The Revelation of Jesus – Colossians 1:25-29
The Revelation of Jesus – Colossians 1:25-29
By Pastor Lee Hemen
April 6, 2008 AM
Most folks like a good mystery. One where there is intrigue and suspense and maybe a surprise outcome as well! I will never forget the mystery of the “Broken Cookie Jar.” Never heard of it? Well, I am not surprised because it happened to my family. My mother had a cookie jar she loved and one day it got broken, but none of us siblings would confess to the dastardly deed. She therefore lined us all up in a row and asked each of us if we had broken it, and, each time she asked, each one of us said, “No, it wasn’t me.” Since none “confessed,” we all suffered the consequences. Many years later the mystery was solved when my sister came clean to breaking it. Sure, this is not as great a mystery as say some others, but it confused my brother and I for years until my sister plead guilty!
The Apostle Paul spoke of another mystery. One that has eternal and spiritual consequences for our lives. It is the mystery of salvation revealed through Jesus Christ. There are those in the world who would like others to think that salvation is a long drawn out process and a mysterious secret only obtained by those intelligent enough to gain the prize of enlightenment. This is what the Colossians were being told. It was a lie. Paul reveals in his letter exactly what this mystery is and its importance. Revelation literally meant an unveiling of something that had been hidden, like a covering on a box that is removed to reveal the contents inside or a drape that is whisked away to reveal what lay under it. Paul therefore teaches us about the revelation of Jesus and what it means. Let’s find out today...
READ: Colossians 1:25-29
Paul willingly rejoiced (v. 24) in the midst of his suffering for the cause of Christ. Christians today are to demonstrate their commitment to God and to His revelation that the offer of salvation through Jesus Christ is inclusive. However, those who respond are God’s elect. Paul relates that...
I. The revelation of Jesus, is disclosed to God’s saints! (vv. 25-26)
1. A mystery is no longer a mystery when it is revealed! Paul related that he had “become its servant by the commission God.” God did this in order that Paul would present “the word of God in its fullness,” with no hidden agendas or secret decoder rings involved, to the world! The Colossian heresy boasted of a “fullness” of knowledge possible only through their mystical experience. But Paul declared that the fullness of “the mystery” is freely found and disclosed in Jesus. By “mystery” Paul meant something once concealed but then revealed! This contrasted with the Colossian heretics’ notion that a mystery was a secret teaching known only to an exclusive group and unknown to the masses. Sound familiar? Paul viewed himself as a servant, a minister of Jesus’ “body, which is the church,” given a message by God to unveil to those He had drawn to Himself. God had chosen to reveal the content of this mystery to His people through Paul who had become its chief minister! It was a “mystery” in that not everyone could understand it and that it had “been kept hidden for ages and generations, but [was] now disclosed to [all] the saints!” Those whom God had chosen to reveal it to. Not some secretive society, but those whom He chose to share the good news of Jesus Christ and Paul was one of them! The revelation of Jesus, is disclosed to God’s saints!
EXAMPLE: “Open it up! Open it up!” came the delightful squeals of the little girls invited to the birthday party. They all knew something unmistakeably true about any gift: It cannot be fully appreciated until it is unwrapped. This is true for birthday presents and for the gift God has given to us through Jesus Christ as well. It remains a mystery until it is revealed, until it is opened up, unwrapped, and used. How wonderful to know therefore that God’s mystery has been revealed! the revelation of Jesus, is disclosed to God’s saints! But more than that...
The Bible definitely teaches us that God draws those He has chosen to Himself. His saints. Jesus related that no one could come to Him unless God had drawn them and this holds true now as well. However, we also know that God so loved the world that He gave Jesus as a sacrifice for the sins of the entire world. Therefore, Paul related that...
