Somebody Loves You

Raul Ries: I want to ask you a question: where are you today as a Christian? Have you had the "with" experience but never the "upon" experience? The "upon" experience God wants to give to you because he loves you, he cares for you. He wants his church to be strong. He wants you when you read the Bible, the Bible stands out and the Bible speaks to you, to use your life.

Guest (Male): Welcome to Somebody Loves You Radio, the Bible teaching ministry of Raul Ries in Diamond Bar, California. It is good to have you with us as Raul encourages us to stay open to the wisdom, comfort, and strength of the Holy Spirit. You'll find that God's spirit will help us resist sin and obey His Word, equipping us to carry out His perfect plans for our lives.

Stay with us for motivation to fully surrender to the Holy Spirit and follow wherever He leads. Here is Raul Ries with today's lesson.

Raul Ries: Well, if you have your Bible, turn to the book of Ephesians chapter 5, verses 18 to 21. And the title of the message is "Walking in the Fullness of the Holy Spirit." This chapter is pretty interesting, but let me give you a little background to the book of Ephesians. In the book of Ephesians, you find 42 times "in Christ Jesus." It speaks of your position in Christ. In chapters 1 to 3 in the book of Ephesians, what Paul does is he shows you what you are in Christ before he tells you now that you know what you are in Christ, this is now what God expects of you, the life of the Christian.

Paul the Apostle, when he got saved, he was on his way to Damascus to persecute Christians, to arrest them and to kill them. And on his way halfway to Damascus, the Lord appeared to him. And he said, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?" And Paul began to speak with Jesus. And the Lord touched his life at that particular moment. He became blind, he couldn't see.

And those that were with him, they grabbed a hold of Paul and they led him to Damascus. And there in Damascus, there was a guy by the name of Ananias. He was a believer. And the Lord came to Ananias and said, "Ananias, I want you to go and lay hands on this man by the name of Saul or Paul." And he said, "Lord, I've heard that guy, he kills Christians. I'm not going anywhere." And the Lord said, "Listen, I've touched him."

You see, when Jesus touches any one of us, we're different. Totally different. When Ananias came to lay hands on Paul, the first thing that happened when he laid hands on him, he became able to see again, his blindness left him. And when Paul the Apostle's eyes were opened, he received the "upon" experience, the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

The power that gave to him to go out into the actual wilderness for 10 years for him to be used by the Lord and preach the gospel of Jesus Christ, write 14 letters, and to see him lay hands on people and receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit. We need the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Our audience, when you look at an audience, what kind of audience do you really minister to?

I want to ask you a question: where are you today as a Christian? Have you had the "with" experience but never the "upon" experience? The "upon" experience God wants to give to you because he loves you, he cares for you. He wants his church to be strong. He wants you when you read the Bible, the Bible stands out and the Bible speaks to you, to use your life.

There are so many weak in the church today, not only here but everywhere. Very sinful. And what we need in the church is more people to be baptized with the power of the Holy Spirit so that we can overcome sin. Let's read chapter 5 of Ephesians, verses 18 to 21. Let's see what Paul says. He says, "And do not be drunk with wine," the first thing he talks about is drunkenness. "Do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be you filled with the Holy Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns, spiritual songs, singing and making a melody in your heart to the Lord, and giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another in the fear of the Lord."

The first thing that he does is he wants to make sure that if you're a Christian, don't get drunk, but be filled with the Holy Spirit. Does the Bible tell you that it's wrong? You're in a restaurant, you're eating with your family, then a family comes in that are new believers and they see you sitting there, maybe they've known you for just a little while, and they saw you in church, go to the same restaurant and all of a sudden you see them drinking.

And you know that the Lord is against drinking. So what you're doing is you're making this family stumble. If you're going to drink, stay home and drink, but don't stumble anybody. Be you not drunk with wine, you'll see in a moment, because the Lord wants us to be full of the Holy Spirit.

You see, first of all, here in the flesh, if your flesh is controlling my life, it cannot please God. Romans 8:5-9 Paul says, "For they that are after the flesh mind the things of the flesh, they love the flesh; but they that are after the Holy Spirit the things of the spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is an enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can it be: so then they that are in the flesh cannot please God."

"But you are not in the flesh, but in the spirit, if so be that the spirit of God dwells in you. Now if any man has not the spirit of Christ, he is none of his." Scriptures are plain. I didn't make the scriptures, the Lord gave the scriptures. Galatians 5:16-21 Paul, "This I say then, walk in the spirit, and then you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh is lusting against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary to one another: so that you cannot do the things that you would."

"But if you are led of the spirit, you are not under the law. Now if the works of the flesh are manifested, which are these: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft," which is also taking drugs in your life, not aspirin but drugs in your life, and dealing with ouija boards and all that, "hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envies, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like this: of which I tell you before, as I have told you in times past, that they who do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God."

Secondly, if the spirit of God is controlling me, then I am pleasing God. Romans 8:14, "For as many as are led by the Holy Spirit of God, they are the sons of God." Galatians 5:22-25, "But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with all its affections and lusts. If we live by the Holy Spirit then let us walk by the Holy Spirit."

You see, if you're a Christian and the Holy Spirit has baptized you, you will not want to live by the flesh. You know it'll kill you. It will take you back. And the dog going back to his own vomit, Peter said, or like the pig that is taken upstairs, you take him in your bathtub, you give him a bath, you bubble him up, when the moment you release him he goes back into the mud. That's the way people go back to their sins. We're not supposed to do that.

The word that he uses here "be filled with the Holy Spirit" is God's command and expects us as Christians to obey his command. So it applies to all Christians, not just one Christian, all Christians, not the few selected. The verb that is used here in the present tense, "keep on being filled." So it's an experience that not only we should enjoy but constantly and not just on special occasions, not once in a while, every single day.

The verb here for "filled" has nothing to do with contents or quality as we are empty vessels. But listen, the need is a requirement, amount of spiritual fuel to keep you and me going forward. You see, we need it. And the Bible "filled" means to be controlled by the Holy Spirit of God. Is your flesh controlling you or is it the Holy Spirit? "Being filled with the Holy Spirit" means to be constantly controlled by the spirit in our minds, our emotions, and the will that we have in our lives.

You see, Paul the Apostle states here that there are four evidences of the fullness of the Holy Spirit in the life of every believer. Let me give you the first one: it has power over your life, the Holy Spirit. Verse 18 said what? "And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation, but be you continually filled with the Holy Spirit of God."

Secondly, how about joy? That God gives, not happiness, joy, which is the fruit of the spirit. Ephesians 5:19 said, "Speak to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making a melody in your heart to the Lord." Thirdly, be thankful. Ephesians 5:20 says "giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."

I like this one: be submissive, submissive life to the Lord. Submitting, he says, "submitting to one another in the fear of God." Not only God, submitting to one another. You notice that Paul the Apostle shares that a person who is spirit-filled is one who is sober-minded, that his mind is clear from alcohol. Be you filled with the Holy Spirit of God.

Guest (Male): You're listening to Somebody Loves You Radio with Raul Ries. We are here to spur you on in glorifying God with a spirit-led life. Visit somebodylovesyou.com for Bible-based resources including Raul's seven-message study of the Holy Spirit titled Filled, Empowered, and Equipped. We'll tell you how you can get your copy in just a few moments. But first, back to more with Raul Ries and our study Walking in the Fullness of the Holy Spirit.

Raul Ries: The first part here, what does the Bible teach about drinking? Number one, drinking leads to violence. Proverbs 4:17, "For they eat bread of wickedness, and drink the wine of violence," fermented wine. Secondly, drinking leads to mocking people. Proverbs 20, verse 1, "Wine is a mocker, strong drink is a brawler, and whoever is led astray by it is not wise," but he's stupid.

Thirdly, drinking brings poverty, you spend all your money. Proverbs 23:20-21, "Do not mix with winebibbers or with gluttonous eaters of meat; for the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty, and drowsiness will clothe a man with rags." Everything will be taken from you.

Drinking is like a bite of a serpent. Proverbs 23:31-32, "Do not look on the wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup, when it swirls around smoothly; at the last it bites like a serpent and stings like a viper." See the warnings? Again, drinking impairs a person's judgment. Proverbs 31:4 and 5, "It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine, nor for princes intoxicating drink, lest they drink and forget the law of God and pervert the justice of all the afflicted people."

Drinking inflames the passions of a person. Isaiah 5:11, "Woe to those who rise up early in the morning," this is an alcoholic for sure. Sometimes I fly at the airports at nine o'clock in the morning, six o'clock in the morning, the guys are at the bar drinking, in the morning. He says, "Woe to those who rise up early in the morning, that they may follow," notice, "intoxicating drink, who continue until nighttime till wine inflames them," they drink from the morning to the evening until they're drunk. Drinking also takes away the heart. Hosea 4:11, "Harlotery, wine, and new wine enslave a person's heart."

So the first thing, what does the Bible say or teach about drinking? Secondly, what are the examples given to us of people being filled with the Holy Spirit? Number one, how about John the Baptist, the cousin of Jesus? Being baptized with the Holy Spirit, it says, "For he will be great in the sight of the Lord and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink, he will also be filled with the Holy Spirit." You see, the Holy Spirit fills you. The Holy Spirit and even from his mother's womb. A person that loves God and wants to serve God is a person that is filled with the Holy Spirit.

Secondly, remember in the scriptures I gave to you Acts 1:8. In Acts chapter 2, verse 1 through 4, when they all came together, the mother of Jesus, 120 in power, they were told to wait for the Holy Spirit. When the Holy Spirit came and baptized them with power, listen what it says, "And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues as the spirit gave them the utterance of the power to speak."

And then thirdly, Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit in Acts 4:8. "And then Peter filled with the Holy Spirit said to them, rulers of the people and elders of Israel," he got to share the gospel with them because of the power of the Holy Spirit. Praying and seeing the Holy Spirit fill people, Acts 4:31, "And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and they spoke the word of God with boldness." Not only the gift of tongues, but a person can speak with boldness the word of God. Boldness. You can share the gospel with people, you can witness to people.

