The Mystery of Christ (Colossians 2:2 and Luke 16:16)

Colossians 2:2 discusses the mystery of Christ. In the Bible, a mystery is something concealed until God reveals it. Jesus is called a mystery because He was concealed and then revealed. He was hidden in the Old Testament, but God provided two ways for people to look forward to Him in faith: prophecies and shadows. https://youtu.be/0UR8Et_Ht_g Colossians 2:2 discusses the mystery of Christ, because Jesus was hidden in the Old Testament. He was concealed and then revealed. Table of contentsFamily Worship GuideSermon NotesLesson One: Christ was a mystery.Lesson Two: Old Testament saints (Part One) looked forward to Christ in faith through prophecies and shadows.Lesson Two: Old Testament saints (Part Two) strained to understand the mystery of Christ.Lesson Three: Think of the Old Testament as a key versus only a rulebook.Lesson Four: John’s ministry solved the mystery of Christ.Lesson Five: (Part One) The kingdom of God brought a choice in Jesus’s day…Lesson Five: (Part One) The kingdom of God brought a choice in Jesus’s day (Part Two) and ours. Family Worship Guide Directions: Read the following verses and then answer the questions: Day 1: Colossians 1:26-2:2, 16-17, Luke 24:27, John 1:45-46, Hebrews 10:7 and discuss: scripturally speaking, what is a mystery? Why is Jesus called a mystery? How can Jesus be a mystery in the Old Testament, but the New Testament says the Old Testament is Him? Day 2: 1 Peter 1:10-12, Matthew 13:16, Galatians 3:23-25, John 5:39-40 and discuss: how did the prophets in the Old Testament strain to see Christ? What are types and shadows of Christ, and can you name three from the Old Testament? Why should the Old Testament be thought of as a key versus only a rulebook? Day 3: Luke 16:16-17, John 1:15, 29, Matthew 5:17, 11:11, Luke 13:24, 16:17 and discuss: why were the law and the prophets preached only until John? What did Jesus mean when He said He came to fulfill the law versus abolish it? What does it mean that some people were forcing their way into the kingdom of God in Jesus’s day? Sermon Notes The title of this morning’s sermon is, “The Mystery of Christ.” On Sunday mornings we have been working our way through Luke’s gospel verse by verse and we find ourselves at Luke 16:16, but I’m going to provide quite a bit of background information, so this verse makes sense. Let me begin by explaining what a mystery is, biblically… A mystery is something that can never be figured out no matter how much time you had or no matter how hard you tried. For example, if you looked at a difficult math problem you might say, “This is a mystery to me,” but given enough time and effort you could discover the answer. But in Scripture, a mystery is something concealed until God chooses to reveal it. In Colossians 2 Paul talks about a mystery. Look with me at verse one to see how much he wants his readers – including us – to understand this mystery… Colossians 2:1 For I WANT YOU TO KNOW HOW GREAT A STRUGGLE I HAVE FOR YOU AND FOR THOSE AT LAODICEA AND FOR ALL WHO HAVE NOT SEEN ME FACE TO FACE, 2 that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of GOD'S MYSTERY, WHICH IS CHRIST. Verse 2 says Christ is God’s mystery. And this brings us to lesson one… Lesson One: Christ was a mystery. Here’s the question… Why is Christ called a mystery? Because He was concealed and then revealed. He could not be known until God chose to reveal Him. Look a few verses earlier at the end of Colossians 1:26… Colossians 1:26 the mystery HIDDEN FOR AGES AND GENERATIONS BUT NOW REVEALED TO HIS SAINTS. Christ was a mystery that was hidden in the past, but God has revealed Him to New Testament saints. Look at the next verse… Colossians 1:27 To them God chose TO MAKE KNOWN how great among the Gentiles are the riches of THE GLORY OF THIS MYSTERY, WHICH IS CHRIST IN YOU, the hope of glory. The words God chose to make known mean God revealed the mystery of Christ. Now consider this for a moment… I have been talking about Christ being a mystery throughout the Old Testament, but many of you probably know that the New Testament says the Old Testament is about Christ! Listen to these verses: Luke 24:27 Beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, [Jesus] expounded to them in all the Scriptures THE THINGS CONCERNING HIMSELF…All things must be fulfilled which were written IN THE LAW OF MOSES AND THE PROPHETS AND THE PSALMS (a way to refer to the Old Testament) CONCERNING ME.’” When Philip understood the mystery of Christ, he wanted his friend, Nathaniel, to as well. John 1:45-46 Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him of whom MOSES IN THE LAW AND ALSO THE PROPHETS WROTE, JESUS OF NAZARETH, the