Living for the Supremacy of Jesus Christ.

Steve Gentry

[0:10] Welcome to Village Church. [0:11] This is your first time here. [0:12] My name is Steve, one of the pastors here at Village Church. [0:14] And as always, I am thankful and grateful to see each and every one of you. [0:18] If you have a Bible, go ahead and open it to Colossians chapter one. [0:21] We’re going to be starting in verse 24 this morning.

[0:24] But last week, just by way of reminder, we got into really what is the body of the book [0:29] of Colossians. [0:30] We saw the false teachers were seeking to spread heresy about the person of Jesus Christ [0:35] in the church at Colossae. [0:36] But the impact of people believing those lies would have been severe. [0:41] It would have led them away from faith and the true gospel would have led them away from

[0:44] the real Jesus for a fictitious Jesus of man’s making. [0:49] Because of this, Paul begins the body of his letter by focusing on both the humanity as [0:55] well as the deity of Jesus Christ in his personhood. [0:58] And he did this last week by heralding both Jesus’s deity as well as the implication of [1:04] that, which is his supremacy over absolutely all things, because the former certainly [1:09] leads to the latter.

[1:11] But the apostle wrote about it really in two different applications. [1:15] We saw that first he started by noting Jesus’s supremacy over all of creation, the physical [1:21] world, the universe that is that Jesus is supreme over absolutely all of the universe. [1:27] He is the Lord of everything that is. [1:30] But there was a second one, and he focused on Jesus’s supremacy over what really is [1:34] the new creation or the church.

[1:36] The outcome of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus was to build for himself a people [1:42] redeemed from sin who live in submission to his authority in this world through the life [1:48] of the church that he is building. [1:50] The final paragraph, though, of Colossians, chapter one deals very specifically with the [1:55] application of the truths that we saw in verses 15 through 23. [2:00] These things are true of Jesus.

[2:02] But how does that affect the life that you live if you seek to follow Jesus? [2:08] And Paul begins by speaking of his life and then extends it into how it’s going to have [2:14] an implication, an application in the lives that they live in this world, because quite [2:19] frankly, the supremacy of Jesus is something that extends from an act of redemption to [2:24] a lordship over the effects of that redemption into our very lives. [2:30] And Jesus, in fact, wields his supremacy to redeem people from sin, but gives them a

[2:35] very personal and specific mission that is to be lived for the sake of the world around [2:40] you. Frankly, friends, if you are a Christian, then you are called by God to order your [2:46] life around the mission that Jesus accomplished on the cross and through the resurrection. [2:50] And that does change the course of your life and demands an all encompassing allegiance [2:56] to him that is going to give you a brand new mission and a brand new plan for literally [3:02] every part of your life.

[3:04] I want to start reading in verse 24, the apostle writes, and he says, Now I rejoice in my [3:10] sufferings for your sake and in my flesh, I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s [3:16] afflictions for the sake of his body. [3:19] That is the church of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that [3:24] was given to me for you to make the word of God fully known. [3:30] I want to pause there because the first point this morning is that living the mission of

[3:34] Jesus is about his authority. [3:37] This extends from the message that we looked at last week, but it makes it extremely personal [3:41] in the way that you live it out, that you must, if you are a follower of Jesus Christ, [3:46] give your life to the purposes of Jesus Christ. [3:50] If you’ll remember the way that verse 23 ended last week, Paul makes a statement about [3:54] himself and he says, of which I, Paul, became a minister, speaking of the church of Jesus

[3:59] Christ, speaking of what God means to do through the church. [4:02] But then he almost states it in a different way in verse 25. [4:06] We’ll come back to verse 24, but it’s almost something that seems like a restatement of [4:10] something that he even said in verse one. [4:12] The context of the statement, though, is different here when he says, I rejoice, excuse [4:18] me, when he says of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that

[4:22] was given to me. [4:24] He extends the supremacy of Jesus Christ into his position as an apostle of Jesus Christ. [4:31] Yes, he is reminding the church at Colossae of the authority that God has given him, the [4:36] authority from which he is writing, the authority from which he is seeking to correct the false [4:41] teaching that has infiltrated the church of the Colossians. [4:44] But he states this more so because of what the supremacy of Jesus had accomplished for

[4:50] him. He’s saying that because Jesus died for me, because he rose from the dead, because [4:56] he is the Lord of all creation, because he is the Lord of the new creation, because he’s [5:00] wielding his authority currently through the church of Jesus Christ, this is how my life [5:06] has been changed. [5:08] Paul’s telling them, he’s saying, I am not an apostle because it’s something that I [5:11] esteem to do.

[5:13] He’s saying, I am not telling you this because it is my personal opinion and I want to [5:17] lord that over you. [5:18] He’s saying, I’m not telling you all of this because this is something that I want to [5:22] do to give myself great power and to give myself great fame. [5:25] I am doing this because and he uses the word stewardship because this is the stewardship [5:30] that I have in my life towards God because of everything that I said in verses 15 through

[5:36] 23. This is why I’m so passionate about the supremacy of Christ, because he’s my Lord, [5:42] because he died for me, because he rose from the dead to give me a new life. [5:46] And the implication of the mission that Jesus has given me is that he has personally made [5:52] him an apostle in his church. [5:54] And I have to correct any wrong, because that is how I have to wield what Jesus has done [6:00] for me. It has changed everything about my life.

