You are listening to a message from Southwood Presbyterian Church in Huntsville, Alabama.
Our passion is to experience and express grace. Join us.
Father, that's the prayer of our hearts this morning,
that we would know more of the presence of Jesus in our lives,
that Your Word, now as we open it, would dwell richly in our hearts.
In this hour and in every hour of this week,
would we be those who are shaped by what we find in Your Word,
not by our own ideas, but by what You teach us this morning.
So, Holy Spirit, come and do that.
That we are longing for You to work and to do things that we wouldn't even know to expect or to plan for.
Would You teach us this morning from Your Word?
We ask it in Jesus' name. Amen.
Beginning next Sunday, we are going to continue in the book of Ephesians,
but slow down a little while to talk about marriage and the family.
Some really crucial relationships that God begins to deal with here in the next several verses of Ephesians.
And this is for everybody.
Not just for those of you who are married with two and a half kids or something like that.
This is for all of us.
As God has connected us in Jesus to each other,
He's given us these particular relationships within families
that are not even just about those who are in them,
but about His name and His glory.
And so we all need to learn about that together from His Word.
So, please join us for those.
I'm really, really excited for God to teach us about His intent
for those relationships over the next few weeks.
But before we get there,
God has one more general set of instructions for us this morning
for living as His new people,
His holy, beloved children of light.
A way that He's calling us to live because of His love for us.
Already in chapter 5, He's told us to guard what our hearts treasure,
to exercise godly wisdom,
to demonstrate sacrificial love to those around us.
And so now we get to verse 18 and some more instruction to His church.
Ephesians 5 at verse 18.
This is God's holy Word.
And do not get drunk with wine,
for that is debauchery,
but be filled with the Spirit,
addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs,
singing and making melody to the Lord with all your heart,
giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father
in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.
The grass withers, the flowers fade,
but these words of our God will indeed stand forever.
Have you been exhausted lately?
Have you felt like you were running on empty?
Like life was running you ragged?
I've got great news for you this morning.
Summer vacation is just around the corner,
and you're going to get a chance to recharge over the next few weeks.
Except that some of you are shaking your heads at me like,
no, what happened is I went on the same vacation you went on this summer, Will,
and I came back needing a vacation from my vacation.
It wasn't summer vacation that rescued me from feeling exhausted,
burned out, tired.
Here I am heading into a new busy season,
and I'm already tired.
The same thing happens to us spiritually, doesn't it?
We have lots of stuff going on.
A lot of times we call it feeling spiritually dry.
I just, I mean, I love Jesus,
but I don't feel the same kind of passion and zeal that I used to.
I'm around the people of God and the things of God,
but I just don't get excited about it the way I once did.
I feel like I'm running on empty spiritually too.
Have you ever felt that way before?
A lot of times we look at our lives and we feel like this,
and we diagnose our problem as busyness.
Have you ever done that?
I'm too busy.
That's the problem.
If I just weren't so busy, I wouldn't be so exhausted
or feel like I'm running on empty.
I wouldn't be dry spiritually.
And honestly, there's some truth to that, right?
I mean, if I didn't have work to do or clothes to wash
or dinner to make or friends to spend time with,
then maybe I would be less exhausted.
But I want to suggest there's actually something beneath the busyness of life,
something that drives that busyness, exhaustion, spiritual dryness.
All of those things are symptoms, not usually the root problem.
They're symptoms of our natural way of functioning.
And that's this.
We seek to fulfill or validate or soothe ourselves by achieving our own goals.
Isn't that the way we function?
That's why we're so busy, because that's what we're seeking.
That's what we're driving after.
We're driven by a desire for fulfillment, by achieving some goal.
It's different goals for all of us.
It could look like trying to earn the approval of others,
trying to live up to our own standards,
trying to earn a promotion,
trying to impress a significant other,
trying to just wring all the pleasure we can out of life
to just have as much fun as possible and enjoy life.
It's exhausting.
It runs us dry no matter how well we think we do.
Even when we're the most successful,
we struggle to be filled up.
We keep running, looking for more of what it is that we can achieve.
Madonna said it this way in an interview with Vogue magazine.
She said,
My drive in life comes from a fear of being mediocre.
It's always pushing me.
