Good morning. Very thankful to be here, and very honored for the offer to come and share the Lord's word with you.
The first thing I have to start out with, unfortunately, is an apology. I'm living in the Houston area, and I really prayed for snow
So I'm sure you farm the farmers among you are probably very happy about that.
The others who had to shovel this morning, probably not so happy, but I enjoyed shoveling this morning.
I'm sorry it was fun. Well, what what I want to talk to you about this morning has to do with a our growth as believers.
Now I am of the opinion, and I think the word of God just shows.
This is, that no matter what our age is, there ought to be a steady growth in our Lord, it's we're not really talking so much about sanctification, progressive sanctification.
In other words, we're becoming more and more and more holy, or more and more like him.
But it's the idea of growing to understand who he is, and allowing that growth to make some very serious.
You know I could say changes in our life, but to keep giving us a constant source of energy.
You know, the idea being is that even if we're getting older, I mean your body naturally slows down.
But I don't think necessarily our heart does, and one of the things that was important for me, as I was working on some things with regard to discipleship was, it was my theory that our love for Jesus Christ ought to constantly be growing that one thing, how does that love constantly grow what does that look like excuse
me. There are probably a lot of things that you have picked up in reading the word regarding what is important.
The joy of the Lord being important, and being in the word being important.
So sometimes you can put all of these things together, and they're all leading you in the right direction.
But there are kind of component parts expressed in Scripture, and so we need to look at those things.
And when we look at them, kind of deal with them a little bit, and ask the Lord, you know, like Paul told Timothy, if you don't understand this, just take it to the Lord, and He'll make it understandable to you.
That has never failed me yet, even if it's taken a week of brain, the Lord is very gracious to just show us one of these things that I'm going to be talking the thing I'm really going to be talking about.
This morning is having to do with the filling of the spirit.
Now the reason I'm going to be talking about it is because it's right in the text and efficient.
Have your Bible with you. Look at Ephesians.
Chapter 5,
Now I will add this as a preface
Back in the and actually the the seventys.
When I, when I began following the Lord, the filling of the Spirit, was a very controversial thing.
It was not only controversial, but some people, especially on the conservative side of things, a declared war on the false teaching. Okay?
And that, thank you, declared, war on the false teaching.
Well, the problem is, whenever we Christians go to war with one another, there are always sharp edges involved in what happens for the mainstream of people is just.
We don't want to hear about it anymore. We just want to sing the Coca-cola Song you know, being friends.
And all this kind of stuff. We don't want controversy.
So as a result of that, I think my observation is we just don't talk about stuff like that anymore.
The filling of the spirit, you know, whatever dispensationalism they fought about, that we don't talk about that thing anymore.
Prophecy. Everybody was, you know, let's let's just be friends.
Well, the problem is, is these things still occur in the Word of God, and they still need to be dealt with.
Now I've done a lot of reading. I unfortunately, I I kind of fell into this whole thing about reading, with reading, about Deal Moody, and who he was and what he did and everything, and got my eyes totally open to a bunch of things many of the people of the evangelist era well, before we
Were born, spoke of the filling of the Spirit. They did not speak in tongues, they did not say it was a necessary thing having to do with salvation, but they spoke about it.
Moody tori. Sanky, all of those guys.
In fact, I they even bring George Mueller's name into it, and if you read George, really, you get the idea that he came onto something very strong in his life in terms of dependence the Lord, and seeking the Lord.
And again there are different words that we can use, but they all come down to this one thing so that's what we're going to be talking about this morning.
In Ephesians, chapter 5, verse 15, Paul says, look carefully, then, how you walk, not as unwise, but as wise, making the best use of your time, because the days are evil.
Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
Can we really understand what the will of the Lord is? This?
It's talking about a kind of focus on the Lord here, and it begins with Paul saying, Walk circumspectly, look around. You.
Be aware what's happening around you in the world, in your lives.
Understand what the will of the Lord is, and then he says, Do not get drunk with wine, for that is in.
I've got the Esv. It says debauchery.
The better word would be dissipation, which is sounds even older, but it is a lot more accurate debauchery makes it seem like immorality.
And you know who here would like to debauch nobody. Right.
We whatever debauching is. I don't want to do it either, but that's not the word.
But be filled and here's the thing. Do not get drunk with wine, but be filled with the spirit addressing one another in some we'll talk about this in a minute.
Let's heavily, father. I just prayed that you would excite us with your word.
