WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:08.900 Let's read together from the New Testament, Paul's letter to the Colossians, chapter 1, verses 24 to 29. 00:00:22.240 --> 00:00:22.960 ! 00:00:30.000 --> 00:00:56.240 To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, 00:00:56.240 --> 00:01:04.379 which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone 00:01:04.379 --> 00:01:10.740 with all wisdom that we may present everyone mature in Christ. And for this I toil, struggling 00:01:10.740 --> 00:01:17.420 with all His energy, that He powerfully works within me. This is God's holy word. 00:01:17.420 --> 00:01:21.799 Turn this evening to that passage that Corey read for us, Colossians chapter 1, 00:01:22.420 --> 00:01:26.900 and from verse 24 to the end of the chapter at verse 29. 00:01:29.000 --> 00:01:36.320 A number of years ago, I was tasked with running an in-service training course 00:01:36.320 --> 00:01:42.520 for free church ministers. I did this for about five or six years. And part of that role involved 00:01:42.519 --> 00:01:49.799 me, along with others, choosing, inviting various speakers, and selecting the kind of subject matter 00:01:49.799 --> 00:01:55.379 that they would cover in the course. And one of the topics we frequently chose to cover 00:01:55.379 --> 00:02:04.120 was presented under the title, Lessons from a Life in Ministry. An experienced pastor, minister, 00:02:04.679 --> 00:02:10.780 often retired, was invited to come and to share with younger colleagues some of the lessons 00:02:10.780 --> 00:02:18.960 they had learned over the years in full-time pastoral ministry. It was frequently, you know, 00:02:19.300 --> 00:02:27.039 a time of honesty, transparency, as these more mature ministers, I now discover that I am one of those, 00:02:27.500 --> 00:02:34.400 shared from the heart. And it's always a good thing to be able to learn from those who have gone 00:02:34.400 --> 00:02:41.379 before us in the faith and to draw on their experience of Christian life and ministry. 00:02:42.219 --> 00:02:49.900 And in this next section of Colossians, we find the great apostle Paul doing just that. Here is Paul 00:02:49.900 --> 00:02:57.960 sharing with the Colossian believers something of his own experience and understanding of gospel 00:02:57.960 --> 00:03:04.319 ministry. You'll notice in the previous verses that Chris took us through last week, 00:03:04.400 --> 00:03:12.460 Paul speaks to the Colossians about the greatness and the glory, the supremacy and sufficiency of our 00:03:12.460 --> 00:03:21.319 Lord Jesus Christ. The gospel is all about Jesus and Jesus at the center. And at the end of that 00:03:21.319 --> 00:03:28.680 section, in verse 23, you'll notice there he urges them to continue in the faith, not shifting, 00:03:28.680 --> 00:03:35.280 he says, from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, 00:03:35.740 --> 00:03:46.640 and of which I, Paul, became a minister. So, Paul here describes himself as a minister or servant of 00:03:46.640 --> 00:03:52.640 the gospel. And that's the theme that he picks up, I think, in these verses before us tonight. 00:03:52.639 --> 00:04:00.859 There may be a contrast, an inherent contrast being drawn between Paul's own ministry and that of those 00:04:00.859 --> 00:04:09.039 false teachers that had infiltrated the church in Colossae. Those false teachers, disdain, suffering, 00:04:09.879 --> 00:04:18.159 delighted in mystery, and dictated to the immature. But as we'll see, the picture that Paul paints for 00:04:18.160 --> 00:04:24.980 us here in these verses is very different to that. And while some of these lessons may be particularly 00:04:24.980 --> 00:04:31.200 appropriate for those of us in church leadership, I think they're really applicable to all of us 00:04:31.200 --> 00:04:39.300 who are in the service of the gospel. So, what are the lessons that Paul wants us to learn here 00:04:39.300 --> 00:04:48.639 about authentic Christian ministry? Let's try and pull out from the text just three threads about the 00:04:48.639 --> 00:04:53.960 work of gospel ministry. And the first thread I want you to notice, we want to pull on, as it were, 00:04:54.340 --> 00:05:03.040 is in verse 24. And we'll call this ministry and the sufferings of Christ's body. Paul begins 00:05:03.040 --> 00:05:14.360 by speaking about suffering. Now, that may seem to us, at least, an unusual theme to begin with. And 00:05:14.360 --> 00:05:21.120 certainly, Paul's perspective on suffering is different from what we might normally expect. 