Colossians 1:24-2:3

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, 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. 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. 28 Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. 29 For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me. 1 For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you and for those at Laodicea and for all who have not seen me face to face, 2 that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ, 3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

is an extremely daring, robust, loaded, lit, possibly even outlandish, statement!!!

This sermon will be an unpacking of this one verse… I know we’ve read more than that… even into Colossians Chapter 2. But this one one verse makes some extreme claims from being able to “rejoice” in suffering to Fulfilling what is “Lacking” in Jesus’ suffering, crucifixion, and death to paul saying he does all of this for the benefit of the church.

First I want to give us a glimpse of what Paul is talking about… We are a forgetful people. Our culture has conditioned us to and think episodically about life… our kids are being conditioned to have even shorter attention spans and to think even less compartmentally with popular apps like INSTAgram and SNAPchat.

So I want to remind you what Paul is talking about when he says “I rejoice in my sufferings…” What sufferings???

2 Corinthians 11:23–33 ESV

23 Are they servants of Christ? I am a better one—I am talking like a madman—with far greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless beatings, and often near death. 24 Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; 26 on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; 27 in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. 28 And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches. 29 Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to fall, and I am not indignant? 30 If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness. 31 The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, he who is blessed forever, knows that I am not lying. 32 At Damascus, the governor under King Aretas was guarding the city of Damascus in order to seize me, 33 but I was let down in a basket through a window in the wall and escaped his hands.

2 Corinthians 11:

while reading through (starting in vs. 23) describe each hardship.

Why does Paul do these things. Why does he keep going, keep preaching, keep doing these things that get him beat, and imprisioned, and stoned: for your sake

He’s doing it for YOU!!! (more on that later)

If there was any doubt… it is all confirmed, Paul is a madman!

Then he says something even crazier:

Colossians 1:24 ESV

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,

“I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions...”

What is lacking in Christ’s afflictions?!?!?!

It’s not lacking in power! It’s not lacking in efficacy (effectiveness to save),

testify to the sufficiency of Christ’s sacrifice to atone for all sin.

This is

Jesus paid the price for all our sins, not just some, and we have to bear the consequences of the other sins.

You are not suffering because of your sins

There’s no room for Karma in the Christian life. There is grace upon grace made available to us through Jesus’ sacrifce

You may suffer natural consequences (cause and effect), but God does not bring extra punishment for sins to the Christian.

The only thing lacking in Christ’s afflictions is that not everyone has witnessed them

Through Paul’s sufferings, he is bearing witness to a watching world of God’s love for them.

People in Ephesus, Corinth, Galatia, and now Rome are seeing Paul suffer…painfully endure… and they’re left to ask why?

The Jewish leaders don’t like your message Paul, why don’t you stop?

The Roman’s don’t like your message Paul, just give up already!

Some “Christians” have figured out how to make the church more palatable and culturally acceptable by intertwining “Christian ideas” the cultures? Why don’t you just join them, Paul?

Colossians 1:26–27 ESV

26 the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. 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.

Colossians 1:26

Because this news is too BIG!!! The God of the universe who made all thing, who, by, and through, and to, and for all things are made has revealed the great mystery of the purpose and meaning of life. The mystery that all men have sought and no one has fully discovered, is now revealed to us, His saints. God wants to have a relationship with you. Not just a casual relationship either, but his Spirit, through Christ, can reside IN YOU!!! In relationship with Jesus we have the hope of Glory!!!!

This is bigger than cultural pressure. Bigger than any Emperor or President! This news is for all people. Because God has show so great love to Paul, he’s want to proclaim the availablity of this great gift to all people, everywhere!

Paul can’t controll how people respond to the message, but he know’s he will faithfully proclaim it!

And if he suffers for it, that only helps others see the importance and the value of the message.

Suffering helps others see the importance and value of our message

suffering/pain/hardship - serve as testimony to a watching world, the truth of our message.

Paul - beheaded in Rome

William Tyndale

1519 - Church authorities burned 6 men and 1 women at the stake for teaching their children english versions of the Lord’s Prayer, the 10 commandments & the apostles creed.

Knowing the English Catholic Church opposed translating scripture into English William Tyndale produced multiple english translations of the bible.

He was hunted down in Europe and returned to England, strangled and burned at the stake in 1536

His last words recorded in Foxe’s book of Martyrs were, "Lord, open the King of Englands eyes!”

Indigenous Indian Missionary

J Oswald Sanders tells the story of a Missionary in India who would walk barefoot all across the Indian countryside proclaiming the gospel

In one particular town his message was completely rejected. He collapsed outside the village, by the road under the shade of a tree from exhaustion.

When he woke up, most of the village was hovering around him, eager to hear what he had come to tell them.

When He asked why, the head man in the village said, when they saw his blistered feet, they concluded that this mans message must be very important for him to be willing to suffer so much to bring them this news.

Jim Elliot

Probably the most famous of all modern day Christian Martyrs, died trying to bring the gospel message to the Hauorani people of Ecuador.

he is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose

Bethel International Church in the Hague (Netherlands)

On Wednesday (Jan. 30th) ended an almost 4 month long worship service!!!

Done to stop the Tamrazyan family from being unjustly deported from the Netherlands.

Cistern Church?

To what length will we go to proclaim the riches of the glory of the mystery of Christ in You, the hope of Glory

Will we open our homes for House Church

we we make room in our schedules.

Will we invite the stranger

will we invite them again, even after being rejected.

Why would we do all these things:

Colossians 2:1–3 ESV

1 For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you and for those at Laodicea and for all who have not seen me face to face, 2 that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ, 3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

Colossians 1:24-2:3

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