“Him We Proclaim” sermon (Colossians 1:24-29)

“Him We Proclaim,” is a sermon preached from Colossians 1:24-29, by Michael Beatty, pastor of Covenant Baptist Church in New Berlin, Wisconsin – a confessional Reformed Baptist church subscribing to the 1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith.

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Proclaiming Christ: The Mystery Revealed and the Hope of Glory

A Sermon on Colossians 1:24–29

Scripture Reading and Prayer

I invite you to turn your Bibles with me to the book of Colossians—Colossians chapter 1. We’ll be looking at verses 24–29 this morning.

Hear the word of the Lord:

“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, 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. Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.”

Thus far the reading of God’s word. Please join me as we ask his blessing upon it.

Prayer: Lord, we ask this morning that you would, by your Holy Spirit, grant that we might truly hear the voice of Christ in the Scriptures, and that we might hear what it is that you have worked for us for his sake. And we ask that you would accomplish these things by your Spirit. In Christ’s name we pray. Amen.

Simeon’s Longing and the Consolation of Israel

You recall, oftentimes at Christmastime, we’ll read various passages—perhaps Luke chapter 2. You hear the story of Christ being presented in the temple, and he comes across Simeon.

Now, if you remember the story, Simeon was this gentleman whom the Scriptures describe as righteous, devout, and looking for the consolation of Israel. In other words, he’s looking for that new covenant that God has promised. He’s looking for the Messiah. And he’s walked before the Lord for many years because God has told him that he will not depart, or close his eyes in death, until he sees the Lord’s anointed.

And so he comes one day to the temple, and the Holy Spirit is upon him, and he comes to the temple and he sees Mary and Joseph bringing Jesus, being brought because of the custom of the law, to be presented. And Simeon comes, and he takes Christ, and he blesses the Lord, saying, “Now, Lord, you are releasing your bond-servant to depart in peace, according to your word. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples—a light of revelation to the Gentiles and the glory of your people Israel.”

What a wonderful sort of promise: to know that you will see this consolation that you’ve been looking for all your life. But also in it we see the picture of the saints under the Old Testament period—how they are expecting the outworking of God’s salvation among the Gentiles. He’s looking for the promised consolation, as we hear in Isaiah 40 in the first verses, where we hear, “Comfort, comfort my people.” That’s what he’s looking for.

And Simeon, at the very end of the Old Testament period, as Christ has come—as one who grew up under that old covenant—won’t see the new in its fullness. He’s looking forward to that, and he takes up Christ and says that this is the salvation which the Lord has been pleased to prepare. Furthermore, he’s in the Spirit, so he’s prophesying: “a light of revelation to the Gentiles”—that there’s this promised outworking of the gospel occurring in that moment.

So we might say, in short, Simeon is saying that the totality of the Old Testament revelation is bound up in this baby—is bound up in Christ—and ultimately culminates in him.

And that sort of story, as we see that he knew what was about to occur—although his eyes would not see it—he was looking for him who was to come, who was that consolation.

You may say, why are we rehearsing this this morning? It is not Christmastime, this isn’t the Gospels. But it’s because we hear that’s what Paul’s ministry is about: making known this consolation of Israel, the one that Simeon was looking forward to—because, ultimately, it is him whom we proclaim.

Where We Are in Colossians: From Gospel Realities to Christian Living

If you think about where we’ve come in Colossians so far: in the first eight verses of chapter 1, we heard that the word of Christ was received by the Colossians—that Christ was proclaimed in their midst. Secondly, we saw in verses 9–14 that Paul is praying that they would come to the mature outcome of their faith—the mature person in Christ. And then in verses 15–20, we saw that Christ is supreme, reconciling all things to himself. And then, last week, we saw that no longer are we alienated, but now we are brought near—we are blameless, holy, and beyond reproach. All these things have occurred because of that consolation of Israel, who is Christ.

And that in and of itself is Paul’s role in bringing that mystery to bear upon the Gentile world. In many ways we might say Paul’s ministry to the Gentiles is the outworking of Simeon’s phrase, “a light of revelation to the Gentiles.” And that’s what he’s going to make known to us this morning in our passage, as Paul is transitioning from having considered these opening things in the first chapter to moving forward to consider the life that the Colossians should live.