I push past one spell of it and discover myself as a special human being,
but then I feel I am still mediocre and uninteresting unless I do something else.
Because even though I have become somebody,
I still have to prove that I am somebody.
My struggle has never ended,
and I guess it never will.
Even with all the success that she's had,
all the fame,
all the possessions she's accumulated,
meeting all sorts of goals for herself,
she's still not fulfilled.
And she's honest enough,
it's what I love about this,
she's honest enough to say,
I'm not sure that achieving all the goals I have for myself
is ever going to make this stop.
This struggle is going to continue.
I'm always going to wake up thinking,
I've got to prove that I am somebody again today.
The struggle has never ended,
and it probably never will.
Your goals for your fulfillment and your ways of reaching them
are likely different from hers,
but they may leave you equally empty,
even when you reach them.
For some of us,
the place we look to be soothed and fulfilled
is the one Paul speaks specifically against in this passage.
Getting drunk with wine.
Look at verse 18.
He says,
Do not get drunk with wine,
for that is debauchery,
but be filled with the Spirit.
I call this verse Presbyterian kryptonite,
because Paul speaks against wine
and about the Holy Spirit in the same verse, right?
I mean, what are we supposed to do with that?
I say that jokingly,
but this is very serious.
Paul's not joking.
The Bible is clear that God has given us wine as a good gift
to be enjoyed as a part of God's good creation,
but it is equally clear in many, many places over and over
that we abuse that gift at our own peril,
that it's not something to be taken lightly.
Paul speaks in his other letters about freedom in Christ, right?
We often call it our Christian liberty.
That we have freedom to do many things,
and included in that is drinking alcohol.
Paul's not unclear on that,
but he's also clear that our freedom is never to be used
to indulge the sinful nature,
to pursue self-serving fulfillment
in sinful abuse of God's good gifts.
This verse in Ephesians specifically says
getting drunk on wine is debauchery.
It's a word that indicates all sorts of wild
and out-of-control living.
And many of us have lived that
in our own lives or in the lives of those we've loved.
We've experienced what that feels like.
And our Heavenly Father is coming to us in this verse
and He's warning us for our good.
Do not get drunk on wine.
Don't take this lightly.
And if you've struggled or if you are struggling
with alcohol abuse,
I want to tell you this morning,
you're not alone in this church or in this room.
You're not.
We're not a group of people who are fixed,
who've gotten together because we've figured out
how to manage life well
and we don't struggle with things like that anymore.
You're not alone.
And we're so glad that you're here.
I want you to know this is a safe place
for you to have a struggle like that.
We would love to come alongside you
and help you.
The difficulties of addiction
are not ones that disappear overnight
just by reading a verse that says,
don't get drunk on wine.
I know that.
It's a lot more difficult and painful than that, isn't it?
We understand that
and we would be honored to walk with you
through that process.
There is help.
There is hope in the midst of that
even when it doesn't feel like it
and you're not alone.
But also notice the other key command in this verse.
It's not merely that Paul wants to talk to us
about our use of alcohol,
although that's part of it.
Paul doesn't merely say,
don't get drunk on wine,
but instead stay sober all the time.
That's not what he says, is it?
What does Paul say?
What does he connect it with?
Don't get drunk on wine,
but be filled with the Spirit.
Paul's talking about something broader
than just how much we drink.
What is it that he's encouraging
instead of drunkenness?
It's being filled, controlled,
influenced by, driven by,
not wine or anything else
except the Holy Spirit.
Do you see where he's concerned again
with our hearts
and our natural way of functioning
that seeks fulfillment
in our own ways
and through achieving our own goals?
Do you see what he's getting at there?
Instead, Paul says,
instead of functioning that way,
function in a new way.
Be filled with the Spirit.
That may not be as simple to understand
as not getting drunk.
We've talked about the Holy Spirit
a fair amount lately.
I'm thankful for that.
Ephesians has brought us back there
several times,
but we normally don't do it enough.
It's just one of those things
we often neglect.
So just a couple reminders
of who the Bible says
the Holy Spirit is
that will help us to understand
this important command better.
The Holy Spirit is the third person
of the Trinity, right?
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
equal in power and glory
with God the Father.
He's the one through whom
the Father lives in His people,
assuring them of their adoption,
giving them power to obey,
leading them,
gifting them,
comforting them,
and many more things like that.
