Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and fill up on my part that which is lacking of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for His body’s sake, which is the church;
whereof I was made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which was given me to you-ward, to fulfil the word of God,
even the mystery which hath been hid for ages and generations: but now hath it been manifested to His saints,
to whom God was pleased to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:
whom we proclaim, admonishing every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ;
whereunto I labor also, striving according to His working, which worketh in me mightily.—Colossians 1:24-29
Heavenly Father, we want to thank You for this privilege. We pray that the Holy Spirit will breathe upon Your written Word and make it living to us.
Remember, this is Your time. We trust You, Lord, to bless us. May everything be done for Your glory, in the name of our Lord Jesus. Amen.
This morning, we would like to consider Christ in you, the hope of glory.
The Apostle Paul speaks about a mystery. He says that this mystery was hidden through the ages and generations, but now it has been manifested to us—that is, to the saints.
What is that mystery? The mystery is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
Brothers and sisters, what is a mystery? If we use a modern word, we may say that it is a secret. In the heart of God there is a secret, and this secret was hidden in Him through the ages and generations.
Why did God keep this secret in His heart for so long? It is because it is a wonderful secret. It is a magnificent secret. It is a glorious secret. We may say that it is the deepest thing in the heart of God.
God was not able to reveal this secret to men right away. He had to prepare for the time of the revelation of that mystery.
When you read the Old Testament, you find that God had been preparing for the day when He would reveal this secret. Then, when the fullness of time came, He revealed that secret to the saints through the prophets and the apostles.
Today, this is an open secret. To us, it is a secret that has been opened up. And what is that mystery? It is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
You remember the Apostle Paul. In Galatians 1:15-16, he says that it pleased God “to reveal His Son in me.”
On the road to Damascus, the risen Lord appeared to Saul. But it was more than Christ appearing to him outwardly. At the time of that appearing, by the Spirit of God, Christ was revealed in him.
There is a great difference between Christ appearing to a person and Christ being revealed in a person. If He merely appears to us, it may remain something external. But when Christ is revealed in us, that is an inward experience.
The Bible says, “Christ in you,” not merely Christ appearing to you. He is in you, and that is the hope of glory.
Andrew Murray once said that salvation is not merely having our sins forgiven and going to heaven. Of course, having our sins forgiven is tremendous, and going to heaven is a great hope. But if you read the Bible carefully, you find that salvation is more than the forgiveness of sins and more than simply going to heaven.
Salvation is Christ given to you, that He may be in you. This is the beginning and the end of salvation. This is full salvation: Christ in you, and you in Christ.
When our Lord was on earth, He was with His disciples. At the end of His time with them, He was ready to leave them and return to heaven. Because of this, the disciples were sorrowful.
In John 14, Philip asked the Lord, “Show us the Father, and it sufficeth us.”
The Lord Jesus answered him:
Have I been so long time with you, and dost thou not know me, Philip? He that hath seen me hath seen the Father; how sayest thou, Show us the Father?
Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me?—John 14:9-10
For Philip, and for all the disciples, this was difficult to understand. They could understand that Christ was with them. He was beside them; He was alongside them. But they could not understand how the Father could be in Him and He in the Father.
When our Lord Jesus was on earth, He was God’s Son, yet He took upon Himself human flesh. In the days of His flesh, He could be beside His disciples, but He could not dwell in them, nor could they dwell in Him. To human understanding, it seemed impossible.
Yet, in the same chapter, the Lord Jesus said:
In that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.
—John 14:20
The Lord knew that Philip and the other disciples could not understand how the Father could be in Him and He in the Father. But He said, “In that day ye shall know.”
This is not merely mental knowledge. It is experiential knowledge. You shall know that He is in the Father, that you are in Him, and that He is in you.
The relationship between the Father and the Son becomes our experience. As He is in the Father, so we are in Him; and He is in us.
How can this be possible? The Lord said, “In that day.” If you read carefully from John 14 through John 16, you find that He mentions “that day” a number of times.
What is that day? It does not refer primarily to the day of Pentecost. It refers to the day of His resurrection.