If you look in chapter 2 with me, in verse 1, “I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you and for those at Laodicea”; verse 2, “that their hearts may be encouraged”; and, furthermore, verse 5, that Paul has concern for them; and then in verses 6 and following, about our walk before him—as it says, “As you received Christ, so walk in him.”

So there’s this transition occurring here in these verses where Paul is moving from the general realities of the gospel to saying, “This is what we are proclaiming in your midst. This is what’s being outworked in the ministry that I am accomplishing to you.” That every Christian, then, is being brought to that full conformity to Christ. And, ultimately, that is what the outcome should be—that what Simeon is saying, that Christocentric consolation of Israel, is what every gospel ministry ultimately is about: it is about Christ and him crucified.

And I want to look at that in three points: Paul’s stewardship, Paul’s task, and Paul’s circumstances—stewardship, task, and circumstances.

Paul’s Stewardship: A Ministry to Make the Mystery Known (vv. 25–27)

In terms of his stewardship, first, he has this stewardship of the mystery now made known to the saints. If you would look down with me at verse 25: “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.” That, again, is that mystery—that thing that Simeon is looking for.

Put it another way: it was completely possible to be, we might say, the preeminent Old Testament saint—whether David, Simeon, whoever—and to be longing to see these things. They didn’t have the clear description of them, but they knew that God was going to console Israel, that there was going to be this new covenant, and the Messiah was going to do it; but they didn’t have some of the important facts, such as: it’s Jesus who accomplishes this; he is born of Mary; and a variety of other things. But they are looking for it, and by faith they are considering it.

And so Paul’s been given this mystery. The mystery is the revelation of the details of how God has worked out this gospel—of how the Old Testament is resolved. If you read through Genesis all the way to Malachi, there’s a lot of tension at the very end about who is this promised one. There are 400 years of silence between the end of Malachi and the advent of Christ. But there’s a lot of tension in terms of how this is going to be worked out. Are these things true? How will they be accomplished?

We say, what is the mystery? You might say, in brief, it’s the mystery that the covenant community has been expanded to include the Gentiles. Now, certainly, we’re on the other side of things, so we have that revelation, and it might seem easy for us to see—because of course we hear God’s promise to Abraham that “in you all the nations of the earth shall be blessed,” or in Jeremiah 31:31–34 the promise of the outworking of the covenant as well—but it ultimately again was a mystery of how God would accomplish these things—something that would be very difficult to understand: how those who are outside, those who persecute the covenant community of Israel, can be brought near by grace and be made not just allies but family. How can they be brought in?

And ultimately that’s what Christ is doing, because we might say that the mystery is that which the Scriptures have proclaimed from the very beginning.

Just to briefly work through some of those things to help us see what Paul is pointing at here in these passages, that we might better appreciate what it means in verse 28 when we say, “Him we proclaim”—what exactly is the content of that proclamation?

First of all, Jesus in Luke 24. If you’d like to look at Luke chapter 24, or simply listen—Luke 24:25–27 is giving us our marching orders for how we’re going to read the Old Testament period. This is not a way of reading the Bible that we’re forcing on the Scriptures; we’re simply asking: how did Jesus read the Old Testament? And he shows us in Luke 24—on the road to Emmaus, after Christ has been raised—he comes upon his disciples on the way, and they’re very discouraged because they really thought Jesus was the one; they thought he was going to be the consolation of Israel. As he’s coming along, he says to them in verse 25, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” And beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.

This phrase—“Moses and all the prophets”—is just a shorthand way of saying the whole Old Testament: law and prophets, the beginning and the end, the totality of the Old Testament period. And Jesus comes and chastens his disciples, saying that they are foolish and slow of heart because, ultimately, that’s what the prophets have always been looking to; that’s what the law has always been looking to: the consolation of Israel, this mystery of how it would be outworked.

Now, it wasn’t wrong for Israel to not understand the details prior to the advent of Christ, because of course they couldn’t know the mystery that was revealed until Christ came. And Paul is making that clear in the Scriptures to us and to the Colossians—that it is ultimately speaking of Christ. And so we move back into the Old Testament period and see that there are those passages which speak clearly of the one who was to come—of Christ, of him we proclaim, of that mystery given to him by Christ.

