…to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentile, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
Colossians 1:27
The Advent calendar reminds us of four specific topics we should be thankful for regarding Jesus and His birth. Every church does not formally participate in the Advent season, but I thought I would share those with you this year with the expectation that we would both be encouraged by the reminders.
This week is the first week of Advent, and it is about Jesus being our Hope.
The Hope of Christ is Christ in You
God revealed the great mystery of the gospel to the Gentiles and provided access to Himself through Christ to the world (Ephesians 3:1-6). This great hope is the great mystery that God revealed. But what exactly did it mean? Christ in you? Ephesians 3:17-19 puts it very clearly for us.
“17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.”
Christ dwells in our hearts through the Holy Spirit by faith, and that indwelling gives us the strength to comprehend things we could before not understand. The hope Christ gives us is a filling of the fullness of God. That is powerful. Would Jesus feel at home in your heart? Think about your yesterdays. Would Jesus feel comfortable in your heart this past week, or would you be ashamed to give Him the room He deserves? That’s the real significance of this passage. Your heart should be a place where Jesus is comfortable settling down and residing (Colossians 3:11).
The other hope given is that there is no distinction between anyone. All people have the opportunity to experience that hope (Romans 10:12-13). As we will see in this next section, it is for all people.
The Hope of Christ is the Hope of Glory
There is a great hope to come that the Gentiles were privileged to now experience. This hope was eternal life with God. I believe the incredible news relayed to the shepherds that night while they were in the fields doing what they usually did was the beginning of that great hope. Do you remember?
“Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,
14 “Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”
The angels gave hope in their statement, “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” Nothing like this ever happened before. God now opened the gates of heaven and gave the shepherds this great hope because Christ was born for them. Christ was born for us (Luke 2:11-14).
Let that sink in for a moment. Christ is our hope of glory. There is no other way to heaven except through Jesus (Acts 4:12). Jesus gave exclusive rights to heaven for all those who place their faith in Him.
Have you done that? Have you placed your faith in Jesus? He is our ONLY HOPE. He is the ONLY HOPE FOR OUR WORLD. Will you pray that God would allow you to share that hope with someone this Christmas season?
Jesus absolutely is the only way, the only truth, and the only life (John 14:6).
For an additional resource click here: Our Hope is in You, Lord