Deeper

My dogs love to dig.  It seems to go in phases, but I can routinely go out in my backyard and find places where they have dug.  If I am not careful, it is easy to twist my ankle in one of the holes!  I do not know why they dig, but there is obviously something below the surface that has captivated their attention and desire to find it.  What is on the surface is not good enough.  They want to go deeper.  My yard is proof of this.

I find myself desiring the same things, particularly in my relationship with Christ.  I have a desire to go deeper.  I have a desire to know Him more.  This is a good thing.  It is a great thing.  But, as I really examine myself, I realize not only do I need to go deeper in Him but I need to allow Him to go deeper in me.

Our theme at Youth Camp last year was "Going Deep."  I had the opportunity to preach one night at camp.  I took the theme and added a twist.  We can go deep all we want.  But, if we do not yield ourselves to the Lord and give Him access to the deepest parts of our heart, we are gaining little.  While this post is a bit longer than most, I thought it was important enough to post my notes on this topic.  Here it is.

The Well is Deep

There are two kinds of wisdom; the wisdom of this world, which is foolishness with God. Or, the wisdom from above, which the natural man cannot comprehend. In fact, it never enters his imagination to think of the things God hath prepared for those who love Him. Oh sure, we try, but we don't even begin to scratch the surface. Consider the following:

Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit; for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. (1 Cor. 2:9-10)

Over the years, I have heard many apply these verses to eternity. It has been insinuated that we can never know these deep things of God until we get to Heaven. However, in context, the scripture actually explains itself and how this applies to us now. It says, "Eye hath not seen," in the natural state. Yet, God hath—in the present—revealed unto us by His Spirit. That means now. Present tense. How is this possible? By His Spirit in this world. "The Spirit searcheth all things; yea, the deep things of God."

Yet we read on down in verse 14 [of 1 Corinthians 2]. "The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned."

The natural man can never discern spiritual things and never hear and understand the work of the Lord; these things pass all human understanding. Believe me, I have tried. But, I have discovered that the wisdom of this world, intellect and science, can never, repeat never, understand the spiritual things of God. We might understand that something is different. We might understand that the things of God are something we want. We may try to rationalize and explain spiritual things. But, we can never, ever understand the spiritual things of God – or go deeper in Him – without the Spirit of God. It's impossible!

Yet, God has prepared already and revealed them to us by His Spirit. His Spirit lets us down into the deep things, even the deep things of God. This is what we preach, what we practice, and what we stand on. The work of the Spirit is foolishness to the natural man; but one who has the Spirit of God can discern spiritual things. So, how does this happen? How do we go deeper with God? I propose the answer lies in allowing Him to go deeper in us. In other words, we need to be filled with the Spirit.

You see, I have heard it said many times – and don't misunderstand me, I think it has been with the right intentions – that God is all over someone. Ever hear that? It's a wonderful thing. Yet, to me, that seems to me to be an Old Testament concept. God was with His people in Old Testament days, but in New Testament times (which is NOW), He is IN His people. See the difference? Wouldn't it be better to say, “Wow! God is IN him or her. If we would just become so saturated with the presence of God – so full of His Spirit – that He begins to flow out of our lives into the lives of others, wouldn't that be better?

In fact, being filled with the Spirit is a command – yes, a command – that we see in Scripture.

Ephesians 5:15-20: “See then that ye walk circumspectly, (i.e., Be very careful how you live) not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, (i.e., making the most of every opportunity), because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is. 18 And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

This Spirit-Filled Life is an ongoing relationship, not a one-time experience. I have seen so many get out their spiritual checklist. Have I been saved? Check. Have I been baptized? Check. Have I been filled with the Spirit? Check. And on and on. We mark it off our list – been there, done that – and move on to the next spiritual milestone that we think we are supposed to achieve. However, an accurate understanding and application of Scripture tells us that we must be filled, and re-filled, with the Spirit all of our lives. It is not a one-and-done thing. It is a lifestyle. The way to go deeper in Christ is to allow Him to go deeper in us by His Spirit. Why? Because the Spirit knows the deep things of God.

So, how do we become filled with the Spirit? How do we become so full of the Spirit of God that he begins to flow out of our lives into the lives of others? Walk with me tonight through some Scriptures that teach us very important doctrine. Let's start with an encounter that Jesus had with a Samaritan woman. Turn with me to John 4, starting with verse 3.

3 He left Judaea, and departed again into Galilee.
4 And he must needs go through Samaria.
5 Then cometh he to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph.
 6 Now Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well: and it was about the sixth hour.
 7 There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink.
 8 (For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.)
 9 Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans.
 10 Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.
 11 The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water?
 12 Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle?
 13 Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again:
 14 But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.
 15 The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw.
 16 Jesus saith unto her, Go, call thy husband, and come hither.
 17 The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no husband:
 18 For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly.
 19 The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet.
 20 Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.
 21 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father.
 22 Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews.
 23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
 24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
 25 The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things.
 26 Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he.
 27 And upon this came his disciples, and marvelled that he talked with the woman: yet no man said, What seekest thou? or, Why talkest thou with her?
 28 The woman then left her waterpot, and went her way into the city, and saith to the men,
 29 Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ?
 30 Then they went out of the city, and came unto him.