Consider Genesis 3:15, oftentimes called the first gospel: “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” Speaking of the one who would come and would crush the head of the serpent—the one who would secure salvation for his people; the one who would make all things right—Christ was foretold right after the fall of Adam and Eve.

Furthermore, Genesis 17—Christ is the offspring promised to Abram. In verses 7–8: “And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you. And I will give to you and to your offspring after you the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.” Now, Christians love to debate this passage—so how do we know that he’s speaking specifically about Christ? Because Paul, elsewhere in Galatians 3:15–16, makes plain to us that it’s a singular offspring, and that the offspring is Christ: “Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, ‘And to offsprings,’ referring to many, but referring to one, ‘And to your offspring,’ who is Christ.”

Why work through all these verses? Simply to say that the mystery of Christ which has been revealed—the mystery he is stewarding—is this pattern throughout the Old Testament period of the one who was to come. As Simeon said: the consolation of Israel; that he would see the Lord’s anointed before his eyes would close in death. Paul is the steward of that mystery to the Gentiles—to folks like ourselves who are not by birth close to the promises. In other words, we’re Gentiles by birth. And yet it’s Christ who’s brought us into this close proximity with the promises—and, furthermore, has made it plain to us in the preaching of his word. Ultimately, that’s what we’re proclaiming.

Why is that important? Because then we don’t see the Old Testament as a series of “how we can be better” sort of verses, or a history book, or a disjointed collection of Israel’s story—perhaps we don’t really know. Rather, it tells us the story of Christ. It shows us the unveiling of God’s mystery—the way he would bring in people who were enemies and bring them into covenant community with his people; the great working of Christ, who brings many sons to glory with him from those who are far off; and that he’s done so at the time that is appropriate—at the fullness of time.

Furthermore, Hebrews 8 (last series of verses on this particular point). Hebrews 8:6–7: what Christ has accomplished is far better than what came before—he’s brought out something far greater. And so when Paul tells us, “It’s him we proclaim,” he’s simply bringing into clear view what the Scriptures have always been looking forward to. Or we might put it another way: it’s reading the Bible to see Christ throughout all the Scriptures—that we might hear his voice. Hebrews 8:6–7 says, “But as it is, Christ has obtained a ministry that is as much more excellent than the old as the covenant he mediates is better, since it is enacted on better promises. For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion to look for a second.”

A brief pastoral aside on Israel: Perhaps what I’m about to say won’t resonate with everyone, but if you come from a certain background, it probably will. Some will say there’s a time and a place that Israel needs to have a kingdom in the geopolitical state—that Jerusalem needs to be Jewish again—and we need to do that because it needs to happen before Christ can come back. There are a variety of flavors of that. Sometimes it is said that if God does not accomplish certain things with respect to that geopolitical state, he’s not being true to his word or is being unfair to Israel. Brothers and sisters, that’s not the case. Christ has been pleased to have a new covenant, which is far better. No one’s being cheated out of anything. He’s been true to his word. He’s accomplished all that he promised. And this is actually far better. Why? Because all know the Lord; he’s written the law on their hearts. Furthermore, he is bringing us to a new heavens and a new earth; he’s gone to prepare a place for us—would he have told us if it were not so? Ultimately, then, we understand the Scriptures not as looking forward to bringing back the Mosaic period, but rather as looking to that time where we go to be with Christ.

And the mystery, then, is Christ and him crucified—and that all the intentionality of the Old Testament pointed to him; that, ultimately, he’s the culmination of the story, not some sort of getting back to a period around c. 1000 BC, but looking to him. And we then, as his people—turning back to the book of Colossians—are not waiting where we need to turn on the news, whatever channel you might watch, and chart out what’s going to happen. Rather, we’re saying: the mystery is Christ and him crucified. And he has been pleased to cause this mystery to be made known to us, and he now is accomplishing these things among the Gentiles (v. 27). And now, what is the content of our ministry as a church but to proclaim Christ and him crucified—that it’s Christ we proclaim, that we might ultimately see every person brought to maturity in Christ.

