So we are continuing in on the latter half of Paul's epistle. And in this section, chapters 4, 5, and 6, we are in the practical section of the letter. The former section versus chapters 1, 2, and 3 are the doctrinal or theological statements that give a foundation for the practical section in which we find ourselves. Now, as we've been going through this section, as you may have noticed here in Chapter 5, we've been slowing down. Now, I try to avoid the temptation to study every potentially interesting point I come across in the text. It is a temptation to just I go word by word sometimes, and we may be in a particular verse for four or five weeks. I try not to do that to you. Instead, I try to look at each paragraph or section of thought, because we want to keep up with the argument that, in this case, Paul is laying out for us. We don't want to lose his train of thought as we are studying that. However, it is sometimes necessary to pause in a section and really consider it for various reasons. We talked about that this last time. And last time, we noted that the verses around where we are serve as a kind of hub for this entire section of the book, verses 15 through 21. Form a hub of thought for these three chapters. There we go. I thought it may have locked up back there But it looks like it's going Now as such we've been slowing down our pace to consider these verses in context Well, what are we talking about here? Well in verse 15 the Lord commands us to walk in wisdom to walk in wisdom and that includes redeeming the time verse 16 talks about redeeming the time and The wise walk also requires us to understand the will of the Lord, verse 17. And here in verse 18, wisdom manifests in two commands, one positive and one negative. In fact, it starts with a negative command. Don't be drunk, don't get drunk, right? Do not be drunk with wine. And the positive command then is, to be filled with the spirit. In other words, we could say, don't become foolish with your activities, but rather be filled with the spirit of wisdom, right? And we took our time last week to consider the negative command, do not get drunk with wine. And we saw there that the command isn't so much a prohibition against drinking as it is a command against the foolish abuse of alcohol. And we might say anything else that might crowd out the spirits filling in our lives. Scripture condemns drunkenness and those Christians who sin by drinking to inebriation are not walking according to the wisdom of the Holy Spirit. With that said though, there's still maybe some confusion here with this verse because we read the word filled in relation to the Holy Spirit and we think of alcohol, we think of something that is a liquid and so we start to imagine ourselves as cups, as vessels which can hold a certain amount of liquid. And so the thinking goes like this. If we fill that cup with wine, then there won't be any room left for the Holy Spirit. And that's kind of what we think. Or to continue the analogy, if we reduce the amount of alcohol in the cup or any distracting substance, we might be able to get some more of the Holy Spirit in there. But that isn't what this verse is communicating. As interesting as that thought is, it is an inaccurate understanding of the Holy Spirit's relationship to our lives. The verses which follow help us to understand this positive command. And we're gonna talk about them, verses 19 through 21. help us to understand what it means to be filled with the Holy Spirit. And it's not immediately clear in the English, but in the original language, five participles follow in these verses, logically advancing the positive command here. So to be filled with the Spirit is to be speaking By the way, a participle is that I N G kind of word in English speaking to one another and that's in verse 19 Also in verse 19 is singing and then also making music and then in verse 20 Giving thanks and in verse 21 submitting to one another These are ideas that flow from the command be filled with the Holy Spirit they will come together with exhortations for the Christian household in verses 22 through all the way through chapter 6 verse 9 Now next week we'll talk more about those consequences I wanted to take a moment to note that because that's where we're going with all of this but for tonight what I want to do is to zero in on the command to be filled with the Holy Spirit and We're going to see that this command can only fit within the framework of the gospel promises which proceed in chapters 1 through 3. And it also helps to guide everything we do in the practical section of this letter. And so for this evening, we'll be considering the command and then we'll consider how to apply it to our lives. But let's start by rereading the verse. Verse 18 says, do not get drunk with wine for that is dissipation, but be filled with the spirit. What does this command to be filled mean? Well, like we said, there is a negative command and then it's followed with a description. That's dissipation. And then there's a positive command and that's filled with a description. To engage in