Suffering for the Gospel - Joy Found in Purpose
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church,
of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you,
to make the word of God fully known, the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints.
To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom,
that we may present everyone mature in Christ.
For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.
Colossians 1:24 .
24 Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church,
What should our expectation of children of the one true king be?
We should have the expectation to suffer as Christ also suffered for us to reconcile us to God, for he is Jesus, the All in All, the Reconciler of all things. 1 Peter 2:20-25 makes this clear.
20 For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God.
21 For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps.
Suffering is an integral part of the Christian life. It is through suffering that we experience the reconciliation of Christ, for his death and resurrection made all suffering have redemptive purpose in our lives and in the lives of those whom we proclaim Jesus to in word and deed. This is what Romans 8:28-30 is declaring in all things working for good.
What does Paul mean by “filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions”?
Are not Christ’s suffering and sacrifice sufficient and full? They are, for he is Jesus, the All in All.
If Christ’s work is reconciliation of all things through his suffering as Paul clearly states in Colossians 1:19, he cannot mean that we are adding to what Christ has already suffered. Penance and purgatory are not legit practices.
We do, however, share in Christ’s suffering as part of his body. Christ reconciled all things through suffering - the past, the present, and the future. The future has not happened yet, therefore it is lacking or absent in Christ’s afflictions. We live in the present, entering into the future and sharing in the sufferings that Christ has reconciled through his suffering on the cross.
We find ourselves living in the tension of the already-not yet reality of Christ’s work. It is complete, but not yet fulfilled.
Paul says, “I rejoice in my sufferings”. This idea of joy in suffering is challenging for all of us. The natural reaction to suffering is sorrow and grief.
How is Paul having joy in suffering?
The answer lies in God’s purposes through suffering. Here, it is two-fold.
The first purpose which brings joy is the proclamation of the gospel. Paul expresses the importance of this in Romans 10:13-17.
13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
14 How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?
15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!”
16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?”
17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
Proclaiming the gospel brings suffering into our lives, for we live in a world that is in rebellion against God. Yet there are those who hear and believe. In this we rejoice as Paul did with the Colossians.
The second purpose which brings joy is the maturing effect of suffering. James says as much in James 1:2-4.
2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds,
3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.
4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
To have joy in suffering we must not lose sight of the purposes of God in suffering. Our joy is robbed from us when we focus solely on the suffering rather than on God’s purposes worked through our suffering.
Colossians 1:25-26 .
25 of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known,
26 the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints.
Paul was given the ministry of explaining the mystery of the gospel to the Gentiles. We have all been given the ministry of making the mystery of God known in our families, our neighborhood, our workplace, our towns, our county, our state, our nation, and our world, for we are his saints.
Paul “uses the word mystery characteristically to denote truth about God and his plan of salvation that had remained hidden in the past but that had now been revealed.” (Moo, Douglas J. The Letters to the Colossians and to Philemon. William B. Eerdmans Pub. Co., 2008.)
We have the privileged and honor of making the mystery known.
Let us make Jesus known.
Colossians 1:27 .
27 To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
Verse 27 is the center of the chiasm, making Paul’s central point clear. God has chosen to make known to us the glorious riches of Christ, expressed in the very person of Jesus, who is in us and with us, reminding us that in our suffering he is bringing us into his glory, for he is the hope of glory.
Colossians 1:28 .
28 Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ.
Verse 28 is in parallel with verse 25-26 in the proclamation of the gospel.
Paul shows how that proclamation was done.
First, it was proclaimed to everyone.
Second, it was done with warning or admonition.
Third, is was done with teaching or instruction.
Fourth, all this was covered with wisdom.
Wisdom speaks of doing it well and with skill .
The purpose of this is to bring everyone into maturity in Christ.
Colossians 1:29 .
29 For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.
How can we accomplish so great a task of participating in bringing everyone into maturity in Christ.
We accomplish it in the power of God.
But how do we access his power?
We gain access to his power through surrender to his plan and purposes in our lives.
If we are toiling, struggling and suffering for our own agenda, we will not experience his power working in us.
Let us trust and surrender to his plan and purpose in our lives, proclaiming Jesus in all things, walking in joy through God’s purposes which he works through suffering.
