Emptiness: The Key to God's Overflowing Blessings
Summary
So often, people carry a quiet sense that God is disappointed in them, but the truth is that through Christ, God looks at us with joy, love, and adoration. Our identity is not defined by our failures or shame, but by the righteousness of Jesus. The story in 2 Kings 4 of the widow and the miracle of the oil is not just a historical account, but a window into the heart of God and the way His kingdom operates. The widow, facing utter desperation, had nothing left but a small jar of oil. Yet, her willingness to obey the word of the prophet—without editing or negotiating—opened the door for God’s miraculous provision.
Obedience, fueled by faith, is the irreducible minimum in the kingdom of God. When we reach the end of our own resources, we are often in the best position to experience God’s breakthrough. The oil only flowed as long as there were empty vessels; when the vessels were full, the oil stopped. This is a profound spiritual principle: God fills the empty, the hungry, the desperate. The Holy Spirit responds to emptiness, not fullness. If we are content with yesterday’s blessings or living off old experiences, we risk missing the fresh outpouring God wants to give today.
Humanity is marked by a longing for something more, a divine hunger that nothing in this world can satisfy. We are all empty vessels, created to be filled by our Creator. The miracle of the oil teaches us that God is not looking for polished or perfect vessels, but for those who are simply empty and available. The flow of God’s Spirit begins in the private, secret places of our lives—our prayer closets, our moments of consecration. If there is no flow in private, there will be no overflow in public.
Whatever we elevate in our lives will fill us. If we lift up Christ, He will pour into us. But if we fill our lives with lesser things, we will remain dissatisfied. God’s desire is not to polish vessels, but to fill them. The only prerequisite is emptiness. Just as Jesus was born in a place that simply had room for Him, so too does He seek hearts that have made space for His presence. It is time to declutter our lives, to make room for Jesus, and to hunger for a fresh outpouring of His Spirit.
Key Takeaways
- God’s view of us is shaped by Christ’s righteousness, not our failures. When God looks at us, He sees us through the lens of Jesus’ sacrifice, not through our shame or guilt. This means we can approach Him boldly, knowing His plans for us are good and His heart is for us, not against us. Our identity is secure in His love, not in our performance. [01:44]
- Obedience, even when it doesn’t make sense, is the gateway to God’s provision and breakthrough. The widow’s miracle came not from understanding, but from simply doing what was asked. Faith is not just belief, but action—trusting God enough to follow His word even when the outcome is unclear. The flow of heaven is released through faith-fueled obedience. [11:13]
- The Holy Spirit fills the empty, not the full. The oil stopped when the vessels were full, illustrating that God’s Spirit seeks out those who are hungry and desperate for more. If we are satisfied with the status quo or living off past experiences, we close ourselves off to the fresh work God wants to do. Emptiness is not a liability, but an invitation for God’s fullness. [23:51]
- The private world is where the flow of God begins. What happens in our secret life—our prayer, devotion, and consecration—determines what overflows in public. Without a genuine private relationship with God, we risk becoming pretenders, managing appearances rather than experiencing transformation. The anointing must flow in the secret place before it can impact the world around us. [22:23]
- Whatever we elevate in our lives will ultimately fill us. If we lift up Christ and make room for Him, He will pour His Spirit into us. But if we elevate lesser things—ambitions, possessions, old habits—we will find ourselves empty and dissatisfied. The call is to declutter our hearts, make space for Jesus, and hunger for a fresh outpouring, knowing that God fills empty places. [33:57]
Youtube Chapters
[00:00] - Welcome
[01:44] - How God Sees Us Through Christ
[02:54] - The Widow’s Crisis and the Miracle of Oil
[04:12] - The Power of Obedience in Desperation
[06:44] - Everyday Life and Hidden Emptiness
[08:24] - Running Out and Running to God
[10:18] - The Simplicity of Obedience
[11:13] - Faith, Obedience, and Breakthrough
[14:21] - The Texas Sharpshooter Fallacy
[15:39] - What Does It Mean to Be Human?
[17:45] - Humanity’s Divine Longing
[19:26] - The God-Shaped Hole
[22:23] - The Secret Place and Private Anointing
[23:51] - The Law of Emptiness
[24:43] - God Fills the Hungry and Empty
[27:21] - A Missionary Story: Finding the Empty
[32:43] - Are You Empty and Hungry?