drunkenness is to engage in wastefulness. And the contrast then is to the positive command that which is not wasteful. Being filled with the spirit will produce something that is not wasteful, not dissipating in your life. So what's the verb here communicating? Well, the verb of the command is a Greek word, plerao, plerao. And it is a command, but it's a little bit of an odd one. Why is that? Because it's passive. This is one of these passive commands. Usually, we have an active command. What's an active verb? An active verb is a verb in which the subject is the actor. If I say, you hit the ball, or kick the ball in your case, because of soccer, right? You kick the ball. You are the actor. And that's an active sense of the verb there. If I were to say, kick the ball, well, the U is implied there. Still, you are the actor, but it's a command now. It's not just an indicative statement of what happened or what may happen, but it is now a command. Well, in this case, we have a passive command. That's where you are the recipient of the action. Well, command usually is something for you to do something, but then you're the recipient of the command. The verb and so that makes it a little confusing and also the command is present Which one commentary notes could be rendered this way be being Kept filled with the Holy Spirit Is that any more clear? Not necessarily not necessarily So let's let's back up and think about this and And we really need to get rid of that insufficient image of the cup being filled up, being filled with one thing or another. When MacArthur explains the term in his commentary, he gives three senses of plero, he notes throughout the New Testament. First, he says it could speak of the wind filling a sail and thereby carrying the ship along. So it's more than just an area, like a surface area of a sail being filled, like a cup might be filled. No, this is where the ship is now being carried along by the wind. Second, he says, it carries the idea of permutation, or permeation, and was used of salts permeating meat, in order to flavor and preserve it. So that's a little bit of a different idea. And third, he explains that the term has the connotation of total control. And so in summary, the command to be filled can mean to be moved, to be permeated, or to be controlled by the Holy Spirit. Think about it this way. The command here is for the Christian to allow something to happen. That's why it's passive. Be being allowing this to happen. Be being filled with the Spirit. Consider the contrast to drunkenness. Drunkenness is something in which you are being affected by. You're doing it, but you are being affected by it. And as you're choosing to linger long over your drinks, you're putting yourself into a state which is contrary to the Holy Spirit. Now by rejecting drunkenness, your mind can think soberly about the realities of the Spirit. And therefore, you can be filled with the Spirit. So the Christian who has the Holy Spirit, Can now be filled or moved or permeated or controlled by him? when he is Not being distracted by other things but rather is being focused on the things of the spirit and Allowing the spirit to move or to permeate him or to control him or her let's consider some examples of filling and Jesus announces his departure the upper room discourse He promised his disciples the Holy Spirit in part because sorrow filled their hearts John 16 6 and think about that They could be under the influence or sway or control of sadness Isn't that what that means to be filled with sorrow or for sorrow to fill your heart? Again, we're thinking about what it means to be filled with the Holy Spirit. So I'm using this as an example of being filled Sorrow filling a heart could be an example being filled in again. This is the same term Do you use a supernatural example? In Acts 5, Satan filled Ananias and Sapphira's hearts to lie and to hold back some of their promised money to the church. Rather, they told the church, we gave you everything. And they didn't have to give the church everything, right? That's not a command. You don't have to give the church everything. And we certainly here wouldn't ask you to do that. But they were doing that in order to try to kind of play a trumpet before them, to get the accolades, to get the pats on the back. We sold this big piece of property, and they gave all the money to the church. Except they didn't they held back some of the money and they could have done that if they said yeah We would like to give from the proceeds of the sale to the church. Wouldn't that be acceptable? Of course, that would be acceptable but Satan filled their hearts to lie so that it looks a little better in the church and they would they would gain some some accolades some recognition some status in the church and And that's an example of being filled there. In that case, they're being filled by the word of Satan. In these examples, individuals retain personal choices. It's not like they become someone else in these cases. But there are also motivations that we could describe as moving, permeating, and controlling. To go