Today, on the verdict with Pastor John Monroe, Jesus said, In the world you will have. Tribulation, John 16, verse 33. Simply put, the Christian life. involves Suffering. After all, our Lord Jesus Christ suffered.
No man ever suffered like Christ. He was known not as the man of laughter, the man of fun, but the man of sorrows. Welcome to the verdict with Pastor John Monroe. Contrary to what you may have heard, following Jesus Christ does not guarantee an easy, happy life. The Bible clearly teaches that as we walk with Christ, we are to expect pain and suffering.
But today on the verdict, we're learning the purpose and power of this suffering as we continue in the book of Colossians.
Now, here's Pastor John Monroe with his lesson titled, Called to Suffer.
Sometimes problems, sufferings, hurts, and confusions. come slowly into our lives. At other times they come like bolts from the blue, unexpected, and welcomed. How do we survive the sufferings of life? The Apostle Paul endured, knowing that through his sufferings others were being won for Jesus Christ.
Isn't that true? that our response to suffering impacts others. None of us are apostles. But we can be encouraged when we know that we are suffering for the sake of the gospel. And this takes mature faith.
Remember that followers of Jesus march to the beat of a different drum. God cares for us. And in the middle of the storms of life, He gives us peace. which overflows to others. Peter writes in 1 Peter 2.21 For to this you have been called.
Because Christ also suffered for you. leaving you an example that is an example of suffering So that you might follow in his Steps. We're going to see that principle illustrated in the life of Paul. Your sufferings and minds may be very different from the Apostle Paul, but each one of us is called. To suffer.
Let's open our Bibles to Colossians 1. And we're going to look at verses 24 through 27 as we make our way through the exposition. of this wonderful little book by Paul. Colossians one, verse twenty. 4.
Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, says Paul, 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. 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. First of all, verse 24, where we see Paul's Suffering.
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. Not the easiest verse in our New Testament. But we can understand this: that Paul suffered. For the sake of the Colossians, he knew about suffering.
What does Paul mean when he says that he is filling up that which is lacking in Christ's affliction? He is certainly not saying that his suffering or our sufferings atone for our own sins or for the sins of others. He is not saying that Christ's sacrifice was inadequate and we need to suffer in order to atone for our sins. No, when Paul refers to Christ's afflictions here in verse 24, He is referring, I think, to the union of Christ With his body, the church. Isn't that a marvelous description of the church?
We, the church. are the very body Paul himself on that wonderful day, that unforgettable day in his experience. When he met Jesus, the risen Jesus. Do you remember what was said to him on the road to Damascus? When Jesus revealed himself to this persecutor, the one who hated Christ and his church.
What did Jesus say to him? Saul saw Why Are you persecuting Not my people. Not my followers, not my disciples. Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? That is that Christ is so identified with his people.
That when one of his children suffers, he suffers. Just as Christ's enemies persecuted our Savior, so they continue to persecute the church, the body of Christ. And Christ has left, as it were, a measure of afflictions, of sufferings for we, the church, to endure. And Paul is glad, he rejoices to bear his share of these sufferings in the advancement of the gospel. He rejoices that he's counted worthy.
to participate in these sufferings. Each one of us Who are true followers of Jesus Christ? are called to suffer in the spread of the gospel.
So if you are suffering For the sake of the gospel. and filling up what is lacking in Christ's affliction. Rejoice with Paul. You're in wonderful company. The gospel.
is advancing. But first, the suffering.
Now in verse 25 Paul's mission. He says, 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. As a servant of Jesus Christ, Paul is given what he is termed here a stewardship. Paul says, I'm a servant.
That's the the our minister, the Greek word diakonos, from which we get deacon. Paul is a deacon, he's a servant of Jesus Christ. And he's entrusted, he says, with this stewardship. The stewardship, iconomia in Greek, it is the Word of a steward, of a manager, of a trustee, Paul is given a particular responsibility by God. Turn back to Acts 9.
where we will see this. Just turn with me if you have your Bible there. To Acts chapter 9. This is the story of Paul's Then Saul's glorious conversion. He says in verse three about the light from heaven flashing around.
Falling to the ground, he hears a voice saying to him, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? Then he's gloriously saved. Verse 15. The Lord said to him, Go. for he's a chosen instrument of mine.
To carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children. of Israel. This is his stewardship. this particular responsibility given to Paul. To bring the gospel to Gentiles, to kings, and to the children of Israel.
And he takes great care that this Stewardship. Which has been entrusted to him, that he wants to be a faithful minister, a faithful servant. And he wants to do that. for the benefit of these Colossians. What's his stewardship?
Verse 25, the end of the verse. To make the word of God fully known. Such is his passion that he has received this stewardship from God. He's going to make the word of God known as widely as possible throughout the world and irrespective of the suffering. Paul is rejoicing even when he's suffering.
But sometimes we whine. And we complain. when things don't go according to plan. We are to be faithful stewards of the gifts. Of the time and the resources given us by God.
