Glad Angish

over. Preach, pray, or die. What should I do? I’m here. We return again to Colossians
chapter 1, where we have been for several weeks, so would the
Lord’s people please take their Bibles and turn there. And we
are While we were in chapter one again, we’re right in the
midst of a transition, a segue from one subject to another. For many verses and many weeks,
we’ve been in that section considering the nature and work of Christ.
That is that amazing section, beginning in verse 15 all the
way down through verse 23, And we were in no rush to get through
that section, savoring, really, the glimpses that Paul was providing
us of our Redeemer’s nature. And just a very brief review
of that. We saw His face, His image. We
saw His position, that He is the firstborn of all creation. We saw His preeminence, in whom
all things hold together. We saw his place, that he is
the head of the church, and we saw his prominence having first
place in everything. And near the end of that last
feature, last feature of Christ, his prominence, Paul brings up
a subject that he insists upon elaborating. In verse 20, he
introduces the great theme of reconciliation. And he expands
on that theme in verses 21 through 23, that while we were alienated
from God and hostile in our mind, as seen by our evil deeds, God
has reconciled us to himself through his son. And it’s there
at the end of verse 23 that Paul begins his transition to a new
subject. And he does so by mentioning,
if you will, the vehicle of reconciliation. His amazing theme has been reconciliation. And that message of reconciliation
is communicated by the gospel. It’s the gospel that communicates
God’s amazing work of reconciling sinners to himself. But, and
I want you to watch this, that wonderful gospel message which
communicates God’s reconciliation must be communicated. The gospel must be preached. And Paul says, right near the
end there of verse 23, that this gospel of reconciliation has
been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, to a large extent
by his own ministry. Paul isn’t insisting here that
every person in the then known world had heard the gospel. It’s
obvious hyperbole here. He said the same basic thing
back in verse six, that the gospel has come to you, the Colossians,
just as in all the world. This is an echo of the way that
Luke described the eventual spread of the gospel in Acts 1.8, that
it would go to the remotest part of the earth. Paul just says
here in 123 that the gospel had done that. It had reached the
whole world, even the most remote places to all creation. And in the last line of verse
23, just glance at it, Paul makes one final statement, and that
will complete his transition to a new theme. He says regarding
the gospel, that it has been proclaimed in all creation that
he, Paul, was made a minister. And it’s important that we pause
and grasp the significance of that word minister. This is a
word that unfortunately takes on a variety of meaning and nuances. Many denominations refer to their
pastors or preachers as ministers. And in these circles, to refer
to someone as a minister is to place them in the highest place
of honor and respect. That’s not in line with the biblical
use of this word. It is literally the word from
which we get our word, deacon. And sometimes people even get
a faulty notion that the office of deacon is a position of status. It’s not. The simple meaning
of the word is servant. Jesus himself clarified the implications
of this term, that if we desire to be great, we must become servants. Greatness in God’s eyes does
not come by way of a title. It comes by way of service. Plain,
mundane, tedious, and thankless service. There’s no pride in
being a servant. The office of a deacon is a position
of service, first and foremost. And so, to refer to someone as
a minister ought to signify humble service more than anything. Paul was not suggesting here
in Colossians 1 that he was a deacon in the technical sense of that
word, only that he was a servant and nothing more. By God’s own
doing, Paul was made a minister, a servant, a servant of God’s
message of reconciliation, the gospel. The first indication
of this calling in Paul’s life came by way of Christ’s own words
to Ananias, a man named Ananias. He was the disciple who was sent
to assist the newly converted Saul. Remember this? In Acts
chapter 9, God dispatched this man, Ananias, to attend to Paul,
and when Ananias wavered, Because of Paul’s cruel reputation, God