In many ways in the Godhead,
the Holy Spirit,
while being equal
with the Father and Son,
plays the role
of a supporting actor.
He loves to exalt Jesus,
the Son.
He shines the spotlight
on the Son
so that we see Jesus
more clearly
and more gloriously.
The Bible talks about
that role that the Holy Spirit
has over and over
in many places.
It even mentions it
in Ephesians 3
that it's the power
of the Holy Spirit in us
that enables us
to see the dimensions
of Christ's love for us.
That's what the Holy Spirit does.
In fact, in the book of Acts,
where the Holy Spirit
is talked about a lot,
there's about a dozen times
where this phrase we just read,
being filled with the Spirit,
is used to describe somebody.
You know what they almost
always seem to do
when that happens in Acts?
They start to talk about somebody,
to testify about somebody,
but it's not about the Holy Spirit.
They don't say,
I have the Holy Spirit
and He's great
and He's wonderful
and He does all these things.
You know who they talk about?
The people filled with the Spirit
talk about Jesus.
They talk about His greatness,
His resurrection,
His power,
His salvation,
over and over.
The idea of being filled
with the Spirit
is exactly that.
It speaks about
what drives us
and controls us,
what really fulfills us.
So it's not simply talking
about the idea
of the Holy Spirit
living within you,
which is something
the Bible does teach.
That's true of all of those
who trust in Christ.
But it's also not talking
about some sort of
second baptism
of the Holy Spirit
where it's a one-time event
that you get
the Holy Spirit more.
Instead,
this is a moment-by-moment,
a day-by-day,
a constant,
repeated being filled,
living under the influence
of,
motivated by the priorities
of the Holy Spirit.
I'll say it this way.
A life or a church
filled by the Spirit
is fueled by Christ's glory
and others' good,
not its own goals.
A life or church
filled by the Spirit,
when you're filled
with the Spirit,
what drives you,
what's important to you,
what really fulfills you
is Christ's glory,
Him being exalted,
His name being made great,
and others being blessed
even at your own expense.
The rest of our passage
this morning bears this out
and teaches this.
It's going to paint a picture
with three phrases
of what a Spirit-filled church
looks like.
Let's look at it
in verses 19 through 21.
First,
Christ-focused worship
and relationships.
Look at verse 19.
Addressing one another
in psalms and hymns
and spiritual songs,
singing and making melody
to the Lord
with your heart.
I love this verse
because what it does
is it brings our worship
and our relationships
with each other
right up against each other
and it connects them.
Commentators get all
bent out of shape
because they're like me
and they're type A
and they're Presbyterian
and they want to figure out
is God talking about
a formal worship service
or is He just talking
about our relationships
with each other?
Because He uses these words
that are just about talking
and having conversation
with each other
and then He uses words
about singing to God
and it seems to be talking
about the same thing
and so it can be confusing
and I think that's because
we often have such a bright line
between formal worship
and the rest of life.
We distinguish them too much
and I'd suggest
there's no bright line
of distinction
in this verse on purpose
because there must be
a vertical aspect
to all of our relationships,
a God-centered part
of my relationship
with all my brothers and sisters
as well as a horizontal aspect
to all of our worship
in the church.
Here's what I mean.
Addressing one another
with psalms and hymns
and spiritual songs
does not mean
that all of your life
becomes like
some corny Christian musical
where you run into people
in the grocery store
and you say amazing grace
and start singing it
and then when you leave them
you start singing
in Christ alone
and that's the only way
you speak to each other.
That's not what He's talking about.
That'd be kind of fun though.
No, maybe not.
The word that is being used here
is talking about
our conversations,
the way we engage
and interact with each other
and saying
spirit-filled conversations
should be Christ-focused.
That's what it's saying.
We should point each other
to praising His name
all the time.
Now you may be talking
about football
or the kids
or politics
or the new school year.
Any of those things
and that's wonderful.
It doesn't mean
you stop talking about them.
It means the spirit
will be eager
in the midst
of those conversations
to spotlight Christ
rather than being
self-focused
or self-centered.
Is there anyone else
that's realized
how easily
you can become
so self-obsessed
that you forget
God's perspective
on the thing
you're worked up about?