[6:05] And the apostle is telling them that he’s now living for the mission of God, who lived, [6:10] died and rose again for his personal redemption. [6:16] There’s one way about talking about redemption in a general sense over all Christians. [6:21] But Paul is speaking here about the effects of redemption in his personal life. [6:25] And further, the calling of God on his life was not arbitrary. [6:29] Rather, this is a stewardship that God had given him, and he had to wield it the way

[6:35] that God defined him to wield it. [6:38] You know, that tells us something about our own lives and the gifts that God has given [6:42] you. If you’re a follower of Jesus Christ, God has given you a gifting to use for his [6:47] gospel. And every single one of you have some type of position in this life, position [6:53] in this world, position in this church, whether it’s on a serve team, whether it’s in a [6:57] group leadership, whether it’s pastoral leadership, whether it is some type of job that

[7:01] you have outside of the church, a position that you hold in a company, a position that [7:05] you hold with a company of your own making a spiritual gifting, whether it is a gifting [7:09] that leads you to serve people, serve the church in some way, whether it’s a gifting [7:13] that leads you to lead others. [7:14] I don’t know what it is. [7:16] We have such a variety.

[7:17] First Corinthians 12 tells us. [7:19] But none of those things exist to make you look great. [7:24] The Apostle Paul is saying is that every gifting God had given him, every position [7:28] that God had put him in was about the mission of Jesus Christ and the mission of Jesus [7:34] alone. But we fall for the allure of desiring the applaud, the applause of others so quickly.

[7:43] We desire that thank you from other people. [7:47] We desire for other people to look at us and say, you’re doing a great job. [7:51] You are great is actually what we want to hear from other people. [7:55] And you know what that is? [7:56] That is the sinful desire to rob the glory that only belongs to Jesus for ourselves. [8:03] You’ve fallen for that.

[8:04] And you might think that I’m wrong. [8:06] But the question you’ve got to ask yourself, how quickly do you go from desiring a place [8:11] of service to being frustrated that no one is noticing how much you’re serving?

[8:17] Our service must be about the worship of Jesus Christ and the worship of Jesus Christ [8:23] alone, or it isn’t worship at all. [8:27] And Paul is telling the church the same message that he had from 15 through 23. [8:32] He’s just driving it home. [8:33] The message is it’s all about Jesus. [8:37] Paul’s saying I’m not wielding my authority because it’s about me.

[8:41] I’m not trying to be famous to you. [8:43] I’m not trying to just be the one in the position of power. [8:47] He’s saying I’m trying to keep you on the path of making Jesus look the way Jesus [8:52] actually does look, which is glorious. [8:55] Therefore, you steward the gifts that he gives and even the positions that he puts [9:00] you in to both reflect and to serve the mission that he has established, not in your life.

[9:09] The mission that he has established and the purpose that he has established in his life. [9:15] So that is why Paul is wielding this authority. [9:18] That is how the life of Paul could then become more of an example for the Colossians to [9:23] follow rather than the false teaching of others that would lead them away from Jesus in [9:28] reality. Why? [9:30] Because Paul had given his life to Jesus.

[9:32] It wasn’t about his life. [9:34] Therefore, what Paul is saying is everything that I’m giving over to Jesus Christ. [9:38] You need to give over to Jesus Christ. [9:41] You need to be faithful to Jesus Christ, because that’s what I’m trying to do. [9:46] Then go back to verse 24. [9:49] It makes a direct implication of the position that God had put him in and actually makes

[9:54] a statement because of the supremacy of Christ. [9:57] Suffering is endured with joy.

[10:02] Sounds crazy. [10:04] In the book of Philippians, Paul is even more specific of the suffering that he endured [10:09] for the gospel. [10:10] He actually points out something about the Church of Philippians that was actually also [10:14] going on in the Colossian Church. [10:18] And some of these false teachers, these false leaders that were seeking to usurp Paul’s

[10:23] authority had tried to use the suffering of Paul to question his authority. [10:30] The thought and the way that they would do that would be that they would look at the [10:33] Christians, they would say, look, if Paul is legit.

[10:39] If you should follow the teachings of Paul, you have to ask yourself the question, why [10:42] is he suffering?

[10:44] Is that what you want? [10:47] Do you really want to suffer the way Paul is? [10:48] Because if God loves you, if the gospel is so great, if your faith is so powerful, [10:55] wouldn’t your life be easier? [10:59] And wouldn’t the life of Paul be easier? [11:01] And they would actually use the suffering of Paul.

[11:04] Keep in mind that he’s writing the book of Colossians from imprisonment, awaiting his [11:08] execution. He’s very acquainted with suffering literally for the sake of the gospel. [11:17] Yet in his letters throughout the New Testament, Paul speaks of suffering for the gospel [11:22] as though it is used by God as a path to growth in his life. [11:29] More than that, a path of joy in his life. [11:35] When everyone else in the world is telling you avoid suffering at all costs.

