What Does it Look Like? | Adult Sunday School

Okay, come on in. So before we begin, let me just answer the question that several of you have already asked in case anybody else decides to ask me. I Fell and sprained my ankle and my foot slipped off the running board of my truck and I fell and sprained my ankle.

So if you see me hobbling, that's why. So it was it was classic fell all the way Landed on my back in the driveway and so forth. And then I did what any self-respecting person would do when they felt like that is to look around see if anybody saw me.

And then pulled myself back up so anyway. Getting old, huh, man. It is not for cowards. Well, let's pray. We'll begin together father. Thank you for your sustaining grace.

It is.

Just amazing to Recognize the reality that we are dependent upon you for everything including the very next breath that we will draw. And you are so very good to us to provide for us in many many many ways certainly first and foremost Through the redemption that you have provided through your son the Lord Jesus Christ.

And so that is why we gather here. We pray now Father for your enablement but your spirit would enable the accurate teaching of the Word of God and that you would help us to be good listeners to what We hear and then apply it as Needed.

We ask it for Jesus sake. Amen. Open your Bibles up to the fifth chapter of the book of Ephesians. We are back again to Ephesians chapter 5. We are looking this morning at verses 18 through 21. So 5 18 to 21, we're actually making some forward progress.

You'd be amazed so. Ephesians 5 18 to 21. Where Paul writes beginning in verse 18. And do not get drunk with wine for that is dissipation. But be filled by the Spirit. Speaking to one another in Psalms and hymns and spiritual songs.

Singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord. Always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God even the Father.

And.

Being subject to one another in the fear of Christ.

Okay.

The Visible Results of Being Filled by the Spirit

So we're back again to this important study and we are looking at these verses together under a series of questions. You'll remember we're asking and answering a series of questions and they're designed to help us to understand what it means.

To live by the Spirit and to live under his influence in our lives. So we have looked at why is this study important. Secondly, we asked why warn about wine. Third we said what is the filling of the Spirit?

Fourth, how is the filling different from the spirits other ministries to the believer? Fifth we've looked at who does the filling? Sixth what is the content of the filling? Seven how do I fulfill this command.

And Eight can the filling leak out that was last week. So we're back again for question number nine and this morning We're going to examine the outward Manifestations of a life that is regularly being filled by the Spirit.

What does it look like and the question that we're asking is Is the filling of the Spirit visible? Okay, that's the question we're have before the house this morning is the spirit is the filling of the Spirit visible.

Is it visible? The answer to the question is yes, and no. Yes, and no the actual work of the Spirit in conforming us to the image of God's own Son is invisible. It is invisible. But the manifestations of that reality are very much visible and are to be very much visible.

To be reminded Jesus says in John chapter 3 in verse 8 The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it. But do not know where it comes from and where it is going. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit?

There is that invisible aspect of the work of the Spirit in our lives for sure. So in that sense, yes, it is invisible however. However, it is the outward manifestations of that inward reality that are very much visible very much.

So taking a look here at beginning in verse 18 a little bit of grammar again just to kind of set the stage. So grammatically the main verb we've said this more than once the main verb in this section of 18 to 21 is in verse 18 where Paul commands to be filled.

Playwright owes the verb to be filled. And that is followed in verses 19 through 21 by five present participles five.

Present.

Particles participles and they describe the filling of the Spirit. But they are not the means of achieving it. So they are descriptors of what it means to be filled by the Spirit. So here they are. They're in verse 19.

Speaking is the first one 19 again singing is another one. Making melody is your third. Giving thanks in verse 20 is the fourth and being subject in verse 21 is the fifth. So those are the five present particles possible that derive their force from the main verb in verse 18.

So as I say, they are the result of being filled by the Spirit. They are not. They are not the means to achieve being filled by the Spirit them in the manifestation of it when it when it's occurring. So the first four notice of these participles have to do with singing and prayer singing and prayer so again speaking singing making melody giving thanks those first four having to do with singing and prayer and They have to do with the singing and prayer again.

Notice this in the public gathering of the church. In the public gathering the church and we see that by the use of one another in verse 19. One another or perhaps even more literally among yourselves.

Among yourselves, so we are talking about a public manifestation of the filling by the Spirit. What does it look like? Can it be observed? Yes, it can where in the public setting of the church. Okay in the public setting.

So the public gathering as we'd say the fifth and final participle here in verse 21. Being subject to that serves as the bridge so that's the bridge to the topic of the spirit-filled home that begins in verse 22 of chapter 5 and Runs all the way through chapter 6 and verse 9.

