The Joys of Being Spirit Filled — Francis Chan

Okay, that's that's good. I'll give you some more time at the at the end of the sir. It's so funny. It's so funny. How different the services are like first service. I couldn't get him to talk and You guys it's hard to get you to stop and that's good.

You know first service. They read the Bible though, and you don't so. No, this is this is so good here's. I know some of you guys have been reading in Luke. And it's just been such a rich time. Here's what I want us to do if I could get like four or five people who have been reading out of the book of Luke that have your Bibles if you could just come up and read like a passage of Scripture.

That's been meaningful to you. So from from the book of Luke. Not time yet, honey. It's not time yet. Okay, you can sit up here. All right, have fun. Okay. From the book of Luke, that's all right. It's okay.

Just that's that's my daughter. That's Rachel. You guys know, that's my daughter. Yeah Rachel, okay. She was gonna play during the prayer time and I didn't get through off. Okay, but someone let's just come up and just read a passage from Luke that had an impact on you this week.

Just for five of you if there are four or five of you. Read in Luke. Okay. Good. There you go. There's four right there. Perfect two guys two girls perfect and you can you can share something about the passage.

You can share something about the passage if you want to but just keep it short so that I can preach.

The Cost of Discipleship in Luke 14

All right, the verse that really stuck out to me was Luke 14 26 Says if anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother in the sense of indifference to or relative Disregard for them in comparison with his attitude towards God and likewise his wife and children and brothers and sisters Yes, and even his own life.

Also, he cannot be my disciple and I just was thinking about that like the part that stuck out to me was Disregard for them in comparison with his attitude to our God and How am I how does my life reflect that it might care more about my relationship with God than any other relationship in my life.

And I'm willing to Serve God no matter what no matter what that looks like no matter I.

Persistent Prayer in Luke 18

Mean from Luke chapter 18 verse 1 just a parable of the Persistent widow then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them That they should always pray and I have this underlined and Not give up now in my life.

The Lord has done wonders in my life year ago. I was actually a year ago. I was actually incarcerated. Incarcerated for 70 days were things in my life that anyway and I lost everything and I basically lost everything.

I mean everything my apartment my job my car My girlfriend everything I was destined to the only person who was in my life was the Lord and while I was incarceration and My faith was never faltered. Okay, the great thing the other thing that was in my life was my son.

He was always there for me. And so basically that I realized that the Lord gave my son and he was the most important to me. I'm trying not to get teary-eyed which I do usually but Now a year a year later.

I have a new wife. This is one month anniversary a new wife three beautiful kids added to my family to my son, so I've got four kids now and I've got a job. I've got a car I've got and you know what? It's Phenomenal how my life has turned out and I thank him for everything.

He's given me and so That's basically it so we should always pray and not give up because you know what the Lord will answer in His own time. He will answer.

Jesus Welcomes Sinners in Luke 6

Okay, all right, so I'm gonna be reading from Luke 6 and it's gonna be about how Jesus calls Levi and it's 29 Through 31 and it says. And Levi made him a great feast in his house and there was a large company of tax collectors and others reclining at the table with them and The Pharisees and their scribes grumbled at his disciples saying why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?

And Jesus answered them those who are well have no need of a physician. But those who are sick and I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance. And I think that that should be our one of our missions in life like that.

It's hard because people We should hang around all people and that's one thing that I'm learning to and so all right.

Hearing and Obeying the Word in Luke 11

As I read through the book of Luke it seemed to me as though there was this common error between Many of the people that were listening to Jesus whether it was the common people whether it was his disciples Whether it was the Pharisees and it clearly spoke to me saying they all got it wrong so often.

But yet there was a few that were loyal and because they stuck with it They finally understood. There's many subjects obviously that Jesus teaches on. There's a one that stuck out was if you ask a person Would you want to be blessed?

Everybody I think will raise their hand and they'll say yes, I want to be blessed, but I think. Here's an example in Luke Chapter 11 verse 27 it says as Jesus was saying these things I'll wait since your turn and that's.