again back to the negative command a person boozing it up can be said to be moved and permeated and controlled by drunkenness, right? Let's say there I used to say in the jail it'd be filled by the Holy Spirit not by other spirits, right? Because it can lead to debauchery And said the Christian should seek to be filled with the Holy Spirit so that he can lead the wise walk So hopefully that starts to make sense. Okay, so we have this command play Raul to be filled. It's a passive command It's an it's a present command. This is something that that you are making the choice to do again back to alcohol you It's not just that the person's having a drink. It's that the person's choosing to have a second drink and And then a third drink and then a fourth drink and then a fifth drink And all of that is happening in present time with that person Well in present time, what do we need to do? We need to choose to follow the lord And to follow the lord and to follow the lord and all of that is happening in present time and that's that's that's that gives us a Bit of an understanding what it means to be filled with the Holy Spirit and so with that let's let's move on to the primary example of spirit filling the primary example of spirit filling which is acts 2 and Unfortunately for the sake of time we won't we won't dig into acts 2 but you know what happens in acts 2 right that's Pentecost and where the Holy Spirit falls. And as we think about that, we are thinking about a moment in history where God has shifted his operation in the world. We might say that there's a new dispensation, although some of our covenantal friends may have an allergy to that word, but there is a new administration in which God is operating in the world. Beforehand, in the Old Testament, he was operating through the state, the nation of Israel. And with Acts 2, he now moves to the borderless church. And so he's moving in a different way. Before, in the Old Testament, the saints were looking forward to the Messiah. As the gospel goes out through the church, from Acts 2 and onward, they are calling people to look back to the work of the Messiah. So there is a shift happening there. The Son of God took on flesh, he lived a sinless life, he died on a cross as a sacrifice for our sins, and he rose from the grave, ascended, and then he sent the Holy Spirit. And that marks a new era of history. And after the resurrection and ascension of our Lord into heaven the disciples were waiting there in Jerusalem as our Lord commanded for The giving of the Holy Spirit because he had promised that that he would give the Holy Spirit and in Acts 2 verse 2 We read that suddenly there was a noise like a violent rushing wind and it play Raul filled the whole house in this case it filled the whole house and And what happened next? They saw what appeared to be tongues of fire that distributed themselves and rested on each one of them, verse three. And then verse four, once they were filled, the Spirit gave them utterance to speak in languages that they hadn't learned before. And there is even a careful listing of those languages in verses seven through 11 as they began to preach the gospel. The people can only assume that something or the people who are gathered there know something strange is happening, something incredible is happening. And the best thing that some of the people come up with is, well, they're drunk. No, they are not drunk with wine. And how is it that these That they're standing up and speaking clearly and giving a clear gospel presentation to the crowds there if they're all drunk. No, that's not what's happened. It's a clear, cogent, impassioned plea that follows from Peter to his lost countrymen in the following verses. With the filling of the Holy Spirit, what do we see? We see a contrast between the halting disciples before Pentecost and these bold witnesses who are going out and proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ. And it happens with the filling of the Holy Spirit. We might expect then that every Christian will be filled with the Holy Spirit and have the same result. Everyone's going to be just as bold as Peter. They're not going to make any mistakes. They're going to go out there. But Peter made mistakes even after the filling of the Holy Spirit. This is not a case in which Christians are perfect necessarily. And we're never promised that every way that the Holy Spirit moves will be exactly the same in every person. Because some Christians seeking to obey Ephesians 518 here mistakenly pray for a personal repeat of Pentecost. No, we're not told to do that necessarily. This filling of the Holy Spirit, however, does result in some changes in our lives. And so we want to see the application of this command. How might we apply this command in our lives? Well, the short answer to that is this. Read the rest of Ephesians and follow it. Amen and amen. Let's close. No, we won't close just there because obviously I have a longer explanation and we're going to just spend a few more minutes here. Verse 18 is the command, and what follows in the next verses are the