“I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is the church, of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God which was given to me for you, to fulfill the word of God, the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints. To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus. To this end I also labor, striving according to His working which works in me mightily. For I want you to know what a great conflict I have for you and those in Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh, that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, and attaining to all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the knowledge of the mystery of God, both of the Father and of Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Now this I say lest anyone should deceive you with persuasive words. For though I am absent in the flesh, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the steadfastness of your faith in Christ. As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving. Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.
Most people profess to have faith in God—which is good, but it is not the whole story. Faith in God is not what actually changes things, nor does it transform the human being, nor does it grant eternal life. For instance, almost all of the world's major religions profess faith in a generic god; consequently, many fall into the error of thinking that we all worship and follow the same God. But the truth is that we do not all follow the same God. If it were indeed all the same God, then we would truly be lost. The problem would be that we would be dealing with a god suffering from severe multiple-identity issues—one who tells one group of people one thing, and another group something else entirely. Therefore, if we believe in a perfect God, it is impossible to accept the notion that all religions lead to the same destination. That is why merely believing in God constitutes only part of the answer; the essential element is still missing—which brings us to the very heart of this message.
For man to be able to experience God the Father—precisely as He Himself desires—everything must center upon the Lord Jesus Christ. If we look at the Holy Scriptures, we find that the instances in which God the Father actually spoke are very few. It has always been the Lord Jesus Christ who has interacted with mankind. It was He who spoke with Abraham, His friend. It was He who spoke with Moses—the great "I AM"—and so on. The only instances recorded in the Bible where God the Father communicated something directly were those very moments in which He Himself declared that people should fix their attention upon the Lord Jesus. We read the following: “Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, led them up on a high mountain by themselves; and He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light. And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him. Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, ‘Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, let us make here three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.‘ While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!’” Matthew 17:1-5. And at this very instant, God the Father Himself is the one who corrects man's vision. The Father did not say to listen to Him. The Father did not say to look at either Moses or Elijah. What was it that God the Father said? “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!” Therefore, if one wishes to come to the Father—if a person desires to obtain eternal life, and if we seek to uncover all the secrets of the universe—it is necessary only to focus on the Lord Jesus Christ and to behold Him for who He truly is: God and Lord. Otherwise, there is neither forgiveness of sins, nor eternal life, nor answers to anything; and, obviously, there is no reward of any kind in eternity. The Lord Jesus Christ is the mystery of the ages—a mystery revealed to us in the most profound and significant manner. Had He remained in the heavens, we would have no hope whatsoever. Had He not died on the cross as the perfect sacrifice, there would be no forgiveness of sins. And had He not been raised from the dead, there would be no way for us to live eternally. Many are fascinated by the subject of destiny—and love to speak of it—but the truth is that, without Christ, our destiny would be hell because of our sins. Yet blessed be the Lord for what He has done, for He shattered that destiny of ours through the cross.
Therefore, the center of our faith—and the center of our preaching—must be the Lord Jesus Christ. This is what the Word declares: “Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.” Ephesians 1:15-23. The Lord is the answer to absolutely everything that truly matters—without exception. That is why we cannot add anything to our faith in Christ. There may be things that help, but the center of our faith—the entirety of our lives—must be the Lord. It is written: “Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Philippians 2:9-11. Therefore, we must make the Lord our example, as the Apostle Paul said: “Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ.” 1 Corinthians 11:1. When the Lord said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me,” it was not a delusion of grandeur, but a reality; and if we wish to be with God the Father in eternity—in His kingdom—we must treat the Lord Jesus Christ as what He truly is: the only answer to the entire universe. It is written: “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.” Colossians 1:15. So, if the mystery of all ages has been revealed to us, what other answer do we need? Lord bless! John. God bless Israel!