In Mark 4, Jesus gives the parable of the sower and when the disciples ask him what it means, He says in verse 11, “Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all things are done in parables.”
Why were the disciples the ones who were “given to know the mystery?” Turn back to Mark 3 and we’re going to read a couple of verses.
(13) And he (Jesus) goeth up into a mountain, and calleth unto him whom he would: and they came unto him.
The first thing we see is that there were more than just the twelve when Jesus went up into the mountain.
(14) And he ordained twelve, that they should be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach.
(15) And to have power to heal sicknesses, and to cast out devils.
“Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God.” These twelve individuals that Jesus hand-picked or ordained were the ones to whom the mystery of the kingdom would be made known.
The word “mystery” is the Greek word “musterion.” It’s a “secret or mystery that you can find out once you are initiated into it or once someone shares it with you. When I read the word “mystery” in the Bible, the words that come to my mind are “sacred secret.”
Jesus is telling the twelve that He is going to invite them – to initiate them – in understanding the mysteries, the sacred secrets, of the kingdom of God that no one other than Him even knew existed.
Now think about this for a moment. When we believe with our hearts and confess with our mouths Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we are welcomed into the kingdom of God. This gives us complete and unfiltered access to the mysteries, the sacred secrets, of the kingdom. Do you hear me? Complete and unfiltered access to the mysteries – the sacred secrets of the kingdom.
How do we access these mysteries? Turn to a very familiar scripture First Corinthians 14:2. “For he that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto God: for no man understandeth him; howbeit in the spirit he speaketh mysteries.”
The way I like to phrase this is the person is “downloading mysteries” as he or she speaks in tongues.
Now look in chapter two, beginning with verse six.
(6) Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect (or mature): yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought:
(7) But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:
I want you to hear this verse from the Amplified Bible – “But rather what we are setting forth is a wisdom of God once hidden [from the human understanding] and now revealed to us by God (And the only way God can reveal this to us ladies and gentlemen is that we must have the same spiritual nature that He has.) – [that wisdom] which God devised before the ages of our glorification [to lift us into the glory of His presence].
(8) Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they know it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
(9) But as it it written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
Notice what it says ladies and gentlemen. It doesn’t say they were prepared for them that “believe” him. Do you see this? It’s prepared for those that “love” him.
(10) But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit (by praying in tongues): for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.
(11) For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? Even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.
(12) Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God (the spirit which comes from God. The word “of” is the Greek word “ek” and it means “to come out of or to proceed from.); that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.
(13) Which things we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
(14) But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
So, how do we access the mysteries of the kingdom? First, we must be born into the kingdom. Second, we must receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Born Again, ladies and gentlemen, gets us into the kingdom.
There are many in the Body of Christ who are in the kingdom, but through the consistency of praying in tongues, the Holy Spirit is able to tutor us about the kingdom’s sacred secrets!
You can be part of the kingdom and know nothing about the kingdom. Doris and I went to a play yesterday at a church. There were five different stories in the play and one involved a couple who were constantly fighting and it was because the husband abused his wife. At one point in the play, the husband comes to the realization that he was wrong and asks his wife to forgive him. She said “No.”
There are so many Christians, ladies and gentlemen, who are a part of the kingdom but have no clue about what the secrets are. If you know that one of the secrets of the kingdom is that if you don’t forgive, God is not going to forgive you – wouldn’t that change how you respond in situations like this?
We’re going to look at THE SACRED SECRET that, first, no one saw coming and, second, the significance of which most in the Body of Christ today have not truly grasped.
The Apostle Paul hints at this sacred secret in Romans 11 when he talks about the Jews as being part of the natural olive tree and the Gentiles as being part of the wild olive tree. Verse 20 says the Jews “because of unbelief they were broken off” from the natural and the Gentiles, who were part of the wild, were grafted into the natural because of faith.
And in verse 25 we read “For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery (What mystery? That the Gentiles are going to be grafted in to the relationship, the fellowship, of being part of the kingdom.), lest ye should be wise in your own conceits, that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.”
Now turn to Romans 16.
(25) Now to Him that is of power (It’s the Greek word “dunamis” which means “the ability to do something.”) to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret (kept in silence) since the world began (The Greek says it was kept in silence “in eternal times.” The sacred secret had been known since the beginning of times, but concealed in the heart of God),
(26) But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith:
(27) To God only wise, be glory through Jesus Christ for ever. Amen.”
So, there was a secret that was kept hidden from the beginning of time. God had that in His heart at the beginning of time.
Now turn to Ephesians 3.
