The Mystery of the Gospel
Listen Up to the One in Charge • Sermon • Submitted
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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.
Main Idea:
Introduction
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.
Introduction
Attention (Why should they listen to you?) Scooby Doo!
The Mystery Machine - Every episode Scooby, Shaggy, Fred, Thelma and Daphne set out to sovle the latest mystery...
What is the Hearer’s problem? Did you know the worlds greatest mystery has been solved? Maybe you don’t even know what that mysery is?
What is the Biblical Solution? This passage will not only show you the mystery, but how it was solved in Christ!
What do the hearers need to know?
Main Textual Idea:
Main Idea: The Mystery is No Longer Mysterious - but there is much to be done!
Interrogative:
Transition:
Body (Satisfaction)
1. We Must Suffer for the Mystery (vs. 24)
Lead in...
Text -
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,
Explanation - Do you remember way back in the book of Acts when Paul, then Saul was confronted by Jesus Himself?
1 But Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest 2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. 3 Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven shone around him. 4 And falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” 5 And he said, “Who are you, Lord?” And he said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. 6 But rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.” 7 The men who were traveling with him stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one. 8 Saul rose from the ground, and although his eyes were opened, he saw nothing. So they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. 9 And for three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank. 10 Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.” 11 And the Lord said to him, “Rise and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul, for behold, he is praying, 12 and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight.” 13 But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints at Jerusalem. 14 And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on your name.” 15 But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. 16 For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.” 17 So Ananias departed and entered the house. And laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you came has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” 18 And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he rose and was baptized;
“For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.”
And did this prophecy come to pass? Absolutely! Paul suffered for Jesus Christ!
Imagine if you were a pathologist in Paul’s day and you had the opportunity to examine his dead body. What conclusions would you come to regarding the condition of his corpse?
Stoning in Lystra ()
Floggings, the imprisonments, the shipwrecks — including twenty-four hours drifting out at sea — and the starvations ().
Why would Paul subject himself to this kind of torment? For them! For the Colossians!
Look again at the first part of verse 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,
Even though Paul has never met the Colossians, he rejoices that he is able to suffer for them and all the Gentiles because God is reaching to the outer most parts of the world to save all that will respond to God’s gracious message - the Gospel!
Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance,
But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.
Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name.
This was a joy to Paul because he clearly understands who he is apart from the grace of God. And that it was only by His grace that God chose him to be a messenger to the gentiles!
21 And he said to me, ‘Go, for I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’ ”
20 And when the blood of Stephen your witness was being shed, I myself was standing by and approving and watching over the garments of those who killed him.’ 21 And he said to me, ‘Go, for I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’ ”
Why would God have His minister suffer?
John Newton, the composer of “Amazing Grace,” said:
“God appoints his ministers to be sorely exercised, both from without and within; that they may sympathize with their flock, and know in their own hearts the deceitfulness of sin, the infirmities of the flesh, and the way in which the Lord supports and bears all who trust in Him.” - John Newton
21 And he said to me, ‘Go, for I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’ ”
Paul suffered for His mission to communicate the Gospel. But he wasn’t the only one to suffer.
Jesus, more than anyone suffered for the Gospel!
31 And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again.
34 And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 35 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it. 36 For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? 37 For what can a man give in return for his soul?
9 “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake.
Mark
But there is another more interesting reason for Paul’s suffering. Look at the last part of verse 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,
To be clear, this verse is not saying that a believer’s suffering will add to the atoning sacrifice of Christ on the cross.
Jesus before Jesus died, he cried out “Tetelasti” - “It is finished!”
John
30 When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
His work on the cross was complete and satisfied the wrath of God. Paul in no way helped with the atonement by his condinused suffering.
So what does this strange phrase “fill up what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions.” mean?
There was a common understanding among the Jewish people the the Messianic age would be preceded by a great deal of suffering. Specifically, the suffering of God’s people. But we know the suffering of God’s people are ultimately the suffering of Christ Himself.
