Preached on Sunday 8th June 2025 at Renew Church, Whāngarei, New Zealand
OVERVIEW
We are all filled with something. This sermon explores what the Bible says about being filled. It discusses the consequences of letting the wrong things take up space in our hearts and that God offers something far better – His Spirit, His joy, His peace and His power.
IS THE GLASS HALF FULL OR HALF EMPTY?
– The optimist says the glass is half full.
– The pessimist says the glass is half empty.
– The obsessive-compulsive postpones the question until the level of the water is checked, and checked again, and again.
– The engineer says the glass is twice as big as it needs to be.
– The psychologist asks, “How does the glass make you feel?”
– The philosopher debates whether the glass exists at all.
– The cynic says, “Who left their dirty cup here?”
– The insomniac will be up all night wrestling with the question.
– The activist stages a protest either way.
– The conspiracy-theorist believes the government is contaminating the water for mind-control purposes.
– The misogynist says, “The glass ain’t gonna refill itself, hon”.
– The millennial says: “It’s not filtered, organic, or locally sourced, so I’m not drinking it.”
– The politician says that under the last government, the glass was half-empty, and becoming emptier, but thanks to his own party’s new leadership, the glass is definitely now half-full, and becoming fuller.
The truth is the glass is always full – part water, part air.
Just like the glass – our hearts are always filled with something. Even when it seems like we’re “only half full,” something else is filling the rest. The question is: what are we filled with?
WHAT ARE WE FILLED WITH?
The Bible says people are filled with the following things:
– Unrighteousness (Romans 1:29)
– Evil (Romans 1:29)
– Covetousness (Romans 1:29)
– Malice (Romans 1:29, Acts 13:10)
– Envy (Romans 1:29)
– Murder (Romans 1:29)
– Strife (Romans 1:29)
– Deceit (Romans 1:29)
– Confusion (Isaiah 34:11)
– Vain hopes (Jeremiah 23:16)
– Violence (Ezekiel 7:23, Genesis 6:11)
– Fury (Ezekiel 22:31)
– Wrath (Nahum 1:6)
– Shame (Ezekiel 16:63)
– Indignation (Lamentations 4:11)
– Bitterness (Acts 8:23)
– Sorrow (Lamentations 3:15)
– Fear (Luke 5:26)
– Demons (Luke 8:27; Matt 12:43-45)
– Pride (Ezekiel 28:5)
– Madness (Deuteronomy 28:28)- The Holy Spirit (Acts 2:4; Ephesians 5:18)
– Good things (Luke 1:53)
– Righteousness (Matthew 5:6)
– Praise (Psalm 71:8)
– Glory (Isaiah 6:3; Habakkuk 2:14)
– Laughter (Psalm 126:2)
– Abundance (Joel 2:26; Proverbs 3:10)
– Power (Luke 4:14)
– Wisdom (Exodus 31:3; Acts 6:3)
– Wonder (Luke 5:26; Acts 2:43)
– Comfort (2 Corinthians 7:4)
– Joy (Acts 13:52; Psalm 16:11)
– Faith (Acts 6:5)
– Hope (Romans 15:13)
– Love (Philippians 1:9; Romans 5:5)
– Light (Ephesians 5:8–11)
WHAT ARE WE FILLING OUR LIVES WITH?
There are two ways a person can be filled…
– By actively deciding to fill themselves with things,
– or by passively allowing others to fill them with things.
Ephesians 4:19 (ESV)
They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity.
We always have a choice about what we allow ourselves to be filled with!
What fountain am I drinking from?
– The fountain of God – living water?
– or the fountain of the world – dead water?
WHAT DOES GOD WANT OUR LIVES TO BE FILLED WITH?
Acts 2:4 (ESV)
And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.
Acts 4:31 (ESV)
And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.
Acts 9:17 (ESV)
So Ananias departed and entered the house. And laying his hands on him he said, ‘Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you came has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.’
Not About Volume, But Control
The Spirit doesn’t come in measurable amounts—He is a Person.
Being filled means being influenced, led, and saturated by the Spirit. Doing what the Holy Spirit loves you to do. Loving what the Holy Spirit loves. Feeling what the Holy Spirit feels. Being grieved by what grieves the Holy Spirit.
