Receiving of His Fullness

Receiving of His Fullness

John 10:10; 1:16; Col. 1:19; 2:9-10

11/29/20 A.M.

1. Christ’s Fullness, A Reality Fulfilled

2. Our Fullness, A Reality Promised

3. Our Fullness, A Reality Opposed

I. CHRIST'S FULLNESS, A REALITY FULFILLED Col. 1:19

A. The Incarnation – the importance of the humanity of Christ

1 The incarnation - John 1:1, 14

2 Read Col. 1:15-20

3 On Gnostic principles God could have no immediate contact with matter. Thus, the Incarnation was inconceivable, and it was denied that Christ’s body was a real body. For John, the antichrist was docetic Gnosticism. John knew personally the historical Jesus; He was the divine Being. “Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ?” (2:22). “Every spirit which confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God: and every spirit which does not confess Jesus is not of God. This is the spirit of antichrist” (4:2f.).[1]

4 John 19:34-35 – hear the emphasis placed upon the body of Christ

5 John 4:6; 20:27

B. Dealing with Gnosticism

1 Gnosticism was distinguished by an unethical, loveless intellectualism. John described vividly this dry knowledge devoid of love and pity. In Gnosticism knowledge was the supreme end and purpose of life, but Gnostics were left in a loveless state.[2]

2 It promoted the idea that it had “secret knowledge” and lent itself to two moral options

a Extreme asceticism – as a means of salvation, viewing the body as evil

b Licentiousness – viewing the body as evil but because of what Christ has done, it didn’t matter what one did in the flesh. You could live like the devil but because you had this secret knowledge, your spirit would be saved on the day of redemption.

1) John the apostle confronted this doctrine

2) Again, and again John condemned antinomianism, which was so characteristic of certain sects of the Gnostics. “All wrongdoing is sin” (5:17). “No one born of God commits sin” (3:9; cf. 3:4 , 7f, 10, which presuppose a situation where false teachers were proclaiming that morals were different so long as a person was “spiritual” through having Gnostic knowledge).[3]

3 "If Jesus drew upon His deity in order to help His obedience to God while here on earth, you and I have no hope whatsoever.”

a He was a man who lived out a supernatural life by the power of the Holy Spirit

b Acts 10:38

4 Matter is not evil in the Bible, but is God’s creation, and the “new earth” exists in the age to come alongside the “new heaven.” The body, likewise, is not evil, and salvation is not an escape from it. There is a resurrection body, as eternal as the soul. Jewish eschatology, like its Christian counterpart, knows nothing of salvation from the body, but rather of redemption of the body (cf. 1QM 12:9–15).[4]

C. The Fullness of Deity in Jesus Christ

1 Colossians 1:19, 2:9

2 The man, Christ Jesus, had the full resources of God to use at His disposal and for God’s glory – Acts 10:38

3 Jesus was well pleasing to the Father (trust was established).

II. OUR FULLNESS, A REALITY PROMISED

A. Jesus made a promise

1 John 10:10

2 John 14:12

3 The certainty of God’s promise – Heb. 6:13-20

B. John made a powerful statement

1 John 1:16

2 We must receive it

3 We receive by faith James 1:6-8

C. Paul made a profound revelation

1 Christ in you, the hope of glory Col. 1:24-27

a This was a mystery

b It contradicted the Gnostic teaching of the day

c It really is extraordinary to think that God would dwell with us

d Isaiah 57:15

2 Col. 2:10 – you are complete in Him

3 You are not a pauper

4 You have the riches of Christ in you

a You don’t have to think and act like you are poor

b God is your provider – Phil. 4:19

D. Value what God has done

1 2 Cor. 4:7 – we have a treasure

a What is that treasure?

b The presence of God – “the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” 2 Cor. 4:6b

c Judges 7:16-20, 22 – Gideon and the clay jars is an illustration

d The ancients often kept their treasures in jars or vessels of earthenware. “There are earthen vessels which yet may be clean; whereas a golden vessel may be filthy” [Bengel].[5] These vessels could be cracked, chipped or broken but still be used.

2 See how this treasure in jars of clay sustains during trials 2 Cor. 4:8-10

III. OUR FULLNESS, A REALITY OPPOSED

A. We are in for a fight

1 John 10:10a – the enemies’ intentions

2 Satan opposes God’s people

B. The enemy is organized

1 Eph. 6:12

C. The enemy has years of experience

D. The enemy has no advantage over the believer in Christ

1 1 John 4:4

2 Know who you are in Christ

3 You have the armor of God

a Eph. 6:10-18

b 2 Cor. 10:4-5

4 You have authority

a Luke 10:19

5 You have power

a Acts 1:8

6 You have God on your side

a Romans 8:31

IV. Activation/altar call

A. Pray for the lost

B. Pray for the believer

[1] Renwick, A. M. (1979–1988). Gnosticism. In G. W. Bromiley (Ed.), The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Revised (Vol. 2, pp. 487–488). Wm. B. Eerdmans.

[2] Renwick, A. M. (1979–1988). Gnosticism. In G. W. Bromiley (Ed.), The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Revised (Vol. 2, p. 487). Wm. B. Eerdmans.

[3] Renwick, A. M. (1979–1988). Gnosticism. In G. W. Bromiley (Ed.), The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Revised (Vol. 2, p. 488). Wm. B. Eerdmans.

[4] Renwick, A. M. (1979–1988). Gnosticism. In G. W. Bromiley (Ed.), The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Revised (Vol. 2, p. 486). Wm. B. Eerdmans.

[5] Jamieson, R., Fausset, A. R., & Brown, D. (1997). Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (Vol. 2, p. 306). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.