00:05:21.240 --> 00:05:27.540 There's no grumbling here or complaining from Paul. There's no bitterness. There's no anger. Quite the 00:05:27.540 --> 00:05:37.160 reverse. Remarkably, Paul speaks here about rejoicing in his sufferings. Now, I rejoice in my sufferings for 00:05:37.160 --> 00:05:45.220 your sake. And in my flesh, I am filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his 00:05:45.220 --> 00:05:54.340 body, that is, the church. Now, how on earth can Paul say that he rejoices in his sufferings? Very 00:05:54.339 --> 00:06:01.560 counterintuitive. And I don't think we're to conclude here that Paul was some kind of masochist 00:06:01.560 --> 00:06:09.319 who delighted in painful experiences. But because this idea of rejoicing in suffering is one that we 00:06:09.319 --> 00:06:16.299 find elsewhere in Paul's correspondence and elsewhere in the New Testament. Paul tells, for example, 00:06:16.839 --> 00:06:24.319 the church in Philippi that his imprisonment and suffering is something that has served to advance 00:06:24.319 --> 00:06:30.360 the gospel. Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice, he says in Philippians 1.18. 00:06:31.639 --> 00:06:38.240 And you'll notice here that Paul is rejoicing in his sufferings for the sake of the Colossians. 00:06:39.579 --> 00:06:46.199 And that in itself is quite strange. Because, of course, Paul has not been to Colossae. 00:06:46.199 --> 00:06:54.060 He didn't plant this church. So, what on earth is he talking about? In what sense can he be said to 00:06:54.060 --> 00:07:02.800 have been suffering for their sake? Well, to understand what Paul is driving at here, I think 00:07:02.800 --> 00:07:11.219 we need to go back to his call to be an apostle to the Gentiles. You remember that after his experience, 00:07:11.220 --> 00:07:19.060 famous experience on the road to Dysmascus, Paul was taken to the house of Ananias. And Ananias was 00:07:19.060 --> 00:07:27.340 understandably very concerned that this man who had been persecuting and harrying the church was now to 00:07:27.340 --> 00:07:32.160 be received into his home. And we read in Acts 9, verse 15 and 16, 00:07:32.160 --> 00:07:41.500 But the Lord said to him, Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the 00:07:41.500 --> 00:07:50.640 Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake 00:07:50.640 --> 00:07:57.780 of my name. And Paul's sufferings, of which we read through the book of Acts and mentioned in some of 00:07:57.779 --> 00:08:05.299 his letters, were of course for the sake of the gospel. He endured much, especially from the hands 00:08:05.299 --> 00:08:14.139 of the Jews, but also from the authorities. And he did that so that the gospel would be made known 00:08:14.139 --> 00:08:20.699 among the Gentiles. Famously, he tells the church at Corinth, 2 Corinthians chapter 4, 00:08:20.699 --> 00:08:27.579 We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed, perplexed, but not driven to despair, persecuted, 00:08:27.579 --> 00:08:35.340 but not forsaken, struck down, but not destroyed, always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, 00:08:36.000 --> 00:08:43.960 so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. For we who live are always being given 00:08:43.960 --> 00:08:52.100 over to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. 00:08:52.759 --> 00:09:00.440 Death is at work in us, but life in you. So, Paul is able to rejoice in his sufferings 00:09:00.440 --> 00:09:09.519 because they have served to spread the gospel across the Gentile world. And I think it's in this sense 00:09:09.519 --> 00:09:16.120 that his sufferings are for the sake of the Colossians. They are the tangible fruit of the 00:09:16.120 --> 00:09:23.120 sufferings he endured. If Paul had not been willing to suffer for the sake of Christ, the gospel message 00:09:23.120 --> 00:09:28.980 would have gone nowhere. The church would have simply retreated into a kind of holy huddle. 