(Spiritual Fullness #1) Supply of the Spirit of Jesus — Dana Congdon

Good afternoon brothers and sisters. You're awake at this point, right? I just like to see by show of hands how many people are here for the first time this year. That's quite a Group, I suppose. 25 or more here for the first time.

Spiritual Fullness and the Grace of Christ

Well, it's a delight to be here together with you and to share in this wonderful matter of spiritual fullness. I want us to look at several scriptures. And so please take a Bible. And we want to go back to a place where our brother left off this morning.

Just in John chapter 1 just a few verses there. John chapter 1 verses 14 through 16. John chapter 1 verses 14 through 16. And the word became flesh and dwelt among us and We beheld his glory. Glory as of the only begotten from the Father full of grace and truth.

John testified about him and cried out saying This is he of whom I said he who comes after me has a higher rank than I. For he existed before me. For of his fullness we have all received and grace upon grace and.

Then in 2nd Timothy and chapter 2. 2nd Timothy chapter 2 verses 1 through 4. You therefore my son be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses.

Entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. Suffer hardship with me as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No soldier in active service Entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life.

So that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier. And then we want to read a few portions of scripture from Philippians beginning in Philippians chapter 1 verse 12. Philippians chapter 1 beginning in verse 12 now.

I want you to know brethren that my Circumstances have turned out for the greater progress of the gospel. So that my imprisonment in the cause of Christ has become well known throughout the whole praetorian guard and to everyone else and that most of the brethren Trusting in the Lord because of my imprisonment have far more courage to speak the Word of God without fear.

Some to be sure are preaching Christ even from envy and strife. But some also from goodwill. The latter do it out of love. Knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel. The former proclaimed Christ out of selfish ambition rather than from pure motives.

Thinking to cause me distress in my imprisonment. What then? Only that in every way whether in pretense or in truth Christ is proclaimed. And In this I rejoice. Yes, and I will rejoice. For I know that this will turn out for my deliverance Through your prayers and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ According to my earnest expectation and hope.

That I will not be put to shame in anything. But that with all boldness Christ will even now as always Be exalted in my body whether by life or by death. For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain.

But if I am to live on in the flesh this will mean fruitful labor for me and I do not know which to choose. But I am hard-pressed from both directions. Having the desire to depart and be with Christ for that is very much better.

Yet to remain on in the flesh is more necessary for your sake. Convinced of this I Know that I will remain and continue with you all for your progress and joy in the faith. So that your proud confidence in me may abound in Christ Jesus through my coming to you again and Then in chapter 2 those famous verses our brother referred to this morning beginning in verse 5.

Christ’s Humility and Exaltation

Have this mind in yourselves, which was also in Christ Jesus Who although he existed in the form of God did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped. But emptied himself Taking the form of a bondservant and being made in the likeness of men.

Being found in appearance as a man. He humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death even death on a cross. For this reason God Highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name which is above every name.

So that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow of Those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.

And then one last section in Chapter 3 we pick up in the middle of a argument in verse 4. Chapter 3 and verse 4. Although I myself might have confidence even in the flesh. If anyone else has a mind to put confidence in the flesh I far more Circumcised the eighth day of the nation of Israel of the tribe of Benjamin a Hebrew of Hebrews as to the law of Pharisee as the zeal of of the church as to the righteousness which is in the law found blameless.

But whatever things were gained to me those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that I Count all things to be lost in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord for whom I have suffered the loss of all things and Count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ and may be found in him.

Not having a righteousness of my own derived from the law. That which is through faith in Christ the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith. That I may know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings.

Being conformed to his death in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained or have already become perfect. But I press on. So that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus Lord as we come to you this afternoon still the questions are upon our mind as to the large comprehensive matter of spiritual fullness.

We pray that your Holy Spirit will give us some instruction and some help we may walk more completely in that position that we found ourselves in from the moment we became Christians and found you to be our completion.

