Sermon Tone Analysis

*Col.

1:24-29*

*Intro*

I have been waiting to get to this passage of Scripture, because it takes a look into what authentic ministry is all about.

I take a look at all of you and most of you are serving the Lord in some capacity here at EFCC.

I also thank God for the timing of this message, right in a really busy month for us here with all that is going on.

First of all, I cannot begin to tell you how blessed I am to be part of this ministry.

How blessed to know that there are fellow workers of the Lord shouldering continually weekly kingdom responsibility for the Lord.

Praise God!

I am encouraged by the way you step up and are willing to serve the Lord.

Let’s review:

This is the last message on Part 1 of the Born Supremacy: the Supremacy Declared.

We have declared the Supremacy of the gospel (Col 1:1-8), how to walk worthy of the Supremacy of Christ (Col 1:9-14), the Total Supremacy of Jesus Christ in His person (Col 1:15-20) and the Supremacy of Jesus Christ in His work of reconciliation (Col.

1:21-23).

Today we are going to look at the Ministry of Supremacy.

We have a supreme message about the Supreme Christ, but we also have a supreme ministry.

If you didn’t notice, Jesus did not save us and then take us all into Heaven.

That would be really sweet, but that’s not His plan.

He saved us to serve.

We have work to do.

He died for us, we must live for Him.

Look at Eph. 2:8-9: “For by grace you have been saved, through faith.

And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one can boast.”

What is the next verse?

Verse 10: “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”

See that?

God has stuff for us to do after we are saved.

We have to “walk in them” not sit around in them.

CT Studd, the famous cricket player in England, turned missionary once said, “Only one life.

It will soon, soon be past.

Only what is done for Christ will last.”

The job we have far succeeds the greatest work this world has to offer.

It is working for the greatest boss –the King of Kings and the Lord of the Lords and the benefits are out of this world!

But what does this job entail?

How do we know what to do for God?

And how do we do it?

We all have our different roles, but what should be the end goal of leading Sunday school every Sunday morning?

Of children’s ministry?

Of jr.

high or high school ministry?

Of young adult bible study on Saturdays?

In other words, what does authentic ministry look like?

*I.**Authentic

ministry is joyfully suffering for the church  (Col.

1:24)* .

Paul first says that authentic ministry is joyfully suffering for the church.

God’s work can be done with joy despite the persecution that comes with it.

What a great way to start?!

This job is suffering!

Sign me up!

Before we go any further, let’s deal with this, which is most difficult verse in all of Colossians.

It is this puzzling phrase of Paul’s: “and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions.”

Is Paul saying there is something lacking with Christ’s death?

That is was insufficient?

In fact, some groups have used to this phrase to come up two false doctrines.

One is of penance, where people, in order to receive forgiveness for their own sins, they needed to suffer for them like walking a mile on glass or cut themselves with stones.

The other false doctrine is of purgatory, which teaches that people have second chance after they die.

They can go to some place and then suffer for a while there and afterwards God will accept them.

Let’s be clear on this.

Jesus did it all.

He did not need Paul’s help to finish the work on the cross.

John 19:30: “IT IS FINISHED.”

Not almost finished…finished, but to be continued…FINISHED!

Heb 10:11-12: “And every priest stands daily as his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins.

BUT WHEN CHRIST HAD OFFERED FOR ALL TIME A *SINGLE* SACRIFICE FOR SINS, HE SAT DOWN AT THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD.” “Sat down” is a picture of a job done to satisfaction.

It is appointed man once to die and then judgment (Heb.

9:27).

Also, the word “afflictions” here is never used in the NT to talk about the death of Christ.

It means “distress,” “pressure,” or “trouble.”

Lastly, it contradicts the message of Colossians: the total supremacy and absolute sufficiency of Jesus Christ.

So what does it mean?

There are several views on this verse, but let me give you two major views:

1.

Many Jews believed that before the Messiah came God’s people would suffer.

But that suffering had a limit, a quota, if you will.

Once the limit was reached, the Messianic Age when He ruled the world would be inaugurated.

So some scholars believed Paul adopted that view that Christ suffered, but now that Paul’s suffering so much for Christ, the suffering tank is being filled up more and more and it is going to hasten the Lord’s coming again.

2.       The second major view is that Paul is saying the afflictions he is experiencing are in the place of Jesus, who would have endured them if He was on earth still.

Remember right before Paul converted, Jesus had confronted him and said, “Why do you persecute /me?/” (Acts 9:4-5).

In other words, Jesus was saying, “When you hurt my people, my body, you are hurting me, the head.

John Macarthur says,

"The world isn't through persecuting Jesus.

The world is not through persecuting Jesus.

The problem is he's not here, so they're getting me.

The persecution of Jesus is not over.

So I'm filling up what he's not here to take.

You say is that positive, you bet.

You bet.

I receive the blows intended for the one who received the blows that were intended for me.

He took the blows that I should have received on Calvary.

I will gladly take the blows meant for him."[1]

To be honest, I am not sure which one I land on.

If you pushed me to the corner, I would probably lean on the second one, but we can glean some things here from this verse still for us.

There is suffering associated with the gospel, but we can experience joy in the midst of it!

But I do appreciate how Paul doesn’t hide the cost of the Supremacy.

Don’t you hate it when people try to sell you something, but they hide the real cost or do not read the small print?

Jesus never does that…He tells you straight up what you are in for.

Jesus said we will be hated for His name’s sake.

Jesus is offensive to people.

Sometimes we will endure verbal suffering---threats, mockery and belittlement.

Sometimes it is passive aggressive suffering---you lose your job, people don’t talk to you anymore and avoid you, etc.

Sometimes it is physical suffering---jail, beatings, even death.

Paul is in prison because he has been preaching the gospel.

Wow, we have already been moved by his previous verses and he wrote all that in chains!

And it is not like the prisons today.