1. I want to speak this morning on the fullness of the Holy Spirit.
2. In Luke 11:13, our Lord said, "If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?"
3. Here our Lord is not speaking of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, but the fullness of the Holy Spirit.
4. I would like to preach this morning about the fullness of the Holy Spirit (cf. John 4:13, 14; 7:37-39; 10:10).
5. A. C. Gaebelein, in his commentary on the Gospel of John, gives this paraphrase of John 7:38 from Martin Luther, “He that cometh to Me shall be so furnished with the Holy Spirit, that he shall not only be quickened and refreshed himself, and delivered from thirst, but he shall also be a strong stone vessel, from which the Holy Spirit with all blessing shall flow to others, refreshing, comforting and strengthening them, even as he was refreshed by Me.”
6. Norman Harrison said, "When we believe upon the Lord Jesus Christ we are born of the Spirit and He opens within us a fountain of ceaseless satisfaction, constantly upwelling" (His Indwelling Presence).
7. My outline is simple this morning: the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, the infilling of the Holy Spirit, and the overflowing of the Holy Spirit.

I. THE INDWELLING

1. The Bible says when we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and as our Saviour, we are indwelt by the Holy Spirit.
2. The Bible says when we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and as our Saviour, we are sealed by the Holy Spirit.
3. We are never commanded to be indwelt or sealed because this is automatic the moment we were saved (cf. Ephesians 1:13; 4:30).
4. We are never commanded to be indwelt or sealed, but we are commanded to be filled with the Spirit. "And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit" (Ephesians 5:18).
5. There are other commands (cf. Ephesians 4:30; I Thess. 5:19).
6. How can a Christian "quench the Spirit"? There are many ways -- using bad language, backbiting, lying, not reading the Bible, not praying, not attending church, etc.
7. I am convinced the #1 way many young people (and many adults too) are quenching the Holy Spirit is by listening to the devil's music.
8. I recently read an article written by a black pastor named the Rev. Augustus Corbett. Pastor Corbett describes himself as "a Dallas area pastor, attorney, businessman, author and activist."
9. The article is entitled, "Hip-Hop Is Corrupting Our Youth."
10. Pastor Corbett says, "It promotes violence, pornography, guns, misogyny, teen pregnancy, domestic violence and so on. What am I referring to -- hip-hop music. Hip Hop is corrupting our kids.
11. "As a minister and criminal defense attorney that represents juveniles, I am sometimes shocked at the negative images that permeate hip-hop. The gifted artists who make millions in this music genre appear to care less about the corrupting nature of their art form. They justify the ugliness of hip-hop with excuses such as we are keeping it real or its freedom of speech.
12. "The degradation of women in hip-hop, especially black women, is downright offensive. The music treats black women as if they are all strippers and whores. In fact, hip-hop encourages and glamorizes the life of pimps and whores. Black youth are encouraged to have sex early and often. No wonder 72% of black babies are born out of wedlock and our jails are filled with young black men.
13. "The music sends a powerful message to young black men that it is cool to be a pimp, player, thug, or gangster. It also exposes young black men to pornography and misogyny. It encourages domestic violence. Hip-hop promotes the message that if your woman does not do what you say, then like a pimp, slap, punch or beat her. Read for example the lyrics of the following rap song written by Soulja Boy.

    I’m something like a pimp from the dirty dirty south,
    If you keep talkin crazy imma slap you in yo mouth,
    This nigga ain’t playin bout my cheddar or my cake,

    if you do something wrong then my hand gon meet yo face
    My hand comin fast bout a hundred miles per hour,
    Gettin hit in yo face while you bathin in the shower

