We read from Matthew's Gospel
chapter 13 but we turn again to Colossians and chapter 1 for
our text and to verses 26 and 27. Colossians 1 26 to 27 which
reads, Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from
generations but now is made manifest 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. Even the mystery which have been
hid from ages and from generations but now is made manifest 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. The mystery, the mystery even
the mystery which have been hid from ages and from generations,
but is now made manifest to the saints. What do you know of this
mystery? A read of mystery, of mysteries,
in several places in the New Testament, several verses speak
of the mystery. And a mystery is something which
is hidden, something which is hard to be understood, hard to
comprehend, something wonderful, something glorious, something
that must be revealed and made known, a mystery. Here in Colossians 1 we read
of that mystery which was hid from ages and from generations. Despite all the prophets, despite
the scriptures, despite all those wise men who had looked into
the Scriptures over hundreds and thousands of years, we read
nevertheless that the mystery had been hid from ages and from
generations. Essentially the world was in
darkness. Yes, light had been shone in.
Yes, God had dealings with man from time to time in sundry places. He had spoken through the prophets. Yes, he had given the scriptures.
But despite this, who saw? Who understood? Who understood
the mystery? The light shineth in the darkness
and the darkness comprehended it not. The world remained in
darkness. This mystery was hid. Hid from ages and from generations. It was hid. And you know what
something's like when it's hid? You can spend a lot of time looking.
You can look here and you can look there. But when something's
hid, it's not easily found. It's not easy to find that which
is hidden. You may never find that which
is hidden. You may look all you like and never find it. It's
hid. A bit like, as we read in Matthew
13, of that treasure which was hid in the field. He spoke of
a parable there of the kingdom of God being likened unto treasure
hid in a field. And he who found it rejoiced
and sold all that he had to buy the field to have the treasure. But to most, that treasure was
hid. To the majority, that treasure and that mystery which Paul speaks
of here in Colossians, has been hid, hid from ages and generations. And yet God did show it to a
few. There were those, before the time at which Paul spake,
who had seen in measure. There were those to whom God
revealed something of this mystery spoken of here, but it was revealed
but in measure. It was seen in but type and figure,
in shadows, in prophecies. There were those who did see,
but they saw faintly. There were those to whom God
gave faith. And with that faith, they looked
ahead. They looked to the promises.
They looked to the coming and the fulfillment of those promises.
They looked for the coming of the Messiah who was promised
to them. but their understanding of who
he was and what he would do was but in measure. And they died
in faith, not having received the promises, but embracing them,
as Hebrews 11 tells us. There were promises that were
yet to be fulfilled, but until the fulfillment, the mystery
was hid and was never fully known. Yet God did have a people throughout
these ages, a people like Job, whose eyes were open to see.
They were open just enough that they could see what God had promised,
that they could look down through the ages and through the generations
to Him who would come. And Job was able to cry out that
he knew that his Redeemer liveth. that we lived thousands of years
before the coming of Christ. God gave him that faith, to look
down through the ages by faith, to that one who would come, to
that one who would die in his place, that one who would be
his redeemer. Yet these things were hid for
so long a time, for ages and for generations, thousands of
years, millions of people, the great, the wise, the strong,
the mighty, those who were full of knowledge, those who were
learned, looked into these things. And yet this mystery was hid
from them. It was hid from the ages and from the generations.
And it was only made known, and it is only made known, if God
should choose to open the eyes to see and God should choose
to take this mystery which was hid and make it known and reveal
it. Try all you will, search all
you will, live for thousands of years and look into these
things except God reveal then this mystery will remain hid
from you too. It will remain in darkness. It
will remain darkness until such a time as God should say, let
there be light. Yes, the mystery was hid. But
now, Paul says, it has been made manifest. The mystery which has
been hid from ages and from generations, but now, is made manifest. To who? Who is it made manifest
to? To everyone? To any who should
come and read this Bible? To any who should come and read
the letter to the Colossians which Paul writes here? Is it
made manifest to all? Christ having come, Christ the
Saviour, the Messiah, of whom the prophets spake, He of whom
the promises pertained, Christ having come into this world 2,000
years ago, and having made known in so many ways the fulfillment
of those promises and those prophecies, having made known the mystery.
