Receiving Christ's Fullness: A Journey of Dependence
Summary
In the Gospel of John, we find a profound declaration: "Of His fullness have all we received, and grace for grace." This statement encapsulates the essence of the Christian faith, emphasizing that everything we are and hope to be is due to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Without His incarnation, we would be lost, empty, and dead. The fullness of Christ is the source of wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. It is through His wisdom that we come to know God and understand ourselves. Without Christ, we remain ignorant of our true nature and purpose.
As we reflect on the past year, it is crucial to examine whether we have truly received of His fullness. A Christian is defined by this reception, and it is through Christ's wisdom that we gain insight into our own emptiness. To receive His fullness, we must first acknowledge our own bankruptcy and sinfulness. The world often holds a superficial view of sin, focusing on actions rather than the heart's condition. However, Christ teaches that sin originates from the heart, and it is this inner corruption that separates us from God.
The Apostle Paul, once a self-satisfied Pharisee, came to realize his own sinfulness and helplessness. He recognized that in his flesh dwelt no good thing and that he was carnal, sold under sin. This realization led him to cry out for deliverance, acknowledging his need for Christ's fullness. Similarly, we must come to terms with our spiritual deadness and our inability to save ourselves through religious observances or self-righteousness.
Receiving Christ's fullness means recognizing our utter dependence on Him. It is by His grace that we are saved, and it is His life within us that transforms us. This transformation is evident in our changed desires and priorities, as we seek to glorify God and live in humility and obedience. Our dependence on God is demonstrated through prayer and reliance on the Holy Spirit, who leads us into all truth and empowers us to live according to God's will.
Key Takeaways:
- True wisdom and understanding of God and ourselves come only through Christ. Without His revelation, we remain in ignorance and darkness. It is through His wisdom that we gain insight into our own emptiness and need for His fullness. [02:38]
- Acknowledging our sinfulness and spiritual deadness is essential to receiving Christ's fullness. We must recognize that our hearts are the source of sin and that we are incapable of saving ourselves through our own efforts. [12:54]
- Dependence on Christ is the hallmark of a true Christian. We owe everything to His grace, and our lives are transformed by His presence within us. This transformation is evident in our changed desires and priorities. [28:40]
- Humility and obedience are key characteristics of those who have received Christ's fullness. We are called to live for the glory of God, putting aside our own interests and following Christ's example of self-sacrifice. [37:06]
- The Holy Spirit plays a vital role in leading and empowering us to live according to God's will. Our dependence on the Spirit is a sign of having received Christ's fullness, as He guides us into all truth and enables us to live a life pleasing to God. [44:58]
Youtube Chapters:
[00:00] - Welcome
[00:11] - Introduction to John's Gospel
[01:09] - The Fullness of Christ
[02:00] - Christ as Wisdom
[03:12] - Understanding Ourselves Through Christ
[05:01] - Testing Our Reception of His Fullness
[07:07] - Realizing Our Emptiness
[09:11] - The Nature of Sin
[12:22] - The Heart's Condition
[15:14] - Spiritual Deadness and Helplessness
[18:50] - Slavery to Sin and the Devil
[21:10] - Crying Out for Deliverance
[25:32] - The Need for Christ's Righteousness
[28:21] - Dependence on Christ's Grace
[31:39] - Evidence of Christ's Likeness in Us
[37:06] - Humility and Obedience
[41:30] - Conclusion and Benediction
Study Guide
Bible Study Discussion Guide
Bible Reading:
1. John 1:16 - "And of his fullness have all we received, and grace for grace."
2. Matthew 15:18-20 - "But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: These are the things which defile a man."
3. Romans 7:18 - "For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not."
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Observation Questions:
1. What does John 1:16 mean when it says, "Of his fullness have all we received, and grace for grace"? How does this relate to the concept of receiving Christ's fullness? [00:11]
2. According to Matthew 15:18-20, where does sin originate, and how does this understanding challenge the Pharisees' view of sin? [12:22]
3. In Romans 7:18, Paul speaks about the struggle within himself. How does this verse illustrate the concept of spiritual bankruptcy and the need for Christ's fullness? [14:13]
4. How does the sermon describe the transformation that occurs when one receives Christ's fullness? What are some signs of this transformation? [28:40]
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Interpretation Questions:
1. How does the understanding of sin as originating from the heart, as described in Matthew 15:18-20, change the way one views personal sinfulness and the need for Christ's redemption? [12:22]
2. In what ways does the sermon suggest that recognizing one's spiritual deadness is essential to receiving Christ's fullness? How does this recognition impact a believer's relationship with God? [16:25]
3. The sermon emphasizes dependence on Christ as a hallmark of true Christianity. How does this dependence manifest in a believer's daily life, according to the sermon? [28:21]
4. How does the sermon describe the role of the Holy Spirit in leading and empowering believers to live according to God's will? What is the significance of this in the life of a Christian? [44:58]
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Application Questions:
1. Reflect on your own life: Have you acknowledged your spiritual emptiness and need for Christ's fullness? What steps can you take to deepen this recognition? [27:24]
2. The sermon highlights the importance of humility and obedience. In what areas of your life do you struggle with these qualities, and how can you work towards embodying them more fully? [37:06]
3. Consider your prayer life and reliance on the Holy Spirit. How can you cultivate a deeper dependence on God through prayer and seeking the Spirit's guidance? [44:58]
4. The sermon discusses the transformation of desires and priorities when one receives Christ's fullness. Identify one area in your life where you need to realign your desires with God's will. What practical steps can you take this week to make this change? [28:40]
5. How can you actively demonstrate the grace you have received from Christ in your interactions with others? Think of a specific relationship where you can apply this grace. [28:40]
6. The sermon mentions the importance of living for the glory of God. What is one specific way you can prioritize God's glory in your daily decisions and actions? [36:48]
7. Reflect on the role of the Holy Spirit in your life. How can you be more attentive to the Spirit's leading and allow it to guide your decisions and actions? [44:58]
Devotional
Day 1: Christ as the Source of True Wisdom
True wisdom and understanding of God and ourselves come only through Christ. Without His revelation, we remain in ignorance and darkness. It is through His wisdom that we gain insight into our own emptiness and need for His fullness. [02:38]
"For the LORD gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding; he stores up sound wisdom for the upright; he is a shield to those who walk in integrity." (Proverbs 2:6-7, ESV)
Reflection: In what areas of your life do you feel you lack wisdom? How can you seek Christ's wisdom today to gain a deeper understanding of yourself and your relationship with God?
