James Greer: 00:01 Well, good morning Journey Church. Welcome to part three of follow the filling. Where the filling leads, we shall follow. Amen? Welcome Alexandria church. Amen? And God’s rocking over there, and boy God has really been blessed and it’s just been unbelievable. Hey, January the 11th the devotion that day, I want to read it because it’s going to go along with the message today. Now it’s not in your bulletin, but I’m going to read it said Isaiah 55:1 it says, say there is there anyone thirsty? I love it. I can finally come to church. I said, does anybody want to have a drink? And at our church that means different things to different people and I just won’t go there but I said, is anyone thirsty when you say is anyone thirsty? It means does anyone have a need. Is anyone suffering? Anyone lonely? Anyone stressed out? Anyone worn out, it says come and have a drink. Now a lot of people when you’re like that, we go and have a drink. Sometimes the right drink, sometimes the wrong drink, even if you have any no money. Now see, there’s a lot of places you can’t go and get a drink if you don’t have any money. Come take your choice. You can have wine and milk.

James Greer: 01:22 Now to me at first, that sounds like wine and milk go together too. Good. Amen? In the Bible, wine can be a type of joy that says, maybe you are here today and you need some joy. Amen? And milk can be a type of nourishment and strength. You came and you were all worn out, so maybe you need some, some joy and some strength. And guess what? It’s all free. I mean, what the Bible is saying, listen, I want you to learn to have the right type of joy. I want you to give you the strength and the nourishment that you need, and it comes from being filled with the Holy spirit. At the end of the service, I’m going to do this really unusual invitation, and I’m going to say everybody that has a need come and get a drink and it’s free. Amen?

James Greer: 02:22 In that same devotion, it was John 4:13-14 says, Jesus answered her a woman. That’s the woman by the well that had five husbands. She was on lucky number six and if you were to ask her what the problem was, she would have said it was all those other guys. Amen? It’s like that friend of mine I tell you about all the time. He’s been married five times and if you ask him what it is, all those ladies. When he gets the number six, I don’t know how many times you can be married, but number six it be her. But he says, whoever drinks this water, will thirst again. In other words, whoever drinks this water, what the world offers, what you’re trying to find your satisfaction, you’re never going to find it. But then he says, but whoever drinks the water that I shall give him will never thirst. Man, wouldn’t you like to have something that you would say, that you had never thirst? and then he says, but the water I give you will become in him a foundation of water that springs up into everlasting life.

James Greer: 03:22 I want you to know many times, you all ready? Water in the Bible is a type of the Holy spirit. Over and over and over, he was saying the water I give you the water I give you. If you get the water of the world, you’re not going to be filled, if you get the water that God gives you. If you get filled the Holy Spirit, he says, you’ll swell up. You have a foundation that springs up that’s everlasting. See the problem in America, they’re trying to find fulfillment and contentment through the things the world offers instead of the Holy Spirit and the power and the presence of God. That’s why at the end of every devotion is Luke 11:13 it says, how much more will the heavenly father give to the Holy Spirit that those that ask. So we’ve asked you day after day after day. Asking him to fill you with his presence.

James Greer: 04:07 We called it, follow the filling and don’t follow your feelings, but the filling, and we say where the spirit leads we shall follow. Amen? And we had a key text. It was Ephesians 5:18 it says, be not drunk with wine in which is excess, but be filled with the Holy Spirit. We gave you the illustration. If you drink too much wine and you drink it for too long, sooner or later you’re going to say things and do things you shouldn’t do. Amen? But, if you get filled with the Holy Spirit, you’ll do the right things that you normally wouldn’t do also. But it’s written in the context that you’ve got to continually be filled, because in the world it just squeezes the life out of you. It’s like a press. It’s like if you put a coin and it was going to be minted, it just squeezes you and the world is trying to put so much pressure on you. It’s trying to squeeze the life out of you. In Romans 12 it says this, be not conformed to this world. Don’t be molded into this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you might prove what is a good, acceptable and perfect will of God. It does not mean you’re not going to have trials.

