My Notes from Revival – 4/21/13 – Don Graham

Ephesians 3:14-21 =  “For this reason I bow my knees before the Father,¹⁵ from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, ¹⁶ that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, ¹⁷ so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, ¹⁸ may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, ¹⁹ and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. ²⁰ Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, ²¹ to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”

• “That you may be filled with all the fullness of God” – special emphasis
• Where there is no Brokenness there is no Blessedness
• Tuesday night message (authors note: I wasn’t able to attend!) was about the Lordship of Jesus. We are to crown Him Lord. No refusal, no retreat – just accepting the Lordship of Christ
• Tonight is about how to STAY all together right with God
• This has nothing to do with SIN-LESS-NESS
• We are NOT perfect!
• It is the FULLNESS of Christ
• He has done this so that we can SERVE
• Ephesians 1:12-14 “so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of His glory. In Him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation and believed in Him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of His glory.”
• Note the presence of the Spirit in the life of the believer
• Romans 10:16 “Faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.”

1)    You hear the Word

2)    You trust in Christ

3)    Repenting, Praying to accept Him

4)    Making Him Lord, asking Him in

5)    He comes in, through the Holy Spirit

6)    At that moment you receive all of God that there is to receive

• John 1:14 “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
  • FULL of grace and truth
  • John 1:16 “For from His fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.”
    • FULLNESS we have ALL received!
    • Grace for Grace / Grace upon Grace
    • The invasion of the Spirit of God in all His fullness
    • INDWELT by God
    • Temple of the Holy Spirit
    • Galatians 2:20 “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I know live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”
      • Not my own life
      • My life is now to be lived for Christ, who lives in me
      • Colossians 1:15-16 “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities – all things were created through him and for him.”
        • The one by whom spoke the world into existence
        • God don’t make no junk! He said “it is good”
        • God don’t INDWELL junk
        • That makes you somebody to be contended with
        • You can never have a pity party when you grasp that GOD is inside you
        • You have available to you the dynamic power of God who created the universe
        • Realize this will cause you to be braver for God than you have ever imagined possible
        • When you go you go inhabited by God
        • The presence of the Spirit of God in your life – this is the key to living a life ever right with God
        • Ephesians 3:17 “so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith – that you, being rooted and grounded in love.”
          • The preeminence of Christ
          • At this point in the letter to the Ephesians, Paul had already established that Christ was in your heart – why would he say it again?
            • In Greek, the word used implies that He would firmly and permanently settle down and BE AT HOME in your heart.
            • Taking Jesus on a tour of your home: You know Him everywhere except ONE room, and you try to rush past that door. That would be not letting Jesus feel at home
            • That would be an area of your heart that you have not fully given over to the Lord
            • Jesus is a courteous guest, and he will not invade! You have to give Him every room

• How do we make Jesus feel at home?
  • Warmly and sincerely welcome Him in
    • Get saved!
• Give Him the run of the whole house
  • All of my life, every aspect of it
• Offer the best of all I have
  • Not hand-me-downs or leftovers
• Made to feel loved and welcome
  • Don’t make Jesus feel uncomfortable
• Make Him feel like a member of the family
  • You speak to family
• Made to feel like everyone like him and takes his advice
  • Every conversation and decision should involve Him
• Respected as the Divine Host
  • Jesus will host at the wedding feast in heaven
  • We need to let Him be in charge of every aspect of life

• This has to be done moment by moment – day by day
• This is a process – not perfected overnight
• This is an Act followed by an Attitude
• Pray “Lord fill me with your Spirit”
• Paul wrote 13 books, only in one of which did he address speaking in tongues (letter to the Corinthians) The church of Corinth is the weakest and most corrupt church. If it was more important to base your faith on “feelings” or in having “an experience” wouldn’t Paul have spent more time on the subject?!
• Be filled with the Fullness of God! That isn’t a FEELING. It is an ACTION followed by an ATTITUDE! It is a WAY of living!

• Ephesians 5:18 “And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit” The Holy Spirit is a PERSON he is not a liquid that can rouse up feelings
  • You need to bring your life under the control of the Holy Spirit
  • That will only happen when we live in the fullness of Christ
  • Be filled with the Spirit – that is a COMMAND in the Imperative mode. It is NOT a suggestion!!!
  • The subject is in the plural – it basically says: “All ya’ll be filled with the spirit” it is for EVERYONE
  • The verb tense – is in the present tense. Continuous action. So it really says something like “All ya’ll go on a-being filled with the Spirit”
  • Don’t be afraid to talk about it or you will NEVER get it
  • It don’t matter how high you jump when you get filled with the Holy Spirit, it matters how straight you walk on the way down
  • Being filled with the Spirit may lead to Crisis because we are in the flesh – but Crisis must follow with a process
  • Don’t be seeking an experience!! He is the small still voice!!
  • IT IS NOT YOU GETTING MORE OF GOD, IT IS GOD GETTING ALL OF YOUR HEART AND LIFE
  • Luke 11:9 “And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” How much more will He fill you with the Holy Spirit if you ask Him!
  • You have to ASK