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Be Filled with the Spirit · Stornoway Free Church of Scotland - Sermons

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With me please to Ephesians chapter 5 and to verse 18 this evening.
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Ephesians 5 and at verse 18.
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And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit.
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Be filled with the Spirit.
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Now surely friends, this tonight is our greatest need as Christians.
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It's the Church's greatest need, it's our individual need as well.
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And for ourselves, for the congregation, for every aspect of the work that we are engaged in,
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for the preaching of the Gospel, for our outreach, our evangelism,
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for the work with young folks, for the work with older folks,
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it doesn't matter what aspect we think about, but this is the greatest need we have,
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that we be filled with the Spirit of God.
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Every single thing that Paul is actually setting out for the Ephesians,
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that they are to be as Christians, that they are to be in relation to each other,
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in order to love each other, to be in the right relation to each other,
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to look after each other and so on.
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Everything they are to be in relation to the world around them,
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as the world looks in upon them and sees them as the people of God.
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Every single aspect of that, every single avenue of that,
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is to be met by being filled with the Spirit of God.
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We have to have everything in place for sure.
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We need to have all the mechanisms, if you like,
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in place in order to function as individuals or as a congregation.
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We need to have our strategy, our planning.
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We need to have our buildings.
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We need to have our various meetings.
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We need to have the structures that we have in the congregation.
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We need to have all of these things and more in place.
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But we can have all of these in place and still lack this.
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Because this really takes priority and precedence over anything else.
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Without being filled with the Spirit, without being moved inwardly by the Spirit of God,
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none of these other things in themselves will produce the results that we long for.
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And we long for more conversions.
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We long for more enthusiasm in ourselves, myself included, very much.
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We long for a lessening of the apathy that's obvious when people don't find it in their hearts to come to church,
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to come to prayer meetings.
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And I'm talking here about people who are of the church,
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people who themselves maybe at times are professing Christians.
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Paul is actually writing these terms to Christians,
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to people who know the Lord.
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And yet it is to them that he's saying,
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don't be drunk with wine, which is debauchery,
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but be filled with the Spirit.
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Be filled with the Spirit.
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I was watching an episode of,
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the other night of Captain Mannering and his soldiers in Dad's army.
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And it's not at all to introduce anything that's funny,
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but it so happened that he had said he was going to be away for the day.
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And in fact, he came back early.
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And instead of being on parade,
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the platoon had actually gone down to the pub to play darts with the wardens.
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With the aeroate wardens.
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So when he came back, of course there was no sign of him,
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but a couple of them.
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So he asked where they were and he was told.
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And of course he just became enraged.
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What on earth were they doing in the pub instead of being on parade?
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And off he went to try and take them back.
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And of course they refused initially to come back.
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But he sat down and Sergeant Wilson on the other side of the table
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in one of the aspects of the scene.
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And he said to Sergeant Wilson,
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I don't understand it.
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I cannot understand why these men don't love to be on parade.
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When I'm actually at my tea and my dinner,
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when I come home from work and I sit down at the table
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and I think of getting dressed with my uniform
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and marching down the road to the hall where the parade is to be placed,
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I feel a sense of excitement moving up inside me.
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Of course, Wilson didn't think too much of that
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because I suppose the reason they weren't too keen on the parade
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was that it was led by the pompous Captain Mangering.
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But the point is this.
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What he said about himself is so applicable to ourselves as Christians.
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When did I last myself feel a rising sense of excitement
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at the thought of preaching the gospel,
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at the thought of going to visit people in their need?
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Did you feel a sense of rising excitement tonight
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in order to come to the prayer meeting?
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A sense of really being led into the thought
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that would thrill your heart to meet with God in this building?
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I know these things are hugely challenging,
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but that's why they're in the Bible.
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And we're living in times when people find it so easy
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not to actually follow out the path that God has given us
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in order to become robust and glowing Christians.
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I'm not finding fault with anyone here tonight at all.
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I'm speaking to myself as much as to anyone else
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and to you at home as well as you take part in the service.
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Well, this is our greatest need, friends.
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It doesn't matter how much we've been on the road already.
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It doesn't matter how experienced we may be
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either in preaching or in witnessing to Christ.
