Be Filled: Part 2
Pastor Rollan Fisher
In this series, we want to discuss things concerning the who, the what, the when, the where, the why and how of the Holy Spirit. Last week we spoke about the who, the what and the when. We were reminded that God gives the gift of the Holy Spirit when we turn to the resurrected Jesus in repentance and faith. We were exhorted to be in a daily pursuit of being filled. Today we’ll speak a bit more about where and why.
As we live increasingly in a post-Christendom society, many believe that what the church today is in desperate need of revival.
Focus: When we wait upon the Lord, he renews our strength by the power of the Holy Spirit to accomplish his will.
Why (be filled?)
Wait (for the Lord?)
(The) Wonder(s of God)
Why
God instructs us to wait on him that he might fill us with his strength to run with him, walking in his will.
Isaiah 40:27-31
“Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel, "My way is hidden from the Lord, and my right is disregarded by my God"? Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”
To walk with God is to cultivate not just knowledge about, but relationship with the Holy Spirit.
Think about any good marriage.
Cultivating relationships takes time, focus and a humble curiosity to learn about the one you love.
What were the believers doing in between Jesus’ ascension and the day of Pentecost (Acts 2)?
They were waiting and praying as Jesus commanded (Acts 1).
This is why we wait on God.
“Be curious, not judgmental.”
-Walt Whitman
You will know God by His word.
You will recognize God by the fruit of His Spirit.
Never will God contradict his Word or the fruit of his Spirit.
Never will God encourage us to settle for less than what his Word describes or that which he makes available by the power of his Holy Spirit.
Wait
As we wait on God, he fills us with the Holy Spirit that we might be built and so build his church.
It is the Bible, not local church tradition, that must inform our understanding of why our interaction with the Holy Spirit is so important.
We must have sound exegetical practice to cultivate our relationship with the Holy Spirit.
In the New Testament, there is no mention of dispensations regarding the post resurrection work of the Holy Spirit which would otherwise indicate that God would desire to move differently in our times than in Biblical times.
To the contrary, the prophet Joel introduces quite an expectation of how God will move amongst and through his people in the last days:
Joel 2:28-32 ESV
“"And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. Even on the male and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit. "And I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and columns of smoke. The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those who escape, as the Lord has said, and among the survivors shall be those whom the Lord calls.”
When God pours out his Spirit and fills his people with power, the result is that the gospel will be on display and people will call upon the Lord Jesus to be saved.
Calling upon the Lord always entails a turning from rebellion and clinging to Jesus’ atoning work at the cross for the forgiveness of our sins.
Before we dive into our New Testament connection to Joel, let’s look at some of the things the Apostle Paul made clear in the New Testament.
Let’s attempt to employ sound Biblical hermeneutics to understand the outplay of the promise God made through Joel.
1 Corinthians 13:8-13 ESV
“Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known. So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”
It would seem that the perfect which is to come would be not when we have the canonized Scripture (as many have concluded with eisegesis), but when we see our risen king Jesus face to face upon his return and have the opportunity to know him fully.
Demystifying the Holy Spirit for you:
According to Scripture, there is both a private and a corporate aspect to being filled with the Holy Spirit, leading to manifestations, or displays, of the Holy Spirit’s power.
The standard for Christ-honoring worship is orderly worship.
Private worship vs. public worship
Private worship builds up the individual (I Corinthians 14:1-5)
Public worship involves building others up, the church
*Privately, the goal is to develop a God awareness wherever you find yourself - whether in the workplace, with family or friends, knowing that you are filled with his Spirit.
*In doing so, you have not only God’s involvement in all that you put your hands to, but his blessing as you follow his leadership.
Publiclly, being filled with the Spirit is useful in glorifying God and advancing his Kingdom as you participate in edifying his church.
*May we never diminish that which God has spoken about or that which HE has placed value upon.
1 Corinthians 14:1-5 ESV
“Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy. For one who speaks in a tongue speaks not to men but to God; for no one understands him, but he utters mysteries in the Spirit. On the other hand, the one who prophesies speaks to people for their upbuilding and encouragement and consolation. The one who speaks in a tongue builds up himself, but the one who prophesies builds up the church. Now I want you all to speak in tongues, but even more to prophesy. The one who prophesies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues, unless someone interprets, so that the church may be built up.”
1 Corinthians 14:12 ESV
“So with yourselves, since you are eager for manifestations of the Spirit, strive to excel in building up the church.”
1 Corinthians 14:23-25 ESV
“If, therefore, the whole church comes together and all speak in tongues, and outsiders or unbelievers enter, will they not say that you are out of your minds? But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or outsider enters, he is convicted by all, he is called to account by all, the secrets of his heart are disclosed, and so, falling on his face, he will worship God and declare that God is really among you.”
I repeat, when God pours out his Spirit and fills his people with power, the result is that the gospel will be on display and people will call upon the Lord Jesus to be saved.
1 Corinthians 14:26 ESV
“What then, brothers? When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up.”
You will know a tree by its fruit.
Whatever is done in the name of Jesus must agree with the word and character of Christ.
Anyone who has been around for any period of time - you know how we conduct ourselves in God.
1 Corinthians 14:36-40 ESV
“Or was it from you that the word of God came? Or are you the only ones it has reached? If anyone thinks that he is a prophet, or spiritual, he should acknowledge that the things I am writing to you are a command of the Lord. If anyone does not recognize this, he is not recognized. So, my brothers, earnestly desire to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues. But all things should be done decently and in order.”
I also repeat that the standard for Christ-honoring worship is orderly worship.
Wonder
It is through the filling of the Holy Spirit that God manifests wonders for both the believing and unbelieving world as we look to fulfill his mission.
What does God say about the times in which we are living?
The Book of Acts was also known as the Acts of the Apostles or the Acts of the Holy Spirit by whom believers did their work.
“The people of God are not merely to mark time, waiting for God to step in and set right all that is wrong. Rather, they are to model the new heaven and new earth, and by so doing awaken longings for what God will someday bring to pass.”
-Philip Yancey
Acts 2:14-24 ESV
“But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them: "Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words. For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel: "'And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy. And I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke; the sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day. And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.' "Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know— this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it.”
It has definitively been the last days since the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
“Most of us use ‘I’m waiting for God to reveal His calling on my life’ as a means of avoiding action. Did you hear God calling you to sit in front of the television yesterday? Or to go on your last vacation? Or exercise this morning? Probably not, but you still did it. The point isn’t that vacations or exercise are wrong, but that we are quick to rationalize our entertainment and priorities yet are slow to commit to serving God.”
-Francis Chan
I repeat one more time, when God pours out his Spirit and fills his people with power, the result is that the gospel will be on display and people will call upon the Lord Jesus to be saved.
Let’s be filled with the Spirit and join the Lord in his eternal work proclaiming the resurrected Jesus today!
Second City Church - Pastor Rollan Fisher