00:09:29.840 --> 00:09:38.980 But instead, under Paul's commitment and vibrant leadership and example, it had instead become 00:09:38.980 --> 00:09:46.500 a powerful, effective missionary force. But the interesting thing here is that Paul doesn't 00:09:46.500 --> 00:09:53.620 stop at telling the Colossians that he rejoices in his sufferings for them because he goes on to say, 00:09:54.340 --> 00:10:01.879 and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, 00:10:01.879 --> 00:10:11.580 that is, the church. Once again, these are difficult words to understand. What is Paul saying here? What 00:10:11.580 --> 00:10:19.679 is he implying? Is he really saying that there's something lacking or deficient in Christ's afflictions? 00:10:20.299 --> 00:10:26.740 Is he telling us here that he has had to contribute something that Jesus lacked? 00:10:26.740 --> 00:10:35.779 Now, clearly, that is not what I think he's saying here. Remember in the previous verses, 00:10:35.940 --> 00:10:41.580 he's just spoken about the utter supremacy and sufficiency of our Lord Jesus Christ. 00:10:42.639 --> 00:10:48.879 So, we must be clear, Paul is not referring here, I think, to the atoning work of Christ and his 00:10:48.879 --> 00:10:58.240 sufferings on the cross. Nothing lacking in that. That is something perfect and complete that cannot be 00:10:58.240 --> 00:11:06.080 added to or contributed to. Jesus' sacrifice on the cross, as it says in Hebrews, once for all. 00:11:06.899 --> 00:11:12.559 Peter says, for Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, 00:11:12.559 --> 00:11:21.219 that he might bring us to God. So, what is Paul referring to here? What are these afflictions of 00:11:21.219 --> 00:11:30.299 Christ that are lacking? Well, there is a sense in which Jesus is still afflicted and still endures 00:11:30.299 --> 00:11:35.659 suffering. If you go again back to Paul's encounter with the risen Christ on the road 00:11:35.659 --> 00:11:43.039 to Damascus, what do we read there? Well, Acts chapter 9, verses 3 through 5, 00:11:43.539 --> 00:11:48.899 as he went on his way, he approached Damascus. Suddenly, a light from heaven shone around him. 00:11:49.159 --> 00:11:57.699 Falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? 00:11:57.700 --> 00:12:07.740 And he said, who are you, Lord? And he said, I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It's an astounding 00:12:07.740 --> 00:12:18.120 words. Saul is persecuting the church, but Jesus tells him that he is persecuting him. Why are you 00:12:18.120 --> 00:12:31.860 persecuting me? Jesus Christ suffers with his people? He is so closely identified with his church that there 00:12:31.860 --> 00:12:42.039 is a sense in which their sufferings are shared by him. The Lord suffers in and with his people. 00:12:42.039 --> 00:12:49.379 And indeed, until the day he returns, he will continue to share and bear the afflictions 00:12:49.379 --> 00:12:57.879 of his suffering church. And the idea here seems to be that there is a measure of affliction that 00:12:57.879 --> 00:13:05.919 must be borne by Christ and his church before he returns. Jesus is the suffering servant, and he 00:13:05.919 --> 00:13:14.599 continues to share in the afflictions of his people until God's purposes in this world are complete. 