That is a good sound is so. Luke 11 27 as Jesus was saying these things a woman in the crowd Called out blessed is the mother who gave you birth and nursed you and he replied Blessed rather are those who hear the Word of God and obey it.

Might I might we as believers especially as believers do just that and not be deceived. Thank you.

I love that. I love just hearing what people are getting from the Word of God. I love seriously I love just hearing the noise in this room when everyone's just talking about what God's done in their lives or what he's see that's that's really a better picture of what church was supposed to be that everyone brings something to the table and Everyone comes, you know.

Sharing what they've learned from God and being able to share their gift to encourage someone next to them. And I wonder I just want to encourage you as you show up each week, you know. As you're dropping the kids off, you know at the Sunday school area or whatever as you run into each other.

Think about ministering to each other because I mean just even when you hear other people read a passage of Scripture and just share a few Thoughts doesn't it do something to you? I got it's really cool.

That's really cool to hear all about that and and don't underestimate what God may want to do through you each weekend when you show up. Something I wanted to do again corporately is I want us to have a time of prayer.

Spiritual Warfare and the Church as a House of Prayer

I've just really sensed like a Spiritual battle like what Steve was talking about last week like the spiritual warfare. I I don't know if you felt it this week, but it's just been kind of nuts in first service.

First service was crazy, you know, we got here and I don't know nothing was just really working right. Jim tried to read a passage and couldn't even read and. And and the the baptismal wasn't working.

So they said hey, there's me no baptisms on the first service because we can't get water. Somehow the water is not happening and it just it was just strange, you know it was kind of dead and people are coming an hour late and.

And I but but even just coming here though, I just said no we got to pray. We've got to pray and we just we spent some time praying because sometimes and this is largely my fault you know the Bible talks about how we're supposed to pray without ceasing and how this this house should be a house of prayer and and and sometimes.

Sometimes I preach unceasingly, you know. Like I just talk and talk and talk and and prayer can become an afterthought and you know. What's so cool is, you know. Like all the water started filling up and and you know, no, it's just obvious, you know, God.

There's there's people that need to get baptized today and sure enough a couple people came up and got it was just it was just A cool celebration and just even a it just in a small way seeing God's hand move and and work.

And so I I think about how God would just love to see us United as one group of people to speak to him because there's so many people in the world. There's something about us getting together. When there's a group of us and we're all singing something in common and all praying something in common.

It's not just about hearing a message because you can get a CD or listen to it on the podcast. But there's something special about God's people getting together to encourage each other and to pray for one another to sneeze.

You know just just to hang out and just just be the body together. So what we're on right now, would you just would you just bow your heads right now, let's just clear our minds of everything else. Just just forget all of your problems right now.

Just think about God in heaven. Picture him sitting on his throne and the angels are just screaming his glory right now. He's our creator. Just start thanking him for everything you can think of in your life right now.

Just pour out Thanksgiving to him. Spend some time confessing some of your sins. Recognizing that as you confess them, he forgives you but just confess to him what he already knows. Now just start praying for the people in this room.

They're your brothers your sisters. Some of them, you know, some you don't know you you can pray for them by name, but right now just pray that. We would fall more in love with God like seriously ask him to help us fall more in love with him.

Pray for the people in this room pray for our church that we would love each other the way God wants us to just pray. That God would create a love in us for one another. Pray for the people in this room right now who don't believe in Jesus.

Pray that God would reveal himself to them. Whatever it takes they would just fall in love with God and have peace with him today. Now just pray that the Holy Spirit would fill us they would fill you that would fill everyone in this room and that we could just Visibly even just see the change in our lives because the Spirit being so evident in us.

Father we ask your power just just to fall upon us. Because we just heard from Luke Lord, we don't want to just hear your words. And not do anything about it deceive ourselves. God blessed are those of us who hear the Word of God and obey it.

And God help us to believe that that we really will be blessed for hearing your word and then doing something about it. God. Please don't let us just hear another message without it. Just totally changing our lives.

