Ephesians 5:18-20 Be Ye Filled Today we will observe The Lord’s Supper. It is a time for us to reflect upon and remember the priceless sacrifice that Jesus Christ paid for our sin. Jesus said, “…do this in remembrance of Me.” (Luke 22:19 NKJV) Our study this morning also reminds us of the promise of Jesus that He would baptize us with The Holy Spirit, that we may bear fruit, and have the very power or ability from on high to live for Him and the glory of God. Jesus said that without Him, we can do nothing (John 15:5). We could also say that without The Holy Spirit working in us and through us, we lack the very power of God to effectively live for Jesus as vessels of honor. Jesus did not ascend into heaven and send us a set program or programs to follow. He sent The Holy Spirit. He sent The Spirit to dwell in us. He sent The Spirit to teach us and lead us into truth. He sent The Spirit to guide us. He sent The Spirit to empower us. Paul exhorted the saved and sealed saints at Ephesus to be filled with The Spirit (Ephesians 5:18). Jesus describes this filling as a gushing torrent of living water. Powerful, refreshing, and flowing. As we remember the sacrifice of Jesus this morning, let us also remember that He told (and still tells) His disciples to receive The Spirit (John 20:22). Selah

Victory in Jesus One of the Apostle John’s favorite phrases is “born of God”. That phrase of course speaks of the new birth. Jesus told a very devout and religious man that unless he was born again, he would neither see nor enter into the kingdom of God (John 3:1-5). John, writing under the inspiration of The Holy Ghost, writes important fundamental truths regarding Christian doctrine and practical Christian living. Many world religions believe that Jesus is the Christ within the context of their belief system. But only the sacred, God-breathed writing of Scripture identifies Jesus Christ as God born of a virgin (Matthew 1:18), the spotless (1 Peter 1:19) “Lamb of God, Who taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). By grace, through faith in Jesus Christ, those who call upon Him as Lord are given a new heart and the gift of eternal life. Believers are transformed from a life of despair, to a life of victory, for “this is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith.” (1 John 5:4) This victory in Jesus is not a life of sinless perfection, but a life of growth in grace and in the knowledge of God. This victory in Jesus is not a life that is regulated or bound by the chains of manmade rules, rituals and regulations, but a life of fellowship with The Lord in The Spirit, with the overflow being a life of loving sacrifice for the glory of our Master, Jesus Christ. Reader, have you been born of God? Call upon The Name of The Lord Jesus today, “for whosoever shall call upon The Name of The Lord shall be saved.” (Romans 10:13)

Charles Spurgeon wrote: "The heart of the gospel is redemption, and the essence of redemption is the substitutionary sacrifice of Christ". Thus, both the heart and essence of our redemption is our Redeemer Jesus Christ. God demonstrates his own love toward us.  Present tense.  Ongoing action. It is not that God showed His love for us 2,000 years ago, which of course He did! That’s past. That’s history. That is fixed, objective, unchanging. The idea here is that God commends His love today through the past, historical, objective fact of the death of his Son for us.

The Lord Jesus Christ IS the gospel. The gospel is more than some thing, it is some One. Surrounded by a multitude of people who were buckling under the bondage of legalism and man-made rules and rituals in order to get right with God, Jesus proclaimed the gospel: “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28) Like a refreshing breeze of cool air after a hot day, these words of Jesus gave a message of hope and life. Though the proclamation was given to all, the only ones who would have responded were those who were burdened and heavy laden with the guilt and condemnation of their sin.

The gospel of Jesus Christ is THE proof that God loves us. When circumstances and long seasons of “unanswered prayer” confront us, we tend to doubt the love of God. For those who have ears to hear, never allow the certainty of the love of God in the gospel cause you to misinterpret the mysteries of life here on earth.