Filled Hearts

Filled Hearts

(Acts 2:1-41)

Yearly Theme:  “Kindness is… Action”

Series Title:  “Suffering Servant”

April 30^th, 2023

Something to think about:

“Speaking to a large audience, the great 19th-century evangelist, D. L. Moody, held up a glass and asked, ‘How can I get the air out of this glass?’  One man shouted, ‘Suck it out with a pump!’  Moody replied, ‘That would create a vacuum and shatter the glass.’  After numerous other suggestions, Moody smiled, picked up a pitcher of water, and filled the glass.  ‘There,’ he said, ‘all the air is now removed.’  He then went on to explain that victory in the Christian life is not accomplished by ‘sucking out a sin here and there,’ but by being filled with the Holy Spirit.”[1]

As we come to our final sermon in this series, we have journeyed with Jesus and the disciples through “Holy Week.”  We have seen Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem during the week leading up to the Jewish Passover.  We have watched the disciples become confused and disillusioned in the wake of Jesus’ crucifixion.  We have witnessed the bewilderment of the disciples’ reaction to the resurrected Christ.  And we have seen how Jesus redirected the disciples’ expectations and attention away from the establishment of an earthly kingdom and to the reality of an eternal Kingdom.

Today, we will be exploring the fulfillment of Jesus’ promise to send the Holy Spirit after His ascension.  Let’s take a look:

Turn in your Bible to:  Acts 2:1-41

Here’s the takeaway:

Key Point:  “The Holy Spirit is the presence of GOD in the believer, and the Church,  empowering them to give witness to the Good News of Jesus Christ.”

What does this look like when the Holy Spirit came upon the church then, and what does it look like today?  Let’s consider the following:

• The Holy Spirit is represented by  and  .

Acts 2:1-4 (NLT),  On the day of Pentecost all the believers were meeting together in one place. ² Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm, and it filled the house where they were sitting. ³ Then, what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them. ⁴ And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages, as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability.

• The Holy Spirit in the believer and the Church is the sign of Christ’s present  and  .

Acts 2:32-33 (NLT),  ³² “God raised Jesus from the dead, and we are all witnesses of this.  ³³ Now he is exalted to the place of highest honor in heaven, at God’s right hand.  And the Father, as he had promised, gave him the Holy Spirit to pour out upon us, just as you see and hear today.

• Salvation, forgiveness, and the Holy Spirit come with  and  to GOD.

Acts 2:37-39 (NLT),  ³⁷ Peter’s words pierced their hearts, and they said to him and to the other apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?”

³⁸ Peter replied, “Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.  Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.  ³⁹ This promise is to you, to your children, and to those far away—all who have been called by the Lord our God.” 

Something to take home:

It’s been asked, “If you were arrested for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?”  What is it that distinctively separates you from the world around you?  Is it your personality, your spunk, your shyness?  Or, maybe, just maybe, it’s the power of the Holy Spirit filling you to overflowing.  The true evidence of the Holy Spirit is a life completely surrendered to GOD through Christ, manifesting the gifts of the Spirit and the fruit of the Spirit daily. 

GOD cannot fill what is not emptied.  Have you become completely emptied of self so that you can be filled with the Holy Spirit?

Again, D. L. Moody said, “I believe firmly that the moment our hearts are emptied of pride and selfishness and ambition and everything that is contrary to God's law, the Holy Spirit will fill every corner of our hearts.  But if we are full of pride and conceit and ambition and the world, there is no room for the Spirit of God.  We must be emptied before we can be filled.”[2]

Key Point:  “The Holy Spirit is the presence of GOD in the believer, and the Church,  empowering them to give witness to the Good News of Jesus Christ.”

[1] Today in the Word, September 1991, p. 30

[2] As quoted in J. Kuhatschek’s book entitled, Taking The Guesswork Out of Applying The Bible, (InterVarsity Press:  Downers Grove, Illinois), 153ff.