(1) For this cause (What is the cause Paul? The cause is everything that you read in the first two chapters.) I Paul, the prisoner of the Jesus Christ for you Gentiles,
(2) If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward
The word “If” is not saying that the believers have not heard. Different translations have rendered it, for example, as “Surely you know,” “assuming that you have heard,” and “Certainly, you have heard.”
(3) How that by revelation he made know unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words,
(4) Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ)
(5) Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men (What did we just read earlier in Romans? The secret was kept in silence in the heart of God. No one knew about it.), as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the spirit;
(6) That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel:
(7) Whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of grace ofGod given unto me by the effectual working of his power.
(8) Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ:
That word “unsearchable” means “to track out, untraceable. And I love the Greek word. In the Greek is says “a step.” The Bible is telling us that there were no footprints anywhere in the law and the prophets that would hint at this mystery. There was nothing in the law and the prophets that identified or even hinted at the “riches of Christ” or that could follow His steps until He permitted it to be revealed.
The word “riches.” It’s so easy to want to talk about money. But let me ask you something ladies and gentlemen. If you have cancer and you need to be healed, what is “riches” to you? It would be to be healed of cancer. If you are blind, what is “riches” to you? It is receiving your sight.
That’s what it’s talking about here. Yes, the word does include money but the meaning includes that which is valuable or that which abounds. And you have to keep it in relation to where we are in the Bible. It says “the unsearchable riches of Christ.” All of the abundance of everything and anything in Christ that is available to the world – that’s what it is talking about! Those are the riches.
What we have seen so far
? When we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we are born into a kingdom that contains sacred secrets.
? The baptism of the Holy Spirit enables the third person of the Godhead to personally tutor us in the kingdom’s sacred secrets and how to access them.
? One of the sacred secrets scripture reveals is that the Gentiles would be fellow-heirs of the promise.
But ladies and gentlemen, that is not THE SACRED SECRET. Now with all of this in mind, turn to Colossians 1 and we’re going to read verses 26 and 27. Now you already know what is THE SACRED SECRET!
(26) Even the mystery (the sacred secret) which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints:
The word “age” means “perpetuity, eternity.” Remember we read earlier how God had kept the mystery hidden from the beginning, from before there was a beginning?
The word “generations” means “age generation.” Think about Nina and Jeff, their daughter Nichole, and their grandson Braden. They are three different generations. That’s what it’s talking here in verse 26.
The mystery which has been hid from all eternity and from generation to generation. Again, no one could follow the foot print, the steps, in the Bible to learn “Christ is in you, the hope of glory.” You could not find it anywhere in Scripture.
(27) To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you (That’s the mystery that no one knew about, no one saw coming and that the Body of Christ does not understand.), the hope of glory.
The words “make known” means “to declare, give to understand” I thought about Psalm 103:7 where it says “He made know his ways unto Moses, his acts unto the children of Israel?” What this verse tells me is Moses knew God’s heart. He knew the motivations behind the things that God did. The children of Israel only saw what happened without knowing why it was happening.
And you see, when you don’t know why God does something, you’re going to have thoughts about God that may not line up with the reasons why He does things. There are so many in the Body of Christ who will read the Old Testament and see what God did and believe that’s how He operates today. He doesn’t operate that way today. There was a reason why He did the things in the Old Testament that He did. And the reason: to get Christ in us, the hope of glory.
This word “glory” means “to have an impeccable reputation, to be highly esteemed, to be renown; embraces all that is excellent in the divine nature.
This word “in” is “a fixed position.” It means “rest.” Think about it as coming to a place of knowing something and not having any doubts whatsoever about what you know. Christ in you, the hope of glory – You’ve come to a point, ladies and gentlemen, that you have no doubts about Christ being in you and what that means. That is what the word “in” communicates.
I was going to take a sip of water. If I had, the water would be in me; the water would be a part of me. You would not be able to separate me from the water. That’s what this word “in” means. You cannot separate you from Christ who is IN you. Are you following me? We have to understand that there is no separation between us and Jesus. There is none.
Let me communicate that in a different way. Am I getting ahead of my notes? Yes I am, but let’s do it anyway. In John 17, verses we’re very familiar with, look at verse 21. It says, and this is Jesus praying for the apostles and for us –
(21) That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.
Do you see this? The only reason Jesus is one with the Father is because the Father is in Him. The Father is in Him. That is why Jesus was one with the Father. What does Colossians 1:27 says? Christ – what? – in you!
Why is the world going to believe that God sent Jesus? Because they are one.
(22) And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even we are one:
(23) I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.
