KJV Sermon Outlines

BE FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT

Ephesians 5:18.
What is the meaning and the conditions of being filled with the Holy Spirit?
The filling of the Holy Spirit is the source of all vital spiritual experience in life.
Every day can be a day of victory through the power of the Holy Spirit.
When you received Christ as Saviour, the Holy Spirit came to live in you.
The Holy Spirit makes it possible for every Christian to live a fulfilled, joyful life.

FACTS ABOUT THE HOLY SPIRIT.
The Holy Spirit is God. II Corinthians 3:17. “The Lord is that Spirit.”
The Holy Spirit is a person. Revelation 2:7. “Hear what the Spirit saith.” John 16:8.
The Holy Spirit gives us power to live the Christian life. Galatians 5:22,23.
The Holy Spirit gives us power to witness for Christ. Acts 1:8.
The Holy Spirit is more powerful than any other Spirit. I John 4:1-4.
The Holy Spirit is called “the Comforter.” John 16:7.
The Holy Spirit authored the Bible. II Peter 1:21.
The Holy Spirit holds back and limits Satan’s full power. II Thessalonians 2:7-14.
The Holy Spirit convicts people of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment. John 16:8-11.
The Holy Spirit builds local churches.
The Holy Spirit led, anointed, empowered and raised Jesus Christ. Romans 8:11.

The Holy Spirit has five ministries in believers’ lives:
1. He regenerates us. John 3:5, “Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit,..”.
2. He baptizes us. I Corinthians 12:13. “By one Spirit are we all baptized into one body.”
3. He indwells us. I Corinthians 3:16. “Know ye not that….the Spirit of God dwelleth in you.”
4. He seals us. II Corinthians 1:22. “sealed us, and given us the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.”
5. He fills us. Ephesians 5:18. “be filled with the Spirit.”

The Holy Spirit does these things in our lives:
1. Prays for us. Romans 8:26. “the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be”
2. Guides us. Romans 8:14. “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.”
3. Teaches us. I John 2:27. “the same anointing teacheth you of all things…”
4. Empowers us for soul winning. Acts 1:8. “Ye shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost is come..”
5. Imparts the love of Christ to us & through us. Romans 5:5 “love of God is shed abroad in our hearts”
6. Gives us liberty. II Corinthians 3:17. “where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty.”
7. Conforms us to the image of Christ. II Corinthians 3:18. “changed into the same image by the Spirit”
8. Strengthens our new nature. Ephesians 3:16. “strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man.”
9. Reveals Bible truths to us. I Corinthians 2:10. “God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit.”
10. Assures us of salvation and service. Romans 8:16. “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit..”
11. Fills our mouth with appropriate things. Mark 13:11. “it is not ye that speak, but the Holy Ghost.”
12. The Holy Spirit gives gifts to individual believers:

Seven temporary gifts that ceased by 96 AD:
1. Apostles. 2. Prophets 3. Miracles. 4. Healing 5. Tongues. 6. Knowledge. 7.Interpretation of tongues.

Eleven permanent gifts:
1. Wisdom. 2. Discerning of Spirits. 3. Giving 4. Exhortation. 5. Ministering. 6. Mercy.
7. Administration. 8. Faith. 9. Teaching. 10. Evangelism. 11. Pastor/Teacher.

13. The Holy Spirit gives us the fruit of:
1. Souls being saved: “Gather fruit unto life eternal”. John 4:35,36.
2. Christlikeness: “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance.” Galatians 5:22,23.

I. THREE TYPES OF PEOPLE.

1. UNSAVED person without Christ:
a) Jesus is outside his life.
b) Self is on the throne.
c) This person is under the judgment of God.

2. SPIRIT-FILLED Christian:
a) Jesus lives within this person.
b) Christ is on the throne, and Christ controls this person’s life.
c) This Christian now lives to serve Christ.

3. SELF-CENTRED Christian - Carnal (I Corinthians 3:1-3):
a) Jesus Christ is still his Saviour and is in his life.
b) Self is on the throne, controlling his life.
c) The Holy Spirit does not have full control of his life.

The self-centred Christian cares more about pleasing himself, than about pleasing God. He is like a baby who wants his own way.
Symptoms of the self-centred Christian are:
Often he:
- does not fully trust God. - has sinful thoughts.
- disobeys God’s Word. - has little interest in the Bible.
- has a poor prayer life. - does not help others come to Christ.