[33:57] - What You Elevate Will Fill You
[36:47] - Making Room for Jesus and the Fresh Outpouring
Study Guide
Small Group Bible Study Guide: The Miracle of the Oil & The Law of Emptiness
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### Bible Reading
- 2 Kings 4:1-7 (The story of the widow and the miracle of the oil)
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### Observation Questions
1. What was the widow’s situation at the beginning of the story? What did she have left in her house? ([02:54])
2. What specific instructions did Elisha give to the widow, and how did she respond? ([04:12])
3. When did the oil stop flowing, and what does the text say about the reason for this? ([05:10])
4. According to the sermon, what is the significance of the prophet telling the widow to “shut the door” before the miracle happened? ([22:23])
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### Interpretation Questions
1. The widow obeyed Elisha’s instructions without trying to change or negotiate them. Why is simple obedience, even when it doesn’t make sense, so important in this story? ([11:13])
2. The oil only flowed as long as there were empty vessels. What does this teach us about the kind of people God fills and uses? ([23:51])
3. The sermon says that the miracle began in private, behind closed doors. What does this suggest about the relationship between our private spiritual life and what happens publicly? ([22:23])
4. The preacher mentioned that God is not looking for “polished or perfect vessels, but for those who are simply empty and available.” What does it mean to be “empty” before God? ([33:57])
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### Application Questions
1. The sermon began by addressing the quiet sense many people have that God is disappointed in them. Do you ever feel this way? How does knowing that God sees you through Christ’s righteousness, not your failures, change the way you approach Him? ([01:44])
2. The widow’s breakthrough came through simple, faith-fueled obedience. Is there an area in your life where God is asking you to obey, even if it doesn’t make sense? What would it look like to take that step this week? ([11:13])
3. The oil stopped when the vessels were full. Are there areas in your life where you feel “full” of other things—busyness, distractions, past experiences—that might be keeping you from receiving something fresh from God? What could you do to “make room” for Him? ([23:51])
4. The sermon emphasized the importance of the “secret place”—our private time with God. How is your private spiritual life right now? What is one practical way you could deepen your prayer or devotion time this week? ([22:23])
5. The preacher said, “Whatever you elevate in your life will fill you.” What are you currently elevating or prioritizing in your life? Is there something you need to “declutter” or set aside to make more space for Jesus? ([33:57])
6. The story of the oil is about God filling the empty and the hungry. In what area of your life do you feel most empty or in need right now? How can you invite God to fill that space? ([32:43])
7. The preacher shared a story about God leading him to someone who was spiritually hungry. Is there someone in your life who might be “empty” and searching for God? How could you reach out to them this week? ([31:08])
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Closing Prayer Suggestion:
Ask God to help you see yourself through His eyes, to make you aware of any areas where you need to make room for Him, and to fill you afresh with His Spirit. Invite Him to use your emptiness as a place for His presence and power.
Devotional
Day 1: God Sees You Through Christ, Not Your Failures
When God looks at you, He does not see your sin, shame, or guilt, but rather the righteousness and holiness of Jesus Christ. Because of Christ’s sacrifice, you are welcomed as part of God’s family, loved and cherished, and can boldly approach the throne of grace knowing that God is for you and not against you. His plans for your life are good, and His love for you is unwavering, regardless of your past or present struggles. [01:44]
Romans 8:16-17 (ESV)
The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.
Reflection: When you think about how God sees you, do you focus more on your shortcomings or on your identity in Christ? How would your prayers and daily choices change if you truly believed God delights in you as His beloved child?
Day 2: Obedience and Faith Unlock God’s Miraculous Provision
Breakthrough comes when we respond to God’s word with simple, trusting obedience, even when we don’t fully understand His instructions. Like the widow who followed Elisha’s directions without editing or questioning, we are called to act in faith, trusting that God’s ways are higher than ours and that He will provide what we need when we step out in obedience. The irreducible minimum in the kingdom of God is obedience, fueled by faith, which opens the access points of heaven into our lives. [11:13]
2 Kings 4:1-7 (ESV)
Now the wife of one of the sons of the prophets cried to Elisha, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that your servant feared the Lord, but the creditor has come to take my two children to be his slaves.” And Elisha said to her, “What shall I do for you? Tell me; what have you in the house?” And she said, “Your servant has nothing in the house except a jar of oil.” Then he said, “Go outside, borrow vessels from all your neighbors, empty vessels and not too few. Then go in and shut the door behind yourself and your sons and pour into all these vessels. And when one is full, set it aside.” So she went from him and shut the door behind herself and her sons. And as she poured they brought the vessels to her. When the vessels were full, she said to her son, “Bring me another vessel.” And he said to her, “There is not another.” Then the oil stopped flowing. She came and told the man of God, and he said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debts, and you and your sons can live on the rest.”