You've written some things in here that are really really important for us, and not only important for us, but if we get a handle on them, it just brings such a flow of joy into our lives and a flow of joy in following you in daring, and risking to be ambassadors for Jesus
Christ because that's what we're supposed to be, and it isn't that you've sent us into this without any power.
I mean, obviously, you're with us in your willing to bless and provide as we ask, seek and knock, and so we just pray that you would give us a good boost with what we'll be looking at in some of these passages in Jesus. Name Amen.
How many people here have already set all of their New Year's resolutions?
Anybody.
Wow! What a meek and mild group I already have!
I see that hand way back in the song Booth, but you know the thing is is that when you're walking with the Lord, and this is this would be mere all over the place.
Is that you need to dare to go out on the limb.
You need to understand that if God is promised something he is going to deliver.
Do you know why, Mueller built those orphanages?
He keeps. Saying this as the first reason that he did it first of all, we're gonna care for these young children who are we don't want them to go to the poor houses, he states over and over again, the reason I did this number one reason was to show believers that they could trust God and go out.
On the land. Now. He doesn't say Go out on the limb, but you can trust God for his promises.
If you ask, seek a knock and you're seeking him, you can believe a 100%, and that's why he did that.
And he says that over and over again. And so the thing is, you can make, you know, for His glory.
Resolutions. I hear. I know some of you guys are into discipleship.
Okay, it's some of you ladies are into discipleship, so I will give you one, and you will if you.
If you do this, you will rise up and call me blessed.
Sometime in your existence, and if you don't, then you know I'm not.
Usually around here, so I won't hear it. But you can go to Fred and tell him.
But this is what I would suggest. We're in the book of Ephesians right now.
What Paul has been doing is building up to Chapter 5 and building up to Chapter 6.
Very interesting book, memorize the book of Ephesians.
Just memorize the entire book of Ephesians.
Yeah, it should. It's a small book, only 6 chapters bite size.
This is a very I mean, they're all important books, but this is such an important book.
The first 3 chapters are utterly amazing. And so by the time Paul gets up to Chapter 5 here, these people know what he's talking about. Of course Paul spent plenty of time in Ephesus teaching these people when he tells them to be filled with the spirit they are already know what Paul is talking about
And so we're going to. We're going to look at that.
And I'm probably going to. I'm one out of time. I'll just shorten things up, because this is actually the meat of this is actually in another passage in Ephesians.
But we'll get there anyway. I think you can do it, and I think if you do, you will be so surprised, and I know that there's always this objection people say, Well, I'm not good at memorizing.
You're the ones who will get the most out of it. You know why?
Because memorizing and forgetting means you have to keep going back, and you have to keep remaining.
And that's the basis of meditation. And how do you meditate?
And Scriptures, and I guarantee you just like, I think, reading through the Bible every year is the best.
Bible study you will ever do, because it's just part of your life, and it just eventually saturates you.
If you go over something like Ephesians, and you keep trying to memorize it, and you get a little bit.
You know you get up to this one place eventually. You're going to say, wow!
I never really realized that. That's exactly what Paul meant.
Here, it just sort of becomes a part of you. It's the greatest meditation you will ever have, and this is a very, very key book.
So what does Paul saying here in chapter 5, therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Willows Lord is.
Do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled, or dissipation.
But be filled with the spirit. Now we get the idea here.
I mean, this is pretty. It's a pretty plain illustration of what Paul is saying.
Don't be under the influence. Oh, alcohol!
But be under the influence of the spirit. Don't be full of wine, but be full of the spirit.
Now listening to the people that I was able to listen to going to Seminary.
Howard Hendrix. He says there's a continual sense here is, do not be continually under the influence of wine.
Be continually under the influence of the spirit. It's something that we can live in, and we can live through and it's a command.
It's in the imperative. So this is actually a command for everyone to be filled with the spirit.
Now the reason that this word debauchery should not be there, and dissipation should be there is because that is a beautiful example of what Paul is trying to get the the believers in Ephesus to grasp onto
Dissipation, dissipation. So you open a bottle of ammonia.
Has anybody ever done this before? And you got too close to the opening?
And it just sort of takes your breath away, because it's concentrated blast of Amonia, you know not liquid, but the the vapor of it comes right into your face.
Right. So what do you do? You take the thing and you put it off to the side, and you let the chemicals dissipate right?
It's the. It's the focused ammonia, the focus bleach.
That kind of makes you wins, but if you stand back from it and you put the lid back on that thing, the the vapors will dissipate, they become less concentrated, they become less powerful.