Day 2: Acknowledging Our Spiritual Bankruptcy
Acknowledging our sinfulness and spiritual deadness is essential to receiving Christ's fullness. We must recognize that our hearts are the source of sin and that we are incapable of saving ourselves through our own efforts. [12:54]
"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus." (Romans 3:23-24, ESV)
Reflection: What is one area of your life where you have been trying to earn God's favor through your own efforts? How can you acknowledge your need for His grace today?
Day 3: Dependence on Christ's Transforming Grace
Dependence on Christ is the hallmark of a true Christian. We owe everything to His grace, and our lives are transformed by His presence within us. This transformation is evident in our changed desires and priorities. [28:40]
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come." (2 Corinthians 5:17, ESV)
Reflection: How have your desires and priorities changed since you began following Christ? What is one area where you still need to depend more on His grace for transformation?
Day 4: Living in Humility and Obedience
Humility and obedience are key characteristics of those who have received Christ's fullness. We are called to live for the glory of God, putting aside our own interests and following Christ's example of self-sacrifice. [37:06]
"He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?" (Micah 6:8, ESV)
Reflection: In what ways can you practice humility and obedience in your daily life? How can you put aside your own interests to serve others and glorify God today?
Day 5: The Holy Spirit's Role in Our Lives
The Holy Spirit plays a vital role in leading and empowering us to live according to God's will. Our dependence on the Spirit is a sign of having received Christ's fullness, as He guides us into all truth and enables us to live a life pleasing to God. [44:58]
"But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you." (John 14:26, ESV)
Reflection: How can you be more attentive to the Holy Spirit's guidance in your life? What is one specific way you can rely on the Spirit's power to live according to God's will today?
Quotes
"Where it not that he is the Eternal Word of God, the word that was ever with the father, were it not that he had come into this world and had been born as we saw last Sunday morning in that extraordinary manner in Bethlehem in that stable, well, there would be nothing for us. We would be left to ourselves, we would be dead, we would be lost, we would be empty. It is of his fullness that all we have received and Grace upon Grace." [00:01:09]
"It is he and he alone who reveals God. No man hath seen God at any time, the only begotten which is in the bosom of the father, he hath declared him, and we would have no knowledge of God which would be of any value to us were it not for the coming of the Son of God into the world." [00:02:38]
"No man has received of the fullness of the Lord Jesus Christ who has not yet realized his own emptiness. If you are already filled with self, you haven't received of his fullness. You can only receive of his fullness as you are empty and realize your own emptiness." [00:07:27]
"The whole conception of sin which was held by the Pharisees and by the people as the result of their following of the Pharisees was not only superficial, it was ultimately completely false. It was a matter of externals, whereas our Lord says the thing that really matters is the state and the condition of the heart." [00:12:22]
"Man by nature is a sinful creature, perverted, evil. Evil not only that, the teaching goes further. It is to the effect that man is spiritually dead. How often is that stated in the New Testament itself, that man can do no good in the sight of God because he is spiritually dead." [00:16:01]
"All attempts to justify yourself before God by religious observances are quite useless. He condemns them all. That's how our Lord condemned the Pharisees. They were highly religious and they were most devout. When a Pharisee says, 'I fast twice in the week and I give a tenth of my goods to the poor,' he was speaking the literal truth." [00:18:50]
"No man is ever going to be filled with the fullness of Christ until he comes in some shape or form to this position in which he cries out to the Apostle Paul, 'Oh wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death?' He is at the end of himself, he's empty, he's got nothing." [00:21:10]
"Are we conscious in the second place of our entire dependence upon him? You see, it follows from the first, doesn't it? But I'm putting it now positively. Are we actively, consciously aware of our utter dependence upon him and upon this fullness that is in him?" [00:28:21]
"Do you find any of his likeness in you? What is our chief concern? What is our chiefest desire? The chief end of men is to glorify God. Is it ours? Have we this concern for the kingdom of God and the glory of almighty God?" [00:37:06]
"Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who being in the form of God thought it not robbery to be equal with God, but made himself of no reputation and took upon him the form of a servant and was made in the likeness of men." [00:37:06]
"If we have received of his fullness, we are conscious of our dependence upon him and our dependence upon God. There is no better sign or better test of having received of his fullness than our constant realization of our dependence upon him." [00:44:58]
"Are there evidences in us of likeness to him, or if you prefer it, are there evidences of his likeness in us? Now I want to summarize that by putting it like this: you remember that first question of the Shorter Catechism of the Westminster Confession of Faith, what is the chief end of men?" [00:31:39]
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