II. In this revelation of Jesus, God deliberately chose to make His mystery known! (v. 27)
1. God elected to reveal Himself in Jesus Christ! “God has chosen to make known” this mystery to all New Testament saints! He willed in His sovereign mercy to reveal His eternal purpose the “glorious riches of this mystery!” The amazing thing is that this mystery was now by design consciously revealed by God among not just the Jews but now also to the Gentiles! This is the theology of Jesus when He declared, “For God so loved the world.” It was God’s choice to reveal His plan: God's call to salvation is unlimited but His redemption is limited to those who believe! Even to gentiles, Jews, and to all of those He has chosen! Though this particular aspect of God’s intent previously had been hidden, the inclusion of all people had been a part of God’s plan for all eternity. It had now come to glorious fruition through God’s Son who had given Himself as the sacrifice for the sins of the world. God intentionally made Himself known to the whole world through Jesus Christ. The mystery was revealed! Paul related that it was a intentional act of God to reveal His purpose through Jesus. In this revelation of Jesus, God deliberately chose to make His mystery known!
EXAMPLE: When confronted with the fact of God choosing His children, often people will object with the phrase, “That’s not fair!” The reason is that they misunderstand God and His plan. They think in humanistic terms that if you chose one over another, then that lessens a person’s worth. This is how the Jews thought. Nothing is further from the truth. We forget that God is not only eternal He is also all knowing. He exists outside of time and space because he created both! The idea in Scripture is that God has chosen, now chooses, and will choose those who are drawn to Him. Conversely, God has rejected, now rejects, and will reject those who are not drawn to Him! This is why Jesus could say, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’” (Matthew 7:21-23) The wording is literally, “I did not know you, I do not know you, and will not know you!” WOW! How wonderful to know then, that in this revelation of Jesus, God deliberately chose to make His mystery known!
Even though God draws people to Himself, we do not know whom God has chosen and so He has given the task of sharing the good news of salvation to His church. Paul related that it is because of this that...
III. The revelation of Jesus, is something His saints should be willing to labor for! (vv. 28-29)
1. Serving Jesus should be habit forming! Paul’s proclamation was habitual one for him as well as a continual one he could not escape. He had to do what God had called him to do! Paul engaged in preaching on a consistent basis, not occasionally, for the sake of the good news. The focus of Paul’s proclamation was Jesus Christ, the primary subject of God’s mystery that had been revealed. He therefore should be willing to labor for it, just as all Christians should as well. Paul habitually warned and taught his listeners. Paul’s desire was to proclaim the mystery of Christ among the Gentiles as correction to any false teaching they may have received by “admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom!” His desire was to “present everyone perfect in Christ.” The idea here being like James who desired that Jesus’ saints “be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” (James 1:4) “To this end I labor,” Paul related. It was his focus in life to see immature believers mature in their faith. This is what today’s church has lost in the process of soft-selling the gospel without teaching the duty of walking in the gospel. In fact, the term translated “labor” contains the idea of genuine effort. It is intensive labor that produces extreme exhaustion. Paul had spent himself for the purpose of Christ. Do you? The revelation of Jesus, is something His saints should be willing to labor for!
EXAMPLE: You have heard people say, “A honest day’s pay for an honest day’s labor,” yet there are many who seek to be “paid” for work they did not do! We live in a “me first” society that seeks its own comfort at all costs. What a contrast to Paul or many of the past wonderful “saints” of the Lord. I wonder what people would truly do if they actually got back from their church what little they truthfully had labored for! Far too many enjoy the “comforts” that others work hard to provide, thinking that it is their “right” to enjoy and expect. How sad. Think about this seriously for a moment. Could you actually “eat” from the labor you have invested in Jesus’ body that you belong to? Could you pay the bills from what you have invested in time, talent, or treasure? Does this frighten you or anger you that I would dare bring such a thing up at all? Far too many like the free ride of faith they receive from their fellow saints. Paul tells us that the revelation of Jesus, is something His saints should be willing to labor for!
Conclusion:
The revelation of Jesus, is disclosed to God’s saints! In this revelation of Jesus, God deliberately chose to make His mystery known! The revelation of Jesus is something His saints should be willing to labor for!
---
NOTE: This article is copyrighted by Pastor Lee Hemen © 2008 and the property of Pastor Lee Hemen. You are welcome to copy it, email it, or use it but please if you copy it, email it, or use it you must do so in its entirety.