So, in short—wrapping up this first point of the stewardship that Paul has: he’s been entrusted with the proclamation of Christ. He does so by highlighting the mystery of Christ throughout the Old Testament period, until the time that the Lord was brought forth—born of woman, born under the law—to redeem those who are under the law.

Secondly, we might say that the revelation of the mystery to the Gentiles brings glory to him—that there’s something far greater being done because of the riches of the glory that is revealed even to people such as ourselves. As these Gentiles are grafted into Israel—grafted into the history of God’s covenant people—it shows us that, when we read the Old Testament period, we can say along with David, “David’s a fellow saint along with us.” We can say along with those that come before: they’re looking to the hope of glory; they’re looking to Christ. It unlocks, in some ways, the Old Testament as this picture of God’s covenant history. It’s not just “the Old Testament” we can ignore; it’s our people too. That’s where we go and see the mystery revealed—or, more provocatively, this is the way Jesus and the apostles read the Bible, too, because we see that is what they’re doing in the text.

So our understanding of this mystery, then—as we’ll see here in a brief while—contributes to our hope of glory; it contributes to our hope of glory.

Remember, as you see in verse 24, Paul is under affliction on their behalf. And, furthermore, in verse 27, this revelation of Christ: “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.” The understanding of the mystery that Paul has been given leads us to this hope of glory. It has an outcome: the practical outworking is that we are able to live our life pointed toward where we are going—to glory, to be where Christ is. Or, as Paul says elsewhere, that we have one Lord, one faith—and, as we might summarize, one people of God. That’s where we’re going—that’s the mystery being spoken of—and that’s what Paul is ultimately tasked with.

And so, as we consider this, recall even the reading of Simeon and that that’s how he himself understood the mystery and what he was looking forward to.

Paul’s Task: Proclaiming Christ to Present Everyone Mature (v. 28)

Having seen Paul’s stewardship, I want to move on to my second point: Paul’s task. Paul has many different hats, of course, but he is primarily focused here on proclaiming Christ to every person—that every saint might be made complete in him.

So we see two things he’s focused on. First, the proclamation of Christ; second, to present everyone mature in Christ.

Look down at verse 25: “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.” Paul proclaims the whole counsel of God, showing Christ to his people. That’s what he’s tasked with. He’s proclaiming him.

In other words, preaching Christ from all the Scriptures is necessary to properly understand them. Put it another way: if you don’t understand who Christ is, you can’t really understand the book of Psalms. You can’t really understand the book of Genesis or any of the other books, because Jesus says in Luke 24 that all these things speak of him. They’re all looking to him. And so the mystery that is being proclaimed is important—necessary—to come to a proper understanding of those texts as it relates to what the Lord is doing through them.

Certainly, it is possible to understand the Hebrew quite well; you don’t need even to be a Christian to do that, or to believe it speaks of anything true—to have a great understanding of the grammar, vocabulary, history, or even of the way it works together. There are some really interesting books on Hebrew written by people who think Christianity is a joke. I’m not saying you can’t understand certain important things. I’m saying you can’t understand what the Lord is doing through his word apart from his revelation of Christ—because that’s what he’s speaking of—and it ultimately requires faith. And Paul is seeking to work that in every person.

So when he comes along in verse 28 and says, “Him we proclaim,” he’s speaking of the totality of his ministry—that he is proclaiming Christ according to the authorial intent of all the Scriptures, and that they all speak of him. Again, not in a sort of steam-shovel approach—where every sermon becomes a beeline to Jesus in exactly the same way, the same sermon week after week with a new title—but rather something that sees him in everything, and sees the way in which each text brings about the mystery of Christ, so that we might truly say, “Him we proclaim.”

In other words, a Christless proclamation does not make known the mystery of Christ, when Jesus tells us the Scriptures speak of him.

So what is the content of our ministry—of the preaching of that ministry—but to proclaim Christ, and to do so throughout all the Scriptures? Because that ultimately is that mystery; it’s that consolation; it’s that hope of glory—that’s what we’re looking forward to.

Secondly, not only is this what we might think of as necessary for the beginning of Christian life—hearing the gospel proclaimed for the salvation of the lost—but Paul tells us in verse 28 it’s also that which is necessary to bring every Christian to maturity in him: “Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.”

