Ephesians 5:18
Let’s Meet God
We are Christians. Christians worship one God, but the one God
manifest Himself in three unique Persons. Some say that we are
polytheists. Poly means many. The meaning god. They say we worship
many gods. We don’t. He is just one God, but He does manifest
Himself in three Persons.
The three individual Persons of the God are the Father, the Son, and
the Holy Ghost.
Tonight, let’s meet God.
I. The Members of the Godhead are Unique
A. Each Person in the Trinity has His own unique roles.
1. From what I can see of the Father, He is the Architect,
the Planner, the One who brings all things together.
2. From what I can see of the Son, He is the One who
physically interacts with physical. If it is God in
a physical form, it is most likely the Son.
(a) I believe it was Jesus who appeared to Abraham and
then walked into Sodom.
(b) I believe it was Jesus who appeared to Joshua and
announced Himself as the Captain of the Lord’s Hose.
(c) I believe it was Jesus who walked with Shadrack,
Meshack, and Abednego in the fiery furnace.
3. From what I can see of the Holy Spirit, He is the One who
spiritually interacts with the physical.
(a) Once Jesus ascended to the heavens, the Holy Ghost
took over.
(b) He moves inside the believer, not as much inside
physical body of the believer as inside the
spiritual being of the believer.
(c) The Holy Spirit connects us to the Father and the
Son.
(d) He is our Link with them.
B. Because the three members of the Godhead have different
roles, we are commanded to do different things with each
Member.
1. Let me emphasize again, we do not have three gods.
(a) I can see how this would be confusing.
(b) There are questions I have about the nature and
person of the Godhead.
(c) I don’t understand, but I believe these things
because of what I read in the Bible.
2. What are we commanded to do with each Member of the
Godhead?
(a) We are commanded to glorify the Father.
Matt 5:16 Let your light so shine before men,
that they may see your good works, and glorify
your Father which is in heaven.
(b) We are commanded to exalt the Son.
Joh 12:32 And I, if I be lifted up from the
earth, will draw all men unto me.
(c) We are commanded to be filled with the Holy Spirit.
Eph 5:18 …but be filled with the Spirit;
Note: I don’t think any Member of the Godhead is distributed if we
get things a bit wrong.
(1) I don’t think God the Father or God the Son will be
terribly displeased if we exalt the Holy Spirit.
(2) I don’t think God the Son or God the Holy Spirit will be
terribly displeased if we ask the Father to fill us.
(3) But if we are going to study the Bible, we might as well
learn what it says and what it suggests is that each
Member of the Godhead is different and we have different
responsibilities to each.
C. There are ways to obey these commands.
1. If you want to glorify the Father, obey Him. Talking about
God is not glorifying Him. It is just talking about
Him. The best way to glorify God is to do what He tells
us to do when He tells us to do it and how He tells us to
do it.
2. The way to exalt the Son is to talk about Him. Tell
everyone you meet who Jesus is, what Jesus did for you,
and what Jesus will do for them.
3. But the most difficult relationship to have with God (at
least it has been for me) is to be filled with the Holy
Spirit.
II. We need to be filled with the Holy Spirit.
A. The best I can tell (I will likely say that several more times
tonight), the Holy Spirit does four major things for us.
1. He is our Teacher.
Joh 14:26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy
Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he
shall teach you all things, and bring all things
to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto
you.
2. He is our Comforter.
3. He is our Convictor.
John 16:8 And when he is come, he will reprove
the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of
judgment:
4. He is our Guide, the One who makes a way for us.
Joh 16:13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth,
is come, he will guide you into all truth….
B. I am not thinking that the word "guide" is a synonym for
teach.
1. I don’t think Jesus was saying the same thing here that
He said in \\#John 14:26\\.
2. I think the idea is that He will make a way for us to get
to the truth or to the place where we need to be.
3. Another way to say it, "I think the Holy Spirit is our
Enabler."
4. Every believer of every age has needed God’s Spirit to
enable them.
(a) Othniel needed the Holy Spirit to take Debir and
become a judge over Israel.
(b) Gideon to defeat the Midianites.
(c) Samson to have his strength.
