A VESSEL TO BE FILLED – PART 2

See Part 1 if you missed it.

YHWH (God the Father, Jesus Christ His Son, and the Holy Spirit):

He is the Creator of all things, with an appearance of sapphire, like gleaming metal enclosed in fire, and brightness surrounding Him like a rainbow. He is clothed with a long robe that fills His temple. And at His throne, He is surrounded by over 100 million angels simultaneously thundering, “Worthy is the Lamb…” and 24 additional thrones upon which sit elders with crowns of gold. Lightening, thundering, and voices proceed from the throne. A sea of crystal glass lay before His throne and four living creatures never rest, but night and day declare, “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty…!” Encircling His throne is a rainbow with the appearance of an emerald. His hair is white like snow, his eyes a flame of fire, and His feet are refined brilliant bronze. His voice is deafening as the roar of many waters, holding seven stars, and from His mouth protrudes a sharp two-edged sword. His face shines with the brightness of the sun in its full strength. (Taken from Ezekiel 1:26-28, Revelation 1:12-16, 4, 5:8-14)

The noise of His presence would shatter my eardrums. The sight of His glory would blind me. The shaking of His step would lay me flat on my face. The mountains melt like wax before Him (Ps. 97:5), so how could I survive?

And this is the God who would fill me with all His fullness? It seems as ridiculous as saying that I could contain the detonation of an atomic bomb inside a Tupperware bowl. He is incomprehensible, uncontainable, and unbearable.

I will admit to you that I have done something very dangerous to my humanity. I have agreed with Paul’s prayer in Ephesians 3:14-21.

The Apostle Paul prays:

“For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

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, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” ~ Ephesians 3:14-21

To this point in the book of Ephesians, Paul has been describing WHO we are “In JESUS”. Our relationship status, our citizenship, our legal rights, our inheritance, and our destiny. Each point of identity emphasizes the phrase “in Christ”. In Jesus we have been:

Chosen, adopted, accepted, redeemed, forgiven, entrusted, God’s inheritance, we exist for the praise of His glory, we are made alive with Christ, raised up with Him, and seated together with Him in Heavenly places! We are saved by grace through faith. God’s workmanship, God’s worker, brought near to God as family, members of one body, saintly citizens and family. We are the dwelling place of God, with bold and confident access to God!

These points of identity are ours – NOW. We have them, possess them, and have legal entitlement today! We can’t earn them. They are part and parcel of a relationship with God “in Christ”.

Paul is now transitioning from teaching about knowing our legal and positional identity to asking God for divine power that we would experience our identity.

Until now Paul has not mentioned Jesus living in us (except that He has made His Church the dwelling place of God). It has been all about us being in Him. Accepting WHO we are IN Jesus is the foundation for EXPERIENCING ALL of God inside us.

WHO are you? A vessel to be inhabited with ALL the FULLNESS of GOD experiencing the LOVE of CHRIST surpassing knowledge. His love is incomprehensible, indescribable, outside of human understanding. But His love is meant to be EXPERIENCED!

If you’re anything like me, I am inclined to find out what I need to do to have this amazing fullness of God. Instead, there is no instruction here about what I must do.

What does Paul instruct us to do to make this happen? NOTHING!

This prayer is not about us “doing” anything. It is about HIM GRANTING it! It is His to GIVE from the abundant riches of His glory through the Spirit of Jesus (Holy Spirit) who abides in our inner person. The Holy Spirit is the One to strengthen our capacity to have Christ dwell in our hearts and give us the comprehension to experience the dimensions of Jesus’ love, the result of which is that we are filled with ALL the FULLNESS of God

Transition the information about WHO you are in Christ, into EXPERIENCING WHO He is in you!

The facts are:

1. God has enough riches to include me in His distribution.
2. The Holy Spirit inside of me strengthens my inner self with might from His rich storehouse.
3. Christ is able and desirous to make His permanent residence in my heart through faith (it is more His faith than mine)
4. I am rooted securely and firmly in an established foundation of love.
5. His strength empowers me to comprehend (apprehend, attain, obtain, overtake) along with my other brothers and sisters, the dimensions of Jesus’ love. His all-encompassing love is mine to grab hold of through the might of His power.
6. I can KNOW the love of Christ that transcends my human ability to know. The word “know” means to know by experience. To know His love means to EXPERIENCE it!
7. I can contain ALL HIS FULLNESS inside of me (and I won’t explode into unrecognizable bits:).
8. Whatever I can dream up and ask God for does not even reach the starting point for what God intends to do according to His power that works in me. His ability to work in me (according to His good will and pleasure [Philippians 2:13]) exceeds abundantly anything I can contrive or request.