[11:41] That’s what they’ll do. [11:43] Even people inside of the church don’t do hard things. [11:47] If it’s difficult, maybe you should avoid it. [11:50] Boy, that sounds like more trouble than it’s worth. [11:54] Well, if you’re going to get in trouble, just don’t tell people you’re a Christian.

[12:01] The apostle Paul takes the opposite viewpoint. [12:05] He says, now I rejoice in my sufferings.

[12:10] He says, and in my flesh, I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions. [12:15] In verse 24, he says what I believe is the most provocative thing about suffering that you find [12:19] in the New Testament. It’s all provocative based on what we’re conditioned to believe. [12:22] We’re conditioned to believe we should take it easy. [12:24] We’re conditioned to believe we should have a pain free life. [12:27] We’re conditioned to believe that if any moment of sickness, any moment of suffering,

[12:31] any moment of persecution, any moment of hardship comes into our life, [12:34] we should question even the existence of God.

[12:38] The apostle Paul writes, no, this is the pathway to joy. [12:42] This is the pathway of growing in my faith. [12:45] But what fascinates me, he says, I’m actually filling up what is lacking.

[12:51] In the suffering of Christ.

[12:55] How is that possible?

[12:58] In first Timothy one eight, Paul wrote to Timothy that there should be no shame [13:02] for the gospel, that of course, we accept that nor for suffering for the gospel. [13:06] We don’t necessarily like that very much. [13:09] But suffering is endured through the power of God. [13:12] And so he makes this connection. [13:13] You want to experience the power of God, endure suffering.

[13:17] And you will see the power of God on full display in your life. [13:20] I know I’d rather part the Red Sea.

[13:24] Then in Second Corinthians one five, he notes that all Christians [13:27] share in Christ’s sufferings. Sure. Why? [13:31] So through Christ, we share abundantly in comfort, too, [13:37] that there is something that you will experience in suffering [13:42] about an intimacy with the comfort that Christ wants to give into your life [13:47] that you cannot experience apart from suffering.

[13:53] And Paul knew this well. [13:55] Read the letters of Paul. [13:56] He’s quick with lists of all the terrible stuff he’s done. [14:01] He’s like, not only have I sinned against people and I’m suffering for that, [14:04] but guess what? I’ve been beaten up for the gospel. [14:07] I’ve been sick because of everything that I’m doing for the gospel.

[14:11] I’ve been imprisoned for the gospel. [14:13] I’ve been shipwrecked for the gospel. [14:15] I’ve been beaten with poles for the gospel. [14:17] One time, everybody in a city tried to kill me by stoning to death. [14:22] And God miraculously spared my life. [14:24] And I went back in and suffered again for the gospel in the same city.

[14:28] And so if you want to know what it looks like to suffer for the gospel, [14:31] this isn’t about when I stubbed my toe.

[14:34] And I do it all the time. [14:36] And I’m beginning to think something’s wrong with my balance. [14:40] Have you ever stubbed your toe and then blamed the piece of furniture [14:43] that you stubbed your toe on? [14:45] Sometimes I personify my furniture and I ask it, why are you there? [14:50] As if it put itself there and I had nothing to do with it.

[14:53] But in my house, something that I think there’s a conspiracy [14:56] because my feet seem to have magnets for pain and suffering. [15:01] Not only is the furniture in my house to get me, my children are out to get my feet. [15:06] My wife is out to get my feet. [15:09] Yes, dare I say my two dogs are out to get my feet. [15:13] My feet are stepped on statistically.

[15:16] And I think I’ve got the numbers on my side more than any human being on earth [15:21] by some creature, by some inanimate object. [15:24] And let me tell you, it doesn’t feel good. [15:27] And I will also admit to you, I am fleshly enough [15:30] that every time something hurts my foot, I don’t say, well, bless God. [15:33] Thank you for that.

[15:36] No, I hate it. [15:38] I want to avoid it, but apparently I can’t. [15:41] I understand Paul’s thorn in the flesh. [15:43] Well.

[15:46] But what’s fascinating about the reality of suffering in life [15:51] and here’s the minimum standard of suffering, stubbing your toe, [15:56] that’s the minimum there. [15:58] It hurts, but wow, that’s not much.

[16:04] Well, Paul is talking about where joy is concerned, [16:07] not that he is a masochist that wakes up every morning [16:10] finding a new way for pain. [16:12] No, the apostle has a different outlook. [16:14] He’s saying because Jesus died for my sin, [16:17] because he suffered from my sin on the cross,

[16:20] because he paid the penalty for my sin on the cross and because he rose from the dead. [16:25] I know that he’s overcome the world because the last enemy is death. [16:29] And because of that, I know that there is coming a day [16:33] where there will be no more stubbing of a toe. [16:37] And if there is no more stubbing of the toe, [16:42] I can also extend the reality of Jesus overcoming the grave

[16:46] to the fact that there will one day be no cancer.