God Changes make us more like you bless us. In Jesus name we pray. Amen. Thanks. Thanks Rach. I Sent an email out on Monday telling you that I was going to kind of walk us through Luke. I Should never Announce on Monday what I'm going to teach on Sunday.

Because it never ends up being the same thing. God's Really gone in my mind with a certain passage of scripture that I'm going to teach instead of Luke today. It's a it's it's in Ephesians chapter 5. I Got hit with this Monday afternoon.

It was and it wasn't that I was reading it. It was just you you know. Every once in a while a scripture pops into your mind as what happened to me on Monday. And it just it stuck with me all week long.

I kept looking at it. I kept praying about it. And I really believe it's what God was saying to me and and and. It's such a beautiful passage and I think it stuck out to me because I realized I'm not doing real well on this passage but I want to.

I want this I gotta have this and. And and I'm gonna just believe that it's gonna be true for a lot of us in this room today. It's Ephesians chapter 5 verse 18. And it's a passage on being filled with the Spirit and it says this it says do not get drunk with wine.

For that is debauchery. But be filled with the Spirit. Addressing one another in Psalms and hymns and spiritual songs singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart. Giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ. So so he says in this passage. He goes I I don't want you to be drunk with wine because that's gonna lead to debauchery. That is debauchery just leads you to doing all of these things because you're under the influence of this alcohol.

He goes instead I want you to be filled with the Spirit because when you're filled with the Spirit. What ends up happening as you start speaking to other people with psalms and hymns and spiritual song?

There's a there's a melody going on in your heart where you're constantly singing to God. You're giving thanks all through the day for everything everything you see you just thank God for and it says and then your Relationships you submit to one another how there's reverence for Christ.

And and and as I was looking at this passage, I'm going gosh. That's not me right now. I'm not I'm not speaking to other people's psalms hymns spiritual songs. I'm not. I'm not thanking God all day long and yet I wanted that and I wanted that that that idea of being spirit-filled and as I was praying about it I just really believe this is what God wants us to talk about today because this idea of being a thankful person and Thanking God all day long.

Thanksgiving is like the first thing to go when life gets difficult. You know. Immediately you want to focus on your problems, right? And you want to fix it and I've been talking to so many people who are really just going through hard times right now.

And they're consumed with it. You just see it on their face and When you ask him, hey, when's the last time you just had an awesome time of Thanksgiving? They can't even tell you it's been so long because we've been dealing with issues.

And it's interesting because in this passage right before he says this he talks about how We have to make the most of our time. Make the most of our time because the days are evil. See I like that phrase I like that phrase of making the most or the best use of your time because the days are evil.

See he says make the best use of your time then right after that He says and be filled with the Spirit and you'll you'll speak to one of the Psalms hymns spiritual songs. You'll give thanks and and that's weird to me.

It's it's it's hard to get that it takes tremendous faith to believe this passage because to me Making the best use of my time means I'm constantly working. And I'm constantly trying to accomplish something.

I don't know if your personality is anything like mine. But I look at my life just like that passage says it says the days are evil and it's this idea of like the days Are coming towards you it's like an adversary.

It's coming at you and and and you got to make the best use of it. You can't stop time, but but you ever get to the end of the day and go where did today go? I can't believe it's time for dinner already.

I can't believe it's time to put the kids back. I can't believe. It's just like what happened, you know how a week, you know, you just go man I'm gonna read through Luke this week, you know, you guys understand.

And and it's like that's the end of week. I never even got to it. I didn't get a chapter that what where did the week go? Some of you guys are looking at the year and going can you believe can you believe it's 2010?

Some of you are looking in the mirror. Just go man. How did I get this old this quickly? Like you you look at your life and remember how you used to look at people that are your age now and you just thought man, that's so old and Now that's you or even beyond that and you're just gone man, what have I done with my life?

What what what have I accomplished? And and so this this verse is a big deal to me because I I do pretty well with that. I think okay, man, I want to make the best use of my life. I don't want to come to the end and go what did I do with it?

