Why is suffering such a major element of Christian doctrine and life?
Calculating the
present value of the gospel of the grace of God
(Acts
20:22-24, Preaching: Pastor Stephen Magee, April 14, 2013)
[22] And
now, behold, I am going to Jerusalem, constrained by the Spirit, not
knowing what will happen to me there,
Paul
had spent years primarily ministering to two major cities, Corinth
and Ephesus. Now he was going to Jerusalem, the city where Jesus was
put to death and rose from the dead, the city where the Holy Spirit
was first poured out upon the church. Jerusalem was also the city
where a much younger Saul had first hated the Christian message.
Now
the Spirit of God was leading Paul back to that city. He was bringing
offerings from the churches in what is today Greece and Turkey. These
offerings from largely Gentile congregations would be given to Jewish
Christians in Jerusalem who were facing great difficulties because of
a famine in that area.
Paul
did not know exactly what would happen to him in Jerusalem...
[23] except
that the Holy Spirit testifies to me in every city that imprisonment
and afflictions await me.
...Although
he had been warned by spirit-filled people in all the churches where
he had gathered these offerings that he would face trouble in
Jerusalem, even imprisonment.
Why
would Paul not be greeted as a welcome ambassador of the Christian
faith bearing gifts that would help the poor? There were many people
in Jerusalem who were just as Paul once was. They rejected the belief
that Jesus was the Messiah. Their reasoning? How could a man who died
on a cross like Jesus did be the promised Son of David? If He had
risen from the dead, where was he now? If Jesus was the promised
king, how could he reign from heaven? Why would he have disciples who
were as lowly as Peter and John?
Many
Jews had rejected the clear teaching of the Old Testament that the
Messiah would not only be a glorious king, but that He would also be
a suffering servant who would be lifted up on the cross to die. They
also could not embrace the life of humble service that this Messiah
called them to when He said, “Follow Me.” Their animosity led to
violence. Paul understood from prophets in various churches that he
would face much trouble in Jerusalem.
[24] But
I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if
only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the
Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.
We
might imagine that this would have led Paul to abandon his thoughts
of traveling to Jerusalem. It did not. He believed that the Holy
Spirit was moving him in the direction of trouble for a good purpose
that would serve the cause of the gospel. Because of His commitment
to the message of the grace of God, he considered his own personal
comfort as a very small matter.
What
was important to him? That he would finish the job that the Lord had
given him when he was called. Suffering was a part of the package
from the beginning both for the ambassador and the King. Paul, the
ambassador of Jesus, understood the words that God had spoken to the
man who baptized him. “I will show him how much he must suffer for
the sake of my name.” Jesus, his King, had faced suffering from the
likes of Herod from his birth. The body of King Jesus, the church,
had suffered greatly because of the hatred of men like Saul/Paul. Now
Paul was ready to face his day of trouble for the sake of a message
that needed to be delivered.
What
is the gospel of the grace of God?
Paul
was willing to suffer and die for a message. This message is called
“grace.” Grace is God's favor shown to those who deserve His
wrath. That good news comes to us entirely through one Suffering
Servant, who lived and died for us. People don't like this plan of
God, despite the fact that the message of Christ is such good news.
The problem with the announcement that God has provided a righteous
Substitute for us who died for our sins is that it offends our pride.
If
we have no hope except for the death of the Son of God for us, then
we must have a problem that we cannot solve with the gift of
ourselves to God. We would prefer the absurdity of a religion that
would leave us as our own Master and Savior. We need to see our great
need for the mercy of God that could only come to us through the
righteousness of Christ.
Why
would God want that message to be promoted through the word of
suffering servants?
There
is something very fitting about having the message of One Suffering
Servant brought to the world by a church full of suffering servants.
We have been made willing servants of our great King. We are not Ahab
and Jezebel, demanding what others rightly have, and insisting on our
own comforts. We follow a Christ who suffered for us. We know that we
do not even own ourselves any more.
In
the days of ancient Israel, God made His people the stewards of His
land. They were not to sell that land if the price was right. It was
a part of an inheritance that was to be passed on to the next
generation. All that they had was the possession of God. We who
believe the gospel should understand this even more than those who
served before the days of Jesus. Our lives are not our own. We have
been bought with a price that we could never have paid. We have a
Redeemer who has given Himself for us.
A
church that is willing to suffer for her King displays the good news
of the message of Jesus with our lives. We have seen with the eyes of
faith the beauty of what Christ has won for us. We have seen a spring
of water welling up to eternal life, and we do not account our lives
as precious to ourselves when compared to the surpassing beauty of
the prize that is ours through Jesus.
When
will the world see that the King who came as a suffering servant will
forever be the King of glory?
Men
like Saul of Tarsus once rejected the gospel as bad news for Judaism.
They rejected the message of a suffering Messiah as an insult to
their religious pride. They were offended by the lowliness of His
method and His followers. But now, so many centuries after those
early days, the offerings of many Christians are streaming into the
Kingdom of God from places much further away from Jerusalem than
Greece or Turkey.
Some
will never see the King of Glory for who He is. But one day the
blinders will be lifted off of the eyes of many who had once rejected
Jesus of Nazareth as too low. They will see what has become
undeniable with the passage of time. Our suffering Christ and His
servants throughout the world have been used to bring the message of
the precious good news of God to every people group throughout the
world. What a mighty God we serve! What a joy it is to serve the
Lord! The Lord is King!
Old
Testament Passage: 1 Kings 21:1-16 – Ahab's lust for this fading
world
Gospel
Passage: John 4:7-14 – A spring of water welling up to eternal life
Sermon
Text: Acts 20:22-24 – Paul's expectations of suffering and settled
determination to serve the Lord
Sermon
Point: An apostolic church is willing to suffer now for the
proclamation of the gospel of the grace of God.
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