“THE MYSTERY OF CHRIST IN YOU”
COLOSSIANS 1:27

I. Introduction
“I Love a Mystery” was the name of a popular radio program that ran on the Mutual Broadcasting System from 1939 through 1944. The central characters were three guys who owned and operated the A-1 Detective Agency. Their motto was, “No job too tough, no adventure too baffling.”

It seems that people have always loved mysteries. Arthur Conan Doyle gave us Sherlock Holmes; Rex Stout wrote about Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin; Mickey Spillane created Mike Hammer; Dashiell Hammet developed the wise-cracking Sam Spade; Raymond Chandler came up with Philip Marlowe; and Agatha Christie, arguably the greatest mys-tery writer of them all, gave us Miss Marple and the brilliant and humble Hercule Poirot.

The trend goes on today with authors like Jeffrey Archer, David Baldacci, Patricia Corn-wall, Michael Connelly, and John Grisham publishing at least one new mystery novel every year. Remember the old maxim, “Crime doesn’t pay”? It sure pays for the best mystery writers. John Grisham’s mysteries have earned him over $600 million. The reading public just can’t seem to get enough mysteries.

Why do we love them so much? It’s been said that the main reason we’re so enamored with mysteries is that in solving them we create order out of disorder and have the oppor-tunity to see wrong made right. Author Michael Connelly describes mysteries as follows: “Everything is ordered, good and bad is clearly defined, bad guys always get what they deserve, heroes shine, no loose ends. It’s a refreshing antidote to the world we live in.”

If Connelly’s comments are accurate, then I think it’s fair to say the Bible contains the greatest mysteries ever written. In the Bible we see order created from disorder, good and bad clearly defined, wrongs made right, bad guys getting what they deserve, heroes shining brightly, and, if you’ve read Revelation, you know there will be no loose ends.

What are some of the mysteries of the Bible? Well, first we need to define the word. What’s a mystery? One dictionary defines the word “mystery” like this:
1. something unexplained, unknown, or kept secret
2. any thing or event that remains so secret or obscure as to excite curiosity

But that definition does not completely explain the term as it is used in the Bible. In the NT a mystery is a previously hidden truth that is now revealed. We get the word from the Greek “mustēriŏn.” (moos-tay´-ree-on) It literally means information shown to those on the inside, but kept from those on the outside.

It is in that sense that all of Jesus’ parables are mysteries. They are designed to reveal truth to those who believe, while at the same time, hiding it from those who do not. That’s precisely what a parable does. Jesus said as much when his disciples asked Him why He taught using parables.
Mark 4:10-12
10 And as soon as He was alone, His followers, along with the twelve, began asking Him about the parables.
11 And He was saying to them, “To you has been given the mystery of the kingdom of God; but those who are outside get everything in parables,
12 in order that while seeing, they may see and not perceive, and while hear-ing, they may hear and not understand lest they return and be forgiven.”

Jesus is telling us that one way we can know we are saved is if we understand Him and His truths. He is not saying that we need to be fluent in Hebrew and Greek. We don’t need to be theologians or seminary professors. We don’t need to know and understand every little nuance of doctrine. We simply need to grasp the richness of eternal truth as the Holy Spirit reveals it to us. So are you growing in Christ? Then you are in Christ!
1 Corinthians 2:12-13a
12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things freely given to us by God,
13a which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the (Holy) Spirit…

With regard to the great mysteries of the NT, those of the church and the church age, Paul addresses them in his benediction at the end of Romans.
*Romans 16:25-27
25 Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery which has been kept secret for long ages past,
26 but now is manifested, and by the Scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the eternal God, has been made known to all the nations, leading to obedience of faith;
27 to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, be the glory forever. Amen.

This morning I want to touch on a few of the most significant mysteries that we find revealed in the NT, ending with the one that speaks so eloquently to us when we come to the Lord’s table for communion. That is the mystery of the indwelling Christ in every one of God’s children. It is, “…Christ in you, the hope of glory (Colossians 1:27b).”
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II. Text
But before we look at our hope of glory, consider just six of the many mysteries that have been revealed in the NT.
• the mystery of Israel’s spiritual blindness
• the mystery of lawlessness
• the mystery of godliness
• the mystery of the church as the bride of Christ
• the mystery of the church’s soon departure
• the mystery of the end of man’s and Satan’s rebellion

1. The Mystery of Israel’s Spiritual Blindness
Why is it that the vast majority of God’s chosen people are blind to the truth of Christ? Now to be sure, the first Christians were all Jews, but as a nation Israel has rejected her own Messiah. It is for this reason that so many Christians think God is finished with Israel as a nation. They believe that God’s promises to Israel in the OT have been taken from her and transferred into the church. But is God finished with His chosen people? Has He rejected them? The Apostle Paul answers that question for us.
*Romans 11:1-2a
1 I say then, God has not rejected His people, has He? May it never be! For I too am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin.
2a God has not rejected His people whom He foreknew…

Fallen and sinful men want to work for their salvation. In that the Jews are no different than the rest of us. But Paul goes on to say that salvation is by grace alone.
*Romans 11:6-7
6 But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, otherwise grace is no longer grace.
7 What then? That which Israel is seeking for (earning salvation through works), it has not obtained, but those who were chosen obtained it, and the rest were hardened.

