TEXT: COLOSSIANS 1:27, JOHN 15: 5-10
“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.” (Colossians
1:27).
“5
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you
will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If you do not remain
in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are
picked up, thrown into the fire, and burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words
remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 This is to
my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my
disciples.
9
“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10 If
you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my
Father’s commands and remain in his love (John
15: 5-10).
What
is glory? Glory is renown honour won by notable achievements. It is an
outstanding achievement that cannot be hidden. Glory is an achievement that
announces itself. What do you understand by hope? It is a feeling of
expectation and desire for a particular thing to happen (Dictionary.com).
The
Biblical meaning of hope is the CONFIDENT expectation of what God has promised.
Our text in John 15 says “if you remain in me and I in you, you will bear more
fruit. The relationship that would propel us to glory has to be dual relationship
(that is, relating with God- getting intimate with God, and he also has a
relationship with you). This is when we can be sure that we are on the path of
glory. Some people believe they are in Christ while they play religion. There is
clear distinction between being a religious person and being saved genuinely-
God resides in those that are GENUINELY saved and not those that attend church
weekly without any form of godliness in them!
I
heard Joyce Meyer saying one day that “staying in garage does not make you a
car, neither does going to church makes you a Christian.” Our right standing
with God is what guarantees the manifestation of the glory of God in our lives.
The question we need to ask ourselves now is “is Christ in me and am I in
Christ?”
Our
text says, “Christ in you the hope of glory.” Christ MUST genuinely be in you; He
must know you and have relationship with you, and you must do the same by
cultivating a very sound and genuine relationship with Him so that he can shower
you with His glory. The irony of things are some people believe they are in
Christ, they work for God, they pay tithe and never missed services in their
local churches. However, they are not walking with the lord they are working
for, they have no relationship with God, he does not communicate or relate with
them on personal level- They are strangers or aliens to God! This type of
relationship would not make you enjoy the glory of God.
Cultivate
a genuine relationship with your maker, do not play religion. For the glory of
God to manifest in us, we must be sure that we are not alone on our Christian
walk or journey, we must be sure that God is on the journey with us. How can we
be sure that Christ is in us? By constant examination of our heart and examining
your life and standing with God. Your heart needs to be renewed and be transformed.
You must have a genuine fellowship with God and not “playing church.” God bless
you.
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