Is this mystery then made known to all who have followed since?
Is that what the verse says? No, it does not say. The verse
says that this mystery which was hid from ages and from generations
is now made manifest to his saints, to the saints, to God's own,
to his people. He makes it manifest to his saints. And he makes it manifest by his
Spirit, who takes of these things of Jesus Christ, takes these
mysteries pertaining to him and his kingdom, and reveals them
unto his own, opening their eyes to see, opening their ears to
hear, a people who had eyes that looked elsewhere and ears that
would not hear, whose hearts were hardened, whose wills rejected
Christ and the gospel, whose hearts were blinded, a people
who would not, Yet when the time of love should come, when the
time that God should choose to make known this mystery, their
eyes are opened and their ears are opened to hear. And such
a mystery is revealed and it is made manifest to the saints,
to the saints. As Christ said to his disciples,
both in Matthew chapter 13 which we read and also in a similar
passage in Mark 4, where he echoes his words spoken to Isaiah when
he sent Isaiah forth to preach, Christ says, unto you it is given
to know the mystery of the kingdom of God, but unto them that are
without. All these things are done in
parables, that seeing they may see and not perceive, and hearing
they may hear and not understand. lest at any time they should
be converted and their sins should be forgiven. Yes, he's hid this mystery from
many in the ages and the generations and he's hid from many in this
age and this generation. But not all. It's not hid from
the saints. The mystery is made manifest
to the saints. to the saints, but to none other
but the saints, only to the saints. To whom God would make known
what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles. Why does he reveal these things?
Why does God make known the riches of the glory of this mystery
among the Gentiles? Why does he make this known to
the saints? Because he would. Because he
would. To whom God would make known
what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles.
He reveals it to his people because he would. That's why. Because it pleases him. It pleased
him to make known his riches and his glory to those whom he
chose in Christ before the foundation of the world. A people like all
others, a people as bad as all others, a people as blind as
any other, a people no more deserving of God's mercy, no more deserving
of His love, no more deserving of such a revelation than any
other, and yet it pleased God to make known to such a people
such a mystery and such a glory, it pleased Him. And it pleased
him to make it known, not just to the Jews, not just to that
people of old, to whom he had such great dealings, to whom
he sent the prophets. For it pleased him to make it
known, not just to the Jews, but to the Gentiles. The glory
of this mystery among the Gentiles. Not just to the religious, but
to the barbarians, to those who were outside. to those who are
in darkness, to those who are idolatrous, to the worst. It pleased him
to make it known to the blind, to those who were dark, to the
blindest, the darkest, the deadest, the most ignorant, the most idolatrous,
the most wayward, the most mean, the most base, the most vile,
the lowest of the low, Even the Gentiles. The mean, the base,
the vile. Do you come in there somewhere?
Is that a description of you at all? Those who are dark, those
who are blind. Are you too bad to be considered?
Are you any worse? Do you rule yourself out because
you're not religious enough? You're not wise enough? Are you
too bad? I don't think so. If God should
make known this mystery to such a people, if he should make known
this mystery to Paul who called himself the chief of sinners,
then he can make known this mystery to you and he can make known
this mystery to me. Why not you? Perhaps you're too
good. Perhaps you think you're too
clever, you're too proud, you're too wise. Perhaps this is all
foolishness to you. Perhaps the mystery, the mystery
of the gospel, perhaps the things of God are a nonsense to you.
Perhaps you're too clever for it. You're too learned. Perhaps these things are just
myths for the weak, for those that need some sort of prop to
take them through life. Perhaps you're too self-sufficient.
