The Highest Aim

Introduction

Growing up, from my elementary years through even early college years there were many things I aspired to be. When someone would ask me in junior high or high school what I wanted to do with my life, my answer would change constantly as a new interest caught my attention. I think there was even a phase of my life where I wanted to be a marine biologist. I’ve lived in the Midwest my entire life. I’ve spent very little time in the ocean. I was never into fishing and still to this day I don’t want to touch them. But at one point I wanted to be a Marine biologist!

At our school’s Kindergarten graduation every year one of the things the kids do is say what they want to be when they grow up. “I want to be a fireman. I want to be a policeman. I want to be a teacher or a nurse.” No doubt, those will change over the years but the point being, when we’re looking toward the future as a young child or adolescent, we’re seeking to identify with what we believe to be the highest calling for our lives at that moment that we believe we can attain to.

As sons and daughters of God, those who have been changed and transformed through the power of the gospel, what is it then that we attain to? What is our highest aim in life? I would argue from our text today and the example of the ministry of Paul, that our highest aim in life is the proclamation of the supremacy of Christ.

We just spent time two weeks ago walking through Colossians 1:15-23. And what did we see there? We saw Christ as supreme over creation, supreme over the church and supreme over redemption. He is the highest aim, the one through whom everything was made and the one everything was made for.

Paul says in verse 15,

Colossian 1:15-16, He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities – all things were created through him and for him.

And what did we hear read this morning in verse 28? I believe it to be the hinge point of this text: “

Colossians 1:28, Him we proclaim.

Now why does this matter? It matters because the proclamation of the supremacy of Christ is what will last for all of eternity.

Everything in this life has a shelf life. Our jobs or careers will one day end for us. Our families will grow and age and change. Friendships and relationships shift and change over time, they come and go. All of the toys and possessions we accumulate over the years eventually wear out and are remembered no more.

What lasts forever though is Christ. He never ages, never tires, never wears out, never changes. He is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. Your eternal future, whether you believe or not will be spent proclaiming the excellency of Christ overall.

Paul says in Philippians 2,

Philippians 2:9-10, God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Listen, the exaltation of Jesus is set in stone. He will be exalted. And you will either spend your eternity proclaiming the excellency of Christ because of his grace, kindness, mercy and forgiveness or you will spend your eternal future proclaiming the excellency and supremacy of Christ because of his holiness and justice.

Either way, at the name of Christ, every knee will bow and all creatures will recognize that he is supreme overall.

And so how will you spend your eternal future? Will you spend it proclaiming the supremacy of Christ because of his grace and forgiveness that has been extended to you through faith in his life, death and resurrection or will you spend your eternal future proclaiming the supremacy of Christ for his justice and deserved wrath that is being poured out on you because of your sin? Turn from you sin today, repent and find grace and mercy at the cross of Jesus.

Brothers and sisters, how do we then live in light of the supremacy of Christ overall? What is our highest aim in life? I think we can look to the apostle Paul here for guidance in how we should, by God’s grace pour our lives out for the sake of others, for the sake of the gospel, for the sake of Christ himself, for the sake of the kingdom of Christ.

Point number one:

We minister for the sake of others.

Check out verse 24 again.

Colossians 1:24, 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.

Now, truth be told, we could spend all morning camped out right here. This verse is packed and somewhat difficult to understand.

How could Paul say something was “lacking” in Christ. Sounds heretical doesn’t it?

Well let’s just walk through this verse and unpack what’s going on and what’s being said.

Paul uses here a common refrain that’s found throughout several of his letters and throughout the Scriptures themselves. He rejoices in his suffering.

Romans 5:3, More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance.

Romans 12:12, Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.

2 Corinthians 6:10, As sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, yet possessing everything.

James opens up his letter by saying,

James 1:2, Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds.

In Acts 5, Peter and some of the other apostles are brought before the high priest and the council and they strictly charged them not to speak of Jesus any longer. Of course, the apostles refuse and so they are beaten and warned again to stop speaking of Jesus and Acts 5 records their departure from just getting beaten for the name of Christ.

Acts 5:41, Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name.

As you can see, what Paul says in verse 24 is nothing new. He rejoiced in his suffering. Why?

