Sermon Tone Analysis

Colossians 1:24

Now, for those of you who love the difficulties, we’ll get to the one here in a moment, but first I want you to feel the weight of what Paul is saying.

This word NOW is not just a transition word, its actually the opposite, it is connecting what Paul is about to say to what he has just said.

The SUPREMACY of Christ’s Reign that he has just laid out has not changed the Right Now of Paul’s imprisonment – his circumstances are still real and difficult.

Its ok to say, “I know God is sovereign but this is terrible.”

But in light of all he has just said about Christ, Paul is able to rejoice…

2 Cor 11:23-28

And yet because what he just said about Christ is true, he rejoices even in his sufferings.

One of the greatest ways we, the church, have been impacted by our modern culture is by being given a modern Americanized view of suffering.

– American Hedonist – Seek pleasure avoid pain, that is all

Suffering is the lot of all Christians

1 Thess 3:3, Acts 14:22

Do you accept that that is true?

Will you embrace suffering as necessary and even good?

Phil 1:29-30 – Suffering Gifted to you

HOW CAN SOMETHING BE A GIFT IF IT BRINGS ME PAIN AND NOT PLEASURE

This world has infiltrated us!

We would never say it, but so many of us are living with pleasure as our highest goal, the purpose of our living.

What empty lives!

Imagine two soldiers in battle, side by side, fighting for a noble and good cause, and one takes off running away from his friend and the battle, the friend yells asking where he is going, and he says I’m leaving because there is no pleasure to be found here.

My youngest kids have gotten in this “But I don’t want to” phase … (My hypothesis - Probably too much grandparent time)

But I don’t want to say sorry, say thank you, go to school, go to church, go to practice, I don’t want to share, I don’t want to be nice, I don’t want to sleep in my room, I don’t want to take a bath, I don’t want to go to bed – and this has worn me down, my normal response in my frustrated moments is something like “Who cares what you want,” or “Its hilarious that you think that it matters that you don’t want to share.”

– my kids are just trying to follow their heart, and I’m laboring to teach them how to kill it instead – Christian parenting

We know with children that a life based purely around your wants is a pathetic life and a small life and an unworthy life, even a bad life

We know that with kids we have to teach them that they cant always get what they want, and that its better that way.

But then so often down deep in our American hearts we are doing the same thing, seeking only pleasure, which is just another way of saying avoiding suffering at all costs.

Pleasure?

That’s the goal of your life?

Really?

You wouldn’t admit that, of course, but for many of us it is.

Maximize our pleasure, minimize our pain, what a pathetic goal for a life.

You were made for more than to just be pleased!

I listen to Jordan Peterson often, I love when he says “Let’s have a thought experiment . .

.”

If God spoke from heaven to you, today, at your age, and told you you had a choice, he had a child with severe down syndrome planned for your Home, that he would make your life much more difficult every day until death, he would keep you from many pleasures you would have otherwise, but he will bring Him great glory and you closer to Him, but that you didn’t have to take him.

What would you do?

Would you see that suffering as a gift?

I ask that just because its that sort of question that gets at whats at our heart – pleasure or something more than that – which life would be Better

Paul sees suffering as a gift, it isn’t fun, it isn’t happy, its Hard, its painful, but it’s a gift, and one he can rejoice in as the call of God.

Like Paul, if you’re going to follow Jesus, if you’re going to confront evil, if you’re going to proclaim the gospel, suffering is coming.

Colossians 1:24 - “Filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions,” – Yikes, that sounds like heresy at first doesn’t it.

Buckle down with me for the next few moments – GO SLOW RENE

How are Christ’s afflictions Lacking?

Certainly not in its atonement . . .

we don’t have enough time to look at a portion of the verses that show this, but here’s . . .

Col 2:13, Col 1:22, 1 Jn 1:7 -- GOSPEL PRESENTATION

No more blood needed, the sacrifice was perfect, FULL, COMPLETE, not lacking anything for you to be saved – no merits can be added!

So how are they lacking?

Let me give you my answer, and then I’ll try to explain why I think this is at least largely what is in view.

Presence– they weren’t there with them then, they were no longer visibly proclaiming what is True – Paul’s were.

3 Verses same Greek phrase

Phil 2:30

1 Cor 16:17

This same meaning applies in our text.

What is lacking is Christ’s bodily presence.

Paul’s physical suffering as a member of Christ’s body represents Christ’s, and his suffering is a sort of extension of Christ’s suffering, likewise proclaiming the Truth to the world.

SAME IS TRUE OF US AS CHRIST’S FOLLOWERS.

Paul is saying there is a sense in which his sufferings are again presenting the suffering Messiah to the World.

Same Greek word Galatians 6:2 – The Law of Christ is not visible, but it is filled up, completed, presented, made tangible when we love each other well - Paul is presenting Christ to the world through preaching, AND also through his sufferings

Our Verse

Christ’s sufferings are absent, no longer visible, but throughout Christian history, every moment from 2,000 years ago until now, Christians around the world have made them visible, presented, tangible in our sufferings

Let me try to add onto that a bit, maybe make it more clear -

Paul emphasizes strongly the unity of the believer with Christ – We don’t think enough about the fact that we are UNITED with Christ - Christ as the Head, the Christians as the Body.

Since the Head and Body are One and United, when one suffers, the other suffers.

RENE – if I got shot in my abdomen, you wouldn’t say, Ah Rene’s body is shot, RENE IS SHOT- similarly if someone shot me in my head, you wouldn’t say, phew, at least his body is ok.

This is actually an incredible truth about Christ suffering with us when we suffer.

Romans 8:17 – Suffer WITH Him – how are we to do that, he is gone

Phil 3:10 – Share His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death

2 Corinthians 1:5 – Share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings

BECAUSE WE ARE UNITED WITH CHRIST, when we suffer, He is there suffering with us, as the Head suffers when the Body suffers.

Today, when the body of Christ suffers, we are presenting the suffering of Christ, the Head, to the World.

2 Cor 4:11

Col 1:25 next verse – to make the Word of God fully known – one of the ways we do that is through Suffering

Could have appointed angels to complete what was lacking, appointed us, to shine to the world.

Our sufferings, in a real way, bring the sufferings of Christ to others.

The SUPREMACY of Christ’s Reign that he has just laid out has not changed the Right Now of Paul’s imprisonment – his circumstances are still real and meaningful.

But in light of all he has just said about Christ, Paul is able to rejoice in his sufferings, and is extending Christ to the world through them.

You will suffer, but it is meaningful, it matters