The 8 Aspects of Redemption - Part 4

This is track two. Grace, oh, the riches of his grace, the riches of his grace. Whether you and I are moved by this or not, we have said that it was very true, so the apostle could not contain himself any longer.

It seemed that no sooner had he got into that imprisonment, and between the times when the visitors were coming, he just gave himself up to this two-fold object, setting forth on the one hand the greatness of Christ as he had seen it, and on the other hand the greatness of grace, in calling him and the church into that divine moment. Grace, grace only begins when, and you, when you were dead in your trespasses and sins did he quicken. That's the beginning of grace, union with Christ in his new risen life.

But trace grace through this letter, see how grace is leading on and on, until last it sees this church in the ages of the ages, together with him in his ultimate and final fullness, his eternal and universal fullness, what grace, what grace. So we are led, dear friends, to our fragment that he may fill all things, this incomprehensible he, he, the center of all things. Look at some of these other fragments in that connection.

You remember John himself, spoken about this, first chapter of his gospel, he tells us that all things were created by him, all things were created by him. You turn to the companion letter, the letter to the Colossians, chapter 1, at verse 16, for in him were all things created, in the heavens and upon the earth, things visible, things invisible, for the thrones or dominions or principalities or powers, all things have been created through him, and unto him, and he is before all things, and in him all things hold together, he is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things he might have the preeminence, and through him to reconcile all things unto himself. The letter to the Hebrews may not have come actually from the pen of Paul, but undoubtedly from the influence of Paul, chapter 1, verse 2, as at the end of these days spoken unto us in his son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom he made the world, chapter 2, verse 10, for it became him for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, this phrase, all things, of which Christ is the very essence and substance, finally.

Now it is about this one that we are thinking, on him we are concentrating, this center of all things, Jesus Christ. The Bible throughout is a progressive history of this one, an unfolding of this mighty he who is to fill all things. That history begins with an intimation, just an intimation, very often missed and overlooked.

That history ends with this passage, his filling all things. The intimation, in the beginning, God. That's where the Bible begins.

But that name God, as you know, is in the plural form. It's in the plural form, indicating that there are more than one present. There's another, and a third, gathered into that form, the name of God.

And as the story grows, the second one, intimated as being present there, becomes more and more discernible. Not long before he assumes a name, and is seen, and is heard, by men. He appears to men in the many theophanies of the Old Testament.

Sometimes at the beginning, they describe him as a man, appearing. But when he goes, they speak of him as the Lord. The Lord.

You recall tonight, those occasions, this one, the Lord, in those divine appearances, is becoming known by men. Later, he takes human form in a specific incarnation, and lives, and moves, and walks, and teaches among men. Later still, in a still more intimate way, he reveals himself in a resurrection body to individuals, to groups, to companies.

And they are in no doubt about it, whereas at the beginning, they had questions, wondered whether they had seen a spirit. In the end, they had no doubt. They knew who he was.

They could say, we have seen him. We know him. And then finally, he is seen by all creatures in heaven and earth.

So that every eye beholds him. He is known by a great multitude which no man can number. So we are shown him in the Bible, in his aloneness with the Father before times eternal.

We are shown him in the busy activities of creation, creating all things. We are shown him with the wayward nation in its wilderness wandering as the angel of their presence. We are shown him in this same Bible returning as the victorious monarch, the king of glory and the everlasting gates opening to receive him back after his campaign here with evil and the false ruler of this world.

We are shown him coming again to judge the nation, to set up his kingdom. We are not right in saying that the Bible is a progressive history and unveiling of this one, this he, who is to fill all things. You notice, we have marked seven stages in this history, his history, in the eternal path, in creation, in the Old Testament age, in the earthly life, in his present session and intercession in heaven, in the great day of the Lord and in the eternal future.

That's really the Bible story. It's the story of a person, story of this mighty he of whom we are thinking, who is to fill all things. In that seven fold progressive revelation of him, the Bible, the outstanding feature, feature which comes to our hearts with such comfort, the outstanding feature is his expanding grace.

His expanding grace. Notice how grace is growing, is developing. What grace? What grace? His expanding power and his expanding glory.

