God’s “Big Reveal” Revisited

Where is God in this present chaos?  The short answer is He’s going about His work.  He is meticulously accomplishing everything He said He was going to do in exactly the environment He said it would be.

“In this world, you will have tribulation.” He wasn’t just talking about our personal trials but about the condition of the world itself.

The “big reveal” is a plot device in narrative structure, and is the exposure to the reader or audience of a previously unseen key character or element of plot or of the performance.

 Who does that sound like?  Listen to Paul’s words, who considered himself one of the managers of this big reveal.

Colossians 1:25-27 (NIV)  the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed (or revealed) to the saints is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

God is busy revealing Christ and implanting Him in the lives of men and women everywhere.  Every day.

What relevance does that have for all that’s going on today.  That is our text for today.

Text:  Romans 5:6-8 (NIV) ⁶ You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. ⁷ Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. ⁸ But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Communion is an eternal memorial and reminder of His love for us.  His love stabilizes us in the tribulation of this world.  This love was expressed in these details.

I.  He came to rescue you.

• Mark chapter 5 – Jesus raises Jairus daughter from the dead. Immediately the girl stood up and walked around.
• Colossians 2:13 “When you were dead, He made you alive.” He touched each of us and brought us back to life just as directly and as personally as He brought that little girl back to life.
• He did not come for you exclusively, but He came for you specifically. He came for you specifically.

II.  He came to qualify you.

• Colossians 1:12 (NIV) The Father has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.
• And He did not cut any corners. He qualified us with 100% integrity.  He didn’t make any exceptions to the rules.  He didn’t compromise any of His values or character.
• Matthew 5:20 (NIV) unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.
• The “bar” was too high for us so what did God do? Jesus gave us His righteousness.
• 2 Corinthians 5:21 (NIV) ²¹ God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. Also 1 Corinthians 1:30 “He has become for us our righteousness”
• What about the justice requirement? Romans 3:25-26 (NIV) ²⁵ God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood… so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus. The wages of sin is death.  Jesus paid the death wages for us.
• God did not lower His standards, He raised us up to His standards in Christ.
• Romans 8:1-4 By meeting all the requirements on our behalf He qualified us.

III.  He came to connect with you.

• During his last hours with His disciples Jesus spoke extensively about the Holy Spirit. (See John 14:25-26; 15:26; 16:7-15. He described Him as a comforter, as an instructor, as One who will empower us.  And as an eternal live-in companion.
• Also written into His job description is the ongoing task of helping us to “understand the things freely given to us by God” (1 Corinthians 2:12). His role is to help us to understand all the unsearchable riches of Christ that are ours because of the New Covenant in His blood.
• In simple terms, the Holy Spirit is our own personal, live-in New Covenant Benefits Specialist.
• Jesus went away to prepare a place for us in heaven, but He also prepared a place in us for Himself.