So let’s jump right in tonight.  We are wrapping up this series called “Refuel” where the big idea has been that God not only created and loves you, but He desires to have a relationship with you.  And the God of the universe doesn’t want a distant relationship with you, but he wants an up-close, spiritual, and intimate relationship. You and I can have that and be filled with him. We can be spiritually refueled all the time because the presence of God is right here.

Here’s our theme verse from Ephesians 3:19—“May you experience the love of Christ though it is so great you will never fully understand it. Then you will be filled with the fullness of life and power that comes from God.”

In the original language, the word “filled” actually means this: being kept filled. So if you want an image of this, being kept filled, just imagine a fountain that never stops. This fountain just overflows. That is being kept filled. That’s our picture of filled.  Now let’s give a picture of emptiness. This plastic cup is pretty useless.  It’s just empty – not fulfilling its purpose. The only way it is good for anything is when it is filled. When it is filled it has meaning, it has purpose, it has some value. It comes alive.

The Bible describes us as these empty cups, ready to be filled and used by God.  Look at 2 Timothy 2:21, “If you keep yourself pure, you will be a special utensil for honorable use. Your life will be clean, and you will be ready for the Master to use you for every good work.”   So how do we stay filled?  Let’s look first at something we should stop.

> STOP
Stop limiting God’s power.  We are all guilty of doing this – even me.  We are tempted to believe that God is limited, even though we know in our hearts and minds God is unlimited.  God is the creator. He’s all-powerful. He holds the entire universe in His hands.  God is the artist behind the beauty of a sunset.  He’s the genius behind the power of the tides.  He’s the brain behind the chemistry that holds the atoms of the earth together.  God is the designer behind the human body and the miracle of new life.  He’s the engineer behind the majesty of nature.  He’s the architect behind the all of wonders of the universe.

In addition to all of that, you need to know that I believe, I also believe this—not only in his creation but I believe in His power to invade a single life with his presence even though there are 6.5 billion of us to invade. I believe in his power and I believe in his presence. And I believe in his attributes that are displayed in God’s Word.

But here’s the problem. You and I don’t live out what we really believe. If truth be told, here’s what we tend to do. We tend to live like we’re more capable than God is. I know that sounds crazy so stay with me for a second. Consider if this applies to you:  You come here to church or Wildlife and you sit. You go, “That was great. Good music. I love that God is powerful. I believe! Good stuff.”

Then tomorrow you’ve got to wake up. You wake up in the real world. You wake up in the 21st century. You wake up and there seems to be more important things going on in your life than your relationship with God.  You’ve got a big day ahead of you filled with friends, sports, school, homework, family stuff and even though you may say, “I believe!” you still live your life your own way.

Do you say or think these things?
·       I believe that God has the power to transform my life, but I usually try to change myself.
·       I believe that God wants to forgive me and restore me, but I usually listen to God’s enemy, who reminds me of what a loser and spiritual failure I am.
·       I believe God’s grace can wipe away my guilt, but I usually like to carry my guilt around with me.
·       I believe that God has a direction that is worthy and right to follow, but I usually go my own way because I like my own way.
·       I believe God’s provision is enough for me, but if I’m honest I usually get impatient when God doesn’t deliver on my schedule.

You see, all of us on some level have a disconnect between what we believe or what we want to believe or what we are supposed to believe and how we really live our lives. This is really a moment of truth.  So all of us have to realize the problem is that we do limit God.  We kind of pick and choose when we want God’s Spirit to provide power for our lives. We usually pick during big moments of our life. Big crisis type moments. As we’ve been talking about the last couple of weeks is that connecting with God is not just about the big moments. It’s also about recognizing his presence. And connecting with him in the small moments of life too.

When I talk about limiting God’s power, please do not misunderstand me. God is not limited by my whims. God is not limited by your whims either. No way. You are not God’s puppeteer. God is not limited by that. The Bible says this in Psalm 147:5

I limit God by shutting the door to different parts of my life. You might be thinking, “Why doesn’t God just kick the door down?” Good question. It’s not in his character. It’s not in the character of God displayed in God’s Word. God doesn’t force himself in. God wants you and me to love him, and love is a choice. If it’s not, if it’s forced upon us, it’s not real love.  There is a great picture of this in the book of Revelation.  It has a picture of Jesus standing at the door and knocking. Revelation 3:20