We hear that the knowledge of Christ and the presentation of his mystery is what mature Christians need, too. What do you need to hear this morning if you’re found in Christ? You need to hear Christ and him crucified. We might say: you need to see the gospel proclaimed again. And it’s accomplished through the proclamation of the word—the full-orbed counsel of God, showing how Christ is working in his people by his Spirit. That’s what Paul is stewarding. All the afflictions he has incurred on behalf of believers—everything he’s gone through—are worth it because of what is being accomplished in his people. Furthermore, it’s the hope of glory for us, that we might look forward to that day in which we are found in Christ.

But also we hear that this mystery of Christ is “full-orbed.” By that I mean, it’s not simply a repetition (as we hear in 1 Corinthians) that he was dead, buried, and raised, but the totality of the word. As Paul says here in verse 28—teaching everyone with all wisdom; warning everyone, that we might present everyone mature in Christ—it includes all these things as well: the warnings and the teachings. Paul’s going to do so in the days ahead.

Why is this important? Because when we get to those parts—such as 2:6, “As you received Christ, walk in him,” or 3:1, “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above”—we are still proclaiming Christ. The “so walk” is grounded in the gospel. We’re saying: this is what Christ would have you do; this is our response out of gratitude to him for what he has done in us; and if we are not doing those things, we’re warning people—saying: this is how Christ is growing his people by the Spirit, and to so walk and to so do, to seek maturity in Christ. Ultimately, it’s that totality.

An aside: if you go into the deep, dark recesses of Reformed Twitter—or Reformed online somewhere—you’ll find lots of discussions about this topic. People sometimes say it’s a cookie-cutter approach to every text: you come to Genesis 1, slam the cookie cutter down, “It’s all about Jesus.” You come to Exodus 17—cookie cutter—“It’s all about Jesus.” That’s not what we’re saying. We’re saying all of them have the intentionality of pointing to Christ—and they also speak to how we should respond. That’s Christ telling us how he is bringing us into maturity in him.

So, when we proclaim Christ, it’s not just for the new convert; it’s for the mature saint as well: to hear Christ and to respond accordingly, in light of the advent of Christ—that we might be like Simeon. We go as long as the Lord gives us years, and what we are longing to see is the consolation of Israel. We have the mystery already proclaimed to us in Christ. We’re longing to see him, that we might be brought to the mature place in him.

Considering this point of Paul’s task, then, we can understand somewhat from this passage (v. 28) the task of God’s ministers and the working out of the means of grace—this importance of preaching. Ultimately, as we think about how we grow in Christ, how we are brought to maturity in him, how we live a life pleasing in his sight—how do we do these things? Verse 28: by the proclamation of Christ. It’s the ministry of the word. It can occur here—Lord willing, it does. It can occur bedside at a hospital, with the Bible open and we’re reading it. It can occur in the home. There are many places between. But Paul says in verse 29 he is laboring to bring these things to effect.

So, as we consider—and again, this is an aside—Lord willing, God raises up other elders: gifted brothers, other officers, etc. What do we need to be thinking about? What are they to do? This. They need to work, with all their labor and toil, to proclaim Christ—that they might present every Christian mature, every member here mature, in Christ. It’s a daunting task—and impossible apart from Christ. But that’s what we’re thinking about: what are they doing? They’re doing this. Paul tells us elsewhere that he was laboring on behalf of the Ephesians house-to-house; he’s going house to house to help them—and as he’s doing so, that is where this can occur. So it’s occurring as he goes to each of the abodes—the places where the Christians are—and he’s working through his ministers in these ways as well.

So, let the ministers of God give attention to these things, because it’s how God works in normal ways to bring these things to pass. And please pray that he would do so. Please pray for me, that I would be faithful to do these things. Please, when I come and try to talk to you about these things, be receptive—not, “Here comes Michael,” but: what is the word saying? What is it that Christ would have me do—for myself, for you? And pray that the Lord would add other elders as well—zealous for these things—because ultimately that’s all we want: to see Jesus and to be brought into conformity to him. And how does he often do that, ordinarily speaking? Through these means.

Ultimately, we need to hear Christ. That’s the necessary element to it all: does this proclamation speak of Christ? There are many other things we could speak of—very practical things like managing money; practical things about buildings; a variety of other things. But ultimately the message being proclaimed is Christ and him crucified.

