“Yoked to the Holy Spirit”
Sermon Title: Yoked to the Holy Spirit
Scripture: Ephesians 5:18 ESV
Introduction
The book of Ephesians was written around 62 AD by Paul while he was in prison. This is of course beyond the last chapter of the book of Acts. Paul established the Corinthian church with Priscilla and Aquila (Acts 18) and they would arrive in Ephesus (Acts 18:19) where Paul would leave them to continue the ministry while he went ahead to other churches to strengthen them. At the beginning of Acts 19, Paul returns to Ephesus a year later to firmly establish the Ephesian church and he would spend the next 2.5 years preaching in Ephesus and through Asia Minor. This is also where Paul would run into trouble with an angry mob led by a silversmith named Demetrius who was unhappy because Paul was persuading people away from their pagan gods – Demetrius and many others made their profit from selling idols.
Ephesus was a portside city in the province of Asia Minor, which is modern day Turkey, and it was a center of transportation and commerce. It was also the location of the Temple of Artemis, which is one of the seven wonders of the world. This temple also served as a bank and so much of life in Ephesus revolved around this temple. Ephesus was also keen on magic, the occult, and pagan worship rituals of their pagan gods.
The first half of book of Ephesians is more theological, while the latter half is more practical. Ephesians can be summarized as “living the Christian life in a manner worthy of the calling by God to faith in Jesus Christ (Eph. 4:1).” This brings us to Ephesians 5:18 because we cannot live the true Christian life without being filled by the Spirit.
“And do not get drunk with wine…”
· Often misused by Christians who believe that drinking alcohol is a sin. To be clear, drinking itself is not a sin, however, drunkenness is a sin. There is much context underneath the surface reading of the text.
· Paul was addressing the pagan worship rituals of the Ephesians when he talks about drunkenness. Many of the pagan worship rituals of the pagan gods involved the excessive consumption of alcohol to become drunk and intoxicated. Many of these rituals involved wild music, crazed frenzied dancing, sexual orgies, eating foods sacrificed to idols and demons, and of course drunkenness and intoxication. Some believed that this allowed them to achieve divinity or some kind of divine consciousness and helped them to commune with their gods.
· Paul was stating that these pagan practices were not characteristic of the followers of Christ. Unlike Jews who had some foundation of living as God’s people, the Ephesians and other Gentiles did not. They had lived all their lives in pagan worship and indulging in sinful morally corrupt practices. Some may have been confused, while some may have been tempted into returning to the sensualities of their old ways.
· “and do not be drunk with wine, for that is debauchery…” A simple definition of debauchery is excessive indulgence in sensual pleasures. Other translations of this text say “do not be drunk for it leads to debauchery, or corruption. It is a descent into moral and spiritual corruption.
Other reasons why Paul may have used drunkenness in comparison to being filled with the Spirit
1. When drunk, we lose self-control and drunkenness takes control over you.
2. you lose your capacity for sound judgement, discernment and wisdom.
3. you leave yourself vulnerable and open to sin. Drinking may not be a sin, but it is an easy road that leads to sin. You may allow yourself to indulge your temptations, and sinful urges
4. you leave yourself open to physical and spiritual danger
What does it mean to be filled with the Spirit?
· Paul is NOT talking about salvation and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit for those who believe and follow Jesus Christ.
· It is NOT a bursting forth of supercharging of spiritual power, nor is it a spiritual high you experience after coming back from a revival worship.
· Being filled with the Spirit is a state of being that is constant and continuous in our everyday life. It is the constant and continuous awareness of the presence of the Holy Spirit in you life. It is like the wind filling the sails of a boat to move it forward. It is so natural that it is almost unremarkable. Being filled with the Spirit is supernatural in the most natural ways.
· Being filled with the Spirit will manifest at times in the simplest forms and ways. Simple does not mean small, weak, or insignificant. The greatest power of the Holy Spirit is to open the eyes of the spiritually blind and to convict sinners of their sins and bring them to repentance.
· Being filled with the Spirit is not the absence of sin in your life. It is the constant emptying of sin and being filled with the Spirit. Without the Spirit, we have no chance against our temptations, our sinful passions, and against Satan who wishes us to fall.
· Being filled with the Spirit is about allowing the Holy Spirit to work in your life through the Word of God to renew your mind and your heart every single day.
Why is Christian life and being filled with the Spirit so difficult?
Why does it seem like the Holy Spirit is powerless in my life? Why does life as a Christian and ministry become so burdensome, exhausting, and frustrating? Why does it feel like I’m not growing in my faith? Why does it seem like prayer and reading Scripture just isn’t working? Why do I feel defeated in my walk in faith? We find the answer in Matthew 11:28-30.
“Come to me, all who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
1. You are yoked to other things that fight for your love, loyalty, time, and attention over God.
2. You are yoked to Jesus, but you are trying to fight for control. You resist the guidance and power of the Holy Spirit to do things your way and by your strength and resources.
3. When you are yoked to other things other than Jesus alone, you are being pulled in multiple directions. Is it any wonder why life as a Christian is difficult and burdensome? In resisting the Holy Spirit, you forfeit the true rest and strength that God offers.
How is Jesus’ yoke easy and light?
· Being filled with the Spirit does not mean your life will be easy or that your problems will go away. You will be required to carry your cross. Jesus’ yoke is easy and light because Jesus is “gentle and lowly in heart (humble) (Matt. 11:29)”
· Because Jesus is gentle and humble, he will not force you to do anything you don’t want to do. God desires a mutual relationship of love, not a dictatorship. God will not exercise His lordship over you nor will He force you to submit and obey Him.
· 1 John 1:8 tells us that those who truly love God will never find His commandments a burden but a delight.
· Being filled with the Spirit means that the Lord will grow the fruits of the Spirit in your life – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and self-control – these are marks that characterize the Christian life. As the fruits grow, your burdens will become lighter and the forgiveness of Jesus will lay your burdens completely down at His feet.
How can we be filled with the Spirit?
1. live your life with the intentional mindset that you are in the
presence of God no matter where you are.
2. confess all known sins to the Lord
3. ask the Lord to reveal to you the sins you are ignorant of.
4. ask for a spirit of repentance that will continually convict you of sin in your life.
5. pursue a life of righteousness and holiness as God desires for His people
6. die to yourself and submit yourself to God’s will, and not wanting to control your life.
7. be dependant and reliant upon God in all aspects of your life.
8. make yourself available to God wherever He may be found.
Conclusion
Being filled with the Spirit means that we cut away the yokes around our neck and be solely yoked to Jesus alone. We can only find true rest and true freedom when we are yoked to the Holy Spirit because we will be free from ourselves and our sins to become the children of God the way God intended.
Cutting away the yokes in your life, even the yokes of our loved ones, does not mean we ignore and turn a blind eye to our loved ones. It is about cutting away our yokes, so that we may love the important things and important people in our lives the way God wants us to love and care for them! Being filled with the Spirit, being yoked to Christ alone, means that you become the best father, mother, brother, sister, friend, and neighbour the way God intended you to be – the way Jesus loved us.
May you experience the goodness of God and come to know how easy and light the yoke of Jesus is when you are yoked to Jesus and Jesus alone. May you be filled with the Spirit, so that you may live your life in a manner worthy of the one who died for your sins.
· What are the various commitments, distractions, or dependencies that may be pulling you away from a deeper relationship with God
· In what ways might you be yoked to other things in your life, and how could this be impacting your relationship with God and experiencing His presence and power in your life?