Remember what Christ said to Saul as He was confronting Him about persecuting the church?
“Saul, Saul, why are your persecuting (not the church) me?”
So our suffering is Christ’s suffering because of Christ’s identity with His people.
So the Jews believed there was a certain amount of suffering that God’s people would endure before the Messiah set up His Kingdom on earth. And as R.Kent Hughes puts it...
“So Paul in his sufferings helped fulfill Christ’s and thus hastened the Messianic Age....Paul was rejoicing because his sufferings (which are Christ’s sufferings) were bringing the total nearer the ultimate goal and hastening the day of the Kingdom.” (PW Col/Phm)
So, two things to remember about the suffering of the church. Paul knew his sufferings were good for the church because it was filling up the finite amount of suffering that will take place before the Lord returns and sets up his Kingdom and second, suffering brings a special closeness between Christ and His people.
This is why Paul prays this from a Roman jail:
that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,
Listen, suffering is a stark reality for followers of Jesus!
Illustration - Dr. Helen Roseveare, a British medical doctor, has served more than twenty years in Zaire, Africa. For twelve and a half years she had a frenetic but generally wonderful time serving as the only doctor to an area containing more than half a million people (today about one and a half million). But in 1964 revolution overwhelmed the country, and she and her coworkers were thrown into five and a half months of almost unbelievable brutality and torture. On one occasion when Dr. Roseveare was on the verge of being executed, a seventeen-year-old student came to her defense and was savagely beaten as a result. He was kicked about like a football and left for dead. Dr. Roseveare was sick. For a moment she thought that God had forsaken her, even though she did not doubt his reality. But God stepped in, overwhelmed her with the sense of his own presence, and said something like this: “Twenty years ago you asked me for the privilege of being a missionary, the privilege of being identified with me. These are not your sufferings; they are my sufferings.” As the force of that hit home, the doctor said she was overcome with a great sense of privilege. Helen Roseveare’s sense of identification with Christ, of union with him, was elevated by her suffering, and she rejoiced. Paul likewise rejoiced in the sublime oneness he sensed as Christ participated with him in his sufferings.
Argumentation - Suffering is a part of God’s plan! The more we suffer for Christ the closer we become to Christ! It is a tremendous privilidge...
Application - How do you view suffering? If your are like me, I tend to forget that my sufferings are actuually Christ suffering through me.
I want to challenege you today to reevaluate your view of suffering for Christ. Because it is His suffering through you that will change you in profound ways.
Will you suffer for the Mystery?
Review - The Mystery is No Longer Mysterious- but there is much to be done!
We Must Suffer for the Mystery
Suffering for the Mystery
2. We Must Make Known the Mystery (vs. 25-26)
Lead in…We often look at evangelism as an option. But is it for the follower of Christ? It certainly wasn’t for the Apostle Paul!
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.
Text -
Explanation - Paul’s calling was clear from day one. In fact, almost immediately after his salvation experience on the road to Damascus, Paul was out sharing the gospel!
17 So Ananias departed and entered the house. And laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you came has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” 18 And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he rose and was baptized; 19 and taking food, he was strengthened. For some days he was with the disciples at Damascus. 20 And immediately he proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is the Son of God.”
Paul knew, right out of the box that it was his amazing privilege to share the truth about Jesus Christ.
He took this privilege quite seriously and according to the text he called this privilege a “stewardship from God”! The word “Stewardship” means...
oikonomia (οἰκονομία, 3622) primarily signifies “the management of a household or of household affairs” (oikos, “a house,” nomos, “a law”);
Paul’s drive was not because of some self-aggrandizement, some ego trip, some over-inflated view of his own importance. If you study the life of Paul you’ll soon realize that he knew clearly his state before God...
15 The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.
He knew who he was and what God had for him to do. To be a minister of God, a manager of God’s household, to build God’s house. How?