consequences of the command. As you might guess, we're not gonna be reading through the rest of Ephesians to see that right now. Before we go any further into the book, let's just think more about this command so that we avoid misapplication. What does it not mean to be filled with the Spirit? What does it not mean to be filled with the Spirit? So he said the command to be filled with the Holy Spirit makes no sense outside of the gospel Jesus Christ Jesus died for our sins. He rose again. He ascended and then he sent us the Holy Spirit The disciples in Acts 2 did not call down the Holy Spirit from heaven to infuse them. They were praying but they were waiting faithfully and We've seen that the command is passive the spirit comes to us as he wishes So there is a way in which we fulfill this command But there is a way in which we don't fulfill this command and we need to know what this command does not mean this command does not mean that we need first of all to get sealed with the Holy Spirit you get sealed with the Holy Spirit and Why because Paul already said that we are look at chapter 1 Chapter 1 verse 13 Him you also after listening to the message of the truth the gospel of your salvation Having also believed you were sealed in him with the Holy Spirit of promise verse 14 who the Holy Spirit is given as a pledge of our inheritance With a view to the redemption of God's own possession to the praise of his glory look at chapter 4 Verse 30 Chapter 4 verse 30 Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God By whom you were sealed for the day of redemption That doesn't mean like oh you were but now you're not no you you were already sealed and so it's a done deal you don't need to pray for it to happen because it's already happened and This is part and parcel with the gospel message. So 518 isn't telling us how to get more sealed We don't ask people are you a sealed again Christian Sometimes we talk about being born again, but we don't say sealed again. I Because a person, when they receive Christ, they are sealed with the Holy Spirit. And God has set his seal on us in the form of the Holy Spirit when we believe. So there's no way that we can accomplish this from our side. God does this to us. We just simply realize the reality and we thank God for it. And so this command does not mean to get sealed in the Holy Spirit. Second, this command does not mean to get indwelt by the Holy Spirit. Because sometimes Christians will think this. I need to pray that the Holy Spirit will come. Sometimes Christians even sing songs, and you've probably come across a lot of these songs where we actually ask the Spirit to come. And I think that can be a little misleading. Because the Holy Spirit is already dwelling us. He's already here. Jesus promised all who believe will have the Holy Spirit in their innermost being. John 7, Jesus talks about this, verses 37 through 39. And then again in the upper room, Jesus promised in John 14, 17, The Holy Spirit quote abides with you and will be in you And of course the Apostle of Jesus Paul Confirms this as well first Corinthians 212 he says that we have received the Spirit who is from God and So the command here to be filled with the Spirit does not mean receive the Holy Spirit. You don't have to keep praying, Lord, please send your Holy Spirit to me. You have the Holy Spirit. If you're a Christian, praise God you have the Holy Spirit. And I think that flows from the first point, right? You're sealed with the Holy Spirit. How can you be sealed with the Holy Spirit if you don't have the Holy Spirit? You have Him. You're sealed with Him and you're indwelt with Him. So that's not what be filled with the Holy Spirit means. Third, this command doesn't mean get more of the Holy Spirit. Well, the problem, yeah, we all have the Holy Spirit. The problem is we just don't have enough of the Holy Spirit. Consider that again. We have already received him the Holy Spirit. Can you receive part of the Holy Spirit? It may seem that the command to be filled means to receive more of him you say well, yeah, I mean be filled I have Part of him. I need more of him as though it's almost like the third person of the Trinity is Given to us piecemeal or one drop at a time We need to keep filling up that cup gotta get that picture of the cup out of our heads. It's not what we're Thinking about here John 1 16 We read for of his fullness we have all received and grace upon grace of his fullness Not of his partialness Not some of hisness of his fullness we have all received The Holy Spirit doesn't lose cohesion in us either He doesn't deteriorate in us I know some of us may feel like we are greater sinners and we may feel like we have a lot of guilt and shame. You're not hurting the Holy Spirit inside of you. He's not like, oh, you know, wasting away. I heard a pastor once say, well, we need to be filled with the Holy Spirit because we leak. The Holy Spirit doesn't leak out of us. We don't need to then get more of him. Maybe one day, you know, I'm just not paying attention You know, I'm kind of you know playing video games and doing other