What? So if you're gidding, Paul is not seen here not to drink wine but he's saying, if you're continuously doing it, you dissipate.
What's dissipating your focus on Jesus Christ, your focus on why we were here.
Remember what he says. A couple of births before this. He's saying, walk carefully because we're in a dangerous place.
The days are evil, stay focused. Stay on target remember why you're here.
Remember who you belong, to, what causes that kind of focus to dissipate and see.
Paul knew nothing about iphones back. Then he knew nothing about TV.
He knew nothing about video games. He knew nothing while he did know things about people chasing careers.
Here's the point. What causes your focus? Jesus Christ, in what's going on to dissipate, to become less focused, less concentrated, just sort of airy.
Just sort of yeah, it's out there, you know. I am honoring Jesus Christ because I show up on Sunday at church.
That's it, that's a lot of Christianity.
Nowadays I honored Jesus Christ because I sing praise music because praise music.
It it kind of gives me that feeling. Wow! That's great.
And what Paul is saying here, is as valid for people who are following the stock market or there into video games.
Or they're in the movies, or whatever he's not saying that sin and stay awake from it.
He's saying, don't continually allow it to take your focus, be filled with the spirit, and that's a good question for any of us.
I mean, I have to fight with the same thing that every one of you in this room has to fight with.
There are a lot of things that I you know, I'm going to go check something, you know, on a verse or whatever. And all of a sudden, about 30 min later, I wake up and I've been on the Babylon website, I mean Amazon website, you know.
It is. How did I get lost in Babylon? You know I've been reading too much in Revelation, because I think Amazon is closer to Babylon than you realize.
It's just like what takes your interest away, what? What causes that that feeling, that that that focus thought you had that impulse of following God?
Which just sort of makes it so, pulses. Don't let that happen to you, but be filled with the spirit.
Now
I won't even talk exactly what that what that looks like we'll talk about what it looks like, I guess, but not maybe how to get there right now.
So here's what Paul says he is talking about what it looks like.
If you are filled with the spirit. All right, and this is what it looks like 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, giving things in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, to God the
Father, now, if you have an Esp right now, you have verse 21, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ, the participle changes right there.
And so a lot of Bible scholars, or whatever Bible teachers do not include submitting as part of that, because it comes into that next section submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.
Husbands and wives, children, slaves, all of that kind of stuff.
So a lot of people think it's introducing another part.
I focus on the 3, the first 3, because they're all the same participants.
So here's what it looks like if you are filled.
This is just what it looks like addressing one another it psalms and hymns in spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with all your heart.
3 always and for everything, giving thanks, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, to God the Father now I'm going to unpack those a little bit here, and think you'll see how significant they are.
This is what it looks like. This is not how you get there, but this is what it looks like.
If you are being, if you are living, filled with the okay, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, I think that is, having a heart of encouragement strengthening for other believers, I think that if we're talking about combat here, we're talking about living behind
Enemy lines. This is a lot of what Paul is talking about.
You yourself do not want to become unfocused. You are filled with the spirit.
If the spirit is motivating you. Here's one thing you will be concerned for other people.
How many people came here this morning thinking, I am going to go there in Lord Jesus.
Use me to encourage and strengthen someone else.
I'm not asking you to raise your hands, but the thing is that's not how most people go to church.
They're not thinking we're in a in a battle together.
This little group of people. God is herded from the entire.
Mankind on the planet right now in 2,000, what are we in 23?
Yeah, all the years are starting to bleed together, you know, it's like we are an important group of people in in.
If I'm filled with the spirit, if I'm really understanding what God is doing right now, I'm going there to encourage people.
Encouragement to what to come to church next Sunday.
No, encourage them to be tested to give testimony to Jesus Christ, to be witnessed for him, to not let the things that Satan is beating them down with. Get them down.
So many Christians live in sort of a maintenance mode in their lives.
They're praying for God because the car is wrecked, and because the wash machines on the blink and the refrigerator isn't working well, and who's going to win the super bowl?
Who cares right? The packers aren't in it, but I would have actually been worried that if the Vikings were gotten in it.
But anyway but the thing is, we live in this maintenance mode in our lives.
What's this going to keep us sharp and keep us strong and keep us brave to bear witness for Jesus Christ?
It's you for one another you look at, you know.
Fred introduced the the passage this morning from the upper room discourse John 13.
Through 17. You look at John, chapter 15, you find 2 loved one and others in there, and it's in the context of battle.
It's in the context of the battle. Who is going to watch your back?