Oh Lord by your spirit teach us to soften our hearts and speak to us today. We pray in Jesus precious name. Amen we begin at this place as we read John chapter 1 where we all must begin it's by the grace of God that we touch his life and Begin to enter into his fullness and John testifies and of his fullness.

We have all received grace upon grace. Perhaps you're here for the first time. Maybe you're here and you're a young Christian and These high thoughts of spiritual fullness that we've heard expressed already with more to come your first response may be one of fear and one of unbelief.

The only way that we can know anything of this spiritual fullness is by faith. Through grace. We have to start there. It's all by grace. By grace, we have been saved and John testifies to a fullness that he has received.

Not the perfect fullness, but a fullness that he has known and he calls it grace upon grace. And I'd like to begin this afternoon just by encouraging us as brothers and sisters together. To not be satisfied with grace until we know grace upon grace.

And we can all testify. I mean this song amazing grace is the undercurrent theme song in all of our lives. I think of that fragments of the verse that says his grace have brought us safe thus far and Grace will lead us home.

Thank God for his love. When we hear of his fullness, we would back away in trembling and fear and indeed we do. But then because of his grace and love We felt ourselves drawn to the Lord Jesus and we come back to him.

Oh, how wonderful is his grace and his acceptance of us and also that gracious enabling? I know everybody here would testify in some measure of how God has enabled you to do things that you never could have done naturally.

But you found the grace of God and even the grace of God to say my grace is sufficient. We've known the Lord's grace to be sufficient in times of danger in times of trial. Indeed his graces a full grace, but I want to encourage us to Take hold of more of this grace to come into the fullness that this grace allows.

Because in the last days We know that there will be a great unsettling the enemy will try his best to keep us all off balance and As we know from the Word of God one of his strategies is just clearly to wear down the Saints now.

We as Christians sometimes rather than Pursuing after the maximum settle for the minimum and And sometimes we live by the grace of God. Sort of by the seat of our pants one day at a time. Now the Lord exhorted us that we should not worry because sufficient are the evils of today to take care of themselves.

You needn't go on go on an endless worry. But there needs to be a greater fullness of the grace of God in our lives. We can't just live one day at a time. I Know that many of you and perhaps some as younger Christians are just trying to find God's grace just for today.

Now, you know we get up and we try to read our Bible and we pray and we try to take his grace. And then we have to go off to that horrid school or go to that job or or face some Situation and we just want grace for today.

Just get me through today Lord. But in the last days we need more than just that grace. We need a fullness as our brother shared so beautifully with us last night. Spiritual fullness is not an option in the last days.

It's a matter of survival. If I might put it this way, I know it's slightly incorrect, but you get the idea. We need to move on from just free grace to that costly grace that the Lord enables us to enter into where there is built up in us a Spiritual fullness that can face today in the future and all of those things that the enemy places in our path.

It's not very many prayer meetings that we go to where we don't hear of somebody who's Become unsettled by the loss of a job. By some illness that's come to the family and these kinds of things and you know.

Some saints having lived just by daily grace are wrecked upon such circumstances. But we need to learn how to soar above these things by the grace of God. So we desired as equilibrium, you know. Routine is a wonderful thing.

It is. You don't realize it until you've gotten unsettled out of a routine and then that's when you realize how beautiful were those times. You got up in the morning read the word listen to a devotion on the radio.

Went off to work. Everything went fine came home. The kids were all well, it's a wonderful routine. But we need to be able to move beyond this routine. By this fullness that we're talking about and we could all testify or some maybe you've taught children On Sundays or you lead a Bible study occasionally or maybe you share the Word of God.

We can all testify to those times where by the grace of God. He gave us something to share even in the 11th hour. You know, the Saints have called on you to share Sunday morning and it's now 10 o 'clock Saturday night.

