From Emptiness to Fullness
Colossians 1:19-20, 2:9
Colossians 1:19-20
#1 It pleased the Father: Pay close attention to the Father's Pleasure!
Matt. 3::17,17:1-6 Isaiah 42:1, Eph 1:5-6, 9-10—Our Jesus, the God/Man, the Firstborn from the dead, is the Pleasure of the Father, and
#2 The Father's Pleasure is that the Son possess the fullness of the Godhead.
#3 It is through The Father's Pleasure in His Son, the Son's perfect fullness, the express/exact image of God as our Man/Savior (Heb 1:3)—It is through this Glorious Design that the Firstborn reconciles all things to the Father—and that by the (human) blood of His cross!
Colossians 2:9-10
#1 Make no mistake—The Fathers' Pleasure is that the Fullness of the Godhead dwells in our Christ bodily!!!!!
Remember Exodus 19:12, Matt 17:1-6—This is God manifesting Himself in His fully radiant Spirit. Are you up to that? Are you any more capable of receiving that revelation than Israel or the disciples? I think not.
John 1:16, 16-18, I John 1:1-3
#1 Do you realize how wonderfully radical this is? The Father's Pleasure was to have fellowship, a Bosom Bond, with His People. And His means was to send His Own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh that He might not only destroy sin in the flesh, but through this New Creation, this firstborn from the dead, Christ Jesus, to live in Intimate Eternal Life with them.
"It is the will and pleasure of God that all grace should come to us through Christ. If God will commune with us, it must be from off the Mercy-seat, Christ Jesus. If we have any fellowship with the Father, it must be through Christ. If we have any grace from Him, who is the God of all grace, it must come to us in this way; for Christ alone is the way, the truth, and the life." Edward Samuel
Ephesians 3:14-19 So how does the Loving Father bring this to pass in the redeemed?
#1 "That He would grant you from the riches of His glory". This is His endless, limitless heart of love, grace and mercy! No matter our need, no matter our desperation, no matter the seeming endlessness of our requests, the Abounding Heart of Goodness and love of our Father never diminishes.
#2 "To be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man." The Spirit is the only means and resource of this strengthening and He does it through the Word of God. Note the place of His working—the inner man! From the inside out! No room for outside in!!! This is God's "grace work", our deeds need not apply!
#3 "That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith". The Spirit's unceasing goal is to increasingly establish our Christ, Who is the Fullness of God, as the Operating Core of our being!
"The Father has no love, the Spirit bestows no grace, but what comes through Christ. A believer is therefore taught in everything he does to have fellowship with Christ. His safety, his happiness, his hopes of happiness today and for ever, are blessings to be received out of Immanuel's fullness, for He is the Head over all things to the Church, which is His Body, the fullness of Him that filleth all in all." William Romaine
#4 This "in heart dwelling" by Christ is the "rooting and grounding in love"! The rooting and grounding in the Love of God by Christ through faith, is the only soil out of which the new man, the new creation can grow. All other soil brings forth noxious weeds of self endeavor! And take note!!! This rooting and grounding is in the Love of Christ for us, not our paltry love for Him.
#5 And this "rooting and grounding in love" gives the redeemed the grace born ability to comprehend (in a growing manner) the immeasurable love of Christ!
#6 Notice that the Love of Christ "passes knowledge". It exceeds any capacity or operation of human knowledge. It is the sole operation of the Spirit of Christ's Love in the inner man. The mind plays a part, but kind of like our mouths at the dinner table. To think that this comprehending the Love of Christ is a mind apprehension of scripture or any manner of theological intellectualism, will surely lead to Spiritual malnourishment and a stone cold heart—perhaps theologically accurate, but spiritually dead as a door nail! The Precious Father hasn't revealed these things to the wise and prudent, but has revealed them to babes. (Matt 11:25-26)
#7 And what is the result of this increasing comprehension of the Love of Christ? "that you may be filled with all the Fullness of God!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The Beloved Son of God's love is the fullness of the Godhead bodily. When the Holy Spirit brings us to comprehend the love of God to us in Christ, to live by faith on His Fullness instead of staggering around in our emptiness, the Fullness of the Godhead which is in Christ bodily indwells us!
#7 Now lest this seem too good to be true, too impossible to become real, the Apostle directs our attention back to the Source of this Greatest Gift—The Father of Glory! "Now to Him Who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us" That Power is the Holy Spirit that indwells you if you are redeemed. "You have not because you ask not". James 4:2 Covet this blessing out of the riches of the Father's Glory because:
#8 It is for the Father's Glory in the church, by Christ Jesus forever and ever!!! \Remember: all that the Triune God does in Eternity and time is for the purpose of manifesting His Glorious Goodness. And it is clearer visions of That Goodness that we need to see. And they are to be seen in our Christ Jesus in Whom the FULLNESS of the Godhead dwells bodily. Look unto Jesus, make Him your study, your pursuit, your passion!
