Colossians 1:24-29
There are two kinds of books that always sell well……mysteries and love stories.
The gospel is both.
It is a mystery,…. long hidden,… at last revealed.
It is also a love story in the finest sense of that word.
It unveils God’s love for the world and for us.
The whole theme of Colossians is “Christ is all you need.” (agree)???
We are made full in Him, and that is all that is needed!
How tragic when Christians substitute man-made rules, disciplines, and rituals for the fullness we have in Christ!
As we have gone through the previous verses of Colossians chapter 1, we have been exploring the false teachings of a group called the Gnostics that wanted to add such works to the salvation offered in Jesus.
They claimed there was a fuller hidden knowledge to be had.
They even brought into doubt the truth that Jesus is fully God and fully man.
Previously, we explored the fact that Paul suffered much for the gospel of Jesus.
As Christians we must expect the same.
This morning, I want to leave you with a couple of thoughts in mind when you leave here today.
First, I want you to notice what Paul refers to as “the mystery” in verse 26.
That mystery is the truth about Christ and the church.
Paul shows us that his ministry was to help the saints grasp this great mystery.
No knowledge is hidden, as the Gnostic false teachers among the Colossians claimed.
All has now been revealed.
Paul described “the mystery” about Christ and the church that had been hidden in times past but was now revealed here in Colossians 1.
Paul also speaks of these same matters in Ephes. 3:1-13…(parallel passage) (look there)
For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles--
[2] Surely you have heard about the administration of God’s grace that was given to me for you, [3] that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly. [4] In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, [5] which was not made known to men in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets. [6] This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.
[7] I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace given me through the working of his power. [8] Although I am less than the least of all God’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, [9] and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things. [10] His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, [11] according to his eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. [12] In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence. [13] I ask you, therefore, not to be discouraged because of my sufferings for you, which are your glory.
Think back to the Damascus Road in Acts 9….Paul’s experience there.
Jesus can use anyone to preach the gospel, even a murderer…..as the apostle Paul had once been.
God had a stake in Paul.
You know, God doesn’t ask us to become great.
He only asks that we be faithful with the ministry that He gives us.
God entrusted Paul with some great truth.
His responsibility was simply to be faithful in giving it to others…and he was!
Paul’s first words when he saw the glorified Savior were, “Who are You, Lord?”
Paul recognized and acknowledged the lordship of Christ and His preeminence over all things.
God found the worst sinner he could find and revealed His Son to him.
Then He made him a minister of the gospel and a minister of the church.
The church that Paul refers to is not the local church…..rather, it is the church universal.
Throughout His ministry, the Lord revealed much to this man.
Paul was used mightily of the Lord so that God’s truth might be revealed to us.
This mystery that has been revealed here in Col.1 is all about the Lord Jesus Christ.
It is the mystery of His body, the church.
Col. 1:24-26
Now I rejoice in what was suffered for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church. [25] I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness-- [26] the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the saints.
The “mystery” is something that had not been revealed in the Old Testament but is now revealed.
It is a sacred secret that V. 26 says has been hidden for ages and generations.
Once concealed…… now revealed …..by the Spirit of God.
The mystery is now disclosed to all the saints……to all born-again Christians.
All men are lost; all men have sinned; all men have come short of the glory of God.
So God is putting all people…..both Jews and Gentiles into a new body which is called the church.
That was never revealed in the Old Testament, but it is now being revealed.
The Church is a true mystery. It is the body of Christ. It has continued to exist through all kinds of political and social upheavals. God has caused His church to be sustained and even to prosper spiritually in the face of all kinds of adversity. In the natural scheme of things, the Church should have vanished from the earth long ago, but since it was established and is kept by the supernatural power of God....it cannot fail!
The mystery is also about the indwelling of Christ.
Col. 1:27
To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
The mystery,…the new thing, ……the thing that was not revealed in the Old Testament….was that God would now bring the Gentiles into His kingdom on the same basis as Israel.
God willed this change from hidden mystery to open manifestation.
The richness of this mystery involves the fact that Christ is now indwelling the believer.
Hence, Christ is the answer…..not the law….not ceremony….not circumcision….not science….not psychology….not philosophy…and not social reform….but simply Jesus. He alone is the hope of glory found in verse 27….
He alone is the pledge of an eternal future.
Look at the words of Col. 1:26-27 ….and let them sink into your heart and mind deeply:
the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the saints. [27] To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
The mystery of God is that Christ will live within any person, no matter who they are.
Whoever opens his/her heart and life to Him….will receive Him.
When God sent His Son Jesus Christ into the world to die for men, God showed the world that He loves every person equally.
He does not favor anyone.
Every person can now approach God and become acceptable to Him through His Son, Jesus Christ.
"Christ in you" means that Christ actually lives within the believer.
Christ lives within the hearts and lives of believers and His presence is their guarantee of living forever in glory.
That is exactly what Christ had promised when He was on earth.
When Jesus was about to face the cross, He said:
John 14:16-18
And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever-- [17] the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. [18] I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.
The Holy Spirit is the personal presence of Christ.
He is….“Christ in you”
When Jesus said, "I will come to you"….. He meant that He would return after He had gone away, that is, died.
He would come back to give believers His personal presence.
He would not leave them as helpless orphans.
Jesus would not leave them to struggle through the trials and temptations of life alone.