14. Pastor Corbett goes on to say, "These lyrics are disgusting. Clearly, the music is from the devil. It is filled with everything Satan needs to lead the entire next generation to the morgue and then hell."
15. Amen preacher! We need more preachers who will stand up and expose this wicked filth. I had never heard of this Soulja Boy before so I did a little research on the Internet. His lyrics are indescribably filthy. He is a lowlife and a punk.
16. Pastor Corbett says, "Consider the names of some rappers or hip-hop music labels such as Death Row Records, Murder Inc., Misdemeanor Elliot, Junior Mafia, Da Brat, etc. How foolish and demonic these names are. Why glamorize or promote murder or being on death row or getting misdemeanors? Those are the worse messages that young black men can hear seeing how they are already over represented in the criminal justice system...Is hip-hop the blame for all the problems in black America? No, clearly not. Nevertheless, Satan uses it as a powerful and influential tool to desensitize young blacks and mislead them into believing that what is obviously evil is now good and acceptable."
17. Of course, hip hop is not the only music that is leading young people down the pathway to hell. There are many different types of worldly music. The devil has many tools in his toolbox.
18. When I was a teenager the big thing was rock and roll, and the Beatles were extremely popular.
19. In 1966, John Lennon, the leader of the Beatles, said, "Christianity will go. It will vanish and shrink. I needn't argue about that; I'm right and I'll be proved right. We're more popular than Jesus now."
20. So you can quench the Holy Spirit and grieve the Holy Spirit by listening to the wrong kind of music, or reading the wrong literature, or going to the wrong web sites, or watching the wrong television shows or movies, etc.

II. THE INFILLING

1. We are never commanded to be indwelt or sealed, but we are commanded to be filled with the Spirit. "And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit" (Ephesians 5:18).
2. In John 7:38, our Lord refers to flowing "rivers of living water."
3. This signifies an overflow of much water, both abundant and diffuse, pouring out in different directions.
4. I think it should be emphasized that this filling to overflowing is what our Lord expects of every believer. He said, “If any man thirst, let him come unto Me, and drink” (John 7:37).
5. The question this morning is: "Are you thirsty?"
6. I like what Bro. Earls said last Sunday evening. I said that I had heard that before his conversion he was associated with the Black Panthers. He said he was still a "black panter" and he quoted Psalm 42:1, "As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God."
7. Our Lord said in John 7:38, “As the Scripture hath said.” He was referring to Old Testament passages such as Psalm 42:1.
8. And Isaiah 44:3, "For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour my spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring."
9. And our Lord was prophesying of the day when the temple in Jerusalem shall have living waters issuing from beneath it for the blessing of many peoples.
10. In chapter 47, the prophet Ezekiel describes waters issuing out from under the threshold of the temple. Soon the waters were up to the ankles.
11. Then the waters were to the knees; soon the waters were to the loins. Then in Ezekiel 47:5, we read that "it was a river that I could not pass over: for the waters were risen, waters to swim in, a river that could not be passed over."
12. Today in this dispensation, we are the Lord's temple. First Corinthians 3:16 says, "Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?"
13. Indwelt by the Holy Spirit, we are His temple. And the Lord looks to every believer to fulfill these promises by letting the living waters of the Holy Spirit come to such fullness that they cannot be contained but must overflow and issue forth by virtue of their own superabundance.
14. The Holy Spirit’s indwelling takes place when we believe. He comes in, as Jesus promised, to stay, to remain, to abide. By His indwelling we are united to Christ and are rendered capable of living the Christian life.
15. Many Christians feel they are incapable of living the Christian life.
16. Many Christians are uncertain about being filled with the Holy Spirit.
17. Some have been confused by false teachings.
18. Just what do we mean by being filled with the Spirit? The command in Ephesians 5:18 is clear, but how does the Spirit bring it to pass?
19. Norman B. Harrison says, "Take the familiar flashlight. Everything that makes for the light is within. Nothing is to be added or drawn upon from without. Yet the bulb remains dark and lifeless until it is enabled to lay hold of the resources so well within its grasp. When, however, we form the connection—and it is so simply done—the light leaps up into the bulb. It itself is filled, and forthwith it outflows in a radiant flood of light. How was it filled? By an Infilling—a filling from within. And its out-flowing in blessing naturally and necessarily followed the Infilling. The Spirit, already indwelling us, awaits the touch that brings Him to the fullness that overflows" (His Indwelling Presence).
20. If you are saved, you are already indwelt by the Holy Spirit. If you are not filled, you simply need a touch from God this morning!

