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Colossians 1:24 I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh
what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is the
church,
Colossians 1:25 Of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from
God which was given to me for you, to fulfill the word of God,
Colossians 1:26 The mystery which has been hidden from ages and from
generations, but now has been revealed to His saints.
Colossians 1:27 To them God willed to make known what are the riches of
the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope
of glory.
Colossians 1:28 Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in
all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.
Colossians 1:29 To this end I also labor, striving according to His working which
works in me mightily.
Investigator Josiah Thompson, said, “A president of the United States is shot
down at high noon in a public square with some 400 or 500 people looking on,
with maybe at least 38 of them taking film and photos, and now almost 60 years
later we don’t know what happened. As long as a mystery resides at the center
of this case ‘it can’t be closed.”
Proverbs 3:32, “His secret is with the righteous.”
Psalm 25:14, “The secret of the Lord is with them that hear Him.”
1 Corinthians 13:2 And though I …understand all mysteries …
A mystery is a hidden spiritual truth in the past now revealed by divine revelation.
I. THE HISTORY OF MYSTERY.
Deuteronomy 29:29 The secret things belong unto the Lord our God: but those
things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we
may do all the words of this law.
Proverbs 25:2 “It is the glory of God to conceal a thing.”
Now when the word “mystery” is used in the New Testament, it is also refering
to something that was never revealed in the Old Testament to anybody.
1. The Mystery of Godliness Revealed: God in human flesh.
1 Timothy 3:16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness:
God was manifested in the flesh, Justified in the Spirit, Seen by angels,
Preached among the Gentiles, Believed on in the world, Received up in glory.
2. The Mystery of the Church Revealed.
Ephesians 3:3 How that by revelation He made known to me the mystery (as
I have briefly written already,
Ephesians 3:4 By which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge
in the mystery of Christ),
Ephesians 3:5 Which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men,
as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets:
Ephesians 3:6 That the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, of the same body,
and partakers of His promise in Christ through the gospel,
3. The Mystery of the Bride of Christ Revealed.
Ephesians 5:30 For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones.
Ephesians 5:31 “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and
be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.”
Ephesians 5:32 This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church.
4. The Mystery of Israel’s Unbelief Revealed.
Romans 11:25 For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of
this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness
in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.
5. The Mystery of the Rapture Revealed.
1 Corinthians 15:51 Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but
we shall all be changed–
1 Corinthians 15:52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet.
For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and
we shall be changed.
6. The Mystery of Iniquity Revealed.
2 Thessalonians 2:7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who
now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.
2 Thessalonians 2:8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord
will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of
His coming.
2 Thessalonians 2:9 The coming of the lawless one is according to the working
of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders,
7. The Mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven Revealed.
Matthew 13:10 And the disciples came and said to Him, “Why do You speak
to them in parables?”
Matthew 13:11 He answered and said to them, “Because it has been given to you
to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.
Matthew 13:13 Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do
not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.
Jesus taught to reveal, but also to conceal.
Matthew 11:25 At that time Jesus answered and said, “I thank You, Father,
Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise
and prudent and have revealed them to babes.
Matthew 11:26 Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight.
II. THE MYSTERY OF HISTORY.
Colossians 1:26 The mystery which has been hidden from ages and from
generations, but now has been revealed to His saints.
What is the mystery that’s been hidden? “Christ in you, the hope of glory.”
Colossians 1:27 To them God willed to make known what are the riches of
the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope
of glory.
Jesus died on the cross, so we can die to ourselves and He can live in us.
Stephen Olford said (quote):
“Spell out the word C-H-R-I-S-T-I-A-N. Then take the letter “A” from the end of
the word and put it at the beginning.
A Christian is ” A Christ In.”
Jesus became Immanuel, God with us, that He might forever be God in us.
Psalm 23:4 “… I will fear no evil; For you are with me;
Hebrews 13:5 ” … For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but
Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in
the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.
1. Christ in you enables you to remain positive during suffering.
Colossians 1:24 I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh
what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is the
church,
Romans 4:18 This salutation by my own hand—Paul. Remember my chains.
2. Christ in you is the way God fulfills all His precious promises.
Colossians 1:25 Of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from
God which was given to me for you, to fulfill the word of God,
Major Ian Thomas in his book “The Saving Life of Christ” writes:
“To be in Christ– that makes you fit for heaven; but for Christ to be in you–that
makes you fit for earth! To be in Christ–that changes your destination; but for
Christ to be in you–that changes your destiny! To be in Christ makes heaven your
home; but for Christ to be in you makes this world God’s workshop.”
3. Christ in you is the only way you can become a complete person.
Colossians 1:28 Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in
all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.
4. Christ in you is His mighty power working through you.
Colossians 1:29 To this end I also labor, striving according to His working which
works in me mightily.
Lyrics “Live This Mystery” by Michael Card
Since my life is hid in Thee,
I must live this mystery
In Him we live, in Him we move,
In Him all things are new
The mystery of life in Christ
Is Christ can live in you.
My God’s a big God but small enough to live in me.
2 Corinthians 13:5 Examine yourselves, whether you be in the faith; prove your
own selves. Know you not your own selves, how Jesus Christ is in you; except
you be reprobates?