Secondly, not only does Christ work through his ministers, but Christians should seek maturity in Christ. So, when we hear, “Him we proclaim,” and that Christ is the hope of glory, what should we do but heed the preached word? When we hear the word proclaimed, first we need to be there to hear the word proclaimed, and to orient our lives around it. We should seek the wisdom of Christ in his word. There are so many things that seek our attention for “wisdom.” There’s a lot of good knowledge out there. But, when we’re orienting our lives, orient them around the wisdom of Christ.

Another way: if we’re thinking about where we stand in terms of maturity, open the word and weigh our life against it. Put your life on the scale, and the word as the counterweight. How does it balance out? We all have room to grow—so it will not balance out in a way that puffs us up, but rather drives us back to the word, back to Christ—seeking to hear him proclaimed again, receptive to heed the warnings and teachings of the ministry of the word. They ultimately work on our behalf—Christ in us—bringing these things to pass.

Also, pray for the ministry—that much will be made of Christ here and elsewhere—because that’s how people will see Christ in us, that we might bring glory to the Savior, and that on that day those who see us might give glory to the Lord on the day of visitation. That’s what we’re seeking to have presented to us in the ministry of the word—here and elsewhere.

So, when Paul says he is tasked with these things, it’s not only Sunday but the total work throughout every day of the week—to see each and every person made mature in Christ. And then, for us, under the word: heed it, walk in it, and see it as the means by which we walk. Accordingly, orient our lives—many of these things primarily occur on the Lord’s Day. God can work in extraordinary ways at other times, but he often works here—and not just here, but in every gospel-preaching church.

We want to be mature in Christ; to grow in Christ; to know him in his mystery. Where do we do that but here? That’s what we want. That’s my prayer for you—and, hopefully, your prayer for me—that we would be brought to maturity in Christ. How do we do that? By being present; by listening; by heeding the warnings; by praying that the ministry would make these things known—because we know ultimately it’s not the messenger; it’s the message. Ask the Lord to bring these things to pass.

Ultimately, what’s occurring here is not like what the people of God had at other times and places. Think about the privilege we have. Israel, as they’re coming out from Egypt—perhaps some of you grew up in the church and can resonate with this: “I wish I could have seen the miracles; my faith would be so much stronger,” or whatever it might be. That’s not the case with the Old Testament period, because they did not yet have the fullness of revelation. We have a privileged position: we can see Christ. We know his name. We know who is our Savior. We know what he’s accomplished for us. We know he’s seated at the right hand of the Most High. He’s being proclaimed in our midst, and he’s working in our midst. Consider that, as we hear him proclaimed.

In Exodus 34 there’s a picture: “Whenever Moses went in before the Lord to speak with him, he would remove the veil, until he came out. And when he came out and told the people of Israel what he was commanded, the people of Israel would see the face of Moses—that the skin of Moses’s face was shining—and Moses would put the veil over his face again, until he went in to speak with him.” Under the Old Testament, the message was veiled. They didn’t understand fully what was coming, and yet they believed and looked to Christ. How much more for us, who don’t have that veiled face, but we all—with unveiled faces—beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed from one degree of glory to another—transformed to Christ—and we hear that in the word. How much more should we give attention to these things? If the ministry of condemnation came with such glory, how much more will attend the ministry of reconciliation?

Let us look to Christ by faith, asking him to help us in these things—to strengthen our faith, to grant us his grace—that we might hear his voice week after week and respond accordingly. And if there are those who don’t know Christ by a saving faith, that they would have it—because it’s by the name of Christ that salvation comes to the lost, and in the proclamation of him that we see that accomplished.

Ultimately, what do we want to see accomplished here at Covenant Baptist Church? To have much made of Christ. To proclaim Christ. To have him proclaimed—not only here, but that we would be conformed to him in all of our lives. As we heard in Jeremiah 31:31–34—“they shall all know me”—that we would all know the Lord. That is, in a sense, a foretaste of heaven, because of the proclamation of what Christ has done for us.

Paul’s Circumstances: Suffering for the Sake of Christ’s Body (v. 24)

We’ve seen Paul’s stewardship and Paul’s task. I want to see, third, Paul’s circumstances, and make some brief comments on that before concluding.