First, because it was through Paul’s hardship and suffering that the gospel was spreading. In 2 Corinthians 11, Paul lists a laundry list of sufferings he had endured to take the gospel to Asia. Without his willingness to endure pain for the cause of Christ, the gospel would not have spread to that region.

And so, Paul rejoices, not because he enjoys the suffering itself, but because of what the suffering is producing for the good of the gospel and the good of the church.

When Paul says to the Colossians that he is suffering for their sake, again remember that Paul had never personally met these believers. And yet, he was suffering for their sake. How? Well, I think in one way, he was displaying through his bruises and scars the sufficiency of Christ above all. Jesus is better than life itself.

Think of how just that would have brought hope and encouragement to the church as they themselves faced difficulty for the name of Jesus. If Paul could endure such brutality and affliction for the cause of Christ, then Jesus must be worth it. And so, he suffered for their sake.

But we also see in this text that Paul says he is “filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church.”

Now, what in the world is Paul talking about? It’s a debated text. Books have been written on this one verse. I’ll cover it here with just a few minutes.

The first thing to say right out of the gate is we know Paul is not in any way insinuating that Christ’s sacrifice on the cross was insufficient or lacking in any way. How do we know that? Because the whole book of Colossians teaches on the sufficiency of Christ’s atonement for sins through his death and resurrection.

Colossians 1:13-14, He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Colossians 1:19-20, For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

Colossians 2:15, He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.

The death of Jesus was sufficient to pay the penalty of our sin. Nothing more is needed, nothing more can be added to it. Salvation is not found in Jesus + something (good works, baptism, church attendance), it’s Jesus and nothing else.

And so, Paul is not adding anything to Christ’s atonement.

What we do see here though is the intimate connection and union that Jesus shares with his bride, the church.

In Acts 9, Saul, who would become Paul is a fierce persecutor of the church. Before his conversion, he hated Jesus and the church and made it his mission to destroy it. And it’s here in Acts 9 that Jesus himself appears to Saul and asks him,

Acts 9:4, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?”

Do you see the union Jesus shares with the church in her suffering? Jesus so closely identifies with his bride that her suffering is his suffering.

Jesus himself was a man of sorrows, Isaiah tells us. A man acquainted with grief. He was a suffering servant, and he tells his followers that they will suffer just as he did and that suffering must and will come before the end of the age, meaning his return for his bride.

We’re in the age between Christ’s resurrection and his return and it’s here that the kingdom of God is expanded through the proclamation of the gospel which results in suffering and affliction for his name.

And so, there’s two things happening here that I think Paul is saying, and it’s debated I know that, so study it out for yourself.

I think Paul is identifying with Christ in his own suffering. Just as Jesus suffered, when Paul suffers for the sake of the gospel, he’s uniting intimately with Jesus.

I think this is what Paul means when he writes to the Philippian church,

Philippians 3:10, That I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death.

Suffering for the sake of Christ unites us with him in way like no other. Which is why we shouldn’t seek to avoid suffering for the cause of Christ.

In fact, I think that’s what Paul’s saying when he says he is “filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions.”

Christ has ascended back to the Father. He is no longer physically present but has given us the Spirit to fill us with power to go forth and make disciples of all nations, teaching them to observe all that Jesus has commanded us (Matt. 28:19-20).

Jesus is now building his church through his people proclaiming the gospel and suffering for his name. So, what is lacking? Certainly, the word does not mean there is a deficiency in Christ in any way, but rather, his physical presence is no longer on earth and so now he is empowering us and giving us the mandate to carry on his work, his teaching, his gospel to the end of the age, until he returns. And what’s he still promise in Matthew 28? “I’m with you.” He’s not physically present, but that doesn’t mean he’s absent.

I think Paul’s saying, I’m now taking up the mantle and carrying on with his message. Jesus is still King, Jesus still reigns but he’s now seen and displayed through his bride. Just as Thomas needed to see the marks in Jesus’ hands and side to know it was really Christ, the church carries the marks of suffering to identify that they truly belong to the suffering King.

It’s honestly through hardship and struggle and affliction that the church is built up as we lean more heavily into the sufficiency and goodness and grace of Christ. And so, Paul is being afflicted for the sake of the church, for sake of seeing her built up.

Second point.

We minister for the sake of the gospel.

Verse 25,

Colossians 1:25-27, 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.