things I don't know and I'm just not thinking about spiritual things and the last drop of the Holy Spirit left me and I I'm like, oh I gotta get all of the Holy Spirit again and make sure I got it I got keep getting filled up because I'm losing them No, he's not water We received him in his fullness when at our conversion. Even if we're too full of our sins and distractions to realize it, we still have him in his fullness. The problem is we're just not being controlled by him yet. But there is a sense in which he's already affecting us and we know that because we have believed and repented from our sins. So he's already affected us. The issue of the Christian life then from then on out is to begin to give control of our lives over to the Holy Spirit. But no, we're not getting more of the Spirit. We already have him. This command doesn't mean to get baptized in the Holy Spirit The Bible does teach about baptism of the Holy Spirit and it is an important doctrine But it does not apply at this point in the Christian life What do I mean? for the first Corinthians 1213 first Corinthians 1213 we read for by one spirit We were all baptized into one body, and we were all made to drink of one spirit, not some. There are not some Christians who have some of the Holy Spirit, but they're not baptized into the Holy Spirit. And then there's this like uber spiritual, like upper class of Christians who do have the baptism of the Holy Spirit. And they're able to do a lot of impressive things that the rest of us who are still Christians just can't quite pull off yet because we aren't yet baptized into the Holy Spirit. And so you have the two classes of Christians you have the carnal Christians I guess the ones who are just kind of initiates and then and then you have the super spiritual ones who might be able to Work miracles and do different things like that. No. No, that's that's not what the Bible teaches It says that we were all baptized into one body. We were all made to drink of one spirit Similarly in Galatians 3 27 we read all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ It's impossible to be in Christ and yet be unbaptized in the Holy Spirit This is not a command for you to have a second experience with the Holy Spirit It's like some folks are thinking of the Spirit like a vaccine. You don't need a Holy Spirit booster shot to get Him to work in you, right? Now you have the Holy Spirit because you've already been baptized in the Holy Spirit. You don't need a second experience in the Holy Spirit. That's not what be filled with the Holy Spirit means. So it doesn't mean to get sealed by the Spirit. It doesn't mean to get indwelt by the Spirit. It doesn't mean to get more of the Spirit. And it doesn't mean to get baptized with the Spirit. Finally, it doesn't mean to get drunk in the Holy Spirit. My word, I shouldn't have to say this. But there are some Christians who think this. Oh, don't get drunk with wine, get drunk with the Holy Spirit. This is something that some Christians believe. It's a false concept that completely misses the contrast between drunken behavior and the Holy Spirit's wise filling. We see this in some who engage in odd behaviors, hold churches and start barking like dogs. They start laughing hysterically. They start falling down. They start engaging in apparently involuntary movements that sweeps through the congregation like a social contagion. What does the Holy Spirit himself say in his inspired word? The fruit of the Holy Spirit is self-control. Self-control, oh. Oh, so you mean I won't be falling out and just rolling on the floor or glued to the floor for hours on end. The people who come in to vacuum, they just have to vacuum around me because the Holy Spirit glued me to the floor. No. 1 Corinthians 14.33, God is not a God of confusion, but of peace. As such, God would not be leading us from one form of senselessness, alcoholic drunkenness to another form of senselessness, apparently Holy Spirit drunkenness. No, that doesn't make sense. This is not only a bad interpretation of the verse, it's a concept that is entirely foreign to scripture, and it bears more in common with the ecstatic experiences of pagan religious practitioners than the Church of Jesus Christ. But I think I've said enough to make everyone mad, so as we go through this and we think about these, these all amount, except maybe for the last one, I don't know, to legalistic efforts to accomplish what God has already accomplished. Get sealed in the Holy Spirit? He's already done it. Get indwelt by the Holy Spirit. He's already done it. Get more of the Spirit. He's already given Him to you in fullness. Get baptized in the Spirit. He's already done that too. All of these things have already happened, and yet we want to, in our own flesh, improve upon it. That's just the way we are sometimes. Well-intentioned, but denying the realities of the good news. Of course, some are more mystical, but no less works-based than the others. So these are not what it means to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Well, what does it mean to be filled with the