Beware Of The Spirit Of Emptiness

BEWARE: THERE IS A SPIRIT OF EMPTINESS

EMPTY IS DANGEROUS

By Wade Martin Hughes, Sr.

Man tends to be a creature of habit.

We are given to PESSIMISM or OPTIMISM.

We see bad, or we see good.

Spiritual things start as a thought. We then set a

pattern of thinking.

I know people that can tell you every thing wrong in three counties and 100 churches. SOME NEVER ACT IN FAITH, THEY JUST REACT TO PROBLEMS AND MAKE MORE PROBLEMS.

These thought patterns launch into words. Words can become traps.

These words establish themselves as attitudes, then behavior patterns develop. Then there becomes great danger that our behavior patterns can turn into STRONGHOLDS.

I. EMPTY VESSELS MAKE MORE NOISE?

A. Does it make sense to drop empty buckets into empty wells?

B. SHOOTING THE SAINTS?

Years ago there was a battle by the French.

They sent ships up the Great Lake Seaway which were to meet with the land forces and do a great battle.

The ships got to the destination two weeks before the land forces.

The sailors thought they would put some fear in the people.

The sailors got bored waiting out in the harbor, so they started shooting practice. They started shooting out tree tops. They were very good.

They thought they would shoot their cannons at the huge church. There were many statues of the Saints placed around the church.

There was St. Paul’s statue, the sailors blew off his head. There was St. Peter’s statue, the sailors blew him all to pieces. They shot Mary’s beautiful statue down.

Two weeks later the land troops arrived and was expecting the ships to fire their cannons before they attacked. The cannons set silently on the decks of the ships. The sailors had wasted their ammunition shooting the SAINTS!

Now the guns were empty, the battle was lost, and France never gained dominion over Canada.

C. EMPTY:

Containing nothing.

Not inhabited or occupied.

Lacking reality, substance, meaning, or value.

Hollow.

Destitute of effective force.

IDLE, HAVING NO PURPOSE OR RESULTS.

Absence of life, activity, comfort.

II. IN THE OLD TESTAMENT PEOPLE WERE NOT TO APPROACH GOD EMPTY.

Deut. 16:16 Three times in a year shall all thy males appear before the Lord thy God in the place which he shall choose; in the feast of unleavened bread,

and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of tabernacles: and they shall not appear before the Lord empty:

17 Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the Lord thy God which he hath given thee.

III. WHAT WAS THE SIN OF THE FIVE VIRGINS?

A. The five virgins were still virgins, they had kept themselves unspotted from the world. They were still pure and clean.

B. What possibly could be their sin?

C. THEY WERE EMPTY!

Matthew 25:3 They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them:

IV. THE MASTER WILL HOLD HIS SERVANTS ACCOUNTABLE.

A. The Master had a great vineyard.

B. He was leaving for a while, and he left able bodied men in charge to maintain and advance the vineyard.

C. Later the Master sent to claim what was rightfully His.

Mark 12:3 And they caught him, and beat him, and sent him away empty.

D. Now this behavior is unacceptable, the caretakers or stewards would have to GIVE ACCOUNT TO THE MASTER.

V. CAN WE IDENTIFY THERE IS A SPIRIT OF EMPTINESS?

WE CAN NOT AFFORD TO WALK EMPTY?

A. WHERE IS THE OIL IN ZION?

B. We can not grow spiritually by dreams and visions alone.

Isaiah 29:8 It shall even be as when an hungry man dreameth, and, behold, he eateth; but he awaketh, and his soul is empty: or as when a thirsty man dreameth, and, behold, he drinketh; but he awaketh, and, behold, he is faint, and his soul hath appetite: so shall the multitude of all the nations be, that fight against mount Zion.

VI. IT IS A SAD DAY WHEN THE PREACHER AND HIS FAMILY ARE EMPTY.

A. ELI HAD BEEN A WONDERFUL MAN OF GOD, BUT HE STARTED LETTING THE CHURCH OPERATE EMPTY.

B. ELI’S TWO SONS WERE IN A BACK SLIDDEN CONDITION.

C. ELI, HOPHI, AND PHINEHAS HAD THE RITUALS DOWN.

THEY WERE GOOD IN THE OUTER COURTS BUT IT WAS SAD.

D.They had the visible ARK of the Covenant to take to battle, but they didn’t have God.

E. THERE WAS NO OPEN VISION.

1 Samuel 3:1 And the child Samuel ministered unto the Lord before Eli. And the word of the Lord was precious in those days; there was no open vision.

VII. ARE WE IMPRESSED BY LEAVES ONLY?

WE LOVE A GOOD SHADE TREE?

A. In the Bible there are only two kinds of trees: