Of
this church I was made a minister according to the stewardship from God
bestowed on me for your benefit, so that I might fully carry out the preaching
of the word of God, that is, the mystery which has been hidden from the past
ages and generations, but has now been manifested to His saints, to whom God
willed 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. Colossians 1:25-27
The Apostle Paul received a
revelation, the truth about Jesus Christ, while traveling on the road to
Damascus. As we know, this revelation
revolutionized his life. True repentance
was his response and a 180 degree turn from the persecution of Christians to
becoming a witness to the gospel.
In this passage, Paul seems to be
reflecting upon that very experience when God shared with him the mystery which has been hidden from the past ages and
generations and entrusted him to fully
carry out the preaching of the word of God. He, as we, received the revelation of Jesus
Christ and it changed his life. That
which was revealed was Christ in you,
the hope of glory.
Paul tells us that the mystery has
been hidden from the past ages and generations. God knows how to keep a secret.
The Duke of Wellington is best remembered as the general who
defeated Napoleon at Waterloo in 1815. During his earlier service in India,
Wellington was in charge of negotiations after the Battle of Assaye. The
emissary of an Indian ruler, anxious to know what territories would be ceded to
his master, tried in various ways to get the information. Finally, he offered
Wellington a large sum of money. "Can you keep a secret?" asked
Wellington. "Yes, indeed," the man said eagerly. "So can
I," replied Wellington and refused his offer.
Like Wellington, God knows how to keep a secret. God kept
that secret hidden from the ages. You
see, it was a secret that God foreknew before the foundation of the world, that
his Son, Jesus, would be our pathway to salvation and oneness with God. Even though God’s plan of salvation was
secret, there were hints of it throughout the Old Testament from Genesis
through Malachi.
There are things in life a child just cannot understand
until life lessons mature them to a place where their mind has the reference
points in place to comprehend certain truths.
So it was with the revelation of God.
The full meaning of Christ’s coming could not have been understood
without the revelations of God concerning who He was and what He required for
salvation and fellowship.
Throughout scripture this secret was referred to as the Star of Jacob
(Num. 24:17), the Root of Jesse (Isa. 11:10), the Prince of Peace (Isa. 9:6),
the Mighty God (Isa. 9:6), the Branch (Isa. 11:1), the Ancient of Days (Dan.
7:9), the Son of Man (Dan. 7:13) and many other metaphors. Each one of these revelations pointed toward
the one who would be the promised Messiah.
Are you aware that many today are not able to receive the
secret of the gospel because they have not yet grown in their understanding of
their need of salvation? The gospel
begins with man’s separation from God and his sure death. Those who reject that revelation are
certainly not able to receive the gospel message with repentance and
assurance.
The mature Christian has received many revelations from God
through studying His Word and prayer that support and enhance his everyday
life. It is important for us to seek the
treasures that are imbedded in the Word of God and receive the riches of the
gospel.
Scripture to Claim:
For God, who said, "Light shall shine
out of darkness," is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light
of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. (2 Corinthians 4:6)
