Ephesians 5:18b-21 “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.”
Pastor Herk continued in his Sunday sermon series through the Pauline Epistle of Ephesians. The kind of music that flows from the spirit of the inner being to the eternal Almighty, when our lives are controlled byt eh Holy Spirit. Psalm 21:13 proclaims, “Be exalted, O Lord, in your strength! We will sing and praise your power.” There are debates in the Christian church over whether traditional hymns or modern contemporary songs should be sang. Scripture tells us that our music is designed to be a unifying force to bring the church body together; to unite us, instead of divide us.
The Apostle Paul warns Believers to live their lives carefully. We are to make the most of the opportunities that we have available today, even though we are living in evil days and times in this dark and fallen world. God’s overall plan to redemption, reconciliation and restoration will conform our lives to godly living. If we allow it the Holy Spirit to saturate us. Psalm 95:1 “Oh come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!”
The Apostle gives us five participle phrases that describe the results of being filled with the Holy Spirit. (1) BE filled with the Holy Spirit. (2) Addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs. (3) Singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart. (4) Giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. (5) Submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ. Being filled with the Holy Spirit is allowing Him to control our lives. The Apostle Paul explains in Galatians 5:16-18, “So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever[a] you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.” Though born again of the Spirit, we live with the fallen flesh and it’s sin nature on this side of Heaven, so we have to make a choice to walk in the Spirit. Galatians 5:24-25 tells us that, “Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.”
Walk, led by the Holy Spirit, is a continuous process that is experienced on a moment by moment basis our entire life. The fruit of aligning your conscious walk in this life with the indwelling Holy Spirit guidance is what every person is seeking. Galatians 5:22-23 confirms, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.“ Being controlled by the Holy Spirit means much more than singing. Yet, rejoicing in song is the natural response to unspeakable joy in the Lord. Psalm 71:23 “My lips will shout for joy, when I sing praises to you; my soul also, which you have redeemed.” You cannot help but sing in joy and adoration.
Let's continue Pastor Herk's message on singing a joyful song unto the Lord in the next post.
In Christ, Brian
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