Colossians 1:19-20, 2:9
Colossians 1:19-20
#1 It pleased the Father: Pay close attention to the Father's Pleasure!
Matt. 3::17,17:1-6 Isaiah 42:1, Eph 1:5-6, 9-10—Our Jesus, the God/Man, the Firstborn from the dead, is the Pleasure of the Father, and
#2 The Father's Pleasure is that the Son possess the fullness of the Godhead.
#3 It is through The Father's Pleasure in His Son, the Son's perfect fullness, the express/exact image of God as our Man/Savior (Heb 1:3)—It is through this Glorious Design that the Firstborn reconciles all things to the Father—and that by the (human) blood of His cross!
Colossians 2:9-10
#1 Make no mistake—The Fathers' Pleasure is that the Fullness of the Godhead dwells in our Christ bodily!!!!!
Remember Exodus 19:12, Matt 17:1-6—This is God manifesting Himself in His fully radiant Spirit. Are you up to that? Are you any more capable of receiving that revelation than Israel or the disciples? I think not.
John 1:16, 16-18, I John 1:1-3
#1 Do you realize how wonderfully radical this is? The Father's Pleasure was to have fellowship, a Bosom Bond, with His People. And His means was to send His Own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh that He might not only destroy sin in the flesh, but through this New Creation, this firstborn from the dead, Christ Jesus, to live in Intimate Eternal Life with them.
"It is the will and pleasure of God that all grace should come to us through Christ. If God will commune with us, it must be from off the Mercy-seat, Christ Jesus. If we have any fellowship with the Father, it must be through Christ. If we have any grace from Him, who is the God of all grace, it must come to us in this way; for Christ alone is the way, the truth, and the life." Edward Samuel
Ephesians 3:14-19 So how does the Loving Father bring this to pass in the redeemed?
#1 "That He would grant you from the riches of His glory". This is His endless, limitless heart of love, grace and mercy! No matter our need, no matter our desperation, no matter the seeming endlessness of our requests, the Abounding Heart of Goodness and love of our Father never diminishes.
#2 "To be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man." The Spirit is the only means and resource of this strengthening and He does it through the Word of God. Note the place of His working—the inner man! From the inside out! No room for outside in!!! This is God's "grace work", our deeds need not apply!
#3 "That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith". The Spirit's unceasing goal is to increasingly establish our Christ, Who is the Fullness of God, as the Operating Core of our being!
"The Father has no love, the Spirit bestows no grace, but what comes through Christ. A believer is therefore taught in everything he does to have fellowship with Christ. His safety, his happiness, his hopes of happiness today and for ever, are blessings to be received out of Immanuel's fullness, for He is the Head over all things to the Church, which is His Body, the fullness of Him that filleth all in all." William Romaine
#4 This "in heart dwelling" by Christ is the "rooting and grounding in love"! The rooting and grounding in the Love of God by Christ through faith, is the only soil out of which the new man, the new creation can grow. All other soil brings forth noxious weeds of self endeavor! And take note!!! This rooting and grounding is in the Love of Christ for us, not our paltry love for Him.
#5 And this "rooting and grounding in love" gives the redeemed the grace born ability to comprehend (in a growing manner) the immeasurable love of Christ!
#6 Notice that the Love of Christ "passes knowledge". It exceeds any capacity or operation of human knowledge. It is the sole operation of the Spirit of Christ's Love in the inner man. The mind plays a part, but kind of like our mouths at the dinner table. To think that this comprehending the Love of Christ is a mind apprehension of scripture or any manner of theological intellectualism, will surely lead to Spiritual malnourishment and a stone cold heart—perhaps theologically accurate, but spiritually dead as a door nail! The Precious Father hasn't revealed these things to the wise and prudent, but has revealed them to babes. (Matt 11:25-26)
#7 And what is the result of this increasing comprehension of the Love of Christ? "that you may be filled with all the Fullness of God!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The Beloved Son of God's love is the fullness of the Godhead bodily. When the Holy Spirit brings us to comprehend the love of God to us in Christ, to live by faith on His Fullness instead of staggering around in our emptiness, the Fullness of the Godhead which is in Christ bodily indwells us!
#7 Now lest this seem too good to be true, too impossible to become real, the Apostle directs our attention back to the Source of this Greatest Gift—The Father of Glory! "Now to Him Who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us" That Power is the Holy Spirit that indwells you if you are redeemed. "You have not because you ask not". James 4:2 Covet this blessing out of the riches of the Father's Glory because:
#8 It is for the Father's Glory in the church, by Christ Jesus forever and ever!!! \Remember: all that the Triune God does in Eternity and time is for the purpose of manifesting His Glorious Goodness. And it is clearer visions of That Goodness that we need to see. And they are to be seen in our Christ Jesus in Whom the FULLNESS of the Godhead dwells bodily. Look unto Jesus, make Him your study, your pursuit, your passion!