Sermon Tone Analysis

17.

Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord /is./

18.

And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; 

19.

Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;

20.

Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; 

21.

Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.

 

 

 

 

 

*Be Filled with the Spirit*

*Ephesians 5:18-21*

 

 

 

This world, that we are living in today, are filled with many things.

We are filled with all kind of stuff that only leads us farther and farther away from God.

We are filled with hatred.

We are filled with animosity.

We are filled with grief.

We are filled with vengeance.

We are filled with malice and envy.

We are filled with confusion.

We are filled with anger.

We are filled with violence.

These things are leading us farther away from where God wants us to be.

We are to be full of the Holy Spirit.

As Christians, we can’t lead the good life, we can’t be engaged in the peace that God has for us, unless we are being led by the works of the Holy Spirit.

It doesn’t take much to look within yourself and see if you are being led by the Spirit.

It doesn’t take much to take inventory of your life, look at how you are treating other people, look at how you are treating yourself, look at how you are treating God, and compare it with God’s Word and see if this is truly how God wants you to live.

We need to understand tonight that God is not the author of confusion.

If there is confusion in your life, you can rest assured that God is not in it.

If there is problem within your life that is pulling you away from the place where God wants you to be, then you need to drop some of the negative things that you are doing in life, and make a conscience decision to follow Christ.

Paul here wrote this letter to Ephesus while he was bound in a Roman jail.

His first order of speaking to them was to let them know how they became to be what they are.

See, many of us today think that we got to where we are because of us.

You think that you’ve done so good in life that God just showed favor on you.

Folks today feel like they are blessed because of who they are, or simply because of their last name.

They are too blessed to be stressed.

Many of us are so blessed, that it’s got us in a mess.

But I need to serve notice on you.

God reminded us that our best is like filthy rages in His sight.

You are where you are because of God amazing Grace.

Because of His Grace and His Mercy.

Paul says it like this to the Ephesians.

You’ve been elected, You’ve been predestinated, You’ve adopted into the family.

You really didn’t want God, but God wanted you.

See, your flesh only do things that will lead you away from God.

Your flesh leads some of you to the clubs.

Your flesh leads some of you into adultery.

Your flesh leads some of you into gambling around to old Oak Tree

Your flesh leads some of you into cussing and complaining.

Your flesh leads some of you into all acts of wrongful doings.

But, as I often say to the church where I preach the most, When God looks at you, He doesn’t see you for who you really are, He sees you for what you can become.

Thank You Lord!!!

I don’t know about you, but the Blood of Jesus got me covered.

The first part of Paul’s letter is doctrinal.

He is teaching them the truths that are in God’s Word.

He’s teaching them how God planned the church, how Jesus purchased the church, and how the Holy Spirit protects the church.

Even the very gates of hell cannot prevail against her.

Now the problem in Ephesus was that there was a temple there.

The temple of Diana.

And many of the believers were engaged in some of the practices that were going on inside this temple.

They would come to church, but they would leave church and go get drunk, come to the temple and become involved in orgies and all kind of immoral sex acts.

When Paul gets to the practical part of living, which is the last three chapters of Ephesians, he encourages them not to practice this kind of living.

So, here in verse 18, Paul says, you ought not to be drunk with wine.

Really, you can follow this back to verse 17, he says, “every Christian” ought to have an understanding of God Word.

You ought to know the will of God in your life.

God don’t want you engaged in some of the wrongful practices that you are engaged in.

God wants you do well in life.

And don’t think for one minute that you can play with God.

He is an all-seeing God.

He is an all-knowing God.

He is omnipresent.

He knows what you are going to do, even before you do it.

So, when Paul says be not drunk with wine, he is encouraging us not to be influenced by anything other than the Holy Spirit.

Even your very own feeling ought not to get in the way.

Don’t be influence by Husband, nor by wife.

Don’t be influence by friend, nor by foe.

Don’t allow your love ones to influence.

But only be lead by the Spirit.

That’s really what Paul was saying when he said in (*/1 Cor.

13:11/*), “When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I though as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things”  He was talking about love there, and he really said, when I was in the world, I loved like worldly folks, but now that the Lord have changed me, I’ve learned to love like He wants me to love.

Paul likens the church to a drunken man.

He really is not talking about drunkenness, but he is only using it as an example.

When you are drunk you are unwise.

Drunkenness makes you do a lot of foolish things.

What Paul is saying here, when you are lead by any other force, anything other than the Holy Spirit, you are going to do foolish things.

I’m here to tell you this tonight, I don’t care how much you pray, I don’t care how much you plead, I don’t care how much you partition God, and your life is not going to get any better until you become lead by the Holy Spirit.

You are not going to know how to treat other people, until you are led by the Holy Spirit.

You are not going to know how to treat yourself, until you are led by the Holy Spirit.

You are not going to know how to have true fellowship with God, until you are led by the Holy Spirit.

Paul here is saying to the Ephesians, and to us, drop all of those things in your life that is leading you away from God.

Those things that are hindering your progress, and start getting closer to God by the leading and guidance of the Holy Spirit.

How do we do that preacher?

I’m glad you asked.

It right here in the Scripture.

Paul actually gives us three results of how to become filled with the Spirit.

First he says speak to yourselves in psalm, and hymns and spiritual songs.

Second, he says giving thanks always for all things.

And lastly, he says, submitting yourselves one to another.

*Speaking to yourselves in songs*

19 Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;

 

What exactly does Paul mean here, “speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs”.

Now “psalms” here means “praises”.

If you will look at the books of Psalms, all you will find there is where the writer praised God for all of His wondrous works.

So, we ought to have some praises within our hearts.

I know, things are not going well for you right now, but still God is good.