THE MYSTERIES OF GOD
DAY TWO — CHRIST: THE MYSTERY REVEALED
In Him Are Hidden All the Treasures of Wisdom and Knowledge
Scripture: Colossians 2:2–3 | Colossians 1:26–28 | 1 Timothy 3:16 | 1 Corinthians 2:6–10
What if we are searching for deeper mysteries while overlooking the greatest revelation God has ever given us?
Yesterday, we considered Daniel standing before Nebuchadnezzar and declaring that there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries.
Today, I want us to consider something even more extraordinary.
The God who reveals mysteries has revealed Himself through Jesus Christ.
I wonder sometimes whether we have become so accustomed to hearing the name of Jesus that we have lost something of the wonder of who He actually is.
We speak of Him as Saviour, Lord, Redeemer and King. And rightly so.
But do we really grasp what God has revealed through His Son?
REVELATION — THE MYSTERY REVEALED IN CHRIST
Paul writes in Colossians 2:2–3 about the mystery of God and declares that in Christ are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
Think about those words.
ALL the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
Not some. Not a small portion reserved for ordinary believers while deeper secrets are held by a spiritually privileged few.
All are found in Him.
Paul is writing to believers whom he wants to see established in their faith, united in love and protected from teachings that would draw them away from the sufficiency of Christ.
His answer is not to direct them towards some new spiritual experience or hidden source of knowledge.
He directs them back to Jesus.
In Colossians 1:26–27, Paul describes a mystery concealed through ages and generations but now revealed to God's people.
And he makes an astonishing declaration:
"Christ in you, the hope of glory." — Colossians 1:27 (NKJV)
Notice that Paul speaks of the riches of this mystery being made known among the Gentiles.
God's saving purposes were never intended to remain the possession of one nation. Through Jesus Christ, people from every nation are invited to share in His promises.
This was not God abandoning His earlier promises. It was the fuller revelation of purposes already anticipated in the Scriptures.
And at the centre of it all stands Jesus Christ.
INTERPRETATION — WHAT DOES THIS REALLY MEAN?
Here is where I believe we need to recover something of the wonder of the Gospel.
Jesus was not simply another prophet bringing a message from God.
He is the eternal Son of God who entered our humanity.
John tells us that the Word became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:14).
The One through whom all things were made entered the world He had created.
He walked among ordinary people.
He touched the leper, healed the sick, welcomed sinners and confronted religious hypocrisy.
And then He went to the Cross.
Consider the mystery of that moment.
The One who possessed all authority submitted Himself to death.
The One without sin bore our sin.
What appeared to be defeat became the decisive victory through which God accomplished our redemption.
And on the third day, Jesus rose again.
Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 2 that God's wisdom was not understood by the rulers of that age.
They did not recognise the full significance of the One they crucified.
The wisdom of God was being revealed in a way that human wisdom could never have anticipated.
The Cross was not an interruption to God's purposes.
It was central to their fulfilment.
And the resurrection declared that sin and death would not have the final word.
This is why we must be careful when speaking about the mysteries of God.
If our pursuit of revelation takes us away from the person of Jesus Christ, His finished work and the truth of Scripture, we need to question where that pursuit is taking us.
I believe God continues to guide His people through the Holy Spirit.
I believe in prophecy, spiritual gifts and the importance of discernment.
But no genuine revelation from God will contradict the truth He has revealed concerning His Son.
The Holy Spirit does not lead us away from Jesus. He glorifies Him. (John 16:13–14)
APPLICATION — HAVE WE LOST SIGHT OF THE CENTRE?
Now I want to bring this much closer to home.
We can become very knowledgeable about spiritual things.
We can discuss prophecy, spiritual warfare, revival, heavenly realms, apostolic ministry and the purposes of God for nations.
We can spend hours examining dreams, visions and prophetic impressions.
And some of these are legitimate subjects for serious biblical study.
But here is my concern.
It is possible to become fascinated with the things of God while neglecting our relationship with God Himself.
We can know the language of the Kingdom without demonstrating its character.
We can speak about spiritual authority while struggling to walk in humility.
We can talk about revival while resisting the personal transformation that comes through repentance and obedience.
And we can become so occupied with what we believe God is going to do next that we neglect what Jesus has already commanded us to do.
Love one another.
Forgive one another.
Make disciples.
Care for the poor.
Walk in holiness.
Follow Him.
These are not lesser truths to be left behind as we pursue something supposedly deeper.
They are part of what it means to know Christ.
Paul tells us in Colossians 1:28 that his purpose in proclaiming Christ is to bring people to maturity in Him.
There is the measure.
Not how much unusual knowledge we possess.
Not the number of revelations we claim to have received.
Not the size of our following or the recognition given to our ministry.
Are we becoming more like Jesus?
And I believe that question matters enormously when we consider how we gather as God's people.
Paul's desire in Colossians 2:2 is that believers should be encouraged and joined together in love as they grow in understanding.
The revelation of Christ was never intended to produce isolated spiritual experts, each claiming superior knowledge.
It should draw us towards Christ and towards one another.
Perhaps we need to spend less time trying to demonstrate how much we know and more time demonstrating the life of the One we claim to know.
LET US EXPLORE THIS TOGETHER
I would really value your thoughts today.
1. Paul tells us that all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are found in Christ. What does that mean for the way we approach prophecy, revelation and spiritual understanding?
2. Why do you think it is sometimes easier to pursue new spiritual experiences than to allow the truth of the Cross to change how we live?
And one question that is perhaps more personal:
If someone looked at our lives, would they see people who know a great deal about Jesus, or people who are actually becoming more like Him?
Please share your thoughts, questions and understanding.
We are not exploring these mysteries to prove who has the greatest knowledge.
We are searching the Scriptures together because we want to know Jesus more deeply and walk faithfully with Him.
A FINAL THOUGHT
In Daniel 2, we met the God who reveals mysteries.
Today, we discover that the fullness of His revelation is found in His Son.
And perhaps the challenge is greater than we first imagined.
We have not been invited merely to understand a mystery.
We have been invited into a living relationship with the One in whom God's wisdom and purposes are revealed.
The more we discover of Christ, the more we should recognise how much we still need Him.
There is no spiritual maturity that takes us beyond Jesus.
No revelation that makes His Cross unnecessary.
No knowledge that can replace knowing Him.
We do not need to find a deeper mystery beyond Christ. We need to go deeper into Christ Himself.
And that is a journey that will take a lifetime.
Next Teaching — DAY THREE: THE MYSTERY OF THE KINGDOM
When God's Kingdom Does Not Look the Way We Expected.
The Gathering — Northumberland
Anchored in Scripture. Led by the Holy Spirit. Rich in grace. Bold in truth. Faithful to Christ in every generation.
Gordon Whyte
