COLOSSIANS - Christ In Me, The Hope Of Glory // One Church Podcast, 27th May 2025

We are one church. We love God, love people, love

His mission, and love His church.

Welcome to the One Church podcast.

Today we're going to pick up back in this series from

Colossians. I trust you've been encouraged

so far as we've been exploring it.

Our first one looked at being transferred from the Kingdom of

darkness into the Kingdom of light.

We then looked at the supremacy of Christ, thinking about the

fact that Jesus rules and reigns over everyone and everything and

he holds all things together. And a couple of weeks ago, we

looked at the amazing truth that we have been reconciled by

Jesus. And today we come to this

equally amazing theme of Christ in me, the hope of glory.

Christ in me, the hope of glory. I wonder what we have hope for

in our world and what you have maybe a particular hope for.

I, I remember as a young kid, I probably had a fairly typical

hope, one that other maybe young boys maybe have.

And I, I hope that when I grew up that I would be a pilot.

You maybe think that's pretty boring, but you know, as a young

kid, I wanted to be a pilot. And so that, that's something I

hope for. And then one day at primary

school, I remember we had to line up to have an eye test.

And I remember going into one of the, one of the offices, I've

got to tell you, I was really hopeful about being a pilot

until I did this eye test. It turns out I have a partial, I

think red, blue, colour blindness.

So I, I, for the, for the life of me, I couldn't read the

numbers that were on these dots. And so they said to me, well,

James, the good news is your eyesight is brilliant.

The bad news is you can't be a pilot.

So that that hope was dashed. And then as AI remember also

having a hope as a 16 year old teenager, I started playing golf

and I loved the game. And I thought, you know what,

I'd love to be a golf pro when I'm older.

That would be a brilliant hope. Well, looking back, I thank God

that that was that wasn't the track he took me, took me down.

But I wonder what hopes you you have Christ in us, the hope of

glory. It's such an incredible thing.

So let's dive into Colossians 1 and I'm starting at verse 24.

I'm reading through to 29. I'm reading from the NIV says

this Now I rejoice in what I'm suffering for you and I fill up

in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ's

afflictions for the sake of his body, which is the church.

I have become its servant by the Commission of God gave me to

present to you the Word of God in all its fullness, the mystery

that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now

disclosed to the Lord's people. To them God has chosen to make

known among us among the Gentiles, the glorious riches of

this mystery which is Christ in you the hope of glory.

He is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching

everyone with all wisdom so that we may present everyone fully

mature in Christ. To this end, I strenuously

contend with all the energy Christ so powerfully works in

me. Amen.

So this morning we're considering this amazing

thought, Christ in us, the hope of glory.

But firstly, we see a number of significant truths from this

passage leading up to it. And the first one I want to say

is the church is the body of Christ.

So we see there in that form of this, I'm glad Paul says when I

suffer for you in my body, for I am participating in the

sufferings of Christ that continue for his body, the

church. We the church are the body of

Christ. Yeah.

Do you know that? We are His body.

So we see the church is the body of Christ.

But let me comment briefly just on the first part of this verse

because you might think it's a little bit weird.

Paul says now I rejoice in what I am suffering for you, and I

fill up in my flesh. What is still lacking in regard

to Christ's afflictions for the sake of His body, which is the

church. The NLT put it slightly

differently. I'm glad when I suffer for in my

body, for I am participating in the sufferings of Christ that

continue for his body of the church.

So you read here that Paul rejoices in his suffering and

says that he's adding to what he's lacking in Christ's

afflictions. This is helpful from the

Believers Bible commentary, and it says this, there is a sense

in which the Lord Jesus still suffers.

When Saul of Tarsus was struck to the ground on the road to

Damascus, he heard a voice from heaven saying, Saul, Saul, why

do you persecute me so? Saul had not been consciously

persecuting the Lord, of course. He had only been persecuting the

Christians. He learned however that in

persecuting believers who was persecuting their Saviour.

And he went on to say the head in heaven feels the sufferings

of his body here on earth. Quite an amazing thought.

So Paul from his prison style, he rejoiced in what he could

suffer for Jesus name and the church's sake.

Don't forget This is why Paul wrote this letter to the church

in Colossale. He was in prison at the time.

And people can rejoice in the midst of suffering when they see

and believe what God can do through the difficulty.

When we are weak, he is strong. So if we are a follower of Jesus

today, we are part of the body of Christ.

Now, despite what people may think or perceive, buildings are

not the church. We know that.

Yeah. The building is not the church.

It's church here today because we are all here, the people.

Yeah, one centre is not the church.

The people are the church. We are the body of Christ.