Everything we are, everything we have, comes from the hand of God. God has a call in our life. We Our servants. We are entrusted with a stewardship. A particular ministry, a particular gift.
She's a Sunday school teacher, for example. communicating to say fourth and fifth grade girls. What does she do? She loves them. She opens this word of God.
and communicates the truth of God. to these young girls. She's faithfully using the gifts. That God has given her in serving these girls. She is a steward.
Not serving in order to authenticate herself. No, but rather Because she's called By God. This is a stewardship, this is a mission. And this is what Paul is doing. His suffering.
His mission And then Finally, his message. Verses twenty-six and twenty-seven. He says, end of verse 25, 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.
There is a mystery being Now in the Bible, this term mystery commonly means a truth or a secret which is unknowable apart from God's revelation. It often refers to something which was unknown in Old Testament times. But now, in the progress of revelation, it is being revealed in Jesus Christ. In this case, this mystery is being revealed. through his servant Paul.
And the whole truth of the church Is a mystery in the sense it was not revealed in the Old Testament, but is now being revealed in the New Testament. Turn to Ephesians 3. where we will learn one of the mysteries regarding the church. Ephesians 3. Here is another stewardship.
Entrusted to Paul. Paul, of course, is the apostle of the church. Ephesians 3, verse 1. For this reason, I, Paul, a prisoner for Christ Jesus, on behalf of you Gentiles, notice his calling, it's to the Gentiles primarily, assuming that you've heard of the stewardship. There it is, of God's grace that was given to me for you.
How the mystery. was made known to me by revelation, as I've written briefly. When you read this, you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations, i.e., Old Testament times. As it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit. Paul, what's this mystery?
Now, I'm going to tell you, verse 6. This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body. The church, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel. This wonderful truth that in this new man, as Paul describes in Ephesians, in the church which is his body, Jew and Gentile are now united in one body. That was not.
Revealed in the Old Testament. It is a mystery which has now been revealed by Paul. That was part of Paul's stewardship. to declare the mystery. But in the church, Jew and Gentile are equal.
But turn over to Ephesians 5 for another mystery regarding the church. Ephesians 5. Verse thirty-two. He's talking about marriage. He's quoting Genesis 2: A man shall leave, verse 30.
One, his father and mother. Hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. This mystery is profound. And I'm saying that it refers to Christ. and the church.
Turn to 1 Corinthians 15. For another mystery about the church. 1 Corinthians 15. Verse fifty. One.
Truths. that are now being revealed by Paul regarding the church. Truths which were not revealed in the Old Testament, but now are being revealed by Paul, who has been entrusted. with these revelations. 1 Corinthians 15 verse 31, Behold, I tell you a mystery.
Again, by the church. What is the mystery? We shall not all sleep. But we shall all be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet, for the trumpet will sound, and so on. The rapture of the church is called.
A mystery. The church, Jew and Gentile, and the church on equal terms. The church is the bride of Christ. A mystery. The rapture of the Church is called A mystery.
And here in Colossians 1, verses 26 and 27, we have another mystery regarding the church, hidden for ages and generations. There's twenty six of Colossians one. But now Paul is going to reveal this mystery. This is the particular stewardship given to Paul. And how grateful we are.
that he has revealed it. What is the mystery? What's the content of the mystery? Verse twenty-seven. 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.
Do you get that? Christ in you. The hope. Of glory. In the Old Testament, God's chosen people.
Was the Jewish nation. The Gentiles, we Gentiles, were outsiders, separated from Christ, Paul says in Ephesians 2, alienated from the Commonwealth of Israel, strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. That's what we were as Gentiles. In the Old Testament, yes, Gentiles could be saved, but the blessing came to them through Israel. Ah, but now that Christ has come.
God's Messiah, the Anointed One. Gentiles are saved as Gentiles. There is no need now to embrace Judaism. That was a big debate, wasn't it? At the time of Acts, in the book of Galatians.
The Judaizers were saying, well, it's all right for Gentiles to be saved, but in a sense, they've got to become like us, they've got to be circumcised, they've got to obey the law of Moses, they've got to be Jewish first, and then they will be saved. And the teaching of the New Testament absolutely No. In the body of Christ? Jews and Gentiles Not only are in the body of church. An inner body which is the church.
But Jews and Gentiles are equal. Do you realize how revolutionary that was to the first century Jewish believers? That Gentiles They wouldn't even eat with Gentiles. They were unclean. That not only are they saved by the grace of God, Not only are they in the church, but they are now equal with us.
Now that Jesus Christ has come. Gentiles are not only part of the church, We are co-participants. We are co-equal with the Jews in the body of Christ the church. That's the truth of Ephesians 3 that I already read. And here Paul is making this remarkable statement, writing primarily to Gentiles in Little Colossi in the first century.
that Christ Is in us. The hope. of glory. In verse 2, he is described us as being in Christ. But not only are we in Christ, Christ is in us.