And you're still knocking on the door say Lord. I have nothing. I have nothing. We've all known that. Somehow by the Lord's grace He gives us a word and something comes together. And we jot it down and we share it and some Saint even comes up to his afterwards.

Oh, thank you for that. Thank you, and we go. But you know, we do minister by the grace of God and unless he gives us something we have nothing to share. I remember in my early days, you know I was a Baptist minister a long time ago and it was quite an exercise because as a Baptist minister There's three things you had to do.

You had to preach three times. Every week whether you had something or not, that's not really important. You had to share Sunday morning you had to share Sunday night. You had to share Wednesday night.

You had to take up most of the time in the prayer meeting since people didn't pray very long. So you found yourself resorting to books of sermon outlines? Basically copying CH Spurgeon on a given Wednesday night or something because you just didn't have anything of your own.

It put me under a lot more pressure when I realized if you don't have something of life from the Lord you shouldn't share because you're still called on to share and There takes a further fullness in order to do that.

We might use Gideon as that example. Gideon's fleece, you know. It's a wonderful thing when your fleece is wet when you've received something from the Lord and you can minister to people who are dry around you.

It takes some spiritual reserves to be going through something yourself in the Lord and be quite dry inside and Still find something to make moist those around you. This is overcoming ministry. This is ministry out of a spiritual reserve and a fullness which brings us of course to this other story.

Spiritual Reserves for Endurance

I'm just trying to give you some pictures of what we're talking about here. We're talking more than just being filled with the Spirit. Oh Lord fill me with the Holy Spirit. That's a wonderful experience.

We're talking about a spiritual fullness that can take us through right through to the end. You know the story the ten virgins. They were all Christians. They all had oil. They all had oil enough for today.

The problem was the coming of the bridegrooms been delayed. Five of them didn't have the reserve flask that fullness. Preparing them even for the end. I feel that the Spirit is speaking to us all today all the assemblies that represented here.

I know that the Holy Spirit is pressing upon us that now is the time. Where in the wisdom of Joseph in the fat years we need to lay up store up. Come to spiritual fullness. In fact the enemy will make it almost impossible in the end days in His unsettling things if you don't have those reserves if we're not stored up.

Then when the lean years come we find many spiritual casualties. Now is the time to take hold. To to to find this kind of fullness that the Lord has. We're not talking about storing up money. For the rough days.

We're talking about storing up treasures spiritual treasures spiritual capacity spiritual experience. Those treasures that Paul tells of Timothy guard those treasures guard those treasures. By the Holy Spirit within you.

And I mentioned this verse in 2nd Timothy chapter 2. I remember I was out in the Philippines with our brother Hosea and Ellen and I was studying and I was reading some Greek commentaries and. And it's the first time that I saw or had explained to me.

I'm not a Greek scholar. That this verse that I read in 2nd Timothy chapter 2 verse 1 be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. Now my translation. That's the way it says it and it interprets it as though it were an imperative be strong in The grace that is in Christ Jesus.

But I read Lightfoot and Lightfoot said this be strong is actually a Reflexive verb if you know what that means. Basically, it means this Timothy my son. Strengthen yourself in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.

And that Reflexive translation means that we have to lay hold of grace. There's a further grace it's not just a free ride. Strengthen yourself in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. I could just picture Paul writing this letter aware that his departure from this earth is soon to come and He's saying between the lines as he says pass on to others what I have to told you.

I see between the lines Paul saying something like this if I could say Timothy. You've been a faithful servant. You've followed my direction. I've told you to go here and there. You've shared in my burden as I've shared the gospel and shared with the various churches.

But Timothy I'm about to go and I need you to step up and receive that prophetic burden yourself. It's not enough just to go by what I tell you to do. Timothy I won't be around then who's gonna know what the need is in such and such a church.

Who's going to have that vision to understand the supply for a given situation or what needs to be ministered or where I need to go. You see this kind of ministry, which Paul had Takes a certain spiritual fullness that Timothy didn't have.

