Read: Colossians 1:25-27, Ephesians 3:1-6
Have you ever thrown a surprise party for someone? If you have you know how difficult it can be to keep the party a secret. The more people who know about the party the more risk that the surprise will be ruined. If you are close to the person who you are throwing the party for you have to be extra careful not to leave anything lying around that they might see and could give the party away. Extra special planning needs to be done to make sure the target doesn’t arrive to the party too early or too late. But when everything comes off it is almost always
God had an incredible surprise planned from the beginning of history that was only revealed after Jesus life, death and resurrection. That is what Paul is talking about when he talks about a mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations. When the Bible talks about a mystery it isn’t talking about a detective story or something mysterious and beyond understanding. It is talking about a surprise. Something that was previously hidden and now has been revealed. Something that was previously hazy and unclear and has now been made clear.
What is this mystery? What has been revealed now that was hidden before? Paul uses this word 18 times in his letters. It is impossible to pin the mystery down to one simple thing. Instead it refers to a range of incredible ways that God is working through Jesus Christ to bring His people to Himself.
Here in Colossians 1 it is the mystery of Christ dwelling in His people. In Colossians 2 Christ is the mystery of God in whom is found all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. In Ephesians 3 the mystery is that God has brought the Gentiles into His people as equal heirs with Israel. They are no longer separated from God and from all the benefits of being God’s people, they have been brought near. In Ephesians 5 the mystery is the way that the institution of marriage reflects Christ and the church, something it has done since the beginning of time. In Romans 11 it is the way that God has hardened Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles come to faith.
Jesus is God’s ultimate revelation. Through Him God’s plan for redemption and for bringing together a people for Himself is fully and finally revealed and brought to fulfilment. Through Jesus all mankind can come to know God and be brought into His presence. Through Jesus Christ all can stand before God as equal heirs to the promises that God has made to His people.
What a great surprise! Through Jesus Christ we can be a part of God’s people, come into relationship with Him and look forward to spending eternity with Him in the New Heavens and New Earth. As God’s people God has disclosed to us the wonderful mystery of His son Jesus and all that He has accomplished for His people. We have been brought into God’s fold. What incredible mercy and grace God shows towards us through His son. Hallelujah!
Prayer:
Use the Bible passage from today and the reading notes to write down your prayer points before you pray.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Thank God that He has revealed Himself to us through His son Jesus Christ. Thank God that we can be in relationship with Him through His life, death and resurrection. Pray that He would help you grow in faith and love for Him.
¥ Pray for PlayPals as they meet at ChristLife this morning. Pray that the community mums who attend would be encouraged by their time and that there would be opportunities to reach out with love and with the gospel.
Throughout History God has been working to bring about His purposes through Christ. Even before creation He planned that Christ would die for us and that we would be His people. Such an amazing God deserves our wholehearted worship and praise.
As a group see how many verses in the Old Testament you can find that talk about what God will do through Jesus. Explain how they point to Jesus. Here are some to start with:
¥ Genesis 3:15
¥ Deuteronomy 18:17-20
¥ Psalm 16
¥ Jeremiah 31:31-37
Intro: Sometimes it can be great fun to have a surprise party for someone.
Share: if you can, a time when you went to a surprise party or had a surprise party thrown for you. How did it feel? Was the party fun? How did you/the person react?
Read: Colossians 1:26 God threw a massive surprise party for the world with His son Jesus. This is the mystery Paul talks about Since He created the whole world He has been planning to send His son Jesus to save us from our sins. Why did God plan to send His son Jesus? What does it mean for us?
Pray Together: Pray that God would help us to share the good news of Jesus with everyone we can.
Read: Colossians 1:26 God threw a massive surprise party for the world with His son Jesus. This is the mystery Paul talks about Since He created the whole world He has been planning to send His son Jesus to save us from our sins. Why did God plan to send His son Jesus? What does it mean for us?
Pray Together: Pray that God would help us to share the good news of Jesus with everyone we can.
Intro: Sometimes it can be great fun to have a surprise party for someone.
Share: if you can, a time when you went to a surprise party or had a surprise party thrown for you. How did it feel? Was the party fun? How did you/the person react?
Read: Colossians 1:26 God threw a massive surprise party for the world with His son Jesus. This is the mystery Paul talks about Since He created the whole world He has been planning to send His son Jesus to save us from our sins. Why did God plan to send His son Jesus? What does it mean for us?
Pray Together: Pray that God would help us to share the good news of Jesus with everyone we can.
Read: Colossians 1:26 God threw a massive surprise party for the world with His son Jesus. This is the mystery Paul talks about Since He created the whole world He has been planning to send His son Jesus to save us from our sins. Why did God plan to send His son Jesus? What does it mean for us?
Pray Together: Pray that God would help us to share the good news of Jesus with everyone we can.
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