If not other believers. And so Paul says, one of the signs of being filled with the spirit, is that you're addressing one another in a strengthening way.
You're concerned for one another, not thinking, oh, I got to go to church this morning.
The snow is so deep it's like I go there and I'm ministering to people, even if you're just talking to people and encouraging them.
What a gift that is! So. The next thing I think this is really kind of the key.
One of the key things here
Singing, and making melody to the Lord with all your heart.
This is a tough one.
This is you waking up? I don't know. Time you wake up.
I wake up at 5 20 in the morning. I've only got one functional brain cell at 5 20 in the morning.
It's enough to get me is like the starship enterprise on impulse, power, Captain.
We don't have powers, and you get to the coffee pot and you press the button right now.
The second brain cell kicks in. But you know it's like, what is your normal state in Jesus Christ?
And I think we would all agree. I think we would all agree if we really took selfies seriously.
Mean if it was really the the love of Jesus Christ was welling up in us, we would be singing songs of praise to Him all the time.
Here's the assignment you need to get there.
That's what we all should be doing, singing and making melody to the Lord with all your heart. So I'm reading.
I, had read this one thing from a quote from George Mueller, and he said, I used to wake up in the morning, and I used to be.
I used to pray right away. And Lord knows this guy had a lot to pray for.
I mean, I'm reading his narrative. You know, and the thing is, there's a certain part when you're reading all this, that you're starting to get an ulcer for George Miller.
You know. We woke up this morning. We didn't have any money.
Okay, well, I guess we're gonna have teleworkers.
We can't pay them or anything. And then it was the evening, and I prayed with my wife and about an hour later, somebody knocked on the door.
It's like you wouldn't live like that every day.
He did that for us, actually. But here's the idea, he said.
I used to wake up in the morning, and I would pray, and then he found himself being overcome by the things that he was praying for.
So he said, I just switched. So I began reading the word right away.
And here was the object to make myself happy in Jesus. I've actually found the place in the book now, where he said that to make myself happy in Jesus
I think there's a song that has that I didn't trust an debate to be happy in Jesus, anyway, you're missing that.
But the point being is that there should be joy because of the love of Christ.
There should be joy, because the love of Christ, you know, and this is one of the reasons why you read the one in your Bible, or you read through the vibe in there.
I think the one your Bible is the best way to go.
But the point being is that you read it with these thoughts in mind.
Developing your love in Jesus. What is it about His love?
What am I reading right now? That just shows me I can completely depend on him, and it should be welling up with me.
You know there's this verse in Nehemiah.
Excuse me versa, Nehemiah, that is so cool, and you know it.
The people are weeping, and or they're they're they're weighed down and Neomias is the joy of the Lord.
Is your strength, so let me give a little bit of an interpretation or a twist on that, because of the German text.
The German text says, Your joy in the Lord is your strength.
How is your joy in the Lord? Because if you really, if your joy is in the Lord, you have strength, who in the world is the Lord?
Just the coming king I mean. Read the Book of Revelation.
If you want to see praise praised like no other praise in the world, you look at what's happening or what's going to happen in heaven.
And we belong to this guy
Singing, and making melody to the Lord with all your heart, you know I mean, this is an a cheesy thing.
It's it's a real thing I have to understand.
For myself, I need to get there. So I'm you know.
I'm walking in the I I may have shared this one time, you know.
I get up early who read, and I go out, and I pray, and and I notice a lot when I'm praying.
I'm looking down at the ground, and I thought to myself, That's no good, you know.
So I start looking up and then going along with my own thoughts.
Here is what songs make me praise the Lord, and you know it's really interesting
Loved with everlasting love, led by grace that loved to know spirit breathing from above, thou has taught me it is so.
Oh, this full and perfect piece of this transport, all divine in a love that cannot cease!
I'm his in his mind. And, boy, that song has lifted my heart so many times, and it gets me focused on what I need to be focused on.
Lord, help me to love you more. Help me to understand how great your love is for me!
It isn't just love. Our word for love is watered down in a way, it's so ethereal.
In Ephesians, when he's talking about husbands and wives.
He says, as Christ husbands love your wives as Christ cherishes the Church, cherish.
That's kind of like a that's a you make something really special, you know.
You go out and guys, you buy stuff for your wife. You buy flowers for your wife.
I know they're not dead yet. You yeah, that's what we usually breakfast. But you buy stuff for your wife because you cherish her.
You kind of get up in your your excitement about doing stuff for your can.