James Greer: 05:20 In Romans 12 it says this, be not conformed to this world. Don’t be molded into this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you might prove what is a good, acceptable and perfect will of God. It does not mean you’re not going to have trials or tribulations or problems, does it Janet or Tony because you all are going through them. But it says, be of good cheer. I mean, Janet and Tony, she struggled with cancer for how long? Since March. In and out of the hospital, But then when she walked in this morning, now I just love it, she was just smiling and she’s always happy. Man, when you see her she’s grinning and she’s trying to get through it the best they can. In fact, did you know that. That’s what John 16:33 says, when it says these things, I have spoken unto you to Journey Church. That in me, you may have peace. The only peace you are going to ever find is in Jesus Christ. In the world you’re going to have tribulations. That’s what you got. You got tribulations, but be of good cheer. I have overcome the world.

James Greer: 06:16 See, the greatest problem in the world today is most of us follow our feelings, how we feel instead of the filling of the Holy Spirit. If we would just change that one thing, it would radically change every single area of our life. It would change our marriage, it would change our finance, our job, our emotional state. It would change everything We would start experience in peace that surpasses understanding in spite of our situation and our circumstances. That’s why you can’t understand Tony and Janet even during what you’re going through, why sometimes you can have peace and turmoil at the same time. It doesn’t make sense, does it? But that’s what it is. But see, if you’re here today and you don’t have that, it could be because you don’t have what they have.

James Greer: 07:06 See in Philippians 4:6, 7 talks about it, it says, be anxious for nothing. That means don’t worry about anything, but everything in prayer and supplication, and when you go on through trials and tribulation, heartache you, we pray like never before. With thanksgiving, let your request be made known to God, and the peace of God, real peace that lasts can only come from God, which surpasses all understanding that guards your heart and your mind through Jesus Christ. You can’t really understand it, but you know that it comes from God.

James Greer: 07:29 That’s what the whole series has been all about. If this is your first Sunday, just get the book and read up to where you’re at. And many times what we’re challenging people is during lunch instead of eating lunch that they fast and to pray. Pray that we have the best year ever. Pray that people get saved. Pray for your prodigal. Pray for your finance. Pray for your marriage, if you’re married, if not, read it. Ask God just to fill you. Start where we are today and to pick it up.

James Greer: 08:03 Learn what surrender to Christ means. It means to be preoccupied and dependent upon God that reflects into your behavior and you got to have something that helps to preoccupy your mind, cause our minds running away and the world is trying to take over. Surrender leads to the supernatural.

James Greer: 08:21 Let’s talk briefly how to be filled with the Holy Spirit so we can follow. Number one, you have to be saved. You have to be born again. I’m very blessed. I happened to be the one that led Tony and Janet to the Lord. Well, I mean, God did it, but I was a part of it. Amen? They definitely weren’t saved. I’m just saying. They came in the office and I said, do you know both know you sin? Janet looked at Tony. She said, she knew he sinned. Not really. We’ve all sinned, I’ve sinned, you sinned. Amen? Sin separates us from God. God doesn’t want us to be separated, so God loved me so much, he loved you so much.

James Greer: 09:05 This red represents the blood of Jesus Christ. God loves you so much that because we’ve sinned, that he sent his son Jesus Christ to die on the cross for our sins. None of us is good enough. If you know you sin, do you believe Jesus died for your sins? There has to come a time that you invite Jesus into your heart, that you confess your sins, that you ask him to forgive your sin and you ask him to come into your heart, look at that, he washes away all your sins, past, present, and future. Then when that day comes, when something does happen, man, this gold represents you can know that you would go to heaven and this other green represents, you need to keep growing and learning about what God has for you for because, we’re going to have times that we can only go through what we’re going through with the strength and the power of God which comes through the Holy spirit as activated by the word of God and the power of God.

James Greer: 09:58 Matthew 3:11 puts it this way. It says, I baptize. This is John the Baptist speaking, and he says, I baptize you with water to show that your hearts and lives have changed. But there’s one that’s coming called Jesus Christ after me. He’s greater than I am. Who’s sandals I’m not even good enough to carry. You know what he’s done? He’s going to baptize you with Holy spirit and fire. And you know when he said, I’m going to baptize you with the Holy spirit and fire, he’s going, you get saved. You get the Holy spirit. But man, we need to get the Holy spirit fired up. Amen? Ephesians 4:1 says there’s one Lord, one faith, one baptism. See, when you accept Jesus Christ, man, you get the Holy Spirit that lives in you, but you got to keep the Holy spirit fired up in you. Amen? So, how do you do that?

