“The mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints. To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:26-27)
It’s Christmas in much of the world and people all over this planet wonder about the Lord. To wonder is the stuff of writers and dreamers everywhere; and for all of us, asking and answering the right questions about Him are very important. We need to establish Who we are wondering and/or writing about, What happened, Where it took place, When it happened, Why did it occur, and in addition to all those “W” words, there is also another key word and phrase that begins with an “H” – How did it occur? That’s what we will ask about the Lord this Christmas.
Such questions are important for us to ask and find answers in all areas of life. If a teacher in school demands an essay to be written on some subject or another, they will grade you on this very point - Does the paper you write tell a coherent story and answer those questions? In class it’s the difference between an “A” and something much less. In life it can be the difference between success and failure. And it’s much the same for entering the place called “heaven” – Who will help us get there? What and Where is it? When and How do we get there? And Why is it important?
Starting with “WHO,” we wonder, WHO is this about? Well, it’s about YOU of course. You need God's help. By the way, are you really you, or are you someone you just pretend to be? And it’s certainly about the Lord God as well, for it seems fairly obvious that none of us can jump high enough, think correctly enough, produce enough faith, or even love adequately to find Him on our own. We need help from the Lord Himself, for there are many religions in the world; which one do we choose? More accurately –WHO do we need to tell us what is right? It’s not just joining some kind of religious organization - We need the Lord to show us the way we should go.
Let’s look in Paul’s Letter called “Colossians” and visit Chapter One for a close look at WHO we need. If we’re going to find the place called “heaven” we need Someone who has actually been there and has returned to tell us about it. Everybody else is pretty much – guessing! “Who is He” Is partially answered by Colossians 1:15-18 – “He (Jesus) is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.”
That’s WHO Jesus Christ is, and it leads us to WHAT He is: Jesus Christ is your Creator, He is your King and He is the One who holds you together, physically and in every other way. In Verse 18 of Chapter One, we see that He is the Head of the church. We are not led by some group such as a denomination, or by a human leader. Our Lord is WHO and WHAT we need, for He is our Savior and He “made peace (with God for you and me) through the blood of His cross” (Colossians 1:20).
WHERE is extremely important. We both know where you are – You’re sitting or standing on the third planet of a relatively small yellow star named “Sol,” more commonly called “the Sun,” which is within a galaxy of millions of stars called “the Milky Way.” That’s where YOU are, but where is God? The universe is composed of many galaxies and is seemingly endless to us, but reading Genesis Chapter One and similar Scriptures, we find a point in history when God simply CREATED the earth, the universe and all that is in it out of nothing. He was and is outside of this universe and from His perspective it is smaller than the span of His hand (Isaiah 40:12). That’s where Jesus is from – the place of God, which is outside of everything we know or can even imagine. Micah 5:2 says He (Jesus) is from “everlasting,” which is literally, “the days of eternity.”
In that same verse in Micah, we also learn that He would come to the earth and be part of the Tribe of “Judah,” and be born in the little town of “Bethlehem.” In Matthew 1:2-3, we see that Jesus indeed descended from Judah and was born in Bethlehem. Hosea 11:1 said He would also be from Egypt, an event that was confirmed in Matthew 2:15. Isaiah 9:1 said He would be out of "Galilee" and hundreds of years later He indeed lived in Galilee as a child and young man (Matthew 2:19-23).
The WHEN of all this is more complex than it might seem, for time is not merely linear like a group of soldiers marching in a certain direction one step at a time, or a river that flows only downward. The real nature of time is that it does not exist except here in this universe, this place of probation for humanity. Jesus the Christ came into time and space as we know it, facing the pains of life we all experience and fully knowing that His mission was to die. He did not need to do it - He died for you and me.
And then we come to WHY. And the question is, WHY did we need God Himself to come to us as a man and become our Savior? Why wouldn’t it be OK if we just compared ourselves to each other and took, say, the best few hundred thousand or a couple of million and sent them to heaven and consigned the rest to some kind of purgatory or hell? The answer is honestly that 1) such a system would not be fair, 2) it isn’t our decision to make, it’s God’s, and 3) None of us would survive under a system like that, for as God’s Word tells us, “ALL have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23), and “ALL our righteousness is as filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6). If we merely tried to be nicer and do more proper things, nobody would make it. We need help. The WHY in this equation – Why do we need Him? is because there was and is no other way.
Finally we come to the HOW of it all. This place called “heaven” – How do we get there? This Jesus who provided a way for us, How does it work? How can He save us? What do WE have to do? Look at our Scripture for today: “The mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints. To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:26-27). This Jesus Christ who we are wondering about, must be “IN you” in order for you to personally experience and know the “glory” of God.
HOW does that happen? How can Jesus Christ, the baby born in Bethlehem, the boy who left Egypt and then was raised in Galilee – How can He enter into your heart and life and give you God’s glory? The answer is about our sin, the cross, His blood, the need for faith and the grace of God. And you don’t need to fully understand it in order for it to happen. God the Father loved us so much that He sent His beloved Son into the world “that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). Jesus is the Hero that the Father sent to this world, and He died that we might live. That’s the grace of God. We don’t need to have superior intelligence or physical strength, mechanical ability, a scientific mind, artistic tendencies or anything other than - faith in Him.
We only need to believe, to trust in Him and what He did. And even “our” part, the faith, is His creation. As it says in Hebrews 12:2, “…Jesus (is) the author and finisher of our faith.” He created the very faith you need. Then He “endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” He paid the price for every one of us. What we have to do is merely receive Him and trust Him that what He has done is sufficient.
It’s Christmas, a day we celebrate because the King of Glory became a human baby, lived among us as a man and was the Innocent One who was sentenced to death on our behalf. How did He do it? I don’t think anyone truly grasps the extent of it all. You only need to accept “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:26-27). Or, as the old children’s song puts it, “Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so.” Let’s trust in Him now:
Lord, I confess my need of You and I trust in You now. Thank You. I am Yours. In Jesus Name. Amen.
