Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

A few years ago, I was having lunch with a friend and told me the story of his friend who has served for a number of years as a missionary in Zimbabwe.

One of the primary means of evangelism he utilized is he has this Land Rover retrofitted with a movie screen and speakers in the back, and he drives from village to village showing the Jesus Film in the native tongue of the people.

One day, he was in a particular village showing the film, and a large number of people professed faith in Christ.

There were two men there that day that were particularly stirred.

Through tears, they began to plead with the missionary to come to their village.

The trouble was there were no roads into this particular village.

It was in the middle of the bush, and there were only footpaths used by the natives.

So, he had to decline their urgent plea because he could not get there with the equipment to show the film.

Busy with his work, he didn’t think of it again.

Three weeks later, two men approach the missionary, obviously filthy and exhausted.

It takes him a minute to realize who they are, but he eventually realizes that it is the two men that has just three weeks ago begged him to come to their village.

You see, these two men had spent the last three weeks cutting a road through the dense Zimbabwean jungle dozens of miles to their village with machetes.

They made a road were there was no road by their own blood, sweat, and tears so that their village might hear the Good News that had so delivered them.

What would compel two men to take on such a work?

What would compel them to step into the middle of a jungle to make miles of road with nothing but machetes?

What would compel two men to take on such a work?

What would compel them to step into the middle of a jungle to make miles of road with nothing but machetes?

They had seen Christ, and they were desperate for their people to see Christ, too.

Throughout history, this has been the picture of what it looks like to be a disciple of Jesus.

Being connected to Christ and his church, being discipled to know all that Christ has taught and to live as Christ lived, necessarily leads to a lifelong pursuit to bring more people to Christ.

That’s the picture of our discipleship process.

It is to enter into the lifecycle of Christ’s church.

I must be connected.

I must be discipled.

Then, I must go and serve and share so that others might be connected and discipled and sent.

That is, we must grow in the discipleship process to the point that we are bringing others through the discipleship process.

So, it’s never over.

It’s never finished.

There’s always another step to take so long as there is more of Christ to know and more people with whom to share him.

God’s Word

Read

Go as Christ’s “Body”.

v. 24 “Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake” In our text this morning, I want us to see three reasons that we must go to everyone (headline).

First, we must Go as Christ’s “body.”

Paul is giving us here the vision and thrust of his whole ministry.

And, what he says is really stunning.

Paul was in prison for preaching the Gospel as he wrote this letter.

So, Paul says, “Am I suffering?

Yes.

But, am I rejoicing?

Also, yes.”

What he says doesn’t make sense.

He says, “I’m rejoicing IN my sufferings.”

Really, when you consider how Paul speaks of suffering throughout his writings, it’s stunning.

Never one time does he lament his suffering.

Never one time do we see Paul throwing a pity party because he’s in prison or because he has a physical ailment or because people are trying to kill him.

Over and over again, we see Paul thankful for his suffering, praising God in their midst.

Paul saw suffering as the gift of God to the Church.

He instructs Timothy in 2 Timothy repeatedly, “Share in the sufferings of the cross.

Be known as a man of the cross.”

How could Paul live this way?

Why did Paul view suffering this way?

v. 24 “Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake” Paul is giving us here the vision and thrust of his whole ministry.

And, what he says is really stunning.

Paul was in prison for preaching the Gospel as he wrote this letter.

So, Paul says, “Am I suffering?

Yes.

But, am I rejoicing?

Also, yes.”

What he says doesn’t make sense.

He says, “I’m rejoicing IN my sufferings.”

Really, when you consider how Paul speaks of suffering throughout his writings, it’s stunning.

Never one time does he lament his suffering.

Never one time do we see Paul throwing a pity party because he’s in prison or because he has a physical ailment or because people are trying to kill him.

Over and over again, we see Paul thankful for his suffering, praising God in their midst.

Paul saw suffering as the gift of God to the Church.

He instructs Timothy in 2 Timothy repeatedly, “Share in the sufferings of the cross.

Be known as a man of the cross.”

How could Paul live this way?

Why did Paul view suffering this way?

Following Jesus Means Suffering

v. 24 “I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions.”

Paul didn’t rejoice in his sufferings because he was a glutton for punishment or because he was some type of self-loathing, miserable person.

He rejoiced in his sufferings because of what they meant and what they accomplished.

First of all, Paul’s sufferings meant that he was following Jesus.

This is what he means by ‘filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions.’

He doesn’t mean that Jesus’ cross was ineffective or insufficient.

Jesus suffered in every way necessary to accomplish our full reconciliation with God forever.

What he meant was that the suffering of Christ’s body wasn’t finished yet.

All of the suffering wasn’t yet fulfilled.

Jesus had went to the cross and suffered in his physical body, and now, his church, his metaphorical body would take their crosses up.

And Jesus had told Paul this would be the case.

After his conversion in , Jesus says: “For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.”

And, Paul looks at his chains and looks at his health and looks at his persecution and he realizes that he is where Jesus would have him to be.

He is fulfilling his responsibilities of the cross.

APPLICATION: Paul’s perspective is that Suffering is a temporary “marker” of an eternal “blessing” for a disciple.

Disciples rejoice in sharing Christ’s suffering because they will share in his resurrection.

What if an easy life is not a sign of God’s blessing but his judgement?

What if an easy life is not the evidence of a well-lived life but rather a life that does not have the hand of God upon it?

What if an easy life is God allowing us to build up our treasures here because we won’t have any in the next life?

What if we are misinterpreting current circumstances and missing eternal realities?

What if easy, prosperous living is evidence that you don’t share in the afflictions of Christ?

What if happiness comes through sacrifice and God’s blessing is evidenced by suffering?

Who is more blessed the broke missionary whose children are threatened that is protected and used by God to reach people that are lost and miserable, or the professing Christian who turns a blind eye to the world’s sufferings and enjoys a prospering career and prestigious address?

Who is happier the woman who travels freely without inhibition or responsibility, or the woman who lays on her deathbed surrounded by the foster kids she gave hope?

Suffering Builds the Church

v. 24 “…for the sake of his body, that is, the church” But, it wasn’t just what they meant that caused him to rejoice.

It was also what they accomplished.

His sufferings were used by God to build up Jesus’ church.