Reflection: Is there an area in your life where God is prompting you to obey, even if it doesn’t make sense? What is one step of faith you can take today to trust Him more fully?
Day 3: Only God Can Fill the Emptiness Inside
Every human heart has a longing that nothing in this world can satisfy—a God-shaped emptiness that only the Creator can fill. We may try to fill this void with achievements, possessions, or experiences, but true fulfillment comes only when we allow God to pour His presence and Spirit into our lives. God is always seeking out the empty and the hungry, ready to fill those who make room for Him. [19:26]
Psalm 8:3-5 (ESV)
When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor.
Reflection: What are you currently trying to fill your emptiness with? How can you intentionally make space for God to fill you with His presence this week?
Day 4: The Holy Spirit Fills the Empty and the Hungry
God’s Spirit flows toward those who are empty, desperate, and hungry for more of Him—not those who are self-satisfied or living off yesterday’s blessings. The miracle of God’s outpouring happens when we come to Him with open, empty hearts, ready to receive a fresh touch and a new anointing. If we are full of ourselves or the things of this world, there is no room for God to move; but when we empty ourselves, He fills us to overflowing. [23:51]
Matthew 5:6 (ESV)
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.”
Reflection: In what ways have you become spiritually complacent or self-sufficient? What would it look like for you to come before God today as an empty vessel, hungry for a fresh outpouring of His Spirit?
Day 5: Elevate Christ Above All to Be Truly Filled
Whatever you elevate and give your affection to will ultimately fill your life—if you lift up Christ and make room for Him, He will pour His life and Spirit into you. Decluttering your heart and making space for Jesus is the key to experiencing true satisfaction and transformation. God is not looking for perfect or polished vessels, but for those who are simply empty and willing to be filled by Him. [33:57]
Colossians 3:1-2 (ESV)
If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.
Reflection: What is one thing you need to lay down or let go of in order to elevate Christ above all else in your life? How can you practically make more room for Him to fill you today?
Quotes
The most important thing about you and I, the most important thing about any human is what comes to mind when we think about God. And I agree with that. But C.S. Lewis saw that and he added to it. He said, yes, yes, yes, that's important. He said, but really the most important thing is what God thinks about you when he thinks about you. So the question is, what do you think God thinks about you? And the Bible tells us very clearly that through Christ and because of Christ, when God sees you, despite whatever you've done, there is joy and love and adoration for you. [00:01:07]
He doesn't look at you through your sin and your shame and your guilt. He looks at you through the sacrifice and the holiness and the righteousness of Jesus. And so today I want your heart to be lifted knowing that you can boldly go before the throne of grace and that God is for you and not against you. And his plans for your life are good. They're good. [00:01:51]
When you need a word from God, you need to lean in. When crisis gives you that engine to, to push in, drive in deeper. And what does she do? How does she get her miracle? She does what the prophet says. It's that simple. She doesn't try to edit what the prophet says. Oh, he said, pour it. But what if we shake it? What if we twirl it? What if we drink the oil? No, she does what he prescribes. He does, she does. And they do what he says. [00:10:32]
If God said it, then it's true. I'm going to do it even though I don't see it yet, but I'm going to do it because he said it. And if he said it, he will perform, I believe. And it's that faith action. The irreducible minimum for anything in the kingdom of God is obedience. And the fuel for obedience is faith. If I have faith and I obey, then we open up the access points of heaven because what we need is not just some, some backup plan, some plan. We need the oil to flow. [00:11:19]
You don't just outgrow your sin. If you try to outgrow your sin, then you just learn to pretend. Attenders become pretenders. And now what you're doing is, you have this secret world, and now, now you're just managing your sin, managing your guilt. Jesus came to do much better things than just for sin management. He came to emancipate you from the chains of darkness, from the blindness of sin and what this world. He wants to lift us. [00:13:08]
He came to first take care of the penalty of sin. Because there's a penalty. Then the power of sin, not just to get you out of Egypt, but to get Egypt out of you. And then the presence of sin. One day we'll be with Christ and the presence of sin will be gone forever. The penalty of sin, the power of sin, and ultimately the presence of sin. We are being sanctified. We're being changed into that image from glory to glory, faith to faith. [00:14:05]
What makes us human is that we look at the stars. We look for the divine where there's an emptiness to us, longing for something greater, greater meaning, greater purpose that only the divine can fill. G.K. Chesterton said this. It's really interesting. In fact, this quote actually dates the quote. You'll see in a moment. He said, every man who knocks on the door of a brothel is looking for God. What does that mean? It means that we're all just trying to fill a hole, a God-sized divine hole inside of us that this empirical world, the natural world, will never be able to fill. [00:19:26]
