“…THE HOPE OF GLORY”
SELECTED SCRIPTURES

I. Introduction
Johann and Ursula read Luke 22:7-20 to open the service. In that passage we saw Jesus institute what we now call communion at the last supper. The symbolism is clear. When we eat of the unleavened bread we are reminded that it is a representation of Jesus sinless body that has been given for us. When we drink of the cup we are reminded that it is Jesus’ precious blood that saves us. In both the bread and the cup we remember Him.

Let me read a portion of the parallel passage in Matthew’s gospel.
Matthew 26:26-29
26And while they were eating, Jesus took some bread, and after a blessing, He broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.”
27 And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, say-ing, “Drink from it, all of you;
28 for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for for-giveness of sins.
29 “But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom.”

Again, the symbolism is clear. In the communion service, or the Lord’s Supper, we take two essential elements into our bodies – food and drink – and we remember the One who gave Himself for us. He did do so by shedding His blood, that is to say, He died for us.
Just as you and I cannot live temporally without the physical reality of food and drink, so too, we cannot live eternally without the spiritual reality of Jesus Christ living in us.

Jesus has given His church two ordinances. They are baptism and communion. In the first, baptism, the believer is placed in Christ.
*Romans 6:3-5
3 Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death?
4 Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, in order that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.
5 For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, cer-tainly we shall be also in the likeness of His resurrection.

Yesterday morning we were blessed by witnessing the baptism of Brandon Valadez, Amy Gaasrud, and Hannah and Timmy Yorgey. They were immersed in the waters of Geneva Lake. But as we pointed out then, the water into which one is immersed has no saving power. The water isn’t Christ.
But the water, the act of being immersed in the water, and the act of rising up out of the water, are all symbolic of the death of the old person, their burial, and their resurrection to eternal life. If you are a true Christian, you have been spiritually baptized in Christ whether you have been baptized in water or not.

Having said all of that, the fact remains that every Christian should be baptized in water. It is a question of obedience because Jesus commanded His followers to do so.
Matthew 28:19
19 “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.”

Furthermore, we do it because of what it means, what it symbolizes – our identification with the death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. It is our immersion in Christ that makes us new creations in Christ.
2 Corinthians 5:17
17 Therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things (have) passed away; behold, new things have come.

“…in Christ” is a marvelous, a wondrous reality. We cannot place ourselves in Him – only God can do that. And He only does it when we have repented and come to saving faith in His Son. What does it mean to be “in Christ”?
Galatians 3:23-27
23 But before faith came, we were kept in custody under the law, being shut up to the faith which was later to be revealed.
24 Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, that we may be justified by faith.
25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.
26 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.
27 For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourself with Christ.

Being in Christ means that you have trusted Him and His finished work on your behalf.
You can only become a new creature in Christ when you are united to Him in the baptism described in Romans 6:3-5. Thus the symbolism of water baptism follows the reality of spiritual baptism. Every true Christian has been spiritually baptized.

You are only united to Christ once. You are only made a new creature once. You are only born to eternal life once. You are only placed in Christ once. And so, you are only baptized in water once. Water baptism is the first ordinance of the church.
1 Corinthians 12:13
13 For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.

It is when all those who have been baptized in Christ come together for worship that the second ordinance Jesus instituted – communion – comes into play. This second ordi-nance is not for us to remember that we are in Christ – it is for us to remember Christ and to remember that He is in us.

Jesus told us to remember Him. He told us how we should remember Him. We are to take in the elements that He prescribed. The symbols of communion also follow the real-ity. We eat of the bread and remember His body. We drink of the cup and remember His shed blood.

We are placed in Christ once, but how often are we to remember Him? Just once? Or are we called to remember Him throughout our lives on this earth? Are we called to obey Him once, or are we called to obey Him as long as we live? The truth is that we never stop remembering Him. We never stop obeying Him. So we take communion over and over and over again. We will do so until He comes for us. Then comes the reality. We will no longer need to “remember” Him because we will be with Him.
Matthew 26:29
29 “But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom.”

So you and I remember and we obey. And although the Holy Spirit indwells us only once – He does so at the moment of our conversion – we are reminded that we are called to be filled with the Holy Spirit at all times.
Ephesians 5:18
18 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit. (“Dissipation” is the damage done when one wastes or squanders himself.)

Paul’s point is that if we are continually being filled with the Spirit of God, if we allow the Spirit of God to lead us, and if we do not quench the Spirit of God in our daily lives, then we will be able to commune with Jesus. Being filled with the Spirit of God means to consciously and deliberately live our lives in communion with Him.

Our communion with Christ is only possible because of our spiritual union with Him. When we take communion together it also emphasizes our spiritual union with each other. Just as water baptism symbolizes the true Christian’s place in Christ, so too the elements of the communion meal symbolize Christ’s place in the true Christian.