He may:
- feel guilty. - be discouraged.
- be jealous. - judge others harshly.
- worry. - be angry.
Question: Which kind of person are you like?

II. FILLING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT contrasted with spiritual maturity.
Christians are encouraged to “grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ”.
II Peter 3:18 This is gradual growth over time to spiritual maturity.
However, any Christian may be filled with the Holy Spirit by meeting the conditions.
A newborn believer may be filled with the Holy Spirit, but immature.
A mature believer may lack the fullness of the Holy Spirit.
Only Christians YIELDED TO GOD are filled with the Holy Spirit.
Here the Holy Spirit works in people in entire freedom from hindrance.
Filling of the Holy Spirit means that the Holy Spirit has more of us.
It does not mean that “we have more of the Holy Spirit”, because we get all of the Holy Spirit
at salvation.
Old Testament filling of the Holy Spirit was temporary for a special purpose.
New Testament filling of the Holy Spirit is the universal experience of all yielded believers.

III. THE COMMAND TO BE FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT.
“Be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit”. Ephesians 5:18.
“Be filled” is ‘plerousthe’ in the Greek language. It’s tense indicates a continuous
command to keep being filled with the Holy Spirit.
a) Filling of the Holy Spirit is a moment by moment relationship, that may be hindered
by sin.
b) Baptism of the Holy Spirit, in I Corinthians 12:13, is in the ‘aorist’ tense, meaning an
action which takes place once and for all.
Regeneration, indwelling, sealing, and baptism of the Holy Spirit are accomplished once
and for all at the time of salvation.

Filling (“PLEROO”) of the Holy Spirit is like:
1. Water filling a glass.
2 Wind filling a sail and therefore carrying a ship along. To be filled with the Holy Spirit is
to be moved along in our Christian life by God Himself, as writers of the Bible were
“moved along by the Holy Spirit”.
3. Salt permeating meat to flavour and preserve it. God wants the Holy Spirit to permeate
our lives so that all we say, think and do reflects God’s presence.
4. Total control. For example, a person filled with sorrow (John 16:6) is no longer under
his control, but is totally under the control of sorrow.
The same is true for one who is filled with fear (Luke 6:11), filled with faith (Acts 6:5) or
Satan (Acts 5:3). He is no longer under his own control, but is under the total control of
that which dominates him. Being filled with the Holy Spirit detaches us from the desires,
standards, aims and fears of the world.
Being filled with the Holy Spirit makes all else that is NOT God’s will of secondary
importance.


IV. HOW TO BE FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT.
If you want God’s Spirit to direct your life and give you power to live:
1. You must WANT the Holy Spirit to fill you.
“Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness.” Matthew 5:6.

2. CONFESS YOUR SINS. Agree with God that you have sinned. Thank God for forgiving
you because of Christ’s death for you. Turn away from your sins and choose to obey God. I
John 1:9.

3. GIVE THE THRONE of your LIFE to JESUS CHRIST.
“Yield yourselves to God.” Romans 6:13.
To live the Spirit filled life, you must be willing to let Jesus Christ control everything you do,
e.g. your money, free time, work and relationships with family and friends.

4. We are filled with the Holy Spirit by FAITH as we ASK FOR IT IN PRAYER.
Tell God now: “Lord Jesus, I have been controlling my life.
I agree with you that this is sin.
Please take control of my life, as I yield to you.
I want to obey you. Thank you for forgiving me.
I now trust you to fill me with your Holy Spirit.
Thank you for filling me as you promised.”

5. STAY FILLED. Every time you take control of your life through sin, disobeying God in
thought, word or action, breathe spiritually:
EXHALE- Confess your sin (I John 1:9). Thank God for forgiveness. Turn from the sin.
INHALE- Ask Jesus Christ to again take the throne of your life (Yield- Romans 6:13).
Trust the Holy Spirit to fill you again. Remember the command of Ephesians 5:18,& the
promise of I John 5:14,15
Note: Breathe spiritually every time the Holy Spirit shows you sin and you will have a joyful
and victorious life that honours God. Let the Holy Spirit keep controlling your life.

