This morning turn to the epistle of Paul to the Colossians the first chapter and verse 24 Colossians chapter 1 verse 24 who now rejoice in my sufferings for you and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body's sake which is the church Was there ever a man like the Apostle Paul who said so much about rejoicing in his sufferings? What a message that would be for us if we got no further than these few words, who now rejoice in my sufferings for you. We suffer a good deal for ourselves at times. I don't know to what extent we suffer for others, but Paul knew a good deal of this. And he found it possible to rejoice in a very special way in his sufferings for the Church of Christ. And he goes on to say, to speak of a marvelous thing, a great marvel indeed, which has puzzled many as to its meaning, and claimed the attention of thinking people, I suppose in every century since it was written. He says, I fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body's sake, which is the church. Now here he speaks about some sufferings of Christ which were not completed at the cross. The afflictions of Christ, that which is behind, that is behind the cross, after the cross, that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ. I fill up that, says Paul, In my flesh, in my own suffering, for Christ's body's sake, which is the church. Now of course the more you examine it and take the sentence to pieces, the more you see what a marvel it is. And how that we need time and reflection to come to right conclusions about it, as to what it really means. I think that our problem can best be approached as we consider something which is very special to the gospel. Simply expressed, but again very very profound in the understanding of it. These three simple things about the gospel, that the gospel has a beginning. It has a history, that's a continuation, and it has a final triumph. That must be fairly obvious, I suppose, to all ordinary thinking people. For the Gospel has a beginning, a history, and a final triumph. And first, the Gospel has a beginning. It began, of course, really in the hidden wisdom of God before the world began. And in that sense it never even had a beginning because it always was in the heart and the thought of God. Yet insofar as we have to use language which is intelligible, we will say that it began in the hidden wisdom of God before the world was made. And I ask you to to give heed to a quotation from Paul in the first epistle to the Corinthians and the second chapter and verse 7. We speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the world unto our glory. Now this wisdom, this hidden wisdom of God is of course the gospel, that is the full revelation of his heart and mind in the person of our Lord Jesus Christ. And this message, this good news, this glorious thing that we call the gospel, began there in eternity, says Paul. It is the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the world was unto our glory. That doesn't mean unto our boasting, but that we might be glorified in the very likeness of Christ. God ordained this gospel before the world was. So that when we say the gospel had a beginning, this is what we mean. It had a beginning in eternity. in the depths of God's holy wisdom. It also had a beginning in time, that is, after the world was made, right at the very beginning of the human race. When our first parents lived alone in the Garden of Eden, this gospel began. in the world of time and of creation with the great promise contained in Genesis chapter 3 and verse 15 when God said to the serpent that he would put enmity between the serpent and the woman. Between thy seed and her seed, it shall bruise thy head, thou shalt bruise his heel. That is, the great object of the gospel was that Satan should be deprived of his dominion. His power should receive its death blow. And all the evil that he created would come back upon his own head. This is the gospel that began with this great promise. Deliverer was to be identified as one who should be born of the seed of the woman. As we read of our Lord Jesus Christ, made of the seed of the woman, made under the law, that he might deliver them who were under the law, and save both Jew and Gentile. whom God should call into his fellowship. There at the very beginning of our race, God publicly, in the garden, committed himself to the task of overcoming the problem of sin. And the thing was to be done in the very territory where sin appeared to have its triumph. That is in human nature. So it was necessary that God should appear in human nature, that he should take upon himself human nature. John tells of this when he says, the word was made flesh and dwelt amongst us and we beheld his glory. So the gospel had a beginning in eternity. It also had a beginning in time. And the actual overthrow of sin took place when the Son of God incarnate went forth alone to the conflict without any of the aids of heavenly power or glory. in the weakness of our human nature, subjecting himself to all the power and strength of the evil one, and thus brought to an end by his victory over sin and death. Brought to an end, that reign of sin and death, by his dying and rising again. So the gospel is something which has a beginning and it has a history. It has the history of all God's dealings with the human race. It has its history in that fulfillment of God's purposes at the cross of Calvary. And still that history is rolling on. On this earth, in the experience of God's people. And we are part of that history here, in this building this morning. For the task is not yet complete, until the last one has been brought in, upon whom the love of God is set, and Christ comes again in glory and power. And that will be the final triumph of the gospel, its beginning, its history, and its final triumph. The final triumph of the gospel will extend not only to the salvation of the elect, but also to the overcoming of the entire problem of evil in creation. Satan and the devils in the lake of fire is as much a part of the final victory of the gospel as your presence in heaven and mine as the elect of God. The scene in heaven where Christ renders up the kingdom to the Father has to do with all creation, not simply that portion of it which shall be eternally happy. The deplorable fate of the wicked in hell is as much a part of the triumph of Christ and of the gospel as the joys of the saints and the bliss of the sanctified. in the eternal glory. There aren't any exceptions to the reign and the triumph of Christ. He must put down all rule and all authority and power. This he will succeed in doing. He has not completed the task yet. The history of the gospel is running on, but it's running on to its final triumph, which for aught we know may not be long delayed. But