So when we gather in any given building, maybe it's here at one

centre or other, or the buildings around the city, that

is church where his people gather together.

They're churches. If there's no people, there's no

church. We are the church because we're

gathered here. Do you know there's about 26,000

Christian denominations in the world?

I mean, it's a staggering number, but only one body of

Christ. You know when God looks down at

his people, who we are on earth, he doesn't see all the

denominations and all the different groups.

He sees one group of people that love him.

He sees the body of Christ, and can I just say a reminder to us

that that no one body of Christ in its different places is more,

is better or more perfect than another.

There's no perfect church, by the way, You've heard this

before, right? If you find somewhere which you

think is perfect, don't go along because you will wreck it

because you are not perfect. So number one, we are the body

of Christ, and Jesus alone is our true hope #2 is Jesus

revealed? This is what it says in verse

26. This message was kept secret for

centuries and generations past, but now it has been revealed to

God's people. You know, we've got incredible

hope today because Jesus lives in us by the Holy Spirit.

You know that this wasn't always the case, right?

For thousands of years, God's people, they'd longed and looked

for a time when the Messiah would come, when the Messiah

would be revealed. And for thousands of years the

message in hope of Jesus was kept secret.

If we could put it like that. That's what Paul says in this

verse. Did you know that Jesus was

revealed at exactly the right time in history?

I don't know if you've ever thought about it.

He was revealed at exactly the right time.

There seems to be a number of reasons perhaps, and we can only

look at it from a human point of view, Why Jesus came when he

did. For one reason.

There was great anticipation among the Jews of that time that

the Messiah would come as the the Roman rule over them at the

time over Israel had made the Jewish people hungry for the

Messiah's coming. The spread of the gospel was

going to become easier because of travel.

Rome had unified much of the world under it's government,

giving a sense of unity to the various lands, and the entire

empire at that time was relatively peaceful and travel

was possible, allowing the early Christians to spread the gospel.

Before that time they wouldn't have been able to do it.

Another reason was a common language among the people, so

communication was much easier. I read this quote.

While Rome had conquered militarily, Greece had conquered

culturally. A common form of Greek language

was the trade language and was spoken throughout the empire,

making it possible to communicate the gospel to many

different people groups through one common language.

The Father knew when the perfect time was for Jesus to come,

communication, language. And of course, at this point,

humanity had fallen to a real low.

And it was a point in history when no priest or prophet really

sent by God could bring about spiritual salvation.

Only God himself coming to earth in human form had the power to

turn the spiritual tide of human history.

Jesus came at the perfect time. Jesus revealed.

And you know, God's timing is everything.

Jesus came at just the right time for humanity.

And can I say to us, for us personally, always trust in His

timing. He always sees the bigger

picture. God saw the bigger picture of

history and thought now is the time to send my son into the

world. He sees the bigger picture of

your life. And His timing is always

perfect. There might be things that

you're waiting for, frustrated about, but God's timing is

always perfect. God is always on time.

He is never late. So #1 the church is the body of

Christ #2 Jesus revealed, and #3 we have all been included.

This is great news, people. Paul says this for God, wanted

them to know that the riches and glory of of Christ are for you

Gentiles too. The great news is, is that the

message and the good news of the Jesus has come to us as

Gentiles. So I'm grateful this morning.

We are welcome to the party. Yeah, we've been grafted into

Jesus, into God's Kingdom. Listen to this from Romans 11,

Romans 11:17

verse 17, Paul talking about the the nation of Israel and the

Israelite people. It says, but some of these

branches from Abraham's tree, some of the people of Israel

have been broken off and you Gentiles, that's us, who were

branches from a wild olive tree have been grafted in.

So now you also receive the blessing God has promised

Abraham and his children, sharing in the rich nourishment

from the roots of God's special olive tree.

Now, at risk of pointing out the obvious, Jesus, of course, was a

Jew, and the Bible is predominantly a telling of God's

plans and journeys with the Israelite people.

That's what we read. I want to strongly encourage us

this morning to continue pray for Israel and the Jewish

people. The Jewish people are no more

loved by God than us as Gentiles, but they do have an

incredibly specific purpose and role to play in God's plans.

And in the days we're living in right now, we see those plans

being outworked in front of our very, very eyes.

It's very exciting. There's barely a day, I'm sure

you'll know, when Israel is not in the news.

It's at the centre of world attention.

And not surprisingly, it is where we all know it, where the

Saviour of the world is coming back to.

His feet are going to land on the Mount of Olives in

Jerusalem. So is it any surprise that it is

at the centre of the world's attention?

