April 10, 2022 MYSTERY REVEALED
Colossians 1:26-29 “that is, the mystery which has been hidden from past ages and generations; but has now been manifested to His saints, to who God willed to make known what is the riches of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. And we proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, that we may present every man complete in Christ. And for this purpose I also labor, striving according to His power, which mightily works within me.”
There was a time when the mystery was hidden; no one, including the angles, knew how or when this mystery would be revealed. Before this hidden mystery was revealed, those who believed in God lived under the law of God which they could not keep, no matter how dedicated or how hard they tried. You might say, they were in a real predicament; they wanted to keep the law of God, but could not, and they sinned before God; surely it seemed like a hopeless situation; they had a will not to sin, but lacked the power not to sin. During the times before this mystery was known, the only way to find forgiveness for sin was through animal sacrifice. Also, the believers of that day did not have a personal, intimate relationship with God; the Holy Spirit did not indwell them. But thanks be to God, we live in a day when the hidden mystery of God has been revealed; no more sacrifice, and at last, freed from the power of sin-no more sacrifices. This awesome mystery that changes everything can be summed up in three words; “Christ in you.” We often hear about Christ being in us, but I fear that we may sometimes forget what a dynamic, life-changing reality it means for the Holy Spirit of God to dwell in us. We may have difficulty grasping the fact that at a particular time in all of history, God chose to send the Holy Spirit to live inside of every one who believes in Him. What is more awesome than having the Spirit of the Creator God Himself living in us? The presence of Christ in us takes us out of mere human experience; His presence makes us new creations-the old things passed away; we are not who we use to be! Now, because of His presence, we have a personal relationship with Him and no longer does sin separate us form Him; we have been restored to our Father. We can enjoy God and walk in fellowship with Him and be guided by Him and empowered by Him to live a life that is pleasing to Him. The Spirit of God in us transforms us from the inside out-He is continually at work in us. We must be alert to the fact that we can quench and resist the work of the Holy Spirit by choosing to live according to our flesh; but even if and when we do, the Spirit is drawing us back to Him. Choosing our way does not lead to life; only as we live according to the Spirit do we find life.
Galatians 2:12 “Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God.”
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 “Do you not know that your bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.”
Blessings,
Buddy
RSS Feed