​Water Balloon And Candle
(Holy Spirit)
 
And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit. Ephesians 5:18
 
The Basic Bible Truth
 
When our lives as Christians come to where we embrace the leading of the Holy Spirit, we begin to partake of the joy of being a child of God.  We begin to experience the joy that God feels.  The Bible is filled with references that confirm that the Trinity experience ultimate joy in their relationship, and desire us to participate also in that same joy. 
 
The Object
 
2 Balloons
Water
A Candle
 

Fill one balloon with water, but not overly filled, and tie it off.  Blow the other one up with breath and tie it off.  The demonstration is quite simple.  When the candle is brought beneath the “air only” balloon, it will almost immediately pop.  When the candle is placed under the water filled balloon, the water in the balloon dissipates the heat fast enough that the balloon does not burst.
 
The Lesson
 
Why do people drink alcohol?  There are those who merely partake of it as anyone might drink a soda with a meal.  I’m not talking about those folks.  The ones I am asking about are those who drink to get drunk, or at least a buzz.  Why do they do it?  I would contend that there are two basic reasons, both related.  First, people want to forget their troubles.  They want to be able to enjoy themselves for a moment and not worry about the reality of life.  The key word here is “enjoy”.  Others drink to have a good time.  Again, the idea is to enjoy their time.  I believe you could boil it all down to this statement.  They are ultimately looking for joy and happiness.
 
When we consider of the character of God, it is unfortunate that we rarely think of Him as happy or joyful.  The reality is that He is exceedingly so.  The relationship of the Trinity is perfect in love and that perfect relationship fills them with joy.  In Luke 10:21 we find this verse.  At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do.  Note that very small phrase full of joy through the Holy Spirit.  It sheds great light on how the Trinity works and reacts with each other.
 
As Jesus spoke the universe into existence and the host of Heaven saw the magnificent display of power and goodness and love, God said that it was good.  That is not a shrug of the shoulders saying, “It will do for now.”  That was a heartfelt reaction of absolute power and perfection, an expression of a joy and happiness from seeing a job perfectly done.  I am a woodworker by trade, and I well know the feeling of finishing a particularly challenging project, looking back at it, and saying to myself, “Wow, that looks good!”  And my accomplishments are nothing compared to God’s handiwork. 
 
Throughout the Bible we are reminded of what brings God great joy.  A good example is found in Jeremiah 32:41.  There we read this statement.  I will rejoice in doing them good and will assuredly plant them in this land with all my heart and soul.  In context here, God is talking about Israel’s return to Him and how He will treat them and how He will feel when they repent and they are restored to their rightful place in Israel.  God says I will rejoice.  He will be happy.  We are told elsewhere that there is great rejoicing in Heaven when one sinner turns and repents.  Heaven will be a joyful place, because the perfect, holy God is joyful.  And when our relationship with God is bent toward Him, the Holy Spirit living inside of us brings God’s joy to our heart as well.
 
Our life, filled with the Holy Spirit, is similar to this balloon filled with water.  The empty balloon explodes at the first sign of difficulty.  But the one filled with water enjoys life.  The water inside the balloon carries the heat away faster than the candle can create it.  The balloon is unfazed by the issue and life goes on very nicely.  The Holy Spirit delights in our relationship with Him and He works to create circumstances in our lives that draw us closer to God, and that should make us all happy and joyful.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
 

PDF of Lesson