Be Filled - The True Source of Fulfillment

Fulfillment

Ephesians 3:14–21 CSB

For this reason I kneel before the Father from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named. I pray that he may grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with power in your inner being through his Spirit, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. I pray that you, being rooted and firmly established in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the length and width, height and depth of God’s love, and to know Christ’s love that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us—to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Fulfillment

Does everyone feel fulfilled?

Search for secret to happiness on Google - over 7.5 million results

Meaning - feeling happiness and satisfaction

Pew Research - Family, Social Causes, Career, Faith

A lot of different things based on a lot of different people

Harvard - 75 year study - The quality of our life — emotionally, physically, and mentally — is directly proportional to the quality of our relationships.

If it these things - why do so many of us feel empty

So now, take a man that hath all the fullness of the earth; because that his soul was never made for the fullness of the earth, therefore he is said to be empty; in the midst of all his fullness, the man is an empty man, because his heart is not full of that for which he was made, and that is Christ. - William Bridge - Puritan

That’s what I want to talk about today -

The Source of fulfillment - is in Christ ad the filling of His Spirit only.

Harvard got it right almost - it is our relationships but most of all it is our relationship with our creator.

Turn to Ephesians as we dive deeper in to finding and living i fulfilled.

Let’s pray

1. Be fully yielded to the Holy Spirit

Ephesians 3:19 CSB

and to know Christ’s love that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

1. Be fully yielded to the Holy Spirit

There is a difference from knowing about and knowing Christ

Yield simply means to cease resistance

No longer my way

Galatians 2:20 CSB

I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

2. Do not grieve the Holy Spirit

Ephesians 4:30–32 CSB

And don’t grieve God’s Holy Spirit. You were sealed by him for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, anger and wrath, shouting and slander be removed from you, along with all malice. And be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one another, just as God also forgave you in Christ.

2. Do not grieve the Holy Spirit

How we keep from grieving - remove these

Malice and Bitterness - internal issues -outward resentment

Anger and wrath - selfish anger - my feelings

Shouting and Slander - blame and tear down others - Sticks and Stones - words are worse

Replace these with -

Kindness and Compassion - How many time do we read Jesus had compassion

Forgiveness - number 1 cause of health issues, does not mean forget but frees you

Means stop bringing it up

Remember what has been done for you

1 Timothy 1:15–16 CSB

This saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”—and I am the worst of them. But I received mercy for this reason, so that in me, the worst of them, Christ Jesus might demonstrate his extraordinary patience as an example to those who would believe in him for eternal life.

3. Live in the fullness of the Holy Spirit

Ephesians 5:15–21 CSB

Pay careful attention, then, to how you walk—not as unwise people but as wise—making the most of the time, because the days are evil. So don’t be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. And don’t get drunk with wine, which leads to reckless living, but be filled by the Spirit: speaking to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making music with your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another in the fear of Christ.

3. Live in the fullness of the Holy Spirit

Make the most of your time - you only get one life

Lord’s will - Know Him Make Him known

do that everyday.

Don’t do it alone -

Be apart of a community that will encourage you and hold you accountable

Every day - Worship - word and actions

Look at all you have - be thankful

Give to others - be an encouragement

That is a full day

Fulfillment

The soul’s deepest thirst is for God Himself, who has made us so that we can never be satisfied without Him. - F.F. Bruce

Fulfillment

It starts with Knowing Him - do you?

It continues with - stop resisting

It happens everyday

Are you satisfied with your faith and life

Leave with with a thought from 19th century author Henry Law

You may have wealth. It cannot profit long. You may have health. Decay will cause its flower to fade. You may have strength. It soon will totter to the grave. You may have honors. A breath will blast them. You may have flattering friends. They are but as a summer brook. These boasted joys often now cover an aching heart, but they never gave a grain of solid peace; they never healed a wounded conscience; they never won approving looks from God; they never crushed the sting of sin.

Only Christ

Lets Pray