What Are You Full Of? Southside Christian Chapel 2024

When I was around 12 years old, my favorite place to eat was “Chi Chis” Mexican restaurant.

And my favorite thing there was the fried ice cream.

One Friday night when I was done eating my fried ice cream I begged my dad for another. Mom shook her head. Dad hooked me up.

And when I got done eating that one, I got another.

I was so stuffed I could barely move.

My Dad had just gotten a new truck: a beautiful Ford F150.

I went out to the truck to head home and as soon as I got in I released ALL THAT FRIED ICE CREAM ONTO THE FLOORBOARD.

Dad was NOT happy, but he’s the one who paid for the ice cream!

I was so full of that delicious dessert that it just had to come on outta me.

Now bear with me, in some ways, this story is similar to the Holy Spirit. What comes out of us is usually what we are full of. If what comes out of us is anger and bitterness, it usually means that we are full of anger and bitterness. If what comes out of us is love, joy, peace, patience etc., then those are the fruit of the Spirit we are filled with.

Now before we can even get into what it means for our lives, I want to explain a bit who the Holy Spirit is. How do we get Him, and what does it mean for us as followers of Jesus? Now, you have to understand, I could talk for weeks about the Holy Spirit, but I only have about 20 minutes, so this is the Cliff Notes version, but it will help us better understand what is happening here in the book of ACTS.

Question 1: Who or what is the Holy Spirit?

There are many misconceptions about the identity of the Holy Spirit. Some view the Holy Spirit as a mystical force. Others understand the Holy Spirit as the impersonal power that God makes available to followers of Christ.

What does the Bible say about the identity of the Holy Spirit? Simply put, the Bible declares that the Holy Spirit is God. The Bible also tells us that the Holy Spirit is a divine person, a being with a mind, emotions, and a will. How do we know? In the Bible we find that the Holy Spirit can be grieved. We read that the Spirit intercedes for us. He makes decisions according to His will. The Holy Spirit is God, the third person of the Trinity. As God, the Holy Spirit can truly function as the Comforter and Counselor that Jesus promised He would be.

Romans 8:9 tells us that if a person does not possess the Holy Spirit, he or she does not belong to Christ: “You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.” (NIV 1984)

Ephesians 1:13-14 teaches us that the Holy Spirit is the seal of salvation for all those who believe: “Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession—to the praise of his glory.” (NIV 1984)

Question 2: How do we receive the Holy Spirit?

We receive the Holy Spirit by simply receiving the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior. When do we receive the Holy Spirit? The moment we believe in Jesus.

A couple points about the Holy Spirit, if you are taking notes:

The Holy Spirit is a Person (Matt. 28:19; 2 Cor. 13:14)

The Holy Spirit is God (Acts 5:3-4)

The Holy Spirit is Eternal and Holy (John 9:14; Romans 1:4; 5:5)

The Holy Spirit is omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient. (Zech. 4:6; Ps. 139:7-8; 1 Cor. 2:10b)

So if you have claimed Jesus as your Savior and ruler of your life, Scripture teaches us you have the Holy Spirit. Now the sad part is, there are many people who have this amazing gift of the Holy Spirit yet they do not allow Him to affect their lives. This is crazy to me because the Holy Spirit is God in us, the all powerful, all knowing, all loving God who created everything, who conquered death, who did all of these miracles, lives inside us. We have that same power inside us and for many, it has no effect on them because they don’t rely on Him to change them from the inside out.

Question 3: Why do we have the Holy Spirit anyways?

John 14:15-18 (NLT)

15 “If you love me, obey my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. 17 He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you. 18 No, I will not abandon you as orphans—I will come to you.

For many of us, if we were to ask us, “If you can have Jesus physically present with you, or the Holy Spirit, who would you have?” Many of us would say Jesus. But Jesus said He had to go, because the Helper was better for us. When Jesus says this, we need to understand and respect it. Let’s take Him at His word, let’s go with whatever He says. What does it mean to have the Holy Spirit? What does this mean for our lives?

The book of ACTS, if you ever want to know how the church started and what it looked like, read this book. All throughout the Book of Acts the Holy Spirit is active and changing lives. That same Holy Spirit described in these books is the same one that dwells and moves today, right here and right now.

There are many things we can learn about what the Holy Spirit does in us, but I would love to focus on three today. Let me share three big things we can walk away with when we realize we have access to the Holy Spirit of God.

1. He Turns a Timid Heart Into a Bold One

Acts 2:36-41(NLT)

“So let everyone in Israel know for certain that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, to be both Lord and Messiah!” Peter’s words pierced their hearts, and they said to him and to the other apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?” Peter replied, “Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. This promise is to you, to your children, and to those far away—all who have been called by the Lord our God.” Then Peter continued preaching for a long time, strongly urging all his listeners, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation!” Those who believed what Peter said were baptized and added to the church that day—about 3,000 in all.

Peter went from denying Christ three times to preaching at Pentecost. Peter was once fearful to the point of denying Jesus when asked by a little girl if he knew Christ. But with the great power of the Holy Spirit working in his life, Peter became bold to the point of preaching the name of Jesus in front of a crowd of three thousand people! .