00:13:15.639 --> 00:13:21.479 There is an example in the book of Revelation, Revelation 6 verse 11. The fifth seal is open. 00:13:21.620 --> 00:13:28.059 John sees a vision of the martyred saints in heaven. And we read there, then they were each given a white 00:13:28.059 --> 00:13:34.299 robe and told to rest a little longer until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers 00:13:34.299 --> 00:13:45.859 should be complete who were to be killed as they themselves had been. The saints are to rest until 00:13:45.859 --> 00:13:54.859 the number of martyrs is complete. One commentator puts it, the days on God's calendar are marked off 00:13:54.859 --> 00:14:02.839 one by one in the blood of the martyrs. The church of Jesus Christ is called to be a suffering church 00:14:02.840 --> 00:14:10.080 and to bear the afflictions of the Messiah. And this has been the ministry of the church down through 00:14:10.080 --> 00:14:19.840 the ages, to suffer and to fill up the afflictions of rejected and despised Savior. And in many senses, 00:14:19.840 --> 00:14:27.160 this is a hallmark of authentic Christian ministry, a willingness to suffer for the sake and in the name 00:14:27.159 --> 00:14:38.000 of Jesus Christ. Years ago, I remember my friend Adam speaking of a young man in his late teens, maybe 00:14:38.000 --> 00:14:52.339 15, 16, 17, having been tortured in an Iranian prison. And the result of that torture was a long battle with 00:14:52.340 --> 00:15:03.060 anxiety and depression. Adam wrote these words. But someone may say, are not the suffering saints made of 00:15:03.060 --> 00:15:14.620 steel, spiritual giants who amidst suffering break out in songs of joy? Not often. But depression and 00:15:14.620 --> 00:15:20.899 anxiety is not a sign of spiritual weakness is not a sign of spiritual weakness, rather a daily memorial 00:15:20.899 --> 00:15:30.060 before heaven's throne as a price is paid for devotion. It is also reassuring to the rest of us 00:15:30.060 --> 00:15:38.680 that God is able to use feeble vessels, ordinary people, through whom He accomplishes extraordinary 00:15:38.679 --> 00:15:50.079 things. Friends, the church is, if I can put it this way, God's poor instrument in this world to accomplish 00:15:50.079 --> 00:15:59.599 extraordinary things. And we often forget in our cosseted lives here in the West that suffering is the 00:15:59.599 --> 00:16:07.559 lot of Christ's people all across this world tonight. There have been more Christian martyrs 00:16:07.559 --> 00:16:17.539 in the last hundred years than in the previous 1900 put together. And friends, we still belong to a 00:16:17.539 --> 00:16:27.879 suffering church. The church of Jesus Christ is still today marked by the cross, displaying Christ crucified 00:16:27.879 --> 00:16:36.419 to a dying world. And friends, we must not be ashamed of our crucified and risen Savior. 00:16:37.559 --> 00:16:50.279 We dare not forget that we still belong to a suffering and afflicted church. Ministry and the 00:16:50.279 --> 00:16:59.579 sufferings of Christ's body. And then secondly here, ministry, and we'll call this the mystery of Christ's 00:16:59.580 --> 00:17:09.200 gospel in verses 25, 26, and 27, of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that 00:17:09.200 --> 00:17:16.539 was given to me for you, to make the Word of God fully known, the mystery hidden for ages and generations, 00:17:16.779 --> 00:17:24.180 but now revealed to the saints. To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the 00:17:24.180 --> 00:17:30.340 riches of the riches of the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. 00:17:31.860 --> 00:17:36.980 So Paul continues by describing himself again. You'll notice here as a minister, a servant, 00:17:37.560 --> 00:17:44.640 he's been made a steward of the gospel for the sake of the Gentiles. His purpose has been to make the Word 00:17:44.640 --> 00:17:52.360 of God fully known. And twice in these verses, and later on in chapter 2, verse 3, he mentions this word 00:17:52.360 --> 00:17:58.740 again. He talks about the gospel as a mystery. The ancient world was full of what sometimes were called 00:17:58.740 --> 00:18:06.940 mystery religions. They promoted secret knowledge, initiation rites, promised their devotees spiritual 00:18:06.940 --> 00:18:14.960 fullness. And indeed, there may be of something of that in the teaching that had infiltrated the Colossian 00:18:14.960 --> 00:18:24.100 congregation. But while Paul employs that same word, he means something very different. In Paul's writings, 00:18:24.240 --> 00:18:32.080 the word mystery conveys the idea of something that was once hidden and secret, but is now