Suffering Like Christ: Vicarious Ministry (Colossians 1:24-29).
length: 60:00 - taught on Oct, 21 2026
Class Outline:
Wednesday October 21, 2026
Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I do my share on behalf of His body, which is the church, in filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions. 25 Of this church I was made a minister according to the stewardship from God bestowed on me for your benefit, so that I might fully carry out the preaching of the word of God.
Intro:
For the gospel Paul suffers. Looking back over COL 1:1-23 we can see why Paul would consider the Gospel worthy to suffer for.
Paul suffers to communicate the gospel and also to enlarge its reach. And that suffering also does something for him, it has a maturing result on him.
Suffering is not one dimensional. It is not only for your maturity. It is not only a natural result of a world that loves independence from God. It is not only a natural result of your sin nature not getting its way. There is another reason for it.
Filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions.
(literally): “and I fill up that which lacks of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for His body which is the church.”
The sufferings of Christ were sufficient.
The sufferings referred to as “filling up” (antianapleroo) are necessary and eschatological.
Necessary: the gospel will not call out the members of the future kingdom without resistance. Believers will not mature without resistance.
After they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, 22 strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying, "Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God."
Eschatological: The gospel is to be preached throughout the world until end of this age, and through the seven years of the Tribulation.
Matt 24:4-9
And Jesus answered and said to them, "See to it that no one misleads you. 5 "For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and will mislead many. 6 "You will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end. 7 "For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes. 8 "But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs.
9 "Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name.
When the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God, and because of the testimony which they had maintained; 10 and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, "How long, O Lord, holy and true, will You refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?" 11 And there was given to each of them a white robe; and they were told that they should rest for a little while longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brethren who were to be killed even as they had been, would be completed also.
Christ’s people are to share in His suffering.
Christ’s suffering in being judged for the sins of the world is the only redemption of the world and was complete. Nothing can be added to it.
Our suffering in view is as Christ suffered throughout His life.
The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.
18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.
For to you it has been granted for Christ's sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake, 30 experiencing the same conflict which you saw in me, and now hear to be in me.
For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps
Christ is the humanity of which God is pleased (Isa 42; baptism; Mt. of Transfiguration).
God has given us, in this age, the ‘intolerable compliment’ (Lewis) to be infinitely and purely loved by Him. He will not rest until you are like His Son.
God the Father has given each believer the life of His Son who took upon Himself the nature of humanity.
For thus the Lord has commanded us,
'I have placed You as a light for the Gentiles,
That You should bring salvation to the end of the earth.'" [ISA 42:6]
"I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.
To live like Him is to be faithful to God’s desire for us.
Faithful means that we stay the course no matter what - and what is that “what?”
For just as the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance, so also our comfort is abundant through Christ. 6 But if we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; or if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which is effective in the patient enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer; 7 and our hope for you is firmly grounded, knowing that as you are sharers of our sufferings, so also you are sharers of our comfort.
always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus [context: suffering with Christ in you], so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. 11 For we who live are constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. 12 So death works in us, but life in you.
To be like Christ, to live like Him, is to suffer like Him - vicariously.
Vicarious sufferings of Christ (what the cup of suffering will be filled with).
Definition: Vicarious - acting as a substitute or representative.
Specific to our suffering: It is ministerial, participatory, or representative in a secondary sense: it serves, supports, and advances what Christ has already accomplished.
Can’t just be any suffering. We don’t seek suffering, we seek Christ’s blessing for others and when the suffering comes, we keep on giving.
Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I do my share on behalf of His body, which is the church, in filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions. 25 Of this church I was made a minister according to the stewardship from God bestowed on me for your benefit, so that I might fully carry out the preaching of the word of God.
“This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.” (huper - preposition of substitution, vicarious).
JOH 15:14 - you are My friends if you do what I command you. (JOH 15:16 go and bear fruit; 15:17 “love one another;” JOH 15:11 My joy may be in you, and that your joy would be made full.”
There is no greater joy than vicarious suffering, paradox.
Conclusion: Rejoice in your sufferings.
You cannot change from the thinking of the old self to the new self without the pain of trial and suffering.
Once changed, or maturing, your sufferings continue vicariously; suffering that fills up what it lacking in the vast cup that will be filled with all the vicarious sufferings of the church and Tribulation.
Eric Liddell before the Shantung Compound: suffered as a Christian athlete and as a missionary in China.
Eric Liddell in the Shantung Compound: suffered to “pour himself out” for all he could with “overflowing humor, love of life, sacrificial kindness for others, and inward peace.”
Christ lived a life on earth to save others - His life is the only life and it is the life gifted to His saints. If you live His life, you will contribute to the sufferings of Christ that are not yet complete.
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