New Kingdom Living: The Mystery Now Revealed

Weekly Scripture reading: Gal. 4:4-7

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Recap:

The NEW KINGDOM

The NEW KING…the PREEMINENCE of Christ...

CONCLUDED last week with PAUL’S MESSAGE that we will be PRESENTED BLAMELESS before God if we CONTINUE in the HOPE of the GOSPEL, of which HE HAD BECOME a MINISTER.

So THIS WEEK we’re going to see PAUL BEGIN by RECOUNTING some ASPECTS of THIS MINISTRY he had TO the CHURCHES

Please turn to Colossians 1:24...

***Prayer

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PAUL BECOMING A MINISTER…REMEMBER he WAS PREVIOUSLY---SAUL of TARSUS....PERSECUTOR!

FROM PERSECUTING TO BUILDING THE CHURCH!

Colossians 1:24–2:5 (ESV)

24 Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church,

SUFFERINGS/AFFLICTIONS --PAUL WRITING from PRISON.

FORMERLY CISTERN - DARK, DAMP, HELD UNDERGROUND.

CHRIST SUFFERS....WHEN CHURCH SUFFERS.

PAUL PERSECUTING CHURCH —DAMASCUS ROAD--JESUS SAID “WHY are you PERSECUTING ME?”

GREATEST IRONY! JESUS RECEIVING PERSECUTION THROUGH PAUL as OBJECT of PERSECUTION, NOT as the ACTOR/SUBJECT!

YET PAUL REJOICES IN THIS!

CAN WE REJOICE IN TRIALS/DIFFICULTIES? SEEING GOD’S PURPOSES...

GOING TO BED MAD & PAUL WAS IN A ROMAN JAIL REJOICING!

JOY is MORE CONDITIONAL on ATTITUDE/PERSPECTIVE rather than CIRCUMSTANCES...

25 [the church] of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known,

26 the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints.

PAUL = SERVANT/MINISTER

NOTE BUILDUP.... “MAKE WORD of GOD FULLY KNOWN…MYSTERY that was HIDDEN....

C’MON PAUL! TELL US!

WATCH GOOD MOVIE, EDGE OF SEAT?

MYSTERY - HIDDEN FOR GENERATIONS!!

BRITTANY - GOOD AT PREDICTING MOVIES....ME = TERRIBLE.

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NO ONE KNEW THE NEW COVENANT UNTIL PAUL’S DAY!

N.C. WAS PREDICTED, PICTURES, IDEAS, ETC.

NO ONE KNEW OF CALVARY, FULL INCLUSION OF GENTILES.

WE ARE PART OF THIS NEW COVENANT THAT GENERATIONS OF PEOPLE LONGED TO SEE!

RED SEA GENERATION, ETC. ALL LONG TO SEE WHAT WE HAVE!

27 To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

AMONG GENTILES - BIG DEAL! FULFILLED GEN. 12:3 - ALL THE NATIONS BLESSED through ABRAHAM...

INCLUSION of every PEOPLE GROUP…PREDICTED LONG AGO…FULFILLED in CHRIST ALONE.

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TO MAKE KNOWN:

“the RICHES of the GLORY of this MYSTERY”--HOW GREAT is THIS?

MYSTERY = CHRIST IN YOU, HOPE OF GLORY

HIDDEN FOR AGES/GENERATIONS

NOW REVEALED - HOLY ONES/SAINTS

WE ARE UNITED WITH CHRIST, GOD IN THE FLESH, THE SAVIOR OF THE UNIVERSE!

HOW GREAT IT IS TO BE A PART!

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PRIVILEGE CREATES RESPONSIBILITY....DON’T be COMPLACENT about GOD’S GREATEST MESSAGE....SO MANY O.T. SAINTS LONGED for WHAT WE POSSESS!!

FRANCIS CHAN - WRITING ABOUT O.T. TEMPLE GLORY

“The fact that I covet the Old Testament experience is an indication that I don’t appreciate the new reality as I should” - Francis Chan, Letters to the Church

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OUR UNION W/ CHRIST = HOPE OF GLORY.

GLORIES OF HEAVEN....MAJESTY/SPLENDOR/RADIANCE of GOD...

REV 4.

GOD, SEATED ON THRONE...

EMERALD RAINBOW

LIGHTNING & THUNDER…SEA OF GLASS like CRYSTAL

FOUR LIVING BEINGS…CRYING OUT “HOLY, HOLY, HOLY”....

24 ELDERS CAST THEIR CROWNS

== HOPE OF HEAVEN’S GLORY

THERE’S NO HOPE of GLORY for UNBELIEVERS.

**ONLY OUR UNION WITH CHRIST OFFERS THIS HOPE

MYSTERY REVEALED!

EARTHLY MINISTRY/SECRET OF CHRIST....THE TIME to KEEP JESUS A SECRET is OVER...

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28 Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ.

PROCLAIMING JESUS, NOT SELF, OR ANYTHING ELSE

WARNING & TEACHING....GOOD & BAD NEWS.

EVERYONE! - NO PRIVILEGE FOR LEADERS, ETHNIC GROUPS, ETC. GOSPEL is for ALL.

PRESENT MATURE:

Present them “mature”: GK - THE "complete and undivided way in which a person, with all one’s positive and negative attributes, is oriented toward God or toward Christ.

Colossians and Philemon (C. The Mystery of Christ in Paul’s Ministry and Christian Experience (1:24–2:5))

AIM OF MINISTRY - SOLD OUT BELIEVERS....NOT CULTURAL CHRISTIANS...

JESUS IS NOT INTERESTED.....IN THOSE WHO ARE MERELY INTERESTED.

JESUS SHRUNK THE CROWDS....