You in Christ and Christ in you! Think of it. These are the two magnificent and eternal truths that separate all true Christians from everyone else.
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II. Text
Yesterday we gathered to witness the immersion of our brothers and sister in Christ. This morning we’ve gathered to remember Jesus and to obey Him. It is not about being in Christ. Rather, it is about Christ being in us. The symbolism is just as rich.
This morning we will celebrate our union with Him and with each other. We will com-mune with Him and we will commune with each other. We will fellowship with Him and we will fellowship with each other. Why am I going on like this? Because the words “communion, commune, communicate, partner, partake, participate,” and “fellowship” all come from the same Greek word. In the verb form it is “kŏinōnĕō.” In the noun form it is “kŏinōnia.”

It means that we hold something in common. Each of us has a share in the same thing. Listen to some of the ways the NT uses the word “kŏinōnia” as it relates to the church.
1 Corinthians 1:9 (fellowship with Him)
9 God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship (kŏinōnia) with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Acts 2:42 (fellowship with each other)
42 And they were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship (kŏinōnia), to the breaking of bread (communion) and to prayer.
1 Corinthians 10:16 (fellowship with each other and with Him)
16 Is not the cup of blessing which we bless a sharing (kŏinōnia) in the blood of Christ? Is not the bread which we break a sharing (kŏinōnia) in the body of Christ?

This “fellowshipping,” this “sharing” of the elements is a blessing that is reserved for those who have placed their faith in Christ. It isn’t for anyone else. Frankly, I don’t know why anyone who hasn’t trusted Christ for their salvation would even want to par-take of the bread and the cup. It profits them no more than being baptized in water pro-fits an unbeliever.

So while we call this a “Communion Service” we could just as easily call it a “Fellow-ship Service.” In a service like this we commune with the Lord by praying and confes-sing our sins, and we fellowship together by partaking of the elements. Communing, fellowshipping, partaking – it’s all “kŏinōnia.”

Before Jesus went to the cross He promised that, although He would be gone from this earth, He would send His Spirit to live in us.
*John 14:16-26
16 “…I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper that He may be with you forever.
17 that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not behold Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you, and will be in you.
18 “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.
19 “After a little while the world will behold Me no more; but you will behold Me; because I live, you shall live also.
20 “In that day you shall know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I (am) in you.
21 “He who has My commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves Me; and he who loves Me shall be loved by My Father, and I will love him, and will disclose Myself to him.”
22 Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, “Lord, what then has happened that You are going to disclose Yourself to us, and not to the world?”
23 Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him, and make Our abode with him.
24 “He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father’s who sent Me.
25 “These things I have spoken to you, while abiding with you.
26 “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.”

Jesus said that His Spirit is not for the lost of this world, but for Christians alone. Look at v. 17. The reason the world cannot receive God’s Spirit is because it neither knows nor sees God. Jesus said His Spirit would not only live with us, He would be in us. He went on to tell the apostles that even though His physical presence was soon to be taken from them, His spiritual presence would come to them. And He told them that anyone who had His Spirit would live forever. In v. 19 He said, “…because I live, you shall live also.” Physical life isn’t eternal, but spiritual life is.

Now look again at v. 20. When Jesus said, “…in that day,” He was not talking about the Second Coming. He was talking about the Day of Pentecost, the day the church was born, the day the Holy Spirit baptized and filled the disciples. Jesus said that in that day, “…you shall know that I am in My Father, and you (are) in Me, and I (am) in you.

Are you a true born-again Christian? Yes? Then you are in Christ. You are a member of the true church; and Christ, in the Person of His Holy Spirit, is in you. In John 14:21 the Lord made it clear that this is how He would disclose Himself to His people. If you are a Christian that’s precisely how Jesus’ disclosed Himself to you. His Spirit came to you, took up residence in you, and supernaturally revealed the truth to you. That is how you came to saving faith. That is the only way anyone can ever come to saving faith.

Look once more at John 14:22. Jude asked Jesus why God’s children would have this disclosure, why we would understand, but the lost of the world would neither have the disclosure nor understand. Jesus’ answer comes in v. 23 and the first part of v. 24. It’s as plain as it can be. It’s because the Spirit of God lives in the believer but does not live in the unbeliever. In fact, v. 23 illustrates the absolute unity within the Trinity (Tri-unity).

Jesus said that those who keep His word will be loved by the Father and, “We will come to him and make Our abode with him.” Therefore, if one were to ask the question, “Is the One living and abiding with me the Spirit of God or the Spirit of Christ,” the answer is, “Yes!” What a magnificent picture of the Holy Trinity of God!

Look again at John 14:27 where Jesus speaks of one of the great blessings that accrue to us as a result of the Spirit’s indwelling.
John 14:27
27 Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives, do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.