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But here is God saying to us tonight,
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do not get drunk with wine for that is debauchery,
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but be filled with the Spirit.
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What does he mean?
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Why is he saying this?
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And if we're convinced of this,
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are we attending to all that's involved in it?
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If we're convinced that this is our greatest need,
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and really it shouldn't take us long to reach that conclusion,
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because the Bible makes it clear to us
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that it is the Spirit alone that quickens.
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It's the Spirit alone that changes people.
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It's the Spirit alone that brings life and vigor
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to the people of God themselves.
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And we should, of course, notice here
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that what Paul is saying is something that needs to go on
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as our Christian life develops.
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He's not saying,
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be filled with the Spirit today,
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and that'll just last you.
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No, he's saying,
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be filled with the Spirit.
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This is a continuing thing.
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This is something they need to look for every day,
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something they need to actually seek
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from God every day.
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So, if we look at verse 18,
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that should feed into our prayers
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for ourselves,
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for the cause of God,
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for the congregation,
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for the unconverted,
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for the young folks,
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for the community around us,
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for those in authority.
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It doesn't matter where it is,
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but if we are filled with the Spirit,
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all will be encompassed
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within what we're seeking from God.
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And so there are two things
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that the verse actually contains for us.
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There are other things as well,
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but we'll confine it to two things.
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First of all,
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Paul is bringing the Ephesians
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a reminder of a great change.
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A reminder of a great change.
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Why did Paul include this reference
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to being drunk with wine?
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What's it doing in the text?
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Is it not a little bit strange
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that he would speak of such a thing
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and then side by side with that
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put being filled with the Spirit?
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Why is Paul actually referring at all
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to being drunk with wine
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and then placing that
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alongside a reference for the need
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for us to be filled with the Spirit?
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Well, as we say,
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it's a reminder of a great change
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because it's reminding the Ephesians,
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I think, from this,
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that the great change
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that has taken place in their lives
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when the Lord took them out
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of their previous habits
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and lifestyle involved
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bringing them to be freed from
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and saved from the debauchery,
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including drunken orgies
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that they were actually involved with.
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It was the cult of the idol Dionysus
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was something that people of Ephesus
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and the Greek world of the time
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gave a lot of time to.
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And Dionysus was the god of wine.
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And to follow Dionysus
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or to worship, as it were, Dionysus
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involved being involved in drunken orgies.
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That's why the reference to wine
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is so relevant
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and why you're saying to them,
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that's what you've left behind.
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That's what you've been rescued from.
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That's what God now wants you
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to actually put behind you.
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It's a great contrast
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with the life that they had.
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And it's not just a contrast,
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but it's a total contrast.
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And you can see how he picks that up
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in chapter 4
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at verse 20 there
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where he's talking about
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how different they are now
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to the way the Gentiles walked
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in the futility and darkness
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of their mind.
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They've become callous.
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They've given themselves up to sensuality.
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And of course,
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that's what the Ephesians were.
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But that is not the way
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you learned Christ,
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assuming that you have heard about him
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and were taught in him
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as the truth is in Jesus.
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And in chapter 2,
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verses 1 to 5,
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of course, he brings out
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how they once were,
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the children of wrath,
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just as others,
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following the prince
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of the power of the air,
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following the way
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of the course of this world.
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But God, being rich in mercy
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because of the great love
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with which he loved us,
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even when we were dead
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in our trespasses,
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made us alive together with Christ.
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All the way through here
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in the epistle,
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you find a reminder given,
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and this verse 2 in chapter 5
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is a reminder
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that this was what once characterized
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their lives,
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this kind of lifestyle
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was what they lived for
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and lived in.
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Now Paul is reminding them
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that is no longer the case.
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Be no longer drunk with wine.
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You're no longer following
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Dionysus
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or any other idol
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in the ways of the world.
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And in fact,
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that's something that the apostles,
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Peter included,
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set before the people
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in their preaching,
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in their epistles as well.
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You remember Peter
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in 1 Peter chapter 4.
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Again, similar to Paul here,
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just to show that this was common
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to the preaching of the apostles
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for the time in which they lived,
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for the church of the time,
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just as it must be for ourselves.