By Pastor Lee Hemen
April 6, 2008 AM
Most folks like a good mystery. One where there is intrigue and suspense and maybe a surprise outcome as well! I will never forget the mystery of the “Broken Cookie Jar.” Never heard of it? Well, I am not surprised because it happened to my family. My mother had a cookie jar she loved and one day it got broken, but none of us siblings would confess to the dastardly deed. She therefore lined us all up in a row and asked each of us if we had broken it, and, each time she asked, each one of us said, “No, it wasn’t me.” Since none “confessed,” we all suffered the consequences. Many years later the mystery was solved when my sister came clean to breaking it. Sure, this is not as great a mystery as say some others, but it confused my brother and I for years until my sister plead guilty!
The Apostle Paul spoke of another mystery. One that has eternal and spiritual consequences for our lives. It is the mystery of salvation revealed through Jesus Christ. There are those in the world who would like others to think that salvation is a long drawn out process and a mysterious secret only obtained by those intelligent enough to gain the prize of enlightenment. This is what the Colossians were being told. It was a lie. Paul reveals in his letter exactly what this mystery is and its importance. Revelation literally meant an unveiling of something that had been hidden, like a covering on a box that is removed to reveal the contents inside or a drape that is whisked away to reveal what lay under it. Paul therefore teaches us about the revelation of Jesus and what it means. Let’s find out today...
READ: Colossians 1:25-29
Paul willingly rejoiced (v. 24) in the midst of his suffering for the cause of Christ. Christians today are to demonstrate their commitment to God and to His revelation that the offer of salvation through Jesus Christ is inclusive. However, those who respond are God’s elect. Paul relates that...
I. The revelation of Jesus, is disclosed to God’s saints! (vv. 25-26)
1. A mystery is no longer a mystery when it is revealed! Paul related that he had “become its servant by the commission God.” God did this in order that Paul would present “the word of God in its fullness,” with no hidden agendas or secret decoder rings involved, to the world! The Colossian heresy boasted of a “fullness” of knowledge possible only through their mystical experience. But Paul declared that the fullness of “the mystery” is freely found and disclosed in Jesus. By “mystery” Paul meant something once concealed but then revealed! This contrasted with the Colossian heretics’ notion that a mystery was a secret teaching known only to an exclusive group and unknown to the masses. Sound familiar? Paul viewed himself as a servant, a minister of Jesus’ “body, which is the church,” given a message by God to unveil to those He had drawn to Himself. God had chosen to reveal the content of this mystery to His people through Paul who had become its chief minister! It was a “mystery” in that not everyone could understand it and that it had “been kept hidden for ages and generations, but [was] now disclosed to [all] the saints!” Those whom God had chosen to reveal it to. Not some secretive society, but those whom He chose to share the good news of Jesus Christ and Paul was one of them! The revelation of Jesus, is disclosed to God’s saints!
EXAMPLE: “Open it up! Open it up!” came the delightful squeals of the little girls invited to the birthday party. They all knew something unmistakeably true about any gift: It cannot be fully appreciated until it is unwrapped. This is true for birthday presents and for the gift God has given to us through Jesus Christ as well. It remains a mystery until it is revealed, until it is opened up, unwrapped, and used. How wonderful to know therefore that God’s mystery has been revealed! the revelation of Jesus, is disclosed to God’s saints! But more than that...
The Bible definitely teaches us that God draws those He has chosen to Himself. His saints. Jesus related that no one could come to Him unless God had drawn them and this holds true now as well. However, we also know that God so loved the world that He gave Jesus as a sacrifice for the sins of the entire world. Therefore, Paul related that...
