Sermon Tone Analysis

*GOD’S SAVING SECRET*

 

*(Colossians 1:24-29)*

* *

*“/The church, 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 labor, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily.”/*

* *

 

            I am preaching today about “God’s Saving Secret.”

Note the special word the Apostle Paul uses — the word “mystery,” or “secret.”

He speaks of “the Word of God, even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to His saints: ... which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”

The New English Bible translates it like this: “the secret hidden for long ages and through many generations, but now disclosed to God’s people” (the ones initiated).

So Paul speaks of a “secret” of God, though it’s an /open /secret, a /secret to be disclosed to anyone who is truly eager to share it./

He defines it like this:  “The secret is this: Christ in you, the hope of a glory to come.”

Look carefully and prayerfully at “God’s Open Secret.”

*I.

GOD’S SAVING SECRET CENTERS IN A PERSON*

* *

First, we see that God’s Saving Secret /centers in a Person/, and depends on a relationship between us and that Person.

Here, Paul shows us the /essence /of God’s saving secret.

The essence of God’s open secret is /Christ Himself./

According to the Apostle Paul, the /essence/, the /expression/, and the /explanation/ of the Christian faith is Christ Himself.

In this place, as in every other part of his writings, Paul’s chief emphasis is Christ.

Jesus is the sum and the stress of is all!

In this most important of all facts, the Christian faith is unique.

/It is the only religion in the world that rests entirely on the Person of its Founder./

A man can be a faithful Mohammedan without concerning himself in the least with the person of Mohammed (and this is a very good thing for Islam, because the life of Mohammed was a shambles from a moral standpoint).

A man can be a true and faithful Buddhist without knowing anything whatever about Gautama the Buddha as a person.

But it is quite different with the Christian faith.

The Christian faith involves nothing /less/ and can be nothing /more /than a personal relationship with Jesus Christ Himself.

The fundamental and ultimate issue in /everything/ is Jesus Christ.

The issue is /not/ whether you believe a particular /doctrine/.

The issue is /not/ whether you practice a certain moral /ethic/.

This issue is /not /whether you attend or belong to a /church./

All of these things are very important as addendums to a personal relationship with Christ, but the fundamental issue is, /What is your personal relationship right now with Jesus Christ?/ 

 

\\ A fellow pastor tells of a recent incident in his ministry which reflects this truth.

A lady came one day to his study, obviously restless, eager, longing for reality in faith, but disillusioned by what she had seen of Christians and the institutional church.

The problem she identified in her life is not an uncommon one.

She explained her problem, then she said to the pastor, “I need help, but I don’t want you to talk to me about /Christianity./

What I have seen makes it unreal to me.

And I don’t want you to talk to me about /Christians/, either.

The ones I know seem so inconsistent.”

Now, those limitations would place many Christian witnesses in a very great predicament.

But just listen to his glorious answer.

He said, “Ma’am, I wish everyone would come to me like that, saying the things you have just said.

It would be a great relief.

This world is ignorant at this moment of Jesus Christ, because it wastes its time talking about Christians and Christianity.

As if there were anything worth talking about except Jesus Christ Himself!

I am overjoyed to say to you that I am only too glad to observe the limits of conversation you have so wisely imposed.

Let’s forget about /Christians,/ and /Christianity/, and let’s talk about /Jesus Christ Himself/.”

And beginning with that introduction, the woman’s life began to be changed by a person relationship with Jesus.

Supposes that a certain man realizes that he has a deadly disease.

He makes a long trip to a distant city because he has been told that there is a physician there who may be able to cure the disease.

When he arrives at the doctor’s office, the receptionist tells him, “I’m sorry, but the doctor is out.

Would you like to see his assistant?”

“No, I want to see the doctor himself.”

“Would you like to read the latest findings on this disease, published in a recent medical journal?”  “No, I would prefer to see the doctor.”

“May I offer you some medicine which the doctor has prescribed to others with this disease?”

“No, thank you, I want to see the doctor first.”

“Sir, I can introduce you while you wait to a person who was recently cured by the doctor.”