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He says here,
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1 Peter 4 verses 3 to 4,
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the time that is past
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is sufficient for doing
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what the Gentiles want to do,
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living in sensuality,
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passions,
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drunkenness,
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orgies,
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drinking parties,
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lawless idolatry.
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With respect to this,
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they are surprised
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when you do not join them
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in the same flood of debauchery
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and they malign you.
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They speak shamefully of you.
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So it's a reminder
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of a great change.
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And whenever we think of ourselves,
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our conversion is a great change.
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It's a reminder
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of what God has done
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to bring us into
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a living relationship
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with himself.
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But the second thing
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I want to emphasize more
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or deal with more fully,
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not only is it a reminder
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of a great change,
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it's also an illustration
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of a spirit-filled life.
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The way that he puts things
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in this verse
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is an illustration
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of a spirit-filled life.
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It's interesting the words
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that Paul actually uses here,
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especially the word drunk
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and the word debauchery.
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Do not be drunk with wine.
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The word drunk literally,
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in that usage of it,
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has the idea of being soaked
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in the treatment of skins,
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for example,
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animal skins.
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In those days,
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in order to stretch them out
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and make them supple,
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they used to soak them
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for a while.
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Then they could actually
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handle them more.
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So the soaking,
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or something that's soaked
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into the skin
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in the liquid
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that it was soaked in.
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And so there's that idea
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of being soaked.
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But this word debauchery,
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don't be soaked with wine,
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don't be drunk with wine.
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The word debauchery
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is probably not the best
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translation here in the ESV.
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The authorized version,
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you recall,
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maybe has the word excess.
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Don't be drunk with wine,
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wherein is excess.
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And there's an interesting way
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in which we can follow that word
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in the way it's used in Scripture.
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For example,
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in Luke's Gospel,
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chapter 15,
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you find the account
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of the prodigal son.
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And the prodigal son,
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in verse 13,
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we're told that he'd left home,
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he took the goods
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that were falling to him,
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and then he wasted his life
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in this debauchery.
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He wasted his life
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just flittered it away
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recklessly.
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And reckless living,
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I think is how the ESV puts it.
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He wasted his life.
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And nobody,
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when he went away,
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took his journey
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into a far country,
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he squandered his property
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in reckless living.
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That's the idea behind this word
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in Ephesians as well.
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It's reckless.
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It's a squandering.
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It's a wastage.
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It's the opposite of saving something.
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It's just being reckless
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in giving it away
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and spending it
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unwisely and foolishly.
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And so you could say,
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this is really
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what Paul means
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in verse 18.
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Don't be soaked with wine,
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for that is just sheer wastage.
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But be filled with the Spirit.
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The opposite
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to being soaked or drunk
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with wine.
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What are the implications of that?
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What are the implications
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of that for ourselves?
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Now, nothing of what I'm saying at all
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is indicative
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of lack of sympathy
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for those
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who have problems
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with alcohol
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or with drug addiction.
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Our heart goes out
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to these people.
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Davy here
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shares with us
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from time to time
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the challenges
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of working with that.
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And we pray for them
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as we pray for him.
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Our heart goes out
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and it's nothing to do
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with a lack of sympathy.
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But the Bible, nevertheless,
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is clear
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that this is something
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that is very wrong
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in human life.
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And they need
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all the help they can,
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but the Bible brings
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the spiritual dimension
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to it
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as well as
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the physical or mental.
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And the three things
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that follow on
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from what we said already
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from the words
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that Paul used
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as an illustration
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of the Christian life,
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as an illustration
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of the Spirit-filled life,
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there are three things
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that we can focus on.
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First of all,
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self-control,
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a word that Paul uses
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elsewhere
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in his epistles frequently.
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Secondly,
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stewardship,
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looking after things,
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looking after oneself.
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And thirdly,
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stimulation.
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And these three things
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come into
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the contrast,
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if you like,
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and the comparison
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that Paul is making
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between being drunk
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with wine
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and being filled
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with the Spirit.
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There is a comparison
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as well as a contrast,
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though most of it
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is to do with contrast.
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Firstly,
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self-control.