II. In this revelation of Jesus, God deliberately chose to make His mystery known! (v. 27)
1. God elected to reveal Himself in Jesus Christ! “God has chosen to make known” this mystery to all New Testament saints! He willed in His sovereign mercy to reveal His eternal purpose the “glorious riches of this mystery!” The amazing thing is that this mystery was now by design consciously revealed by God among not just the Jews but now also to the Gentiles! This is the theology of Jesus when He declared, “For God so loved the world.” It was God’s choice to reveal His plan: God's call to salvation is unlimited but His redemption is limited to those who believe! Even to gentiles, Jews, and to all of those He has chosen! Though this particular aspect of God’s intent previously had been hidden, the inclusion of all people had been a part of God’s plan for all eternity. It had now come to glorious fruition through God’s Son who had given Himself as the sacrifice for the sins of the world. God intentionally made Himself known to the whole world through Jesus Christ. The mystery was revealed! Paul related that it was a intentional act of God to reveal His purpose through Jesus. In this revelation of Jesus, God deliberately chose to make His mystery known!
EXAMPLE: When confronted with the fact of God choosing His children, often people will object with the phrase, “That’s not fair!” The reason is that they misunderstand God and His plan. They think in humanistic terms that if you chose one over another, then that lessens a person’s worth. This is how the Jews thought. Nothing is further from the truth. We forget that God is not only eternal He is also all knowing. He exists outside of time and space because he created both! The idea in Scripture is that God has chosen, now chooses, and will choose those who are drawn to Him. Conversely, God has rejected, now rejects, and will reject those who are not drawn to Him! This is why Jesus could say, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’” (Matthew 7:21-23) The wording is literally, “I did not know you, I do not know you, and will not know you!” WOW! How wonderful to know then, that in this revelation of Jesus, God deliberately chose to make His mystery known!
Even though God draws people to Himself, we do not know whom God has chosen and so He has given the task of sharing the good news of salvation to His church. Paul related that it is because of this that...
III. The revelation of Jesus, is something His saints should be willing to labor for! (vv. 28-29)
1. Serving Jesus should be habit forming! Paul’s proclamation was habitual one for him as well as a continual one he could not escape. He had to do what God had called him to do! Paul engaged in preaching on a consistent basis, not occasionally, for the sake of the good news. The focus of Paul’s proclamation was Jesus Christ, the primary subject of God’s mystery that had been revealed. He therefore should be willing to labor for it, just as all Christians should as well. Paul habitually warned and taught his listeners. Paul’s desire was to proclaim the mystery of Christ among the Gentiles as correction to any false teaching they may have received by “admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom!” His desire was to “present everyone perfect in Christ.” The idea here being like James who desired that Jesus’ saints “be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” (James 1:4) “To this end I labor,” Paul related. It was his focus in life to see immature believers mature in their faith. This is what today’s church has lost in the process of soft-selling the gospel without teaching the duty of walking in the gospel. In fact, the term translated “labor” contains the idea of genuine effort. It is intensive labor that produces extreme exhaustion. Paul had spent himself for the purpose of Christ. Do you? The revelation of Jesus, is something His saints should be willing to labor for!
EXAMPLE: You have heard people say, “A honest day’s pay for an honest day’s labor,” yet there are many who seek to be “paid” for work they did not do! We live in a “me first” society that seeks its own comfort at all costs. What a contrast to Paul or many of the past wonderful “saints” of the Lord. I wonder what people would truly do if they actually got back from their church what little they truthfully had labored for! Far too many enjoy the “comforts” that others work hard to provide, thinking that it is their “right” to enjoy and expect. How sad. Think about this seriously for a moment. Could you actually “eat” from the labor you have invested in Jesus’ body that you belong to? Could you pay the bills from what you have invested in time, talent, or treasure? Does this frighten you or anger you that I would dare bring such a thing up at all? Far too many like the free ride of faith they receive from their fellow saints. Paul tells us that the revelation of Jesus, is something His saints should be willing to labor for!
Conclusion:
The revelation of Jesus, is disclosed to God’s saints! In this revelation of Jesus, God deliberately chose to make His mystery known! The revelation of Jesus is something His saints should be willing to labor for!
---
NOTE: This article is copyrighted by Pastor Lee Hemen © 2008 and the property of Pastor Lee Hemen. You are welcome to copy it, email it, or use it but please if you copy it, email it, or use it you must do so in its entirety.
Comments