So that's our bridge that takes us into what our future studies will be here. Okay? So in all of this and all of this the emphasis is not upon individual or private experience. That is not the emphasis here individual or private experience.

But the expression of a of a life filled by the Spirit in regard to relationship with one another. So it's about being filled by the Spirit and how does it play itself out in? Relationships and the relationships of the church.

So in that sense, yes. The spirits filling is very visible very visible. Because it results in among other things worship Gratitude and humble submission. Okay worship gratitude humble submission. That is the outcome of a life's filled by the Spirit.

Now since Paul describes the spirit-filled life in terms of these five participles it be profitable. Profitable if I could speak it it would be profitable. It would be profitable for us. To spend some time and peek into these a little bit don't you think?

So that's what I want to do with you in the time remaining. Is I want to look at the being filled by the Spirit under these three headings the headings of worship. Gratitude and submission so worship gratitude submission.

That's if you're looking for an outline. There's your outline. Okay, worship gratitude submission. So first worship. Let's talk about worship in Addressing the result of obeying the command to be continually filled by the Spirit and its Resultant growth in the likeness of Christ.

Paul speaks first about the role of congregational singing. He speaks about congregational singing verse 19 see it. Speaking to one another in Psalms and hymns and spiritual songs. Singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord.

So this is the congregational singing and again. There's a it's a further division here in that he he's viewing congregational singing both horizontally and vertically. So he's looking at it horizontally and vertically first horizontally and then vertically.

This is super instructive for us. So he begins with the horizontal aspect of congregational singing. Notice he says speaking to one another and then he says in Psalms hymns and spiritual songs songs hymns and spiritual songs now Psalms.

Psalms though the word is psalmos. That's the noun psalms psalmos and it means Fundamentally to touch the chords of a stringed instrument. Okay, so to touch the chords of a stringed of a stringed instrument and when used in the New Testament when this word is used.

In the New Testament, it's a reference to the Old Testament Psalms the Psalter of the Old Testament. Psalter was the songbook of the early church and Is still the songbook of the church today to a certain extent.

Okay, so Psalms. Originally, you know the word to touch the chords of a stringed instrument. It's speaking about Old Testament Psalms being sung. Being sung they were designed to be sung. Beyond that he talks about hymns hymnos hymnos and That means a song of praise to God.

That's what that word means a song of praise to God the word Hymnots notice how they're coming over right into the English. They're being translated rated and coming right over into the English. And it's generally universal in scope.

These are generally universal in scope and they focus on the attributes of God rather than the personal experience of the believer so these are songs That are spoken Horizontally focused on the attributes of God God's attributes rather than our personal experience with God.

Spiritual songs speaks more of our personal experience with God.

So.

Oda the matakai is is the Greek and it comes from the word Oday in the in the Greek which means a song and It flows over to us in English again. We we know what about an ode is right? We've heard of an ode so that's speaking of a song and these are the kinds of songs that are composed in.

Response.

Here to the Holy Spirit's work. So these are songs composed in response to the to the Holy Spirit's work in the lives of the believers and Probably in contrast to what one writer writes says as the crude singing typical of Greco-Roman.

Feasting.

All cultures sing. All cultures sing and it is not Uncommon at all for them to make up songs to express their culture. And so when a culture is degraded its music is degraded. When a culture is lifted up into the presence of God, its music is lifted up for the presence of God.

So these are the spiritual songs. These are the songs composed to celebrate the individual believers work. Or the spirits work in the life of the believer. Okay. Now the three words themselves are used here.

There's it's hard to make great differentiation so they kind of all Paul Combines three together and it's hard to make hard and fast differences between them. I'm giving you some general idea of the differences, but they can't be sharply differentiated in Scripture.

Okay? However. However, their role their role in the congregational instruction is quite clear. Their role in the congregational instruction here is quite clear. We're talking about singing to each other and That provides an instructional role.

Notice where Paul says speaking to one another. We're speaking to one another and we are speaking of the attributes of God we are we are speaking back his word to him through the Old Testament Psalms and we are speaking to Not to him.

I'm sorry to one another of Through the Psalms with the Psalter and we are speaking to one another about God's great work of redemption in our lives. Okay? Now I think if we were to slip over to Colossians chapter 3 we could find There in what I've called the sister book some clarity in this area.

So let's go ahead and do that. So slip over to the to the left and go to Colossians the book of Colossians. I said to the left. I meant to the right. Yeah, hold up your left hand the other one. Sorry about that.

Anyway.

Colossians is our sister letter. And so it can and often does lend some additional clarity to what's being talked about here. What I want you to see first though in Colossians is How Paul identifies in chapter 1 his ministry, okay, so look at chapter 1 verse 28.