Let’s clarify a few points.

1. If I belong to Jesus (am in Him) don’t I already have Him in my heart? Why then does Paul pray that Christ may dwell in your heart through faith?

This statement must be read in context. Paul makes the statement in Galatians 2:20 that “Christ lives in me.” In Colossians 1:9 Paul says, “Christ in you, the hope of glory.” Again, he mentions this in Romans 8:10-11 “…if Christ is in you…” and “…through His Spirit who dwells in you.” Jesus Himself said in John 14:20-24, “I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you… We [Father and Jesus] will come to him and make Our home with him.” John 17:23 “I [Jesus] in them [believers], and You [Father] in Me [Jesus]”.

And we know that through faith, Jesus sends His Holy Spirit to indwell us. John 14:17, “…but you know Him [Holy Spirit], for He dwells with you and will be in you.” John 20:22, “He [Jesus] breathed on them, and said to them, ‘Receive (take in) the Holy Spirit.’” Galatians 4:6, “And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!” 

Two defining keywords bring understanding to Paul’s prayer: “COMPREHEND” and “KNOW”.

Comprehend

The word “comprehend” means to apprehend, attain, obtain, and overtake. Paul is praying that you grab hold of the fact of Christ indwelling you – a personal possession, like the woman suffering from the issue of blood, who being in proximity to Jesus’ presence was desperate to grab hold of Him. She apprehended His garment and was healed of her infirmity (see Matthew 9:20-22). Paul states in Philippians 3:12, “…but I press on, that I may lay hold [apprehend] of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.” In other words, I am found “in Christ” as He has apprehended me. Now, I press on to apprehend Jesus – in a practical living way.

Know

The word means more than simply intellectual assent. It has the idea of learning from experience. To know Jesus is to experience Him. Paul’s prayer is about transitioning the information about WHO you are in Christ, into EXPERIENCING WHO He is in you. Again, in Philippians 3:10 Paul says, “that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death…” Of course, Paul already believed in Jesus, but his expression here is a desire to continue knowing Him through EXPERIENCING Him.

2. Why does Paul pray for us to know something unknowable (to know the love of Christ that passes knowledge)?

Two different Greek words are used here: “know” and “knowledge”. To know the love of Christ is to EXPERIENCE His love. His love surpasses knowledge which means intelligence or science. The limits of our human mind prevent us from experiencing Jesus’ love in our own strength. But His divine strength empowers a supernatural experiential knowledge of His fathomless love.

3. Why does Paul pray that we would be filled with all the fullness of God if He already indwells us?

You have all of God positionally and legally. Jesus’ work on the cross, His burial, resurrection, and the promise of the Holy Spirit guarantees it. The prayer is that you would know this truth practically. He wants you to experience what it’s like to have Jesus “move in”. He brings His furniture and sets up the house. He investigates every nook and cranny to decorate you with Himself. The fullness of God is experienced as He heals, restores, refines, purges, uncovers, washes, cleans, remodels, etc.

Summary: A significant shift in Paul’s letter to the Ephesians happens here: moving from position to experience.

Until this prayer, Paul describes our eternal position as “IN CHRIST”. He has been teaching us about WHO we are. Now his prayer builds on this foundation, now that you know your identity, TAKE HOLD and EXPERIENCE WHO Jesus is IN US. Paul is restating Jesus’ own words that we are “IN HIM” and He is “IN US” making us ONE.

I own my car legally. I paid for it. The law guarantees it and the title I have proves it. There is a lot I can learn and should learn about my car without ever driving it. But when I do drive it, the practice adds essential experience so that I really know and fully enjoy my car. With this knowledge, I can get where I need to go and provide for others on their journey. See A Man and His Car – A Parable.

Whew! I have been blessed to share this with you. Would you like to know my personal response to the Holy Spirit’s revelation?

I have been challenged to keep the perspective that this prayer is about God’s work in me. And not, what I need to do. Here is my response.

My one-part yearning is set before God’s one-part generosity, and each is activated through faith so that together a bond is formed in our relationship whereby the love of Christ is fully experienced, and the fullness of God is expressed through my body, soul, and spirit.

I see Jesus standing at the door and knocking. He is respectfully asking permission for an invitation to come inside. On the other side of the door, I stand, listening, yearning, praying… and the Holy Spirit who lives inside with me puts His hand over mine on the doorknob and grants me the strength to turn the knob and open the door so Jesus can come inside and set up His dwelling, flooding me with His fullness! (See Revelation 3:14-22)

If you go from reading this into “I must do” mode, remember:

“But we have this treasure [God shining in your heart] in earthen vessels [your physical body], that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.” ~ 2 Corinthians 4:7

“Reflection of Color”