Are You Full Or Empty?

“Are you Full or Empty?”

4/8/2007 - Marsing, ID

5/21/2009 - Nampa, ID

Ricardo Rodriguez

pastor_rr@yahoo.com

Luke 24:1-12

We don’t normally associate positive feelings with emptiness or the fact of being empty. The truth is we usually feel satisfied and without worries when we are full. When our gas tank is full, when our stomachs are full, when our wallets are full of bills not the ones we owe.

Jesus showed us almost 2000 years ago, how we can be happy when we are empty.

THE GREATEST SYMBOL OF NEW LIFE IS FOUND IN AN EMPTY TOMB!

"But the angel answered and said to the women, ’Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead."

Matt. 28:5-7

"But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you."

Rom. 8:11

An Empty Celebration [Easter] by Jerry Shirley

1. AN EMPTY LIFE.

v. 7 Jesus showed that THE WAY TO BE FULL IS TO BE EMPTY.

[tell that to my gas tank!]

Real ‘fulfill’ment comes when we’re empty of our own desires and make Jesus our heart’s desire!

Jesus’ Last Words before His Death:

IT IS FINISHED – CONSUMADO ES!

What does this Mean?

Fulfillment! That Everything that needed to be Done was DONE!

That Jesus has Literally Emptied Himself of Everything he had to offer TO ME/YOU, That We might Live LIFE ABUNDANTLY!

He Poured it all out – that it might be found within us!

When you Watch Him Live – you Know that His life was Consumed for Humanity – You & ME – and that He emptied Himself of all other cares.

Stepped Into Humanity at its Worst – Offered his Very Best!

EMPTIED HIMSELF of ALL LIFE –

To FILL Ours With HIS

If you are not experiencing God’s presence in your life, it may be that you’re not “empty” enough!

We serve a Lord that specializes in filling emptiness!

Jn. 6—empty stomachs (5,000 plus) - 4 plans offered:

1. Disciples said, let’s just get rid of the problem…tell them to go away

Jesus said, that’s not it, they’ll faint on the way home…they’re running on empty.

2. Phillip said, let’s raise the money. He did some figuring and found it would take 200 days’ wages to buy enough bread. (money’s not the solution to every problem…it can’t buy everything! House/not a home; bed/good night’s sleep; medicine/health; beautiful church bldg./power of God!)

3. Andrew found little boy w/ small lunch, and said, it’s not much, but it’s a start!

4. Jesus had the true solution as he took the little boy’s lunch and demonstrated that little is much when God is in it!

In all 4 gospels, Jesus gave thanks prior to even breaking the bread…showing the multitudes that only God can fill their emptiness!

We serve a Lord that specializes in filling emptiness!

God can take your emptiness and make it FULL!

Are you running on empty? If you’re not experiencing intimacy w/ Christ on a daily basis…it may be that, though you feel empty…you’re not empty enough! Make room for Jesus by taking some irons out of the fire and making Him a priority!

• We need to be emptied of sin.

God can’t fill a vessel that has no room to pour into. It is an impossibility if we harbor sin in our lives. Now, Christians aren’t sinless, but we SHOULD sin LESS! It’s all about desire. True repentance is not perfection, but turning from sin and doing our best to head toward God.

• We need to be emptied of self.

Ladies and gentlemen, we will never find intimacy w/ Christ until we stop bowing down to the shrine of self!

• We need to be emptied of substitutes.

Be careful, often we try to substitute service for surrender/work for worship…but Martha becomes Mary when she drops her “to do list” and falls at the feet of Jesus!

Serving is good and right, but don’t let yourself get so busy doing things for Christ that you neglect spending time with Christ!

Accept no other substitutes for the filling of the Spirit.

Don’t fill yourself up w/drugs/food / movies / music /relationships…

nothing less than Christ!

Empty yourself out on this altar (toxic waste dump)

Empty the sin, the self, all substitutes.

2. AN EMPTY CROSS

I’ve never appreciated the crucifix hanging on a mirror or a hospital wall. Jesus isn’t there anymore!

The cross is empty…and yet it is full of God’s promises!