Luke 24:49 (ESV)
And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.
We receive the Holy Spirit at Salvation but there is a Baptism for those who are hungry for Him to saturate their lives!
THE ENCOUNTER AND WHY IT IS SO IMPORTANT
Acts 2:1-6, 14-18, 41 (ESV)
[1] When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. [2] And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. [3] And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested[a] on each one of them. [4] And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.
[5] Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. [6] And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language.
[14] But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them: “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words. [15] For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. [16] But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel: [17] “‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh,
and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; 18 even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy.
[41] So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.
The purpose of Holy Spirit filling is not for our personal enjoyment or sensory pleasure, but to empower us to change the world.
Blessings that come from being filled with the Holy Spirit:
This is often applied to those who outwardly appear religious, but resist the Spirit’s work in bringing repentance, holiness, and transformation.
1. Tongues
Speaking in tongues is a form of prayer in which our spirit is communicating directly with God. It is speaking in another language that you have never learned. The languages of tongues vary hugely and can either be a heavenly language or an earthly one (1 Corinthians 13:1 “Tongues of men and angels”).
– Personal Spiritual strengthening
– Changes the spiritual atmosphere
– When words can’t express/intercession
2. Fire
Matthew 3:11 (ESV)
I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
– Refining Fire (purification)
– Empowering Fire (zeal and power)
– Judging Fire (conviction of sin, righteousness and judgment – John 16:8)
3. Boldness
Peter was cowardly before He was filled with the Holy Spirit. Afterwards he was supernatually bold. A completely different Peter.
4. Ability to operate in the Gifts of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:8-10)
– Power Gifts (healings, miracles, faith)
– Revelatory Gifts (wisdom, discernment of spirits, knowledge)
– Vocal Gifts (prophecy, tongues, interpretation of tongues)
5. Joy
Acts 13:52 (ESV)
And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.
6. Dunamis (Luke 24:49)
– Miraculous power
– Strength
– Moral power/excellence of soul
Galatians 5:22-23 (ESV)
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
If you think you are filled with the Holy Spirit, and the FRUIT of Him is not evident in your life, something is off-kilter.
FILLED REGULARLY
The infilling of the Holy Spirit was never meant to be just a one-time occurrence:
Ephesians 5:15-18 (ESV)
[15] Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, [16] making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. [17] Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. [18] And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit,
Filled = “present continuous verb”
Why is it important to be refilled regularly?
1. We need fresh oil
“A transmission flush is a maintenance process where the used oil is removed in the transmission is removed, and new oil is run through it using a special machine to push out grime and sludge and then it is filled up with new oil. The process is used to remove debris and sludge and replace 100% of the used oil with new, fresh, oil.”
2. We are meant to be sponges
A sponge full of water isn’t just wet – it soaks everything it touches. So should we when filled with the Spirit.
3. We are meant to be filled AND overflowing
Romans 15:13 (ESV)
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. [abound=overflow]
2 Corinthians 7:4 (ESV)
I am acting with great boldness toward you; I have great pride in you; I am filled with comfort. In all our affliction, I am overflowing with joy.
To be filled and overflowing there must be an external constant source! The Spirit in us flows through us to impact others.
Pouring water into a glass already full causes overflow. That’s the Christian life empowered by the Spirit—overflowing with joy, love, peace, power, and purpose.
Am I a flowing stream or a stagnant pool? If there is not a constant flow in and out – we will stagnate.
John 7:37-39 (ESV)
[37] On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, [38] “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. [39] Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’”
Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.
CONCLUSION
– Everyone is full of something.
– Don’t settle for air (emptiness), or other “fillers” (false comforts, idols, sin).
– Be filled with the Holy Spirit—daily, continually, and purposefully.
Ask (and keep asking) to be filled
Luke 11:9-13 (NLT)
[9] “And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. [10] For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. [11] “You fathers—if your children ask* for a fish, do you give them a snake instead? [12] Or if they ask for an egg, do you give them a scorpion? Of course not! [13] So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him.”
Call to Action
1. Examine your heart: What is currently filling your life?
2. Repent and surrender – lay down your offences, give up the right for revenge, forgive.
3. Ask for His Spirit to fill you afresh.
4. Live in a way that overflows into others.
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