Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

What ministry?

Through our time together today in we will see the nature of Paul’s Ministry in Christ.

Rejoicing in suffering.

V.24

Paul begins verse 24 by stating that he rejoices in his sufferings for the sake of the Colossian Christians.

Paul’s theology of suffering.

If you remember, Paul has never been to the church at Colossae.

Yet he still considers his suffering to be for their sake as well.

This gives us a picture of Paul’s theology of suffering and hardships.

Lets zoom out for a moment and take a look at the big picture.

We have to remember timing.

It is thought that Paul is writing the letter to the Colossians from his first Roman imprisonment.

Before he even came to Rome the first time Paul described in his second letter to the Corinthians the things he had suffered.

2 Cor.

11:

In his travel to Rome we know that he was again shipwrecked on the Island of Malta.

We know that Paul has been through a lot to get to the point of where he was.

He is currently under house arrest in Rome and yet, with all of this he is still able to write that he rejoices in his sufferings!

This is almost too much for us to take or understand.

Paul is explaining in verse 24 that in his sufferings, he is doing his part.

The word for filling up is a verb, it carries the idea of taking my turn or doing my part.

Paul understands all this suffering to be on behalf of other believers, to be part of his Christian walk and perhaps even part of his Christian duty.

The text does sound a bit awkward because when we read it, it sounds as if Paul is saying that Jesus didn’t enough and the church isn’t enduring enough pain so I am suffering to help fill that void.

That however is not Paul’s point.

Paul is not a person seeking after pain.

Paul is explaining that all of this hardship has been a way for the church to be filled up.

A way for the church to take part in Jesus suffering.

When persecution and difficulty occurs, the cup isn’t half empty, it’s half full.

Paul emphasizes the irony that Jesus uses suffering to show His presence in the body, the church.

This resolve on Paul’s part can only come from one thing.

The presence of the Holy Spirit in his life.

This of course is much easier for us to talk about that to live out.

In comparison to Paul, what sufferings do we have?

I don’t want to downgrade our difficulties because in the moment, they are the most extreme thing we could possible face.

I would like to put them into perspective for us -

Most of us have heard stories of Christians singing as they were being fed to wild animals for the entertainment of the Roman people.

Polycarp, one of the early church fathers is recorded as being stabbed to death when his body would not burn.

William Tyndale, known for translating the Bible into English was choked and burned.

Jim Elliot and four other missionaries were killed attempting to make contact with a tribe of natives.

A little closer to home for me, I remember our Pastor as I was growing up coming back from the middle east, Syria or Pakistan, I can’t remember exactly, shortly after he returned, the church he was in was attacked with hand grenades.

Most of us are still learning to see suffering as an opportunity to for Christ to live through us.

We certainly have much to learn about being diligent to Christ in our suffering.

What we can glean from Paul though can help make a difference.

We never wish for pain, but it can help us identify with Jesus.

For Paul, suffering was an opportunity to edify the body, the church.

For us, suffering may look more like a long slow battle with temptation or sickness, or perhaps agonizing anxieties.

Be they about responsibilities for family, work, or perhaps the church.

Possibly constant doubts and uncertainties.

All of these when properly understood are thing to take joy in because they are signs that the current age is passing.

This was Paul’s perspective.

He was looking forward to Jesus return.

This is a difficult and frustrating theological stance, but a biblical one.

Examples of suffering and redemption are riddled throughout scripture.

David, the man after God’s own heart suffered greatly as we see from many of the psalms.

There is a song that I quite enjoy that puts some of these together.

Listen to some the lyrics and pick out some of the stories you hear.

But also listen for the theme.

Story of Grace - United Pursuit

[Verse 1]

One way ticket to the lion’s den

Gotta go through the fire so I can come out again

Fight for my faith, live what I believe

Stand on my feet and sing, oh, I will sing

[Chorus]

Jesus, You’ve called me friend

Jesus, You’ve made me what I am

[Verse 2]

Yet in my weak frame I’m calling on Your Name

Broke my heart with Your love, God, I will love You the same

Forgiven oceans, I am brought to my knees

The story of Your grace, it fills me with the theme

[Chorus]

Jesus, You’ve called me friend

Jesus, You’ve made me what I am

Jesus, You are my life within

Jesus, You’ve called me friend

One aspect of the nature of Paul’s ministry was definitely suffering.

The Center of Paul’s Ministry

Paul’s commission.

V.25

Suffering though a part of Paul’s ministry was not the center of his ministry.

Paul states in verse 25 that he became a minister of the church according to the stewardship from God that was given to him.

Paul is stating that he literally became a servant of the church.

There is a bit of contradiction and irony in this verse though.

Paul is declaring himself to be only a courier, someone who is doing something at the request of a superior, an assistant.

But he is a servant with an important role to play that was given by God.

A servant with an important role to play that was given by God.

The word for stewardship carries the meaning of having the responsibility of management.

This echoes Jesus teaching on the importance of service seen in places like and 20, , and Luke 13.

Who has managed something before?

Who has managed people before?

Not an easy or necessarily desirable task to say the least.

Paul however was commissioned by God for that purpose.

Being a firm believer in the sovereignty of God I have to believe that the same is true for us as well.

God has placed each one of us in the position that we are in, for that specific time, for a purpose.

We may not always see or understand that purpose but it is there.

We must be faithful, as Paul was, to continue through difficulties to get to the center of our ministry just as Paul did, as a servant.

This echoes Jesus teaching on the importance of service seen in places like and 20, , and .

The purpose and the center of the service being to make the word of God fully known.

The center of Paul’s ministry was Jesus.