You imagine Jesus thinking about us like that that's how he thinks about us.
I don't find very many places in the Bible where I cannot find Jesus is love for us, and especially in the Book of Revelation, who loved us and saved us from our sin, freed us from our sins by His blood, loved shed His blood, freed us from our sense, wow singing and making melody to the Lord
with all your heart and number 3 always and for everything, giving thanks in the mean of the Lord Jesus Christ to God the Father
That. Just think about those words slowly. You're talking about something that's pretty deep.
There always and for everything. Well, other. Can you define, always end for everything?
Sure always all the time and for everything, every event, what always and for everything, giving thanks in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, the God, the Father.
Let's just take that part always and for everything
Giving thanks to God the Father.
Wow! You mean I should be thankful that this happened in my life.
I should be thankful you're thankful to God for having gotten you through that, and the only way you can be thankful to the Father.
The only way you can know the Father, you through Jesus Christ.
No one knows the sun except the father, and no one knows the father except the son, and any to whom he, the son, chooses to reveal him.
Do you realize if you stood without Jesus Christ? If you stand before the Father, you were standing before a judge?
That's why it's as always, and for everything, giving things in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, because without the Lord Jesus Christ he would not be your father.
He would be your judge.
That's kind of a sense of rejoicing.
But beyond that, to understand that in our lives the things that happen are being used by the Father
I mean, it's just a level of maturity that you know.
I'm sort of grasping that still, but I think I kind of got it.
So what does it look like to be filled with the spirit
Singing, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs.
In this context, it means that we're supporting one another that we're encouraging one another.
It's like we're trying to lift each other up and to make each other strong and encourage and motivate it, to get out and do what we're left here to do, stinging and making melody to the Lord with all your heart.
He is more important to you than your life. I mean it kind of UN.
You kind of understand what Jesus said you can't follow me unless you hate your own mother and father and wife and children, and brother and sister, and yay, even your own life.
He becomes more important. The fact that you will live forever, eternally with him gives you a strength that gives you a joy that's part of being filled with the spirit, and then being able to understand, or even if you don't understand them, you can you can bring them into some rational thing, and not just you know
hamstrung because things happen in your life. You don't understand.
I've got a father in heaven, and I trust him completely.
I don't understand why this happened, but I love him, and I know him because of Jesus Christ, and you know what if he says that's fine, I'm going with it, I'm not going to let that just hamstring me and tie me up.
So that I cannot possibly move, and I cannot be a help to anybody around me, because all I'm doing now is looking inward.
I've fallen into myself. See, this keeps you from doing that in its part of being filled with the spirit.
So what Paul is saying here, this being filled with the spirit, this is what it looks like.
This is what you look like. You're a very happy person, you're a very joyful person.
You're a person who's able to look outside of you and be a benefit in an encouragement, a motivation to others.
You have a joy within you because of Jesus Christ that just cannot be ground down you're going to live forever I mean, if you know what the end looks like, right?
It's like I don't know how you guys do, maces, but I always look at the end.
I look at the end, and somehow my eyes just go back to the beginning.
You know in that so much prophecy, in the in the word is given for encouragement, strengthening.
We know he's going to win. You need to, just write that in all the time.
I'm going to live forever, and I know he's going to win, and it is going to be amazing because it allows you then to have joy right now in circumstances that look kind of terrible.
And the father, your father, someone you can think for everything, and I'll show you why in a
Okay.
Now I don't know how much time I'll be able to spend on this, but I'm going to show you where this comes.
This is. This is how to be filled with the spirit kind of so look at Ephesians. Chapter 3.
There is a benediction at the end of chapter 3.
That is an amazing thing. Again, if you just memorize this, it would do something for you.
But you realize this is coming at the end of Chapter 3.
So palsy emotion and Paul's focus here is just like coming to a point.
This is, this is a great part of the book, but it has to do with everything that he's talked about.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ Jesus with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.
That's the beginning of Ephesians. Right there.
Started. Chapter 2. A new he made alive even when you were dead in your trespasses and sins.
I mean, this is amazing stuff. He's talking about how God has worked in all the circumstances of your life to get you to where you are right now.
And it's been in a lot of lives. Obviously, it's been good, bad, and ugly.
It may be low on the good side in some people, but to realize that you've got a God who loves you so much that he is always before the foundation of the world, had his eye on you he knew you before you were conceived.
He knew you. He knew where you would turn up
And he loves you.
So he gets to the end of chapter 3, and Paul is in Chapter 3, Z.