between the beginning of Christ's triumph when he rose from the dead and the completion of it when he returns in power, there is a territory in which Christ still suffers and endures and will continue to do so though he's upon the throne until the last great moment when all his work is ended. with the deliverance of all whom the Father has given him. And it is this continued suffering of Christ which is described by Paul in our text, that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body's sake, which is the church. Now as usual the commentators and expositors and preachers and teachers and theologians have had some difficulty with these words. They say that which is behind the afflictions of Christ relates to those who have suffered for Christ down the ages. And this is what Paul is talking about. That Christ having suffered for us There is a region where we members of his body suffer for him and continue to suffer right down the ages. But then you see that isn't the language of the apostle. He doesn't speak about the afflictions of the church but the afflictions of Christ. I fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ. for the church's sake, for his body's sake, which is the church. He is not speaking of the afflictions of the church as such. Though the church is afflicted and does suffer, but he speaks about the afflictions of Christ for his body's sake, which is the church. Now what does this mean? Does Christ indeed suffer? with his people and in them now, truly he does. And we have got to get new and fresh ideas about Christian suffering and affliction and about the tremendous events and trials recorded in the history of the Christian church Too often perhaps we think in terms of the dear saints of God suffering for Christ's sake. And indeed they do suffer for Christ's sake. And that nobody robbed them by word or suggestion of the glory which attaches to the sufferings of the people of God for Christ's sake. But we don't get the full picture and the true picture until we realize that their sufferings for Christ's sake are Christ's suffering in them for the church's sake. And they only suffer because Christ suffers and it's necessary for him to suffer. But how can Christ suffer now? Do we not believe that all his sufferings are ended? They're ended with the grave. He roams again triumphant. Death of no more dominion over him. How can we speak about the sufferings of Christ? Well, Paul does. And he's wiser than any of us. And was an inspired apostle. So evidently Christ does suffer. He speaks about that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ. In my flesh, says Paul, Christ is suffering in me. for his body's sake, which is the church. Now simply understood it is this, that when God's people suffer, Christ feels their sufferings. There in a very real sense, his sufferings. But is this really true? Well we have scriptures which prove it. Do you remember when Paul was converted? the account of how he came within sight of the city of Damascus, raging in his fury against the people of God, with commission and authority from the chief priests in Jerusalem to arrest and cast into prison all those of this persuasion, that is, of the faith of Christ, whom he should find in the synagogues of the Jews, Remember how he was smitten down. He had already done great damage and wrought much havoc in the church of Jerusalem and throughout Judea before ever he came to Damascus and caused immense suffering even unto death and imprisonment amongst the people of God. And then he was smitten down. and a voice from heaven. What did the voice say? I am Jesus, whom thou persecutest. Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? But he was persecuting the church. It was the church that was suffering, but Christ said, you are persecuting me. I am on the throne. Feel your persecution, Paul. Paul ever remembered that when he spoke about the sufferings of Christ. Fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body's sake. Again Christ gives us in Matthew 25 the picture of the last judgment. He turns to the wicked. And he says, inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. And that is the evil that they did. They did to Christ. The good that they didn't do. They didn't do it for Christ. And the evil which they performed. It was not against Christ's members upon the earth, the individual souls. But it was really done against Him. And at the judgment seat this will appear. It was done to Christ. Just like Paul's persecutions. Why persecutest thou me? I am Jesus whom thou persecutest. That indeed it is true, that our Lord said to us and to his disciples, though I am with you always, even to the end of the world, then this means he is with us in all our afflictions. Why even in the Old Testament this was true. When he presented himself to them as the Almighty One, the angel of the divine presence, the messenger of the covenant. It is written, in all their afflictions, he was afflicted. When he led them through the wilderness, he was with them through the wilderness. And in all our afflictions, he is afflicted. In all our trials, he is with us and endures and carries the burden. with his children. Remember how it tells in Hebrews chapter 4 and verse 15, we have a high priest who is touched with the feeling of our infirmities. Is it true then that in the glory of heaven Christ feels our sorrows and shares with us in a wonderful way in our grief and bears with us the burden of our afflictions and our trials in a sinful world. If it is true, then it spreads a new halo of glory over our trials and afflictions. And maybe it will enable us with a more patience to endure with a greater faithfulness and submission to receive at His hand the privilege of filling up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in our flesh for His body's sake, which is the Church. So we see that Paul's sufferings for Christ's sake, which were very real, were in fact Christ's sufferings for his church in the Apostle Paul. And that whatever is endured for Christ's sake is felt by Him, whoever lives to make intercession for us, and is afflicted in all our afflictions in those afflictions of Christ which lie behind the cross, which are other than the cross, nevertheless which are necessarily involved in all Christ's work on our behalf. After all, can Christ just look down to see in a sympathetic way How much I or you may endure for his sake? Without feeling anything of it himself, can a mother see her child suffer and not suffer in herself more than that dear child endures? Does not the cry of pain or of distress from the cradle or the cot ring her very heart? And yet no injury has been done to her. that she should feel it so deeply. Can a father endure to see his son afflicted and tried, unjustly