James Greer: 10:46 First of all, you, you ask him, you ask him, you ask him in your life for salvation, and you ask him to fill you. And that’s the verse that you get every single day is a Luke 11:13 is over and over and over. How much more your heavenly father will give the Holy spirit to those that ask. If it’s in my Bible. I never ever preach a sermon that morning that I don’t get up and I say that, and I read that, and I ask him about that.

James Greer: 11:07 Can you all see this bowl up here? This bowl represents me and you. The Bible calls it in our life. It says it’s a vessel and we put things inside the vessel. Let’s say that’s work, family, school. Let’s see. Somewhere along there, let’s put church. You know what I mean? We’ve got to fit church in there somewhere, right? And man, do we try to cram our life full or what? I mean I can you, I don’t think we can. I mean we feel our life. I mean tell me, you got your family, your work and school and church. You don’t have much more time. People ask me all the time, what are you doing brother James? Man, by the time I go home, by the time I go to work, by the time I go to church, I don’t have much more time. Amen? So ,can I put anything else in there? No, not really. I mean, it’s packed, but that’s not what we, we don’t, we’ll stop there. Oh, that’s not enough. I don’t know. We just keep filling and filling, filling. We don’t know when to quit. I mean, it’s going to overflow now. These little rocks that keep filling it up right here, you all. You know what that is? That’s what, that’s a hobbies, that’s our habits, that’s our hang-ups. That’s everything else that we add.

James Greer: 12:46 Now, this is what happens. Now our life is so full, you ready? We can’t function. We filled it up with our families, with our work, with our jobs, a little bit of church. Everything else that we have to do. We don’t have to do that, that we do. We followed our feelings instead of the filling. And so what happens now? We can’t function. We become very fragile. You all know what fragile does, right? The little things come up, and you just blow up, and we’ve all done that. You know, when I’m not filling, I’m fragile, how do you know you’re fragile? When little things comes up and I act like a nut. I know you all don’t do that at Journey Church. You all are all calm and you all are all loving and kind, but there’s some of us that aren’t like that all the time. So, you’re fragile and you can’t function and you’re frustrated.

James Greer: 13:58 I would say a big part of America, this is the way they’re living. That your life is so packed, you didn’t stop there. You just kept filling it and filling it, filling it, so you’re not functioning too well. You even come to church, but you’re fragile. You blow up at the littlest thing. You don’t feel good, can’t function. You’re frustrated. What goes into our life greatly determines how we function in life. You all ready? What if I could tell you there’s still one thing you can add to that? You all ready? What if I could tell you there’s one thing that you could add that would greatly change everything in that, that you could function better. You know, this is how most people function. Amen? Would you like to function better? Are you tired of just coming to church and going home the same way? Are you tired of operating the same way on your job, in your home with your finances, or you’re tired of living like the rest of the world’s living? Amen? One thing you can add, you ready? Oh, ho brother. Thank you. Jesus. You all ready? Oh yeah. Do you want a drink? Oh yes. Precious Jesus. What is water a type of? Does that not look refreshing just looking at it going in there? If you added this water, which is a type of the Holy Spirit, if you add it to your family, to your job, to your finances, to your school, to your habit. Yeah, and even to your hang-ups, do you know how radically it could change every single area of your life? Amen.

James Greer: 15:54 I love it. I love it because at the first, if you were really listening, Jesus said, is anybody thirsty? Amen? And he said, yeah. He said, it’s free. At the end of the service, we’re going to give an invitation. Does anybody want a drink? Amen? There’s another illustration that I want to talk about this, it’s not in your notes, but it was Jesus, when Jesus first came onto the scene, and it’s in John 2:1, and two days later there was a wedding in the town of Canaan of Galilee, and Jesus’ mother was there and Jesus and his followers were also, they were invited to a wedding, a celebration and when all the wine was gone, they seemed like there was a lot of wine when Jesus was around and Jesus’ mother said to him, they don’t have any more wine. And Jesus answered, dear woman, why come to me? My time is not come. And his mother said to his servants, do whatever he says. Stop there. Can I give you a free insight? Do you really want to learn how to be filled where you can follow a man? Do you want to learn how to be filled where you can follow? And the proper answers is everybody say Amen. Proper answer at Alexandria is say Amen. Everybody say Amen. Simply do what Jesus says in every simple matter. That’s how you learn to follow the filling.

