The story is told of a famous oil field called Yates Pool.
During the depression this field was a sheep ranch owned by a man named Yates. Mr. Yates wasn’t able to make enough on his ranching operation to pay the principal and interest on the mortgage, so he was constantly in danger of losing the ranch. With little money for clothes or food, his family (like many others) had to live on government assistance.
Day after day, he grazed his sheep over those rolling West Texas hills and was no doubt greatly troubled about how he would pay his bills. Then a seismographic crew from an oil company came into the area and told him there might be oil on his land. They asked permission to drill a wildcat well and he signed a lease contract.
At 1,115 feet they struck a huge oil reserve. The first well came in at 80,000 barrels a day. Many subsequent wells were more than twice as large. In fact, 30 years after the discovery, a government test of one of the wells showed it still had the potential flow of 125,000 barrels of oil a day.
The incredible things is that Mr. Yates owned it all. The day he purchased the land he had received the oil and mineral rights to the land, as well. Yet, he’d been living on government relief. A multi-millionaire living in poverty. And why was that? He didn’t know the oil was there even though he owned it all.
That’s a pretty good analogy for what it means to be “filled with the Spirit.” Too often today Christians live in spiritual poverty even though they have an inner resource of incredible power available to them. The problem is that many Christians either don’t know the resource exists and/or they never tap into that resource to receive divine enablement.
So, let’s talk about how we can stop living powerless, defeated lives and start living by the power of the Spirit.
- Consider what we mean by the filling of the Spirit.
A. The filling of the Spirit is not…
i. The baptism of the Spirit.
The baptism of the Holy Spirit refers to our being placed into union with Christ and other believers within the body of Christ at the moment of salvation. (1 Corinthians 12:12-13)
For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit. (1 Corinthians 12:13)
ii. The indwelling of the Spirit.
The indwelling of the Holy Spirit refers to His residence in every believer’s life. (Romans 8:9; 1 John 2:27; 1 Corinthians 3:16-17; 6:19-20; Ephesians 1:13-14)
Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? (1 Corinthians 3:16)
Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? (1 Corinthians 6:19)
But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. (Romans 8:9)
iii. The sealing of the Spirit.
The sealing of the Holy Spirit has to do with identifying believers as His own and giving them security that they belong to Him. (Ephesians 1:13-14; 4:30; 2 Corinthians 1:22)
In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory. (Ephesians 1:13-14)
B. The filling of the Spirit is…
i. A command.
The verb “be filled” is an imperative meaning that this is not a choice we make, but a command we obey. Why a command? Because only with His help can we live out our faith.
There is a funny incident in one of the old Andy Griffith shows where Barney wants to sing a solo in the choir at a special competition. After numerous efforts were made to change his mind without hurting his feelings, Andy decided to have Barney sing into the microphone softer and softer until it was barely a whisper coming from him. His explanation to Barney was that the amplification system would compensate for the softness. Behind the curtain and out of sight Andy had positioned another man with a beautiful voice to sing into the live microphone, making Barney think that the amplification system had magnificently enhanced his voice. Of course, when Barney heard the deep baritone voice he thought was his own being amplified, he became increasingly more animated and expressive.
The truth is that the only way we can successfully live the Christian life is if we allow God to live His life through us. If we minimize ourselves and maximize Him in our lives then He will enable us by the power of the Holy Spirit to do what we cannot do alone. That’s why God commands us to be filled with the Spirit...only with His help can we successfully live out our faith.
ii. For every Christian.
This verb is plural meaning that the truth is for every Christian and not just select ones (i.e., pastors, deacons, Life Group leaders, husbands, wives, sons, daughters, etc.).
iii. A repeatable event.
- The verb is in the present tense meaning that this filling of the Holy Spirit can happen many times in a believer’s life.
- Unlike the indwelling of the Spirit, the sealing of the Spirit, and the baptism of the Spirit, the filling of the Spirit happens multiple times throughout our journey with God.
- Why? It is necessary because we can “grieve the Holy Spirit of God” in our lives (Ephesians 4:30).
- This necessary because we can “quench the Spirit” in our lives (1 Thessalonians 5:19).
- You can never lose the Spirit of God from your life (Ephesians 4:30), but you can resist or rebel against the Holy Spirit’s control of your lives...and thus “grieve” or “quench” Him.
- This is not a once for all time occurrence, but a repeatable life experience of yieldedness to God.
iv. Something God does in and through us.
