by Pastor Daniel
 
Introduction
The month of March is now a time we anticipate another great event in our Christian history - Christ’s death and resurrection. We celebrate Good Friday and Easter Sunday, spilling over to April.
 
“Jesus is alive!” is a victorious and celebrative declaration for all Christians all over the world, being the very foundation of our faith.
 
The apostle Paul in Colossians 1:27 states, “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.”
                                                                                      
A Mystery
“The glory of this mystery” gives us the sense that it is mysterious and thus one cannot know fully nor understand it. However the word, “mystery” in the Biblical usage connotes the meaning of something that is hidden in the past but now made known.
 
So what is this mystery that the apostle is talking about? What is hidden in the past but now made known? When the apostle wrote this letter, he addressed the people as God’s people, meaning all those who had put their trust in God. That would include the Gentiles who are non-Jews. This is the first mystery. In the Old Testament, God’s people are solely Jews and even if a Gentile would become God’s people, he or she has to become a Jew first.
 
That was the Old Testament, and that has changed. There is no longer any condition except the condition that one turns to the Lord Jesus Christ. The mystery is that we in Bukit Mertajam, from any nationality, are a people of God.
 
The second mystery is found in the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. In the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit came upon certain people solely to empower them for service, after which He would leave them.
 
In the New Testament believers have a different experience, as the Spirit indwells them permanently. The permanent indwelling of the Holy Spirit given to New Testament believers was a “mystery” to the Old Testament saints. After Jesus ascended to heaven, He sent the Holy Spirit to live within us, never to leave (John 14:16–17; 16:7)
 
The Hope of Glory
What hope is Paul talking about over here? When we speak of hope there are two elements involved. The first being a sense of anticipation for the future and the second being the reason for living.
 
When the apostle talks about the hope of glory, the future element is that we look forward to the day of ultimate perfection in the presence of God.
 
Ephesians 4:30 speaks of the giving of the Holy Spirit as a seal of our redemption. When we receive Christ, His Holy Spirit is given as a seal or a guarantee of our redemption in Jesus Christ. This is purely the work of God and not the merits of man. We don’t deserve and we cannot achieve righteousness ourselves. However in Christ, we have this hope. Why is this a mystery? It had never been experienced in the past but now made known to all of us today.
 
Philippians 1:6, speaks of God who began the good work in us (redemption) will bring it to completion (sanctification and glory) at the day of the Lord Jesus Christ. That is our future hope.
 
What then is about our present state? I John 3:2 mentioned that we will one day become like Jesus. Romans 8:29 talks about our constant goal of conforming to the image of Christ. Romans 12:1-2 urges us to be conformed to Christ by the renewal of the mind. This change or transformation is made possible today because of the presence of the Holy Spirit within us. The hope of glory that includes, redemption and restoration is the reason for our living the life that God has intended for us today. We live with the constant motivation that God can and will change us.
 
That hope of glory also includes our testimony of God’s faithfulness and grace to the world. That the God we believe in and put our trust in is a true and living God.
 
CONCLUSION
May Christ who dwells in us truly be the hope of our glory too.