Perhaps you think that you can live without faith, live without
God. You live on your own terms, by
your own strength. You laugh and you've scorned
these things. Well, all right then, exclude yourself. For God
came not to call the wise, not to call the mighty, not to call
the righteous, but he came to call sinners to repent. this
mystery is made known unto the saints and the saints are sinners
by nature he came to cause sinners to repentance for as he says
as paul says in 1 corinthians 1 verse 26 not many wise not
many mighty not many noble are called but god have chosen the
foolish things of the world to confound the wise And God have
chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things
which are mighty. Yes, God saves sinners. God does
save sinners. And I'm so glad of that, aren't
you? I'm so glad of that, that he came to save sinners, not
to save the righteous, not to save the mighty, not to save
the great, but to save the weak. To save those who are without
strength. To save those who are foolish. To save those who are
sinners. I'm glad that he came to save
sinners, aren't you? Are you one of those? Are you
weak? Are you sinful? Do you see your
need? Do you see your need as a sinner
to be saved from your sins? Do you see your need as one who
is weak and who is poor to be given strength? To be given that
wisdom which is from above? If you see your need then come
to the one who reveals his glory to the needy. The one who came
to save the needy. The one who came to give riches
to the poor. The one who came to give water
to the thirsty, food to the hungry. The One who came to make the
blind to see and the deaf to hear and the lame to walk. The
One who came to save sinners. The One who makes known. The riches of the glory of this
mystery among the Gentiles. The riches of the glory of this
mystery. What treasure compares to these
riches? What treasure compares to this?
For what shall it profit a man if he shall gain the whole world
and lose his own soul? You can't take such riches out of
this world into the next. They'll be burnt up with fire
and they'll perish. But there are riches which are
eternal and should you find these riches Should these riches of
the glory of this mystery which was made known unto the Gentiles
be made known unto you? Oh, then you'll have a treasure.
Then you'll have a treasure worth having. What a thing to find. What glory. What a treasure to be found.
But what is the glory of this mystery? What is this mystery?
what is this mystery which was made known to the gentiles? why
does paul remind the colossians of this mystery? what is the
mystery of which he speaks? what do you know of this mystery?
well as i said that the word mystery is used in several places
in the new testament that refers to several truths and several
mysteries which god has made known in his gospel there is
that that mystery that glorious mystery of the Truth that God
is one God in three persons, that he is Father, Son and Holy
Ghost, three persons, each a person and yet one God. A mystery which
we cannot fathom, a mystery which was hid from ages and from generations,
when God in the Old Testament was known simply as God, as the
Lord God. And this mystery that He is one
God in three persons, this mystery of the Father and of the Son
and of the Holy Spirit was revealed in the coming of Christ, was
revealed when the Father sent His own Son into this world and
His own Son took upon Himself flesh. Oh, what a mystery is
made known in the Gospel. of that triune God and of that
salvation by the triune God. That mystery of God in free persons
as it says later in Colossians in chapter 2 that their hearts
might be comforted being knit together in love and unto all
riches of the full assurance of understanding to the acknowledgement
of the mystery of God and of the Father, and of Christ, in
whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge." All
the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Oh, there's a mystery in this.
There's another mystery made known in the New Testament, in
the Gospel. That mystery of God being made
flesh that mystery that God should be manifest in the flesh, that
the living God should be made a man and come in to dwell amongst
men, to come and walk among men, the God who created the heavens
and the earth, the God who sustains the heavens and the earth should
be made man and should come into such a dark world for the saving
of his own. 1 Timothy 3.16 tells us, and
without controversy, great is the mystery of godliness. God
was manifest in the flesh, justified in the spirit, seen of angels,
preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up
into glory. Yes, God was made manifest in
the flesh. That's a great mystery. Another
mystery made known in the Gospel, is that fulfillment of the covenant
which God made in eternity past between Father and Son and Spirit. That covenant which would be
fulfilled in the coming of Christ as He was made flesh and in the
death of Christ as He laid down His life for His own. Oh, what
a mystery that God should be made flesh. Oh, what a mystery
that God should die in the place of his people, that God himself
should come to redeem a wicked and a fallen people, that he
should come to redeem sinners, sinners such as you and I. What
a mystery that God should set his love upon those who turned
their back upon him. What a mystery that God should
set his love upon those who hated him. What a mystery that God
Himself should die in the place of those who sought Him not. What a mystery that Christ should
come and be nailed to a tree for those who rejected Him. That
He should take their sins upon Himself, that He should be lifted
up above the earth and that God should, His Father should pour
out his wrath upon him, that wrath that his people deserved,
that wrath that their sins deserve, those sins that he took to be
his own. What a mystery that the earth
should be darkened, that the light of the sun should be darkened,
as the very Son of God was made sin upon the tree for those whom
he loved and for those for whom he died. What a mystery that
God should do this to save his own, What a mystery that God
should covenant before ever the world was created to do such
a thing. What a mystery that God himself
made man in the person of Jesus Christ should lay down his life. What a mystery this gospel is.