Chapter 128 Paul says we proclaim him. That is Christ. We proclaim him Admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom So that we may present every man complete in Christ. For this purpose also I labor striving according to his power which mightily works within me.

So Paul defines his ministry as that of admonishing and teaching with all wisdom. For the purpose of presenting everyone complete in Christ, that's what drove the Apostle Paul now. Slide over your eyes to chapter 3 and pick up verse 16 and notice this.

Where Paul says there let the Word of Christ richly dwell within you. We've talked about that a few weeks ago. Notice with all wisdom. Teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs.

Singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. Now, doesn't that sound familiar? It should we just read essentially an identical Exhortation in in the fifth chapter of Ephesians but what I want you to catch here is the the repetition of Paul's ministry model in.

His.

Statement here in verse 16 of chapter 3, right? He says in chapter 128 that for him it's admonishing and teaching with all wisdom. That is his ministry. That's what drove him now he he's he moves to chapter 3 and verse 16 and he's speaking to the church at large and By extension to you and I and notice he's using the same kind of terminology.

Let the current Word of Christ richly dwell within you we could say be filled by the Spirit with all wisdom. Teaching and admonishing one another. So in other words Paul wants us to pick up his ministry and carry it forward.

Carry forward his ministry model and one place and way we do it is through psalms and hymns and spiritual songs. Singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God vision or Colossians 3 16 so Paul worked hard he says 129 to teach and admonish.

So that people might grow to maturity in Christ and he wants the Christian community to continue with that work and How by speaking the truths of Scripture to one another in song? Back to Ephesians chapter 5.

How does Paul want the Christian community to continue his work of building the body of Christ. Well in one way he wants it done is by singing. It is by singing to each other to one another and notice again, I just kind of Briefly mentioned it noticed in verse 19 of Ephesians chapter 5 speaking.

No, see emphasis on speaking. It is because when we speak truth. That's how we grow in the likeness of Christ. We respond to truth, right? The Spirit works when he comes when it comes in through the mind and down to the heart and then out through the hands.

That's how transformation occurs. And so there is an emphasis here on the singing that it be Speaking and and I think what we could say is then the lyrics are important. I think we can deduce that that the lyrics are Important here very important.

So I think we can rightly say The congregational singing is part of disciple making. You say it again. I think we can rightly say that Congregational singing is part of the disciple making process. It's part of the disciple making process.

But it doesn't stop there. It doesn't stop there. It doesn't just end with the horizontal Important as that is and it is. But notice that Besides the horizontal there is a vertical element as well. There's a vertical element and Paul picks that up in Ephesians 5 in the next two participles where he speaks about a vertical expression of Worship and praise to God.

So there we see it in the second half of verse 19 sink singing and making melody melody. Sorry.

And.

Where am I with your heart to the Lord? Okay, so singing and making melody. That's that that word they're making melody. Salon tez it carries the idea of to sing along with music or even to play with a stringed instrument.

Okay, so that's kind of running in the background of that. So we sing to God. We we we offer our praise in music to God. Why. Because it is a reflection of what he has done in us. Yeah, I think we could rightly say we can't hold it back.

We can't hold it back. It's just going to come out of our hearts. So notice where he says with your heart. To the Lord and the Lord here is Christ with your heart to Christ. So the heart the heart is the inner human being.

The inner human being where Christ dwells. Ephesians chapter 3 verse 17. Paul says so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. So Christ dwells within the heart. It is the inner human being it is the real you.

It is the real you and it's the aspect of our existence that Paul praised that the Spirit would strengthen again. Look at chapter 3 verse he begins there in in verse 14. But this reason I bow my knees before the Father from whom every family in heaven and on earth derive its name.

That he would grant you according to the riches of his glory to be strengthened with power through his spirit in the inner man. So that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith and that you May be being rooted and grounded in love may be able to comprehend with all the Saints.

What is the breadth and length and height and depth and to know the love of Christ? Which surpasses knowledge and that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God. So Paul is praying there that the Spirit would strengthen them in the inner man.

In the inner man, and that is the heart that which Offers our expressions of praise to God. The hearts also the faculty of the mind that Paul prays that God would enlighten with his spirit. So look at his other great prayer in Ephesians here in chapter 1 and and the beginning here in.

Well, we'll pick it up in verse 15. There Paul is praying that the book that the Ephesian believers might understand the vastness of their blessings in Christ. The vastness of their blessings in Christ.

For this reason I too having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus Which exists among you and your love for all the Saints do not cease giving thanks for you while making mention of you in my prayers that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ the father of glory may give to you a Spirit of wisdom and of revelation and the knowledge of him.

I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened. So that you will know what is the hope of his calling? What are the riches of the glory of his inheritance and the Saints and what is the surpassing greatness of his power toward us?

Who believe these are in accordance with the working of the strength of his might? Which he brought about in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly praises.

Far above all rule and authority and power and dominion and every name that his name not only in this age but also in the one to come and He put all things in subjection under his feet and gave him his head over all things to the church.

Which is his body the fullness of him who fills all in all listen. We have a vast Treasury of blessing via our union with Christ and Paul prays that we might understand that. That we might understand that and we would understand it there in the eyes of our heart.

He uses that expression that we might understand it in the deepness of our of the reality of who we are. Okay, these are prayers for transformation prayers for transformation so the vertical music the vertical aspect back to chapter 5 the vertical aspect of our musical worship is the result of being filled by the Spirit.

So the idea of singing with one's whole being to the Lord Jesus.

Now.

I'll think about this together a little bit. We put it all together.

Horizontal. Vertical. And we put it all together. I think we can rightly say are you ready for this? The state of our soul is revealed in the sound of our voice. I Think we can rightly say that the state of our soul is revealed in the sound of our voice.

In other words spirit-filled Christians sing words of praise to Christ and instruction to each other in a heartfelt manner as a result of the Holy Spirit's work through the scriptures. Say it to you again spirit-filled Christians sing words of praise to Christ and Instruction to each other In a heartfelt manner as a result that the Holy Spirit's work through the scriptures.

That means that means in terms of Congregational singing the implications here are huge. They are huge for example. Our songs must be rich in biblical theology. They must be rich in biblical theology in order to turn our focus to the praise of Christ.

So we need to sing spiritually rich theologically profound music to each other and Reflecting back to God his the truth of who he is. Beyond that it's appropriate to have a variety in terms of tempo and rhythm Melody instrumentation and so forth in order to facilitate the music's role in carrying the praise and instruction of God's people because that's the purpose of.

The music it is to carry the instruction. It serves as the vehicle to carry the instruction. It is not the primary thing, but it is a helpful thing to carry the instruction.

Third.

We got to get outside ourselves. We've got to get outside ourselves and see our congregational singing as one of God's mandated means to fulfill the one another's. We got to get outside of ourselves and to see our Congregational singing as one of God's mandated means to fulfill the one another's and to make disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ.

In other words, I need to hear you sing and You need to hear me sing. You may not like it. I Do my best. But I need it and you need it because it is a God-ordained means of discipleship. So here's the bottom line you and I.

Cannot obey Paul's command to be filled by the Spirit while at the same time Refusing to participate or holding back in the congregational singing. You cannot fulfill Paul's command to be filled by the Spirit and To hold back your singing or to refuse to participate in the singing.

Okay, that's a non sequitur. Beyond that Singing is an important means for making disciples of your children. It is an important means of discipling your children teach your children the songs of the faith.

It will encourage them and you should encourage them. Here Sunday morning when we gather to sing to participate in the scene. Don't allow your children to restrain or with or withhold themselves from the scene.

Which means you need to do the hard work Monday to Saturday to teach them the songs. So that they're familiar to them so that they know. I mean even even the ones who can't read can sing. They actually have an amazing ability to memorize music and so disciple your children and Singing is one way to do it.

Okay, so singing is very very significant. Gratitude that was worship. Right? That was the first of the three. Second is gratitude.

Gratitude in Corporate Prayer and Thanksgiving

Gratitude.

The fourth part of civil here verse 20 Always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God. Even the Father this fourth part of civil giving. Thanks. Eucharist on tests is the Greek word and I only tell you that.

I'll tell you why. I tell you that in just a second. But you'll see. It addresses the outworking of the spirit filling in terms of the practice of public or corporate Prayer. Again, remember we set the context here is the public gathering of the church so this is The outworking of a spirit filled life in terms of public prayer corporate prayer prayer of thanksgiving prayer of thanksgiving.

This is a practice that Peter O 'Brien in his very fine commentary on Ephesians Identifies with the idea of praise so praise and thanksgiving running very close to one another. So praise and thanksgiving are the normal biblical response to God.

In prayer for his good gifts. It is the normal response. It is the normal Christian response to be grateful to be thankful to praise God for his good gifts to us. And they are the overflow of a heart that has experienced the grace of God.

Grace is Kerris and it is the root of the verb. Eucharist. Oh, which means to give. Thanks. So you see how it's it's bound together here this idea of giving thanks is.

Is is.