Paul has even brought his own life into this mix. I'm not, he says.
I'm I wasn't worthy for any of this but God out of his, with his great might and grace.
So we get to the end of Chapter 3. I'm suggesting to you.
This is what he is talking about with regard to how to be filled with the spare.
For this reason he says, in 14 I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and earth is named, so every family in the heaven and earth is named, This has to do with people.
This has to do with. You know everybody on the planet who has ever been here
That, according to the riches of his glory, he may grant you to be strengthened with power through His Spirit, in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, so that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have power to comprehend with all the scenes what is the breath, in
Length and heightened depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses all knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
Now I would say, if you're filled with all the fullness of God, you're probably also filled with Holy Spirit.
You know. I mean, it's a fullness to which no other phoneness can be added.
So I think this kind of is part of that whole thing.
How do you get to the complete fullness of God? He's giving you the process right here.
So, being filled with the spirit, looks like. Chapter 5. But how do you get there?
Looks like, I think, what he's talking about right here now.
You know there are certain things that have to happen before other things can happen.
Right. So if I were to talk to you right now about how to change attire right?
I mean, it's pretty easy, right? The first thing is, you start loosening the lugments right?
Wrong. You check the car up a little bit in order to loosen the lug nuts.
Then you jack the car up all the way, because now the lug nuts are loose in order to take the lug nuts off so that you can pull the tire off of the car, and there's an order you do this in order to do that in order to do that in order to do
That it's kind of like a walking Christian maturity.
Now, the interesting thing here is that if you can grab onto the love of Christ, and anybody can early is usually the thing that paves the way.
If you want to. If you want the shortcut to all of this, but there's something in between that's really interesting.
So let's just look at the process real quick. Here
That, according to the riches of His glory, he may grant you to be strengthened with power through His Spirit.
In your inner man. Now, what in the world does that mean?
The riches of His glory. Something has to do with grasping the riches of God's glory, so that He will be.
He will grant you to be strengthened with power through a spirit in the Internet.
I'll break it down like this in the context of ifions.
What he's been talking about is how God has bless them, and how He brings mankind to himself.
Those who are saved, God, who is so. I think what he is talking about.
Here is God's working with mankind. Now
When we talk about God's glory, we're talking about a lot of things right.
His magnificence of creation, I mean, who doesn't think that is amazing?
Right. That shows it shines on God. It's as glory, and you know what's so interesting about that is, when you think of creation, you can.
You can look at it one dimensionally, but if you look at creation, and you think how everything is tied together.
Wow! That adds like a new layer to it. They can look out into outer space.
Now with all of our technology, and they can tell what the the metal properties are in in certain solar systems, how all of that relates, and why, for example, the earth is in a very peculiar place to be able to sustain life.
You think? Oh, God worked all of that around! And here we have life.
But you realize that the Hebrews made a mistake.
That Moses made a mistake, or maybe God made the mistake.
I don't know somebody did when in the creation days, because you realize that you have plant life on the third day.
But you don't have sun, been moon, and stars until the fourth day, well, somebody got mixed up.
What God was liked, but how did all that work? But you realize you you know what the 50 is?
The 50 is animals starting with the animals, and the 6 days the mammals.
Isn't it interesting that all of them key off of the planets, the barometric pressures in the moon being at the distance that it is?
And in God's glory, in His creativity. In His intelligence he puts all of that together.
The relationships, and he doesn't even break a sweat when he does it.
Now lay on that. And this is the important point for understanding what Paul is saying here lay upon that the fact that he also has ordered
In a way he is able to take the interplay of people who will never accept him
In the evil that they would do. He works as plan all through that, and as a result of this plan that he has worked.
You're all sitting, and I'm up here
It's one of these things where, if you're going to trust God, you need to understand that he has that much control
That he has done it, and the second place is kind of a coincidence. Today.
The second place, where it talks about the riches of God's glory.
In this way was in the one year Bible reading today
In you. All the nations will see my power. God was involved in what He did with with Joseph, with Moses, and now with Pharaoh, and you stand back, and if you you understand the riches of His glories, I think Paul is mentioned in here you realize that He has gone way.
Before you. He is ultimately the one who brings good out of evil.
He has stuff under control. How much stability should that give you in life when things happen in your life, when you hit a hard spot in a relationship, when something happens at work, when we hit Covid people lost their businesses and all that to be able to stand back with this measure of reserve because you know who God
is you know who the Father is, and say, because of the riches of His glory, because I understand these things, of how secure? He asked.
