This is week 4 of our study of Colossians “Look Up! Living Below For Who Is Above!”
Introduction
Last week, we focused on knowing God’s will. This week, we delve into the “mystery” of Christ and the purpose of Paul’s letter to the Colossians.
Question – Is the gospel mysterious and if so, why?
Message
Read Colossians 1:24-29 and 2:1-5
Paul’s Labor for the Church
24 Now I rejoice in what I am suffering for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church. 25 I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness— 26 the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the Lord’s people. 27 To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
28 He is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ. 29 To this end I strenuously contend with all the energy Christ so powerfully works in me.
2 I want you to know how hard I am contending for you and for those at Laodicea, and for all who have not met me personally. 2 My goal is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, 3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. 4 I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by fine-sounding arguments. 5 For though I am absent from you in body, I am present with you in spirit and delight to see how disciplined you are and how firm your faith in Christ is.”
Verse 24 – “Now I rejoice in what I am suffering for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church.” This verse does not suggest that Christ’s sacrifice for our sins was incomplete in any way, but that Paul continued to suffer for preaching the message about Christ. Paul views as still suffering, not to pay for our sins, but in relationship with his people as they continue to serve His purposes, many times through great difficulty. Christ suffered on the cross to pay the complete penalty for our offenses against God, and Paul endured the sufferings necessary to carry Christ’s message to a spiritually lost world that is hostile to God. Paul rejoices because he is allowed to share in Christ’s suffering.
Verse 26 – “the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the Lord’s people.” “Mystery” was a popular concept in certain pagan religions with which some of the Colossians may have been familiar. It was secret information available only to a particular group of people. Paul drastically changes the mean of the term by combining it with terms like “disclosed” (hear) “made known, and “revelation.” True Christianity is not about secret knowledge for only a few. God does not hide His plan from anyone who is sincerely searching. Instead, He has openly revealed and proclaimed His truth.
Verse 27 – “To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” Christ’s living in us by His Holy Spirit is our assurance of future glory and eternal life. Only Christ’s inner presence and our ongoing intimate companionship and interaction with Him can remove any doubt about being with Him forever in heaven.
Verse 28 – “He is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ.” The word translated “perfect” means “whole, complete, mature.” This word does not refer to moral or ethical perfection or flawless behavior. It points to a more mature relationship with God that loves Him fully and strives to fulfill His purposes through a lifestyle of complete devotion to Him and love for others.
Verses 2 and 3 – “My goal is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, 3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” These verses point to the purpose of Paul’s letter Namely that the Colossians would be encouraged to be united in love, and that Christ and only Christ was the mysterious hidden treasure that had been revealed to them.
Verses 4 and 5 – “I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by fine-sounding arguments. 5 For though I am absent from you in body, I am present with you in spirit and delight to see how disciplined you are and how firm your faith in Christ is.” These verses tell the Colossians the reason why Paul has laid the foundation of Christ’s supremacy so that they would not be deceived and stray from the truth.
Concluding Remarks and Application
Do we sometimes make our belief in Christ more mysterious than it is by adding additional requirements to it? You may ask, what does that look like? Perhaps it might look like this – “I know …………….or if you do not know what I know, you are not truly saved……..”
The mystery Paul discussed is something we often take for granted today.
The mystery is the indwelling relationship with God. It confused people back in Paul’s day and even today people still don’t comprehend it until they experience it.
Christ dwells in us and we live in Christ. How is it possible for one to exist within another? That’s the physical puzzle.
The solution may come with a shift in focus if we remember that we are not flesh and blood beings experiencing a temporary spiritual moment, but are instead Spirit beings experiencing a temporary physical moment in the grand scope of things. So let’s shift our focus today and think about living as a spiritual being indwelt by God’s Holy Spirit.