[16:51] There will one day never be a Parkinson’s diagnosis, [16:55] that there will one day be no MS, [16:58] that there will one day be no. [17:01] And there are diseases I don’t even know about. [17:04] But there is coming a day [17:06] where no one will walk out of a doctor’s office

[17:09] with the last words they ever wanted to hear in their lives. [17:13] And there is coming a day where there will be no more mourning at anyone’s funeral [17:19] because of the gospel of Jesus. [17:22] As when you read in the scriptures and you read the New Testament, [17:25] and Paul says this a lot, I rejoice in my suffering. [17:29] He’s not talking about masochism.

[17:31] He’s not looking at you saying, don’t hate the pain because I do. [17:37] And I think Paul did. [17:39] I think Paul woke up imprisoned, unable to take the gospel [17:43] to whoever he wanted to, and therefore he could only preach [17:46] to the Roman praetoriot. [17:48] I don’t think he woke up saying, well, this is great.

[17:51] This is exactly where I want it to go. [17:53] No, I think he hated it. [17:54] I think he longed for the day that he wouldn’t have to be beaten another time. [18:01] Paul says I rejoice in my sufferings [18:03] because he knew the Savior who had conquered suffering. [18:07] He was applying it to every day of the mission that he lived,

[18:13] and he knew that if he avoided the suffering [18:17] that came from living for that mission, [18:20] then he would lose the comfort of his Savior. [18:24] And if he lost the comfort of the Savior, [18:27] he could only enter into suffering miserably.

[18:33] And Paul says, but you can have joy in the face of suffering, [18:38] because here’s the thing, how does this work out in your life? [18:40] First, you are not going to avoid suffering.

[18:46] Death has a 100 percent matriculation rate.

[18:51] Every one of us will face it. [18:53] I don’t know when some of us sooner, some of us later.

[18:57] And typically the pathway that leads to the grave is not instantaneous.

[19:04] There’s a lot of unpleasantries along the way. [19:07] The curse of sin guarantees that there is pain, [19:10] there is suffering in many ways in this life. [19:13] But the gospel even transcends that which unbelievers experience in their lives. [19:18] That’s what Paul is saying when he talks about lacking in Christ’s afflictions [19:23] and that he was filling it up because the gospel guarantees first,

[19:28] you are never alone in your suffering. [19:30] Second, that Christ has overcome the suffering [19:33] through his redemption that this world could give you. [19:36] But then also that suffering for the gospel [19:40] is used by God as a revelation that you belong to Christ. [19:46] When he says what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions,

[19:49] he is not making a statement that the atonement [19:53] or the death of Christ is in some way insufficient. [19:58] Rather, he’s actually talking about the sufficiency of the suffering of Christ [20:03] because Jesus was clear. [20:07] Jesus didn’t falsely advertise the outcome of his gospel. [20:11] Jesus didn’t look at us and say wide is the road and pleasant is the path.

[20:17] Jesus said narrow is the road.

[20:21] Difficult is the path. [20:24] We looked at disciples at one point, he said, if they are persecuting me, [20:27] what do you think they’re going to do to you?

[20:31] They’re going to persecute you, too. [20:32] You’re going to share in my pain. [20:34] But here’s the reality, the false teachers, those that would vilify Paul, [20:38] the Roman government that imprisoned Paul, [20:41] the Jewish people that rejected Paul for the gospel, [20:44] sought to kill Paul because of the gospel.

[20:47] Those very people could not reach out [20:51] and physically persecute Christ any longer. [20:55] So the affliction of Christ was lacking in Paul’s life [21:00] because Jesus couldn’t personally endure it. [21:03] So what was Paul doing? [21:04] Paul was enduring the same afflictions of Christ

[21:09] because he was suffering for the sake of the gospel. [21:14] And he said, I rejoice in that they can’t reach Jesus any longer [21:19] because he’s risen. [21:20] He’s at the right hand of the father. [21:22] He’s waiting to come again to install his kingdom. [21:25] But they can reach me because of Christ.

[21:30] When you walk the path that Jesus walked, [21:35] you rejoice in the reality [21:38] that there is nothing in this world [21:41] that can separate you from the love of Christ.

[21:46] Through faith, you overcome the pain of this world, [21:50] regardless of why it’s there and sometimes because of why it’s there.

[21:57] Whether it’s suffering, whether it’s pleasure in my life, [22:01] the glory of Christ through every action and activity in my life is the goal. [22:06] And only the gospel can give you a philosophy to apply to your life for that. [22:12] But here’s the key. [22:15] It is only through submitting to the authority of Jesus [22:21] over your suffering and over your choices

[22:25] that you can cultivate that mindset.

[22:30] Apart from that, your suffering will be meaningless.

[22:34] Apart from that, it will only incur misery in your life. [22:39] So the question that must be asked is, [22:41] do you trust Jesus’s authority over your life? [22:44] And if you do. [22:47] Suffer with joy.

[22:50] But he continues that thread, look at the end of verse 27.

[22:56] Excuse me, the end of verse 25. [22:59] It says he’s a minister of the stewardship from God that was given to him [23:03] to make the word of God fully known. [23:06] And so he’s telling us that his suffering, his authority, [23:10] his stewardship exists for a specific purpose [23:13] to fully make the word of God known.

