Afflictions - Part 1

Okay, we need to put the last four weeks into our mind as we go into Colossians 1:24-29

Christ is the firstborn of all things

It was God’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in him

To reconcile things on earth and heaven

To make peace through the cross

To reconcile you

To present you holy, blameless and without accusation

Now I rejoice in the sufferings on behalf of you, and, in turn, I fill up the deficiencies of the afflictions of the Messiah in my flesh, on behalf of the body of him, which is the church, of which (the church) I became a servant according to the stewardship of God, the one (stewardship) given to me for you, to fulfill the word of the God, the mystery, the one (mystery) having been hidden from the ages and from the generations. But now was revealed to the holy ones (thats you) of him (Messiah), to whom God willed to make known what the riches of the glory of this mystery among the nations, which is Christ in you, the hope of the glory, whom we proclaim, admonishing every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ, for which I also toil, struggling according to the working of him, the one working in me in power. (Colossians 1:24-29)

Christ is the firstborn of all things

It was God’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in him

To reconcile things on earth and heaven

To make peace through the cross

To reconcile you

To present you holy, blameless and without accusation

All of this was accomplished by God the Father, through Christ on the Cross, and is made a reality by the Spirit in you.

Paul sees this news, this mystery, as something worth the affliction of his body.

So much, that he makes a shocking statement:

“I rejoice in the sufferings on behalf of you, and in turn, I fill up the deficiencies of the afflictions of the Messiah in my body.”

I am not suggesting that you go out and afflict your body for the sake of affliction

What Paul is telling us (And Paul gets a bad wrap for other things) is that he is putting his life on the line for the Gospel

I want you to see the upside down nature of what Paul is saying…

Most will willingly enter affliction for gain…

(We call that war)

Few will willing enter affliction for Christ…

(Paul calls that peace and reconciliation)

Please, see this!!!

Paul’s goal is to participate in presenting all as…

Not ‘holely’

That is something full of holes

But ‘Wholly’

Which is something made whole

Through ‘Holiness’

Without accusation

When something is full of holes…it usually stops breathing, and you lose that opportunity to make peace while they are living

Again, we call that war

You can work to make something whole, but it may not understand it is holy, blameless, and without accusation

That is like therapy

But Paul is seeking reconciliation, holy, blameless, and without accusation

Again, this is tricky

Paul had issues with other apostles, other people (Philemon) but he did not stop trying to participate in reconciliation

And that came at a cost

Paul called that affliction

Leading into communion

Afflictions - Part 1