revealed and 00:18:32.079 --> 00:18:39.779 disclosed for all to see. Paul speaks here about the mystery hidden from ages and generations, but now 00:18:39.779 --> 00:18:47.240 revealed to all the saints. In the Old Testament, the mystery of the Gentiles being gathered in and 00:18:47.240 --> 00:18:55.740 included amongst God's people was kind of hidden in plain view. Now through Paul and the stewardship given 00:18:55.740 --> 00:19:02.019 to him, that mystery has been publicly, openly revealed and declared. And it's not simply 00:19:02.019 --> 00:19:09.440 that the Gentiles that the Gentiles will be blessed in some vague way. It is that they will be fully 00:19:09.440 --> 00:19:19.920 embraced and be included among God's covenant people. The gospel is for Jew and Gentile. Both are 00:19:19.920 --> 00:19:27.680 welcomed into God's family, not based on their religious heritage, but only because of faith in Jesus Christ. 00:19:27.680 --> 00:19:35.680 Both joined together in one new man, Jew and Gentile, in one body, the body of Christ. 00:19:36.640 --> 00:19:41.980 The glorious riches of the gospel are open to all without distinction. 00:19:44.000 --> 00:19:51.060 And that is always worth underscoring or underlining. Men and women, whoever they may be, 00:19:51.059 --> 00:20:00.839 from whatever background or ethnic group, are welcomed into God's church solely because of faith in Jesus 00:20:00.839 --> 00:20:12.579 Christ. Our nationality, racial identity, spiritual pedigree count for absolutely nothing. 00:20:12.579 --> 00:20:22.899 What matters is faith alone in Christ alone. So whoever we are, and whatever our past, 00:20:24.419 --> 00:20:30.339 whatever wickedness we've committed, however lost in the far country we might be, 00:20:31.339 --> 00:20:38.519 we can all come to God and be welcomed into His people through the Lord Jesus Christ. 00:20:38.519 --> 00:20:48.579 There is in Jesus Christ abundant mercy for sinners of whatever hue. There is grace enough for all. 00:20:49.779 --> 00:20:56.940 There is enough for you and me, because Jesus Christ is an all-sufficient Savior. 00:20:58.940 --> 00:21:01.099 I came across these words of Martin Luther, 00:21:01.099 --> 00:21:10.319 Christ our Lord is an interminable well, the chief source of all grace, truth, righteousness, 00:21:10.699 --> 00:21:18.500 wisdom, and life, without limit, measure, or end. Even if the whole world were to draw from this 00:21:18.500 --> 00:21:26.079 fountain enough grace and truth to transform all people into angels, still it would not lose as much 00:21:26.079 --> 00:21:36.319 as a drop. This fountain constantly overflows with sheer grace. Whoever wishes to enjoy Christ's grace, 00:21:36.740 --> 00:21:47.839 and no one is excluded, let him come and receive it from him. You will never drain this fountain of living 00:21:47.839 --> 00:22:00.919 water. It will never run dry. Here is the glorious mystery. Jesus Christ is an inexhaustible fountain of 00:22:00.919 --> 00:22:08.679 grace. He is a fountain that will never run dry. Drink from him, rest in him, be joined to him. How great 00:22:08.679 --> 00:22:17.799 among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope 00:22:17.799 --> 00:22:25.619 of glory. The heart and center of this mystery, encompassing all the richness of the gospel 00:22:25.619 --> 00:22:33.539 message is summed up in this little expression, Christ in you, the hope of glory. Depending how you 00:22:33.539 --> 00:22:39.539 read it, but it's not Christ among you, or beside you, or even with you. Christ in you. Paul has just 00:22:39.539 --> 00:22:46.240 been speaking. Christ is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over creation, the one through whom 00:22:46.240 --> 00:22:51.839 all things were created, the one in whom all things hold together, the one in whom all the fullness of 00:22:51.839 --> 00:22:59.880 God was pleased to dwell. A mind-blowing vision, really, of the cosmic Christ. Now he speaks of this 00:22:59.880 --> 00:23:10.700 Jesus as being in his people. How can this be? It's the great hope of the Old Testament being realized 00:23:10.700 --> 00:23:19.920 that God would dwell with his people, that he would be close to them. And all that hope and longing and 00:23:19.920 --> 00:23:25.160 promise of the Old Testament is fulfilled in the person of our Lord Jesus Christ. 