Whatever it is
you're really frustrated
about the new things
that are happening
or the things
with your kids
or the stuff at work
and you start talking about it
and your conversation
is just all about
how it affects you
and you forget
God's perspective
or what His Word
would have to say about it.
The spirit
in our brothers and sisters
should push us
to remember
God's perspective.
As we interact
we ought to always be
pointing each other
to Christ.
Then likewise
our worship services
are of course
to worship God.
He's the only one
worthy of
receiving worship
but they're also times
to edify each other.
It shouldn't be surprising
to be praying with
or crying with
or comforting someone
in the middle
of the worship service.
The spirit
may be working
right there
between brothers
and sisters
as He puts you
right up against each other
and He lives
in both of you.
He may be at work
right there
and it may not feel
very Presbyterian
to you in that moment
but it should
because it's biblical
so it should be
Presbyterian.
Similarly
it shouldn't be surprising
to be spontaneously
praising God
in your kitchen
in your living room
with a friend.
You can even sing
or share a psalm.
All of life
is worship of God
and all of our worship
impacts our relationships
with each other.
Listen
whether you enjoy
the 60 seconds
we take
and hug
and shake hands
whether that's
your favorite part
or your least favorite part
what that reminds us
of in our worship
is that we don't
worship God alone
do we?
We worship Him
with brothers and sisters
others who have received
His love
so that's a holy moment
to realize that
we don't worship God alone
but with
His people.
So secondly
the Spirit filled life
or church
looks like
not just
Christ focused
worship
and relationships
but Christ centered gratitude.
Verse 20
giving thanks
always
and for everything
to God the Father
in the name
of our Lord
Jesus Christ.
Giving thanks
always
and for everything.
Fairly inclusive.
That pretty much
covers it.
Not just the big blessings
but the daily provision.
Not just in easy times
but even on the hard days.
And this isn't
to make light
of the brokenness
or evil
of the world
that we encounter
regularly in our lives.
We're not giving thanks
for sin itself
but even in those hard times
we're giving thanks
how?
In the name
of our Lord
Jesus Christ.
We're thankful
that He reigns.
That He saves.
That His glory
is always achieved
through even
the darkest situations.
If we're driven
and fulfilled
only by achieving
our own goals
this would make
no sense, right?
It would be impossible.
If all that matters
to me is things
going the way
I want them to
then no way
am I able to give thanks
in everything
because sometimes
things don't go
according to plan.
If I'm self-centered
and self-serving
there's often
no room for gratitude.
But instead of that
self-serving attitude
the Spirit-filled church
learns to give thanks
because of the
magnificent grace
of Jesus
when the budget
goes up
and when the budget
goes down.
When the culture
agrees with me
and when the culture
disagrees with me
because the Spirit
shines the spotlight
on Jesus
and we again
see Him
and have reason
to give thanks.
And finally
the Spirit-filled life
or church
practices
Christ-honoring
submission.
I love this picture
of submitting
to one another
because it's so easy
in so many contexts
to think about
climbing the ladder
to get ahead of each other
to get our way
to come out on top
and stepping on each other
on the way to the top
and submitting
to one another
instead pictures us
stooping to see others
as more valuable
than ourselves.
Running into each other
at the bottom, right?
That there would be
crowding in the basement
or in the nursery
or during cleanup.
Where'd you expect
to see the Spirit-filled
members of the church?
On the stage?
In charge?
Paul says they'll be
submitting
to one another
and perhaps they won't
be where we most
expected.
And in the context
of this passage
submitting out of reverence
for Christ
likely refers to
following proper authorities
that Christ has established
in His church
within families,
within a congregation,
within workplaces
and so on
as we see in the following
verses in Ephesians.
And that's an important
reminder for us
as to how our hearts
respond to
the God-ordained leadership
and the decisions
they make
for the church.
Listen,
out of reverence
for Christ
means we submit
not because we think
the elders are so wise,
but out of reverence
for Christ
because Jesus,
the King and head
of the church,
has placed them
where they are.
And we honor
and trust Him
as we support
the elders,
the deacons,
and others
in leadership.
But the other thing
we can't miss out on
in out of reverence
for Christ
is the model
that the King
and head
of the church
sets for all of us.
What does Mark 10
tell us about
the way Jesus leads?