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Now you remember
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the list that we have
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in Galatians chapter 5,
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which Paul refers to
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as the fruit
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of the Spirit.
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Galatians chapter 5
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and verse 23.
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The works of the flesh,
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he says before that,
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are evident.
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Sexual immorality,
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impurity,
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sensuality,
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and so on,
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he gives us that list.
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Drunkenness is one of them,
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orgies,
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and these things,
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like these.
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But the fruit of the Spirit
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is love,
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joy,
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peace,
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patience,
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kindness,
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goodness,
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gentleness,
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self-control.
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That's one of the lists
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of the fruit of the Spirit,
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of the elements
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that make up
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the total fruit
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of the Spirit
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in that passage.
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And that self-control
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is exactly the same thing
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you find Paul saying
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to Timothy as well,
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where he's giving him
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advice as he's going
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to carry on
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with the work
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of the Gospel
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when Paul has gone
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from the scene of time.
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2 Timothy chapter 1,
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verse 7,
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this is what he says.
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For this reason,
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he says,
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I remind you
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to fan into flame
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the gift of God
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which is in you
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through the laying on
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of my hands.
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For God gave us
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a spirit not of fear,
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but of power
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and love
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and self-control.
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Power and love
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and self-control.
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This is the contrast.
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Be not drunk with wine
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which is wastage,
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which is debauchery,
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but be filled
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with a spirit.
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When a person is drunk,
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when a person is under
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the influence
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of alcohol,
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whether it's wine
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or spirits
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or drugs
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have a similar
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kind of effect,
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I'm sure,
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but when a person
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is drinking
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under the influence
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of excessive drink,
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I mean,
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one of the things
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that's obvious
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from that
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is a lack of control.
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Because the more
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a person gets drunk,
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the less control
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that person has.
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They lose control
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of the mind,
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lose control
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of the body
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or certain functions
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of the body.
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Control of movement,
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control of moods,
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control of emotions.
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All of that
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are affected
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so drastically,
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all of these
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by being drunk
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by the effect
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of excessive alcohol.
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Sadly,
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of course,
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as you well know,
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many people
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lose their lives
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through excess
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use of alcohol,
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not just on themselves,
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but in road accidents.
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We hear of that
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every day.
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The devastating effects
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of excessive drinking.
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But,
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here is Paul saying,
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instead of
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that kind of lifestyle,
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and it's not just
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actually being drunk,
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it's the kind of thing
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where you lose control,
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whatever reason it is,
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instead of being
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filled with the Spirit.
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Don't be drunk,
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don't be,
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don't lose your self-control,
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instead be filled
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with the Spirit.
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Be under the order
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that the Spirit
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brings into your life.
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Be under the control
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that the Spirit brings
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as the Spirit
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comes into your life.
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Be under the direction
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of the Spirit.
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Be under the power
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of the Spirit
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to take you away
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from the things
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that otherwise
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you would be led by
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and led into.
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So,
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that's the first thing,
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the self-control element
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of being filled
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with the Spirit.
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The second thing
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is stewardship.
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Again,
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go back in your mind
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to the prodigal son
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in Luke chapter 15,
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and where it says
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that he squandered
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his living,
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squandered his property
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recklessly.
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The same word
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as we see here
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in Ephesians 5.18.
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Now,
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that's another thing
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that makes
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a big difference
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between the person
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that is addicted
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to alcohol,
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especially regularly
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loses control,
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but also comes
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to have so much wastage.
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One of the really
20:22
sad things
20:24
about the grip
20:27
of alcohol
20:28
or drugs
20:29
is the sheer wastage
20:31
that's involved
20:31
in that person's life
20:33
and in the life
20:34
of their family as well,
20:36
a waste of energy
20:37
and a waste of time
20:38
and a waste of money
20:40
and a waste of opportunities
20:41
and a waste of relationships
20:43
and all of that stuff
20:44
comes into it.
20:46
But here is Paul
20:47
drawing the contrast
20:48
as well as making
20:49
the comparison.
20:50
Don't be
20:51
drunk with wine.
20:53
Don't be under
20:54
the control
20:55
or influence
20:56
of alcohol.