Things that I don't have to freak out. I don't have to lose my mind.
I can fully, restfully, peacefully trust in Him
What Paul is saying here is that, according to the riches of his glory, according to what?
And you. You get this every day when you read the word right. If you're looking for it according to the riches of His glory, he may grant you to be strengthened with might through His Spirit.
Am I just the positive thinker? No, I know the father
I know the Eternal One who is and who was, who is to come.
He says, that's so often in the Book of Revelation.
This is who I am. I know him. I can stand secure.
He strengthens your heart through his spirit in the inner man
In order that what does it say here
In order that
Oh, Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, that word, so that is a little Greek word called in a.
It's a it means in order that right, in order that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.
Why I thought, Jesus is always falling in my heart through faith.
You realize it is a commandment, and again you get into the you get into John Ch.
Chapters 13, through 17, and this is what Jesus says, a bide in me.
If you're abiding me in and I abiding, if you're abiding me, anyone who abides in me, he it is who bears much fruit, for without me you can do nothing.
How can we be without Jesus? The point is, it's a command to abide in him in.
I see this with myself. I see this with other Christians.
You know they're going along. Everything's fine on a sunny day.
It is not difficult to trust Jesus Christ. But what happens when you get hit?
What happens when something really bears down on you. You've got a sick child, or what happens when you really have to put in that extra time at work, or everything is up for grabs.
You know what a lot of Christians do? They check out?
They basically say, Look God, I really got to put my mind in this.
I'm really sorry about it, but I really got to give myself to this thing here I'll see you next month.
Hopefully they get back to him. If a biding is a command, it is a choice that we make, what does it mean to a bite in Jesus Christ?
It means to be steeped in him. It means to be fully in him, having him occupy our minds.
But when things frighten us, it's just the natural thing we flinch, and it's natural to flinch.
But where do you come back to? Him? What Paul is saying?
Here, I think, is this, that, according to the riches of His glory, understanding, is you read the word how utterly in control he is.
He doesn't force anyone to do to be saved.
He doesn't force anyone to be disobedient.
But within all of that he has absolute control. If you grasp that the spirit that makes you so secure that Christ can dwell in your heart through faith, nothing will shake him out of there, then very quickly here, so that you, being rooted and grounded in love
Can you understand that if Jesus is fully set in your heart.
You are rooted and grounded in love
No, I don't know. I really don't know a lot about agriculture.
In fact, I have. I think the the the black thumb, when it comes to the plants, think plants scream when they see them being given to me for any kind of care
Because you can't just pull up plants right? I don't think that works very well.
Pull them up, transplant them, pull them up, put them back in, pull them out, put them back in, I think.
Eventually the plant just gives up and says I would rather die than belong to this person here.
Well, the thing is, imagine if that is what happens in a spiritual sense, in your abiding with Christ, you abide with Christ until boom that happens.
Oh! And you know this covid thing has been kind of a weird test, and you know not to be a judge or anything but people, even believers who have become so terribly, terribly frightened about death, frightened about their health.
And you know I know everybody's built a little bit differently, even ethnically, in that sense, were built differently.
But where it all comes down to is, what is your reliance in Jesus Christ?
Has this really shaking you?
A biden in him means that you are fully rooted and grounded in his love.
Rooted and grounded in his love, and being rooted and grounded, allows for growth, so that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have power to comprehend with all the saints.
And here's your life goal. What is the breath in length and heightened depth?
And to know the love of Christ, isn't it interesting that comes down to this one simple thing?
Know the love of Christ, which surpasses all knowledge.
There is nothing bigger
Better, more
Worthy of exploring, and you'll never get to the end of it.
You see it every day when you read the Word of God, the love of Christ.
He was a lamb slain before the foundation of the world.
The love of Christ is written all through the Old Testament.
So that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
It really does the shortcut. Here is the love of Christ, a person who is just come to Jesus Christ as immature as they may be, may be able to grasp the love of Christ better than any of us are sitting here right now, because they understand what they've been, rescued from one of the things that
I've thought about so much is that a believer should never get over the thrill of the rescue.
What that was like the day you understood what it was like when you realize he has just rescued me he is.
I don't even deserve it. But he's taken me never to get over that, and I think we do.
Unfortunately, I think, David, when he says, return unto me the joy of my salvation.
Sin will blank that thing out. You become so eaten up with other things.
So what I'm you know, I'm going to bring this through clothes, because I know I've you know I've gone over. But I just want to say I think in terms of our personal growth terms of really being disciples who get the job done this has to be right up there
And it isn't a mystical thing. It's something that you can.
