Receiving Christ's Fullness: The Journey to Glorification
Summary
In the Gospel of John, chapter 1, verse 16, we find a profound statement that encapsulates the essence of what it means to be a Christian: "And of his fullness have all we received, and grace for grace." This verse highlights the core of our faith, which is not merely an intellectual assent to certain beliefs about Christ but a personal relationship with Him, receiving from His fullness. This fullness is the divine life and grace that transforms us, making us conformable to His image. It is through this relationship that we experience the new birth and regeneration, which are central to the Christian life.
The journey of receiving from Christ's fullness involves understanding the significance of His life, death, resurrection, ascension, and eventual return. Each of these steps is crucial for our salvation, as they enable us to partake in His divine nature. The Apostle Paul, in 1 Corinthians 1:30, describes how Christ is made unto us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. This redemption, in particular, points to our ultimate glorification, the final stage of our salvation.
Glorification is the culmination of our salvation journey, where we are fully transformed into the likeness of Christ. It involves the complete sanctification of our spirit, soul, and body, delivering us from all the consequences of the Fall. Our bodies, which are currently subject to corruption and mortality, will be raised in incorruption and glory. This transformation is not just a future hope but a present reality in the purpose of God, as we are already glorified in embryo.
Moreover, glorification includes a deeper, more intimate knowledge of God, where we will see Him face to face and know Him as we are known. It is a promise of sharing in the glory of Christ's eternal kingdom, reigning with Him and judging the world and angels. Ultimately, it is the promise of seeing God, the ultimate fulfillment of our salvation.
Key Takeaways:
1. Receiving from Christ's Fullness: Being a Christian is about receiving from the fullness of Christ, which involves a personal relationship with Him rather than just intellectual belief. This fullness is the divine life and grace that transforms us into His image. [00:52]
2. The Importance of Christ's Work: Each step of Christ's work—His life, death, resurrection, ascension, and return—is vital for our salvation. These events enable us to partake in His divine nature and receive His fullness. [03:40]
3. Glorification as the Culmination of Salvation: Glorification is the final stage of our salvation, where we are fully transformed into the likeness of Christ. It involves the complete sanctification of our spirit, soul, and body, delivering us from all the consequences of the Fall. [09:16]
4. Intimate Knowledge of God: Glorification includes a deeper, more intimate knowledge of God, where we will see Him face to face and know Him as we are known. This is the ultimate fulfillment of our salvation. [31:59]
5. Sharing in Christ's Glory: As part of our glorification, we will share in the glory of Christ's eternal kingdom, reigning with Him and judging the world and angels. This is a promise of our future inheritance and ultimate redemption. [43:21]
Youtube Chapters:
[00:00] - Welcome
[00:10] - Introduction to John 1:16
[00:34] - The Essence of Being Christian
[01:13] - The Danger of Mere Intellectual Belief
[02:00] - The Importance of New Birth
[02:37] - The Fullness of Christ
[03:08] - The Significance of Christ's Work
[03:40] - The Ascension and Its Importance
[04:12] - Christian Salvation Explained
[05:07] - Christ as Our Wisdom and Righteousness
[06:14] - The Purpose of Christ's Manifestation
[07:03] - Understanding Redemption
[08:47] - The Meaning of Glorification
[09:16] - The End of Salvation
[10:02] - Illustrations of Glorification
[11:30] - The Security of the Believer
[12:57] - The Process of Sanctification
[14:29] - The Ultimate Redemption
[16:13] - Deliverance from the Fall
[19:07] - The Restoration to Original Righteousness
[22:19] - The Glorification of the Body
[25:52] - The Resurrection of the Body
[29:00] - The Promise of a Glorified Body
[31:59] - Knowing God Face to Face
[34:28] - Seeing Christ as He Is
[36:04] - Sharing in Christ's Glory
[39:01] - The Inheritance of the Saints
[42:12] - The World to Come
[43:21] - Reigning with Christ
[44:52] - The Ultimate Vision of God
[47:34] - The Final Redemption and Glorification
[50:54] - 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. 1 Corinthians 1:30 - "But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption."