On the day of His resurrection, our Lord appeared to His disciples. He breathed into them and said:
Receive ye the Holy Spirit.
—John 20:22
When God created man, He formed the body of man from the dust of the earth and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life. Then man became a living soul.
Here, on the day of resurrection, the Lord Jesus breathed into His disciples and said, “Receive ye the Holy Spirit.” It was on the day of His resurrection that they received the Holy Spirit.
When you believe in the Lord Jesus, you are born of the Spirit. The Holy Spirit quickens your dead spirit and gives it life. Before that, your spirit was dead in trespasses and sins, separated from God. There was no communication with God.
But when the Holy Spirit quickens your spirit, you receive a new spirit, and the Holy Spirit comes to dwell in that new spirit.
Therefore, in Romans we are told that the Holy Spirit bears witness with our spirit that we are the children of God, and we cry, “Abba, Father” (Romans 8:15-16).
When you believe in the Lord Jesus, not only is your dead spirit quickened, but the Holy Spirit of God comes and dwells in your spirit. That is why you can cry out to God, “Abba, Father.”
Brothers and sisters, we who believe in the Lord Jesus all have the Holy Spirit dwelling in our spirit. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Christ; He is also the Spirit of God. Therefore, when the Holy Spirit dwells in us, God dwells in us.
The Lord said that He and the Father would come and make Their abode with us. Do you know that God dwells in you? Do you know that Christ is in you? Do you know that the Holy Spirit is in you?
Often, we think of salvation as simply having our sins forgiven and one day going to heaven. Of course, this is great. But what God has done is far more than this. He has put Himself in us.
When Christ was in the flesh, He could not be in His disciples in this way. But now He is in the Spirit, and He is able to dwell in us. Our relationship with Christ Jesus is not merely an external one; it is an inward one.
Ask yourself: Do you know that Christ is in you? Do you know that God dwells in you? Do you know that the Holy Spirit is in you?
In 2 Corinthians 13:5, Paul says:
Try your own selves, whether ye are in the faith; prove your own selves. Or know ye not as to your own selves, that Jesus Christ is in you? unless indeed ye be reprobate.
—2 Corinthians 13:5
You say that you believe in the Lord Jesus. All right—examine yourself. How do you examine yourself to see whether you are in the faith? Do you recognize that Jesus Christ is in you?
This is the truth. It is not merely that you believe about the Lord Jesus. When you believe in the Lord Jesus, Jesus Christ comes and dwells in you.
The living Jesus Christ is in you: the Jesus Christ who came into this world, who lived on earth, who was crucified on the cross, who was buried, who rose from the dead, who ascended to heaven, who sits at the right hand of God the Father, and who will come again.
This living Person lives in you. Do you realize that?
Unfortunately, many Christians think of Jesus Christ only as being in heaven while they are on earth. On the one hand, it is true that Christ is in heaven, seated at the right hand of God, waiting until all things are put beneath His feet.
But on the other hand, by the Spirit, He is in you. He lives in you. Christ in you is not dormant.
He is not merely there, doing nothing, as though He were shut up in a closet. No, Christ in you is living. There is a living Christ who lives in you, and He is seeking to live out His life through you.
He is active in you. He talks with you. He walks with you. He is with you all the time. Do you realize that?
Some people ask, “How do I know that Christ lives in me? When do I hear Him talk to me?”
We are so busy hearing noises all around us that we often fail to hear the still, small voice of God in our spirit. But Christ speaks to you by the Spirit who dwells within you.
Let me illustrate. Suppose you are a very talkative person. You like to talk, and when you talk, you sometimes talk out of control. You exaggerate. Perhaps you criticize people or judge people. It becomes a habit, and you do not feel bad about it.
But after you believe in the Lord Jesus, when you begin to exaggerate or criticize, something checks you within. Someone is checking you, saying, “That is enough. Do not talk anymore. If you talk more, you will sin.”
It is like driving a car. As you drive, you need brakes. The Holy Spirit within is like that brake. He says, “That is enough. Stop.”