6. FILL OURSELVES WITH GOD’S WORD.
“Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly.” Colossians 3:16.
God’s thoughts then become our thoughts. Ephesians 5:18,19.

7. QUENCH NOT the SPIRIT. I Thessalonians 5:19.
Don’t suppress, stifle, resist or oppose the Holy Spirit’s will.
Don’t say “No” to the Holy Spirit.
When the Holy Spirit leads us to do something, don’t pour water on (i.e. quench) the Holy
Spirit. Be yielded to the will of God as the rule of our life. Quench means refusal to follow
the evident leading of the Holy Spirit.
Yieldedness to the Holy Spirit includes:
a) Submission to the plain teaching of the Word of God.
b) Obedience to the guidance of the Holy Spirit, e.g. soul-winning, Bible reading, prayer.
c) Acceptance by faith of the acts of God, e.g. suffering. Luke 22:42.

8. GRIEVE NOT the SPIRIT. Ephesians 4:30.
The presence of sin in any form grieves the Holy Spirit and involves:
Quenching the Holy Spirit -refusing to follow the Holy Spirit’s leading; resisting the Holy
Spirit’s will
Loss of fellowship with God.
Loss of fruit of the Spirit.
Spiritual darkness then descends on the person.
The Christian is given time for self-judgment and confession of sin. If we neglect this
opportunity and persist in sin, God intervenes and chastens the Christian by trials.

9. WALK IN THE SPIRIT, and ye shall not fulfill the lusts of the flesh. Galatians 5:16.
This means to walk daily by the power and presence of the Holy Spirit, who dwells within
and involves:
1. Reckon ourselves dead to the sin nature.
Christ’s death not only atones for the guilt of sin, but Christ’s death also has power to
deliver us from the bondage of sin. HOW?
- As we know our old man died with Christ (Romans 6:6).
- As we reckon ourselves dead to sin’s habit pattern left from the old man, and
reckon ourselves alive to Christ (Romans 6:11).
- As we yield ourselves to God, as those that are alive from the dead (living in
resurrection power), and yield our members as instruments of righteousness unto God
(Romans 6:13).
2. Love each other as Christ loves us. John 13:34.
3. Every thought must be brought to the obedience of Christ. II Corinthians 10:5.
4. We must be longsuffering towards all. I Thessalonians 5:14.
5. Always follow that which is good. I Thessalonians 5:14,15.
6. Comfort and edify each other. I Thessalonians 5:11.
7. Know them (appreciate and respect Pastors) who work to the point of weariness... and
be esteeming them most highly with a divine and self-sacrifical love because of their
work. I Thessalonians 5:12,13.
8. Be at peace among yourselves. 5:13.
9. Warn them that are unruly (i.e. soldiers who desert). 5:14.
10. Don’t render evil for evil to any man, but always follow good. 5:15.
11. Rejoice evermore. 5:16.
12. Pray without ceasing. 5:17.
13. In everything give thanks. 5:18.
14. Quench not the Spirit, i.e. stop stifling and suppressing the Spirit. 5:19.
15. Despise not prophesyings, i.e. don’t get restless during preaching. 5:20.
16. Prove (test) all things. 5:21.
17. Hold fast that which is good. 5:21.
18. Abstain from all appearance of evil. 5:22.
19. Pray for us, and each other. 5:25.
20. Greet all the brethren. 5:26.

V. RESULTS OF BEING FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT.
As you continue growing in Jesus Christ, God will continue to change your life.
As you let the Holy Spirit lead and control your life every day:
1. Your life will show the fruit of the Spirit more and more. Galatians 5:22,23.
2. Your prayers will be more effective. James 5:16.
3. Your understanding of the Bible will increase. II Timothy 3:16,17.
The teaching of the Holy Spirit warns us against error.
4. You will have greater power to witness. Acts 1:8.
5. You will have God’s power to defeat temptation and sin, and to live a life of victory. I
Cor. 10:13.
6. You will be guided to apply Bible truths to life’s problems. You’ll have less self-inflicted
trouble.
7. You will worship God in praise and thanksgiving, which is the fruit of a life lived in
fellowship with God.

CONCLUSION:
A Christian can only live a Spirit-filled life by faith.
Are you filled with the Holy Spirit?

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