[23:18] But then he says that it’s worth it and it’s valuable [23:22] and it’s vital because the word of God is the mystery hidden [23:29] for ages and generations, but now revealed to his saints. [23:33] To them, God chose to make known [23:36] how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory [23:41] of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

[23:47] Number two, this morning, the gospel of Jesus is the ultimate revelation [23:51] of God’s will. It’s the ultimate revelation. [23:54] And here’s what I mean by that. [23:55] He zooms in to the 15 foot view of his life and he says, [24:00] I’ve been given authority that I’m a steward over the church [24:02] to keep you on the path of following Jesus.

[24:04] And I’m doing it in part by suffering for the sake of Christ with joy [24:10] to stay faithful to him, to know his comfort. [24:13] But then he zooms out and now he gives an objective reason [24:17] as to why it’s worth it. [24:19] He says the gospel is the most valuable thing ever in the history of the world, [24:26] because it is the purpose for which everything exists.

[24:32] And it is a reality defining cause. [24:37] So many of us never get beyond the personal 15 foot [24:42] view of our lives to consider the 15,000 foot view. [24:46] And here’s what I mean by that. [24:47] When you think about the will of God in your life, [24:51] you immediately begin to think about things like a spouse.

[24:55] You think about a career. [24:57] You think about the big choices that you are going to make, [25:01] about where you live, what you do, personal things. [25:05] What Paul is saying is when that’s the first thing you think about, [25:09] you’re not thinking about it through the lens of the gospel.

[25:14] God’s personal will of your life can never be known [25:18] until his ultimate will for reality itself is submitted to.

[25:24] That’s a couple of questions. [25:26] That’s what the Christian worldview is. [25:27] It is the question of why is creation here? [25:32] Why am I in it? [25:34] And what is all of this and all of you about? [25:38] That’s the mystery that Paul is talking about.

[25:41] And he’s saying it can get quite confusing when you have the scales of sin on your eyes. [25:45] Sinful man can’t understand it. [25:47] Sinful man can’t bear such a revelation that everything exists [25:52] for the purpose of bringing God, the Son, incarnate Jesus Christ [25:58] into the world so that he could live a perfect life, [26:01] so that he could pay the penalty for our sin on the cross

[26:03] and so that he could arise from the dead and so that all who believe [26:07] can live to know him and make him known to others. [26:10] That is the mystery of God’s will [26:14] hidden from the Gentile world for ages. [26:18] And that is why I am here. [26:20] That is why you are here.

[26:22] That is why all of this exists. [26:24] And that is what all of you are about. [26:28] Even to me, it is the same thing as last week, which was it’s all about Jesus [26:35] nine times out of ten in Sunday school. [26:37] And usually on the tenth one, I could convince the teacher that Jesus was the answer. [26:43] And this is no different.

[26:47] I exist for Jesus Christ. [26:51] Christmas will be coming in a few weeks to be here before we know it. [26:55] And of course, the narrative of Luke two will be heralded [26:59] all over the place for good reason. [27:01] Christmas is about Jesus Christ and his birth. [27:05] And when we read that narrative, my favorite part of the narrative

[27:09] isn’t what everybody else’s favorite part of that narrative. [27:11] It’s an important part. [27:12] I love the baby part, you know.

[27:16] But I like to go back to the beginning where it says that [27:20] calling was put out of Rome, that everyone should be taxed. [27:23] And in order to pay this tax, you had to register in the hometown of your family, [27:28] because what that actually shows is God’s sovereign power over the [27:32] what history tells us is maybe the most powerful government that ever existed. [27:38] God bent Rome to his will

[27:41] so that Joseph and Mary would have to go to Bethlehem. [27:44] Do you realize the implications of that type of sovereignty? [27:49] What that reveals to us is that in every moment of human history, [27:54] behind the scenes of everything that was going on [27:58] and everything that is going on is a sovereign Lord [28:02] who literally bends history to his will.

[28:08] And when you realize that, you look back at what we did through the Joshua series, [28:13] and you realize that everything that took place in the book of Joshua [28:17] was ultimately about cultivating environments and atmospheres [28:21] in this world so that he could endure for himself a people, [28:25] so that at the perfect time in the perfect place in history, [28:29] Jesus Christ could be born from the nation of Israel.

[28:32] And that is what has been going on from Genesis forward, [28:36] is that everything was so that Jesus could come into this world [28:40] and redeem sinners for the glory of God. [28:43] And so when I consider. [28:47] What do I do with my life?

[28:50] There’s only one acceptable answer. [28:53] That. I live for the glory of the God [28:59] who became a human to redeem sinful man. [29:05] And I will tell you, that is what an unbelieving world [29:09] simply finds unbelievable. [29:13] The human heart is so tainted by sin

[29:15] that this is the real offense of the gospel, [29:18] because we want it to be about us. [29:22] We want life to be about us. [29:25] We want to believe that our lives are the center of someone’s universe, [29:31] even God’s. [29:33] But the gospel paints a picture in which we are hopeless.

[29:37] We are directionless and we are blind in our sin. [29:41] And we needed Jesus to come redeem us through his work, [29:44] his power and his life. [29:46] And that is what he did to bring himself glory. [29:50] The gospel of Jesus is the ultimate revelation of God’s will, [29:54] because the gospel of Jesus isn’t about making me look great.

