Complete in Christ: Colossians 1.19-29 (4)

Opening Prayer: Psalm 93.1, 2
The LORD reigns, He is clothed with majesty;
The LORD is clothed,
He has girded Himself with strength.
Surely the world is established, so that it cannot be moved.
Your throne is established from of old;
You are from everlasting.

Sing Psalm 93.1, 2
(Trinity: Come, Thou Almighty King)
The Lord in majesty reigns, girded and clothed in strength!
Earth stands secure: Nor shall it e’er be moved.
God on His throne above set it in place with love –
His reign is sure!

Read Colossians 1.27

Preparation
1. To whom has God made known the riches of His glory?

2. What is our hope of glory?

Meditation
Glory is the singular focus of this verse. Let’s look more closely at what Paul means.

The glory of God is His Presence, which, when we become aware of it, feels “heavy”, albeit in a spiritual sense. Paul wrote about a “weight of glory” in 2 Corinthians 4.17. He was deliberately playing on the Hebrew word for glory, which can mean “to be heavy.” The glory of God is being revealed through the creation (Ps. 19.1-4). So clear and compelling is that revelation of God’s glory that everyone sees it, and it communicates a certain knowledge of God to every human being (Rom. 1.18-20; cf. Rom. 10.17, 18). Everyone sees the glory of God, but most people refuse to acknowledge it as such. Turning away from God, they explain the beauty, majesty, complexity, power, and wonder of the creation in more rational and comfortable terms. And frankly, don’t they sound a little silly assigning all the wonders of creation to “chance” and “evolution”?

But to His saints and faithful ones, God makes His glory known. They sense His Presence in all things. He weighs heavily upon them, and they bask in His pleasure. The clearest and most compelling experience of the glory of God comes from our reading and study of Scripture, where Christ reveals Himself on every page and the Spirit frees us from our temporal/material constraints and unlocks the glory of each text to transform us increasingly in the likeness of the Lord of glory (2 Cor. 3.12-18; Jn. 5.39). Thus, Christ in us, and being realized more fully day by day, brings us ever more deeply and constantly into the glory of God, and increases our hope in that glory, which will one day be ours in the face-to-face Presence of the Lord (1 Jn. 3.1-3).

But we need not wait until then to know the glory of God, and to proclaim and offer it to all the people to whom God sends us day by day. For God wills to make His glory known, and He has called us be the means of its revelation to the world (1 Cor. 10.31).

Treasure Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162
The riches of the glory. The mystery of salvation and suffering. Our hope in Christ.

We as believers are overshadowed, weighed down, enfolded in this truth that God wills to make known to us. That we belong in Him. We are saved by Him. We owe our lives to Him (Rom. 12.1, 2). This knowledge is ours to embrace and live through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Still a mystery. But ours to inherit.

“The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us” (Romans 8.16-18).

“This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast…” (Heb. 6.19).

Reflection
1. Why does Paul say that Christ dwelling in us is the hope of glory?

2. How do we make that glory known to others?

3. What can you do to see more of the glory of Jesus in the Scriptures?

Through what, then, do we hope for participation in this glory? Take note of this—do you have Christ in your heart? Examine yourself, whether you have taken hold of hope’s certainty and firmness. If hope does not mean for you life, salvation and glory, you cannot be certain that you have him in your heart. Wolfgang Musculus (1497-1563), On Paul’s Letter to the Colossians 1.2

Closing Prayer: Psalm 93.3-5
What trials or difficulties are threatening to swamp you today? Give them to the Lord of glory. Cling to His testimonies and press on in His holiness. Commit your day and all its endeavors to the Lord of glory, Who dwells in you and rules over all.

Psalm 93.3-5
(Trinity: Come, Thou Almighty King)
What, though the floods arise, raising their voice to the skies,
strong though they be, God on His mighty throne,
drowns out their fearsome drone, hasting to save His own,
eternally.

Almighty God on high, Your Word can never lie!
Your truth is sure – holy and just are they
who tread Your holy way; Yours shall they ever stay,
Lord, evermore.

T. M. and Susie Moore

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Except as indicated, all Scripture are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. For sources of all quotations, see the weekly PDF of this study. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter (Williston: Waxed Tablet Publications, 2006), available by clicking here.