Jesus’ presence with His followers began with His resurrection and with the coming of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus was saying that He would come to the believer in the person of the Holy Spirit.
The presence of Jesus is a living, eternal presence.
He died, but He did not stay dead.
He arose and conquered death…..He lives forever.
Since Jesus never dies….. we have been made eternal by the eternal presence of Christ within us.
As Jesus lives eternally, He also lives abundantly.
He lives life in all of its fullness and meaning.
Therefore, as Christ lives within us, He imparts that same kind of abundant life to us, ……a life that is both abundant and eternal.
Jesus said in John 10:10
…. I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
A full life is an abundant life. …..we have all we need in Jesus.
The presence of Christ is a living union.
That is the glorious truth of "Christ in you"….that Christ actually lives within us.
This great mystery of God that had been hidden, has been revealed to the children of men.
Christ in you, …..that is man’s only hope of ever entering and living in glory.
There is no other way except the way provided in Jesus.
Jesus must be living in the heart of a person when he breathes his last breath if that person is going to be allowed to enter glory.
It is imperative that we ask ourselves if we know the Christ who offers this eternal guarantee.
I’ve heard people say things like… “Well, I hope I’m good enough to go to heaven.
I hope I get in.”
…………………Let me ask you this morning….Is Christ living in you?
…………………Has your life changed?
The world knows nothing of this mystery.
You won’t find it mentioned in the media, except by Christians.
You will never learn about it in the great universities of the world.
In all secular wisdom and knowledge there is no recognition of the incomparable source of change in a human life.
It is found only in the gospel of Jesus Christ.
That is why the gospel is such a powerful, world transforming, revolutionary thing, and why we ought to give ourselves to understanding it more than some other things in life.
Romans 8:9
You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.
Paul wrote in Galatians 2:20
I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
1 John 3:24
Those who obey his commands live in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.
2 Cor. 1:21-22
Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, [22] set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.
Ephes. 1:13-14
And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, [14] who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession--to the praise of his glory.
When we truly put our trust in Christ, the Holy Spirit baptizes us and puts us into the body of believers…..the church universal.
He changes us from the inside out.
2 Cor. 5:17
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!
We don’t have to wonder if we’re good enough….none of us are.
The question is….what do you know for sure?
Have you trusted Jesus?
Do you believe what He says?
The thing to remember is this….Jesus is good enough.
Just trust Him and Him alone and you will see heaven.
When you truly believe, you are brought into the church, and the church has a glorious future ahead of it.
So, the first truth I want you to leave here with is the truth about the mystery of Christ.
The Second truth I want to share with you is that our ministry must be a balanced ministry.
Every one of us here has a ministry.
Paul had a balanced ministry…..we should have the same goal.
What do I mean by that?.....3 things…..
Paul preached, he warned and he taught.
Paul sought to take the truth to all people.
Col. 1:28
We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ.
First, Paul says “we proclaim Him”. (preach him)
He didn’t proclaim precepts, creeds, ethics, codes, rules or regulations.
He didn’t proclaim a plan or a program.
We ought to be doing the same thing.
2 Cor. 4:5
For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake.
You see, Paul proclaimed a Person……. He proclaimed Jesus Christ.
Commentator Griffith Thomas wrote:
"The theme of Christianity is not a theory, not an institution, not a book, not a set of rules, not simply a code of morals nor a system of philosophy, and not even merely a statement of truth or of principle. It is manifestly impossible...to love, to worship, or to pray to a principle"
Secondly, Verse 28 also says that Paul admonished.
That means he warned others.
People must be warned…..that they cannot enter glory unless Christ is in them.
No one is perfect; no man has enough righteousness to make himself acceptable to God.
Man cannot earn or do enough righteous things to become perfect.
Our only hope is Christ, for Christ alone is righteousness.
Christ alone is perfect.
If we do not surrender our lives to Christ we will be doomed to eternal separation from God.
We cannot live a life separated and apart from God and then at death expect to enter God’s presence.
God has done everything He can for man in His Son, Jesus Christ.
He can do no more for the salvation of mankind.
The decision is up to every person individually.
2 Tim. 4:2
Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage--with great patience and careful instruction.
Third, V. 28 says that Paul taught.
Once people have invited Christ into their hearts and lives, they need to be taught.
They need to learn how to live and walk in Christ.
That teaching needs to be done with all wisdom.
That just means knowing how to apply and practice and live out the great teachings of Christ….the practical stuff.
Information and doctrine are important; but we must know how to apply them to everyday life.
Believers must know how to follow Jesus day by day as they face the trials and temptations of life.
Paul’s goal was to present each believer perfect (mature) in Christ.
That doesn’t mean sinless,….. but complete, full-grown, and seeking after perfection.
Matthew 5:48
Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
James 1:4
Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
God has revealed to us the mystery of Christ.
Like Paul, may we be diligent to proclaim, warn and teach….so that all may come to the fullness of Christ.
While we still have strength and energy in our bodies, let us work toward that end.
Let us labor for our Lord until we are completely empty.
When we reach the point when we have no more strength to work and labor, ………... We can be sure…..He will infuse us with His own divine energy and supernatural power.
Paul concluded in Col. 1:29
To this end I labor, struggling with all His (Christ’s) energy, which so powerfully works in me.
Friends,….
Like Paul, may we be willing to struggle onward for the glory of the One who died for us.
Prayer