Until he would strengthen himself in the grace of God. Timothy be suffer as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. Now Timothy, there's so many things that can entangle you in everyday life. So many things that are good, but unnecessary.

So many things that are bandits of time. So many things that get you distracted from the one thing you need to be doing. Timothy be a good soldier. Your one goal now is to please the one who's hired you as a soldier.

Don't be distracted in the many entanglements of everyday life. It's a very strong exhortation that Paul makes. And the Holy Spirit is speaking to the church today as well. Because he wants the church corporately to come into a spiritual fullness it's not just enough to fly in on Sunday morning by the seat of our pants and Expect the Lord to meet us in richness and fullness.

There needs to be those who spend some time Praying being before the Lord coming with hearts full and even with that Praise God for the dear saints who are always ready in an open meeting to give some praise to God.

But you know, the Lord is looking for a spiritual fullness that involves really every brother and sister saying something praising in some way. There's a greater dimension of fullness. We've yet to enter into in in body life.

And so the Holy Spirit is stirring our assembly lies not to be satisfied with whatever level we're at. We're not satisfied till everyone is sharing young and old. Some are waiting back timidly. No, no.

No, it's time to come forward and Exercise your praise unto the Lord. The Lord is looking for that and In our meetings the Lord is trying to cut away Those things that are unnecessary those things that are just built on human Things and and to get us to the place where our meetings truly have spiritual value.

We waste so much time in our meetings you can sense that there's Unnecessary things going on too much talking too much. Things are irrelevant. The Lord says we need to take those away and move up to a fullness of our meetings.

Isn't it a wonderful thing when you go to a meeting that's been full of the presence of the Lord? Well, you know, there's been a cost there and someone's been faithful and some people have been praying.

But the Lord wants us all to enter in through something of that nature and his fullness. Well, I want to this morning this afternoon speak on spiritual fullness from this letter to the Philippians. Because as our brother shared it's while he was in prison that Paul came to a greater either awareness or an ability to express something of this fullness of Christ and He is seeing it in prison and he wrote not only Ephesians and Colossians but this personal testimony here in Philippians and and so I Want to do this in the two times that I'm with With you this these this weekend.

Today, I want to share on individual spiritual fullness as Knowing the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ. That's today and that comes from Philippians chapter 1 if you'll just look at the verse, please in verse 19.

For Paul says yes, and I will rejoice. For I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayers and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ. And I just want to talk and share with you Paul's testimony of Spiritual fullness as The laying hold of that supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ that's on an individual matter.

And then Lord willing tomorrow afternoon. I want to share from another fragment in this book of Philippians. Namely that we would have the mind of Christ corporately. It's key to our expressing and experiencing fullness together.

Now you notice Paul's disclaimer. Which we should immediately turn to in chapter 3 because our brother shared this morning who can preach on spiritual fullness who can say? Hey, I've got it. You come get it who can do such a thing, you know, not even Paul would dare to say such a thing and.

So we read those verses in chapter 3 verse 12. Not that I have already obtained or have already become perfect. But I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus.

Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet. But one thing I do then he moves on and his beautiful biography of his pursuit of Christ. Paul would not dare say. Oh, yes, you want spiritual fullness.

Look at me. No, he says not that I have already obtained or have already become perfect so in that we all identify with Paul. Who can in the light of the truth regarding the fullness that is in Christ possibly say we have?

Spiritual fullness. But Paul may be different from some of us in this regard. Having said not that I have already attained for he certainly didn't feel he had come to this spiritual fullness. He had come to this point where he could say.

This one thing I do and this in fact by the grace of God is the key to entering into any taste and reality of spiritual fullness. Paul doesn't say I've reached spiritual fullness, but he says I've I've reached a An essential motivation in my life.

There's one thing I now do and in order for us to come to a spiritual fullness. There must also be this testimony in our life this one thing we do. Well, I want to Say that in this Philippian letters and very wonderful and a very unselfconscious way Paul does manifest spiritual fullness.

