Text Passage: Colossians 1:24–29
Main Idea: Our inheritance in Christ is eternal fellowship – the glory of unbroken communion with God.
I. The Mystery: You Are Incredibly Rich Because Christ Is in You
- This mystery is something that was hidden for ages, but now God has revealed it to his people. And here’s what’s out-of-this-world marvelous about it: God wanted everyone – even those outside the Jewish community – to know the incredible richness of this mystery. It means God has included us as part of His people. That mystery is simply this: Christ lives in you, and he is your hope of glory.
- Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
- Big Daddy gave Brick “stuff,” but Brick longed for love.
- True riches are not possessions, but relationship.
- The Scribbles
- Family finances rule decisions, but they cannot calculate the riches of Christ in us.
- The Mystery of Christmas: Jesus with us, for us, and in us.
- Christ lives in the unabridged version of you.
- How many things we do to present ourselves acceptable and cover up our blemishes.
- But He knows you fully, loves you completely – no need to impress or prove.
- Christ is always mindful of us – affectionately, benevolently, attentively.
- We can simply be in His presence, pouring out our hearts without agenda. I don’t have to have a problem, a question, a request, nor an agenda. I don’t even need a reason. I can just “be.”
- Time with the Lord for me = Orientation to what I know is true, registration of requests to believe it freshly.
II. Verse 27: He Is the Hope of Glory
- Beyond this life, unspeakable glory awaits.
- Paul: present sufferings aren’t worth comparing to future glory (Romans 8:18).
- Short-circuited world: sparks, glitches, disconnects, unexpected flesh reactions.
- LaVern’s close call – a reminder of life’s fragility.
- In this broken world, the unexpected always happens.
- Promise: One day it won’t be so. Until then…
III. Verse 28: The Goal Is Maturity in Him
- Not controlling the world but growing deeper and stronger in Christ.
- Maturity means being steady, wise, loving, rooted in truth – life increasingly looks like Jesus. But those are the effects, the cause is a growing relationship with Christ.
- Make knowing Christ your primary objective; maturity flows from relationship.
IV. Verse 29: Strenuously Contending with Christ’s Energy
- Paul’s mission: proclaim Christ with all the energy He provides.
- My mission: preach, teach, counsel, and write—like this week’s View From My Place.
View From My Place
- Every believer is rich beyond imagination—far beyond earthly wealth…These riches are better: unfading, secure, soul‑filling… Christ Himself is the mine; the treasures are found deeper in Him… External blessings are diamonds scattered on the ground, but the motherlode is Christ within… “The best of me is yet to come” – Christ unlocking more glorious expressions of Himself in me… These are the unsearchable riches Paul described, the joy David proclaimed, the surpassing worth Paul declared… They are not exaggerations, but realities available to every believer.
Conclusion
Christ in You, Heaven’s Riches Revealed
Our inheritance in Christ is eternal fellowship – the glory of unbroken communion with God.
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