00:23:28.100 --> 00:23:34.500 Nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. 00:23:34.500 --> 00:23:44.599 This union with Jesus Christ forged by the Holy Spirit is everything. We are loved in him, 00:23:44.900 --> 00:23:55.859 forgiven in him, accepted in him, included in him, given hope in him. Everything hinges 00:23:55.859 --> 00:24:07.059 on us being in him on us being in him. Jesus Christ must be at the center. Our faith must be in him. 00:24:10.179 --> 00:24:17.059 Faith brings us into the life of Jesus and into all the glorious riches of his wisdom and grace 00:24:17.059 --> 00:24:23.319 so that we can draw from him all that we need for life and salvation. 00:24:23.319 --> 00:24:36.059 There is no division between Christ's work for us and Christ's work in us. B.B. Warfield wrote, 00:24:36.240 --> 00:24:46.099 it compels us to point afresh to the primary truth that we do not obtain the benefits of Christ apart 00:24:46.099 --> 00:24:57.980 from, but only in and with his person, and that when we have him, we have all. 00:25:00.139 --> 00:25:02.679 Let me ask you tonight, do you have Christ this evening? 00:25:04.459 --> 00:25:08.339 Do you have him in your life? Do you have him in your heart? 00:25:08.339 --> 00:25:17.059 With him you will have everything. Without him you will have nothing. Nothing that will last. 00:25:17.859 --> 00:25:21.799 Nothing that will remain. Nothing that will stand on the day of judgment. 00:25:23.359 --> 00:25:30.079 Without him your life will remain empty. But with him you will have life in all its fullness. 00:25:30.079 --> 00:25:39.679 I recall the story of Dr. Ernest Kevin. He was many years ago the principal of London Bible College. 00:25:40.779 --> 00:25:46.119 And apparently he was explaining to the gospel, the gospel to a class of young children. 00:25:47.059 --> 00:25:54.279 In his talk he used a series of wooden bricks designed so that the whole set would fit inside 00:25:54.279 --> 00:26:00.680 the largest one, each one fitting inside another. And the smallest brick he had was, 00:26:01.299 --> 00:26:06.759 had written on it, perseverance. And that fitted into a larger brick called sanctification. 00:26:07.240 --> 00:26:13.639 In those days this was a children's talk. How time has passed, how things have changed. 00:26:14.180 --> 00:26:20.000 Christians persevere in the faith because God makes us holy. Sanctification was put inside adoption. 00:26:20.000 --> 00:26:26.420 There's no holiness unless we belong to God and belong in God's family. Adoption then fitted inside 00:26:26.420 --> 00:26:33.480 justification. No one can be a child of God without first being made right with God. And as his talk 00:26:33.480 --> 00:26:42.220 drew to a close, there was only one brick left. Largest of them all written upon it was the Lord Jesus 00:26:42.220 --> 00:26:48.980 Christ. And as he came to his conclusion, Kevin said, and so boys and girls, you see, 00:26:48.980 --> 00:26:58.500 and those were his last words. As a small boy raised his hand and shouted out, please, sir, it's all in Christ. 00:27:00.099 --> 00:27:09.339 And friends, that's no less true today as it was in Paul's. It's all in Jesus Christ. Christ in us, 00:27:09.579 --> 00:27:15.339 the hope of glory. I wonder if you've made that discovery for yourself. 00:27:15.339 --> 00:27:26.179 Ministry and the suffering of Christ's body. Ministry and the mystery of Christ's will. 00:27:27.899 --> 00:27:30.779 And then thirdly here and briefly, because time is disappearing, 00:27:31.839 --> 00:27:36.419 ministry and the maturity of Christ's people. Verses 28 and 29. 00:27:36.420 --> 00:27:41.980 Him we proclaim. Warning everyone, teaching everyone with all wisdom that we may present 00:27:41.980 --> 00:27:48.480 everyone mature in Christ. And then he says, for this I toil, struggling with all his energy, 00:27:48.779 --> 00:27:56.880 that he powerfully works in me. The great emphasis of Paul's ministry and him we proclaim. 