In verse 24 again: “Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I’m filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church.” Paul is under great affliction; he’s suffering on behalf of the church.

I think the best way to understand verse 24—“filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions”—is that it’s speaking of the apostles. (We can talk more offline if you’d like; I don’t want to get too deep here.) Simply: the apostles are filling up something occurring in their ministry by suffering to aid the church; he is suffering on behalf of the churches; he’s doing so for the sake of Christ’s body.

How can Paul go through so much? Think about what we know from the Scriptures about his life: he’s shipwrecked; he’s betrayed by those who should love and care for him; he has many attempts on his life; he’s scourged; he’s imprisoned a number of times. And Paul just seems to bounce back every time—doing the same thing. Why is he doing all this? To proclaim Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit, certainly; but on behalf of Christians—because, ultimately, he, like us, is looking to verse 27, the hope of glory.

As we hear in the creed: we believe in the resurrection of the dead, and we look for the life of the world to come. We’re looking forward to that life which is to come—the hope of glory. In other words, if we think about our life as just a blip on the radar of eternity, what won’t we suffer for the sake of the gospel? What won’t we suffer for the sake of the brethren? In light of the glory that is coming, those things are very small. That’s not to say they’re not difficult—they certainly are. We see even Jesus, right before he’s betrayed, asking the Father to help him as he’s about to do this: “Let this cup pass from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” There’s an acknowledgment of how difficult it is. How does Paul accomplish these things? By looking to Christ, and to the hope of glory.

He’s working on behalf of the church. That’s why, I think, Paul—in his circumstances—is reminding them of these things. Furthermore, he’s transitioning in the book to move to warn, reprove, and exhort the Colossians and us. Why would we live in certain ways? Why would we give up other pursuits—good things? For instance: why would we say, “I’m not going to go to this family birthday, because it’s the Lord’s Day and that’s when church service is happening”? Why would we do that? You’ll get a lot of flack. We love our family members; it’s a good thing—but there’s a choosing between the two.

Or, another example: “I really like this person, but he’s not in Christ, and so I can’t be unequally yoked with him.” Or, if you’re thinking about whom to marry, etc. There are certain things we give up. Or it could be more active: someone is persecuting me for my faith. How do I continue? The hope of glory. And how is that communicated to us? Through the proclamation of Christ. Whatever we might suffer—or Paul might suffer—all these things pale in the light of what Christ has done for us. While we were yet enemies, he died for us and gave up his life on our behalf.

So, in short, with these circumstances: Paul is exhorting us that the hope of glory animates our struggle. Why would we attend to the preaching of the word? Why seek to have our lives conformed to the image of Christ? One: because we love Christ and want to be like him—he is our elder brother. Two: because we are reminded that the difficulties now are not the way it will always be; rather, we’re going to be where Christ is—the hope of glory. That’s what animates our struggle as well.

Conclusion: Living Now in Light of Where We’re Going

So, in conclusion, thinking of Paul proclaiming Christ to us in verses 24–29—and considering in the days ahead what that will look like in each of our lives—let us ask ourselves: In what ways are we receiving Christ, and to what extent does our life reflect that we are looking forward to the hope of glory? That’s what animates our struggle. That’s what brings weight to our lives: making decisions in light of where we are going—looking to Christ, the author and perfecter of our faith, who is bringing us to himself and who is even now preparing a place for everyone who is found in him today.

Even as Simeon looked for the revelation of the mystery of the Christ, let us look for the return of Christ. As we wait upon him—the one who has suffered for us, but in the meanwhile has placed us here, as brothers and sisters in this covenant bond—let us walk with one another, seeking to see one another brought to maturity in Christ, doing all that we can, especially for the sake of the brethren.

Please pray with me.

Closing Prayer: Father, we thank you for your kindness towards us in the Lord Jesus Christ. We do thank you for the ways that you have been pleased to work on our behalf—both by causing us to receive the gospel as this mystery revealed now in the latter days. We ask that you would help us to truly hear Christ in your word, and that in hearing him we would be made like him, knowing that you have promised to do so by your Spirit. We ask that you would accomplish these things again for the sake of your Son, in whose name we pray. Amen.