What you need to know here is that the audience of this specific verse was the church of Laodicea. They were an independent church. They felt like they had a need for nothing. But the truth is they were a very empty shell of a church. They were not connected to God’s Spirit, and they weren’t drawing power from him. That’s why Jesus is saying, “I’m standing at the door knocking.” I love the image there. He’s knocking to share a meal as a friend. Which may not seem like a big deal to you. But let me help you understand this is so much bigger than what we think it is. In ancient times to share a meal with someone symbolized this unity. It symbolized this loving connection or fellowship. And so the image here of Jesus wanting to dine is the picture of deep connection and intimacy. Jesus enters our inner sanctum and wants to break bread with us. To be with us. He wants intimacy. This is why it’s so much bigger than you and I think it is.

The reason I want you to understand this so badly is because God has the power to refuel you. God wants access to your life. The power that is provided by his Spirit, it’s the same power that raised Jesus from the dead. That’s what we’re celebrating in a week. That God’s power raised Jesus from the dead. That same power is available to you and to me. 2 Corinthians 13:4  It’s the same power that brought Jesus out of the tomb.  It’s the same power that worked through Jesus when he touched a life and they left totally change and refueled.  We can have God’s power!

>> START
Start by giving Him the next thing. This may seem a little odd to you. Hang with me. This action has the potential to radically change your life like it has mine. But what do you give God who wants everything? You give him the next thing.

God wants total access.  He wants to be number one.  He doesn’t want to share the job of God with me or you. Maybe you’ve heard that before in the Ten Commandments. It’s not hidden down in commandment seven, eight, or nine.  It’s the biggie. Exodus 20:2-5  God doesn’t want to share your affection. What does that mean? It means he doesn’t want you to be serving another god by the name of you. That’s pretty deep if you think about it. So you want to be refueled? I’m guessing you do. That’s why you’re here.  Here’s the answer. Give him everything.

Some of you are sitting there thinking, “OK, Pastor Todd, I’ve heard that so much ‘Give him everything’ that it’s now cliché, it doesn’t have any meaning.” Or you’re sitting there going, “Give him everything? That’s so big. How do I do that?”

Here’s how I want to break it down for you. Here’s been the most helpful thing for me. Because “Give him everything” seems so “Wow!” So big. So “I’m going to fail at that.” OK. Then in order to give him everything you start by giving him the next thing.  Try this for me: think about what gets in the way of your relationship with God.  Whatever “that” is, chances are that’s the next thing.

I don’t know what it is for you. Maybe it’s busyness. Maybe it’s a hidden sin—that sin, you’re not hiding it from God, but you’re hiding it from other people. It’s that what distracts you. Or maybe it’s bitterness or anger that nobody knows about but your family.  Maybe it’s letting go of the control of your life.

I don’t know what it is. I don’t know what your next thing is. If you and I were hanging out I would ask, “What’s defeating you? What’s distracting you? What’s detouring you? You want to have these connections with God, but what’s in the way? Where are you shutting the door? What are you embarrassed to talk about?”  Chances are that’s the next thing.

Give it to him. How do you give it to him? Admit freely, “God, this is an issue. This is what causes me to shut the door.” Start there. Then, “God, I’m going to walk in your direction. I’m going to assume your way is right and I’m going to start doing that on your power. Or I’m going to battle busyness with your power.”

>>> LOOK
Look for God’s growth in your life.  I think we often miss what God is doing because we aren’t looking.  Or we are only looking when we are at camp or a retreat – we’re looking for the big, but remember God works in the small the majority of the time.

If you will take this challenge to stop limiting God’s power and you start with the next thing, then I want you to be looking for God to grow and stretch you.  Look for the enjoyment in having a relationship with Him.  You’ll see Him grow you with a security that allows you to be who God created you to be.  He gives you a peace that so invades your bones that you walk through life with a confidence.  As you grow, you’ll make more and more right decisions based on God’s Word.  He also gives a joy that is indescribable.  That’s seeing God’s work in your life.  Growth.

So when God refuels us, what is the ultimate sign of being refueled? Here it is: You and I are made into the likeness of Jesus Christ. Our character is changed. Our thoughts are changed. Our life is changed because we’ve got the blessing of God’s Spirit invading and transforming our life to be more like Jesus. That’s what being refueled is all about.  2 Corinthians 3:18  The Apostle Paul calls this growth in the book of Galatians the fruit of the Spirit. God’s Spirit will begin to transform you to reveal love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control. That is the fruit of God’s Spirit.