So why is that? If you're a believer in Jesus Christ, The living Christ. indwells yeah. That's why this feast communion is so important because it brings us back to these realities. The wonders of God's love.
We thought this morning In dealing with the sanctity of life, we thought about adoption. And of how at the human level People can adopt a little boy or a little girl and bring them into their own family. Here are Jennifer and Greg Smith presently in China. adopting a little boy. with a physical disability.
Bringing him thousands of miles into their own home where he'll be loved, where he will hear about Christ. And we say, How wonderful indeed it is. But God has done something even greater than that. Not only does he save us, Not only does he adopt us into his eternal family, Paul is saying here: even as Gentiles, Christ is in you. The hope.
of glory. In the midst of sufferings, in the midst of difficulties, we can rejoice. Because we have this glorious hope of glory. The risen Christ is in us. This is our assurance that while there is suffering now, there will certainly be eternal glory later.
C.S. Lewis writes, hope means a continual looking forward to the eternal world. Aim at heaven and you will get earth thrown in. Aim at earth. And you'll get neither.
We as the Lord's people, we look ahead. We have the eye of faith. We look beyond the material and the physical. And we see Christ. Who sees it?
But he is in us this glorious hope. of eternal Glory. First, the suffering. And then The glory. But Christ is presently in us the hope of glory.
Isn't that humbling? We who were once so far away from God have now been reconciled to God. We are the very body of Christ. We are all one in Christ. There is no superiority of one person over another, or one race being superior to another in the body of Christ.
No, whether Jew or Gentile, whatever our Ethnic background, the color of our skin, our heritage, Christ is in us, each one of us, the hope. of glory. So when suffering comes to your life as it will, for the sake of the gospel. Don't despise it. Don't try to get rid of it.
Easy to quit. Easy to give up. Easy to start witnessing. But keep your eyes on the coming. Glory.
First, the suffering, then the glory, and think of the glorious advancement of the gospel through your suffering. In Romans 8, Paul reminds us that we're children of God, and then he writes, And if children, then heirs, Heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with Him in order that we may also be glorified with Him. For I consider. That the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing. with the glory that is to be revealed to us.
Do you get that? were called to suffer. But the suffering we experience is insignificant. It is insignificant when we think of how it blesses others. It's insignificant when we consider that many come to Christ through the suffering and the sacrifices of the people of God.
It's insignificant when we think how it encourages our fellow believers when we respond humbly and joyfully to the testing and the difficulties of life. And it's sadly insignificant when we think of that glory which awaits us for all. of eternity. Therefore, Rejoice. Therefore, share Christ, therefore, live for Christ, therefore, keep looking up.
To the coming eternal glory.
Soon he will return.
Soon we will see him face to face. But first the suffering. And then The glory. That's what the Lord's Supper is all about, isn't it? We remember one who suffered.
The Christ Not only could Savior, But it dwells here. The hope. of glory. Father, We're humbled. And we confess we often Try to escape suffering.
We often stop witnessing. Because of fear, because of opposition. We sometimes keep our mouths closed. But we thank you for your forgiveness. And we thank you.
for this glorious provision. That the eternal Christ is in us, the hope. Of glory. In Christ's name we pray. Amen.
This is the verdict, featuring the Bible teaching of Pastor John Monroe. There's still more to hear when John returns in just a moment, so stay with us. From matters of truth and identity, to the subjects of love and grace, our world seems more confused than ever. but to find truth and certainty about who we are and find peace, we must turn our attention away from the world and look to the Word of God. To help you do that, John wrote a booklet titled Eternal Security, Finding Certainty in a Chaotic World.
Through this special resource, John shares his personal testimony, along with a careful examination of Scripture, to offer us clarity on matters of eternity. Get your copy today by visiting our website at the verdict. org. While you're there, consider making an investment in this Bible teaching ministry. Whether it's $5, $50, or more, your gift today helps cover the cost of sharing these gospel messages to listeners around the world.
And if you haven't already, be sure to subscribe to The Verdict Podcast, featuring John's weekly podcast exclusive called Avizandam. It's available wherever you get your podcasts, or simply go to our website. Again, that's theverdict.org. The verdict is a ministry of Calvary Church in South Charlotte. We're located on the corner of Highway 51 and Ray Road.
If you've been looking for a church home or a community to help you grow in your walk with Christ, We invite you to join us for our Sunday services. For more details about Calvary and our service times, visit theverdict.org.
Now, here's Pastor John Monroe.
Well, what's your verdict? Do you have an understanding of this stewardship which the Lord Jesus has given you? Do you have the assurance that the living Christ indwells you and will never leave you? I'm praying that more and more you'll understand the glorious hope of the gospel. Followers of Christ are not exempt from suffering.
But we are called to suffering.
so that others will be drawn to our Saviour. Don't forget to tune in next time as we think of what it means to be a mature follower of Jesus. Thanks for joining us today on The Verdict. I'm Michelle Davies. Today's program with Pastor John Monroe was produced and sponsored by Calvary Church in Charlotte, North Carolina.
