03/06/16 He Came To Fill Up The Box!
Intro: What is it that you want to get out of this
life? Paul tells us to live victoriously and to avoid excesses of the flesh.
Moody once illustrated this truth as follows: “Tell me,” he said to his
audience, “How can I get the air out of this glass?” One man said, “Suck it out
with a pump.” Moody replied, “That would create a vacuum and shatter the
glass.” After many impossible suggestions, Moody smiled, picked up a pitcher of
water, and filled the glass. “There,” he said, “all the air is now removed.” He
then went on to show that victory in the Christian life is not by “sucking out
a sin here and there,” but rather by being filled with the Spirit.
I left the
scripture that is usually on the front of the bulletin blank today, all you see
is an empty box. I left the title of my message and the scripture on the inside
of the bulletin blank today, all you see is an empty box. The outline in your
bulletin I left empty today, all you see is an empty outline. What is it that
you want to get out of this life? Is your life a picture of an empty box or
would you allow Christ to pull out your sin and let Him fill it with him? “And
the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as
of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:14 (NKJV)
"The
Word was made flesh" God's Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, was made flesh and
blood; He became a man. No greater message could ever be proclaimed to man.
Christ came to fill the box, the emptiness, He came to allow us to be filled
with His presence, His spirit! But there is a cost, it requires everything in
that box, it requires a relationship with Jesus Christ, it requires the front burner
not the back burner, it requires first place not a runner up…
Application: Your
life doesn’t have to be an empty box, allow Christ to fill it.
1. Full of Grace: “And
the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as
of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”
“God so loved the
world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not
perish but have eternal life.” That is grace! And Christ is full of it, are
you?
Through divine initiative, human alienation from God is turned by Him into
a state of unmerited acceptance that opens the way for reconciliation and
redemptive usefulness. A usefulness is achieved, made complete, a box is filled
that once was empty when God gives us grace and we receive it! “For it is by
grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is
the gift of God.” The believer who seeks to live the Christian life through self-effort
is like the man who, in attempting to sail across the Atlantic Ocean, found his
boat becalmed for days. Finally, frustrated by his lack of progress, he tried
to make his stalled boat move by pushing against the mast. Through strenuous
efforts, he succeeded in making the boat rock and so created a few small waves
on the otherwise smooth sea. Seeing the waves and feeling the rocking of the
boat, he assumed that he was making progress and so continued his efforts. Of
course, although he exerted himself a great deal, he actually got nowhere.
So
it is in the Christian life. The source of the Christian’s strength lies in
God’s grace, not in exertions of will-power, or in efforts of discipline, or
any other self-effort. Self-effort will not fill the box, only Christ will.
THAT’S GRACE! And His grace is efficient, it is filling, it is satisfying and
it is complete. “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which
we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have
handled, concerning the Word of life-- 2 the life was manifested, and we have
seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the
Father and was manifested to us-- 3 that which we have seen and heard we
declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our
fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. 4 And these
things we write to you that your joy may be full.” 1 John 1:1-4
2. Full of Truth: “And
the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as
of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”
There is a difference between telling
someone about the truth and living the truth before them. The one who lives the
truth literally becomes the truth. Jesus Christ is the Embodiment of truth.
Jesus
says: “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father,
but by me.” He is the picture of truth. God not only talks to man about
Himself, God shows man what He is like in the person of Jesus Christ. Man can
look at Jesus Christ and see a perfect picture of the truth of God. That is
what must be in the box to fill it up! He can remove the ugliness of sin, the
emptiness of the world.
Jesus Christ is the Communicator of truth. He
Himself—His Person and His Life—makes things perfectly clear. He reveals the
ultimate source and meaning and end of all things. He reveals the truth of man
himself and of the world surrounding man. He shows man the right way to the
truth, and He enables man to choose the right way to the truth: "Most
assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me
has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from
death into life.” John 5:24
Jesus Christ is the Liberator of truth. He sets men
free from the great gulf (estrangement) which exists between man and God,
between man and his world, and between man and man. He sets man free from the
frustrations which he constantly experiences. He frees man from the fears and
weaknesses and defects that plague him. Jesus Christ is the only lasting
Liberator on earth. "You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make
you free."
"As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in
My love. 10 If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just
as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love. 11 These
things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy
may be full.” John 15:9-11
Conclusion:
They say that at the foot of the Niagara
Falls is one of the greatest unused powers in the world. I would beg to differ,
the greatest unused power in the world is the Holy Spirit of the living God. The
world wants to poke holes in the bottom of our box. The world doesn’t want us
to be complete, more like consumed. There are a lot of empty boxes in this
world today, I wish I could say there are none in this church but I would be
wrong. We can allow the world to continue to have us believe that Jesus is not
the only way or the only truth and life and there are other ways to “cometh
unto the father.”
Can something come from nothing? What is nothing, is it
something we make? Even with scripture on the front of a bulletin, and outline
full of points and more scripture it can still be nothing until you decide to
make it something. The real truth of the matter is, when you allow the contents
of the box or your life to be filled with a relationship with Jesus Christ!
Then you become complete.
A completely, committed follower of Christ!
In : Sermon
Tags: "book of john"
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