00:27:57.940 --> 00:28:05.340 This is the great task, to make Christ fully known. This remains the great task of Christian ministry. 00:28:05.339 --> 00:28:13.139 In our own day and generation. We are to proclaim the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul writes to the Corinthians, 00:28:13.379 --> 00:28:20.959 for what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for 00:28:20.959 --> 00:28:29.759 Jesus' sake. Here, he is always the great theme of the church's preaching and ministry. Reminded of the 00:28:29.759 --> 00:28:37.920 words of C.H. Spurgeon at the opening of the Metropolitan Tabernacle, 25th of March, 1861. He said this, 00:28:37.920 --> 00:28:45.220 I would propose that the subject of the ministry of this house, as long as this platform shall stand, 00:28:45.619 --> 00:28:52.720 and as long as this house shall be frequented by worshipers, shall be the person of Jesus Christ. 00:28:52.720 --> 00:29:02.000 Him we proclaim. And you'll notice here that this proclamation of Christ involves warning and teaching 00:29:02.000 --> 00:29:07.680 everyone with all wisdom. Wrong thinking, bad behavior needs to be corrected, needs to be exposed. 00:29:08.559 --> 00:29:15.720 People need to be brought to repentance. Christ in all his sufficiency must be taught in the church. 00:29:15.720 --> 00:29:23.160 Why is this needed? It is so that God's people may be presented mature in Christ. 00:29:26.079 --> 00:29:36.019 Paul clearly held to the conviction that Christian maturity is driven by a Word and Christ-centered 00:29:36.019 --> 00:29:44.200 ministry. How do we come to see mature Christian believers? We must attend to the person and work of 00:29:44.200 --> 00:29:52.920 Christ, unlocking the treasures of wisdom and knowledge that are found in Him. Listen to the proclamation of 00:29:52.920 --> 00:30:03.299 God's Word. And that means we must be listeners before we're speakers. Luther, in characteristic, 00:30:03.779 --> 00:30:09.720 kind of exaggerated fashion, famously said, if you were to ask a Christian what his task is, 00:30:09.720 --> 00:30:17.579 and by what he is worthy of the name Christian, there could be no other response than hearing the Word of God. 00:30:17.579 --> 00:30:23.120 That is faith. Ears, he says, are the only organs of the Christian. 00:30:25.519 --> 00:30:29.640 Now, Paul's great aim was to produce and present before God mature Christians, 00:30:30.039 --> 00:30:34.460 men and women who'd grown up into Christ to become more like Christ. 00:30:34.460 --> 00:30:41.880 Christ. And he toils and works to this end as Christ works in him, not just to bring people into 00:30:41.880 --> 00:30:47.340 the kingdom, but to see them grow and mature as Christian disciples, as Corey was saying right at 00:30:47.340 --> 00:30:52.480 the beginning of the service, the great goal of Christian ministry, to see people develop and to 00:30:52.480 --> 00:30:58.460 grow up into Christ, to be mature Christian believers. How does it happen? Through Christ being 00:30:58.460 --> 00:31:08.980 preached and proclaimed and he being received by faith. It's one of the great disappointments of 00:31:08.980 --> 00:31:16.759 Christian ministry. I've been in Christian ministry for almost 40 years, not quite. Aside from being 00:31:16.759 --> 00:31:24.559 confronted by one's own faults and failings, of which there are many, is to see some Christians 00:31:24.559 --> 00:31:32.779 steadfastly remain as infants, childish and immature, utterly oblivious to their own shortcomings. 00:31:34.159 --> 00:31:37.539 Some have been Christians for many, many years, and yet they've barely grown. 00:31:38.960 --> 00:31:45.500 They remain spiritual pygmies, development stunted, deformed by selfishness, apathy, and pride, 00:31:45.500 --> 00:31:50.819 because they refuse to let the Word of God, the Word of Christ, dwell in them richly. 00:31:50.819 --> 00:31:57.319 Other things, it appears, have captured their hearts and shaped their lives. 