One. Christ in you, the hope of glory. If this is my body, there is no Christ here [I pointed to my right side.} and Barry here [I pointed to my left side.]. We are one ladies and gentlemen.
Now let’s read Colossians 1:27 with the definitions.
“To whom God would declare, reveal and help understand what is the abundant riches that embraces everything in the divine nature which is found in the sacred secret, this great spiritual truth, among the Gentiles, which is everything that Christ is that is now in you and that you are now expected to manifest in your life, which will bring recognition and honor to the One who is lives inside of you.”
Christ in us – we’re now expected to manifest that in our lives.
Here is one of the things that I don’t believe many in the Body of Christ understand. It says “Christ in you, the hope of glory.” Do you realize, ladies and gentlemen, that you are someone’s “hope of glory?” Do you realize that? You are someone’s hope of glory!
What are you saying Bro, Barry? You are the person who can do what Jesus could not do. You can lead someone to Him, to be born again, to receive His life! You are someone’s hope of glory! Do you see this ladies and gentlemen?
Christ in you, the hope of glory. Christ can’t be anyone’s hope of glory if it’s not being manifested in you. You are someone’s hope of glory. I’ve said this before. I’m beginning to sound like a broken record. We are living so far beneath who we truly are ladies and gentlemen.
Christ in you, the hope of glory. We kind of know what that means. We know that when it comes to reading the Bible, context is everything. What I want to do for the next few minutes is to help you see who you are because Christ is in you. We’re in Colossians, go back to verse 12.
(12) Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:
(13) Who hath delivered us from the power (the “exousia,” the authority) of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:
? In verse 13, Christ is the One who was given a kingdom by His Father – and He is in you!
That kingdom, ladies and gentlemen, the kingdom of darkness is powerless against that kingdom. The kingdom of darkness cannot win against the kingdom of God’s dear Son!
The one that the Father gave a kingdom to is in you . Let that sink in. The one the Father, God in heaven, gave a kingdom is in you.
Revelation 5:10 says “And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: [Now pay attention to this last part] and we shall reign on the earth.” Why will we do this? God has given the one who lives in us, who we are now one with, who we cannot be separated from, a kingdom in us!
We exert the authority of the kingdom by the words we speak. I encourage you ladies and gentlemen, be very attentive to the words that you use. If you are not using words based on the kingdom of God, you are using words that don’t carry the kingdom of God. You are not using the words that carry the power of the Christ that is in you.
(14) In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sin:
? In verse 14, Christ is the One who is the redeemer, who paid the full price for our freedom from the power of darkness and who is the forgiver of sins. He is in you! That’s why Jesus told the apostles in John 20:23 “Whosesoever sins ye remit [whosesoever sins you forgive, whosoever sins you don’t hold against the person] they are remitted (They are forgiven.) unto them.”
You have, because of who you are, because Christ being in you, the ability to forgive sins. Oh my gosh Barry, you’re making us into gods. You’re making us something that we are not. Either Christ is in you or He’s not.
You have to not let the world define Christianity for you. You let the Bible define Christianity for you! If you let the world define Christianity for you, you’re going to look just like the world. You’re going to be as powerless as the world. You’re going to be as messed up as the world! You let this book [I patted on my Bible.] define Christianity for you! You let this book tell you who you are!
It’s Christ in you, the hope of glory! That’s who is in you ladies and gentlemen. Remember I said earlier that we need to get a revelation of what it means to be clean? This is part of that revelation – Christ in you, the hope of glory.
Are you beginning to see how the context is giving us an idea of who Christ is – the Christ that is in us?
(15) Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:
? In verse 15, Christ is the One who is the image of the God no one can see – and He is in you! That’s why those of us who accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior are once again, as Genesis 1:26 says, made in the image and likeness of the God no one can see except when they see us.
That’s one of the reasons Jesus tells us in Matthew 5:16, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”
Remember I said that you are someone’s “hope of glory?” You let your light shine, you do the good works that the Father wants done and He gets the glory. Ladies and gentlemen, there is no way on planet earth that anyone, anyone, is going to know who God is unless we show them. Did you hear me? We have to show them who God is.
I got news for you ladies and gentlemen. Someone who is not born again, someone who does not know God, cannot pick up this Bible and know God. Ain’t going to happen. Yeah, I know that wasn’t grammatically correct. At least I didn’t say it ain’t not going to happen! (Laughter)
The Body of Christ, ladies and gentlemen, for the most part is not showing the world who God is. It’s not showing the world who Jesus is. And it’s because they don’t truly know who God is or who Jesus is.