[29:58] That is where sin leads me. [30:00] The gospel of Jesus is about making Jesus glorious. [30:04] This is a revelation of what he already is. [30:08] That is why Christianity is unique in its truthfulness. [30:11] The gospel is the truth that the whole world not only needs salvation, [30:17] but to understand the purposes of life and the reason behind all that is.

[30:22] And so the gospel cannot be reduced to just my personal life. [30:26] The gospel is the reason that reality itself exists. [30:30] And without the gospel, everything skews toward lies. [30:36] No. Ephesians, Chapter three sheds further perspective on this [30:40] apostle again, Paul writing, [30:43] though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given to me

[30:46] to preach to the Gentiles, the unsearchable riches of Christ. [30:50] Is that how you view Jesus? [30:53] The unsearchable riches of Christ, or is he just a compartment of your life, [30:57] just a part of you? [30:59] And to bring to light for everyone what is here, it is again, [31:02] the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God, who created all things.

[31:07] And then he says he created all things so that through the church. [31:11] Here it is. The manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers [31:16] and authorities in the heavenly places. [31:17] And Paul goes cosmic on this one. [31:21] He says, not only does this amazing plan for the gospel, [31:27] not only does it reveal the manifold wisdom of God to physical people,

[31:33] to you, to me, it says that the gospel is so incredible [31:38] and it is so amazing that even the spiritual realm [31:42] and he doesn’t limit it, he’s his rulers and authorities. [31:45] So we’re talking about angels, we’re talking about demons, [31:48] talking about Satan himself [31:51] at seeing what Jesus accomplished on the cross in the resurrection.

[31:55] All of them looked on, and now they look at the church and they say, wow.

[32:07] Incomparable. Undefeatable.

[32:10] That’s why when you think about the spiritual warfare in your life, [32:12] that you can look at the enemy and say, [32:16] you cannot have my life and say it with certainty. [32:21] And friends, that is why [32:23] in a very real and personal way, you can look at the enemy and say, [32:27] you can’t have my joy.

[32:30] Do your worst.

[32:34] Because the gospel means that even the worst of suffering, [32:39] and that is what the murder of Jesus Christ was.

[32:43] Can immediately be tilted [32:46] to show the almighty power and glory of our great God and king. [32:51] And that is the resurrection.

[32:55] There’s nothing greater. [32:56] There’s nothing more defining. [32:58] There’s nothing more worth it. [33:01] As I said, so last week, so many seek to make their lives about something. [33:07] You search for significance, you search for purpose, [33:10] but then you apply your significance and purpose to things

[33:13] that will ultimately be meaningless in the lens of history.

[33:20] Paul wants every Christian to understand [33:22] that there is nothing more important or more significant [33:25] to commit your life to than the gospel of Jesus Christ. [33:29] And history leads to Christ in every era is bent by God [33:34] to ultimately culminate in the glory of Christ. [33:39] And then Paul

[33:41] finishes chapter one by telling us that there are two specific implications [33:48] of what he’s talking about. [33:50] He’s saying there are two non-negotiables [33:53] because so many of us, we want so much of what we should do [33:57] and how we should think and what we should be about [34:01] to be based on something that we already wanted to do.

[34:03] And so we just stamp the name of Jesus on whatever we felt like doing anyway. [34:07] And we’re like, that’s my Christian service. [34:10] No, Paul gives us two things. [34:12] Look at verse 28. [34:13] He says him, Jesus, we proclaim, [34:16] warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom

[34:20] that we may present everyone mature in Christ for this. [34:26] I toil struggling with all his energy [34:30] that he powerfully works within me. [34:32] He’s always quick to say, this isn’t about me. [34:35] This is from God. [34:37] First thing that he tells us is that every Christian

[34:40] must proclaim the gospel of Jesus, and he uses that term. [34:44] He says him, we proclaim.

[34:48] This is a non-negotiable, no matter how much we avoid it. [34:55] And that term proclaim is not a term [34:59] that can mean anything other than I herald to many people. [35:04] The apostle is saying you must make your life [35:08] about preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ, because that is the mission. [35:12] And our social justice driven era, there is this temptation

[35:16] to tack the term gospel on to everything we do [35:20] and think that that gives it purpose. [35:22] But friends, gospel mission must mean something specific [35:26] or it will not mean anything at all. [35:30] First, Paul focuses on that proclamation. [35:33] Gospel literally means good news in the original language.

[35:39] It is the good news of what Jesus has done [35:42] to redeem us from sin and give us his righteousness. [35:48] It is the good news of what Jesus has done [35:52] to redeem us from sin and give us his righteousness. [35:56] Friends, this is not about you. [35:58] That’s why it’s news.

[36:01] You don’t earn it. [36:02] You don’t make it happen. [36:04] You have to share with someone what someone else did [36:09] so that this could come into reality. [36:11] And that is why it takes words.

[36:14] Like some of you are hoping you’re going to mow your grass [36:17] and landscape your yard so well that your neighbors will be overcome [36:22] by gratitude of their property values going up, that they come over [36:26] and they’re like, oh, my goodness, there’s only one reason [36:30] your grass could look so nice. [36:32] Jesus, I’m giving my life to him right now because that mowing is unparalleled.

