To be Filled with the Spirit of God
John 14:16-17 “And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you forever;
Even the Spirit of truth; Whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth Him not, neither knoweth Him: but ye know Him; for He dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.”
Ephesians 3:17-19 “That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye being rooted and grounded in love,
May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;
And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God.”
To be filled with the Holy Spirit is like a sponge thrown in the ocean. Dried and shriveled, out of the water. Yet it becomes larger and larger; fuller and fuller in the ocean. It can not take in all the ocean, but it takes in more and more; till it is filled to it’s capacity.
When we are born again, we are given the Holy Spirit.
Our dead spirits are enlightened, and made alive by the Holy Spirit of God when He enters our spirits at new birth.
He makes us entirely new. Yet we are babes in Christ.
As babes we are to learn to walk. We stumble often, but we learn, and are soon walking with God.
To be filled with the Spirit of God, is seen in Acts:
Peter and the apostles were filled with the Holy Ghost on the day of Pentecost.
(Acts 2:4) “And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost…”
The Spirit changed these terrified disciples (John 20:19) into men and women which could speak of Christ before a great assembly of people.
Peter, who denied the Lord, now spoke with boldness about him. Boldly telling the crowd that they crucified the Lord of Glory. That in Jesus was salvation; and by none other.
Acts 2:32-33,36 “This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we are all witnesses. Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, He hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear.
Therefore let all the hosts of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.”
Yet, a while later, when they were taken before the council, beaten and threatened; it says they prayed and then were filled with the Holy Spirit again.
Acts 4:23,29-31 “And being let go, they went to their own company, and reported all that the chief priests and the elders had said unto them.
And now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto Thy servants, that with all boldness we may speak Thy word,
By stretching forth Thy hand to heal;…
And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word with boldness.”
Why? because Peter and the disciples did not need the strength and power to stand against persecution, until then.
Before, he needed the power to stand and speak boldly before a crowd.
Then it was power to stand before the council.
And now, when things were getting harder, God gives them more of His Holy Spirit, to help them.
We are filled with the Spirit, as we are emptied of self; our self-reliance.
Peter, so full of himself, swore he would never deny the Lord; but he did. (Luke 22:33-34)
Peter, emptied of his bluster, and just obedient; waiting on the Holy Spirit, was filled to speak boldly. Three thousand were saved.
Peter, emptied of any thought of being able to stand against persecution, was filled by God’s Spirit to stand against it.
Who knows what our lives will bring? Where will they lead us?
What we can know is: Jesus Christ has made provision for us in His Holy Spirit.
To guide us, to strengthen us, to empower us: just as we need it, and when we need it.
Like the sponge is filled with the ocean; we can be filled with the Holy Spirit of God, as we see our need and yield to Him.
Preaching, Teaching, and Notes 