Filled with the Spirit / Pastor Dave Bridge

Paul opens Ephesians 5 by drawing a hard line between what Christians used to be and what they are now. The text does not say they were just in darkness, but that they were darkness, and now they are light in the Lord. Paul’s command is plain: walk as children of light, and find out what is acceptable to the Lord. The Word of God has power to change a life, but the Word is not meant to sit on a shelf or become a religious badge like a big phylactery on a forehead. Christianity, in its simplest form, is to know God and do what He wants.

Paul then calls believers away from fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness. The gospel is not just a clean start like “a new clean pair of underwear.” The gospel is power, anointing, and freedom, because the same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead lives inside the child of God. The Spirit gives power to walk away from the things that used to drag a person down.

Paul’s comparison between drunkenness and the filling of the Spirit becomes the center of the word. Alcohol changes a person on the inside first, then it shows on the outside. Paul says the Holy Spirit should have a far greater effect. A Spirit-filled believer should carry peace, joy, freedom, and something real that people can see even if they cannot explain it.

The new birth means a real transfer has happened. Colossians says Christ has delivered believers from the power of darkness and transferred them into His kingdom. Second Corinthians says anyone in Christ is a new creation, and old things have passed away. God does not hold the past against His child, so the child of God must stop camping out in regret. The past is gone spiritually, and the future in Christ is bright.

Pentecost shows what being filled with the Holy Spirit looks like when it hits a life with power. Peter, who stumbled, spoke too fast, denied Christ, and needed restoration, became bold and fruitful when the Spirit filled him. Rivers of living water began flowing from his belly, not a dry riverbed or a little trickle.

The river can get blocked by unforgiveness, bitterness, resentment, offense, riches, cares, and desires for other things. The believer has to keep the river clean so living water can flow freely and touch other people. To be filled means to be crammed full of the Holy Spirit, with no room left for self. That overflow is meant to change the believer and impact the world.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Light must learn what pleases God Paul does not let the child of God live on borrowed conviction. The command to “find out what is acceptable to the Lord” puts responsibility on the believer to get the Word inside and actually know God, not just know religious labels. A Bible on a shelf does not renew the mind, and religious knowledge without relationship can still leave a person unchanged. [04:30]
• 2. The Spirit changes inside first Paul’s comparison between wine and the Spirit is practical and powerful. Alcohol works inwardly, then shows outwardly, so the filling of the Holy Spirit should not be invisible or theoretical. Peace, joy, conviction, freedom, and changed desires are not decoration on Christianity, but evidence that God is at work from the inside out. [14:23]
• 3. New creation closes the past Second Corinthians does not say the believer becomes an improved version of the old life. The text says a person in Christ is a new creation, with old things passed away and all things made new. Regret can keep a person living in a place God has already left behind, but the Spirit calls the believer to close the book on the garbage and move toward the future Christ has opened. [24:23]
• 4. Rivers can get dammed up Jesus promised rivers of living water, not dry riverbeds or stagnant pools. Unforgiveness, offense, disappointment, and the cares of this world can pile up like debris in a river and block what was meant to flow. The river is not only for personal refreshment, because living water is meant to touch people standing nearby. [39:35]
• 5. Be crammed full of Spirit The word “filled” carries the idea of being crammed full, and that leaves no room for self-rule. The Spirit-filled life is not a little religious addition on top of the same old same old. The overflow of the Holy Spirit is meant to replenish faster than the leaks, change the believer, and impact the world with the goodness of God. [43:25]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [01:21] - A Word About the Holy Spirit
• [01:43] - Walking as Children of Light
• [04:30] - Finding What Pleases the Lord
• [07:06] - Leaving Darkness Behind
• [11:51] - Drunk With Wine or Filled With the Spirit
• [16:38] - Running on Empty and Needing Refreshing
• [19:12] - The Holy Spirit Brings Conviction
• [23:22] - Transferred Into Christ’s Kingdom
• [30:48] - Pentecost and the Filling of the Spirit
• [34:04] - Peter Changed by the Holy Spirit
• [39:35] - Keeping the River Flowing
• [43:25] - Crammed Full of the Holy Spirit
• [47:03] - Invitation for Prayer and Salvation

Bible Reading

Ephesians 5:8-21
“for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret. But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, 'Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.' Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.” [01:43]

2 Corinthians 5:17
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” [24:23]

Colossians 1:13-14
“He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” [23:25]

John 7:37-39
“On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, 'If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, "Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water."' Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.” [31:57]

Acts 2:1-4
“When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.” [30:58]

Observation questions

1. In Ephesians 5, what contrasts does Paul make between the old life and the new life, and what actions does he tell believers to take because of that?
2. In Ephesians 5:10, what responsibility is placed on believers when Paul says to “discern what is pleasing to the Lord”? [04:30]
3. In the comparison between drunkenness and being filled with the Spirit, what changes were described as happening on the inside first and then showing on the outside? [14:23]
4. In the picture of rivers of living water, what kinds of things were named as debris that can block the flow? [39:35]

Interpretation questions

1. Paul does not say believers were merely in darkness, but that they were darkness, and now are light in the Lord. How does that stronger language shape the way a Christian should think about conversion and identity?
2. Paul says to “take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness.” What does that seem to require beyond simply avoiding obvious sin? How might a person still stay too close to darkness without fully seeing it? [07:06]
3. If being filled with the Spirit changes a person inwardly and outwardly, what kinds of evidence should normally show up in a believer’s life over time? [16:18]
4. If anyone in Christ is a new creation and has been transferred into Christ’s kingdom, why is it still so easy to live under regret, shame, or an old identity? What helps a believer actually walk in what is already true? [24:23]

Application questions

1. Paul says to find out what is acceptable to the Lord. What does that look like for you right now in a real and practical way? Where do you most need to stop living on borrowed conviction and start seeking God for yourself in His Word? [04:30]
2. The Spirit gives power to walk away from the things that used to drag a person down. Is there any habit, atmosphere, relationship, or pattern from the old life that still pulls at you more than it should? What would it look like to take a clear step away from it this week? [07:40]
3. The Holy Spirit brings conviction, not just information. Have you felt conviction lately about something you have been tolerating, excusing, or postponing? What would repentance look like in that specific area? [19:12]
4. In Christ, the old has passed away. Are you still camping out in some part of your past—regret, shame, failure, or even bitterness over what someone did to you? What makes it hard to close the book on that, and what would trusting God with your future look like? [28:12]
5. Rivers of living water are meant to flow, not get dammed up. Is there any unforgiveness, offense, disappointment, or resentment blocking the river in you right now? How have you noticed that blockage affecting your joy, peace, or relationships? [40:05]
6. To be filled means to be crammed full of the Spirit, leaving less room for self. Where does self still take up too much space in your life right now—your schedule, reactions, ambitions, comfort, or control? [43:25]
7. Living water is meant to touch other people. Who in your everyday life might need to experience the peace, joy, or freedom of Christ through you right now? What could it look like to let the river reach them in a simple, genuine way this week? [40:23]