Even the Son of Man
came not to be served
but to serve
and to give His life
as a ransom for many.
If the King
and head of the church
is the one who serves,
no leader
is above serving
any part
of the body.
I love this
about the officers
of this church.
You've seen them
serve in many ways.
What you don't get to see
is the way they interact
with each other
in the meetings
that you don't get to go to.
The way that men
with passionate opinions
and godly wisdom
strain to submit
to each other.
At a session meeting
just a few months ago
we were discussing something
and there were some
differing perspectives
in the room.
I of course was on
the right side of things
and I had said some things
and there was a guy
who wanted to speak
on the other side
but as he formulated
his thoughts
it didn't come out
the way that he had intended
and it just didn't make
much sense.
And I thought to myself
what?
That's just fine.
That was a bad idea anyway.
I don't agree
with his opinion
so it doesn't matter
that nobody understood
what he just said.
And then one of the other elders
who saw things my way
was on my side of things
stopped and said
hold on I want to go back.
Brother I didn't understand
exactly what you just meant
when you said that
and I want to.
He already knew he disagreed
but he wanted to understand.
He wanted to hear
where his brother
was coming from.
Praise God
for the Holy Spirit
who shows us
the greatness of Jesus
so that we can be
self-effacing
instead of self-exalting.
So that we can value others
rather than just
valuing winning
and being right.
That's Christ honoring
submission.
So a spirit filled church
is one that makes
much of Jesus.
That's caught up
with who he is
and exalting
and praising him.
They have Christ focused
relationships
and worship.
Christ centered gratitude.
Christ honoring
submission.
Because a person
or a church
full of the spirit
is fueled by.
What drives them
is Christ's glory
and others good.
And so we think
of ourselves less
because the spirit
keeps shining the spotlight
on Jesus.
And right there
in being filled
with the spirit
is where God's offering
us true fulfillment.
Not the kind
we've been talking about
that our hearts
so quickly go to
where no matter
how much wine
you drink
you'll be empty
and unfulfilled again
won't you?
You'll need more.
No matter how much
success or fame
or whatever self-serving
goals you achieve
you'll need more of it
to keep you full.
But the spirit of God
fills us in a true
and lasting way
because it's not
by something we achieve
and need to achieve
again tomorrow
it's something we receive.
Fulfillment that's
lasting because we receive it
he fills us.
That's what happens
be filled
with the spirit.
So last question
this morning
how does that happen?
Do I just walk around
and one day
all of a sudden
if it's about
receiving the spirit
rather than achieving
our own goals
and we're very
achievement minded
I am
what am I supposed
to achieve?
How am I going to
receive something?
How am I going to
get filled up?
To answer that
let me tell you
something about myself.
I'm one of those
people that makes
many of you
very anxious
and you already
knew that
but in a particular
way
I'm a person
who loves to
drive around
with the gas light
on and the car
running on empty.
Seeing the gas light
comes on
makes me think
something like this
you know what
sometime
in the next few days
I should start
thinking about
which gas station
I might like to go to
and when it might
be on my way
somewhere I'm already
going
so that I don't
have to change
my plans
or interrupt
my driving schedule
I can just
stop by and
fill up at my
convenience
and I enjoy
riding around
with the gas light
on
running on empty
I certainly
don't want to
stop for gas
to interrupt
any plans
that I have
when I'm driving
and sometimes
we can be like that
spiritually too
can't we?
