His Fulness
John 1:16 “And of His fulness have all we received, and grace for grace.”
As born again ones, we….”and of HIs fulness have all we received”.
It is “of His fulness”….which suggests out of the fulness of God….His Word, His merits, His ability, His character, His strength, His love….comes to us.
We have the Holy Spirit within.
We are babes in Christ….but as we grow in grace, we learn to trust His grace….and are filled with Him to the capacity we are emptied of self. (Eph. 5:18)…
….and as we continue to yield to the Holy Spirit within….we will continue to be filled….even to overflowing.
Romans 5:17 (Williams Version) “For if by one man’s offense, death reigned thru that one, to a much greater degree will those who continue to receive the overflow of His unmerited favor and HIs gift of right standing with Himself, reign in real life through One, Jesus Christ.”
Romans 5:17 (KJV) “For if by one man’s offense death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by One, Jesus Christ.”
In Christ Jesus, it is “to a much greater degree”. We will receive more….and can continue to receive more….than what we lost in Adam (and we lost a lot).
This “overflow” of grace….is the same, as the promise of “abundant life”…
John 10:10 “….I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”
There are two things here: life in Christ, and abundant life in Christ. And Jesus Christ said He had come to give both to His sheep.
It is the Creator, giving of Himself to the creature…God, giving of Himself to you.
We are to experience this overflow of grace (the unmerited favor of power).
The more you use the grace given…and remember it is “grace for grace”…the more you acquire grace.
Grace is not just for salvation….but it is the ability we need to see us from being born again to heaven. We are not to stumble along….but we are to:
Isaiah 40:31 “But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.”
This we are to do….have our strength, renewed. (Renewed means changed)
Whether we will mount up with wings as eagles…seemingly flying over our circumstances in attitude and obedience.
Or we will run, focusing on the Lord’s Way before us….yielding to His stamina to finish our race.
Or we will walk with Him, in our day by day situations….in perseverance….no matter what comes up.
“Of His fulness have we all received”. Notice, it is we all. Not one Christian is exempt from this fulness.
They may be “Little-faith”. Or they may be “Great-grace”…but they have received…”of His fulness”.
And we are called to “continue to receive the overflow”.
How? Let me ask you…..how did you first believe?
Simply, the power of the Holy Spirit worked in you the desire for salvation. “For by grace are we saved”…..So it is with His fulness.
2 Corinthians 3:18 “But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.”
The grace we received from Christ changes us into “the same image”….or the image (character) of Christ Jesus, our Lord.
Even as by the Holy Spirit, Who creates within us the desire to grow up. From babes in Christ, feeding on the milk of the Word…..to flying, running, walking with God.
We experience the good will of God toward us, and the good work of God in us….keeping us to “continue to receive the overflow” of HIs grace…..His fulness.
It is not that we earn these things, but that we continue to receive them…..with open face….open hearts toward Him.
Grace and truth came by Jesus Christ (John 1:17)…and as we see ourselves in that glass (mirror James 1:22-25)……facing the truth about ourselves, “grace for grace” will be applied.
How much ability do we need? To that extent….God’s grace is given….every time.
2 Corinthians 4:6 “For God, Who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”
Again, “in the face of Jesus Christ”. As we behold Him in eyes of faith, we are changed….by grace….into the same image….
….and that light can shine out through us.
His fulness….all that He has done….and all that the Lord Jesus Christ is….as Creator, Savior, Lord, King, Mediator,….
….all that He is….is shone us as we behold Him….and as we yield to the Holy Spirit, He changes us into the same character…..by grace.
Preaching, Teaching, and Notes 