James Greer: 16:52 In that place. There was six stone water jars that Jesus had used in the washing of ceremonies. Each jar the held about 20 or 30 gallons. And Jesus said to his service, fill the jars with what? Water. So they filled the jars, and they not only filled them, they filled them to the top. That the jars were empty, I told you the jars represented us. What goes in the jars greatly determines our joy. Really, I,t has to be some type of God’s word if you want it to work. Then he said to them, take some out and give it to the master of the feast. So, they took some water and they give it to the master. And when he tasted the water, it become wine. And he didn’t know where the wine would come from, but the servants they did, because they brought the water and the master of the wedding called to the bridegroom. And he said, people always serve the best wine first and later when the guests had been drinking, they serve cheaper wine. But, you saved the best for last.

James Greer: 18:36 I love that because when I was growing up, this is side note, when I was growing up in church, just saying, they used to tell me that was grape juice. I don’t know about how you serve good grape juice in the beginning and bad grape juice at the end. Now I’m not telling anybody in here to drink wine. Amen? But, if you drink wine and you drink the best wine in the beginning, it isn’t long. You don’t care what the other wine tastes like. But, that was not the point of the story. The point of the story was that Jesus took what? Something that was empty and he turned it into something that was great. And he said, you all saved the best for last.

James Greer: 19:30 And so in Canaan of Galilee Jesus, he did his first miracle, showed his glory and his followers believed. Jesus wants to show his glory where you can believe and follow. See, you’re the empty vessel. You’re full rocks. You filled it with your family, school work, church, hobbies, financial problems, habits and hang-ups. God wants you to fill it with the water of the Holy Spirit, and only Jesus can do that. He can change your emptiness and your frustrations and fill you with joy. See, the best wine that he was talking about was really a talk about a spiritual high, a joy that can only come from God. Well, one of the translations says this in Ephesians 5:18 he said, don’t be drunk with wine, which eventually ruin you, but be filled with the Holy Spirit. God says, too much drink out of the wrong wine of the world will ruin your life. While the best wine filled into the Holy Spirit will give you the greatest joy in every single area of your life.

James Greer: 20:48 I’m going to zoom through the rest, for time. How do you be filled? The Holy Spirit. Number one, you’ve got to be saved. Amen? Number two, we’ve got to ask him, right? So, you come for a free drink and in a minute you ask him to fill your life. It’s refreshing. It’s clean, it’s new. Third, you’ve got to make sure you confessed all known sin. Acts 3:19 says, repent, therefore and be converted of your sins would be blotted out and a time of refreshing will come. So we’re saved. We ask him to fill us. We confess all known sin. Number four, we maintain a clear conscious between God and man. In other words, that’s what Paul said in Acts, he said, acts 24:16 and wherein I exercise myself, what he do, I have always a conscious board of offense towards man and God. And he said, first of all, if there’s sin that I’ve confessed and it’s a sin against God, ask God to forgive me. You ready? But, if I have an offense against somebody else, I asked them to forgive me.

James Greer: 21:42 Darryl came over early this morning. He was going to pray with me, and I had some of the other staff in there and he said, I’m reading the message early this morning. He said, I’m not joking. He said, if I’ve offended anybody, forgive me. He said, because I want to be filled with the Holy Spirit. See, it might be your family, it might be somebody years ago. A While back there was somebody that I knew had offended, it had been years and years ago, and I called him. It was this very first verse that convicted me and after God really convicted me and really did, and I called this particular person, I said, I’m so sorry. I’m so ugly to you and dah, dah, dah, dah. What happened? Would you forgive me? And that particular person said, I will. I said, thank you. they said, I don’t know what you’re talking about though, but it made me feel good. It set me free.