Fifthly, seeking men full of the Holy Spirit. He says Acts chapter 6, verse 3 and 5, "Therefore, because of this, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation." Now what took place here is that the disciples were being informed that the people in the church were complaining and murmuring because they were not being taken care of spiritually. So what does Peter do? He goes out and he grabs seven men and he sought out from among them seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business. And the saying pleased the whole multitude of people because they were going to be taken care of.

And they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas, a proselyte from Antioch. God chose these men to become what God wanted them to be, to help out.

And then how about Stephen filled with the Holy Spirit? Stephen was quite a person. Stephen coming to that place in his life where not only the Holy Spirit had baptized him and given a message. When the Pharisees came to him and they tried to come against him, he gave them the full gospel from the Old Testament he came. They hated him because their heart was filled with hatefulness.

And they took Stephen and they threw him over the wall in Jerusalem. They threw him over the wall. He came down through the wall, down below, and as he was there wounded, he got on his knees and he prayed. And as he looked up, he saw the Lord Jesus standing in heaven waiting to take him home. That's the first time and the only time that Jesus stands for someone to receive a first martyr into the kingdom of God. The next time he stands is at the second coming, coming to bring judgment upon the world.

Being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of his Father, standing to receive him into heaven. And then Paul was filled with the Holy Spirit in Acts 9:17, "And Ananias went his way, entered the house, laying hands on him, on Paul, said, brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road to Damascus you came here, has sent me that you may receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit of God." You see, filled with the Holy Spirit of God.

And then Paul filled not only with the spirit in Acts 13:9 says, "And then Paul filled with the Holy Spirit looked intensely at him." And then Paul commanded the believers to be filled with the spirit, Ephesians 5:18 says, "And do not be drunk again with wine in which is dissipation but be filled with the Holy Spirit of God." I put it here again so that we can remind ourselves.

So first of all we saw what does the Bible teach about drinking. Second of all, what are the examples that the Bible teaches about being filled with the Holy Spirit. Thirdly, what is the ministry of the Holy Spirit among you and I, the believers? Check this out. Number one, regeneration. John chapter 3, verses 3 to 5. Remember Jesus was talking to Nicodemus, one of the Pharisees, one of the Sanhedrin the 72.

So he didn't want people to see him, so he snuck by night and came to Jesus. And he said, "Jesus, what must I do to be born again of the Holy Spirit?" And he said to him, "Well, you must be born again." And he said, "You mean born again? You mean I have to go back into my mother's womb and then be born again?" He says, "No, what I'm saying is you have to be born of the Holy Spirit."

Listen what he says: "And Jesus answered and said to him, most assuredly I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God." Remember that word "see the kingdom of God." Jesus answered, "Most assuredly I say to you, unless one is born of water and of the spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God." You can't see it and you can't enter. You have to be born again of the Holy Spirit of God. You have to.

Secondly, the Holy Spirit indwells in our hearts. Romans 8:11, "But if he, the spirit of him who raised up Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised up Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through this Holy Spirit who dwells in us."

He anoints people, 1st John chapter 2:20 to 27, "But you have an anointing from the Holy One and you know all things. But the anointing which you have received from him Jesus abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you but as the same anointing of the Holy Spirit teaches you concerning all things and it's true and it is not a lie, and just as it has taught you you will abide in him and he will abide in you, the Holy Spirit."

Guest (Male): We sincerely hope today's message has been an inspiration for you to seek more in your walk with God as you learn to follow the Holy Spirit's direction and trust him to equip you for every task. You're listening to Somebody Loves You Radio with Raul Ries. Today's study was titled Walking in the Fullness of the Holy Spirit. If you'd like to get a copy with much more teaching, we'll be happy to send one to you for a donation of five dollars or more. Just call us at 800-634-9165.

We'd also like to tell you more about Raul's seven-part series titled Filled, Empowered, and Equipped. Featuring today's lesson as well as six others, this resource is available on CD or thumb drive. Each lesson underscores the Holy Spirit's key role in the life of the Christian and provides insights into how he can equip us to do mighty things for his name. Visit somebodylovesyou.com or call 800-634-9165 to purchase Raul's seven-lesson study Filled, Empowered, and Equipped.

We'll send you the CD set for twenty dollars, or if you prefer, the flash drive for just eleven. That's 800-634-9165. Our mailing address if you'd like to order by writing us is Somebody Loves You Radio, Post Office Box 4440, Diamond Bar, California 91765. Somebody Loves You Radio with Raul Ries is listener-supported and we are grateful for your partnership. Thanks so much for helping us reach more and more people with the good news of Jesus Christ.

And join us next time for our continued focus on the blessings that come from full submission to God's Holy Spirit. You'll see that when you live in his strength and not your own, you can honor the Lord with righteousness, boldness, and faith. Now with a closing comment, here is Raul once again.

Raul Ries: In conclusion, once again the way to be spirit-filled: number one, speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs. Secondly, singing and making a melody in your heart to the Lord. Thirdly, giving thanks always, not just once in a while, always for all the things that he's done for you. Fourthly, submitting yourselves one another in the fear of the Lord, in the fear of the Lord.

Guest (Male): This program is sponsored by Somebody Loves You Radio in Diamond Bar, California.