[36:40] Friends, that’s not how any of this works.

[36:43] You might want it to work out that way, but it doesn’t work out that way. [36:47] The way that it’s going to work out is that there’s going to come a time [36:50] and it should be now. [36:53] For the moment, you find out somebody is not a Christian. [36:57] And that’s why you make it your mission to changing that. [37:01] And it’s not going to be look at how good I am.

[37:06] No, it’s going to be friend. [37:09] I know a great savior and you need him. [37:12] But note, Paul also uses another term. [37:14] He uses the term worn. [37:17] It’s a term that is in some translations admonish. [37:21] And it means that in view of sin in the coming punishment,

[37:24] you had better turn to Christ. [37:28] When you remove the warning, the news will become less good [37:32] and it will become less relevant. [37:36] The reality of sin in judgment makes the good news good [37:40] in that Jesus saves us from what we actually deserve. [37:45] But I see so many gospel presentations begin with almost you convincing

[37:49] the person out of their need for Christ. [37:52] You can’t look at them and say, you are great. [37:56] And this is why you need Christ, because then they’ll be like, [37:58] well, I’m already great. [38:01] Guess I’m good. [38:02] I just am saved.

[38:04] Born that way.

[38:07] No, friends, sin in judgment are difficult things to address, [38:13] but they’re hard to convince anyone that they’re real. [38:17] But we must realize is, is that the sin is ours [38:20] and the judgment is deserved. [38:23] And that is what makes Christ so needed.

[38:28] The gospel then, Paul says, deserves exhausting effort [38:33] in that proclamation. [38:35] Note what he says. [38:35] He says, for this I toil in verse twenty nine. [38:41] The word toil literally means [38:44] to labor unto extreme fatigue.

[38:49] So many people think that evangelism and proclaiming the gospel [38:53] is limited to professional Christians or for super Christians [38:58] or for the church staff. [39:01] But Paul here is talking about every Christian. [39:03] That’s why he’s so inclusive. [39:04] He says, we, he’s including you.

[39:07] He’s talking about the outcome of submitting to the supremacy of Christ [39:11] and understanding the mystery of God’s will. [39:13] And he says, that leads to a new mission in which Paul says [39:17] and in some manuscripts in the original language, [39:20] it actually translates the term used for toil as I work myself [39:23] to the bones for this, because it’s worth it.

[39:27] As I’m expending so much energy for the gospel, [39:31] there are times that I think I cannot go on. [39:35] But then he tells us the ever present reality for this. [39:37] I toil struggling with all his energy. [39:40] In other words, when I come to the end of myself, [39:42] I find the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit.

[39:44] But the only way you’re ever going to find the supernatural power [39:46] of the Holy Spirit is when you come to the end of your own effort.

[39:51] Also, some given at my all. [39:54] And next 2031, he actually puts his extreme effort. [39:57] In other words, he tells the church at Ephesus, he says, be alert, [40:01] remembering that for three years, I did not cease night or day to admonish. [40:04] There that word is everyone with tears. [40:07] He’s saying I am not only expending myself physically,

[40:11] he says, when it comes to the gospel, I am wearing myself out emotionally. [40:17] I want you to come to faith in Christ, therefore I do it with tears.

[40:26] Are you proclaiming? [40:28] It’s a very simple question.

[40:32] Or are you afraid that an unbelieving world will reject you [40:36] to the extent that you hide from them [40:39] the mystery of God’s will hidden for ages now revealed in Christ? [40:44] Is it not worth your effort?

[40:49] But there’s a second thing, and I think it’s a separate thing.

[40:53] In verse 28, I believe Paul says not only do we proclaim, but we teach. [40:59] And what he means by that, I believe, is that every Christian, number four, [41:02] must make disciples of Jesus. We must. [41:06] In other words, we don’t just convert them and say, good luck.

[41:12] We don’t reduce the gospel to just what Jesus did [41:18] and give them the minimum amount of information [41:22] so that they will come to faith in Jesus. [41:24] They don’t worry about the rest. [41:26] I mean, sure, God gave us 66 books, but that other stuff doesn’t matter that much. [41:30] You’re saved. That’s it.

[41:32] Now, what does Paul say? Look at what he says. [41:34] He says, him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom. [41:40] Why? That we may we may present everyone mature in Christ. [41:46] That is not a convert. [41:48] That is a fully devoted follower of Christ. [41:51] And Paul gives it as the potential and the goal for every Christian.

[41:56] I think some of you have kind of put yourself into a category [42:01] where you’re like, I I’ll never get to a mature Christian. [42:05] And so I’ll just be the lower league, the minor leagues, the lesser thans.

[42:12] That’s a lie. [42:13] It’s a lie from Satan. [42:15] Paul, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, wouldn’t have used the term [42:18] that means everyone, unless it meant everyone that comes to faith in Christ. [42:24] He’s saying, I have to go, I want to present everyone to faith, excuse me, [42:28] to maturity, rather, in Christ.