You know, there's nothing more that the enemy would love,

really, than to wipe out God's chosen people and stop his

purposes. But the good news is he's

fighting a battle that he cannot win, and one that has already

been won. I can only assume that he's

trying to destroy as many people as he can on the way to his

final destiny in hell. So let's continue to pray for

the peace of Jerusalem and for God's plans and purposes to be

outworked in Israel and for millions of Jewish people to be

saved. It's part of God's plan and His

purpose. But for us, for God wanted them

to know that the riches and the glory of Christ are for you

Gentiles too. We're in, we're at the party,

we're grateful, Amen. We've all been included #4 we

get to this Jesus, the true hope, Christ in us.

The hope of glory says this to them.

God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious

riches of this mystery which is Christ in you, the hope of

glory. And this is ultimately where

we've been building. 2 Jesus is our and ultimate hope for

everyone, in case we hadn't tweaked that yet.

Did you know that politicians are not the answer and hope for

this world? Did you know that business is

not the answer and hope for this world?

Did you know that environmental action and campaigning is not

the answer and hope for our world?

Academic achievement is not the solution and hope for our world?

Financial success and material wealth is not the answer and

hope for our world. Religion is not the answer and

hope for our world. Jesus is the only, the one and

only answer and hope for our world.

And when we are born again, this Jesus who is the hope for our

world lives in US. He lives in US.

God lives in US. Wow.

The Jesus we have heard described about earlier in

Colossians. Let me read it again just to

allow the enormity of what this means to sink into you, says

this in Colossians 115 to 17. Christ is the visible image of

the invisible God. He existed before anything was

created and his supreme over all creation.

For through him God created everything in the heavenly

realms and on earth. He made the things we can see

and the things we can't see such as Thrones, kingdoms, rulers and

authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through

him and for him. He existed before anything else

and he holds all creation together.

So the same Jesus who spoke the world into existence, the same

Jesus who sustains the universe we live in, who holds all

creation together, the same Jesus who has always existed,

the same Jesus for whom all things were created, This same

Jesus lives in US. Should we just park there for a

moment and just just let that sink in?

This same Jesus lives in us. So what?

What does that mean? What I mean, what does that mean

for our lives? That means a whole host of

things. But let me just say a couple of

things. You may have cottoned on

already, but living the Christian life is pretty

impossible without Jesus living in US.

Religions are trying it all the time.

It doesn't work. We need something different.

We can't live and love and do all that He has designed and

called us to do without his life in US.

You know, people without Jesus, they try really hard every day

to do better, to be better. But it's like wading through

treacle. People can't do it on their own

strength. We were never designed to do it

in our own strength. We need Him living in US.

And even as God's people, we cannot effectively live as Jesus

followers without His love, His power, His peace, His strength,

living in US and working from the inside out.

Christianity is the transformation of our lives from

the inside out by Jesus living in and through US.

Galatians 220 says this. My old self has been crucified

with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but

Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body

by trusting in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself

for me. You know, the Christian life,

it's not a morally improved life.

It is a totally new and transformed life.

That's why we see in John 3 when Jesus is chatting with one of

the Pharisees, Nicodemus, in secret.

Nicodemus went to him at night because he didn't want anyone

else to see that he was going to see Jesus.

And Jesus says to him, we must be born again.

A whole new heart and a whole new spirit living in US are

necessary for us to live as God has always intended us to live.

We can't do it without him. Christ in US, the hope of glory,

the Christian life is the transformed life.

Christ in you. Think about it.

If Jesus is in US, and he is, if we have been born again and

Jesus loves the people around us and he does, and he wants those

people around us to experience life in him, that same Jesus in

US will lead us to a greater love for them.

This will transform our purpose and outlook in living our lives.

I mean, just picture for a minute those people who are in

your sphere of influence, those people in your worlds, in your

everyday worlds, the people that God has put around you.

Just picture them for a minute, Family, friends, neighbours,

work colleagues, people you meet on the bus, maybe down at the

gym, in the shops, at the allotment, wherever it is God

has placed you in your everyday life.

Jesus is in you for them. Jesus is in you for their sake.

You know, the reality is that in our everyday lives, God is

constantly, I believe, presenting us with opportunities

to reach out to people because he is in US and He loves people.

We just need to go with him when he prompts us.

You know, it's a really exciting and purposeful adventure when we

go with what he wants to do through us.

On Thursday I had a hospital appointment for my eye and just

in the morning I was just praying and I thought, well, I'm

going to meet some different people today.