3. Romans 8:30 - "Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified."
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Observation Questions:
1. What does John 1:16 mean when it says we have received "grace for grace"? How does this relate to the concept of receiving from Christ's fullness? [00:34]
2. According to 1 Corinthians 1:30, what roles does Christ fulfill for believers, and how do these roles contribute to our salvation? [05:07]
3. In Romans 8:30, what is the sequence of events that leads to glorification, and how does this reflect the process of salvation? [12:39]
4. How does the sermon describe the significance of Christ's ascension and return in the context of our salvation? [03:40]
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Interpretation Questions:
1. How does the concept of receiving from Christ's fullness challenge the idea of Christianity being merely an intellectual belief system? [01:13]
2. What does the sermon suggest about the importance of understanding each step of Christ's work (life, death, resurrection, ascension, return) for our spiritual growth and salvation? [03:40]
3. How does the sermon explain the idea of glorification as the culmination of our salvation journey? What does this mean for believers today? [09:16]
4. In what ways does the sermon describe the intimate knowledge of God that comes with glorification, and how does this knowledge differ from our current understanding? [31:59]
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Application Questions:
1. Reflect on your personal relationship with Christ. How can you actively receive from His fullness in your daily life, beyond just intellectual belief? [00:52]
2. Consider the steps of Christ's work (life, death, resurrection, ascension, return). How can you incorporate the significance of each step into your spiritual practices or daily reflections? [03:40]
3. The sermon describes glorification as a present reality in God's purpose. How can you live with the hope and assurance of this future transformation in your current circumstances? [09:16]
4. How can you cultivate a deeper, more intimate knowledge of God in your life? What practical steps can you take to move beyond book knowledge to a personal relationship with Him? [31:59]
5. The sermon mentions sharing in Christ's glory and reigning with Him. How does this promise of future inheritance influence your perspective on current challenges or sufferings? [43:21]
6. Reflect on the idea of seeing God face to face as the ultimate fulfillment of our salvation. How does this vision shape your spiritual goals and priorities? [31:59]
7. Identify one area in your life where you feel the need for transformation into the likeness of Christ. What specific actions can you take this week to align more closely with His image? [00:52]
Devotional
Day 1: Receiving from Christ's Fullness: A Transformative Relationship
The essence of being a Christian is not just about intellectual belief but about receiving from the fullness of Christ. This fullness is the divine life and grace that transforms us into His image. It is through a personal relationship with Christ that we experience this transformation, which is central to the Christian life. This relationship is not static; it is dynamic and involves a continuous journey of receiving and growing in His grace. As we receive from His fullness, we are conformed to His image, experiencing the new birth and regeneration. This transformation is a testament to the power of Christ's divine nature working within us. [00:52]
Ephesians 3:16-19 (ESV): "That according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God."
Reflection: In what ways can you deepen your personal relationship with Christ today to receive more of His fullness and grace?
Day 2: The Significance of Christ's Work: Our Path to Divine Nature
Understanding the significance of Christ's life, death, resurrection, ascension, and return is crucial for our salvation. Each step of His work enables us to partake in His divine nature and receive His fullness. Christ's life exemplifies perfect obedience and love, His death atones for our sins, His resurrection assures us of eternal life, His ascension signifies His lordship, and His return promises our ultimate redemption. By embracing each aspect of Christ's work, we are invited to partake in His divine nature, experiencing the fullness of His grace and truth. [03:40]
2 Peter 1:3-4 (ESV): "His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire."
Reflection: How can you actively reflect on and incorporate the different aspects of Christ's work into your daily life to grow in His divine nature?
Day 3: Glorification: The Culmination of Our Salvation
Glorification is the final stage of our salvation, where we are fully transformed into the likeness of Christ. It involves the complete sanctification of our spirit, soul, and body, delivering us from all the consequences of the Fall. Our bodies, currently subject to corruption and mortality, will be raised in incorruption and glory. This transformation is not just a future hope but a present reality in the purpose of God, as we are already glorified in embryo. Glorification assures us of our ultimate redemption and the fulfillment of God's promise to restore us to His original design. [09:16]
1 Corinthians 15:42-44 (ESV): "So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable. It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body."