By making “the word of God fully know...”
So, if you think about it, Paul’s job as a manager of the household of God was to make God’s Word commonplace to the church at Colossae.
“the stewardship from God that was given to me for you”
How is this possible? How can a mere man make the VERY WORD OF GOD KNOWN?
But this is GOD’s desire! God wants His Word to be fully known by the Church and He gave the church the gift of the Apostle Paul to fully proclaim the word of the Lord. And he did!
Paul’s ministry was so profound that some scholars say he started 20 churches himself and influenced the starting of some 100 more over the course of his ministry. By the way, his first missionary journey was A.D. 45 and he died in A.D. 67. That’s only 22 years!
https://www.churchplanting.com/how-many-churches-did-the-apostle-paul-start/#.XN7n9C-ZO3c
What a simple, concise, job description - “To Make the Word of God Fully Known.” It sounds simple, and in a certain regard it is simple, yet it is profoundly challenging. For one simple fact that this concise mission statement of the Apostle Paul got him into a great deal of trouble over those 22 years.
Not everyone enjoyed hearing God’s word!
But it was Paul’s stewardship or management to make His Word FULLY KNOWN, nonetheless!
Illustration - Being a good steward of something means you are responsible to someone else for the management of their business or property.
Argumentation - Paul was an excellent manager of the responsibility He was given by God. Even at times when it would have been far easier for him to quit and walk away! But he didn’t quit. Why? He understood his place and he understood who he was managing for. He was managing the whole counsel of the Word of God on behalf of God himself for the church of God! What an amazing privilige! Do you think that Paul was the only one the privilige was reserved for?
Nope! It’s reserved for you and me as well.
2 and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also.
1 But as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine. 2 Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness. 3 Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, 4 and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, 5 to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled.
1 But as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine. 2 Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness. 3 Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, 4 and so train the young women to love their husbands and children,
18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
1 But as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine. 2 Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness. 3 Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good,
5 to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled.
If you are a man, if you are a woman, if you are a disciple, you have the glorious privilege to teach others “all that Jesus has commanded us.” and all He has commanded us is found in His Word!
Application - If you are a man, if you are a woman, if you are a disciple, you have the glorious privilege to teach others “all that Jesus has commanded us.” and all He has commanded us is found in His Word! You have the responsibility of a minister of God to Make the Word of God FULLY KNOWN
Are you?
Review - The Mystery is No Longer Mysterious- but there is much to be done!
We Must Suffer for the Mystery
Suffering for the Mystery
We Must Make Known the Mystery
3. We Must Praise God for Letting Us In On the Mystery (vs. 27)
We must Praise God that He let us in on the Mystery!
Lead in…How many of us in this room this morning are Jewish? How many are Gentile? In God’s economy you are either one or the other. And because of God great grace, even though the Jews are God’s chosen people, we gentiles have been included in His plan of redemption! Check out Paul’s text...
Text -
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.
Explanation - God, in His infinite wisdom has chosen to finally reveal to the saints of God that His riches are just at great and significant for the Gentiles as they are for the Jews.
Please understand, in the age of the church, in order to gain entrance into Christ’s church, one must repent of one’s sins and place their faith in Jesus Christ as their ONLY hope of eternal salvation! No faith = no hope! This is true for the Jew as well as the Gentile.
God chose to do this! To reveal this amazing truth to the dirty rotten Gentiles.
This concept, was, quite frankly apauling to the averge Jew. Gentiles were a stench in the nostrils of the Jewish people and the thought of them being redeemable was basically, incoceivable.
Two examples -
Peter and Corneilous in
The Jewish Coucil in
The point of both of these incidents in the Scriptures is to prove out , which is the thesis of the book of Acts. That the gospel is more than for the Jews, it is for the world!
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
God chose to reveal that Jew and Gentile would be merged into one glorious body of Christ - the Chuch of which Jesus is the head! But this is only part of the mystery. In fact, if you look back at the text, Paul tells us the culmination of this mystery...
