Living Wisely: The Transformative Power of the Spirit

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Therefore, look carefully how you walk, not as unwise but as wise purchasing the time, every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, do not be unwise do not be foolish but understand what the will of the Lord is be wise these correspond to each other and do not get drunk with wine. [00:00:47]

If you get drunk, you're going to be foolish, you're not going to be wise, you're going to be unwise, so don't get drunk with wine it puts you out of touch with reality and and and keeps you from looking carefully how you walk, drunk people, they don't look carefully how they live, they're set free from all restraints and go into another world of unreality. [00:01:16]

Few things are more important in the Christian life than our relationship to the Holy Spirit, we have been sealed by the spirit, Paul said back in chapter 1 and in chapter 4 verse 30 and now we have the Holy Spirit and by the spirit we have access to the Father, the spirit doesn't leave us when we are born again. [00:02:11]

I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ the Father of glory may give you the spirit of wisdom now he's praying for believers, he's not praying for people who don't have the spirit, he's praying for people who've been sealed with the spirit 113, 430, we have the Holy Spirit and he is our seal for eternity. [00:03:29]

When the spirit is fulfilling this prayer that Paul is praying we know God better we know Christ better we have the eyes of our hearts enlightened and what they're enlightened with is the knowledge of God and of Christ so Paul that's that's the opposite of drunkenness right when the eyes of your heart are enlightened. [00:04:10]

When the spirit of truth comes Jesus is going to send the spirit when he goes back to the father, he will guide you into all the truth he will not he will not speak on his own authority but whatever he hears he will speak and he will declare to you things that are to come he will glorify me. [00:04:51]

The spirit is given to make Christ appear glorious to the eyes of our heart to know him and to see him with the eyes of our heart with greater clarity so that he appears to us glorious and becomes our supreme treasure, an example of that from Paul would be first Corinthians 12 3. [00:05:24]

Paul prays in chapter 3 for this reason I bow my knees before the father from whom every family in the heaven and on earth is named that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you here comes his prayer grant believers to be strengthened with power through his spirit. [00:06:23]

So he's praying that the Holy Spirit would give a kind of strength to believers in our inner being and here's the effect so that of this strength so that Christ may dwell now Christ is already in us by the spirit but there's more or less experience of the precious presence of Christ. [00:06:51]

The way the Holy Spirit does this is by helping us see and trust Christ and then here's the effect that you may be rooted and grounded in love and may have strength same strength here through his spirit you have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth the length and height and depth. [00:07:27]

When Paul says don't get drunk with wine, don't lose touch with reality get in touch with reality he means get in touch with the reality of Christ because that's the work of the Holy Spirit and the more he fills you the more you see Christ the more you savor Christ. [00:08:16]

None of this is superficial none of this is hypocritical this is all coming from the heart remember back in 118 it's the eyes of the heart that were opened to see Christ so the upshot is that the opposite of of drunkenness don't get drunk the opposite of drunkenness and all of its stupor. [00:12:52]

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