Did I just waste it and it says the days are evil and there's just so much hardship. But we go through that that some people just want to escape and that's where the alcohol comes in that's where some of us have really got caught up with we you know with just being on something to just even escape reality and Just have a good time for a moment and escape our problems and the Bible says yeah, the days are evil.

But don't get drunk with wine. That's not the answer. The answer is being filled with the spirit and. And but the thing that I struggle with is making the best use of your time in my mind because of my personality I think to make the most of my time means I try to do as many things as I can at once.

You know and let me accomplish a bunch of things so sometimes when we're on the phone you're talking to me. I'm emailing at the same time. I'm dude. I'm just trying to get you know. Sorry, I'm not paying attention to you.

But I'm just trying to do as much as I can and that type of mentality it's it in some ways it can go against being spirit-filled because I'll think to myself. I don't have time to thank God all day long.

What is that gonna accomplish. I Don't really have time to sing a song and have this melody in my heart all day long. I got things to do and I got to accomplish some things for God and It's very easy in my mind to go gosh Lord.

Seriously, like go around speaking to each other with psalms hymns and spiritual songs. Like like I got to get together with other believers and figure out how we're gonna accomplish this mission. I get together with believers and fix the things that are wrong in their lives.

I got to talk about this issue this issue this issue but to just address someone with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs and just talk about the praises of God and Then all day long to be thanking God for everything.

I can think about throughout the day. Just thanking him in Christ Jesus and then spending the day having this ongoing melody in my heart. My personality struggles with that because I go how do you get anything done then?

The Bible says now I want you to be spirit-filled people. I want it to be so real. He goes, you know, it's like getting drunk where you can't hide it you spend 30 minutes with or 30 seconds with someone who's drunk and you just know and in the same way people should run into us and See the spirit so alive in our lives that we can't hide it.

How many actually this service how many you have not gotten drunk ever? Oh Good good. Wow the first service. They're all drinkers, but they read the Bible you guys, okay. You guys don't read the Bible but but you don't drink either that's cool.

Okay. No, there's just more here. It's still two-thirds of you have gotten drunk and and. And and I have only a couple of times I'm not proud of that it and it was some it was even after I knew better and I knew what was right and and.

And I and I still remember. One time coming home to my roommates and and trying to hide it. Yeah, you're laughing because you really can't my only hope was to not let them see me and just try to walk straight to my room and I just get right in the bed and just pretend I'm asleep so that no one talks to me because he you can't hide that and and and it's just you you talk different you your actions or it affects every bit of you and.

And what the Bible says is he says I want you to be filled with the spirit. I Want you to be that type of person. I mean, can you imagine if? Christians if people who called themselves Christians in America were actually spirit-filled and Every time you interacted with someone like that you'd go Wow.

He's on something or you know, she's she's got this joy like I don't see in anyone else. Because there's this constant Song going on in your heart. And as I was reading this passage, it just so hit me I go god, I want that cuz don't you know people like that.

I Know people like that and don't you love being around people like that? It's just they give you life Every time you talk to them. It's it's just they can be going through the hardest. It's not that their lives are easy I mean you see them go through the hardship and they're still full of joy.

They're still full of life and you're going man. How do you do that? Well, it's it's this passage right here. This is how you do it. It's it's about this ongoing constantly being filled with the spirit.

It's it's it's a choice. It's a decision. Now now it's it's a it's an interesting passage because it's hard to if you look at the original language. It's hard to understand what comes first. You know.

Is it that if I keep thanking God all day and I keep singing to him all day and I keep? Interacting with other believers and bringing up Psalms hymns and spiritual songs and And I submit to others and I love on them if I do that.

Does that make me a spirit filled person or is it that if I'm a spirit filled person? Then the natural outcome of my life is going to be these things. It really doesn't doesn't say Absolutely. Basically, it says here's the command.

Here's what happens to a spirit filled person a spirit full person will be a person who's who's quoting Scripture and sharing scripture with other people spirit filled person is gonna have that melody going on in their heart, but which comes first.

