The Intoxicated Christian | Bryan Loritts | Sermon Notes — Hello Pastor

Sermon Notes

The Intoxicated Christian

One Community Church • Aug 24, 2025 • 46 min

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Take this message with you through a journey of Scripture, reflection, and prayer.

Summary

Many Christians exhaust themselves trying to live the Christian life through personal effort rather than relying on the Holy Spirit. Drawing from Ephesians 5:18, Pastor Bryan Loritts explains that being filled with the Spirit requires surrendering control of our daily decisions, words, and relationships to Him. When believers hand over the "keys" of authority in their lives, the Holy Spirit provides access to God's rich promises and empowers them to act for His glory.

Themes

Spirit-Filled LivingSurrender and ControlWord and Spirit PartnershipRelational HolinessSpiritual Access and Authority

Key Points

1.
Too many Christians exhaust themselves rowing in human effort when God has called them to catch the wind of the Holy Spirit and sail.
2.
A healthy spiritual life holds the voice of the Holy Spirit and the verses of Scripture together in complementary partnership rather than pitting them against each other.
3.
Every believer possesses complete spiritual wealth in Christ, and the Holy Spirit serves as practical access to apply those heavenly promises to everyday situations.
4.
While every saved believer possesses the permanent indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit, they can forfeit His power when they refuse to yield control of their lives.
5.
Just as alcohol influences a drunk person's behavior, being filled with the Spirit causes a believer to act "out of character" for God's glory through self-control and godly choices.
6.
The primary real-world proof of a Spirit-filled life is demonstrated in how believers treat others, particularly within marriage, family, and workplace relationships.
7.
Spiritual surrender requires actively handing over the "keys" of personal authority—our speech, attitudes, family, and resources—to the Holy Spirit as our designated driver.

Sermon Moments

“Katie Spots rowed 8 to 10 hours a day across the ocean until her hands were bloodied, while Laura Decker raised a sail to catch the wind—a vivid picture of striving in human effort versus sailing in the Spirit.”

“Scripture presents a both-and paradigm: the absolute divine authority of biblical text working in hand-in-hand partnership with the guiding voice of the Holy Spirit.”

“Possessing heavenly promises without the Holy Spirit is like having money in the bank while stranded without your wallet; the Holy Spirit acts as "Apple Pay," giving direct access to Christ's resources.”

“As New Covenant believers, our bodies are temples of God, meaning we can never lose the indwelling presence of the Spirit, though we can forfeit His power through self-reliance.”

“The true evidence of being Spirit-filled isn't emotional displays at church while speaking harshly at home; it is catching yourself acting out of character for God's glory through self-control.”

“The Holy Spirit functions as our spiritual designated driver, calling us to hand over the "keys" of our decisions before we wreck our lives in self-reliance.”

“A robber used a rare vintage gun worth $100,000 to steal $6,000 from a bank—illustrating how believers often live impoverished lives because they don't realize the invaluable Holy Spirit within them.”

This Week

Identify areas of your life where you have been relying on human effort ("rowing") and pray for the Holy Spirit to direct and carry you ("sailing").

Ask the Holy Spirit daily for wisdom to apply biblical principles to gray areas and specific situations not directly detailed in Scripture.

Pray each morning to be refilled with the Holy Spirit so His power controls your attitudes, reactions, and choices throughout the day.

Express intentional words of honor and encouragement to your spouse or family members, yielding your speech to the control of the Spirit.

Quickly apologize and seek forgiveness when the Holy Spirit prompts you after a conflict, rather than allowing pride to rule your actions.

Practically surrender a specific area of struggle—such as finances, career, or family concerns—by symbolically releasing the "keys" to God.

Meditate on 1 Corinthians 6:19 and Ephesians 5:18 to remember that you possess the Spirit's indwelling presence and can continually access His power.

Remember This

Being filled with the Holy Spirit means continually handing over the "keys" of personal control so His divine power directs your daily actions, relationships, and choices for God's glory.

A Challenge for You

So, Spirit of the living God, we release control today. We release control of our kids. We release control of that relationship. We release control of that tongue. We release control of that attitude. We release control of the money you have blessed us with. We release control of that marriage. We release control of our lives. Spirit of the living God, it's all yours. You take it. You be in control.

These are personal sermon notes shared to help you remember the message — not a replacement for Scripture, your church, or your pastors.