Power can be used in at least two ways: it can be unleashed, or it can be harnessed. The energy in ten gallons of gasoline, for instance, can be released explosively by dropping a lighted match into the can. Or it can be channeled through the engine of a Honda Civic in a controlled burn and used to transport a person 350 miles. Explosions are spectacular, but controlled burns have lasting effect, or staying power. The Holy Spirit works both ways. At Pentecost, He exploded on the scene; His presence was like "tongues of fire" like it says in Acts 3. Thousands were affected by one burst of God's power. But He also works through the Church--the institution God began--to tap the Holy Spirit's power for the long haul. Through worship, fellowship, and service, Christians are provided with staying power.

What is it in you that you wish you can do for the Lord but you are limited because you are afraid? For many of us, we deny Christ daily with our words and with our actions.

I get scared to bring up Jesus sometimes. I can be talking with people and feel nudged to share the Gospel with them, but I hesitate and fumble. I’m kind of an introvert and awkward so it’s hard for me to talk with people I don’t know. (At least that’s my excuse) It’s not very bold of me, but it is the way it is. I also get nervous every time I am about to preach. But I know God has called me to preach and I believe it’s the Holy Spirit who gives me the boldness and ability to stand in front of others and teach. The Holy Spirit can turn a timid heart like mine into a bold one.

2 Timothy 1:7 (NIV 1984)

"For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a Spirit of power..."

2. He Turns A Hardened Heart Into A Passionate One

Acts 9:1-6 (NLT)

Meanwhile, Saul was uttering threats with every breath and was eager to kill the Lord’s followers. So he went to the high priest. He requested letters addressed to the synagogues in Damascus, asking for their cooperation in the arrest of any followers of the Way he found there. He wanted to bring them—both men and women—back to Jerusalem in chains.

As he was approaching Damascus on this mission, a light from heaven suddenly shone down around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting me?”

“Who are you, lord?” Saul asked.

And the voice replied, “I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting! Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”

Let’s jump to Acts 9:26-31:

When Saul arrived in Jerusalem, he tried to meet with the believers, but they were all afraid of him. They did not believe he had truly become a believer! Then Barnabas brought him to the apostles and told them how Saul had seen the Lord on the way to Damascus and how the Lord had spoken to Saul. He also told them that Saul had preached boldly in the name of Jesus in Damascus. So Saul stayed with the apostles and went all around Jerusalem with them, preaching boldly in the name of the Lord. He debated with some Greek-speaking Jews, but they tried to murder him. When the believers heard about this, they took him down to Caesarea and sent him away to Tarsus, his hometown. The church then had peace throughout Judea, Galilee, and Samaria, and it became stronger as the believers lived in the fear of the Lord. And with the encouragement of the Holy Spirit, it also grew in numbers.

Whoa! Is this the same guy? It sounds like two different people being described, doesn’t it?

I get really annoyed when people pull out in front of me while I’m driving. In those moments, I do what any Christian would do. I pray.

I pray a verse from Psalm 3 that says, "Arise, LORD! Deliver me, my God! Strike all my enemies on the jaw; break the teeth of the wicked.”

Okay, that isn’t exactly Christ like. But I’m not flawless.

I become very passionate to find the evil-doer and bring them to justice. This is not the passionate heart I am talking about.

Paul’s conversion experience on the Damascus Road was a motivating force in his life. Grateful for the gift of grace he had received at salvation, in subsequent years, the apostle told many people about his encounter with the resurrected Christ and its impact on him. We, too, have a story to tell of God's mercy in saving us and of the new life we have in Him.

The more we understand what Jesus has accomplished on our behalf, the greater will be our passion to share the gospel.

Developing a vibrant faith requires time and energy plus a commitment to obey God. Regularly studying the Bible will strengthen your beliefs and give you courage to speak. Caring about the spiritual welfare of others will move you into action. Do you have a passion to serve Jesus wherever He leads?

3. He Turns A Dead Heart Into An Alive One

Romans 8:11(NLT)

The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.

What does a dead heart consist of? For one, if you don’t know Jesus, your heart does not belong to him and it’s spiritually dead. But it’s also possible for believers to have a dead heart as well. How does that happen? It happens when we are selfish.

When we are full of ourselves we cannot be filled with anything else, including the Holy Spirit. When we are full of our passions and desires that are not of God, our hearts are dead to what God has desired for us. When we learn to lean on the Holy Spirit, our hearts become burning for what brings glory and honor to God. It doesn’t matter how dark, deep, wide, awful, embarrassing, bad you think your past is, God can change your dead heart into a beating one and change you from the inside out. All you have to do is accept Jesus as Lord of your life and call on His name.

D.L Moody said, "I believe firmly that the moment our hearts are emptied of pride and selfishness and ambition and everything that is contrary to God's law, the Holy Spirit will fill every corner of our hearts. But if we are full of pride and conceit and ambition and the world, there is no room for the Spirit of God. We must be emptied before we can be filled."

So I have to ask you, “What are you full of?”

God… or yourself?

The Holy Spirit? Or the things of this world like envy, greed, lust and selfishness?

The Holy Spirit wants to have all of your heart, not just a part.

Will you allow the Spirit to burn away anything that is not of Him so that you can live with freedom, purpose and on mission for Christ?

*Prayer*