So it is clear that God has allowed most Jews to reject their Messiah. Why?
*Romans 11:11
11 I say then, they did not stumble so as to fall, did they? May it never be! But by their transgression salvation has come to the Gentiles, to make them jealous.

In the OT God promised salvation to the Gentiles. He told Abraham, “…in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed (Genesis 12:3b).” In Isaiah God spoke to the pre-incarnate Christ saying, “I will make You a light of the nations so that My salvation may reach to the end of the earth (Isaiah 49:6).” But God didn’t reveal that Israel’s temporary rejection of her Messiah would be part of His ultimate plan.

In the NT the mystery of Israel’s rejection is revealed. The Jews rejected Christ so the gospel could go out the whole world. Do you see? If Israel had received Jesus as their Messiah the Messianic (Millennial) Kingdom would have begun. Jesus would have judged the lost and taken His seat on the throne of David in Jerusalem. The Jews would be saved, but we would be forever lost.
And what about the prophecies of all the families of the earth being blessed and God’s message of salvation reaching out to the whole world? They would go unfulfilled. God had another plan. Israel’s national heart would be hardened to the truth. But would their hearts remain hard? Would their rejection be permanent? Would they have any hope?
*Romans 11:12, 15
12 Now if their transgression be riches for the world and their failure be riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their fulfillment be!
15 For if their rejection be the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead?

When will this prophecy come to pass? It will be fulfilled at the Second Coming when Jesus returns and does what the Jews erroneously thought He would do two thousand years ago – save them and establish His kingdom on this earth.
*Romans 11:25-26a
25 For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery, lest you be wise in your own estimation, that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fulness of the Gentiles has come in;
26a and thus all Israel will be saved…

So the mystery of Israel’s temporary spiritual blindness is revealed.

2. The Mystery of Lawlessness
We see the outworking of man’s lawlessness all around us.
1 John 3:4
4 Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawless- ness.

We know sin is only getting worse. All we need to do is look around us. So how is that a mystery? It’s a mystery because the final expression of lawlessness, the man of sin, the antichrist, has yet to be revealed. He will be the final expression of sin. And while we do not know who He is, we do know that the spirit of antichrist is already in the world.
1 John 4:2-3
2 By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God;
3 and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; and this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world.

Fully driven and controlled by Satan, the antichrist will be the ultimate expression of sin and lawlessness. So the mystery of lawlessness is even now being revealed.

3. The Mystery of Godliness
Just as we can readily see the results of lawlessness and sin all around us, so too we can see the result of godliness as it is made visible in the true church of Jesus Christ.
The mystery of godliness, the process by which God makes us more like His Son, is seen as the great truths of the NT are proclaimed by the church. Paul summarizes them.
*1 Timothy 3:14-16
14 I am writing these things to you, hoping to come to you before long;
15 but in case I am delayed, I write so that you may know how one ought to conduct himself in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth.
16 And by common confession great is the mystery of godliness: He who was revealed in the flesh, was vindicated in the Spirit, beheld by angels, pro-claimed among the nations, believed on in the world, (and) taken up in glory.

This “common confession” is a summary of the essential truths about Jesus. When they are believed, received, and become dominant in a person’s life, that person is a Christian. This is the mystery of godliness. It is revealed in all true followers of the Lord Jesus. But just as lawlessness is not yet fully revealed, neither is godliness. We are in the pro-cess of becoming like Jesus, but we are not there yet.
1 John 3:2
2 Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we shall be. We know that, when He appears, we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him just as He is.

4. The Mystery of the Church as the Bride of Christ
When we think of Ephesians 5 we think of husbands and wives, submission and head-ship, and the principle of spouses giving their lives over to one another. Wives are called to live their lives for their husbands, and if it should come to it, husbands are called to die for their wives. These two principles are cornerstones of Christian marriage, but Ephe-sians 5 reveals even greater truth. It is the mystery of the church as the bride of Christ.
*Ephesians 5:31-32
31 For this cause a man shall leave his father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife; and the two shall become one flesh.
32 This mystery is great; but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church.

Christian marriage is a picture or a reflection of the relationship between Jesus Christ and His bride, the church. If you want to know what that relationship looks like, you need to understand what the husband and wife relationship is to look like as God defines it.

It is only when we set aside our emotions, and remove today’s societal and cultural stan-dards from our ideas of marriage, that we can begin to see God’s real and eternal plan for both marriage and the church. Then the mystery of the church as the bride of Christ is fully revealed. What a picture it is!
*Ephesians 5:22-23, 25 (Please permit me to emphasize some of the following words.)
22 Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord.
23 For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body.
25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her…

This mystery will be fully revealed when…
*Ephesians 5:27
27 (Jesus presents) to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she should be holy and blameless.

