Intro:

• Last weekend I introduced a new series by preaching the message entitled “The Spirit Led Life”
  • Who is in charge of your life? Who is driving the car?
• This week, I’d like to look at “The Spirit Filled Life”

Two passages of scripture:

Ephesians 5:18-19 (ESV) 18 Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit, 19 singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts.

Acts 2:4 (NLT) And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages, as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability.

You can’t talk about being filled without thinking of vessels being filled:

• Your car is a vessel that needs to be filled
• Having family dinner and asking kids to fill the cups… mine always gets less than half full

Humans are vessels

• Our bodies are temples.
• Our spirits fill our bodies and will one day vacate our bodies.
• We know through scripture that spirits can influence and even take over a human vessel 
• Negative filling
  • Demonic 
    • Saul was tormented by a spirit and it produced depression and rage
    • False prophets were inspired by evil spirits to lie
    • Maniac of Gadarenes, more importantly much of Jesus’ ministry
  • Satanic
    • John 13:27 - When Judas ate the bread, Satan entered him
    • Acts 5 - “Why has Satan filled your heart to lie”
• Positive infilling
  • Bezalel was filled with the Spirit of wisdom, it made him creative
  • Joseph was filled with the Spirit of wisdom, it made him wise
  • Daniel was filled with the Spirit of wisdom, it made him wise
• A union takes place

Four effects of the Spirit filled life:

1. The Spirit INFLUENCES
   1. Kids under the influence of a friend.
   2. When you are in close proximity with a person, you begin to smile like them, laugh like them, accommodate their views, etc.
   3. The Holy Spirit strongly influences your nature.
      1. The fruit of the spirit come from the influence of the Holy Spirit
         
         
2. The Spirit INSPIRES
   1. Inspiration is a spark to create
      1. Being a songwriter and experiencing moments of inspiration.
   2. The Holy Spirit inspired Bezalel to CREATE
   3. The Holy Spirit inspired Joseph to LEAD
   4. The Holy Spirit inspired Daniel to INTERPRET
   5. The Holy Spirit inspired David to WRITE
   6. If you are full of the spirit, He will inspire you!
      
      
3. The Spirit IMPARTS
   1. Jesus said that He would be passing along what He receives 
   2. Imparting God’s love - Romans 5:5 (NLT) And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.
   3. Imparting God’s adoption - Romans 8:15-16 (NLT) 15 So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” 16 For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children.
      
      
4. The Spirit INTOXICATES
   1. Returning to the first verse I read - Ephesians 5:18-19 (ESV) 18 Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit, 19 singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts.
   2. Isn’t it interesting that in Acts 2, people thought they were drunk. 
   3. People use alcohol and drugs as a means to cope. When you are filled with the Spirit, you don’t need to cope. 
   4. Intoxicated people are not stressed
   5. Jentzen Franklin - “You’re not drunk as you ‘posed to be”

How do you receive this infilling?

• Ask the Father - “He will freely give”
• Open your life and welcome Him in - “Take the Holy Spirit”
• Obey and submit - “Resisting is possible”