demanded of Ananias, go, for he is a chosen instrument of
mine to bear my name before the Gentiles. Right there and then,
Paul was made a servant. He was made a minister of the
gospel. And with that, Paul’s transition
from a discussion about the nature of our Redeemer to a discussion
of the nature of ministry itself is complete. And in the verses
that remain in chapter one, verses 24 through 29, Paul will discuss
in full the nature of the ministry of the gospel and Paul’s role
in it. If you would, I want to take
the verses in their entirety, verses 24, and for our purposes,
because it really continues into chapter 2, we’ll course all the
way to chapter 2, verse 3. Bear with me. Now I rejoice in my sufferings
for your sake, and in my flesh I do my share on behalf of his
body, which is the church, in filling up what is lacking in
Christ’s afflictions. Of this church I was made a minister
according to the stewardship from God, bestowed on me for
your benefit, so that I might fully carry out the preaching
of the word of God. That is, the mystery which has
been hidden from the past ages and generations, but now has
been manifested to his saints. to whom God willed to make known
what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles,
which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. We proclaim him, admonishing
every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, so that
we may present every man complete in Christ. For this purpose also
I labor, striving according to his power, which mightily works
within me. For I want you to know how great
a struggle I have on your behalf, and for those who are at Laodicea,
and for all those who have not personally seen my face. that
their hearts may be encouraged, having been knit together in
love and attaining to all the wealth that comes from the full
assurance of understanding, resulting in a true knowledge of God’s
mystery, that is Christ himself, in whom are hidden all the treasures
of wisdom and knowledge. An amazing passage of scripture. Paul has seamlessly transitioned
from his discussion about Christ and his work of reconciliation
to that of the ministry of the gospel, the gospel of reconciliation. And in this greater section,
which courses all the way down, as we just read, to chapter two,
verse three, Paul provides a detailed treatment, not only of his ministry,
but it’s really a discussion of the Christian ministry itself.
And it can be broken up into three subsections. In this first
portion, verse 24, I would present to you that it is the glad anguish
of ministry that Paul addresses. We’ll consider this this morning,
the glad anguish of ministry. The second portion, verses 25
through 27, I would refer to these as the divine bestowal
of ministry. I remember a friend told me about
his church, an African-American church, and he used to say that
some is sent, others just went. Paul acknowledges that we need
to be sent. The third portion, beginning
there in verse 28, all the way through 2.3, Paul presents there
the efficient method of ministry, and it’s God’s method, not our
own. Now, it’s unmistakable here in verse 24 that Paul injects
the uncomfortable thought of suffering into the consideration
of the gospel ministry. And I would suggest that if more
people really understood what this suffering is and how sure
it is to attend the ministry, I think fewer people would enter
into the ministry Paul speaks of it as these two things, ministry
and suffering, going hand in hand. Suffering and ministry
go hand in hand because the world still hates Jesus Christ vehemently. Even though Christ is risen and
seated in heavenly glory, the world still constantly expresses
and demonstrates their animosity towards him. The world’s hatred
of Christ is so intense and so undying that if he were to come
back to earth again and again, the haters of God would kill
him a thousand times over. And so it must ever be born in
mind that it is not us that the world hates. But if we are in
the Lord’s service, we will feel the world’s disdain for Christ. So with that understanding, let’s
consider this powerful single verse, verse 24, which speaks
of the joy of Christian ministry, even though it’s attended by
suffering. I’ve called it glad anguish,
and what Paul is doing here is just pondering the joy of ministry. Look at verse 24, now I rejoice
in my sufferings. As these two things, ministry
and suffering, are so intricately associated, Paul begins his discussion