I Encourage you and I want to encourage you to believe that you can enter into spiritual fullness as well. It's not a self-conscious awareness thing, I know I have spiritual fullness. No. But there is that pursuit which guarantees that there'll be some expression of Spiritual fullness in your life and mine.

Christ as the Center of Paul’s Life

So let's look at Paul's life. Just we have to look in some very broad statements to see this matter of spiritual fullness. But I want to say three things in which we so evidently can see that there's a spiritual fullness in Paul's life.

The first thing Christ is central to Paul's thinking. Indeed he has the mind of Christ if you want to put it that way. I remember reading what one time a commentary on the book of Philippians and you know, I've got these big thick ones.

That talk about Philippians being about the joy and rejoicing and many different themes, but I'll never forget I read this little thin commentary by a brethren writer back in the 19th century and his Outline of the book of Philippians just opened up the book for me now I want to give you that outline and I give you this outline just so you can get some sense of how much Christ is in his mind and Forming his thoughts and interpreting the events around him and his life is full of Christ.

You see this is spiritual fullness. Anyway here. Here's the outline. Chapter 1 is Chapter 1 verse 21. For me to live is Christ. Christ my life. That's chapter 1 chapter 2 verse 5. Have this mind in yourselves, which was also in Christ Jesus Christ my mind.

That's chapter 2 chapter 3 Verse 14 I Press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus Christ my goal. Chapter 4 verse 13 I Can do all things through him who strengthens me Christ.

My strength. What a simple outline. But what a Christ focused outline. Indeed, you know the letter of Paul to the Philippians is not a doctrinal treatise. There's a problem that he's trying to work on there, but but primarily it's a testimony that he gives to encourage the Philippians who know he's in jail and are praying for him and Helping support him and a bit worried about him.

And so he sends this letter as an encouragement to them and in the midst of this you just see How the Christ is so much a part of his life Christ central to his thinking and When he says for me to live as Christ to die is gain if you said to him now Paul Do you mean you're full of Christ?

He said no. No. No. No, I don't mean that I Haven't arrived there yet but Christ Isn't has become my motive and Christ has become my goal. Christ has become my one thing and I know I'm alive By the very life of Christ, otherwise, I'd be dead by now.

I've been shipwrecked and thrown around in jail and Stoned and why if I wasn't I wouldn't be alive if Christ wasn't my life. I'm not even living out of the sort of resources of my own pluck. Christ is my life for me to live as Christ.

Well, okay, Paul. What now? What do you see is your future? Oh, it's Christ. I'm out the game Christ. I mean, that's his answer. And it sounds like a super spiritual answer. But it's not For us it might be.

You see we know those answers. But is our mind always? Thinking of Christ and always that have these kinds of things in our mind hit to him. There is this desire Christ is my master. I'm living for him.

Second Corinthians, he says at one point. He says, you know, I've come to a conclusion Christ died for all therefore all die including me and Now those who live should live for him. That's it Christ my life.

Me to live as Christ to die is gain. This the sense the centrality of Christ in his thinking, you know in the chapter 1 just as an example I just was looking this afternoon in chapter 1 alone. Christ is mentioned 18 times Servants of Jesus Christ.

I love you with the with the Compassions of Jesus Christ the gospel of Jesus Christ for me to live this Christ. It's Christ. It's Christ. It's Christ at every turn as he's encouraging these Philippians.

It's Christ. He's wonderful. You should see him. He is my life. I want to share him with you. He's he's preoccupied. He's preoccupied With Christ or as a result of that we come to the second Evidence could I say of this spiritual fullness?

Because Christ is his life and because there's been a surrender to that which we'll talk about in a few minutes. There is a secondly full confidence in the sovereignty of the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ.

Confidence in the Sovereign Supply of Christ

There's a full confidence in The sovereign supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ. Look again in chapter 1 verse 19 to see that phrase. Yes, and I will rejoice for I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayers and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ.