This is the peace that the Apostle Paul tells us about in his letter to the church at Philippi.
Philippians 4:7
7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Another of the great blessings that come to us through the Spirit’s indwelling is the abili-ty to please God.
Romans 8:8-10
8 …those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
9 However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.
10 And if Christ is in you, though the (your) body is dead because of sin, yet the (your) spirit is alive because of righteousness.

Yet another of the blessings that come to us through the Spirit’s indwelling is the ability to obey God and live a separated life on this earth. In our own power we can do neither.
1 John 2:15-17
15 Do not love the world, nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world.
17 And the world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God abides forever.

Living the separated life in Christ is arguably the greatest battle that you and I face in this life. And we don’t face it once in a while. We face it every day of our lives. Without the indwelling Holy Spirit it is a battle we will lose.
*2 Corinthians 6:14-18
14 Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship (kŏinōnia) has light with darkness?
15 Or what harmony has Christ with Belial (Satan), or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever?
16 Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the tem-ple of the living God; just as God said, “I will dwell in them and walk among them; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.
17 Therefore, come out from their midst and be separate,” says the Lord. “And do not touch what is unclean; And I will welcome you.
18 “And I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to Me,” says the Lord Almighty.

This does not mean we are to end all associations with unbelievers. That would neither be practical nor possible. But what it does mean is that we are not to enter into any spiritual relationships with unbelievers such as marriage or placing such a person in a position of leadership in the church. Personally, I believe it applies to business partner-ships as well, but I know that is open to some debate.

In any case, without the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit, you and I would find, “Do not love the world, nor the things in the world…,” and “Do not be bound together with unbelievers…” impossible to obey.

But “Christ in us” means more than that. It means that we are delivered from spiritual darkness into the light of His Son.
1 John 1:7
7 …if we walk in the light as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship (kŏinōnia) with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.

“Christ in us” means that, as adopted children of God, we are also made heirs of God.
Romans 8:16-17
16 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,
17 and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him in order that we may also be glorified with Him.

Wait a minute. Suffering is a blessing?
1 Peter 4:12-16
12 Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you;
13 but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing; so that also at the revelation of His glory, you may rejoice with exaltation.
14 If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.
15 By no means let any of you suffer as a murderer, or thief, or evildoer, or a troublesome meddler;
16 but if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not feel ashamed, but in that name (“Christian”) let him glorify God.

Your suffering is a blessing? If we glorify God in our suffering it is.

“Christ in us” means that we have been given a new nature. The new nature is Christ’s. With His nature comes the ability to experience victory over sin. Paul talks about this in his letter to the churches in Galatia. His point is that the “old man” is dead because…
Galatians 2:20
20 “I have been crucified with Christ; and 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 delivered Himself up for me.”

Beyond that, “Christ in us” means that we are members of a royal priesthood. How important is that? Remember that only a priest can enter into God’s presence. One of the gross errors of Roman Catholicism is that they have usurped the very idea of the priest-hood of believers and taken it for their own clergy. But you and I are priests of God. Peter confirms that in 1 Peter 2:9 where he says, “…you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood.” You, as a true Christian, do not need anyone to go to God for you.
Hebrews 4:16
16 Let us therefore draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and may find grace to help in time of need.

One the great blessings of “Christ in us” is that we have direct access into the throne room of God. And why not? “Christ in us” means that you and I are already citizens of heaven.
Philippians 3:20
20 For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.

“Christ in us” means that our justification has saved us from the penalty of sin. Our sanctification is saving us from the power of sin. And when Jesus takes us into His pre-sence, our glorification will save us from the presence of sin itself.

And there is one more blessing I have to mention. It is the title of this morning’s sermon.
Colossians 1:27
27 …God (has) willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

Might that not be the greatest blessing of them all – Christ in you, the hope of glory?

Christ living in His church is a mystery that was never revealed to Israel in the OT.
The Jewish Messiah would come and build His church, and that church would consist primarily of Gentiles. This was a mystery that had been hidden, but with the writing of the NT, that mystery was made clear. God would no longer reside in the Jewish temple. No, He would reside in His people. The NT teaches and confirms this truth.
Acts 7:47-48
47 “…(King) Solomon …built a house for Him.
48 “However, the Most High (God) does not dwell in houses made by human hands…”

So if Christ doesn’t dwell in houses made with hands, where does He dwell? You already know, don’t you? Listen once more to the Apostle Paul.
2 Corinthians 6:16b
16b For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said, “I will dwell in them and walk among them; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.
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III. Conclusion
Listen Christian, “Christ in you” is your hope of glory. “Christ in you” absolutely guar-antees your future: The absolute promise of heaven, the absolute promise of eternal life, and the absolute promise of a glory to come that you and I cannot even imagine. All of that is because the Spirit of Christ is in you.

In just a moment we will partake of the elements. As you take these two elements into your body, think of the beautiful and meaningful symbolism and remember Jesus. He is in you.

Will you join me at the table?