5. The Mystery of the Church’s Soon Departure
This is what the Christians have come to call “The Rapture.” The word is from the Latin “rapturo” meaning “caught up.” It refers to that moment of time yet future when the church will be taken out of this world just before God unleashes His wrath upon sin and unbelief. This is a mystery that was never revealed in the OT. However, it is revealed in detail in the NT. Jesus spoke of it first. Then Paul elaborated on it.
John 14:2-3
2 “In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you.
3 “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.”

1 Corinthians 15:51-52a
51 Behold, I tell you a mystery; we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
52a in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trum-pet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable…

1 Thessalonians 4:16-17
16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first.
17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up (“raptured”) together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and thus we shall always be with the Lord.

6. The Mystery of the End of Man’s and Satan’s Rebellion
This mystery is revealed in The Book of Revelation. Near the end of the seven-year tribulation, as God’s wrath against sin and evil is about to reach its peak, John speaks of “the mystery of God.” The seven seal judgments have been unleashed upon the earth and its inhabitants. The seventh seal has revealed the seven trumpet judgments.

This last trumpet contains the seven bowl judgments, the final horrors that the Lord will pour out upon the sin and unbelief of the world.
It is just before the seventh angel blows his trumpet that the mystery of God is revealed.
Revelation 10:6-7a
6 and (the angel) swore by Him who lives forever and ever, who created hea-ven and the things in it, and the earth and the things in it, and the sea and the things in it, that there shall be delay no longer,
7a but in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound, then the mystery of God is finished…

With the sounding of the seventh trumpet the end of the tribulation is near. Christ will return and bring an end to Satan’s rebellion. The time of God’s patience will be at an end. One is tempted to ask, “Lord, why has it taken so long?” The answer is that God is long-suffering. He has allowed sin to run its course. But no more! Now He will destroy Satan, his demons, and all who have refused to repent and put their faith in His Son.

When Jesus returns He will fight the Battle of Armageddon, Israel will recognize Him as their Messiah, they will finally turn to Him, repent and be saved, and He will establish His Millennial Kingdom on earth. So the mystery of the end of man’s sin and Satan’s rebellion will be fully revealed at Jesus’ Second Coming.

But there is one more mystery for us this morning. It is the mystery of Christ in us. For Bible-believing Christians it may be the most important and significant mystery of all. The Apostle Paul calls it our “hope of glory.” It is revealed in every true Christian at the moment of their salvation when the Spirit of Christ takes residence in the new believer.

In Colossians 1 Paul is teaching about the Person of Christ – who He is, what He is, and what He has done.
*Colossians 1:15-17
15 And He is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of all creation.
16 For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visi-ble and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities – all things have been created by Him and for Him.
17 And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.

In vv. 18-24 Paul goes on to speak of Christ’s headship, the fact that He has reconciled us to His Father through His death on the cross, and how all true believers have been made holy and blameless before God because of the gospel. It is true believers alone who are part of the true church, which is the body of Christ.
*Colossians 1:25-27
25 Of this church I was made a minister according to the stewardship from God bestowed on me for your benefit, that I might fully carry out the preaching of the word of God.
26 that is, the mystery which has been hidden from the past ages and genera-tions; but has now been manifested (revealed) to His saints,
27 to whom God 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.

Paul is saying that he was given a responsibility to use the gifts God had given him. We know that responsibility applies to all believers. Paul’s responsibility here is to preach the whole truth of God. In v. 26 he is saying that the greatest of all truths have heretofore been veiled in mystery. But now they are being unveiled to the saints of God. In other words, the veil is being lifted, and God’s truth, His plan for the ages, will be clearly seen.

In the OT God had spoken about the coming of the Jewish Messiah numerous times. Again and again, particularly in the Psalms and Isaiah, God had said that His Messiah would save Israel and that the Gentiles would have a part in His salvation as well.

But the OT did not say how God would accomplish this. Moreover, it said nothing about the Holy Spirit of God literally moving in and taking up residence in each and every true believer, regardless of whether the individual was a Jew or a Gentile. This is the mystery which v. 26 says, “…has been hidden from the past ages and generations; but has now been manifested to His saints.” This is Jesus’ promise to all who know and love Him.
John 14:23
23 “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.”

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 body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness.

But just how is, “…Christ in you, the hope of glory”? What does it mean? It’s simply this: It’s God’s absolute guarantee that you have eternal life and eternal glory awaits you.
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III. Conclusion
Whenever we come to this table we come recognizing the reality of “Christ in us.” When we consume the elements of communion we should be remembering this wonder-ful truth. And we should be praising Him for what He has done to save our souls from death, destruction, and final damnation. This morning, as you partake of the bread and the cup, thank Him for being here with us and thank Him for being here in us. He is truly our hope of glory to come.

Join me at the table.