SERVICES: SATURDAY 6PM | SUNDAY 9AM & 10:45AM. 

We Livestream at www.FaithFellowshipWeb.com/livestream, through the FFC App, and YouTube.

Hope of Glory

Hope of Glory

Words of Faith 10-17-19

Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2019

Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com

Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL

To unsubscribe follow the directions at the end of this devotion.

<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><

 

Colossians 1

[25] I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness-- [26] the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the saints.   [27] To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.  

 

        Paul was commissioned by God to present the Word of God in its fullness.  No half-truth for him.  He was called to present the full truth of God, including the mystery that had been kept secret through generations.  The idea of a mystery in Paul's writings usually refers to a righteousness that is by faith, but here Paul goes a step further.  The mystery kept hidden for ages and generations is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

        There could hardly be a more vital and precious truth to be revealed.  Yes, we are justified by faith, but there is a huge reality after that.  Christ living IN us gives us hope. This is our hope of sanctification and our hope of glory!

        This element is what was always missing in the religious efforts of both the synagogue and the Temple.  We simply are not able to live a Godly life.  We are not able to be perfect as our Father in heaven is perfect.  We are saved by grace, and then we trust in Christ to live in us.  This is sometimes called the exchanged life.  As Paul put it, I no longer live but Christ lives in me (Gal. 2:20).  We are not able to do the work of sanctification or walk in holiness.  We have no hope of glory without the sanctifying world of Christ in us.  The mystery of Christian living is Christ in us.

         This is the part of discipleship that we often miss.  It is easy to slip back into religious rule-keeping rather than teaching the presence of Christ.  If we take a careful look, the Great Commission spells this out.  When Jesus gave the Great Commission, He said-- Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely, I am with you always, to the very end of the age" (Matthew 28:19-20). 

        We baptize to celebrate New Life. 

        We instruct in the commands of Christ. 

        What we often miss is that we are to teach the presence of Christ.  This is the mystery that makes victorious Christian living possible.

        True discipleship will teach obedience to every command of Christ AND the presence of Christ that is in us to the very end of the age.  That is not legalism-- that is power training.  Christ lives in us by the power and presence of the Holy Spirit.  This is the hope of glory.  As Christ lives in me, I surrender more and more to Him every day.  He sanctifies me by faith as I trust Him more and more.  His character is more and more evident, the more I surrender myself to Him and crucify the sinful nature and its desires.

         So, for today.  Are you walking with Him?  Have you trusted His justifying work on the cross?  Is He dwelling in You?  Do you have the hope of glory?  Are you more and more surrendered to Him?

 

        Father God, sanctify me O Lord.  Dwell in me by the power of Your Spirit.  Crucify my sinful nature and cause the fruit of Your Spirit to flourish in my relationships and in all that I do and say.  You are my hope of glory.  In Jesus' Name.

 

<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><

SUBSCRIPTIONS - To receive the Words of Faith devotion five days a week, send an E-mail message addressed to join-words-of-faith@hub.xc.org. To stop receiving Words of Faith, send an E-mail message addressed to unsubscribe-words-of-faith@hub.xc.org.  Or you can call the church office at 321-259-7200 x1.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -     

The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail, and our website, and our church app, excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2010 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.  

<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><