414 - THE HOPE OF GLORYJuly 17, 1977
Pastor Henry F. Kulp
Colossians 1: 25 - 29 Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God; Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: To whom God would 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 preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus: Whereunto I also labour, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily.
Here Paul says he is a minister and God dispensed something to him and it was to fulfill the Word of God. It was to complete—fulfill the Word of God. Nothing else is needed after this message is known. No other revelation is necessary. It is the greatest revelation in the Bible. GIVEN ME FOR YOU. It was a special revelation given to Paul, not to the twelve or to any other Bible writer but Paul.
1/ For you this, of course means the Gentiles.
Ephesians 2: 11, 12 Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:
Up to this time God had no message for the Gentiles. You remember, in the Gospel of Matthew, He said, I am not sent but to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
And then in Romans 15: 8 Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers:
Jesus Christ was a minister to the circumcision—that is the Jew—for the truth of God to confirm the promises made unto the Fathers. That means during His earthly ministry He came to the Jews and the Jews alone. But now He has a message for the Gentiles and He gives it to Paul.
2/ And this message is to fulfill, complete the Word of God. No other revelation is needed.
3/ Verse 26 Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints:
This message is known as the mystery, and the word can be translated by a secret. It was used by the fraternities of that day. They had secrets that anyone could know, but
only the initiated would know because they didn’t reveal them to anyone else. And this divine secret cannot be discovered by human reason, only by God revealing it, and He revealed it to us through Paul. This mystery was never made known in the Old Testament, nor yet when the Lord Jesus Christ was upon earth, for we are told distinctly it had been hid from ages and generations, but now is made manifest to the saints.
4/ Verse 27 To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:
Now notice the statement—to whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery, this secret. Actually, the word, riches, is the word, wealth. Paul’s revelation is so great, that notice how he expresses himself. He talks about the wealth of the glory of this mystery. Then also notice, Ephesians 1: 7 In whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of His grace.
Do you know the word riches, belongs to Paul?
Ephesians 2: 7 That in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
Paul has to add something to it. Do you think that grace is a lot? Well, the riches of His grace is more. What must be the exceeding riches of His grace? We talk about this being the grace period, and it is. But it is the period of the exceeding riches of His grace.
Romans 9: 23 And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory,
Now we have the riches of His grace, and the exceeding riches of His grace, and now we have the riches of His glory.
II Corinthians 4: 17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;
Glory again is much, but what is the weight of glory? What is the exceeding and eternal weight of glory? And what is the far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory? Don’t you see, the only thing Paul could do was add superlatives. It is something that is beyond telling.
5/ Let me emphasize, the words, riches, grace, glory exceeding riches. Exceeding riches of His grace belong to Paul and are not found in other books. You will find grace and glory, but not the way Paul expresses them.
6/ Let’s talk about the fact that this mystery has been hid from ages and from generations.
Ephesians 3: 3 - 5 How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words, Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ) Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit;
Paul says this mystery hidden in God’s mind was revealed to him. Paul had something that was never revealed to anyone else, and Paul revealed them in his writings.
7/ There are those who say that Paul didn’t get this mystery until he came to Rome. And he only revealed them in the prison epistles, but turn with me to Romans 16: 25 Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began,
Paul had it before he was sent to Rome. He put it in the Book of Romans.
I Corinthians 15: 51, 52 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
This is what we call the Rapture, and it is part of Paul’s mystery. It is not revealed anywhere else in the Bible.
But when we turn to I Thessalonians 4: 16, 17 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
Here we have a full revelation of the Rapture, that he spoke of in I Corinthians 15: 51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
I Thessalonians is probably the first book that Paul wrote. It was written in the year 54, and it was written six or seven years at least before Paul was taken to Rome as a prisoner.
8/ Some people say, Why do we need to know all this? For an answer I’ll give you a verse in the Old Testament.
I Chronicles 12: 32 And of the children of Issachar, which were men that had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do; the heads of them were two hundred; and all their brethren were at their commandment.
