What Fills You Controls You
Hello, I am pastor Greg of Calvary Reformed
Church and I am here in one of the Portage parks
Celery flats. We are going to be looking at part 2 of filling of the Holy Spirit. Last week we were looking at the fountain which is straight ahead from
where I am standing, this week behind me what we have is the house it's called the Stuart Manor the first house that was built in constructed in Portage it
was also the home of the U.S. senator Charles Stuart and it's believed that it was also used as part of the Underground Railroad, with the freeing of the slaves.
I find that interesting, for right now because
within our society today within America we have such animosity and anger and hatred that's going on between different people. That the reality is friends when, we understand of the work of Jesus Christ within us when we understand the filling of the Holy Spirit within our lives--- it gives us the ability to do what Jesus Christ says--- when he says love God
with your heart soul mind and strength, and to love your neighbor as you love yourself. Color of skin does not matter--- what matters is a person's heart. What matters is our walk with the Lord, what matters
is how we love our neighbor as we love ourselves.
Well last week we started with the teaching on the filling of the Holy Spirit, two weeks ago was Pentecost and we're still on Acts chapter 2 verse 4, “all of them the disciples plus the others 120 people were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in
other tongues as the spirit enabled them to speak,”
The Greek word for filling is to make full to be complete it's like a sponge which is full of water, a wedding banquet hall which is full of people, it also deals with the filling of our lives. Last weekend and this week the teaching really centers around the idea of whatever fills you controls you ---if you drink too much alcohol, you're controlled by the spirit of the alcohol, you do drugs you get controlled by the drugs, if you have rage inside of you--- you are controlled by that rage and anger. Friends we have the Holy Spirit within us we have God incarnate within us we are filled we are controlled been by God himself.
And it's a controlling by consent, we say, Lord we want you to come into our lives --we want you to fill up our lives. It's a controlling by consent. We're consenting to the Holy Spirit coming to walk with us the Apostle Paul says in Ephesians 5 great passage do not get drunk on wine which leads to debauchery, instead be filled with the Holy Spirit. ]
Last week we looked at the first five points of the filling of the Holy Spirit.
First we are dead in our sin but the Spirit makes us alive in Christ.
Second the filling of the Spirit shows that we belong to the Lord Jesus Christ and we are heirs we are in that inheritance with God through Jesus Christ.
Third, the Holy Spirit pours out his love within our hearts and as that love is poured out to us we are able to offer that love to others.
Forht, we're part of Christ's universal church not just here in the kalamazoo portage texas township madeline pawpaw Lawton area but worldwide when we become a Christian we are part of the body of Christ everyone that we come into
contact with who is a Christian we are a brother and a sister to them
and 5th, we also receive the spiritual gifts the spiritual gifts from the Holy Spirit, to worship and praise God but to also build up the church.
This week we're going to look at six more ideas of the filling of the Spirit
The first one, a lot of times a lot of us have a hard time reading the Bible we read it but we just really don't quite understand what we're reading and we can understand that the Holy Spirit is the one who gives us the insight the ability to see what we're reading. The indwelling of the Holy Spirit helps us understand and apply scripture. How many times don't a lot of us maybe just pick up the Bible- reread it but we are totally lost ---we don't understand it.
Friends, we're trying to read it through our eyes, we need to read it through the gift through the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ is the one that gives us the ability through the Holy Spirit to read scripture and to read it fresh and new so I ask if you having a hard time understanding Scripture when you pick it
up and read it--- well first off are you reading the Bible and secondly, are you praying for clarity…. you're praying for clarity the Holy Spirit to work inside… you do you have a good Study Bible, a good study Bible to help you read and have the Holy Spirit help you understand what you are reading so the filling of the Holy Spirit enables us to understand and apply Scripture more completely
within our lives.
The indwelling of the Holy Spirit point number seven enriches the believers prayer life and the Holy Spirit intercession for US. Have you ever had a hard time praying ---if you are like me at times--I have sometimes I feel like my prayers never get past the ceiling--- sometimes I feel like my prayers aren't don't even get past my own brain, but we're told through Scripture the Apostle Paul says, “likewise the spirit helps us in our weakness because at times we do not know what to pray.” for Paul says in Romans 8 but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us is that amazing the Holy Spirit prays for us. The Holy Spirit intercedes for us. The Holy Spirit is the one that that is pleading our case to God the Father.
The eighth point comes in the fact of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit empowers the believer to do Christ's will. I can't do Christ’s will in my life without the power and the strength of the Holy Spirit.
Now I can't say for sure that that most of the people that ran the Underground Railroad were Christians but all that I have read all that I have seen when I
have gone to areas to Boston and other areas to see what went on with the Underground Railroad … it was Christian men and women, that I've read for the most part. That were saying, you know that
we are all equal, and we need to do Christ's will within our lives--- we need to be supportive of each other.
The Holy Spirit enables us to live for Christ. Paul says, “we walk by the Spirit we do not need to
fulfill the desires of the flesh,” and if we're led by the Holy Spirit we are then we are then sons of God.
Number nine, the indwelling Spirit gives evidence of new life by fruit of the Spirit. The spiritual fruit within our lives-- the fruit of love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness,
Faithfulness. These are evidence of the
spirit within our life, and friends, if we had that evidence within our life--- if we're living that out if we are loving our neighbors as ourselves --we can love those who are unlovable.
We would NOT have all this rage and anger
within our society when we give our lives to Jesus Christ--- and having the Holy Spirit dwelling within us.
Number 10, is simply that the indwelling Spirit causes us to grieve for our sin. The Holy Spirit causes us -- leads us to realize our sin in our life and to confess that sin. Jesus Christ says he is faithful to forgive us our sins if we confess our sin. I have so much sin in my life that I need to continually be confessing my sin to God, there is none that is righteous no not one. Scripture says while we were yet sinners Christ died for us, and for that Lord we give you thanks and praise but we are called to confess our sins.
And we can only do that through the Holy Spirit---
Number 11, the Holy Spirit seals us for the day of the judgement time. Paul says we are sealed with the Holy Spirit as a promise who is the guarantee of our inheritance. This gets back to the fact that that we are part of that inheritance we are sealed by God by the Holy Spirit--- we are sealed
we are in that family--- so that we are guaranteed presence with the Lord for eternity. Christianity is the only--- friends Christianity is the only religion that's not based on works --- it's not based on how good I am--- it's not based on what I do for society.
It's based on what has been done for me through the cross, what has been done for you through the cross. And then we--- by consent-- say Lord come into my lives--- I want to come into my life-- I want you to control me --I want to give my life over to you.
That is a controlling by consent, and there is the reality that what fills us and controls us.
Friends my prayer is that you will be filled by the Holy Spirit--- and there will be evidence of that filling of the gifts of the Spirit ---of the fruit of the Spirit ---of the inheritance that we have--- of the love
that we have for one another and not just those that we know but for those that we don't know.
My prayer is that your heart will be open to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit--- that we have an
eternal promise of a relationship with Jesus Christ forever.
In the name of the Father, name of the Son, the Holy Spirit… Friends may the Lord bless you and keep you, may He lift up His grace upon you may he grant your grace in peace amen
May your life--- may your heart--- may your soul be filled with the Holy Spirit, the name of the father son the Holy Spirit Amen.
Family and friends, may the lord bless you and keep you, may he lift up his grace upon you may he grant you grace and peace, may you open up your heart and consent to be controlled by the Holy Spirit for that which fills you controls you Amen.