That is bound up in the root word Kerris or grace. Okay, so we give thanks because of the grace of God in our lives. It just flows out of us. It's just who we are. You cut me. I bleed red you cut me spiritually.

I believe Thanksgiving that's the idea now. We should notice again here how Paul outlines the comprehensive nature of this Thanksgiving. He outlines the comprehensive nature of it and the result of the spirit as a result the spirits filling and.

In the process he brings out the triunity of God. So who do we offer our praise and thanksgiving to we offer our praise and thanksgiving to the triune God? So notice here The the comprehensive nature of it its frequency.

Always you see it verse 20. What's the frequency of our prayers of Thanksgiving and praise always? That's the frequency always in other words constantly regularly. Constantly regularly. What's the fullness of our?

Thanksgiving and praise. For all things again verse 20 for all things. That includes the good and the bad as we what we would call bad. Because why. Well because God is at work in us. Is he not conforming us to the image of Jesus Christ and we are most conformed to the image of Christ when we are most in a place of Difficulty and thus dependent upon Christ in the greatest way.

What about the foundation of this? Comprehensive prayer and praise in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. That's the foundation of our prayer in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. In other words based on our union with him and our sharing with him by virtue of that union with his exalted position if we had the time to Work our way through chapter 1 in that one long sentence that begins in verse 4 and runs to the end of verse 14.

We could see.

There.

The.

Exalted position of Christ and the union that we share with him and thus we are co-heirs with him. Right. So that's the foundation of it. So work of Christ on our behalf and the focus is God the Father.

All right in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God even the Father. Because he is the ultimate source of all goodness and all grace. And we'll take you to chapter 1 verse 3 where that's what Paul says.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. The focus of our prayer is God the Father in the name of Jesus the Son.

For all that he has done For us in sharing with us through faith our faith union with his son I'm adopting us into his family. That faith union makes us co-heirs with Christ joint heirs with Christ. So One writer writes those who are filled by the Spirit quote should generously and Frequently express their thanks to God when they gather with others for worship.

Again.

Those who are filled by the Spirit quote should generously and Frequently express their thanks to God when they gather with others.

For worship for worship.

Okay, it should be common among us common among us. So we've had worship. We've had gratitude. Third. Submission verse 21. This is the fifth and final Participle being subject who put us minnow. I hope it also minnow a.

And it speaks it's a compound word we'll deal with it in a second it speaks with the believers response to God's ordained Authority structures within the home. Yeah, this is all about the home. Right.

So it's it's talking about our response to God's authority structures. God's ordained authority structures. And so the the verb who Patasso itself is comprised of two words. There's a prefix a preposition called hoopoe, which means under and the verb is Tasso which to arrange or line up.

So the idea behind this in its most basic meaning is to line up under someone's authority. That's what it's saying. Right, so we could we could Translate verse 21 and line up under the authority of one another in the fear of Christ.

That's the most basic meaning of the verb to line up under authority. Somebody's authority somebody's authority. Now, I'm gonna have a lot to say about this. Beginning in two weeks. Okay, you're gonna have to hang on.

But I want you here to notice a few things just in passing the action of Subordinating ourselves to God's ordained authority structures is a result of being filled by the Spirit. It is a result of being filled by the Spirit.

But the motivation look at the rest of the verse the motivation. For this is our fear or awe or reverence of Christ. Who is the Lord and coming judge right and being subject to one another notice it in the fear of Christ?

In fact, we can I think with confidence say this that one way the Holy Spirit enables us. Enables us to fear or reverence. Christ is by pressing upon us through the scriptures his position as the father's exalted ruler.

He is the father's exalted ruler again. Look back to chapter 1 beginning in verse 20 middle of the verse when he raised him when the father raised him the son from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places far above all rule and authority and power and dominion and every name that is named.

That's kind of a comprehensive way to say these things. Not only in this age, but also in the one to come so that kind of lays it out, right. Christ is Lord of all. And he put all things in subjection under his feet and gave his head over all things to the church and so forth.

Pardon me. As such as such Christ has the authority.

Christ has the wisdom and Christ has the prerogative to mandate the interactions of authority and submission. We say it again Because he is the exalted one. He is Lord of all. Pardon me. Therefore he has the authority he has the wisdom and he has the prerogative to mandate the interaction of both authority and.

Submission. And that's what he's going to do. Pardon me. Okay, sorry about that.

Okay, let's talk about a little bit about application. Just a little bit about application. We'll kind of tip the hand here just a little. I Got a lot more to say. A lot more to say about the interplay between loving biblical authority and God honoring submission like weeks and weeks and weeks of things to say about this.