What a mystery this gospel is. As Romans chapter 16 says, now
to him that is of power to establish you according to my gospel and
the preaching of Jesus Christ according to the revelation of
the mystery which was kept secret since the world began but now
is made manifest and by the scriptures of the prophets according to
the commandment of the everlasting God made known to all nations
for the obedience of faith. Oh there's a mystery in this
gospel that God should save a people who deserved it not. that God
might be just and the justifier of the ungodly, that God should
find a way to save those who had sinned and yet to uphold
his justice while showing mercy. What a mystery that God should
be able to uphold justice in the judgment of those sins and
yet still show mercy and love to a people that deserved it
not. What a mystery. why should he do it for those
that rejected him? Oh what a mystery that he should
show such love to people like us who deserve so little. Yes there's many mysteries in
the gospel, the mystery of God in free persons, the mystery
of God being made flesh and still being God, The mystery of God
laying down his life in the person of Christ to save a people. But
is this the mystery of which Paul speaks of here in Colossians
1? It's something of the mystery,
but this mystery is more than that. There's more here than
simply that, if one can say simply of such things. there's great
mysteries in the gospel, what mystery is this which Paul speaks
of here? It's all this yes, all that I
have said yes but more. The real revelation of this mystery
is the astounding truth, the astounding truth that God would
make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery
among the Gentiles, the astounding truth of his church and of his
dwelling in that church. that truth of Christ in you,
the hope of glory. This is this mystery of which
Paul speaks, not just that God is made known to his people as
one God in three persons, not just that he is revealed as having
taken upon himself flesh in the person of his Son, as having
lived amongst sinners, as having dwelt amongst sinners, as having
been rejected by sinners, not just that he who was light walked
amongst the darkness, not just that he the son of God should
be nailed upon the tree and should die in the place of his people,
that he should come as the redeemer of that people, that he should
justify that people, that he should wash their sins away by
his own blood, not just that having died for that people that
he should rise again on the third day but also also that as a result
his people who are in him from all eternity called out of both
jews and gentiles united with him in death as he died that
that people who died in him should also rise in Him in the resurrection. That people who were in Him when
He died, whose sins He washed away by His own blood, should
rise with Him. As one body in Him, as one people
in Him, as one church in Him, as one in Him. That when He died,
they died with Him. And when he rose, they rose in
him. And when he ascended, they ascended
in him. And when he sat down on high,
victorious over everything, victorious over all his foes, victorious
over sin, death, and hell, when he sat down on high, the mighty
conqueror, they sat down with him, victorious in him, one in
him. that they should sit down in
their mighty conqueror, in their saviour on high. That mystery
of the church, of one body, of the body of Christ, of one people
in Him, this is the mystery made known. This is the riches of
the glory of this mystery which was made known not just to the
Jews but to the Gentiles, which was hid from ages and from generations
but now was made manifest to the saints. This mystery, of
Christ in you, the hope of glory. Christ in you, the hope of glory. For as it says in Ephesians,
this is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and
the church. And as we read in Matthew and
Mark's gospel also, Christ said unto his disciples concerning
those parables of which he spake unto others, He said, and he
said unto them, unto you it is given to know the mystery of
the kingdom of God. The mystery of the kingdom of
God, the mystery of his church, of his kingdom. Christ in you. Did you hear that? Did you hear that? Christ in
you, the hope of glory. Can you fathom that? Can you
really take that in? Can you take in how amazing a
truth that is? We can read the words but can
you comprehend what it is? Christ in you, the hope of glory. Can you take that in? Can you
take in how near God is? How near he is, how near faith
brings him to us? He's not just at a distance,
He's not just died, risen, and ascended, and He's at a distance
in the glory. But in the glory, the gospel
tells us, Paul tells us here, the Spirit tells us that though
in the glory, we as His people are there in Him. And though
in the glory, He as our Savior is here in us. He's Christ in
you, the hope of glory. Can you see that, how near he
is? How near faith brings him? The
law and the practice of the law that Moses was given, the ceremonies,
the types, the figures, the law could never reveal him. Not in
this way. The law could never bring God
this close. The law kept him at a distance.
