You’re So Full Of It!

To say that Jay Carty is an unusual communicator is a mild statement. Maybe a little nuts would be more accurate. Not a preacher, not a teacher, more a storyteller with a very important message. Where some deep preachers are too snoozy for the rank and file and where some humorists don’t have much to say, Jay’s stuff is generally regarded as an unusual blending of humor and profound content. A former Oregon State basketball star and LA Laker, Jay has dedicated his life to helping people say yes to God. Now, we hope you enjoy Carty’s Contemporary Classics.

All right, everybody. You all need to know when you were born again, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise.

And when God, does the sealing, there ain’t nobody or nothing going to unseal it.

Amen.

Paul wrote about that. He gave the extensive list and he said, “Nothing can unseal it.” God came to live in you. And when you were born again, you were filled with his spirit. Not just sealed, he gave you a spiritual gift through which he’s going to exercise power in the course of ministry, and he allows the communication process to be complete. You talk to God, he talks back, but it wasn’t long after you received Christ that you were filled with the spirit and sealed that you sinned, me too. And the Bible gives us two words for what happened. We grieved and clenched the Holy Spirit.

We saddened him and we silenced him. We stilled him and we stifled him. But he gave us a fix for that too. 1 John 1:9, “If we confessed our sin, he’s faithful and just to forgive us of our sin and cleanses of all unrighteousness.” And we’re filled again. And we take another run at it. I don’t like it when he illustrates it this way. The life of the glass as your life. And you know as in nature, there’s an oil spout always squirting dirty motor oil. You have to look at it, look closely and you’ll see it. Do you see it?

You do. He’s on the pastoral staff. All right. So the life is currently filled with what? Motor oil, come on. It’s always squirting. So what’s it full of?

Oil.

Oil. So when you receive Christ, you were filled with the Holy Spirit.

Is oil lighter or heavier than water?

So is it in the top or the bottom of the glass?

You’re not filled yet. See, water has a surface tension on it called the meniscus. There is now more water in the glass than there is as glass. So where’s the oil going? See, it’s still squirting, it didn’t stop, it’s just not in life. So now, you’re filled. But when you sin … and that was just a little sin. That was what takes the space?

Oil

Oil. Now you’re thinking, well, I’m pretty full, but you don’t get half the Holy Spirit or two thirds or three fourths, you either got the holy spirit or you don’t got the Holy Spirit. Now, that’s not good English, but it’s very good theology. And besides, God, doesn’t look at it this way, he looks at it this way. There’s only one fix for that. 1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, he’s faithful and just and will forgive your sin unrighteousness.” Now, we’re filled up. That’s the way it works. So when you sin and then you don’t do anything about it, you’ll sin again. And sin kind of compounds itself and sometimes you don’t think about how low. Funny thing about sin, the big ones get all over you and then they get all over anyone who happens to be close to them. 1 John 1:9, “He’s faithful and just and will forgive us if we confess. You glad that verses in there?

No, I know. How about you? I rewrote it. Go ahead. Now, this is a good way to live, but it’s not the best way to live. This way, you are trying to lengthen your time between stumbles and decrease your confession time. But this way is a little better.

I like living this way.

Yeah. Amen.

Now, the way you live this way is you quit trying and you’ll let God and you listen. This is where you die to self, the progressive concept of dying to self and letting Jesus do everything for you. And that’s what I want to do.

Amen.