20:57
Instead,
20:57
be controlled
20:58
by the Spirit
20:58
and be under
20:59
the stewardship
21:00
of the Spirit
21:01
because the wastage
21:03
and the opposite
21:04
of the wastage
21:05
that you have
21:05
in being drunk,
21:07
the opposite of that
21:08
is a life
21:09
which saves,
21:11
which cares for things
21:12
and cares for people.
21:15
You look after
21:16
what you gain
21:17
when you come
21:18
to know Christ,
21:19
what Jesus gives you
21:21
to enjoy,
21:22
what Jesus gives you
21:23
to share out.
21:24
You don't waste it.
21:25
You don't set about it
21:26
carelessly.
21:28
You look at it
21:29
in such a way
21:29
as saying,
21:30
this is the most precious
21:31
thing that I've got.
21:32
I've got to look
21:33
after this.
21:34
I've got to look
21:34
after myself.
21:35
I've got to look
21:35
after my well-being.
21:37
I've got to look
21:37
after my mind.
21:38
I've got to look
21:38
after my fellow
21:40
human beings,
21:41
my family.
21:42
Everything's to do
21:42
with saving,
21:43
with looking after,
21:44
with conserving,
21:46
not with wastage.
21:48
That's the Christian
21:49
for you.
21:49
That's the difference
21:51
between the Christian
21:52
and the person
21:53
that is just
21:54
the sheer worldly person.
21:56
Don't,
21:57
on the one hand,
21:58
be this,
21:58
on the other hand,
21:59
but be filled
22:00
with the Spirit.
22:02
How do we live
22:03
a self-controlled life?
22:06
Well,
22:06
not by our own ability.
22:08
It's not something
22:08
that we manufacture.
22:10
It's something
22:11
that comes from
22:12
being filled
22:13
with the Spirit.
22:14
How do we actually
22:15
have the stewardship
22:16
that looks after
22:17
ourselves and other
22:18
things properly,
22:19
that looks after
22:20
the life that God
22:21
has placed in us
22:23
in his salvation
22:24
by the Holy Spirit?
22:26
It's by being filled
22:27
with the Spirit.
22:29
in 2 Peter,
22:31
again,
22:32
we have something
22:34
that's very close
22:34
to that,
22:35
2 Peter 1,
22:37
verses 5-8.
22:40
You find
22:41
the apostle there
22:42
saying,
22:43
for this very reason,
22:46
make every effort
22:47
to supplement
22:47
your faith
22:48
or to add
22:49
to your faith
22:49
virtue,
22:51
virtue with knowledge,
22:52
knowledge with
22:53
self-control.
22:54
There it is again,
22:55
self-control
22:56
with steadfastness,
22:57
steadfastness
22:58
with godliness,
23:00
godliness
23:00
with brotherly affection,
23:02
brotherly affection
23:03
with love.
23:04
For if these qualities
23:05
are huge and increasing,
23:07
they keep you
23:07
from being ineffective
23:08
or unfruitful
23:09
in the knowledge
23:10
of our Lord Jesus Christ.
23:12
What is Peter saying?
23:13
Peter is saying
23:14
the Christian life
23:14
is about additions,
23:16
not subtraction.
23:17
It's about keeping,
23:18
it's about conserving,
23:19
it's about making sure
23:20
you look after
23:21
what God has given you,
23:22
whether it's
23:22
the working of your faith,
23:24
your prayer life,
23:25
your reading of the Bible,
23:26
your relationship
23:27
with others,
23:28
your attendance
23:28
at church,
23:29
all of the things
23:30
that he has given you,
23:31
you add to them
23:32
and you keep on
23:34
seeking that they
23:35
be increased for you.
23:38
Why?
23:39
So that you will not
23:39
be unfruitful
23:40
in the knowledge
23:42
of God.
23:44
That's a huge challenge
23:45
to myself,
23:46
to yourselves
23:47
tonight,
23:48
isn't it?
23:49
But this is the way
23:50
that the Bible argues,
23:52
the Bible reasons
23:53
with us,
23:54
the way that Paul
23:54
is here setting out
23:55
a life of growth
23:58
rather than wastage,
24:00
a life of conserving
24:01
and looking after
24:02
rather than just
24:03
spreading things out
24:05
wastefully.