 39 And many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him for the saying of the woman, which testified, He told me all that ever I did.
 40 So when the Samaritans were come unto him, they besought him that he would tarry with them: and he abode there two days.
 41 And many more believed because of his own word;
 42 And said unto the woman, Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world.

OK, let's break these verses down. We could spend some time on the history, geography, setting, and context of this story. However, due to time, I will leave you with that assignment. See if you can discover something about the relationship between the Jews and the Samaritans. See if you can find out some of the historical significances of the well mentioned here – some strong clues are given in the passage. As you learn these things, it will help this story come even more alive. But, tonight, I want us to tie this passage of Jesus' teaching with others in the New Testament that help us understand the meaning of a Spirit-filled life.

The first thing that must happen before we can live a Spirit-filled is that we must be born again. Jesus taught this to Nicodemus in John 3. Now, it is possible for a person to be filled with the Spirit upon conversion – upon salvation – but salvation and the filling of the Spirit are two distinct, separate events that can happen simultaneously or independently. However, often times, I have seen and heard some misunderstanding about the filling of the Spirit being called the baptism of the Spirit. I do not want to get caught up in terminology; however, I do believe an accurate understanding of Scripture is important.

Salvation, or trusting Jesus as our personal Lord and Savior, is Spirit Baptism. To baptize means to place into. Consider 1 Corinthians 12:13:

For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.

So, when Jesus was telling her to drink of the water He gives, He was talking about salvation – Spirit Baptism, being placed into the Body of Christ.

Let me show you an example – an illustration – of what we are talking about. Please note, this is an illustration. It is not perfect in its representation of what we are talking about tonight, but I believe we can use it to help us understand some important Biblical concepts.

Here is an empty soda bottle. Here is a large bowl full of water. The bowl represents the Body of Christ – the Church – and the water represents the Holy Spirit. The empty bottle represents me and you. Upon salvation, we are placed into the body. Notice that when we are saved, we are in the Body. We are saved. We are born again. But, notice something, while we have the Spirit of God, notice that the bottle is not filled. Why not? What's the problem? Oh look, there is a lid on the bottle. We need to take the lid off.

So, as I take the lid off....[struggle....struggle]...perhaps some one can help me. The lid is on too tightly. And, that is our problem sometimes. We have our lid on too tight. We don't allow the Spirit to fill us because we have some sort of barrier, some hinderance, something keeping us back from yielding completely to the Spirit. We squelch, quench, or shut off the power of the Spirit in our lives because we have our lid on too tightly.

The Psalmist said in Psalm 111:1 that he would praise the Lord in the company of the upright. Yet, the church has often become the company of the uptight. We are so uptight about our preferences, our plans, our concerns that we do not allow the Holy Spirit to work. We quench His spirit. I mean, look, you've seen it. Maybe you have been it. You've been so uptight that it's like walking around trying to squeeze a quarter between your cheeks (and not the cheeks on your face). Come on, you know what I mean. We get so uptight when the church doesn't sing the songs we want to sing. When the order of service is different than we want. When the pastor preaches a little longer than we think he should. Or, maybe somebody visits and we question their character or their motives. What are they doing here. What do they want.....Whatever. But, we've become so uptight, man, it is like we are about to shrivel up and cave in on ourselves. Implode. But, in order to be filled with the Spirit, we have got to loosen up. I'm not talking about loosening our morals, our values, or our convictions. But, I am talking about loosening up our preferences, our pride, and our egos. We need to get out of the way and let God do His thing. We need to take our lid off.

Look what happens when we do. We open ourselves up – we are yielded – to the Holy Spirit. He can fill us with His Spirit. But then what happens? We often times put our lid back on. Wow! This experience was so good I just want to bottle it up. I want to keep it for me. But, when I put the lid back on, the Holy Spirit is not free to flow back out of me into the lives of others. In fact, isn't that what being filled with the Spirit is about? We are to be endued with power to be witnesses to the world. When we put the lid back on, we bottle up the ministry and become of none effect. What would happen to this water if I put the lid back on and just let it sit here a few days? The water becomes stagnant. It will become no good. God hasn't given us His Spirit for us to bottle up for ourselves. We are to be a deep well from which springs of living water flow – not bottled.

So, we see that in order to be filled with the Spirit, we need to take our lid off. But, let me suggest something else to you. You know what? You really don't need the lid any longer. Remember, the filling of the Spirit is not a one-and-done experience. We need to constantly be filled and re-filled – just like the Disciples. In fact, what was said about them on the Day of Pentecost? In Acts 2:13 we see that some of the people made fun of the Disciples. Look at these nuts. They've had too much to drink. They've...flipped their lid [flip the lid into the congregation]. And, that's what we need to do, too. Don't just take your lid off, flip it. You don't need it anymore. Now, I'm not talking about intentionally walking around acting crazy and being silly for the sake of being silly. But, as we are filled with the Spirit, we will begin to say and do things that the world does not understand. Remember, they can't with the natural mind. But, that's OK. As we yield to Him and surrender our lives, we will do things that the world – maybe even our own families – do not understand.