11 SOLD OUT MEN…VS....THOUSANDS WHO WERE INTERESTED....

MEN WILLING TO GIVE THEIR LIVES...many “CHRISTIANS” today aren’t willing to give more than an hour of their Sunday mornings....

On the SPECTRUM from INTERESTED to completely SOLD OUT and DEVOTED...WHERE ARE YOU?

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29 For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.

PRESENTING them MATURE before God was PAUL’S GOAL in ministry...

It is my hope as your pastor that we will all grow into being fully devoted followers of Christ, not people who are merely interested. Just as Paul hoped and prayed for the Colossian Christians...

BALANCE between GOD’S POWER & MAN’S RESPONSIBILITY...PAUL is TOILING, STRUGGLING, with the ENERGY that GOD GIVES to him.

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1 For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you and for those at Laodicea and for all who have not seen me face to face,

CONTINUES to mention STRUGGLING.... ON BEHALF of THEM.

EPAPHRAS STARTED CHURCH…PAUL DIDN’T KNOW THEM

2 that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ,

ENCOURAGED in the DEPTHS of our BEING!

KNIT TOGETHER in LOVE - BODY JOINED BY JOINTS & LIGAMENTS.....SPEAKING of UNITY.

RICHES of FULL ASSURANCE!.....

Paul wants them to be UNITED to EXPERIENCE the WEALTH/RICHES of the CERTAINTY of both KNOWING and UNDERSTANDING MYSTERY---JESUS CHRIST.

Again, this is my hope as your pastor here…that our hearts be joined together in love and that we grow into the full riches of assurance and understanding of Christ...

3 in whom [CHRIST] are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

**COMBATING COLOSSIAN HERESY....CHRIST IS EVERYTHING, ALL WE NEED.

NO “DEEP THING” DEEPER THAN JESUS....IT’S ALL IN CHRIST.

YES THERE’S MOVING ONTO MATURITY IN FAITH…BUT NEVER BEYOND JESUS CHRIST.

“MYSTERY” 3 TIMES TODAY.....

MYSTERY HIDDEN for GENERATIONS...

CHRIST in YOU…HOPE of GLORY

GOD’S MYSTERY - CHRIST.

Big Idea: All of the deep things of God are bound up in Christ, the mystery revealed, if believer’s grasp how truly great he is they won’t be tempted to stray after other things.... he is completely sufficient for bringing us into the everlasting glories of heaven, and therefore we must remain devoted to him.

MESSAGE SERIES—LOTS OF OVERLAP.

JESUS, AGAIN?....YUP.

PAUL BELABORS —SO THEY DON’T STRAY...

but RETURNING to the MOVIE ILLUSTRATION, SEEN MANY TIMES…YET SEE SOMETHING NEW EVERY TIME...??

ME - WATCHING FROZEN WITHOUT INTRO...

WE’LL NEVER EXHAUST THE BEAUTIFUL STORY OF THE GOSPEL....PLEASE DON’T CHECK OUT IF YOU HEAR IT AGAIN, LET YOURSELF HEAR IT FRESH.

REMEMBER SAINTS FOR GENERATIONS LONGED FOR WHAT WE HAVE....DON’T GET BORED WITH IT.

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4 I say this [ALL THESE THINGS] in order that no one may delude you with plausible arguments.

PEOPLE MIGHT HAVE GOOD IDEAS....BE CONVINCING…REMAIN IN THE TRUTH YOU WERE TAUGHT...

“The epistle is a vaccination against heresy, not an antibiotic for those already afflicted - Wink --- Colossians and Philemon (C. The Mystery of Christ in Paul’s Ministry and Christian Experience (1:24–2:5))

5 For though I am absent in body, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the firmness of your faith in Christ.

COLOSSIANS....PRESENTLY SOLID…FALSE TEACHING HADN’T PRODUCED BAD FRUIT.

PAUL REJOICING TO SEE THEIR ENDURANCE...

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FOR US, DON’T STRAY FROM SOUND DOCTRINE...

EYES SET ON JESUS....HE ALONE WILL SAVE.

***KNOW WHAT HILLS TO DIE ON...

EVALUATE ALL PREACHING YOU HEAR, INCLUDING MINE....SOUND DOCTRINE.

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Takeaways:

The HOPE of the GOSPEL of JESUS CHRIST is for EVERYONE…ALL PEOPLE GROUPS...…There are NO ETHNIC/RACIAL barriers. SCANDALOUS 1ST CENTURY.

WORSHIP W/ THOSE WHO AREN’T LIKE US/DON’T LOOK LIKE US.

GOSPEL FOR EVERYONE…SOMEONE IN YOUR LIFE DOESN’T KNOW THE MYSTERY?

Pray and ask the Lord to reveal someone to you?

PAUL desired to PRESENT THEM MATURE in Christ…SPECTRUM..INTERESTED VS. DEVOTED??

NO MATTER your VOCATION/PLACE IN LIFE.…

STUDENT STANDING AGAINST TIDE

RUNNING BUSINESS W/ EXCELLENCE & NO COMPROMISE

DEDICATED TO CHURCH

TEACHER NOT WILLING TO CAVE

It was PAUL’S DESIRE for the CHURCHES to be UNITED.

CONSIDER OFFENSES?

IS THERE SOMEONE in the BODY you NEED to be RIGHT WITH?

WE CAN’T PULL IN MULTIPLE DIRECTIONS as a BODY....

EVALUATE TEACHING/PREACHING YOU HEAR WITH SOUND DOCTRINE....

BEREANS WERE COMMENDED.

TIC-TOC & INSTAGRAM THEOLOGY.

HILLS TO DIE ON.

****Close in Prayer