24:07
So there's self-control,
24:10
there's secondly,
24:11
stewardship,
24:13
and thirdly,
24:14
there's stimulation.
24:18
If you think about
24:19
alcohol abuse,
24:22
and again,
24:22
I'm going to stress
24:23
that we're actually
24:25
very mindful
24:27
of those who have
24:27
problems with alcohol.
24:30
We don't want to
24:30
in any way
24:31
speak in such a way
24:33
that would
24:34
give the impression
24:35
that somehow
24:36
we're just there
24:37
to criticize
24:37
and to condemn.
24:39
It's not what
24:40
we're about.
24:41
But
24:42
you know very well
24:43
that alcohol
24:44
is not a stimulant.
24:47
Some people make
24:48
a mistake about this.
24:49
they think,
24:50
if I want a good time,
24:52
I'm going to have
24:52
to grab myself
24:53
plenty of alcohol
24:54
for Friday night
24:55
or for Saturday
24:56
or whenever it is.
24:58
And of course,
24:58
that's what the
24:59
glossy adverts
25:00
actually set out
25:01
for you.
25:03
The glossy adverts
25:03
don't take you
25:04
behind the scenes
25:05
to the many people
25:07
that have problems
25:08
of addiction.
25:10
Yes,
25:10
there's a little
25:10
warning perhaps
25:11
somewhere in the advert
25:13
or on the bottle
25:13
or on the pack,
25:15
but mostly
25:16
they're very small
25:18
compared to the
25:19
glossy,
25:20
wonderful
25:21
atmosphere
25:24
or environment
25:25
that's projected
25:26
in the adversity.
25:28
Have a good time.
25:30
Go down to the beach.
25:30
Take plenty of booze
25:31
with you.
25:32
Take your pals.
25:33
Live it up.
25:34
That's your stimulant.
25:36
It's not a stimulant at all.
25:37
Alcohol
25:37
is a depressant.
25:40
It gets to the points
25:42
of your mind
25:43
that are most important
25:44
and instead of stimulation
25:46
it's depression.
25:49
It comes to actually
25:50
affect them
25:51
in such a way
25:52
that they don't function
25:53
the way they should.
25:55
And so what Paul
25:56
is saying is
25:56
instead of that
25:58
here is something
25:59
that stimulates
26:00
the filling
26:01
of the spirit
26:02
the opposite
26:03
of the effects
26:04
of being drunk
26:05
the effects
26:06
of alcohol
26:07
excessively
26:07
it's
26:09
the spirit
26:11
of God
26:12
stimulates.
26:13
What is it
26:14
that lifts
26:15
our hearts?
26:16
What is it
26:16
that lifts
26:17
our mind?
26:18
What is it
26:19
that brings us
26:20
to think positively
26:21
of such things
26:22
as the children's
26:23
education
26:24
their well-being
26:25
their safety
26:26
all of those things?
26:28
Where do we really
26:28
find our hearts
26:30
being lifted up
26:31
to consider
26:32
these things
26:33
in the magnitude
26:34
that we should?
26:35
It's from the
26:35
filling of the spirit.
26:38
You see that
26:39
for example
26:40
when
26:41
the reformation
26:42
took place
26:43
in Scotland
26:43
under the
26:45
leadership of
26:45
Knox
26:46
and his
26:46
companions
26:47
one of the
26:48
things they
26:48
set about
26:49
doing
26:50
with conviction
26:51
was to have
26:53
a school
26:54
in every parish
26:55
in the kingdom.
26:57
They were people
26:58
under the direction
26:59
of the spirit.
27:01
They were filled
27:01
with the spirit.
27:02
They were seeking
27:03
that the spirit
27:04
as he guided them
27:05
would actually
27:05
bring about
27:06
what they were
27:06
praying for.
27:07
And one of the
27:07
things they were
27:08
praying for
27:08
and seeking
27:09
practically to bring
27:10
about was a
27:11
school in every
27:12
parish.
27:12
Why?
27:13
So that the
27:14
children of the
27:15
land could be
27:15
educated.
27:17
Not just in the
27:17
things of the
27:18
Bible though that
27:19
was centrally
27:19
important but in
27:21
other aspects of
27:22
education.