son of Joseph.” Hebrews 10:7 [Jesus said,] “Behold, I have comein THE VOLUME OF THE BOOK IT IS WRITTEN OF ME.” So is Christ concealed or revealed in the Old Testament? On one hand we have the New Testament saying Christ was a mystery in the Old Testament. On the other hand, we have the New Testament saying the Old Testament is about Christ. Which is it? It is both! Christ was hidden in the Old Testament, but what if He was completely hidden without any way to look forward to Him? Nobody in the Old Testament would be able to be saved, because we are saved by grace through faith in Christ. So God provided two ways for people to look forward to Christ in faith…even though He was concealed. And this brings us to lesson two… Lesson Two: Old Testament saints (Part One) looked forward to Christ in faith through prophecies and shadows. The Old Testament was filled with prophecies of Christ. He fulfilled around 350 prophecies in His first coming. As people believed these prophecies and looked forward in faith to the Messiah fulfilling them, they were justified, or declared righteous, by faith. Who is the premier Old Testament example of believing God’s promise, or prophecy, and being justified or declared righteous by that faith? Abraham! Genesis 15:6 [Abraham] believed the Lord, and [the Lord] counted it to [Abraham] as righteousness. Two thousand years before Christ came, Abraham was justified by faith in God’s prophecies to him. Second, Old Testament saints could look forward to Christ through shadows and types. You are in Colossians. Look at Colossians 2:16… Colossians 2:16 Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. This refers to commands in the Mosaic law, or Old Covenant, that are no longer binding for today, so Paul does not want any Christians feeling condemned about not obeying them. And look what he says about them… Colossians 2:17 These are A SHADOW of the things to come, but the SUBSTANCE BELONGS TO CHRIST. Elements of the Mosaic law contained shadows of Christ, but He is the substance. You don’t have to turn there, but listen to one more verse making this point… Hebrews 10:1 The law has but a SHADOW of the good things to come instead of the true form of these REALITIES. The law contained the shadows, but the realities are found in Christ. Shadows are a fitting way to describe types of Christ, because: Shadows are pointing to something else. A shadow is evidence that something is casting it, or in the case of Christ, it is Someone. Shadows provide an idea of what something looks like without completely revealing the object. Nobody looks at a shadow and believes it is the real thing. Nobody sees the shadow of a tree or car and thinks it is a tree or car. Shadows have no substance. They are not the reality. In Colossians 2:17, Jesus is the substance and in Hebrews 10:1, He is the reality. The New Testament identifies many shadows and types of Christ. For example: John 3:14 compares Jesus with the Bronze Serpent: “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up.” John 6:32-33 compares Jesus with the manna: “Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” First Corinthians 10:4 compares Jesus with the rock that accompanied Israel in the wilderness: “[Israel] drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ.” Certain practices served as shadows of Christ: Each sacrifice looked forward to Jesus, the true and greater Sacrifice for sins. Hebrews 4:1-9 says the rest people enjoyed on the Sabbath was a picture of the true and greater rest that is found in Christ. Briefly look at Colossians 2:11… Colossians 2:11 In him also YOU WERE CIRCUMCISED with a circumcision made without hands (it is not physical), by putting off the body of the flesh (referring to the sinful flesh), by the circumcision of Christ, Circumcision has its fulfillment in Christ because He helps us put off, not physical flesh, but sinful flesh. And as people engaged in these practices in faith that looked forward to Christ they were saved by faith. One other reason the word shadows is so fitting, is it describes how Old Testament saints saw Christ: in a veiled, shadowy way. And this brings us to lesson three… Lesson Two: Old Testament saints (Part Two) strained to understand the mystery of Christ. Imagine you’re standing in a dark room and there is an object you are struggling to see. You can make out some of the details, but some remain obscured. This is what it was like for Old Testament saints as they looked forward to Christ in faith. Please turn to 1 Peter 1. This is a unique section of Scripture that gives us insight into the lives of Old Testament prophets and what it was like for them as they tried to see Christ through prophecies and shadows.