Here is a lesson we can gather from Israel for ourselves today. And he tells us the men of Issachar were men that had understandings of the times to know what Israel ought to do. The reason the professing church of this day and age has its hands so full of things that are worthless, is because they do not know dispensational truth. What is this mystery? It is Christ in you, the hope of glory. I think it is very evident that Christ arose and Christ is living. He is living in the believer in this day and age. This is something new for the age in which we live.
The Old Testament saints did not have this. David, as you know, got to very great heights. He was the sweet Psalmist of the Old Testament, but David never knew the joy of Christ in him the Hope of Glory. David prayed, Take not Thy Holy Spirit from me. The Holy Spirit came on people in those days, and at certain times left them. But God made a promise to the nation Israel that was fulfilled on the Day of Pentecost.
John 14: 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
Here He says, I will come again and receive you unto Myself that where I am, there ye may be also. This is the second coming of Christ to this earth. He promised Israel He would come back. He also promised them He would leave them.
John 16: 7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.
He tells you, I will not go away unless the Comforter will come unto you, but if I depart, I will send Him unto you. So the promise to Israel was, the indwelling Comforter, the Holy Spirit. But when the Body of Christ began when the new revelation was provided, Christ Jesus Himself came to indwell the believer along with and in addition to the Holy Spirit. This is why Israel can be Christ’s bride, but not the Body of Christ, because the Body of Christ is part and parcel of Christ Himself.
Let us get some Scriptures to prove this.
Galatians 2: 20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
Romans 8: 10 And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
II Corinthians 13: 5 Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?
I believe this is what Paul is saying—the presence of the Person of Jesus Christ in the believer, is an exclusive truth for the Body of Christ.
9/ Verse 28 Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus:
Whom we preach—notice a very beautiful Scripture—
Ephesians 3: 19 And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.
And Paul says, I wish ye might be filled with the fullness of Christ. We are in Christ, and Christ is in us. Christianity is not emptiness. If you find Christianity a bore, you haven’t gotten the real thing, or it hasn’t gotten a hold of you. Christianity is fullness.
10/ I Kings 8: 27 But will God indeed dwell on the earth? behold, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house that I have builded?
Solomon in his prayer of dedication says that the Heaven of Heavens could not contain God, and yet we can be filled with all His fullness. We have that kind of message in this day and age.
11/ The Hope of Glory—and Christ in us is that Hope of Glory. The only hope for anyone or anybody or any human being to be glorified is that Christ is in them. How can a human body live without the indwelling Christ? If Jesus Christ should appear this morning, right now in the Heavens, and gather His church, the Body, unto Himself, everyone in this room who is saved, and those who are saved and listening by means of their radio would immediately be glorified, like so many electric light bulbs, for we are connected to that great power—the Lord Jesus Christ. Christ in us is the Hope of Glory. How could you be glorified if He is not in you? Your body will be dead cold and lifeless if Christ is not in you when He shall appear in the Heavens.
12/ Romans 8: 18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
Notice, Christ will have to be in us for glory to be revealed in us.
13/ Colossians 1: 28 Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus:
Whom we preach—notice His words, to substitute what for whom is to make a serious mistake. Christianity is centered in a Person and no one preaches the Gospel who does not preach Jesus Christ. How earnest was the apostle in seeking to lead believers into the knowledge of this special truth. Warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom. He had a true pastor’s heart, and he says that he would present every man, complete or full-grown in Christ Jesus. He wants everyone to see this truth so that they
might be grown up, they might be mature and to this end he earnestly labored according to the divine energy which wrought so powerfully in Him for the salvation of souls and the upbuilding of the people of God.
14/ Notice in the 29th verse Whereunto I also labour, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily.
We find out here how Paul worked, how he strove, how he toiled. He had a job to do, and he put all the power that God gave him into it.
Notice, five words here, labor, striving, working, worketh mightily. And the word, mightily, is the word, dynamo, dynamite.
Paul paid a tremendous price to preach this Gospel.
AMEN
Ref: 07/17/1977 414 - THE HOPE OF GLORY / 03/19/2021
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