Mystery #8 mystery of christ in us (colossians)

Colossians 1:26-28

“The mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints.

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.

Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.”

 

Introduction: (rewrite)

 

This mystery is that we would found in Him when He returns and to receive the conditional inheritance as a bride of Christ. The Father gave a body to Christ and He will select from that Body a bride for His Son. He will select a bride from the last Adam and will rule from His garden, the Kingdom of heaven on earth.

 

Christ in us, to be found in Him means His rib - to be qualified as a rib. The inheritance to the church thru the Father is guaranteed and the inheritance as a family member. The double portion is dependent on faithfulness to the end of your race. The nuiance in Colossians is Christ in you and you in Christ.

 

The mystery of Christ in us is the HOPE of glory.

This may have been one of the initial messages saying that the mystery is that Christ has enabled us with everything we need through the Holy Spirit because of His grace, don’t fall short of receiving the glory at the end of your race. Again, this mystery lays out the foundation of this race that Paul states to every 

church body.

 

Paul uses the past tense that their sins have already been forgiven several times in his letter to the Colossians.  But Paul’s hope for them is a conditional statement that will be dependent upon their faithful obedience and this hope is that he would be able to PRESENT them holy and blameless and above reproach. This language is emphasized as the greatest mystery or the most profound mystery in Paul’s 5th chapter to the church at Ephesis in which he compares a marriage to what Christ is doing with His church.

 

(Colossians 1:22-23) Paul’s concern is for the church to be found in Christ, the full inheritance which the author believes is brideship. We can be “in Christ” but still be walking (living) outside of Christ. Colossians talks of Christ in us and in Philippians we see Paul talking about the church being in Christ. This is a reciprocal relationship.

 

This mystery is that we would be found in Him when He returns and to receive the conditional inheritance as a bride of Christ.

 

Sonship is through Christ with the Father. The Father will accept a bride for His Son - being a first born is conditional. Brideship is with the Son as His rib. 

The Father gave a body to Christ. He will select from that body a bride for His Son. He will select a bride from the last Adam and will rule from His garden, the Kingdom of heaven on earth. 

 

Christ in us - to be found in Him means His rib - qualified as a rib. The inheritance to the church through the Father is guaranteed and the inheritance as the family member. The double portion is dependent on faithfulness to the end of your race. 

 

Christ is being formed IN US through the power of the Holy Spirit. We want to finish the race, to be found IN HIM. Paul’s goal is to be rewarded the upward prize and to be found IN HIM. This is Paul’s highest goal which is to be Christ’s bride, to know Him. The nuiance to the Colossians is the idea to be found in Christ, it is Christ in us and the ability to be found in Him at the end our race.

 

Are we truly letting Christ be our Lord and Master? All of this is an analogy for the bride of Christ. 

 

“so as to walk in a manner worth of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God…giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light…And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled…to present you holy and blameless, and above reproach in His sight…”if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven… The mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints. To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: Whom we preach warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus: whereunto I also labor, striving according to his working that he powerfully works within me…

that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ…

as you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving…Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ…For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily…You have all sufficiency in Him, In Christ Jesus. Walk in Christ because He is your power to live a holy and blameless life….in him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ…Let no one disqualify you…If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God…When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry…In these you too once walked, when you were living in them…Above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection…Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord but not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ. For the wrongdoer will be paid back for the wrong he has done, and there is no partiality…so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and Lord Jesus Christ.”

 

Conclusion:

 

The reward is for our faithfulness. The reward is the 1000 years of rest! The goal is to fight sin so you can earn the reward and be declared blameless at the return of Jesus Christ.

 

This looks like something He has already accomplished but He has not. 

To reconcile is a verb written in the tense = aorist is without regard on amount of time taken to complete the action, something that has taken place at one point in time although it may actually take place over a period of time; mood = indicative meaning this is a fact and the action can occur in the past, present or future; voice = active meaning that the person is actively performing this promise. So in short, the process of reconciliation is a guarantee but the amount of time needed to accomplish that action is not guaranteed. 

To reconcile, bring back again, to a former state of harmony. 

 

Paul wants to present us at Christ’s return as Holy and Blameless and above reproach in His sight. Paul’s stewardship was to present us holy and this was a mystery but it now is revealed to His Saints who go onto completion and maturity. The goal of agape love is to help one another receive the goal of standing before Christ blameless and without reproach. Christ in us gives us the power to go onto maturity. Paul’s letters are written to the church not to non believers!

 

Paul is constantly talking about sin and not letting it master you but letting Christ be your master. This is why Paul talks about circumcision so much. 

The works of the law do not help you resist your flesh and your temptation, the only thing that will help you is what Christ did for you. You have the power now by faith to live a righteous life. Don’t major in the minors.

 

Christ wants to bring us back into right relationship with Him through our sanctification and our suffering to refine us. He tests what is in our heart (Deuterotomy 8:2-3). If we continue in the faith, which the Israelites to the promised land did not do….they started in faith but they did not continue in faith. The stumbling blocks that prevented their faithfulness…grumbling, complaining, making their belly an idol, sexual immorality, testing Christ, lust of evil things. We have to keep grounded and steadfast. 

 

There is no partiality, no favoritism of God. Paul is warning the church! Not everyone is guaranteed these rewards.

It’s not just an award ceremony as we will receive a repayment for what is wrong and repaid for what is right. 

 

With Christ’s unbelievable death on the cross, we need to worship Him, obey Him, serve Him and if you don’t do this then because of Christ did

you life of loving Him back will come under judgement. We will be judged for what we have been given.

We are to encourage one another as a way that displeases God. 

We no longer have an excuse now with Christ’s blood on the cross….under the law there was not a way to love Him back and walk in a way that is worthy.

We need to keep our brothers holy and blameless, we are to lay down our life for the purposes of Christ as He laid down His life for you.

 

(See Key to Inheritance and Reward; Key to Lukewarm Church; Key to Bema Seat; Reference the Key to Love)

 

**ADD GALATIANS??