Text: Eph. 5:18
The filling of the Spirit is essential to spiritual growth and ministry. It is the condition for the fullness of the Spirit’s ministry in
the believer’s life.  The believer who is filled with the Spirit and walks in the Spirit does not fulfill the lust of the flesh, Gal. 5:
This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.  The key to spiritual growth, a fruitful ministry,
and to victorious Christians living is being filled with the Holy Spirit.
I.  What does it mean to be filled with the Spirit?  Negatively it is not…
    A. It’s not Christian maturity.
        1. Growth in grace and in knowledge involves a process of time, study and application of God’s Word.
        2. The immature, just saved believer may be filled with the Spirit, and is so commanded, Eph. 5:18
            a. Being filled with the Spirit is the experience each new convert so  fondly remembers as the glorious feeling that
                followed his surrender to Christ.
    B. It’s not a receiving more of the Holy Spirit.
        1. When the believer was saved, indwelt and sealed by the Holy Spirit he   received the very Person of the Holy Spirit
            as permanent resident in his spirit.
    C. It’s not a once for all experience.
        1. In Acts 2:4 the believers were filled with the Spirit.
        2. Later Peter is said to be filled. Acts 4:8
        3. Then later they were all filled anew, Acts 4:31
            a. Here the filling enabled the believers to be even bolder witnesses in answer to their prayer.
    D. It’s not an experience the believer must wait or tarry for.
        1. The baptism of the Holy Spirit was a once for all occurrence at a set time, and the disciples were specifically
            instructed to wait for it.
        2. The Spirit is ever ready and waiting to fill the life of the believer at the   first moment He is allowed to do so.
    E. It is not a second blessing.
II.  Positively, the filing of the Holy Spirit is the Spirit’s possession and control of the life and being of a believer
who willingly yields himself to do God’s will.
    A. The Holy Spirit’s filling, possession, and control of the believer NEVER   overrides the believers willingness and active
        cooperation.
    B. The filling of the Spirit is a moment by moment relationship which may be hindered by sin.
    C. When a believer is dominated by the desire and willingness to do God’s will the Holy Spirit is free to fill, possess and
        direct his actions and life.
    D. The thought is not that the believer receives more of the Holy Spirit, but that the Holy Spirit has full possession of the
        believer.
    E. There are at least 9 references to the Spirit’s filling in the New Testament:
        1. Prophecy of John the Baptist Lk. 1:15, 41,
        2. Zecharias was filled with The Spirit Lk. 1:67;
        3. The Jerusalem church  on the day of pentecost was filled with the Spirit,  Acts 2:4.
        4. Peter was filled with the Spirit, 4:8.
        5. The church again filled with Spirit, Acts 4:31.
        6. Stephen was filled with the Spirit, Acts 7:55.
        7. Barnabas was full of the Spirit, Acts  11:24.
        8. Paul was filled with the Spirit,  Acts  13:9.
        9. The disciples were filled with the Spirit, Acts  13:52,  Eph. 5:18
            a. In each case the Holy Spirit is ministering to and through the individuals without hindrance.
    F. The command in Eph. 5:18 is “keep being filled with the Spirit.”
III.  There are three commands to the believer which embrace all that is required to be filled with the Spirit.
    A. I Thess. 5:19 “Quench not the Spirit.”  The word “quench”  here has the meaning of suppressing, resisting or being
        unyielding to His leadership.
        1. This embraces the sins of omission; not doing what He teaches, leads and urges us to do.
        2. The Holy Spirit will teach, convict and urge the believer to confess and forsake his sins.
        3. One cannot be filled with pride, worry, selfishness, prejudices or worldliness and the Holy Spirit both.
        4. To be filled with the Spirit involves the believer’s guarding of his heart and mind against mental attitude sins such as
            pride, worry, selfishness, prejudices and worldliness.
            a. These things cause us not to do what the Holy Spirit wants us to do. (this is quenching the Spirit; sins of omission)
        5. To be filled with the Spirit is choosing God’s will as the rule of one’s life.
    B. The second command which must be observed to become a Spirit filled believer  is, “Grieve not the Holy Spirit of
        God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption” Eph. 4:30
        1. That which grieves the Spirit is the believer’s known sin, (sins of commission.)
        2. When the Spirit of God is grieved the child of God who is guilty of causing it generally knows something is wrong.
            a. He has lost fellowship with God.
            b. He has lost the fruit of the Spirit in his life.
            c. And the filling of the Spirit
        3. The Scriptures teach the believer to deal with his sin and warn that if he doesn’t do so his Heavenly Father will.
            I Cor. 11:31-32
        4. The sinning believer must seek out his sins that grieves the Spirit and confess and forsake them. I John 1:5-2:2;
            Prov. 28:13
        5. When one is offended by a brother or has offended a brother,  reconciliation must be sought, else the Holy Spirit will
            be quenched and grieved further.  Matt. 5:23-24;  18:15-17;  I John 4:20
    C. The third command which the Spirit filled believer must observe is the positive.  Gal. 5:16 “Walk in the Spirit and ye
        shall not walk in the flesh.”