27:25
Isn't that really
27:25
where our
27:26
education system
27:28
came from?
27:29
It didn't come
27:30
from atheism.
27:32
It didn't come
27:33
from debauchery.
27:33
It didn't come
27:34
from any of the
27:35
things that you
27:36
find so much
27:37
commended
27:38
nowadays.
27:39
It came from
27:40
Christians.
27:41
It came from
27:41
the people of
27:42
God.
27:43
It came from
27:43
the movement
27:44
of the spirit.
27:45
It came from
27:45
the spirit
27:46
coming to
27:46
fill people,
27:48
to bring the
27:48
conviction,
27:49
to bring the
27:49
concern,
27:50
to bring the
27:51
energy by which
27:52
they set about
27:53
these things.
27:54
Whether it was
27:54
medical care,
27:56
hospitals,
27:57
or education,
27:58
all of these
27:58
things,
27:59
ultimately,
27:59
they came from
28:00
this.
28:05
And you can
28:06
include the
28:07
joy of salvation
28:09
in that as
28:09
well.
28:11
Because the
28:12
joy that we
28:13
experience in
28:15
knowing Christ
28:15
and following
28:16
Christ is
28:18
itself related
28:19
so closely to
28:20
the working of
28:21
the spirit of
28:22
God, to being
28:23
filled with the
28:25
spirit.
28:26
There are so
28:26
many other
28:27
aspects of this
28:27
that we could
28:28
spend time on.
28:29
We might indeed
28:29
come back to it,
28:30
God willing,
28:31
if God brings us
28:33
to think of that,
28:35
to give us that
28:36
direction of the
28:37
spirit as we're
28:37
saying, because
28:39
there's so much
28:39
to this.
28:40
And indeed, I
28:41
think I would
28:41
like to take
28:43
some time to
28:43
just look at
28:44
different aspects
28:45
of the ministry
28:46
of the Holy
28:47
Spirit, not
28:48
just at our
28:49
prayer marriage,
28:49
but on the
28:50
Lord's Day as
28:51
well.
28:52
That would
28:53
certainly be
28:53
very profitable
28:54
for us.
28:55
But for the
28:56
moment, let's
28:56
think of this
28:57
in conclusion.
28:58
The stimulation
28:59
that comes from
29:01
the filling of
29:02
the spirit,
29:03
the stimulation
29:04
that brings
29:05
such things
29:05
as joy
29:06
and rejoicing,
29:08
even in times
29:09
of sorrow
29:10
and times
29:10
of trial
29:11
and times
29:12
of difficulty.
29:13
I know it's
29:13
easy to say
29:14
these things
29:14
from pulpits,
29:16
but it's
29:16
something I've
29:17
experienced myself,
29:18
so I can say
29:18
it's true,
29:20
that even in
29:21
the midst of
29:21
trials and
29:22
things that
29:23
really wrench
29:24
your heart
29:25
and wring it
29:26
out in pain,
29:28
you still,
29:29
by God's grace
29:30
and God's
29:30
goodness,
29:31
can experience
29:32
the joy
29:32
of being
29:33
a Christian,
29:35
the satisfaction
29:35
of knowing
29:36
God,
29:38
and the
29:39
contrast
29:40
between you
29:41
and those
29:42
who don't
29:42
have that,
29:43
or your
29:43
heart goes
29:43
out to
29:44
them.
29:44
You express
29:45
your thankfulness
29:46
and say,
29:46
Lord,
29:47
I'm thankful,
29:48
I experience
29:48
even this
29:49
ingredient of
29:51
joy,
29:51
it is a
29:52
testimony to
29:53
me that
29:53
you're in
29:54
my life.
29:57
And so,
29:58
be filled
29:59
with the
30:00
Spirit.
30:02
And in
30:03
conclusion,
30:05
do notice,
30:06
friends,
30:06
that this
30:07
tonight is
30:07
an imperative.
30:11
He's not
30:12
saying,
30:12
if you think
30:13
it's a good
30:13
idea,
30:14
be filled
30:14
with the
30:15
Spirit.