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.
This is the amazing mystery! Not only that Jews and gentiles are part of the same body (Ephesians deals with this more thoroughly) but that THE CHRIST LIVES IN EVERY BELIEVER!
“God himself, in the person of Christ, will be directly and personally present in the lives of his people, and his presence assures them of a future life with him when he returns.” (ESVSB)
God walked with Adam and Eve
God was a friend of Abraham
God showed himself to Moses in the burning bush and while in the cleft of the rock
God lead the Children of Isreal through the wilderness - a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night.
God tabernacles among His people. His Sheckina glory came into the temple
God mediated through His priests
God and His Spirit came upon King Saul, David and even Solomon
God spoke through His prophets
God even dwelt among us though Jesus Christ.
But never, in the wildest dreams of any Old Testament Saint would they have ever concieved of the idea that the All powerful, All knowing, everywhere present God who created all things would live inside of every believer!? Inconceivable! Yet this is the glorious truth!
Jesus Christ lives in you!!!
Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!
eph 3 17
so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love,
I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
And because Christ dwells in us, we have a hope! A hope that the world knows nothing of. This hope promises us eternal rest with the one who now lives in us!
And this hope wasn’t just for the Jews
Illustration - Hulk
Argumentation - Folks, this is perhaps one of the most powerful truths in the entire Scriptures! You have God in you! And I have God in me! And God in you and God in me unites you and me! It united Jew and Gentile, slave and free, male and female! All are one at the fool of the cross. There is great power living within you and there is great power living within US!
What do you think God wants His people to do with this great power that is living within us?
GO and MAKE HIS WORD FULLY KNOWN and HOPE that We will suffer for it because that suffering will fill up what is lacking and make the day of His return happen even sooner!
Application - My friend, if you are a believer you have a tremendous power in you! But God wants His power to work through you! What steps are you willing to take to move the dial off of where you are to where you believe God wants it to be?
Pray and Ask someone to do a “Seeking God and Finding Him” study.
www.findingthetruth.org
Pray and Ask someone if you could disciple them!
Pray and tell someone every week about Jesus - Dennis!
Review - The Mystery is No Longer Mysterious- but there is much to be done!
We Must Suffer for the Mystery
We Must Make Known the Mystery
Suffering for the Mystery
We Must Praise God for Letting Us In On the Mystery
We Must Praise God that He Let Us In On the Mystery
Stewardship of the Mystery
Riches of the Mystery
Conclusion (Visualization)
Review opening illustration (if appropriate) The idea that God dwells within every believer and that His dwelling within us unites every believer whether Jew or Gentile is an amazing truth that would have been a mystery to Old Testament Saints.
It is no longer a mystery! Paul is as clear as he can be! ”Christ in you, the hope of Glory” - Would you write that phrase down and memorize it and live it out this week?
When you stand at the checkout say something about Jesus because of Christ in you, the hope of glory!
When you friend is struggling don’t use the world or it’s methods to help them open your bible and make the Word of Christ fully known to them because of Christ in You, the Hope of Glory!
And when you take a stand for Christ and suffer for it, Rejoice! Because it is actually Jesus suffering through you and what greater privilege could you and I have in this life?
They Mystery is no longer mysterious! We don’t need Scooby Doo to solve this one! But there is much to be done folks!
What are you willing to do for the One who did everything for you?
Land the Plane
Connection Group Review Questions
What is helpful to you in verses 24-27?
How is suffering helpful to the Christian?
What did Paul mean when he said his suffering was “filling up what was lacking in Christ’s afflictions…?”
Paul’s responsibility was to “make the word of God fully known.” How did he do this? What can we learn from Paul?
Why do you think God “let us in on the mystery?” He certainly didn’t have to, yet He did. What does this do for you attitude today?
Christ dwells in every believer. What are some results of this important truth? How will this thought change your life this week?