James Greer: 22:40 Those are the four main things you got to do. The rest of the time you ready, the rest of the time you’ve got to understand there’s a war going on and you’re battling between the world and the flesh and there’s this unbelievable battle. That’s why the filling of the Holy Spirit has to go on a day to day basis. Galatians 5:17 puts it this way, for the flesh lusts against the spirit, the world, and the flesh. There’s this war going on, the spirit against the flesh. These are contrary one to another so that you do not do the very things that you would do. You know what it means? It says, man, sometimes you can come to church, be on fire for God. Man, you’re going to witness God, you’re going to do it for God and you go outside, get the car and cuss somebody out. Have you all ever done that? Get out there, man I’m just praising God and singing and some idiot pulls out in front of me and slows down. Makes me want to wave at him funny, I didn’t say I did that. I said, it makes me want to do that, and God says that’s what happens.

James Greer: 23:32 There’s this war going on and sometimes you do the things you shouldn’t do. Sometimes you do things you didn’t want to do. Can I tell you what to do? As soon as you do that, just confess it and get back in the war, Amen? But, if you’re led by the spirit, you’re not under the law, but what I understand, I want to tell you what happens. There’s a war going on. I’m going to summarize, read Galatians 5:19 it says, this is what the world is pulling you to do. The world wants you to commit adultery, fornication, uncleanliness, lustfulness, idolatry, hatred, sorcery, hard to get along, jealousy, outbursts of anger. I wish I could skip that one. Selfish ambitions, complaining, critical teaching and believing wrong doctrine, envy, murder, continued drunkenness. Those that continue to practice this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

James Greer: 24:22 Some people believe that means they won’t go to heaven. I believe that just means you’ll get to heaven sooner than you want to go. I believe in I John 5:16 when it says, if you see your brothers commit a sin, which is not unto death, and you ask him life for those who commit the sin leading to death, you know there is a sin that leads to death. I believe there’s people that are saved like Lot’s wife in the Bible. They had believed the lie and they’re living like the world, but the truth is they’re not happy. They’re miserable. You know why some people say, some people come to the front and they say man, I’m just not sure I’m saved and I’m so miserable. I’m doing this in sin and I feel horrible. Yeah, you’re probably saved. That’s why he feels so horrible. Because the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking. But it’s peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

James Greer: 25:36 When you’re following the Holy spirit, Galatians 5:22 says, it’s love, joy, peace, long suffering, goodness, faith, meekness. It’s got something for you. It’s got a peace that surpasses all understanding. So God says, I got a drink for you. It’s free, it’s wine, it’s milk. You can come take it. So in closing this is what I’m going to ask you. First of all, listen, if you’re not saved, man, just a moment, please don’t put it off. Don’t worry about anybody around you. Don’t worry about who’s next to you. Just come and say, Hey man, I want to change my life today. I’m going to give my life to Jesus Christ. And then if you’re here and your life is so slammed-packed, you’re frustrated, you’re fragile. And you need to say, man, I need a drink. I need a drink. Can I tell you everybody here today, God has enough for everybody. He didn’t run out like I did. He’s got enough for everybody here. Why would you not come if you did the things that he asked you if you saved you asking, forgive you of your sins. If you get right with other people, free for the asking. There’s no reason anybody here has to go home the same way that they came, so would you stay and let me pray with you and to pray for you.

James Greer: 27:06 God, I thank you for today. Your word is awesome and is powerful. God, I don’t believe anybody here is by accident, but by divine appointment, I pray your Holy spirit would be at work in a great and powerful way. I pray that so many would come for that free drink, that they would humble themselves and say, Hey God, I need that drink. I’m ready to make sure I’m saved. I want to confess my sins. I want to be right with my family. I want to be right with my friends. Maybe some of you need to follow through in public baptism. Some of you need to join the church. Some of you just need somebody to pray with you and pray for you. Whatever God’s called you to do. I tell you one thing. He’s called you to come and drink, but go home with joy and the nourishment that he offers, and he said, it’s free. It’s in Jesus name. I pray. Amen.

Recorded in Pineville, Louisiana.