It's up for grabs, you know. The the point is is that's what I ought to be and so I pray and I and this week I've been praying for you. I go God, can we have a spirit filled church? Can we can you just have more of our people just addressing each other with Psalms and hymns and spiritual songs?

Can you put that melody in their heart to where all day long? They're just constantly singing to you. I've been praying that for you. I've been praying that you would have a heart of thanksgiving. Even as life's been pretty crazy for some of us lately.

It's like could you just be thanking God all day long so that when the other people in Simi Valley come in contact with you? They see something different. They they see a life about you that heart of thanksgiving making a melody in Your heart.

Worship Through Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs

Do you do that? You sing and make melody to the Lord in your heart. You ever get a song stuck in your head and you can't get it out. You know whether it's it's sometimes it's the dumbest thing right like a some from a commercial or or just some song that you just don't even like but unfortunately has a catchy tune and you just I can't get this thing out of my head and I remember when I was in high school and and In youth in youth group, they would talk against secular music and they would say I don't listen to this.

You know, it's from the devil and and you know, you're singing these words these lyrics and there's some truth to that. Absolutely, but I really think the saddest part of getting so consumed with music that has nothing to do with God.

Is that's the melody that's going on in your heart all the time. That's a song that's going on in your heart all the time and God's as a spirit-filled person has a different melody going on. It's it's a song of worship.

It's a song of praise you know those times when you get a praise song stuck in your head and Just all day long wherever you are. You're just you're just singing. You're just naturally it's just coming out to the Lord.

There's certain songs that it just seems like this come to my mind at different times and of Worship and I just keep it going. So there's something about singing. That's that's it's it's deeper than just talking to God.

It's almost like you got so much in there so much of this Thanksgiving to give to God and so much love you want to show him not just with your mind. But with your heart your soul everything in you. You just want to express it and and there's this ability that we have with Singing where we can get that out and God says I want that going on in your mind all day long.

Imagine if you thanked God from the moment you woke up till you went to bed. Can you imagine how great your life would be or how great it would be to live with you? If that was your mindset you wake up and you you know first thing in the morning.

Whatever the alarm goes off the God. Thank you for another day. But usually that's not what we think when our alarm goes off. Right. It's like oh rather than like thanking God another opportunity because like the Bible says we only got a short time here on earth and Then it's it's it's too late.

And so you go god. I got another day to worship you with. I got another day to actually make the most of every opportunity. Thank you for another day. Just everything, you know, I don't know what you do next, you know, you walk and go brush your teeth.

Thank you, I get to brush my teeth, you know, there's people in Arkansas that don't have teeth, you know, it's just it's it's really great. It's this is good, you know that the running water that ever everything but but just going and saying God.

There's so much to be thankful for man this morning I just got in the office and I just said, you know I'm just wanna I just wanna see how long ago just thinking about things to thank God for you know as far as my salvation and and Spiritual things and it was just so good I don't know when the last time was that you just sat down and tried to thank God as long as you could.

I Realized well, I'm not good at this. I'm a problem solver. I focus on issues. And yet the spirit-filled person is someone who thanks God all the day and it has a melody going on all day. And when he comes in contact with other believers, he did what we were doing earlier sharing scripture with one another and Sharing Psalms the Psalms.

Do you understand what the Psalms were. Psalms were they were poetry? They were they were thought through praises of God. It was a you know, someone thought through, you know. Whether it was a lament or going through a difficult time or there or there's just writing a song a lot of more meant to Be sung it was just as poetic.

Here's what I think about God and sharing those praises with other people. And so often when we get together we talk about Nonsense, right? I Mean when's the last time you shared a passage of Scripture with someone else?

That's why this month. We're saying, you know, let's let's get in the Bible together you know like last month, you know, we started doing with first John and and more of you were doing because it was shorter and.