And then he goes on to spell out the argument that although he'd like to go and be with Christ probably It's more important for him to stay on this earth and because of that He's resting and waiting for his release.

So he can go back to the Philippians and minister more life to them now. How's that for confidence? Not confident that his life is of any particular value. He's ready to go home in one sense, but he's confident of this if God still needs to use me I'll be getting out of jail.

I'll comes and so confident than this. I'm making preparations even now to come visit you shortly. What does he base that on are the guards telling you Paul they're gonna let you out any day. No. His confidence is based and Recognizing his whole life is laid in the hands of a sovereign God.

And he's got confidence. Whatever God wants him to do. That's what he wants to do. He just doesn't want to be ashamed. Or be ashamed of the Lord in any way whether by life or by death. That's all he cares about now.

The rest is up to the Lord now. It's out of my hands. I'm in jail. It's in his hands, and I think he wants me to come minister to you. So I'll see you soon. I Trust in the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ along with your prayers to get me out of this thing.

What a wonderful and Sovereign sense of the Lord but notice throughout this whole book of Philippians some of your favorite passages, you know in chapter 1 verse 6 I am confident of this very thing that he who began a good work in you will perfect it unto the day of Christ Jesus.

Where does that confidence come from? And even more so the Paul can't minister there in Philippi. You know, he knows something based on his own experience and seeing how the Philippian Church began as a whole.

What God begins he finishes. God has begun to work there and he will complete it until so that when Christ comes back. They'll be ready. He has that Confidence he has that rest and he assures these young believers that this indeed will happen.

In verse 12 of chapter 1 we read this portion because I wanted you to see the confidence Paul has in the going forth of the gospel. Now I want you to know brethren that my circumstances have turned out for the greater progress of the gospel.

Now how many of you would think your circumstances that is being thrown in jail is? Working out for the better. But Paul sees behind the scenes as the Holy Spirit opens up and interprets his way now. Let's not make Paul non-human.

Paul spent many days in jail. I'm sure. Restless wishing he were out and serving wishing he could go and see the Saints have going through this problem. It's not like Paul didn't have to struggle, but he always came back into this rest.

You know, I'm behind bars, but it's had three interesting effects regarding the gospel number one. Everybody around me here in Rome knows about Jesus now. Because that's all I talk about. So even the Praetorian guards is odd as the Jesus freak over there in jail five.

They all know about the gospel number two. Because of his imprisonment some other people have decided well We need to preach the gospel and be faithful if Paul should be so faithful. We need to be faithful and now some new brothers have stepped up to preach the gospel.

How wonderful. And then there's these guys who are preaching to try to drive Paul crazy. Preaching the gospel and maybe also advocating circumcision something like that. And they think to annoy Paul. They're even doing it on purpose to get it Paul.

Paul says, you know. It's in God's hands praise God. Jesus is being preached. Now, do you see somebody there who's resting in the providential hand of God? Who is his supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ?

We notice in chapter 2 After sharing this marvelous insight into Jesus and is coming to earth. He says in verses 12 and 13. So then my beloved just as you've always obeyed. Not as in my presence only but now much more in my absence work out your salvation with fear and trembling.

For it is God who is at work in you both to will and to work for his good pleasure. He sees these Saints desiring to be perfected in Christ. And he says you keep laying hold of the Lord because it's God in you.

He's willing and he's doing. Oh What a rest in the greatness and the sovereignty of God and even in this matter of his provisions in chapter 4. He will read just a few verses there in verse 11. Not that I speak from want.

I have learned to be content in whatever circumstance I am. I Know how to get along with the humble means. I Also know how to live in prosperity. In any in every circumstance I've learned the secret of being filled and going hungry.

Of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things Through him who strengthens me here is absolute Security in The supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ my needs. It's settled. The Lord has always and will always Meet my needs.