May 26, 2014
IT'S NO LONGER A MYSTERY. THE SECRET IS REVEALED!
Colossians 1:21-29
Dave Kimball
Central Truth
Paul reveals a mystery to the Colossians and the Gentiles as a whole. Christ now indwells in those who believe in Him, which is the hope of glory.
Key Verse | Colossians 1:26–27
[T]he mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. (Colossians 1:26-27)
Colossians 1:21-29
21 And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, 22 he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, 23 if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation 1 1:23 Or to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.
Paul's Ministry to the Church
24 Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church, 25 of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, 26 the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. 27 To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. 28 Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. 29 For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.
Dive Deeper | Colossians 1:21-29
Who doesn't like a good whodunit or thriller? Whether a movie or a book, most people love to read or watch things that make them wonder what is going to happen and how things are going to work out. We are many times surprised when we hear things from movie characters, like **SPOILER ALERT** "I see dead people." Writers put things in such a way that as soon as you think you have it figured out, boom . . . you didn't see that coming.
This is similar to what Paul writes to the Colossians. He talks about the Incomparable Christ and all that He has done for us and, in the first part of today's reading, how through the death of Jesus we are considered "blameless and above reproach before him" (Colossians 1:22). The Colossians must have been going, "Right on, good stuff, Paul. Keep it coming." And then Paul takes it to the next level when he reveals "the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. . . . the hope of glory which is Christ in you." Wait. What? (Cue record scratch sound effects.) Christ in me? You mean that He actually dwells in me? Game changer. See, it had been known that the Gentiles would come to be a part of the church like the Jews, but it was not known that they would have Christ within them. That is the "hope of glory," and that is huge.
John MacArthur states, "The indwelling spirit of Christ is the guarantee to each believer of future glory." Christ dwells in us -- how crazy is that? Our world continues to look to everything to find the mystery and meaning of life, but we as believers have it inside of us. The mystery has been revealed. We don't have to try to fill our lives with the many fleeting things of this world. We have the loving God of the universe -- creator of all things -- inside of us, patiently working and moving in us so that we can become more like Him. Count me as one who is glad he knows whodunit, and I am thrilled!!
Discussion Questions
1. Do you realize that Christ dwells within you? Now that you do, is that a game changer for you?
2. Are you looking to find fulfillment and meaning in your life outside of Jesus?
3. What would you tell someone who is looking for the meaning of life?