So I just said to the father said, look, I don't know who I'm

going to meet today, but I'm going to see a lot of people I

don't normally see, you know, I'd love to have, you know, an

opportunity to speak to someone. So sure enough, I went to the

hospital appointment. I was in the waiting room.

I had a scan and then later I went up to another floor to have

to have the treatment. And sure enough, joy I, I was

just getting prepared for, for the treatment.

And what one, one of the nurses said, some said something to me

about, you know, what you're doing at the, the bank holiday.

And I said, Oh, well, we have a bit of family time, Sundays very

busy because I'm a pastor and we're, you know, we're part of a

brilliant church. And so the conversation went on.

And then she, she opened up a little bit and told me about her

son. And I said, look, we'll, we'll,

we'll pray for your son. So it was just an opportunity in

the middle of everyday life that the Father brought along.

And I think the Father is bringing opportunities for, for

us like that all the time. And can I, can I just encourage

you to take those opportunities when they come because Jesus

lives in you and he longs to love and to meet the people

around your lives. Amen.

Christ in us the hope of glory. We have the supernatural power

of Jesus in us for every situation we are living in.

Whether it's parenting, whether it's doing our best at work,

whether it's loving our husbands or wives, whether it's loving

our neighbours, whether it's being a great entrepreneur,

whatever it is, the everyday things of life done well with

Jesus power working in and through US.

Christ in us, the hope of glory. What else do we see here?

What says Christ in us? The hope of glory, Hope.

Knowing Jesus, the most incredible hope ever.

You know the hope we have in Jesus.

It is a guarantee. It's not a vain wish like my

hopes of being a pilot or a pro golfer.

This is a real hope. This hope goes beyond the here

and now of this earth. Jesus in you now means Jesus in

you forever, and nothing can change that incredible fact.

Listen to this from one Peter 1/3 to five says all praise to

God the Father, our Lord Jesus Christ.

It is by his great mercy that we've been born again because

God raised Jesus Christ from the dead.

Now we live with great expectation and we have a

priceless inheritance, an inheritance that is kept in

heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of

change and decay. And through your faith God is

protecting you by His power until you receive this salvation

which is ready to be revealed on that last day for all to see.

Christ in us, the hope of glory. We have incredible hope.

And lastly, we see as we begin to come to a close, Christ in us

the hope of glory. Glory, the best ever is yet to

come. Glory has the last word.

Death doesn't have the last word.

Sickness doesn't have the last word.

Jesus has the last word. Christ in us the hope of glory.

Romans 810 to 11 says this. And Christ lives within you.

So even though your body will die because of sin, the Spirit

gives you life because you've been made right with God.

The Spirit of God who raised Jesus from the dead lives in

you. And just as God raised Christ

Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies

by the same Spirit living within you.

Christ in us, the hope of glory. Troubles and trials don't have

the last word. Of course they're real.

They're part of ever, ever did any life.

We were promised we'd get trouble, actually.

But glory has the last and eternal word.

So if we're a follower and believer of Jesus this morning,

we have a very real hope for our futures.

Fact. A hopeful future is a guaranteed

certainty when we know Jesus and eternity to be with him, which

will be indescribably brilliant. I don't know how we can even

begin to comprehend it. We got glimpses, don't we?

Sometimes, as we gather in other places of the presence of God

and his glory and His Majesty. But it, it's just, it's just a

tiny glimpse of what is to come. The most, the best, the most

incredible part is to come. And as believers, can I

encourage you this morning? Death.

There's No Fear for us because Jesus lives in us.

He is the hope for an incredible future.

The reality is the here and now will go very quickly, but the

hope of glory, eternity will go on forever and we will be with

him. Christ in US, the hope of glory.

Amen. Father, thank you for this, the

profound depth of what you're saying to us this morning.

Christ in us, the hope of glory. Well, thank you that as

believers in you, Jesus the Messiah, or that when we are

born again, Lord, you come to live in us by the power of the

Holy Spirit. Lord, my simple prayer for us

all this morning. Lord, would we that we would be

more acutely aware of the fact, Lord, that you live in US.

Lord, that would touch every part of our lives.

Lord, that it would bring about holiness in US.

Lord, it would bring about a love for others.

Lord in US. Lord, as you live through US,

Lord, help us not to stive for what you want to do in and

through US. Lord, as we see opportunities to

show your love to those around us or we would take those

opportunities. Thank you for your deep and

profound love for us this morning.

Lord, that you loved us so much that you gave your one and only

Son, that I for us. Thank you.

That same Son lives in us. By the power of the Holy Spirit,

Christ in us, the hope of glory. Amen.

The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make His face shine

upon you and be gracious to you. The Lord turn his face towards

you and give you peace.