(d) David to have wisdom and military power.
(e) Isaiah to see the Lord, high and lifted up.
(f) John the Baptist to prepare the way for the Lord.
(g) Paul to endure the suffering and to carry the gospel
to a Gentile world.
(h) John to receive the Revelation.
(i) And even Jesus to do the miracles He did while on
earth needed the fullness of the Holy Ghost.
C. Three of the four things I mentioned that the Holy Ghost does
are the very things we complain most often about the church
and world we live in lacking.
1. We say the world lacks sense. Is that because they have
turned from the Teacher?
2. We say they don’t know right from wrong. Is that because
they have turned from the Convictor?
3. We say the church lacks power. Is that because we have
turned from the Enabler?
D. Perhaps before we spend any more time asking God to send a
revival, we should spend some time asking God to fill us with
His Spirit!
III. What does it mean to be filled with the Holy Spirit?
A. Frist, I am not sure I know.
B. Second, it seems to me that it has to mean more than to be
indwelt with the Holy Spirit.
1. The Bible makes it very clear that the Holy Ghost takes up
residence INSIDE every believer.
1Jo 3:24 And he that keepeth his commandments
dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we
know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which
he hath given us.
1John 4:13 Hereby know we that we dwell in him,
and he in us, because he hath given us of his
Spirit.
Ro 8:9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the
Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in
you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of
Christ, he is none of his.
2. With His indwelling, certain spiritual abilities
automatically come.
(a) Some prayers will be answered.
(b) Some peace with be given.
(c) Some understanding will be had.
3. However, this is not the filling and the fullness of the
Holy Ghost.
4. It is just being on the outer perimeter of the Holy
Spirit’s presence.
5. No. There must be more.
(a) More power to be had.
(b) More effects to be seen.
(c) More assurances to be felt.
C. The best I can tell, being filled with the Holy Ghost seems to
be at least one of these four things, preferability all of
them.
1. Having unusual prayers commonly answered.
2. Having unusual knowledge and understanding. (That is
largely what marked an Old Testament prophet. He/She
knew that could not be known.)
3. Having unusual fruit in soul winning.
4. Having unusual abilities:
(a) Samson had his unusual strength.
(b) Moses, Elijah, Elisha, and Paul could do miracles.
(c) The New Testament church could speak in tongues.
D. Folks, I am going to tell you that we need those first three
abilities again like nobody’s business!
IV. What will it take to be filled with the Holy Ghost?
A. First, I am not sure I know.
1. Do you realize that God did not give a formula, at least
not one I have found?
2. To be honest, I am hesitate to make any suggestions, but
I will as long as we understand that this is just the
starting point.
B. What should we do?
1. We must consciously seek God.
a. Not just the Holy Ghost, but the Godhead.
b. To be filled with the Holy Spirit is to be joined to
God.
c. Of course we already are, but we are seeking something
more, something more deliberate, more meaningful.
d. I don’t know if you have ever considered by the
relationship between God and the believer is at first
determined by God.
(a) It is good.
(b) But it is basic.
e. After that basic relationship is established, it then
becomes the Christian’s responsibility to keep it and
to deepen it.
f. Beyond the salvation, the relationship you and I have
with God is determined by us.
g. We must seek God.
2. We must consciously speak to God.
a. God may sometimes seem far away; but He never is; and
He always wants to hear from us.
b. God may not be a big Talker but He is a great
Listener.
c. That is what prayer is.
d. I notice before the Holy Spirit filled the first set of
believers, they locked themselves into the Upper Room
and prayed for seven solid days.
(1) 50 days between Passover and Pentecost
(2) 3 in the grave
(3) 40 days in appearances
(4) 7 in the Upper Room
3. We must consciously surrender to God.
a. Anything and everything He asks us to give up or to
do, we must readily give to Him.
b. Rebellion and stubbornness are bricks walls to being
filled with the Holy Spirit.
V. Any other council? Yes.
A. Be prepared to spend time before Him.
B. Be determined to see this through to the end before you start.
C. Be dependent upon Him. (If we don’t have to have Him, we
won’t be filled with Him.
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