on this particular issue. I’ve titled the message, Glad
Anguish, and if that sounds like a bit of a contradiction, it
should. Because that’s essentially how Paul speaks of it here in
verse 24. In ministry, there will be suffering, anguish, pain,
but in the midst of that anguish, there is joy and even participation
in that suffering. These painful trials, this suffering,
it is to be met with Christian joy. I rejoice in my sufferings,
Paul says. The very first thing that Paul
does even before he really even introduces the idea of suffering,
is to tell his readers that he is joyful. He is actively rejoicing. He is joyful in the midst of
his suffering. And let’s be reasonable. When
Paul says this, it is not as if he’s rejoicing because he’s
in jail. or chained to a guard, or mercilessly
dogged by Judaizers, or forced to cool his heels while awaiting
a trial that could demand his life. The preposition that Paul
chooses here is very important. He doesn’t rejoice for his sufferings. He doesn’t rejoice over his sufferings. He doesn’t necessarily have to
rejoice for them or over them, but he rejoices in those things,
in his sufferings. That is, in the midst of them,
as he is immersed in them, he is a man who is found to be rejoicing. Now, joy, you know, is one of
the distinctive marks of a Christian, a sure element of the fruit of
the Spirit. Both James and Peter address
the same thing in the opening chapters of their respective
epistles. James, consider it all joy when,
not if, when you encounter various trials. Or as Paul refers to
them, sufferings. Peter essentially says the same
thing in 1 Peter 1.6, you greatly rejoice. Even though now, for
a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various
trials, or as Paul calls them, sufferings. So Paul acknowledges
that suffering comes inevitably with ministry. And in spite of
that, he rejoices to do his part. That even in the midst of great
and even painful suffering, The Christian can find and exhibit
joy. And in his second consideration
here, he reveals the personal nature of this suffering. If
you would glance again at the passage, we’re only going to
pick up three little words. I rejoice in my sufferings for
your sake and in my flesh. Paul has already told us that he rejoices in his sufferings,
but here he gives us the sphere of this sustained torment. He’s already given us the response
to this sustained torment, that’s what sufferings are, but now
he wants us to understand the sphere, where this suffering
takes place. He’s already acknowledged that
suffering is a present reality in his ministry. Paul doesn’t
elaborate, but here, as to the particular nature of his sufferings,
he doesn’t tell us. We know that at this very time,
he’s under house arrest, a difficulty, but really just more of an inconvenience
than anything. We know that death is being threatened
as a possible outcome. And that would be painful to
consider. Later in this same section, chapter
two, verse one, Paul speaks of his circumstances as a great
struggle. This wasn’t an easy road for
him. In only a few chapters in Acts,
we can begin to get a pretty clear picture, a summary of Paul’s
sufferings. In Acts 14, remember, Paul was
stoned leaving Iconium and left for dead. And yet in the next
chapter, we see him persevering with the gospel in Philippi,
where he is eventually arrested. He leaves Philippi, rather with
a spring in his step, and perhaps a song on his lips as he enters
Thessalonica, where he’s only warmly welcomed for three weeks.
And then after a near riot, he heads out to Berea and we can
almost picture Paul whistling a hymn of praise to God as he
goes. In 2 Corinthians 11, Paul himself
records with great detail his sufferings. Take a minute and
go ahead and turn to 2 Corinthians chapter 11. We begin to get a picture of
what Paul means when he says, I rejoice in my sufferings in
my flesh. When you get to 2 Corinthians
11, scroll down to verse 23. He’s contending with false teachers
that were criticizing him and that most of the Corinthians
were buying into. And so it’s in that context that
he says, are they servants of Christ? I speak as if insane. I far more so, in far more labors,
in far more imprisonments, beaten times without number, often in
danger of death. Five times I received from the
Jews 39 lashes. Three times I was beaten with
rods. Once I was stoned. Three times
I was shipwrecked, a night and the day I’ve spent in the deep.