III. THE OVERFLOWING (JOHN 7:37-39)

1. The Bible has much to say about this overflowing.
2. First Corinthians 15:58 says, "Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord."
3. The Greek word translated "abounding" means "overflowing."
4. Why are some Christians "always abounding in the work of the Lord"? Because they are filled with the Spirit.
5. The same word is translated "abundance" in II Corinthians 8:2, where it refers to "the abundance of their joy" in the churches of Macedonia.
6. Incidentally, in that Scripture the apostle Paul commends them for "their liberality," that is, their generous giving.
7. Our Lord said in John 10:10, “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”
8. This word means “exceeding" and “over and above.” That is, over and above the measure of our capacity to contain. These "rivers" that our Lord spoke of in John 7:38 flow over, beyond and around, to the blessing of others.
9. When a believer is filled with the Holy Spirit, he will overflow in praise and thanksgiving (cf. Ephesians 5:18-20).
10. Here being filled with the Holy Spirit is contrasted with being drunk which overflows in shameful, degrading unrestraint.
11. First Thessalonians 5:18 says, “In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you” (cf. Ephesians 5:20).
12. We will not only overflow in praise and thanksgiving, we will also overflow in love. Romans 5:5 says, "Because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.”
13. Galatians 5:22 and 23 says, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law."
14. John Wesley spoke of "perfect love" (I John 4:18), which he described as "rejoicing evermore, praying without ceasing, and in everything giving thanks...one perfected in love may grow in grace far swifter than he did before."
15. Furthermore, we will overflow in joy. Our Lord said in John 15:11, “These things have I spoken unto you that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.”
16. When we are filled with the Holy Spirit, our joy becomes full. And it abounds.
17. This joy exceeds what might naturally be expected, unrepressed by circumstances because its source is in the Holy Spirit who is not restrained by circumstances.
18. When we are filled with the Holy Spirit, we will overflow in fruitfulness.
19. Our Lord said in John 15:5, “I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.”
20. We will overflow in praise and thanksgiving. We will overflow in love. We will overflow in joy. And we will overflow in power.
21. Our Lord said in Luke 24:49, "And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high."
22. The "promise of my Father" is the fullness of the Holy Spirit. Our Lord said, "Until ye be endued with power from on high."
23. Our Lord said in Acts 1:8, "But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth."
24. Ephesians 3:20 says God "is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us.”
25. These words, "exceeding abundantly above" signify an overflowing of the power of the Holy Spirit.
26. Furthermore, we will overflow in the grace of giving (cf. II Corinthians 8:1-7).
27. The word "abound" means to "overflow" (II Cor. 8:2, 7).
28. The apostle Paul is describing an experience of being filled so full that the Christians in Macedonia could not but overflow in blessing to others.
29. We will not only abound in giving, but in working (II Corinthians 9:8). The context in II Corinthians 8 and 9 is on giving, but giving and working always go together.
30. As stewards, we will have to give an account to God for how we spend our time as well as how we spend our money.
31. Our Lord said in John 7:38, "He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water."
32. Giving and working for the Lord are two of the channels of the overflowing power of the Holy Spirit.

CONCLUSION:

1. The Bible teaches that God commands believers to be filled with the Holy Spirit.
2. But sadly, many believers are not filled with the Holy Spirit.
3. Many believers are full of themselves. That is the problem.
4. The question is, "How can God fill us till we overflow?" The answer is simply to “yield" (cf. Romans 6:13).
5. If God reckons, counts us, with Christ, as dead unto sin and alive unto God, then we must also reckon ourselves just so (Romans 6:11-14).
6. The same Greek word translated "yield" in Romans 6 is translated "present" in Romans 12:1.
7. "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service."
8. When we yield to God, and present our bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, He fills us.
9. This yielding and this filling result in a wonderful "transformation" (Romans 12:2).
10. In the biography of the great Baptist preacher A.J. Gordon, we read these words, "Dr. Gordon, unlike some Christians, believed there was something always beyond. This he ever sought to attain."
11. If you too believe that there should be more to the Christian life than what you are experiencing, why don't you talk to the Lord about it?
12. Our Lord said, "If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him? (Luke 11:13).