30:16
He's actually
30:17
saying,
30:18
in the way
30:18
of an
30:18
imperative,
30:19
which is
30:19
really the
30:20
same thing
30:20
as a
30:20
command,
30:21
do not
30:22
get drunk
30:22
with wine,
30:23
for that's
30:24
debauchery,
30:25
but be
30:26
filled with
30:27
the Spirit.
30:28
It's
30:29
something
30:29
for which
30:30
we are
30:31
responsible.
30:32
Now,
30:33
we cannot
30:33
manufacture
30:34
the filling
30:35
of the
30:35
Spirit.
30:36
We can't
30:36
produce the
30:37
filling of
30:38
the Spirit.
30:39
We can't
30:39
control the
30:40
Spirit so
30:41
that we
30:41
ourselves can
30:42
bring it
30:43
about when
30:44
we're filled
30:44
or when
30:45
we're not.
30:46
But it's
30:47
our responsibility
30:48
to see to
30:50
this filling.
30:52
He is
30:52
addressing them
30:53
in such a
30:53
way as
30:54
saying,
30:54
be filled
30:55
with the
30:56
Spirit.
30:56
it.
30:59
And so
30:59
it is
31:00
for you
31:01
and for
31:01
me tonight,
31:02
for us as
31:02
a congregation,
31:03
for us as
31:04
a group of
31:04
Christian people.
31:06
We can't
31:07
produce the
31:07
filling,
31:09
but we
31:09
can pray
31:10
for it.
31:11
And we
31:12
must pray
31:12
for it.
31:13
And we
31:14
must seek
31:14
it.
31:16
Because it
31:16
is,
31:17
very much,
31:19
the only
31:20
thing to
31:20
help us
31:21
in our
31:22
day,
31:23
in our
31:24
circumstances,
31:25
in the
31:26
need for
31:26
further
31:27
conversions,
31:29
for our
31:29
increase in
31:30
holiness for
31:30
ourselves,
31:32
in every
31:32
other aspect
31:33
that you
31:33
might think
31:34
of in
31:34
your own
31:34
life,
31:35
and in
31:35
the
31:35
congregation's
31:36
life,
31:37
and in
31:37
your
31:37
relationship
31:38
with the
31:38
world.
31:40
The key
31:41
is the
31:42
filling of
31:43
the Spirit.
31:45
And without
31:45
that,
31:47
we're
31:47
impotent,
31:48
we're weak.
31:51
we're at
31:51
the mercy
31:52
of the
31:52
world,
31:53
to a
31:54
great
31:54
extent,
31:56
but filled
31:57
with the
31:57
Spirit.
32:00
Well,
32:01
God is
32:01
saying,
32:02
filled with
32:02
the Spirit,
32:03
watch this
32:04
space.
32:06
Because that's
32:07
where life
32:07
is.
32:09
That's where
32:10
energy is.
32:11
That's where
32:12
results come
32:13
from.
32:15
Don't be
32:16
drunk with
32:17
wine,
32:18
which is
32:18
excess,
32:20
which is
32:20
wastage,
32:21
but be
32:23
filled with
32:25
the Spirit.
32:27
Now,
32:27
there's a
32:27
challenge for
32:28
me as
32:29
the minister
32:29
tonight.
32:32
And there's
32:32
a challenge
32:33
for yourselves
32:34
as Christians
32:34
in the
32:35
congregation.
32:37
There's a
32:38
challenge for
32:39
the whole
32:39
congregation,
32:40
indeed,
32:40
especially for
32:41
those who
32:41
profess the
32:42
Lord,
32:43
to seek
32:45
to be
32:45
filled with
32:46
the Spirit
32:46
and to
32:48
take it to
32:49
God until
32:50
He fills
32:51
us,
32:53
realizing
32:54
that without
32:55
His filling,
32:56
we are far
32:58
short of what
32:58
we need to
32:59
be as
33:01
witnesses to
33:02
Him.
33:03
May He
33:04
bless these
33:05
thoughts on
33:05
His word to
33:06
us.
33:06
Let's
33:06
him.
33:07
He
33:08
Thank you.
33:11
耳
33:11
Praise
33:11
God.
33:12
Là it's
33:13
another
33:14
감
33:16
year.
33:18
Er
33:21
Bud