Bücher der Reihe Preaching Verse by Verse

The Glory Is Certain. In Colossians 1:27, Paul wrote about a "mystery." Then he explained that the "mystery" among the Gentiles was "CHRIST IN YOU, THE HOPE OF GLORY." Though Paul was in a Roman prison, he was not without "HOPE." He wrote about it. Paul was absolutely certain about this "HOPE."The Glory Is Shared. Since the Lord Jesus Christ had given "HOPE" to the Apostle Paul, he wanted to share that "HOPE" to the Colossian believers. Rather than being led to MOPE, as, perhaps, other prisoners in Rome, Paul was filled with certain "HOPE," because of his strong faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, His Saviour. He felt he must share this good news of "GLORY."The Glory Is Defined. While living in inglorious surroundings, Paul was thinking of "GLORY." This was his "HOPE." The only One Who was able to make that "HOPE OF GLORY" possible was the Lord Jesus Christ, "OUR HOPE" (1 Timothy 1:1). This "HOPE OF GLORY" is possessed by everyone who has been born-again by genuine faith in the Saviour. All the re- deemed ones will receive this "GLORY" when they see their Saviour, and be "like Him" (1 John 3:2).The Glory Shall Be Received. Paul looked forward to the day when his body would be "fashioned like" Christ's "GLORIOUS body" at the "first resurrec- tion" (Philippians 3:20-21; Revelation 20:5-6).The Glory Is Certain. In Colossians 1:27, Paul wrote about a "mystery." Then he explained that the "mystery" among the Gentiles was "CHRIST IN YOU, THE HOPE OF GLORY." Though Paul was in a Roman prison, he was not without "HOPE." He wrote about it. Paul was absolutely certain about this "HOPE."The Glory Is Shared. Since the Lord Jesus Christ had given "HOPE" to the Apostle Paul, he wanted to share that "HOPE" to the Colossian believers. Rather than being led to MOPE, as, perhaps, other prisoners in Rome, Paul was filled with certain "HOPE," because of his strong faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, His Saviour. He felt he must share this good news of "GLORY."The Glory Is Defined. While living in inglorious surroundings, Paul was thinking of "GLORY." This was his "HOPE." The only One Who was able to make that "HOPE OF GLORY" possible was the Lord Jesus Christ, "OUR HOPE" (1 Timothy 1:1). This "HOPE OF GLORY" is possessed by everyone who has been born-again by genuine faith in the Saviour. All the re- deemed ones will receive this "GLORY" when they see their Saviour, and be "like Him" (1 John 3:2).The Glory Shall Be Received. Paul looked forward to the day when his body would be "fashioned like" Christ's "GLORIOUS body" at the "first resurrec- tion" (Philippians 3:20-21; Revelation 20:5-6).

The Beginning. This book is the seventeenth in a series of verse-by-verse preaching from various New Testamentbooks of the Bible. It is an attempt to bring to the minds of the readers two things: (1) the meaning of the words in the verses, and (2) some practical applications of those words to the lives of both genuine Christians and non-Christians. Paul is the apostle of Jesus Christ by God's will. Before this, he imprisoned and agreed to the killing of Christians. The Lord Jesus Christ met him as he was going to Damascus to imprison Christians. On his way there, the Lord Jesus Christ saved him and called him to be an apostle. I believe Paul, not Mathias, was chosen by the Lord Jesus Christ to take the place of Judas Iscariot who betrayed the Saviour. Timothy was with Paul when he wrote 2 Corinthians and he was right there in the church of Corinth with all the genuine Christians in Achaia or northern Greece. This was Paul's second letter to them. In his first letter, he excoriated them because one of the men had committed incest with his father's wife. Paul is trying to encourage them in the things of the Lord Jesus Christ.

All Are Sinners. In this book of Ephesians, Paul made it very clear that every human being is a sinner. In fact, they are all "dead in trespasses and sins." (Ephesians 2:1)All Must Be Saved. Since all are sinners and "dead in trespasses and sins," all must be saved. Paul differed with the liberals and apostates of our day who say that all are saved and will go to God's heaven. God's salvation cannot be accomplished by our "works." It is only by God's "grace" that people can be saved, "through faith" in the Lord Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:8-9).All Saved Should Serve. Though none can be saved by their "good works," once saved, all should serve the Lord by "good works" which God has "ordained that we should walk in them" (Ephesians 2:10). Though we cannot serve God to be saved, once we are saved, we should serve the Lord with willing hearts and with "good works."

The Bodily Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ Is Doubted By Many Today. Though doubted by many so-called Pastors in many churches of the U.S.A. and around the world, it is clearly taught in 1 Corinthians 15 and elsewhere in the New Testament. The Angel Of The Lord Was A Witness. When the two Mary's came to Christ's tomb early on the first day of the week, the angel of the Lord told them "He is not here: for He is risen . . . come, see the place where the Lord lay" (Matthew 28:6). More Than "500 Brethren at once" Were Also Witnesses. (1 Corinthians 15:6). Many of those brethren were still alive when Paul wrote the book of 1 Corinthians. What greater witness is needed to establish Christ's bodily resurrection? Eleven Apostles Were Witnesses. At the second Sunday evening service, the Lord Jesus Christ appeared before them in the upper room. Even Thomas was there on that occasion though absent the week before. The Apostle Paul Was A Witness. The Lord Jesus Christ appeared to Paul from Heaven when he was on his way to imprison Christians at Emmaus. Paul asked "Who art thou, Lord?" The Lord Jesus Christ replied, "I am Jesus Whom thou persecutest." (Acts 9:5).

The Galatian Problem: The Galatian Christians believed that, though they were saved by God's grace through faith in Christ, they must be sanctified by works through keeping the Law of Moses.The Galatian Solution: Paul's soution to these Galatians was very simple. It was in two parts. (1) Since God had saved them by His grace through faith, they must be sancitified by grace through faith also and not by keeping the Mosaic Law. (2) The Judaizers who were teaching them this error were preaching "another gospel" and were therefore cursed by God. Paul repeated this condemnation two times for emphasis (Galatians 1:8-9)The Galatian Application: We who are saved in the Age of Grace, like the Galatian believers, were saved by God's grace through faith in Christ. We are to be sanctified day by day also by God's grace through faith and dependence upon the power of the Holy Spirit. This means that we are not under any of the three parts of the Mosaic Law. Those who differ with this are preaching "another gospel" and are also under God's curse.