I have been on frequent journeys in dangers from rivers, dangers
from robbers, dangers from my countrymen, dangers from the
Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers
on the sea, dangers among false brethren. I’ve been in labor
and hardship through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst,
often without food, in cold and exposure. Apart from such things,
there is the daily pressure on me of concern for all the churches. Who is weak without my being
weak? Who is led into sin without my
intense concern? And then on top of all of that,
sadly, we know that a great measure of Paul’s hurt came from believers
and churches. And none of this None of these
struggles, none of these sufferings would have come as a surprise
to Paul, remember? In his commissioning to preach
the gospel as recorded by Luke in Acts chapter nine, God said,
I will show him how much he must suffer for my name’s sake. These
sufferings were tremendous for the apostle Paul. This wasn’t
an easy road. Difficulty, even suffering, comes
with the ministry. And I’ve only tasted some of
these things. I’ve been slandered, people saying
false things about me. I’ve been maligned, criticized
for what I believe or what I’ve said. I’ve been on the receiving
end of treachery. I’ve felt abandoned. And I certainly
know the sleeplessness that comes from ministry concern. Concern
for people in the feeling the effects of sin. But mine have
been slight and pitiful, really, in comparison with what Paul
endured. So Paul owns suffering as part
of the call to ministry, but he gets even more specific regarding
these difficulties. He points out that these sufferings
reside, they take place in his flesh, in his body, that is,
his person. And he speaks of it here, he
speaks here of his physical body where these difficulties can
be felt, either physical or emotional pain. Poe wrote a passage with
which nearly every pastor including this one, becomes intimately
familiar. If you’re still in 2 Corinthians,
would you turn back to chapter 4? Paul here is talking about the
same exact thing and you see the tone, you really see the
superstructure, the undergirding of how was it that he was able
to respond with joy in the midst of suffering. He tells us, look
at verse seven. But we have this treasure in
earthen vessels so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be
of God and not from ourselves. It’s inexplicable from a human
standpoint how and why we get through certain seasons. That the surpassing greatness
of the power will be of God and not from ourselves. We are afflicted
in every way, but not crushed. We are perplexed, but not despairing. We are persecuted but not forsaken. We are struck down but not destroyed. Always carrying about in the
body, in the flesh, the dying of Jesus so that the life of
Jesus also may be manifested in our body. For we who live
are constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus’ sake
so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our mortal
flesh. Paul has already said that he
not only rejoices in these sufferings, the sufferings that come his
way, but he’s only too happy to fill it up, to fill up this
suffering in the flesh. But to what end? Why? If these things, these trials
and sufferings had little or no purpose, they would have been
unbearable. But they’re not only ordained
by God, they’re crafted by God, sifted through his loving fingers,
custom made for every servant of God, They also have a divine
purpose. In Paul’s case, there were benefactors
to his suffering. We come to point number three.
As we’re pondering the joy of Christian ministry, not only
the response to this sustained torment and the sphere of this
sustained torment, but thirdly, the benefactors of sustained
torment. Would you glance down at the
verse once again? I do my share on behalf of his
body, which is the church. And that really is just an echo
of what he says at the beginning. He referred to them as his sufferings
for your sake, speaking of the Colossian believers. Now at this
point, the question must be asked, why would Paul do this? Why would
he rejoice even in the midst of great suffering? Why would
Paul seek to fill up the sufferings of his Savior? He addresses it twice. Initially,
he says that he rejoices in his sufferings for your sake, for
the Colossian believers’ sake. In other words, he endures all
that he does for the sake of these Colossian believers and
others. The Colossian church, as we have
learned, was largely a Gentile church. And though Paul had never
even been to Colossi, He could justly tell them that his suffering
was for them. It was for their sake. Why? Well, remember when Paul, remember
Paul purposed to go to Jerusalem? And everybody, everybody began
to tell him that that was not a good idea. Even had prophets. give him word pictures of his
eventual arrest. But Paul went there in spite
of all the warnings not to go. And when he got there, Luke records
in Acts 21, 19, he began to relate one by one the things which God
had done among the Gentiles. through his ministry. It was
a remarkable time and people were rejoicing. The believers
were thrilled at this news, but it incensed the Jewish leaders
so much so that they immediately began seeking to kill him. And
this ultimately leads to a series of trials, courtroom trials,
ultimately to which Paul has no other choice but to appeal
to Caesar. And he’s put on a boat and he’s
taken to Rome and he’s placed under house arrest while awaiting
a trial before Caesar. All of this and more was all
for the sake of the Gentiles. All because of his ministry and
in order that he could have a ministry to the Gentiles. and certainly
the Colossians. The Colossians were among the
countless many Gentiles. Paul’s suffering was for them. And he basically says this twice.
