A Bottle in the Ocean
To be filled with the fullness of God means to be completely immersed in His presence and power, and our vessel gets bigger as we go on with Him.
A.W. Tozer emphasizes the profound relationship between humanity and the divine, illustrating that just as a bottle submerged in the ocean is filled with its waters, so too can we be filled with the fullness of God. He explains that while we cannot contain all of God, we can experience His fullness within us, and our capacity to receive Him can grow as we deepen our relationship with Him. Tozer encourages believers to seek to enlarge their spiritual vessels to receive more of God's love and presence in their lives.
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...To know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. --Ephesians 3:19
Pentecost means that the Deity came to mankind to give Himself to man, that man might breathe Him in as he breathes in the air, that He might fill men. Dr. A. B. Simpson used an illustration which was about as good as any I ever heard. He said, "Being filled with the fullness of God is like a bottle in the ocean. You take the cork out of the bottle and sink it in the ocean, and you have the bottle completely full of ocean. The bottle is in the ocean, and the ocean is in the bottle. The ocean contains the bottle, but the bottle contains only a little bit of the ocean. So it is with the Christian."
We are filled unto the fullness of God, but, of course, we cannot contain all of God because God contains us; but we can have all of God that we can contain. If we only knew it, we could enlarge our vessel. The vessel gets bigger as we go on with God. The Counselor, 68.
"Enlarge my vessel, Lord, and fill me with more and more of the fullness of God. Amen."
Sermon Outline
- The Deity came to mankind to give Himself to man
- Being filled with the fullness of God is like a bottle in the ocean
- We are filled unto the fullness of God, but cannot contain all of God
- We can have all of God that we can contain
- Our vessel gets bigger as we go on with God
Key Quotes
“Being filled with the fullness of God is like a bottle in the ocean. You take the cork out of the bottle and sink it in the ocean, and you have the bottle completely full of ocean.” — A.W. Tozer
“The ocean contains the bottle, but the bottle contains only a little bit of the ocean. So it is with the Christian.” — A.W. Tozer
“Enlarge my vessel, Lord, and fill me with more and more of the fullness of God.” — A.W. Tozer
Application Points
- We can ask God to enlarge our vessel and fill us with more of His fullness.
- As we go on with God, our spiritual capacity grows, allowing us to contain more of His fullness.
- Being filled with the fullness of God is a continuous process that requires our surrender and dependence on Him.