In today's post I want to look at mans peril of an empty heart and the spirit-filled man before looking into the release and giving of promised Spirit. I know that I have covered many areas of this release but there are ares within mans nature that are resistant to our receptivity, one thing that should stand out is pride. Pride like love has many forms for example love corrects with justice and truth and this can be a stumbling-block for many as they oppose themselves by saying this is a harsh thing, which unacceptable to me.
The Peril of an Empty Heart,
Matthew 12:43-44 of 30, 31-32, 33-37, 38-42, 43-45 (Jesus is speaking) "'Whoever is not with Me is against Me, and whoever does not gather with Me scatters.
Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.
Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree (the cursed fig that had no fruit on it, symbolizing Israels priesthood) bad and its fruit bad, for the tree is known by its fruit. You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.'
Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered Him, saying, "Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you." But He answered them, 'An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah (Jonah 1:17). For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth (in Matthew 27:51-54 at this mark ; which is a time break, and spoken of by Paul later by revelation). The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something greater than Solomon is here.
When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, but finds none. Then it says, "I will return to my house from which I came." And when it comes, it finds the house empty, swept, and put in order. Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there, and the last state of that person is worse than the first. So also will it be with this evil generation.'"
Spirit-filled Man,
Luke 1:15 of 8-17 "Now while Zacharias was serving as priest before God when his division of Abijah (Abia) was on duty, according to the custom of the priesthood, he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the LORD God to burn incense. And the whole multitude of the people were praying outside at the hour of incense. There appeared to him an angel (Spirit image) of the LORD standing on the right side of the altar of incense. And Zechariah was troubled when he saw Him, and fear fell upon him. But the angel (Spirit image) said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great before the LORD. And he must not drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb. And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the LORD their God, and he will go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the LORD a people prepared."
Luke 4:1 of 1-4 "Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit (He is now Spirit and He knows it, no longer a man of flesh only) in the wilderness for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And He ate nothing during those days. And when they were ended, He was hungry. The devil said to Him, "If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread." To this Jesus answered him (from Deuteronomy 8:3), 'It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone.'"
Acts 2:4 of 1-4 "When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and [it] He filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire (Luke 12:49; Colossians 1:13; John 12:17) appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance."
Acts 4:8 of 1-4, 5-12 "And as they (Peter and John) were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple and the Sadducees came upon them, greatly annoyed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. And they arrested them and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening. But many of those who had heard the word believed, and the number of the men came to about five thousand.
On the next day their rulers and elders and scribes gathered together in Jerusalem, with Annas the high priest and Caiaphas and John and Alexander, and all who were of the high-priestly family. And when they had set them in the midst, they inquired, "By what power or by what name did you do this?" Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, "Rulers of the people and elders, if we are being examined today concerning a good deed done to a crippled man, and by what means this man has been healed, let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, a man whom you crucified, whom GOD raised from the dead—by Him this man is standing before you well. This Jesus is the stone (of Psalm 118:22) that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved (rescued from destruction in the law of sin and death of the wrath [resentment, bitterness of enmity hostility] within natural man and the penalties of the Messianic judgment)."
Acts 4:31 of 23-31, 32-35 "When they were released, they went to their friends and reported what the chief priests and the elders had said to them. And when they heard it, they lifted their voices together to God and said, "Sovereign LORD, Who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them, Who through the mouth of our father David, Your servant (in Psalm 2:1-2 and Daniel in 9:24f*), said by the Holy Spirit, "'Why did the Gentiles rage, and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers were gathered together, against the LORD and against His (Messiah-Christ) Anointed*'—for truly in this city there were gathered together against Your Holy servant Jesus, Whom You anointed*, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles (nations) and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever Your hand and Your plan had predestined to take place. And now, LORD, look upon their threats and grant to Your servants to continue to speak Your word with all boldness, while You stretch out Your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of Your Holy servant Jesus." 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.
Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common. And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold and laid it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need."
Acts 7:55 of 44-50, 51-53, 54-60 (Stephen filled with the Holy Spirit speaking by the Spirit says) "Our fathers had the tent of witness in the wilderness, just as HE Who spoke to Moses directed him to make it, according to the pattern that he had seen. Our fathers in turn brought it in with Joshua when they dispossessed the nations that God drove out before our fathers. So it was until the days of David, who found favor in the sight of God and asked to find a dwelling place for the God of Jacob. But it was Solomon who built a house for Him. Yet the Most High does not dwell in houses made by hands, as the prophet says (Isaiah in 66:1-2; then states from **Exodus 32:9, 33:3, 5; Leviticus 26:41; Numbers 27:14; Isaiah 63:10 and Jeremiah 6:10, 9:26)), "'Heaven is My throne, and the earth is My footstool. What kind of house will you build for Me, says the LORD, or what is the place of My rest? Did not My hand make all these things?'
**"You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you. Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who announced beforehand the coming of the Righteous One, Whom you have now betrayed and murdered, you who received the law as (ordained) delivered by angels (in Deuteronomy 33:2) and did not keep it."
Now when they heard these things they were enraged, and they ground their teeth at Him. But He, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of GOD, and Jesus standing at the right hand of GOD. And he said, "Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of GOD." But they cried out with a loud voice and stopped their ears and rushed together at him. Then they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul. And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." And when he had said this, he fell asleep."
Acts 11:24 of 19-26 "Now those who were scattered because of the persecution that arose over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except Jews. But there were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who on coming to Antioch spoke to the Hellenists also, preaching the Lord Jesus. And the hand of the LORD was with them, and a great number who believed turned to the Lord. The report of this came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. When he came and saw the grace of GOD, he was glad, and he exhorted them all to remain faithful to the LORD with steadfast purpose, for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people were added to the Lord. So Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they met with the church and taught a great many people. And in Antioch the disciples were first called Christians."
Acts 13:9 of 4-12 "Being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus. When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews, they had John to assist them. When they had gone through the whole island as far as Paphos, they came upon a certain magician, a Jewish false prophet named Bar-Jesus. He was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, a man of intelligence, who summoned Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God. But Elymas the magician (for that is the meaning of his name) opposed them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith. But Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him and said, "You son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, full of all deceit and villainy, will you not stop making crooked the straight paths of the Lord? And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you will be blind and unable to see the sun for a time." Immediately mist and darkness fell upon him, and he went about seeking people to lead him by the hand. Then the proconsul believed, when he saw what had occurred, for he was astonished at the teaching of the Lord."
Acts 13:52 of 44-47, 48-52 "The next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and began to contradict what was spoken by Paul, reviling him. And Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly, saying, "It was necessary that the word of God be spoken first to you. Since you thrust it aside and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles (nations). For so the LORD has commanded us, saying, "'I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.'"
When the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the LORD, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed. And the word of the LORD was spreading throughout the whole region. But the Jews incited the devout women of high standing and the leading men of the city, stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and drove them out of their district. But they shook off the dust from their feet against them and went to Iconium. And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit."
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