You can go to every day you can, you can, you know it's like, if you're a an athlete or you're you're trying to develop some skill at first.
It's kind of clumsy. You you can't do it, you know.
Maybe you do it one time out of 100, but you keep at it, and you keep at it, and you keep at it. Why?
Because this is our Lord. And this is what life is meant to be and so you keep at it, and pretty soon you realize you, because the thing is is again when it's 82 and sunny outside.
Yeah, I must be filled with the spirit. Everything's going okay.
But it's you know. I'm praying.
Lord, you know I really want to learn this thing. So so let it crunch on me, you know.
Bring bring things in, you know, and you get this this email out of nowhere.
That kind of you know. It just bothers you right why did it get that email?
Why is he talking to me like, I think to myself, Lord, this is the time I need to be full of your spirit.
So use this as a way of getting me to occupy myself wholly with you.
The love of my Lord Jesus Christ. Let it flow over me, visualize yourself standing under a waterfall, not under waterfall, an ocean pouring over you.
It's so vast and so generous. You're not even concerned about how what other people are getting.
It's you and God pouring His love through the Holy Spirit on you.
That's what it says in Romans 5. And then God to be secure in the riches of your glory.
You have already known about this moment, and you're in it, and you love me like no one, and you have power
And see. It's that that keeps you motivated to keep going forward it's that that keeps you motivated to be willing to be a witness for Jesus Christ.
So look at these 2 portions of Scripture Ephesians.
5. What does it look like if you're filled with the spirit, you can use that as a check.
Okay, how did I do today? Yeah, not not quite singing and making melody with all my art.
I really, you know, got ticked me off here. I wasn't really happy about a couple of things that he did, and when I saw Joe over there I just turned the other way, and I thought I got enough troubles. I don't want to talk to him.
Then go back to Ephesians. Chapter 3. This is a great book in think, through verses 14, through 21.
These are amazing verses. This is what the Church ought to be reaching for every day.
You know one of the things that you know. This isn't a life for chickens right?
Following, Jesus Christ, I mean you know it doesn't matter.
It isn't so much being courageous or being a chicken.
It's just being filled with him. So in reading revelation, one of the things that you see over and over again is the idea of being a witness for Jesus Christ Jesus Christ.
By the way, is a faithful witness. That's how he's first described in the Book of Revelation.
Faithful witness, true and faithful witness. You're the word witnesses in Greek martyr.
Oh, that's why we don't like witnessing, you know.
It's sort of like the pig in the chicken joke right where the chicken says, hey, we ought to do something for the farmer.
Let's make them bacon in eggs right?
And that big looks at the the chicken, he says.
Look for you. That's just a contribution for me.
It's like all in the thing is, it's all in.
It's all then but you can't do it if you're not filled with a spirit you can't.
This is what Moody and all those guys were saying and they lamented over Christians who live sort of a daily existence, of never being out there for the loss in one way or another.
See, that's what the church does together I mean, if you're if you're harvesters in this part of the harvest here, you're all working together.
I mean, it all works toward the same end, seeing lost people saved and made disciples.
But that's got to be the thing, and the thing is is that that's that's so important.
It. It is boy, I mean, you know I wouldn't go into that.
But it is such a deep part of the booker revelation.
Where Satan is the feed, and thrown out of heaven.
This is what it says. They conquered him.
By the blood of the Lamb. And by the word of their testimony, because they love not their lives.
Even unto death. That's being all in and the spiritual forces out there cannot cope that kind of devotion becomes with the love of Jesus Christ, embracing the Father, for who he is, and what this life on earth is, and declaring yourself, fully and in the Spirit frisbee heavily Father we
think you thank you for the excitement of what you call us to thank you for the excitement of knowing who you are.
In knowing you as a loving father, not having to worry about coming before you and being judged there will be only open arms.
That says, the presence of him who is on the throne will be their shelter
And you will wipe away every tear. What a father!
And we have you, and you have everything in your hand, even when we can't see, because we're blinded by tears.
Or we're blinded by fear. You are the hand that we are in in our Lord Jesus Christ.
Is there a Savior? Says the land that is on the throne will be their shepherd, and will lead them to streams of living water that is so worth it.
We just thank you for this. And we just pray that you would help us as we walk with you every day.
As we read your word that you would just fill our heart with the joy what it is to belong to you, and to know you.
And we thank you in Jesus, name Amen.