Spirit? Let's consider that. Quite simply, being filled with the Holy Spirit means what we've already said. We should be moved, permeated, and controlled by Him. We should be moved, permeated, and controlled by Him. But we do need to consider an additional fact lest we get mystical with this. One may think that a feeling within themselves or a particular desire inside of them as the Holy Spirit. Others may seek some other worldly experiences to believe that the filling of the Holy Ghost or Holy Spirit has occurred. So we need to tether and the Holy Spirit has provided us one in his inspired word. Again, look at the following verses, verses 19-21 and the participles that follow. Being filled with the Spirit, I know I've already said this but we're going to say it again and we'll say it again next week. Being filled with the Spirit is A speaking to one another in Psalms and hymns and spiritual songs B singing C making melody with your heart to the Lord D always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God even the Father and E being as it should be translated, being subject to one another in the fear of Christ. That's what it means to be filled with the Holy Spirit. You say, that doesn't sound mysterious at all. That takes all the fun away. Well, I'm sorry. We do have to go with what God's word says, what the Holy Spirit himself has told us to expect. In fact, let's consider the parallel passage to this. What's the parallel passage Colossians 316 I have it up on the screen Let the Word of Christ Richly dwell within you you say wait a minute. How's that parallel? Well continue on with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs singing and singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God, you say, yeah, that sounds pretty similar to what's being said here. Yes, Paul wrote these as well as a few other epistles while in prison for his faith. They're his prison epistles. And these thoughts are obviously connected in his mind as he's writing one letter to the Ephesians and another to the Colossians. By the way, yes, he did intend for the other churches to read these letters. So it's not just to the Ephesians. We're not reading someone's mail. This is for all the churches to read and receive. And here he parallels the thoughts of being filled with the Holy Spirit and being filled with the Word of Christ. It results in similar content, similar consequences in a person's life. Just there in Colossians instead of being filled with the Spirit. He writes let the Word of Christ richly dwell within you Remember that the Word of God is the Word of the Holy Spirit When we say the Word of God, we're saying the Word of the Holy Spirit. I And so in times in Scripture, we are reading an apostle who is quoting from the Old Testament, and he says, the Spirit says, present tense, by the way, the Spirit says. The words were written down as the Holy Spirit moved people. Peter talks about that in 2 Peter 1, 20 through 21, as men were moved along by the Holy Spirit, inspired. And we hear the Spirit speak through scripture. Hebrews 3.7, I think that was the reference I was quoting a moment ago, revelation. Chapters two and three all those references I have there. That's that's those are references from the seven letters to the churches and what do those What do those letters say? He that has an ear to hear let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches These are the words of the Holy Spirit and these are these are just some examples of if you wanted to press me I would give you more Examples, but to put this another way to be filled with the spirit is to be filled with the Word of God To be filled with the Spirit is to be filled with the Word of God. And if we're thinking of feeling like controlling and permeation, then what we're actually saying is that our choices in life, our actions in life, whether we're in church or out of church, whether we are dealing with one another or our families or people out in the world, we are allowing the Word of God to direct every one of our decisions. We are allowing the Holy Spirit to direct every one of our decisions. That's what it means to be filled with the Holy Spirit. And when we consider the command in this way, it perfectly fits within the context of Ephesians 5, because we've been talking about the need to walk in wisdom in this world. We need to find both light and and the wisdom and the Word of God We've been reading about the need to know the will of God Well, where do we find that we find that recorded in these sacred pages? We're talking about Or we're about to read excuse me the About the biblical truth and its need to be communicated to one another in songs and hymns and spiritual songs. We're reading the Bible and we're wanting it to move us. We're wanting it to permeate us. We're wanting it to control us. Well, that is being filled with the Holy Spirit. What's the connection? 1 Corinthians 2. In fact, let's turn there. I don't want to just quote that. Let's read that together. 1 Corinthians 2, verses 12 through 14. 