Sometimes we neglect that inward check and go on speaking. But afterward we feel bad. Then we need to go to the Lord, confess, and ask Him to cleanse us with His precious blood. Otherwise, our fellowship with the Lord is hindered.
This is how the Lord talks to you. Christ in you is living. He is talking to you, and He is teaching you in all things.
Sometimes, when you are reading the Word of God, suddenly light comes. It is as though light shines upon the Word of God, and the Word begins to speak to your heart.
At other times, all we see are black words on white paper. We read the Word, and afterward we forget it. But sometimes, as we read, light comes, and the Word begins to speak directly to the heart. This is how the Lord speaks to you.
First John 2 tells us that there is an anointing within us, and that anointing teaches us concerning all things. The anointing refers to the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is working in you, teaching you, and applying the truth of God to your life.
What He teaches is true and is not false. If you listen to the anointing and obey its teaching, you will abide in Christ.
Oftentimes, young Christians come and ask, “Can I do this? Can I go there? Tell me what God’s will is.”
When a young brother or sister asks such questions, do not merely tell him outright, “You can do this,” or, “You should not go there.” Help him to consider what is happening within him.
When he asks such a question, it often shows that something is already troubling him. The Holy Spirit is speaking within, but he would rather ask other people than listen to the Holy Spirit.
Actually, he often already knows. He may ask, “Can I do this thing?” while knowing within that he should not do it. If he asks enough people, eventually he may find someone who gives him the answer he wants. But that may not be the mind of God.
Brothers and sisters, the Holy Spirit within you has already spoken. Learn to listen to Him and obey Him.
Christ in you is the hope of glory. But what is glory? Glory is very difficult to define. In fact, many biblical terms are difficult to define because they are beyond our human comprehension.
Sometimes the Bible uses “glory” almost in place of the word “God.” God and glory are one. Glory is the manifestation of God’s Person and the expression of His works. Glory is fully manifested in our Lord Jesus Christ.
One definition has stayed with me. Glory is when God the Creator is satisfied with the thing that He has created. Glory is how things ought to be.
When you are doing something and it turns out as it ought to be, there is a sense of satisfaction. In the same way, when God looks upon us and sees that we are what we ought to be—what He created us for—then glory appears.
Christ in you is the secret of glory. If Christ is not in you, you will never be able to enter into glory.
The Bible says that one day our Lord Jesus will lead many sons into glory (Hebrews 2:10). How can He lead many sons into glory? Glory must first be worked into us.
The character of Christ must be worked into your life. God’s character must become your character. We must be transformed from glory to glory according to the image of His beloved Son.
How is He going to do this? It is through Christ in you. Because Christ is in you, there is the hope of glory.
We have a blessed hope: that we will be transformed. This is not only something in the future. Even today, from the day we believe in the Lord Jesus, Christ is in us, and the Holy Spirit begins His work of transformation.
He deals with what is natural, what is fleshly, and what belongs to the old man. He makes Christ increase within us. The character of Christ begins to characterize our lives.
Instead of living by ourselves, Christ lives in us. As the Apostle Paul said, “To me to live is Christ” (Philippians 1:21). No longer us—it is Christ. This is glory.
Whenever you see Christ in a brother or a sister, you see glory. But whenever you see only the natural self, you see Adam. Glory is Christ.
Christ in you is the secret of glory. It is true that, when He is transforming you, there will be suffering as far as the old man and the old self are concerned. You may have to deny yourself, take up the cross, and follow the Lord.
But the result is glory. Christ will be formed in you, and you will be conformed to Christ Jesus. This is what the Lord is doing today.
Dear brothers and sisters, keep this word in your heart: Christ in you, the hope of glory.
Dear Heavenly Father, we want to thank You that You have revealed to us this mystery: Christ in us, the hope of glory.
We praise You that You have not only called us, but You have also justified us; and You who have justified us will also glorify us.
Lord, we turn our hearts toward You. Transform us from glory to glory, that Christ may be fully formed in us, and that You may look upon us and say, “This is how they ought to be.”
All glory be to the name of our Lord Jesus. Amen.