And you know, but it was just let's run into each other and say hey, this is what I got from first John. Let's run to each other this month ago. Hey, this is what I got out of the book of Luke you know and to share scriptures with one another the things that lifted our hearts the things that encouraged us because man, even between services after last service I heard some things of some things that were going on with some of the families here in the church and my heart just got grieved again like there's a lot of crazy things going on right now and Just to be uplifted by other people.

Rather than just on Sunday morning by one person standing up here was collectively us running into each other and sharing our psalms and hymns and spiritual songs and. Then it says and and submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.

Submission and Love in Christian Relationships

It talks about our relationships and that's where he goes off on. Talking about husbands and wives and how husbands should really serve their wives you know like Christ served the church and loved the church and and you know and then it talks about the the relationships between parents and their children and and you know and the way the parents ought to treat the kids and way that the kids ought to honor the parents and then it talks about the slaves and masters and it's like those who are in authority the Kindness that they should use and the care they should have.

Toward those who are under them and those who are under you know to have this reverence and respect for those who were their employers or their leaders and and and it's very important because a lot of times what we do is I'll hear people say.

Oh, no. I am so in love with Jesus right now. I can't stand my wife. She's driving me crazy, but I love Jesus and The Bible says that's impossible. It's kind of remember in first John when he says how can you love God whom you can't see?

When you hate your brother who you can that doesn't make any sense. God's always connected our relationship with him with our relationships with one another. He wants to see love in this room. He wants he you know.

It's just like if you have two children and they're fighting with each other and they can't stand each other and say oh. But I love you dad. You just go. Well if you love me, then get along with your sister because that's what I'd love to see and It's it's the same thing.

It's the same thing here with God. He says you love me. You love me. Then love each other. After Jesus washed the disciples feet he says now do that to each other. And Jesus hey, whatever you do for the least of these you're doing it for me.

See his love was a lot more tangible. He didn't just say, you know, if you love me just sing the song to me. He goes no, I want that melody going on all day long. But your relationships are very important to that's a part of being spirit-filled.

That's a part of your worship and I I didn't want to. I Didn't want to spend a lot of time talking today. I mean you guys get the point and I think most of you I can I can see in your faces, you know.

You you know, you know this stuff. It's just hard to stay focused on Thanksgiving. And so here's what we're gonna do. You know first, let me just say this. I'm gonna lead us in a time of prayer and Thanksgiving and Jim's gonna lead us in some worship but there may be some of you in this room that You don't have a relationship with God.

The Gospel, Forgiveness, and the Indwelling Spirit

Maybe you come here today and you just don't have this peace That I'm talking about. You don't have this confidence. I have right now where I think if I die today, I know where I'm going and It's nothing I even fear.

I mean sometimes I even long for it like God. I just I'm tired of this earth. I can't wait to get out of here. I can't wait to just be with you forever. But I know there's things for me to do down here and so let me make the most use of every day.

But I cannot wait to be with you because I know I'm forgiven and know I'm gonna spend eternity with him. Even when I confess my sins to God. There's a sense of joy as I'm sick to my stomach of what I did there's this joy of I know I'm forgiven because I believe that Jesus died on that cross for me and I know that he's put his spirit in me.

Because when I do this I can't stand my sin and I see myself putting it to death and I see these changes in my life. Oh god, that's what I want to be. I want to live for you. But maybe you've never gotten to that point.

Maybe the baptismal started working for you today. I know every time I teach I Try to give an opportunity. Even if it's just a 30-second explanation of what Jesus did on that cross for you so that you could have him come into your life and Maybe you've heard this so many times.

But I want you to know that I was praying specifically for that this week. I Was praying for we were praying for that for those of you in this room that are just visiting and just checking things out and but some of you have been checking things Out for a long time and I just oh god, could this be the Sunday?

Could this be the week where you it just finally clicks in your mind. And you realize Nothing else is working and you've tried to change on your own, but you just feel powerless. So what we're talking about here today about being filled with the Spirit of God is not Wishful thinking or good thoughts or think happy thoughts and you'll be a more powerful, but no it's about God himself.