Look again at the passage. Not only does he say that he
rejoices in his sufferings in his flesh for their sake, But he repeats this sentiment
when he adds, I do my share on behalf of his body, which is
the church. There’s likely a play on words
here. These sufferings take place in Paul’s flesh, but they also
occur in Christ’s body. The Colossian believers are part
of Christ’s body, the church. It is for others. It’s for the
Colossian believers and the church in general that he endures these
painful afflictions. This is a truth that Paul was
not afraid to own. Paul says that his suffering
served to benefit others. And he emphasizes this point
frequently to the Corinthian church. 2 Corinthians 1.6, if
we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation. 2 Corinthians
12.15, I will most gladly spend and be expended for your souls. In chapter two, verse one of
this same letter, Colossians, Paul boldly tells them, I want
you to know how great a struggle I have on your behalf. He says effectively the same
thing to the Ephesians, that companion letter. In 3.1, he
tells the Ephesians that he is a prisoner of Christ Jesus for
the sake of you Gentiles. and that his tribulations were
on their behalf. To see Paul suffering in itself
would not have been such a great blessing to the Colossians. Had
they been able to look on him and see it, it wouldn’t have
done anything for them. But to see Paul rejoicing in
that suffering would have provided them with an example of God’s
sustaining grace. And so that whatever the trials,
whatever the heartaches, afflictions, suffering, Paul says that he
was enduring them for the sake of the Colossians and the church
itself. They were the benefactors of
these sufferings, born in his flesh, because when all was said
and done, they’re not even his afflictions, they’re Christ’s. Would you look at point four? As we consider this glad anguish,
pondering the joy of Christian ministry, we see the response
to sustained torment, the sphere of sustained torment, the benefactors
of this sustained torment, and finally, the target of the sustained
torment. Paul just says it this way, in
filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions. And friends,
that’s hard for me to even read. On a day where we celebrate the
Lord’s table and we think of that leading up to Christ’s crucifixion,
where he’s not only arrested, ceremoniously marched through
town, punched in the face, spat upon, beaten, and ultimately crucified, What was lacking? And yet Paul
says, I do my share in filling up what is lacking in Christ’s
afflictions. Let’s note, first of all, that
ultimately they’re not our afflictions. At least they’re not aimed or
intended for us. We feel them. Sometimes very
acutely, that’s very true. But Christ is the target. And
let’s be honest, while we may face real difficulties and trials,
even persecution, what Paul calls here suffering, affliction, no
one has ever struck me in the face for the cause of Christ. You? No one has ever spit on my face
because I claim to be a Christian. No one has ever mercilessly mocked
me or even thrown me in prison Yet. The writer of Hebrews puts
it all in perspective, doesn’t he? When he says, you have not
yet resisted to the point of shedding blood in your striving
against sin. That’s a fact. No one has ever
crucified me. And so with this, we come full
circle. We’re right back at the point we considered at the outset.
that ultimately it is the Lord who is targeted by the world’s
hatred. You see, in battle, they refer
to death and the damage that is inflicted on non-combatants. They call it collateral damage.
And that’s what we as believers experience. They’re after Christ.
They’re aiming for Christ. They hate Christ. We’re just collateral damage.
And this is in spite of the fact that Paul is referred to such
difficulties as his sufferings, that they occur in his flesh.