“Ma’am, I appreciate your interest and offers to help, but /I must see the *man himself*, for *myself.*/”

Dear friend, if you have never known Christ, do not settle for an assistant (a preacher or teacher or Christian), or the book (even though it is the Bible), or reputable medicines (the gifts and blessings of the Christian life), or the testimony of a person who has cured by Him (a happy Christian).

You would be wise to carefully observe each one — and then press right around them */to Christ Himself!/*

*/ /*

Imagine the prodigal son in Jesus’ story (Luke 15:11-34) arriving back home after his tragic stint in the far country.

Suppose his brother greets him with the words, “Welcome home!  /I’m /glad you are home, but /Father refuses to see you.”  /Or suppose one of the faithful household servants says to him, “All the /servants/ are rejoicing.

Your father told us to kill the fatted calf and prepare a feast.

He also told us to bring out the best robe and put it on you, and a ring on your finger, and shoes on your feet.

However, he still has some issues unsettled in his heart, and he told us to hold the banquet without him, because /he’s not ready to see you yet/.”

You see, dear friend, the greatest thing Jesus Christ offers, or /has /to offer, is Himself.

Without Him, though you have all else, you are desperately poor.

But /with Him, though you have little else, you are immeasurably rich in eternity’s values.

/

 

God’s Saving Secret centers in a Person, and depends entirely on a relationship between the individual and that Person.

\\ *II.

GOD’S SAVING SECRET CENTERS IN A POSSESSION AND A POSITION*

* *

Second, we see in our text that God’s Saving Secret /centers in a possession/ (the possession of Christ) /and a position/ (Christ /in you)./

Here, Paul carries us into the /experience /of God’s Saving Secret.

“The secret is this: Christ /in you/, the hope of glory.”

Now, not all who profess and call themselves Christians are /in on /this secret.

Many hold firmly to the belief that Christ is /for /them, but they have no experience whatsoever of Christ /in /them.

And yet, this is the secret of everything Christian — God’s /saving /secret, God’s /open /secret — “Christ in you.”*

*

 

This is the secret of /beginning/ the Christian life.

To /begin/ the Christian life, you must /receive /the incoming Christ.

The Word of God declares in John 1:12 that “as many as /received/ Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God.”

It was William Law, a great old English preacher, who said, “A Christ not /in/ us is a Christ not /ours.

/A Christ not /in /me is a Christ not /mine./”

It matters not what you may /believe /with your /head/, or /practice/ with your /life/, if Christ is not withing you, are no Christian.

It is not enough for Christ to be /near/ you (indeed, that is always true); He must be in you.

Not /there/, but /here!/

Not /outside/, but /inside/!

You see, when Christ lived in the flesh, He lived /among/ men; today He wants to live /in /men.

Late one Sunday afternoon in 1921, Dr. Lyman Abbott, the great Christian writer, sat in the pastor’s study of a big eastern church.

He was to speak in the evening worship service, reviewing his latest book, What Christianity Means to Me.

It was forty-five minutes before time for the service and the church was already packed.

The pastor came in and laid his copy of Dr. Abbott’s book down  in front of the great author and said to him, “Would you please autograph it for me, and write in it the ripest thought that has come to you in your sixty years in the ministry.”

Then the pastor went out.

Thirty minutes later he came back.

Dr.

Abbott still sat, his pen in his hand, the book open in front of him, and deep in thought.

He hadn’t written a word.

The pastor tiptoed out.

Fifteen minutes later he returned.

It was time for the service to begin.

The ink was not yet dry on the flyleaf of the book.

This is what Dr. Abbott had written: “The ripest thought that has come to me in sixty years in the ministry is this: the Christian faith is not a /philosophy/ that Jesus came to /teach/; it is a /life/ that Jesus came to /impart/ and  to /infuse/ into the experience of individuals.”

This is the secret — God’s open secret, God’s saving secret — of beginning the Christian life, to receive Christ into your life and heart.

But this is also the secret of /living/ and /sharing/ the Christian life.