Christ in You, the Hope of Glory

In one paragraph

This message came from Pastor Ray's ongoing series in Colossians, centering on Colossians 1:24 and what Paul means when he says he is "filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions." The sermon built on the previous week's foundation of Christ's preeminence and pressed toward a practical question: what does it actually mean to suffer for the sake of the church? Pastor Ray began by reviewing...

Read together

1. Ephesians 5:1-6 cited as a reference during the singing of Joyful Joyful We Adore Thee, appears to have been displayed on a slide
2. Psalm 119:105 sung as the song Thy Word during worship
3. Colossians 1:15-20 read as the foundational passage on Christ's preeminence over all creation
4. Colossians 1:21-22 read describing how those once alienated and hostile in mind were reconciled through Christ's body of flesh by his death
5. Colossians 1:23 warning about not shifting from the hope of the gospel, used to address the danger of falling away from the faith
6. Colossians 1:24 central text of the sermon on rejoicing in sufferings and filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body the church
7. Colossians 1:25 Paul describes the stewardship from God given to him to make the word of God fully known
8. Colossians 1:26-27 the mystery hidden for ages now revealed to the saints, which is Christ in you the hope of glory
9. Colossians 1:28-29 proclaiming Christ and warning and teaching everyone with all wisdom to present everyone mature in Christ
10. Romans 3:10-12 referenced to establish that all have sinned, no one is righteous, no one seeks after God
11. Romans 3:23 all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, used to describe universal alienation from God
12. Philippians 2:25-30 used to illustrate the same Greek construction of filling up what is lacking through Epaphroditus risking his life to complete what was lacking in the Philippians' service to Paul
13. 1 Peter 4:12-16 Peter's teaching that believers should not be surprised at fiery trials and should rejoice in sharing Christ's sufferings rather than suffering as evildoers
14. John 14:9 Jesus telling his disciples that whoever has seen him has seen the Father, used to explain Christ as the image of the invisible God
15. Luke 19:40 if the people did not cry out in praise the rocks and hills would cry out, used to illustrate that all creation was made to bring glory to Christ
16. John 14:6 Jesus is the way the truth and the life, cited while warning that there is no other way
17. Revelation 12:11 overcoming by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony, cited in reference to how Christ builds his church through witness
18. John 16:33 in this world you will have trouble but take heart I have overcome the world, cited alongside Peter's teaching on suffering
19. 1 Corinthians 1:18 to those who are perishing the cross is foolishness but to those who are being saved it is the power of God
20. 2 Corinthians 11 Paul's list of sufferings including shipwreck beatings and other hardships, cited to show the physical cost of Paul's ministry

Talk about it

1. Pastor Ray talked about Paul's warning to the Colossians about shifting away from the hope of the gospel under social and intellectual pressure. Have you experienced a moment when your faith was seriously challenged by outside pressure, and what kept you from walking away?
2. Paul writes that he is 'filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions' for the sake of the church. In his own words, Pastor Ray explained this as getting the message of Christ out through our lives and witness. Where has God placed you in a way that gives you access to people who might not hear the gospel otherwise?
3. Pastor Ray drew a distinction between suffering because you follow Christ and suffering because, as he put it, 'you're a jerk.' How do you tell the difference in your own life, and how does that distinction change the way you respond to difficulty?
4. The Indian missionary in John Piper's story was rejected and worn out, yet people were drawn to hear the gospel again because of what his suffering said about the message he carried. What does that story suggest about the relationship between how we live and whether people are willing to listen?
5. Pastor Ray said spiritual authority always flows from Christ, and he pointed to the fifteen men who showed up to shovel his roof as an example of the body of Christ doing what it is supposed to do. What does it look like practically, in your own context, to exercise that kind of servant authority rather than a positional one?