In spite of all of that, he refers to them finally here as Christ’s
afflictions. We actually see this principle
at work in Paul’s very conversion. I’ve mentioned this several times
today already. Acts chapter 9 opens with Saul,
before he became known as Paul, still breathing threats and murder
against the disciples of the Lord. And here Paul already responsible
for the death of Stephen, the church’s first martyr, now going
city to city persecuting Christians. But his plans are about to change
because suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him and
he fell to the ground and heard a loud voice saying to him, Saul,
Saul, why are you persecuting me? When Saul inquires about
who it is that’s speaking to him, the Lord answers, I am Jesus
whom you are persecuting. You see right there, Paul could
have entered this simple argument. no lord i’m not persecuting you
i’m persecuting them but for jesus it was one and the
same the persecution of his church which is his body was really
an affliction upon jesus personally We have the same principle at
work in the Gospel of Matthew, when he records Christ either
blessing or rebuking people in the way that they treated him. When they ask, Lord, when did
we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked? To which
Jesus replies, to the extent that you did it to one of these,
you did it to me. Jesus felt both the kind and
the cruel treatment of others. So this suffering that we experience,
these troubles that we face, these persecutions that we endure,
these are all Christ’s afflictions. He feels them just as if he were
experiencing them personally. During his earthly ministry,
he endured the same harsh, Cruelties, but he still feels them as they’re
inflicted in the abuse of his people. And it’s just amazing what Paul
says here. Would you glance at the verse again? Did I leave
you in Colossians? Find your way back to Colossians
if you didn’t. It’s just amazing what Paul says that he was doing
his part to fill up Christ’s sufferings. Paul tells us that
this remarkable thing, I do my share in filling up what is lacking
in Christ’s afflictions. And the verb in this sentence
is really special, it’s very rare. It’s a compound verb, a
verb that has not one, but two prepositions appended to it.
Antiona pleirao. And it’s the only time this word
is found in the New Testament. A primary verb, plerao, means
to fill or to make full. And that word in itself would
have been enough had Paul just provided that word. I fill up
the sufferings of Christ. But the compound verb, the compound
verb with ana, plerao, it serves to strengthen the verb. I really
fill it up. I’ve completely filled it up.
just speaks of perfecting the filling. But this super compound
verb, antiona plerao, it intensifies it even further, giving it here
in verse 24, the sense of personally accomplishing this filling. To
do so personally, what is needed to fill it up, even if Paul had
to do this all by himself. Pour it out on me, Lord. And
that’s why the New American Standard has it here, I do my share. That’s interpretive, that’s not
in the Greek text. We look at that first portion
of that verb. Without considering this astounding
thing that in some way Christ’s sufferings were incomplete, that
in some measure these afflictions needed to be filled up, How can
that be? In what sense can that possibly
be true? First of all, we know that we’re
going to experience ill treatment by the world because of our association
with Christ. The hatred is intended for Christ,
but we will experience it. You will be hated by all because
of my name, Mark 13, 13. If the world hates you, know
that it hated me before it hated you, John 15, 18. 2 Corinthians
1, 5, the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance. But in what sense can we fill
up what is incomplete or lacking? As if Christ did not suffer enough. To be sure, lacking is exactly
what this word means. We have it only about nine times
in the New Testament, but it always speaks of some
kind of shortfall. Supplying what was lacking, completing
what was lacking in your faith, completing what was deficient
in your service, but it doesn’t mean that Christ’s atonement
was lacking. It wasn’t lacking in its saving
value, it’s Paul himself who later in this same epistle says
that Jesus canceled the certificate of debt consisting of decrees
against us, that he’s taken it out of the
way, having nailed it to the cross. There was nothing deficient
in Christ’s sacrifice. The writer of Hebrews points
out that when Jesus’ work was finished, he sat down It was
an indication that his work was complete. That can only mean
that the world is going to continue to vent its hatred against Christ
until the full measure has been expended. We can be certain that in no
way is this effort to fill up Christ’s afflictions, in no way
does that mean that we are participating in our own redemption. Christ’s
atonement for our sins on the cross left nothing undone. No
amount of either good deeds or noble suffering can add anything
to Christ’s atonement. Paul isn’t for a moment suggesting
that his sufferings can add to what Christ accomplished. Jesus
himself said, it is finished. So how do we fill up Christ’s
afflictions? Paul refers to them here as afflictions. That word is different than the
word he used earlier, sufferings. This word speaks of great pressure. even violence, persecution that
believers face from an evil world. And it’s translated in many different
ways, but it always has the same implication. Tribulation, distress,
affliction, persecution. But it’s important to note that
this word isn’t used anywhere with reference to Christ, but
here. Christ is feeling these things
even though we are experiencing them. Christ is the target of sustained
torment and Christ alone. Christ will grant us grace to
endure this torment for his glory. Would you humble yourself before
him as we Prepare to draw near to the Lord’s table.