This is a big buildup to a spectacular, life-changing truth.

Our aim in life should be to make the gospel of Christ fully known. In fact, digging deeper here, Paul is saying that he makes it his aim to make the word of God fully known. The Scriptures we hold in our hands are God’s revealed word to us regarding himself and his Son. They point us to the hope we hold through his life, death and resurrection.

This means that if we do not fully teach the word of God, if we do not know it, we will not see Christ for who he truly is. Kent Hughes says it this way, “People cannot know Christ better without knowing the Scriptures.”

You cannot expect to grow into the fullness of Christ if you are not feasting upon God’s word. They go hand in hand. And there’s an epidemic today of anemic Christians who give very little time and effort to devouring God’s word so that they would know Christ more. And then they wonder why they aren’t growing and maturing. They wonder why they continually fall into the trap of sin. There’s no passion and zeal for the name of Christ. Well, it’s because they don’t really know him because they’re not seeing him as revealed through the Word.

And then, God help us, we’ve got pastors and preachers today that are more focused on drawing crowds to pat their own egos than stand up and preach the full counsel of God knowing that it will be offensive and turn people off. Listen, the gospel is offensive. God is holy and just. You are a sinner. You are wicked and depraved and needy. You need Jesus. You cannot save yourself.

Listen, the gospel offends those who do not believe. But to those who do it is the aroma of life.

And so, Paul set out to make it his highest aim to make Christ fully known. To make known that this gospel is for all people, every nation, every tribe, every language. That this message is “Christ in you, the hope of glory.” Our eternal hope is wrapped up in Christ. And the reason why this so often doesn’t excite us as it should is because we’ve grown to comfortable with the world as it is. There’s not a longing within us for this future glory that is ours in Christ.

Oh, that we would let go of the trivial to grab hold of the eternal. That we would long for the hope of glory. That we would long for the day when Christ returns to make all things new and establish his kingdom of peace and everlasting joy.

Number three.

We minister for the sake of Christ.

Points number two and three really go hand in hand but I broke them up to make one simple point here.

Verse 28 says,

Colossians 1:28, Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ.

What is it that you are proclaiming?

I meet with a couple guys early Thursday mornings to read Scripture together and grow in Christ together. This past week we were studying the topic of worship and we read this:

“All of life is worship. We are ALWAYS worshiping. Everything we do is an affirmation of who or what we are looking to for significance, security, approval, etc. Your life is a billboard; you are advertising the thing that is most important to you. ‘This is what I value! This is what saves me!’ That constant advertisement, “Here’s what I’m all about!’ is worship. All of life is worship.” – Jeff Vanderstelt

What are you advertising with your life? When your name is referenced, what comes to people’s minds about what you are all about?

When you think of the apostle Paul, what first comes to mind? He was madly in love with Jesus. Did you know that he had a job? He was a tentmaker. But when you think of him, that’s not what you think of do you? Why? Because his job wasn’t what he was all about ultimately. He was about the supremacy of Christ.

Listen, let’s work, let’s do our jobs, lets raise our families, lets enjoy our hobbies, but let’s do them all with the understanding that Christ is ultimate and everything we do should be done to the glory of God.

It is a wasted life if all of your energy is spent on things that won’t last anyway.

This leads to my last point today.

Number four.

We minister for the sake of the kingdom.

Verse 29,

Colossians 1:29, For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.

The word Paul used for “toil” here meant to labor or work or agonize until extreme exhaustion. Think of a heavy weight boxing match where both competitors duke it out for the entire twelve rounds. Picture their faces at the end of the match and that’s the image Paul is talking about here when he toils for the sake of the kingdom.

When something matters deeply to us, we expend our energy on it. It use to be said of Martin Luther that at the end of the day he would literally “fall into bed.” D.L. Moody’s bedtime prayer on one recorded occasion was, “Lord, I’m tired! Amen.”

Church, there is a community around us that does not know Jesus. Over three billion people in the world today still have never heard the name of Christ. Now, can we address all these issues? No. But I’ll argue that we should work in such a way where we’re attempting to. And that should exhaust us in such a way where we are dependent upon the grace and power of Christ at work within us.

We minister, we toil, we labor, agonize for the sake of the kingdom, the sake of the church, the sake of Christ, the sake of the gospel because Jesus is worth it!

(Communion)