Filling the Void
Part of Becoming Who We Are
October 27, 2024

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Filling the Void

Message Notes

Fullness is about being full, feeling full, feeling fulfilled.

Jesus came to give us life, life to the full.

This could be your day to be full, to become who you were made to be.

“In him [Jesus] and through faith in him [Jesus] we may approach God with freedom and confidence. I ask you, therefore, not to be discouraged because of my sufferings for you, which are your glory.”
Ephesians 3:12-13

Why should we approach God?
We should approach God to receive His love, His grace, His forgiveness, His guidance, His comfort, His peace, etc

Today, we are going to approach God for one specific reason: to become full.

“For this reason [because of Jesus substitutionary atonement] I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”
Ephesians 3:14-19

”To grasp how wide and long and high and deep the love of Christ is…That you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”

What motivates you?

We want to believe we know the “why” behind our actions.
But studies show the opposite. Most of the time we don’t know why we do what we do. We are unconscious of our real motivations.

Discovering your true motivations can be a sobering experience because doing so challenges the identity we often hold about ourselves.

You need to feel:

  • Love
  • Safety
  • Accomplishment
  • Self-respect
  • Affection
  • Good mental health
  • Social connection
  • Intimate relationships
  • Inner Peace
  • Happiness
  • Purpose
  • Familiarity

And if you have a void, it will lead to:

  • Not Loved
  • Unsafe
  • Failure
  • Shame
  • Insecure
  • Unhealthy thought/action
  • Lonely
  • Guilt
  • Anxiety
  • Depression
  • Death of a dream
  • Invisible

There is a hole, a missing piece that may be preventing you from experiencing fullness.
What word is glowing right now? What word are you desperately trying to avoid?

Look at what Paul prays for you again.
“And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”
Ephesians 3:17-19

Pastor John’s Story of Loss

How do you fill that hole in your heart?
You cannot fill it but the Holy Spirit can.

Sometimes God can fill the hole supernaturally and other times it takes time.

God wants you to know that His love circles your life, saturates your life, and heals your heart.

How to fill that void

First, Invite the Holy Spirit to be present in the pain.
Whatever the pain is, you will have to go deep here, whatever the pain is, invite the Holy Spirit to be present in it.

“And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”
Ephesians 3:17-19

Second, Invite the Holy Spirit to fill the void.
Invite the Holy Spirit to saturate the gap, the hole, the hurt, void, and pain. Invite Jesus into the very space that you need Him the most and surrender the hurt to Him, because the Holy Spirit is with you.

Set the pain at the foot of the cross.

Third, Invite the Holy Spirit to heal the hurt.
Invite him to heal that moment with his love.

You will never forget that moment, whatever moment or event that it is. But the Holy Spirit can take away the pain, the hurt, and fill the void. You just need to invite Him to saturate the space.

You may have Him to fill the void every day. This may take time, it is taking me time.

Pick up a picture of what you are missing, what you need the Holy Spirit to touch.

God is for you. He wants you to invite Him to do a work in your heart.

“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.”
Ephesians 3:20-21