- This verb is in the passive voice meaning that God is acting upon us in a way that totally changes us.
- The illustration of being “not...drunk with wine” explains how we are to understand “be filled with the Spirit.”
- As an intoxicated man is controlled by the alcohol in his system, so a believer is to be controlled by the Holy Spirit in Him.
- This is about God acting upon us...so we have to get out of His way!
- This is not about your strength, your ability and your power. This is about God’s strength, God’s ability, and God’s power in and through you.
(W.A. Criswell) “As we grow in grace, maybe at first it was all of self and none of Thee. Then, it was some of self and some of Thee. Then it was less of self and more of Thee. But now, God grant it, it is none of self and all of Thee.”
- Consider why we should be filled with the Spirit.
The result is…
A. Joyful worship
...speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord... (Ephesians 5:19)
B. Harmonious fellowship
...speaking to one another ...not speaking against one another.
...submitting to one another in the fear of God. (Ephesians 5:21)
C. Godly homes (Ephesians 5:22-6:4)
D. Christ-like character
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. (Galatians 5:22-23)
E. Empowered service
i. It transformed the disciples’ preaching/teaching.
And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness. (Acts 4:31; cf. 2:4; 4:8,31;6:3, 5; 7:55; 9:17;11:24; 13:9)
ii. It was a prerequisite for serving as a deacon (Phillip).
Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business... (Acts 6:3)
iii. It enabled Steven to be faithful till his death.
But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God...And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” (Acts 7:55-59)
F. Inner holiness
Speaking to a large audience, a preacher held up a glass and asked, "How can I get the air out of this glass?" One man shouted, "Suck it out with a pump!" The preacher replied, "That would create a vacuum and shatter the glass." After numerous other suggestions the preacher picked up a pitcher of water and filled the glass. "There," he said, "all the air is now removed." He then went on to explain that victory in the Christian life is not accomplished by "sucking out a sin here and there," but by being filled with the Holy Spirit.
G. Spiritual victory
Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, being tempted for forty days by the devil...Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time. (Luke 4:1-13)
- Consider how we can be “filled with the Spirit.”
A. Desire (to be filled)
A missionary told a seminary class how that during his first term on the field he was assigned a car that wouldn’t start without a push. After pondering this problem, he said that he devised a plan. He went to the school near his house, got permission to take some children out of class, and had them push his car off. As he made his rounds, he would either park on a hill or leave the engine running. And, he said that he used this ingenious procedure for two years.
When ill health forced him to leave the field a new missionary came to take his place. The departing missionary proudly began to explain his arrangement for getting the car started while the new missionary began looking under the hood. Before he could even finish the explanation, the new missionary interrupted, "Why...I believe the only trouble is this loose cable." The new missionary gave the cable a twist, stepped into the car, turned the key, and to the departing missionary’s astonishment, the engine roared to life. For two years needless trouble had become routine. But, the power was there all the time. Only a loose connection kept the missionary from putting that power to work.
Until we desire a firm connection with God through surrender to Him, his life and power will be hindered from flowing through us.
B. Devotion (yieldedness)
i. No verse in the Scripture says we have to pray for the filling of the Holy Spirit.
ii. It doesn’t say you can’t pray for the Holy Spirit’s filling, but that must be coupled with a yieldedness to God.
iii. The parallel passage to Ephesians 5:18 says we must be filled with the Word of God.
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. (Colossians 3:16)
iv. This is significant because it means that as the Word of God dwells in us we yield in obedience to it.
v. Ultimately, the ONLY requirement to be “filled with the Holy Spirit” IS yieldedness to God.
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. (Romans 12:1)
And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. (Romans 6:13)
D. L. Moody was to have a campaign in England. An elderly pastor protested, "Why do we need this 'Mr. Moody'? He's uneducated, inexperienced, etc. Who does he think he is anyway? Does he think he has a monopoly on the Holy Spirit?" A younger, wiser pastor rose and responded, "No, but the Holy Spirit has a monopoly on Mr. Moody."
That’s what it means (a monopoly on you) to be “filled with the Spirit.” It’s not how much of the Holy Spirit you have, but how much of you the Holy Spirit has.
Action Steps:
- Get alone with God and let Him empty your heart of those things that hinder His control.
- Stop trying harder and start trusting more that God will do His work/will through you.
- Yield yourself daily to the Holy Spirit’s dominance, letting your life be more of Him and less of you.