[42:30] And he says the pathway there is giving them all wisdom. [42:34] That takes us back to verse 25. [42:35] What does he mean by all wisdom? [42:37] In verse 25, he says the stewardship from God that was given to me [42:42] for you to make what known the word of God fully known all of it. [42:48] The whole scriptures.

[42:51] That is how he’s going to create a continual cycle of growth [42:56] that the church must commit to, where I seek to become fully mature in Christ [43:03] so that I can help you become fully mature. [43:07] In Christ, that was Paul’s goal. [43:10] In order to proclaim the gospel, though, guess what you have to do? [43:14] You have to know it.

[43:16] That is why he states just two chapters later, Colossians 3, 16, [43:19] that the word of Christ needs to dwell in you richly. [43:24] Teaching there it is. [43:25] And here it comes again, admonishing one another in all wisdom. [43:30] And just pause there. That’s that’s enough.

[43:35] That is about presenting everyone mature. [43:38] That comes from hearing it, reading it, thinking about it, [43:43] being taught it and then teaching it. [43:45] You have no idea of the growth that is spurned on by me [43:50] needing to teach the scriptures to you, that being my responsibility. [43:54] Do you know what burden that place is on my life?

[43:56] It’s a burden that I better know it pretty well. [43:59] And I better be applying it to my life. [44:02] It has been an avenue of incredible growth in my life. [44:05] And Paul is saying everyone mature. [44:07] You must have a goal. [44:09] I want to teach others scripture because it will be a pathway

[44:12] for me becoming mature in Christ. [44:16] It’s pointed inward there, though, towards the church at that point. [44:22] There will never come a point in your life with Christ [44:25] that you outgrow your need for the truth of the gospel. [44:28] It is a reminder for our faithfulness. [44:31] And it is an ever present truth to push us forward in our growth

[44:35] in living out our faith in this world, because discipleship demands effort. [44:41] And that brings us back to that term in verse 29, [44:43] that he applies to both proclaiming and teaching. [44:47] Not only is he exhausting himself to make converts, [44:51] he is exhausting himself to then disciple them in the faith. [44:56] Are you?

[44:58] It is designed for us to learn [45:02] and act in accordance with our faith, [45:06] and he gives us our everyday lives to practice it. [45:11] It’s the question must be, are you practicing your faith? [45:14] Are you focused on discipleship in your life? [45:18] Here’s the deal.

[45:19] I want to present others as mature in Christ, [45:25] but that necessitates me seeking out maturity in Christ for myself. [45:31] That is not an unrealistic goal, but it does demand a realignment of your life.

[45:40] You are not going to grow in maturity in Christ [45:44] until your commitments match that goal.

[45:50] So many of us commit ourselves [45:54] to lesser things over and over, and then assume that those lesser things [46:01] are a sufficient enough excuse to prevent us [46:05] from having to commit to those environments by which we would actually [46:09] become mature in Christ and I don’t care what it is. [46:13] Could be watching your bank account grow,

[46:16] could be worrying about your 401K, [46:19] could be a hobby that you overcommit yourself to, [46:23] could be a lifestyle choice, could be some identity that you are seeking. [46:27] It could be granite countertops.

[46:32] There are so many things that we commit our goals toward [46:38] that will have zero impact in the positive of us becoming mature in Christ, [46:44] but they will actually become a negative drain on our maturity in Christ [46:49] because you are seeking false gods. [46:53] That is just as much a false doctrine.

[46:58] Friends, if you’re going to grow in maturity in Christ, [47:02] you have to actually do things. [47:05] You have to actually commit to things. [47:09] If you want to see God work in your life, this is what you will focus on. [47:14] This is where you will spend your time growing towards. [47:18] Paul worked himself to exhaustion.

[47:21] I remind myself of that all of the time when I hear so many people [47:24] whining about burning out. [47:27] I’m going to burn out and burn out for the glory of God. [47:30] And then he finishes by pointing out that it all required a super [47:35] natural energy that he did not have in him. [47:40] That but that God graciously supplied for him.

[47:43] What a goal.

[47:46] I want to believe the gospel [47:50] to the extent that when I look at what is happening in my life, [47:55] I understand that I couldn’t have done it [47:58] without the power and strength of God working through me for his glory. [48:05] That was Paul’s goal.

[48:09] Does your life reflect that?

[48:13] A few application points this morning. [48:15] First, pursue the purpose of God’s mission above your own.

[48:20] There are so many things that we commit ourselves to [48:23] that distract from the gospel that we won’t even care about in five years. [48:26] This isn’t even about it’s not even about things that outlive us anymore. [48:29] It’s about things that will outlive this season.

[48:34] We overextend ourselves, we convince our children [48:37] that they must be involved in 17 sports and 17 different clubs [48:40] to the extent that by the time they’re 18, they will all be on pills. Good luck.

[48:46] We’re wasting our lives for things that aren’t the gospel. [48:50] Live for Jesus. [48:53] Secondly, find God’s will for your life through the gospel. [48:58] Stop looking for it elsewhere. [49:01] Thirdly, proclaim the gospel to non-Christians, no qualification. [49:04] That’s just it.

[49:06] And then finally, make disciples of Christians. [49:10] With great effort.