The Spirit-filled walk of a Christian
I speak a lot about the Holy Spirit in us….it is one of the great things of Christianity, I believe….that a Person of the Godhead is present with us….always.
God, the Father willed our salvation in it’s fullest terms: being born again, being sanctified, being brought into His Presence forever.
God, the Son paid the price for our salvation in His perfect life, sacrificial death, and resurrection life;….and He stands before His Father now, interceding for us….that we might have all the blessings of His Life given to us. (Ephesians 1:3)
But it is….
God, the Holy Spirit that comes to each heart that receives Christ as Lord and Savior,…..and stays there. He is the One who speaks, and nudges, and reminds us of scripture. He is the One who puts up with our moods, and ignoring Him. He is the One who empowers as we yield to Him….now….for He receives all that Christ gives for us….and imparts it, to us.
How important He is….are we working, so we will not quench Him (1 Thessalonians 5:19),…..or so we will not grieve Him (Ephesians 5:30)?
Ephesians 5:18 “And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;”
This is something we are told to do!
When we are “drunk with wine”….we are in subjection to the wine….it is in charge.
When we are “filled with the Spirit”….we are in subjection to the Holy Spirit….He is in charge.
(Subjection in the Greek means…”to be under, subornation”….
……yet the world would turn this word…..into bondage.
Which are we going to believe? Which are we going to do?)
Song of Solomon 3:6 “Who is this that cometh out of the wilderness like pillars of smoke, perfumed with myrrh and frankincense, with all powders of the merchant?”
This is a picture of those that are coming “out of the wilderness”.
The wilderness in scripture always speaks of trials and testings.
(There were the forty years of wilderness wanderings for Israel, after coming across the Red Sea.
Jesus was in the wilderness for forty days, during His temptation by the devil. Mark 1:12-13)
But here, there is one coming out of the wilderness…..out of the ups and downs of emotion and mind…..from the trials and testings of faith in the world,…..
……into the peace and joy of established subjection to God.
This one seeks to leave the world behind her (the church is always spoken of in the feminine.)….getting deliverance from the world, and it’s claims upon her.
“Like pillars of smoke”.
Smoke is very weak stuff….a puff of wind blows it one way or another.
But here it is a pillar….strong and straight….because it is a supernatural strength….the strength of God, by the Holy Spirit within her.
Joel 2:28, 30 “And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out My Spirit upon all flesh;…
(This is the promise that anyone who believes in Christ Jesus, God’s Son, will receive His Holy Spirit)
And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood and fire, and pillars of smoke.”
(This is the same pillars of smoke as in the Song of Solomon……His children who are filled with the Spirit, manifesting His control in their lives.
“Wonders” in the Hebrew here, means “conspicuous, bright, miracles”)
“Perfumed with myrrh and frankincense” (Song of Solomon 3:6)
Being filled with the Spirit, we manifest Christ’s death ( myrrh…they used it to put on dead bodies),….
….and Christ’s kingship (frankincense….was the spice of kings….very costly).
We “perfume” our walk by denying ourselves (Matthew 16:24-25), and losing our self-lives, that we might find our Christ’s life…..and showing His life through us.
Christians are filled with all the Spirit of God, as we are emptied of all the fullness of ourselves….and this is an act of our will, willing with the Lord….coming out of the wilderness….of our world situation….under more and more of the influence of the Holy Spirit’s power.
(Matthew 6:10 “Thy kingdom come. Thy Will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.”
If Christ is not King of your life, you may be doing the “right” thing….but you are not letting the Holy Spirit’s power flow in you, by you and through you. You are not the pillar of strength and grace, that He wants you to be.)
“With all powders of the Merchant”. A Merchant deals with things for a price. Simply, you obtain from Him for a price….and here, Jesus is that Merchant.
This is not for salvation….that is a free gift. But, as Christians, we are to come to Him for all we need.
He has all we need, but it must be obtained from Him….”obtain promises” (Hebrews 11:33)….by an act of faith.
“Add to” (2 Peter 1:5)….by giving all diligence.
In Reality, it comes down to His Will done…..in our everyday situations….by yielding to the grace, words, patience, peace, power….all coming from the Holy Spirit within.
This yielding makes us into a pillar….a pillar of smoke.
There may be something the Lord requires at our hand, that would be very important to Him,…..which we would think very lightly of…..but at Thy Word we willingly obey.
The Holy Spirit shows substance and strength through our words….even a word in due season….when we are yielded to Him.
He shows Hope (that confident expectation that God will do what He says) through us….when we are under the influence of the Holy Spirit.
We are told to be “filled with the Spirit”….and come under His influence in all our thoughts, words, and deeds.
And the Song of Solomon shows us what we will become, if we do…..a pillar.
We do not change into a pillar of stone….no….God wants us….to use us.
We are changed into a pillar of smoke….weak in ourselves….and strong in Him.
Paul’s prayer for the Colossians:
Colossians 1:8-11 “Who also declared unto us your love in the Spirit.
For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of His Will and wisdom and spiritual understanding:
That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful unto every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;
Strengthened with all might, according to His generous power, unto all patience and long-suffering with joyfulness;”
They had the Spirit…love in the Spirit….and now he prays that they might be filled with the Spirit….
And there is always more of Him we can have…..
….less of our self-life…..to have more of Christ’s life by the Holy Spirit, in us.
His life gives us Eternal life…..peace and joy….working in us patience….and forgiveness for others….long-suffering toward their failures (esp. to us)….and love….
….love by the Holy Spirit within.
Why are we so afraid of subjection to Him?
Is it what He will require? What does it matter if He enables us?
Is it a rebellious place in ourselves which does not want to let go of “this”?
For each of us…..He saves,….then He calls….then He leads….then He fills us with His Spirit, as we willingly yield….to enable us to overcome every difficulty…..
….will we come out of the wilderness of this world, and be pillars of smoke in this time,….for Him?
Preaching, Teaching, and Notes 