Reflection: What areas of your life need to be surrendered to God for His transformative work of glorification to take place?
Day 4: Intimate Knowledge of God: Seeing Him Face to Face
Glorification includes a deeper, more intimate knowledge of God, where we will see Him face to face and know Him as we are known. This is the ultimate fulfillment of our salvation, as it promises a relationship with God that is unencumbered by sin and limitations. In this intimate knowledge, we will experience the fullness of His love and the depth of His wisdom. It is a promise of eternal communion with God, where we will fully understand His nature and His purposes for us. This intimate knowledge is both a future hope and a present pursuit as we seek to know God more deeply each day. [31:59]
1 Corinthians 13:12 (ESV): "For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known."
Reflection: How can you cultivate a deeper, more intimate knowledge of God in your daily life, preparing for the day you will see Him face to face?
Day 5: Sharing in Christ's Glory: Our Future Inheritance
As part of our glorification, we will share in the glory of Christ's eternal kingdom, reigning with Him and judging the world and angels. This is a promise of our future inheritance and ultimate redemption. Sharing in Christ's glory means participating in His victory and authority, experiencing the fullness of His kingdom. It is a call to live with the hope and assurance of our future inheritance, allowing it to shape our present lives. This promise encourages us to live faithfully, knowing that our labor in the Lord is not in vain and that we have a glorious future awaiting us. [43:21]
Revelation 3:21 (ESV): "The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne."
Reflection: In what ways can you live today with the assurance and hope of sharing in Christ's glory and your future inheritance?
Quotes
In The Gospel According to St John, in the first chapter and the 16th verse, the 16th verse in the first chapter of The Gospel According to St John and of his fullness have all we received and Grace for grace and of his fullness have all we received and Grace upon Grace. [00:08:28]
This is what it means to be Christian that we receive of his fullness and Grace upon Grace. It is this personal relationship to the Lord that establishes us as Christians at all. I emphasize this because there is always the danger of our imagining that our believing certain things about him makes us Christian. [00:56:55]
Every one of these steps is of vital importance to us, not only his birth, his life, his death, his resurrection, but his Ascension and his return into the glory. He passed through the heavens and took his seat at the right hand of the Majesty on high. [03:36:20]
The Lord Jesus Christ is indeed a perfect Savior and has provided for us a perfect salvation, everything that we stand in need of. You remember how the Apostle John says that the Son of God was manifested in order that he might destroy or undo the works of the devil. [06:03:66]
Glorification is obviously, as the apostles list shows and as other teaching in the New Testament shows, the end of Salvation. All these are steps in Salvation. You have the wisdom, the knowledge, the understanding that leads you to the righteousness that leads you to the sanctification and that leads you to the glorification. [08:41:52]
The Lord Jesus Christ came into the world to deliver us from all the consequences of the Fall. That's God's purpose, that's God's plan. What were the consequences of the Fall? Well, you can divide them up like this: when man fell, he fell as a whole, he fell completely. [15:27:48]
The fact that we are born again means that there is this Divine seed in us. We are partakers of the divine nature, and this is going to grow and develop by the power of the spirit until it shall be perfect and entire until we all come unto a perfect man unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. [19:37:32]
Now, we see through a glass Darkly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then shall I know even as also I am known. You know, my friends, some of us tend to think that because we've read a few books in theology that we know it all. [30:29:19]
We walk by faith, not by sight. There are people who talk about Visions. Well, I don't want to comment on that, but be careful, my friend, be careful. We walk by faith, not by sight. Thank God this faith is sufficient, and he by the spirit gives us in in misss of himself and knowledge concerning himself. [34:32:96]
We shall see him as he is when we are in that state of Glory. We shall be fit to stand the sight, and we shall see him as he is and look into his face with no Veil, nothing hindering at all. [35:32:59]
We shall not only see him and be like him, we shall reign with him. When he appears, we shall be with him, and we shall reign. We shall judge the world, we shall judge angels, we shall be sharing the glory with him. [43:21:92]
The whole man finally redeemed, redeemed and glorified, Spirit, soul, and body, everything perfect, standing in the presence of God. Amen. [47:21:16]
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