The Mystery Of Christ In You

The Mystery of Christ in You

Colossians 1:27, 2 Corinthians 5:17

“God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”

2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV

17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.[a] The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

Introduction: Sometimes the most important words in scripture are some of the smallest. For instance when examining the two verses that we read this morning we see the preposition “in”. Prepositions are used before nouns to indicate that someone or something is located inside of a set of boundaries. It is interesting to note that in the former verse “in” is acting on the noun “you” and in the latter it is acting on the noun “Christ.” The Bible makes it clear that you are in Christ and Christ is in you. This is accomplished through the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. In the OT the Holy Spirit is said to have come “on” individuals and then departing but in the NT He is in believers permanently. Jesus tells us about this relationship in The indwelling of the Holy Spirit is the action by which God takes up permanent residence in the body of a believer in Jesus Christ. In the Old Testament, the Spirit would come and go from the saints, empowering them for service but not necessarily remaining with them (see Judges 15:14; 1 Chronicles 12:18; Psalm 51:11; Ezekiel 11:5). Jesus revealed to His disciples the new role the Spirit of Truth would play in their lives: “He lives with you and will be in you” (John 14:17). The apostle Paul wrote, “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies” (1 Corinthians 6:19–20).

These verses are telling us that the believer in Jesus Christ has the third Person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit, living in him. When an individual accepts Christ as personal Savior, the Holy Spirit gives the believer the life of God, eternal life, which is really His very nature (Titus 3:5; 2 Peter 1:4), and the Holy Spirit comes to live within him spiritually.

Let’s start by clarifying that the apostle Paul is writing to believers in Jesus Christ—the “you” whom he addresses. He calls them “the Lord’s people” in the previous verse (Colossians 1:26). The “Gentiles” are non-Jewish people. A “mystery” in the New Testament is simply something that was hidden in times past but has now been revealed by God. The former mystery, now understood, is that Christ in us is the hope of our future glory.

SOUTH AFRICA IS THE TENTH LARGEST PRODUCER OF SUNFLOWER SEED IN THE WORLD IT IS GROWN IN THE FREE STATE WHERE I WORK Once. A Farmer TOOK ME ONE DAY AND SHOWED ME THE MOST AMAZING SIGHT I EVER SAW MOVEMENTS OF SUNFLOWERS FOLLOWING THE SUN

They literally follow the sun. Watching one sunflower follow the sun is amazing. But watching hundreds in absolute unison follow the sun is incredible. Something I found out recently, is that Sunflowers continue tracking the suns direction long after the sun is set. They ensure that they are always oriented in the direction of the sun. Their unity is totally dependant on one thing. Their relationship to the sun.

1: Sunflowers produce oil after following the sun their entire lifetime. This is an illustration of our relationship to Christ. Christ in us produces many things but for the purpose of this message I’ll share only three…

I. Christ in us produces light in a dark world

Jesus said, 14"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. 15Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:14-16.

Robert Lewis Stevenson, as a boy, was looking out the window watching a workman come by and light the gas lights along the street. When asked what he was watching, the young boy said, “I see a man making holes in the darkness.”

A. A METAPHOR for TRUTH

Light is a very common metaphor in the Bible. Along with darkness, light is often used to contrast knowledge and ignorance. Here, it almost certainly stands for the world’s opportunity to perceive the truth about Jesus. The world is “in the dark” about God, but Christians “turn on the light.” Light allows people to see. We can’t see without light. Christians show the world how much God loves them and what Jesus has done to restore their relationship with him.