C.S. Lewis said this in Mere Christianity. He said, if I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world. In every one of us, there is a divine hunger and spark looking for meaning. What is man and why does God care about us? Why do we care about him and why does he care about us? [00:20:24]
The infinite abyss can only be filled by an infinite and immutable object. That is to say only by God himself. I want to submit to you today that we are all empty vessels craving to be filled with our creator. The book of Acts says that God did not want to fill temples made with hands, but the book of Acts, he says he desires to live in each of us to fill our lives from the inside out. This story is a story of how God in his divine glory fills his people, fills the hungry, fills the empty. God is coming after the empty. [00:21:01]
We have to have the anointing in our secret life, or else we just do pretend. If there's no outflow, if there's no Holy Spirit anointing in our private life, then what we will do is we will learn pretend. We'll have pretend fiat Christianity in our public life. There'll be no outpour. There'll be no excess. There'll be no glory that flow. We have to find him in the secret place. Getting back into those prayer times, and devotions, and consecrations. Shutting the door. This is even what Jesus said. What did Jesus say? He said, When you pray, go into your closet and shut the door. And your Father that sees you in private will reward you publicly. [00:22:38]
There's a law in the natural that is equally a law in the spiritual. Because all natural laws come from spiritual laws. And it's this law. Two things cannot occupy the same space. Once everyone was full, all the vessels were full, what did the Bible say? Today, the oil stopped. The Holy Spirit responds to...Empty, hungry hearts. [00:23:51]
God wants to fill us afresh with a fresh anointing, a fresh revelation, a fresh touch of his spirit, not living on the old. He put the oil in you to tip it out and to pour it out and then get filled again. Fill me again, Lord. Some of you, your prayer life is dormant and dead and it's stale and God wants to pour something fresh into your life. You used to teach Bible studies in small groups. You used to have a passion in your worship. Now you've just gotten good because the oil's full and you've gotten good. [00:24:43]
What we're not trying to do here at the Promise Center is get a house full of vessels that are full. We want a house full of empty vessels because that's where the flow comes from. It's always going to flow toward the empty, toward the hungry. Jesus said, I didn't come for the full, for those who don't need it. I came for those who need a physician. Give me somebody who's hungry. Give me someone whose life is tipped over and everything has spilt out. Put them in the room and watch me fill them and change them from the inside out. [00:25:20]
I know where my empty vessels are. I know where the hungry are. I know where the empty are. I want to pour into empty vessels. I want to ask this question. Are you empty? Are you hungry? What are you full of? [00:32:35]
Whatever you're elevating in your life is going to fill you. Whatever you're putting up is going to pour in. So what have you, what have you animated? What have you worship, where are your affections what are you chasing, what have you raised up as the principal core of your existence that's what's going to fill you and it's going to leave you wanting empty, dissatisfied. [00:33:49]
There's a hunger in this house there's a hunger and there's people in this room willing to tip their life over and empty themselves of whatever prejudice or whatever ideas or ideologies or whatever whatever thing old religion habits old things that you've just held on to God wants a fresh anointing in your life a fresh outpouring some of you you've been praying stale prayers I'm not saying I've been listening in real hard but there's some people just living off the old living off the old old ways old ideas but God wants to pour his I want this house I want the promise center to be a place where any empty vessel comes in there's going to be a flow there's going to be an anointing I'm not here to try to polish vessels I want God to fill vessels I want God to fill hearts I want God to change people from the inside out he didn't say go get clean vessels pretty vessels he just said the only prerequisite empty why? because God fills empty places. [00:34:51]
This is the precedent from the very beginning Genesis chapter one, the earth was without form and void, which means it was empty. He moves into the emptiness. What's our problem? We have no place or space for him. [00:35:50]
Mary and Joseph, Hey, we're about to have a baby. You have any room? We're full. You have any room? We're full. You have any room? Actually, we have an empty stable and manger. Jesus was born in a place that just had room for him. I think this is a time for us to declutter our lives and make room for Jesus again, to lift him up and let him pour into us. [00:36:23]
There's a revival coming and it only comes not because you're pretty or cute or you're saying the right things. It comes because we've, we're desperate for the fresh, the new, the outpouring. God, pour, pour, pour your spirit out. [00:37:04]
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