Three step, three fold development, grace and power and glory in Christ Jesus, right through the Bible. All this brings us back to our little clause. Wrong to call it a little one.

All things, all things. He has expanded to the full range of all things and having done so he is to fill all things himself. You know that it's a phrase scattered in the New Testament particularly in the letters of Paul we have noted related to Christ, all things in creation.

And I would have you note that it is not only said that he created all things himself that is that all things were created by him but they are created in him. They are created in him which opens a door to very much profitable reading of the word. God has through Christ his son by the eternal spirit created all things in Christ.

That is he has made Christ the encompassing, encircling sphere of all things in creation itself. The creation is founded by Christ in the thought and intention of God. Eventually there will be no created thing in this universe outside of Christ because they were all created in him.

If they've gone out they've given the option in this dispensation of returning into Christ. If not forever expelled from the whole domain of Christ and all that does remain is found as was intended. In Christ.

You and I, the church are a new creation in Christ. Creation. And as we read in Philosophers 1.20 through him to reconcile all things unto himself.

All things reconciled in Christ. Again that all things he should have the preeminence all things under his preeminence. Again all things hold together in him.

And finally that he might fill all things. Dear friends what is the concern in our hearts as we say all this bring this to you today? Shall I put it in this way? Perhaps in the form of a question. Would there not be a wonderful and glorious emancipation from nine-tenths if not ten-tenths of our troubles if we only had the apprehension of Christ of the Apostle Paul? Put it another way most of our troubles are due to our not mental failure but our heart failure to really grasp and apprehend the greatness of the Christ to whom we've been introduced and to whose fellowship we have been brought by the grace of God.

Is it not the need the greatest need today everywhere and particularly in the church amongst the people of God the greatest need to recover something of this immensity of Christ. We are too small aren't we? Too petty. That's the cause of our trouble of all our trouble how mean we are, how paltry how little what small minded, small hearted people we are how occupied we become with the little things that really after all don't matter so much what a low level we are content to live upon.

How this very nature of ours is always bringing things down and down and down to the level of what is unworthy of Christ. Perhaps you have had similar exercise to myself over many things and not least how this man Paul at this very time of writing this letter could write it how he could write it in prison he's cut off all his activities the work separated from all his friends in the churches there's a movement on foot to isolate him spiritually as well as in other ways leaving him, departing from him and a mighty movement to discredit him to discredit him and his work and destroy it churches are by no means answering to all his prayers and entreaties and outpourings a life just given for them see how they are all they would be in Asia departed from me so on, so on his own condition, position and the state of things for which he'd given his life and much more, and much more than for the man to sit down and write a letter like this a document like this as we have described it pouring out like a mighty torrent and deluge of wonder and amazement of the greatness of his Christ and of the calling of this elect body I wonder what sort of letters come from us under similar conditions well, what is the secret? what is the answer? to rebuke to our hearts and yours and mine real, sound rebuke what is the answer? Paul had such an apprehension of his Lord that was more and greater than all these troubles these afflictions these disappointments these adversities these sorrows these sufferings of body and of soul it was his apprehension of Christ that explained a letter like this we're not right in saying that's what we want what we need it's a mighty emancipating thing, isn't it? it really is if the first revelation of Jesus to Paul to Saul on the Damascus road effected something that all the tortures and laws and prisons and oppositions that could be heaped upon him would never have done that is emancipated him from Judaism and Israelism made him the great apostle of the church and of the nation that was the first effect of apprehending Christ and that's no small thing tremendous this enlarged increased revelation of that same Christ accounted for this ultimate this final emancipation from all that which would have crushed him broken him sent him into utter despondency I have to leave it there for the afternoon it's but an introduction but it's the only way to get at anything we'll never get anywhere at all till we have come to look at the Lord again see him and I do trust that all that has been said has not been to you as words language ideas as just teaching of doctrine but that you with me have just caught a glimpse a fresh glimpse of the greatness of this one who is to fill all things may that emancipating work be done in us by a fresh seeing of this great age from eternity to eternity that he might fill all things