David was willing to be undignified in the eyes of others in order to celebrate the Lord. In 2 Samuel 6:22 we see that David's wife was embarrassed with how David worshipped. But, David was more interested in worshipping God than being perceived as having flipped his lid. In fact, he was willing to be even more undignified. Again, not for the sake of making a scene. But, he understood, he knew, the power of the Holy Spirit and he wanted to be fully abandoned to God. We need to be the same way. We are willing to be this way at camp. But, what happens when we go home. We find our lid and we put it right back on. If you want to go deeper in Christ, you need to allow Him to go deeper in you. 

Flip your lid – you don't need it any more.

Now, some of you might say, “I'm willing and I want God to use me, but how can He use me when I am a broken vessel?” Don't worry. God can use you, even in your brokenness. Remember, Paul said, “When I am weak, then I am strong.” You may feel like you are full of holes (punch holes in the bottle). But, look what happens when you are full of holes. The water begins to flow out freely. Therefore, you can use your weakness, your brokenness, as a conduit for the Holy Spirit to pour into the lives of others. Remember the Samaritan woman? She was broken. She obviously had some serious morality issues. Yet, she immediately went to tell others about Jesus. Even in her brokenness, she allowed herself to be used by God. But, as we read, it wasn't enough for the people to hear about the woman's experience. Yes, they needed to hear it, but they also had to come and drink of the well themselves. They would not have been able to do this if the woman did not allow God to use her brokenness. The same is true for us.

Jesus Himself said in John 7:

37In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. 38He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. 39(But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)

So, don't think that God can't use you. He can. He made you. He loves you. He wants to use you. But, God is a gentleman. He will never force Himself on you. You must yield yourself to Him.

Finally, you may say, “This all sounds good, but how does it happen and how will I know when it does?” These are good questions and over the years I have seen and heard many different things. Some things, if it wasn't really so sad, would almost be funny. Some people say, “Hang on.” Others say, “Let go.” “Just shout it out.” “Hold it in as long as you can.” “Raise your hands and stand” “Fold your hands and kneel” “Repeat after me” “Don't listen to me, listen to God” and on and on. I see how it can be confusing, intimidating, and even a little scary.

But, it doesn't have to be. Scripturally, I see there is just one thing to do. If you are sincere, if you really want to be filled with the Spirit. Do this one thing. Ask! What? Is it that simple? Listen to what Jesus said in Luke 11:

9And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. 10For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. 11If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent? 12Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? 13If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?

There is no magic formula. Yes, we see the Holy Spirit poured out in many different settings in Scripture – during preaching, after preaching, with the laying on of hands, during prayer, etc. There are a lot of different settings and scenarios, but there is no magic formula. Do not feel condemnation for not “doing the right things.” Just ask.

Then, how do you know if you are filled with the Spirit? The Bible says that the Disciples would be endued with power. The Spirit-filled life will give us power to work and live for Him. There will be evidence in your life. Consider Stephen in the book of Acts. He was chosen to wait tables because he was full of the Holy Ghost. There was demonstrable evidence.

So yes, there may be signs, wonders, and even a manifestation of the Spirit as outlined in 1 Corinthians 12-14. To say that one of the gifts is THE sign, well, I can't say that as I do not see Scripturally where that is the case. Yet, it is often evident through the speaking of tongues. Why is tongues important? Well, tongues is speaking to God through the Spirit. I often pray amiss. But, when I yield to the Spirit and allow Him to pray through me, I can't pray incorrectly. Why? Because it is the Spirit of God praying through me and the Spirit of God cannot pray contrary to God's will.

I believe the Spirit-filled life is one marked by:

1. Worship and praise (Ephesians 5:19-20).
2. Submission in relationships (Ephesians 5:21-6:9).
   
3. Fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:16-25).
   
4. Walk not according to the flesh (Romans 8:4, 12-17).
   
5. Walk according to the new creation (Romans 6:4; Galatians 6:16).
   
6. Walk in love (Romans 14:15; Ephesians 5:2; 2 John 6).
   
7. Walk by faith (2 Corinthians 5:7).
   
8. Walk in good works (Ephesians 2:10).
   
9. Walk worthy of calling (Ephesians 4:1; Colossians 1:10; 1 Thessalonians 2:12).
   
10. Walk as wise (Ephesians 5: 15; Colossians 4:5; 1 Thessalonians 4:12).
    
11. Walk like Christ (Philippians 3:17-18; Colossians 2:6; 1 John 2:6).
    
12. Walk in truth (2 John 4; 3 John 3-4).
    
13. Walk in the light (Ephesians 5:8; 1 John 1:6-7).  

What does it mean to be filled with the Spirit? It means to be a mature, Christ-like Christian who exhibits the fruit of the Spirit! It means to be occupied with Christ, not with oneself, or one’s particular experience with the Spirit (i.e. gifts). It means whole-heart surrender to Christ. Every minute, every day.

Are you willing to go deeper? The well is deep. And, if you know Him, the well is in you.