The gas light
is flashing
in our hearts
we're running
on empty
but we just
keep on going
and keep on
pursuing
our own goals
we want that
exhausted
or dry
feeling
to go away
but
we don't want
to change
our plans
or our goals
it would be like
me pulling
the car
into a filling
station
right up
beside one
of the pumps
and then walking
inside to the
attendant
and say
hey I need
some help
I got this
light on
on my dashboard
and I can't
get it to go
off
and he says
oh well
let us put
some gas
in there
for you
we'd be
happy
to help
and I said
no no no
listen
I said
I wanted
the light
to go off
I didn't say
I wanted you
to change
my focus
or my fuel
I wanted you
to tell me
I was okay
to keep going
but make that
light turn off
one of our
members sent me
this comment
about something
she learned
recently
in our marriage
Sunday school
class
she said
upon reading
the book
they were using
in the class
I was reminded
about considering
the interests
of others
as more important
than your own
about the ability
to serve another
requires the Holy Spirit
to drive the gospel
into my heart
until it changes me
not my husband
I found by serving
my husband
instead of seeking
to make myself happy
could actually give me
more joy
I was running
on fumes
and looking
to the wrong
filling station
to fulfill me
I was running
on fumes
and looking
to the wrong
filling station
to fulfill me
me too
thinking that
something that
I wanted
something that
I felt
I needed
when I got it
was going to be
the thing
that finally
fulfilled me
and God's word
says this
it says
he pours his spirit
out
when we turn
away from
those things
and turn
back to him
we call it
repentance
when we repent
of our self-serving
goals
and turn back
to him
read Joel 2
sometime
it's the
classic passage
where we see God
pouring out his spirit
on his people
when they repent
and turn
to him
repent
confess
you're looking
to wine
to money
to others
to your own
goals
and turn
to God
again
or for the
first time
maybe you've
never thought
there was a
possibility
that something
could actually
fulfill you
not just
momentarily
but eternally
and day
after day
and for the
rest of your
life
and that you
could actually
turn from the
things you've
been trying
to find that
in and find
that in
Jesus
turn
back
to God
and then
look at
Colossians 3
it's a really
interesting verse
it's actually
a parallel
verse
to the one
we read
this morning
Paul in
another one
of his
letters
talking about
the exact
same things
but one
phrase is
different
let the
word of
Christ
dwell in
you richly
teaching
and admonishing
one another
in all wisdom
singing
psalms
and hymns
and spiritual
songs
with thankfulness
in your
hearts to God
do you hear
the same
themes
the speaking
to each
other
the singing
the thankfulness
except this
time it comes
instead of being
filled with the
spirit
from what
the word
of Christ
dwelling
richly
in you
the spirit
and the word
are never
disconnected
ignoring God's
word when we're
spiritually dry
is like running
on empty
and driving
past
the gas
stations
it's like being
parched in the
desert and walking
right by
pools of water
open God's
word
ask God to
fill you with
his spirit
turn back
to God
as you're
driving
turn off
the highway
open God's
word
pull in
at the
filling
station
and then
ask the
father
Luke 11
if you
then who
are evil
know how
to give
good gifts
to your
children
how much
more will
the heavenly
father
give the
holy spirit
to those
who ask
him
ask
the father
he's eager
to give
you the
holy spirit
to refill
your running
on empty
tank
I'm not
saying that
you immediately
feel better
I'm not
saying everything
in life
immediately
becomes easy
or you have
some amazing
out of body
spiritual
experience
I said it's
not about
us
right
the spirit
doesn't focus
us on
ourselves
God gives
the spirit
to his
children
when they
ask him
and their
hearts are
fueled again
by the
glory of
Jesus
and the
good of
others
and that's
what truly
fulfills
them
not the
way they
feel
listen if
you've
trusted
Jesus
if you're
connected
to him
by faith
the holy
spirit
lives in
you
and you
have a
father
who loves
to fill
you up
with him
remember
how this
whole chapter
started in
Ephesians 5
live this
way
all these
things I'm
about to
tell you
as beloved
children
I'm
not here
trying to
give you
a formula
I'm
reminding you
you have
a father
how much
more will
the heavenly
father give
his spirit
to those
who ask
him
he's your
father
he longs
to see
your heart
turned toward
his son
he loves
to give
you his
holy spirit
and fill
you with
him
so that
you'll
always
rejoice in
Jesus
let's pray
that he
would do
that among
us
father
would you
indeed
give us
your spirit
to fullness
we confess
to you
that most
of us
aren't sure
what that
would feel
like for
us
it's
confusing
and difficult
but father
we know
that it
would be
your delight
and so
we ask
that you
would turn
our hearts
toward Jesus
again
even this
week
as school
schedules
start up
and work
deadlines
confront us
would you
show us
Jesus
as church
programs
start coming
fast
and other
good events
in our
lives
that could
end up
being a
distraction
from Jesus
if we're
not thoughtful
would you
fill us
with your
spirit
in all
of it
in everything
that's going
on
would we
make much
of Jesus
because we
know how
much we
need him
and we
have seen
what a
glorious
savior he
is
we ask
you in
his name
amen
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information
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