1 Corinthians 2, verses 12 through 14. Now we have received, not the Spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God. Which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words. But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised. See, without the Holy Spirit, we would not understand the words of God. And so it's no surprise to me when an unbeliever comes on our page and just laughs at every one of our posts. Because that person just doesn't have the Spirit of God. Now, I'm not saying that to look down my nose. I don't deserve the Spirit of God. But that gives me grace in dealing with that person. Of course when you're dealing with trolls sometimes the best thing to do is to just to block them if that person wants to come in and have a conversation then we can we can have that conversation with grace and peace and and hopefully it will be used of God to to change that person's heart, but it's only going to be when the Holy Spirit comes in and Illuminates the truths of his word that a person will understand the majesty and the wisdom of the things of God. Otherwise, as the rest of 1 Corinthians 2 and 1 talk about, these things will be foolishness to that individual. And so to allow the Word of God to control our lives is to allow the Spirit of God to control our lives because we wouldn't understand the Word of God without the Spirit of God. We wouldn't even have the Word of God without the Spirit of God. And so these are interchangeable thoughts. Some people will say, sounds like you're just worshiping a book. No, this is the Holy Spirit's words to us. We are receiving what He has to say to us. And this is what it means to be filled with the Holy Spirit. We should seek Him prayerfully to help us to grasp what is written in these pages. And the goal is to be filled with Him, with all that He has revealed to us. So let's wrap this up. This may not be as flashy an answer as you would have heard in other churches. But the question is not whether we should just allow people to have ecstatic experiences, speaking in tongues, doing all kinds of things like that. The question is, what has the Holy Spirit inspired for us? What does he want us to do? And let me tell you something, there is freedom in that. We might think of that as restricting, but there's actually freedom in that. We don't have to await a sensation within us before we make a decision on anything. There's some people who do that. Should I have Burger King or McDonald's and they wait for some kind of a light to go off in their soul? The Holy Spirit's probably saying neither, but usually it's whatever ad that you saw most recently, right? Or whatever you're more hungry for. We don't have to wait for some still, small voice in our soul, which God never tells us to wait for, by the way. To know that we're filled with the Holy Spirit, He doesn't tell us that. I mean, we don't have to fear that we've lost the Holy Spirit. If we go through times of sorrow and sadness, I just don't have the joy that I used to have. Well, what's going on in your life? Well, it's falling apart. And is it your fault? No, it's all these things happening to me. Well, that doesn't mean you've lost the Holy Spirit. It doesn't. So there's some freedom in knowing these truths ahead of time, and in knowing, no, God's still with me. And things may not be going as well as I'd hope right now, but I know God's still with me. We can soberly consider our lives, evaluating whether the Spirit motivates our decisions, whether He permeates every arena of our dealings, whether they be out in public or at home. If His word controls our speech and our actions, and where we find that we fall short, we need to accept in faith that we have the Spirit in fullness We have him already and we simply seek his help in these areas. He's gracious and he wants us to grow and he's willing to help us to fulfill this command. Now, of course, all of this rests on the question, do you have the Holy Spirit? If you don't have the Son of God, you don't have the Holy Spirit of God. and you don't have salvation. Thankfully, the Lord has given us the gift of both the Son and the Holy Spirit. And so if you call upon Him, all who call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. And you can know for certain that you have received the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit's been helping you even in this time to understand the truths that are here, and to perhaps convict you that you have not been filled with the Holy Spirit. Maybe you're a Christian, but you realize that you have been allowing other distractions in your life. Maybe you have a problem with drunkenness. Maybe it's something else. And you realize, I'm not allowing the Spirit to fill all of these aspects of my life. I don't do well with my family. I don't do well with my job. I don't do well with my church. Repent then, and know that God's a God of grace, a God who's greater than all our sins. And ask Him for the grace and the wisdom to understand how to put away those things which keep you from being filled with the Spirit, being controlled by the Spirit. And He will help you to do just that.