of me is under the Spirit’s control. So who is controlling you? "As for me, I had never lived. I was half-dead; I was a rotting tree... until I reached the place where I wholly, with utter honesty, resolved and re-resolved that I would find God's will, and I would do that will, though every fiber in me said, 'No.'… It is as though some artesian well had been struck in my soul, and strength came forth…You and I shall soon blow away from our bodies -- money, praise, poverty, opposition -- these make no difference, for they will all alike be forgotten in a thousand years. This Spirit comes to a mind set upon continuous surrender …"

Are you ready for a life like that? Then "be filled with the Spirit’s control."

Sunday, February 15, 2004

Dr. Bruce Tippit, Pastor

First Baptist Church

Jonesboro, Arkansas

btippit@fbcjonesboro.org