The people stood outside as the priest went into the Holy of
Holies, hidden from view, as he took the shed blood and sprinkled
it upon that mercy seat, hidden from view. But all was hid. The people looked on and they
knew that something wonderful was occurring. Something wonderful,
that that blood of the sacrifice, which was made to atone for their
sins, was being taken in, into the Holy of Holies, where God's
presence was felt. And as the priests would take
it in, they knew that something wonderful occurred. But it was
all hid from view. It was all at a distance. But
now in the gospel, these things are made known. They're revealed,
they're manifest to God's people. And God is made known, he's no
longer at a distance. Christ is not merely a historical
figure 2,000 years ago that came into this world that walked among
men that died, that rose again, that ascended and that left. And he's at a distance. He's
no longer simply an historical figure, but to his saints, he
is manifest. He is revealed. He is made known
to his saints. He is very, very near. He's so
near. The law couldn't bring him this
near, but faith. brings him right into the heart. He is Christ in you, the hope
of glory. As we read in Romans, But the
righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not
in thine heart who shall ascend into heaven, that is to bring
Christ down from above? Or who shall descend into the
deep, that is to bring Christ up again from the dead? But what
sayeth it? The word is nigh thee, even in
thy mouth and in thy heart. That is the word of faith which
we preach, that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord
Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him
from the dead, thou shalt be saved. The word is nigh thee. It's in the heart, in the mouth. How near He is, no longer hid,
no longer remote, no longer at a distance, no longer veiled. The veil of the temple was ripped
asunder, torn asunder, torn in two when Christ rose. When He
died, when He cried out, it is finished. The veil was wrinked. And God is no longer veiled.
He is revealed. He is made known. He's no longer
hid, he's manifest. He came into the world, yes,
but faith brings him closer. He was never closer than he is
now by faith. He was no closer when he was
upon this earth to the disciples than he can be now to those who
are his saints who have given faith to see him. Many saw Him
in the flesh who know Him not by faith, and many today of His
saints see Him not with the eyes, but by faith they see. And by faith He's made known,
and by faith He's very, very near. Yes, He's near. The word is neither. He's made
known, manifest, revealed. by faith. To you? Do you see? If so, then this mystery that
is made known, tells us that he is Christ in you. The hope
of glory. This is how near. Christ in you. Do you have a hope of glory?
If so, what is it founded on? For it must be founded on the
sure knowledge of Christ in you, as your hope. Not just in you
as an individual, but in you as a body of people in the plural.
That he is in us, in his church, as one company. And that you
are part of that company, part of that body, a member of his
body. Are you? Do you know that you
are in vital union with Him as one body, as a member of His
body, you in Him and He in you? Is this your hope? Nothing short
of this will do. We must know that what it is
to be in Christ, what it is to know Him, not just about Him,
but to know Him as ours. to be in him and he in us. He must be ours. No mere profession,
no head knowledge will do. The question is, the vital question
for you this day, has the mystery been made manifest to you? Are
you one with Christ? Are you bone of his bones, flesh
of his flesh, one body? for that's the hope of glory
Christ and Christ alone he's the hope of glory oh what a treasure
if he's ours what a treasure if you have found Christ what
a treasure if he's been revealed the unsearchable riches of Christ
all is in him he's the only treasure worth having He's the only treasure
worth having, the only treasure which you can take into eternity.
There's nothing outside of Him but death. But there's eternal life in Him
and He is the hope of glory. Is He yours? Is He your all in
all? Is He your hope of glory? Has
He been made manifest to you? Do you know the mystery of Christ
in you? I hope I'm alright.