So for those of us who are starting to know, who are starting to get a real understanding of who Jesus is, who are starting to get a real understanding of what it means to be one with Him like He’s one with His Father – when we start understanding that then it’s going to manifest in our lives ladies and gentlemen.
(16) For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:
? The Christ that lives in you, ladies and gentlemen, created all things. All things. Created all things!
So, I have a question for you. If the One who created all things lives in you, is there anything that cannot be brought forth out of you that needs to brought forth that does not exist now? If He created all things, is there anything in you that cannot bring forth things that need to be brought forth?
No. He created everything. He lives in us. Now I’m saying you’re going to go out an create a universe. That’s not my point. My point is that when it says He created all things, He is the reason – listen to me – He is the reason all things have life! Did you hear me? He is the reason all things have life. He spoke it into being.
So, if He created all things – principalities, powers, whatever they may be – do you not think that the words that we speak give life, or can give life, or should give life? Yes, if you are using the right words.
Are you speaking from who you are, or are you speaking based on what the world is telling you? Now that sounds so simple. It’s one of those things that can sneak past you because we are programmed by this world to not have faith. We are programmed to doubt. We are programmed to have unbelief.
When I was growing up, and I’m sure the sentiment is still true today, anytime a person got cancer people said the person was going to die. Christians said the person was going to die.
Ladies and gentlemen, if Christ is in you, and the Christ that is in you creates life, and the Christ that is in you was given a kingdom by His Father, and cancer is part of the fallen nature, which you no longer have – are you going to let the world tell you that if you get cancer you’re going to die? Or, are you going to tell the world that’s not what the Bible says and that is not what Christ in me says? You have to make a decision ladies and gentlemen every single time.
You see, we live in this world and we’re so comfortable with this world – we shouldn’t be comfortable with this world. We live here. We have adapted. Christ in you never adapted to the world! Can I get an Amen? We have to live who we are.
(17) And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.
? In verse 17, Christ is the One who existed before time – and He is in you!
If Christ is in you and He existed before time, I have a question: when you’re facing an issue, is it possible, just maybe possible, that the Christ in you knows the answer? I’m just asking. Is it possible that He knows the answer? Yes! He was before everything existed. Of course, He’s going to know the answer.
? Also in verse 17, Christ is the One who is holding the universe together and He is in you!
Some years ago a noted scientist wrote in The Spiritual Nature of the Physical Universe, “If the creative force residing in the universe should be withdrawn for a moment, the whole universe would collapse.” The Bible tells us, ladies and gentlemen, that this creative force is Jesus Christ – and He is in you!
(18) And 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 preeminence.
? In verse 18, Christ is the One who is the head of the church – and He is in you! This means that we can know what He desires most for the Body of Christ.
? Also in verse 18, Christ is the One who is the firstborn from the dead – and He is in you! Simply, this means the sin nature is no longer alive in you. I don’t care how many try to tell you that you are sinner saved by grace. I don’t care what people say about we are incapable of not sinning. That’s a lie if Christ is in me! If you can’t help but sin, then you are Christ-less. So you need to get born again!
? Also in verse 18, Christ is the One who occupies the chief place in everything – and He is in you! The first part of Hebrews 2:8 says “Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet.” The “all things” are now under your feet! If something is under your feet that means you are in the position of authority. Do you see this? This is the Christ that is in you, the hope of glory!
We have authority to influence the things that are under our feet. The things of this world, ladies and gentlemen, because Christ is in us, is under our feet!
The person who holds the chief place in all of creation is in us. The next time you open your mouth to declare something, to pray about something, whatever the case may be, recognize that that is the authority and power that you have.
Christ is in you! He’s someone’s hope of glory. We are our country’s hope of glory, ladies and gentlemen. If we don’t do something, there is no hope for this country. It’s on us! If we don’t do something, there is no hope for our families – for your children. It’s on us!
(19) For it please the Father that in him should all fulness dwell;
? In verse 19, Christ is the One in whom all the fulness of everything dwells – the sum total of divine perfection, divine powers, and divine attributes – and He is in you!
And we learn more about this in Colossians 2:9. “For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. Christ is in you, so is it possible that the fulness of the Godhead bodily dwells in you? Is it possible? If words mean anything, the answer is yes.
And then verse 10 applies it to us! “And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power.”
(20) And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.
(21) And you, that were sometimes alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now he reconciled.
? In verses 20 and 21, Christ is the One who is the ultimate reconciler of the human race – and He is in you!
Ladies and gentlemen, this is Colossians 1:27! This is the mystery – the sacred secret – that no one saw coming and that most in the Church don’t truly understand. This is CHRIST IN YOU, THE HOPE OF GLORY!
Everyone please stand.