00:31:59.619 --> 00:32:06.799 Yes, I know that some people like to offer shortcuts to Christian maturity. You'll hear 00:32:06.799 --> 00:32:13.759 people talk about secret or special experiences of the Holy Spirit, often as if they're some kind 00:32:13.759 --> 00:32:23.539 of quick fix. Well, in over 40 years of Christian living, I have not found those avenues to bear much fruit, 00:32:24.900 --> 00:32:32.319 because in my experience, shortcuts invariably lead away from growth and not towards it. 00:32:33.660 --> 00:32:41.319 The Holy Spirit's ministry is to throw light upon the Lord Jesus. The Spirit comes to bring us into a 00:32:41.319 --> 00:32:52.039 deeper relationship with Jesus, not to feed our egos or spiritual pride. It may well have been the case that in the 00:32:52.039 --> 00:33:00.259 Colossian church, there were teachers pushing a kind of spiritual elitism, deeper insights, greater knowledge. 00:33:00.259 --> 00:33:09.180 But the gospel of Christ and the church of Christ are for all. The church must never become a playground for 00:33:09.180 --> 00:33:17.879 elitism based on a particular theology, however sound, or a particular spiritual experience, however wonderful. 00:33:19.480 --> 00:33:26.000 We must instead continue to preach Christ and expound the Word. We mustn't waver from that, 00:33:26.000 --> 00:33:32.019 because only a Word-centered church will produce Christ-centered disciples. 00:33:33.640 --> 00:33:40.400 There's a good reason why in our congregation here, our various meetings and gatherings, we seek to 00:33:40.400 --> 00:33:46.400 proclaim the Word of Christ and to teach and expand the Scriptures. It's why in the Free Church of Scotland, 00:33:46.400 --> 00:33:50.359 we're praying for God to raise up, what? Heralds of the gospel. 00:33:50.359 --> 00:33:57.399 Our denomination and others in Scotland are crying out for faithful gospel preachers, 00:33:58.099 --> 00:34:04.000 men whose motto will be, Him we proclaim, Christ in all His glory. 00:34:06.379 --> 00:34:10.179 In the second book of the Institutes, I think it's there, Calvin writes this, 00:34:10.179 --> 00:34:17.759 For the sum of all is this, for those who seek this treasure trove of blessings of all kinds, 00:34:18.460 --> 00:34:26.119 in no one else can they be found than Him, for all are given in Christ alone. 00:34:27.659 --> 00:34:31.839 Friends, everything we need to grow and mature is to be found in the Lord Jesus, 00:34:32.779 --> 00:34:40.159 Christ in us, the hope of glory. In Him are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. 00:34:40.179 --> 00:34:49.599 How we need to lay hold of Him, how we need to look to Him, trust Him, obey Him, 00:34:49.859 --> 00:34:56.259 how we need Him to be at the center. All that we need is found in Christ. 00:34:58.119 --> 00:35:01.419 Ministry and the sufferings of Christ's body. 00:35:03.039 --> 00:35:06.179 Are you prepared to suffer for Jesus Christ? 00:35:06.179 --> 00:35:12.139 Ministry and the mystery of Christ's gospel. Are you rejoicing that Christ is in you, 00:35:12.359 --> 00:35:17.799 the hope of glory? Is the power and presence of Jesus effective in your life? 00:35:18.779 --> 00:35:24.500 Ministry and the maturity of Christ's people. Are you growing up in Christ's likeness as the Word of 00:35:24.500 --> 00:35:32.919 God dwells in you richly? Are you looking to the Christ who now lives in you by His Spirit? 00:35:32.920 --> 00:35:45.139 Friends, don't be tempted to look elsewhere. Learn from Paul. Learn from the lessons of a life in ministry. 00:35:45.139 --> 00:35:51.940 And keep Jesus Christ right at the center. Let's pray together. 00:35:57.619 --> 00:36:04.259 Father, grant us your grace and your mercy. And grant us the help of your Holy Spirit. 00:36:04.260 --> 00:36:12.600 May we be knit together in your life. May we be knit together in love as your people. 00:36:13.520 --> 00:36:20.840 And may we draw from Christ all that we need to live in a way that honors and pleases you. 00:36:20.940 --> 00:36:26.800 We thank you that in Him are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. 00:36:27.520 --> 00:36:29.960 We pray this in His name. Amen. 00:36:29.960 --> 00:36:30.160 Amen.