The Treasure Within; Christ in you, the hope of glory
Colossians 1.20 - 2.3
Introduction: Work of Christ:
1. Made peace through the blood of His Cross.
2. Open a new living way for all humanity
3. Began a new dispensation, Grace or Church
4. He open a mystery, hid from past generations.
5. He gave the riches of the glory of that mystery to the gentiles.
6. Which is: Christ in you, the hope of glory.
Reconciliation = Changed from enmity to friend
1. The beginning of salvation: V21 Easy to rejoice in the began
2. The continuing of salvation: V22 trouble is here, time, temptation,
3. The end of salvation: V28. Great to think of the end of all things
Col. 2.1 Paul's burden for the church:
a. I would that ye knew ... Even those he didn't know ...
b. I would their hearts were comforted,
c. I would their hearts were knit together in love
e. I would their hearts were rich in the full assurance of understanding
f. I would their hearts full of knowledge of the mystery
g. I would they might find Christ their Treasure.
V3. In whom ARE hid ALL treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Verb tense Present
God did not intend it to remain hid. whats hid is hid because we have not opened it.
I want to go beyond the outward, pray, study, witness, praise.
Four words that will open the treasure of Christ within. If used in the spiritual sense.
I. Affection. Natural, Spiritual affection. Deals with our feeling for a person or things.
The question? Are we self centered or Christ centered ... Deals with emotions, feelings, What we care for the most. Is Christ at the centerof our affection?
II. Desire. To wish for, crave, covet, to want; long for, hunger for
Deals with what we want to be, do, see, have. Is Christ WILL in our desire?
III. Imagination. The act of forming mental images, of what has not been experienced, but what one desires to experience. There is a part of us always active.
Deals with our spirit. The mind is always active. Think on good things
IV. Seek.to try to find; search for; look for; pursue; to request, ask
Deals with what we are ... I'm saved - seek selfish things
Seek those things which are above ...
Chapter 3. 1-4
V1 Seek those things above ...
Where Christ sitteth Spiritual things
V2 Set your affections on things above.
V3. For ye ARE DEAD, and YOUR LIFE is hid with Christ in God.
The "are dead" is the old man. "Your Life"is the new man created in Christ
Paul puts it this way: Philippians 3.7,8 I count all thing but dung, just worthless trash.
That I may WIN CHRIST. See, as long as we hold on to things of this life as having value, we lose much of the Christ Life we could have. But when we willfully give up all thing for Him. Then after a while of testing to check our faithfulness. Christ will give us back all things
Win Christ, Victory, Success, Gain, It is the mark of the high calling of Christ.