treated, without feeling deeper pains than the young man himself endures? And can Christ, who is always with his people, even the poorest and meanest of us, can he behold the sufferings of his people, endured for his dear sake, without the pain and the anguish penetrating his own heart through and through, that which is behind the afflictions of Christ in our flesh for his body's sake which is the church. But some will say, but does not Christ have power to prevent our sufferings or bring them speedily to an end? For this so often, of course, is the burden of our prayer. None of us enjoy suffering. Although Paul was able to rejoice because of what he knew about them, but nobody enjoys pain. Nobody enjoys affliction for its own sake, but only for what lies behind it and for what it may achieve. Then if affliction is a very real thing with us, be it the afflictions of Christ himself in us, nevertheless we feel it. They are our afflictions and our sufferings. And how often we look to him in prayer to put an end to our trial. And we, as children who do not fully understand are very often concerned only that an end should be brought to any trial or pain through which we may be passing. And that's quite understandable. Not one of us here, as I said, enjoys affliction for its own sake. And we are glad when it's over. Glad when the trial is ended. Well indeed, Christ has power. to prevent our suffering, if he would. But we go further than that and we say that Christ had power to prevent his own sufferings upon the cross. Ye can have no power at all over me, he said to Pilate, unless it were given me from above. I lay down my life of myself. I have power to lay it down and power to take it again. But his sufferings were nonetheless real. His heart was nonetheless wrung by the agony of it because he gave himself freely to it. As in the garden, not my will but thy will be done. He had power to prevent or curtail his own suffering on the tree and in the garden. But had he exercised that power, where would our redemption have been? if he had not fulfilled his task in suffering. And how much do we know of what lies behind the sufferings of martyrs, the trials of saints, in the achievement of the final overthrow of sin in Satan? And that if God puts a premature, a too early conclusion, They would never work out the unseen mystery of His purpose, who does not willingly afflict the children of men. It gives God no pleasure that His children should suffer. It gives Christ no pleasure that His church should be persecuted. In those persecutions, He feels the deeper wounds. and the sharper pain, because there is suffering before there are. If in his own case he must in weakness be rejected and crucified, is it a strange thing, brethren, that Satan must still be cast down by the triumph of Christ now in the sufferings of his people? Does not the same challenge ring out now as in the case of Job, whose sufferings were great indeed, and lasted how long we do not know. But great was their intensity and deep was their depth, and dire indeed was the burden of affliction he was called upon to carry. But we know, though Job didn't at the time, we know what went before his suffering. And that was a scene in heaven where Satan challenged God over Job. Doth Job serve God for naught? Put him to the test. Remove his prosperity. Let him be overwhelmed with affliction and trial. And you will see then who is the real God of this world. This was Satan's challenge and it is his challenge still in the life of every one of Christ's dear children, in you and in me. And if we knew what lay behind it, we would be more ready to endure, perhaps, than we would ask that we might be delivered. Not that it is wrong to ask for deliverance. I suppose in most cases it would be wrong not to ask for deliverance. But it is wiser still, having laid our case before God, that we should learn the lessons of patience and waiting upon God until His unseen purposes, which we can only grasp by faith because we're not permitted to know and see behind the scenes, until these wise purposes of God roll on their course and are completed, God's people will not suffer one moment longer than is necessary. But suffering, trial and affliction are necessary because of unseen causes and reasons buried deep in the heart and in the wisdom of God. That the sufferings of Christ upon the cross were all sufficient for our redemption, the forgiveness of our sins, the guarantee of eternal glory on our behalf. But there is a suffering of Christ which lies behind the cross, which is fulfilled daily in the experience of His Church. There are supreme varieties of this. as in the case of the sufferings of the Apostle Paul, who suffered more than them all, as indeed he labored more abundantly than them all. The sufferings of the martyrs down the ages, the quiet patience of the people of God in affliction, in age after age. many respects greater in degree than the most of us are ever called upon to endure, but they're all the afflictions of Christ, who does not willingly save his people's lives, but only because of the greater good and the greater blessedness which shall arise. But it is hard to suffer, some people say. Indeed, yes. If it were easy to suffer, it wouldn't be suffering, would it? Of course it wouldn't. None of us know how much we need it. Who can tell what purifying, what grace the Church has received by her willing suffering for her Lord? in the final discovery that they were his suffering in her. Who can tell how much evil we have been spared through the chastisement and the refinement of Christ's sufferings in us? Are there not sins enough in each one of us to be put to death and to be brought to judgment? Are there not evils enough in our hearts to need afflictions, discipline, to keep them in check, armed their evils in the world and slanderous speeches of the ungodly against God and against Christ, to be refuted not just by worthy argument and philosophical disputation in the schools, proving that God must be right, but rather by the quiet and humble endurance of wrong amongst His people. that as Peter says in the passage we read, 1 Peter chapter 2 and verse 12, that whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation. And if we knew how much glory would ultimately come to God through the patient endurance of God's people, through their quietness, through their holding their tongues, when all nature would have them to cry out aloud against injustice, who can tell how much glory to God comes to him even from the ranks of the ungodly in the day of visitation. May the Lord help us to understand, therefore, more of the mystery of our trials. as they are wrapped up in that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ for his body's sake, which is the church. Amen.