Living Under the Influence
Eph. 5:18-21 March 21, 2021
I. Introduction:
A. At the recent No Regrets men’s’ conference, the speaker Chris Brown gave a
powerful message about the life of Samson. He made this powerful statement
“the scariest verse in the whole story was when Sampson woke up after having his
hair cut but he did not know that the Spirit of God had left him!” Did you catch
that – let me repeat that.
1. Then he a...
Living Under the Influence
Eph. 5:18-21 March 21, 2021
I. Introduction:
A. At the recent No Regrets men’s’ conference, the speaker Chris Brown gave a
powerful message about the life of Samson. He made this powerful statement
“the scariest verse in the whole story was when Sampson woke up after having his
hair cut but he did not know that the Spirit of God had left him!” Did you catch
that – let me repeat that.
1. Then he asked this very convicting question: “If the Holy Spirit left your
life/ministry, how long would it take you to figure that out?” Wow!
2. I had a similar question asked of me many years ago when I first came into
the ministry from an older friend of mine named Bob Block! His question
was this: Pat, if the Holy Spirit was removed from your life and ministry
would anything be different? Did you catch that – let me repeat that.
3. As we discussed these questions the following week at the men’s breakfast, it
led us to this: before we know that He left us, we need to know what it looks
like when He is here!
B. This morning I want to answer this question– “What does it look like when the
Holy Spirit is in control of our lives?”
• Turn in your Bibles to Eph 5 where it talks about…
II. Being filled with the Holy Spirit
A. Read v18
B. The first thing I want you to note is that there is a contrast in this verse and that is
being drunk with wine and being filled with the Spirit. The point he is making is
simply this:
1. When a person is drunk they are under the control of alcohol so that their
behavior, attitudes and talk are all influenced by alcohol.
a) By the way when it says “for that is dissipation” it is simply saying in
this context that it is a reckless and mindless waste of time and
opportunity!
2. When a person is filled with the Holy Spirit they are under the control of the
Holy Spirit so that their behavior, attitudes and talk are all influenced by the
Holy Spirit.
3. Just as everything is different about you when you are drunk so everything
will be different about you when you are under the influence of, filled with
the Holy Spirit.
C. And by the way, this is an imperative, a present imperative. It is a command that
indicates the way we should always and habitually be living our lives, filled with,
under the control and influence by the Holy Spirit.
• So the question now is “What would be different in my life when my life is controlled
by the Holy Spirit?” That is what we see in the following verses…
III. The results of being filled with the Holy Spirit:
A. We see this in verses 19-21.
1. It is clearly laid out for us with 4 participles which describe for us what it
looks like to be filled with the Spirit. These participles are: speaking,
singing, thanks, be subject
2. Watch for these as I read this section, and more importantly as we read be
radically honest with yourself and ask if this describes your life!
3. Read v19-21
B. Let me describe each one briefly:
1. Speaking: read 19a
a) This is one that takes place during worship times with other believers as
we speak to each other, that is teach one another truths about God and
the spiritual life as we sing together
b) So let me ask you are you just one of those who stands quietly either
disengaged or critiquing while we sing or are you participating with all
your heart?
2. Singing: read 19b
a) This not only takes place on Sundays during worship but all week long as
you are walking through life
b) So let me ask you 2 questions:
(1) Sunday mornings-are you just singing songs or are you directing
your singing as a love song to God?
(2) And also, as you sing is it from the core of your being, your heart
or are you just singing words and hitting the right notes?
(3) And finally during the week, when you are not even trying do you
find a song ringing in your heart? Do you have a singing heart that
is singing to the lord?
3. Thanks: read v20
a) Simply, are you a grateful person or more of a critical and complaining
person?
b) Are you grateful both for the big gifts and the small gifts that God gives
us, and both for the good things and the painful things that He uses to do
good things in us?
4. Subject: read v21
a) Do you submit to others in the body of Christ? Do you joyfully abide
under the authority and opinions of other believers that they have for
your life?
b) Or do you not take serious what others bring to you about you, blow
them off, or even shut them out and even refuse to listen to them?
C. The way you answer all these questions will indicate if you are under the control
and influence of the Holy Spirit or not!
D. There is another passage that we can look at to see if the Holy Spirit is actively
working in our lives. It is Gal 5:22-23 where we learn what the fruit of the Spirit
is.
1. Fruit is what a tree or plant produces. So the fruit of the Spirit is what the
Holy Spirit produces in our life when we are walking with Him in control of
our lives
2. Read gal 5:22-23
3. How are you doing there? Are these evident on a regular basis in your life?
Or is your life more characterized by selfishness, complaining and
criticalness, uneasiness and anxiety, impatience, unkindness, evil, doubt,
harshness and undisciplined?
a) These are the things that are just the opposite of these fruits!
b) The way you answer that will tell you if the Spirit is in control or not?
4. And note: this is a single fruit, not fruits as if there are 9 separate fruits. It is
one fruit that has 9 different aspects to its DNA.
5. Let me try to illustrate it like this with just one aspect of this fruit:
a) It is a patience right in the middle of very difficult, discouraging
or stressful times that is full of love, a joyful patience, a
patience that is full of peace and not anxiety, it is a
patience that is kind and good, it is a patience that if full of
faith rather than doubt, a patience that is characterized by
gentleness rather than short and sharp with those around you, and it is a
patience that is in control of your thoughts and desires!
b) You see every one of these qualities is intertwined with all the other
ones!
E. So now we know what it looks like for the Holy Spirit to be in control of your life,
and if these things we talked about in Ephesians 5 and Gal 5 are not what
characterize your life and heart then we need to be honest with ourselves and not
be like Sampson that had no idea that the Holy Spirit had left him!
• Let me close by briefly speaking about 4 ways we get filled with the Holy Spirit. So
let’s look at:
IV. 4 ways we get filled with the Spirit:
A. First, be radically honest with God and yourself if you do not see the evidence of
the filling of the Spirit in your life. Confess to God that you are walking by
means of the flesh rather than the Spirit.
B. Second, ask God to fill you with the Spirit. We see in this context that it is
directly connected to God’s will.
1. Read 1 John 5:14-15
2. Start by asking the Father to fill your life with the Holy Spirit.
C. Third, I practice being where the Holy Spirit is!
1. If the Holy Spirit produces a worshipping, grateful and submissive heart then
I am intentional to practice whole hearted worship, be intentional to practice
daily gratitude and submit to and welcome those who come to you and speak
into your life.
2. I find that as I intentionally and daily practice those things the Holy Spirit
takes over and what started as a practice has become a new manifestation of
the Holy Spirit in my life that comes naturally.
D. Fourthly, it is interesting to note that in Col 3:16 it talks about God’s word richly
dwells within you, that does not mean you getting in the word but the word
getting in you deep enough that it becomes a part of who you are and the way you
think.
1. Then v17 tells us when that happens, when we are filled with the word, the
same results happen to us that happen when we are filled with the Spirit.
2. Listen to Col 3:16-17
3. This is no surprise as Jesus said that His words are Spirit and life!
4. When we meet with God in his word on a regular basis in a way that it is not
just you getting your time in the word but in a way that the word gets in you,
those very words fill you with the Spirit and life!
E. Finally, come next week as we spend a whole message talking more about how
we walk filled with the Spirit moment by moment!
