Him We Proclaim
Him We Proclaim
Colossians 1:24–29
Introduction: The English Reformer Hugh Latimer, moments before being burned at the stake alongside Nicholas Ridley, turned to his younger friend and said, “Be of good comfort, Master Ridley, and play the man; we shall this day light such a candle in England as I trust shall never be put out.” Their bodies were consumed by flames, but their confidence was consumed by Christ. They believed deeply that the gospel advances not through comfort but through costly obedience, not through applause but through affliction.
What gave them such courage? It was the same conviction that motivated the apostle Paul as he wrote the letter to the Colossians.
I. We persevere in suffering (v. 24)
Paul begins with a staggering statement: “Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake…” No ordinary person finds joy in pain and hardship. Paul is not someone who seeks suffering for its own sake (he is not masochistic); he does not derive pleasure from it. However, he draws strength not from his own resources but from a deep, transformative union with Christ. In this connection, he discovers a profound resilience that transcends the natural limitations of human experience, allowing him to face trials with courage and purpose. And that is why he can say something as theologically dense as this: “I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of His body, the church.”
This verse has puzzled many, but Paul is not suggesting that Christ’s atoning work was incomplete. When Jesus declared, “It is finished,” the atonement was fully accomplished (PAID IN FULL).
We believe in the sufficiency and finality of Christ’s sacrifice: “By a single offering He has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified” (Hebrews 10:14). There is no deficiency in the cross.
What does Paul mean? He means that Christ so identifies with His people that their suffering is His suffering.
When Paul was converted on the Damascus road, Jesus said, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” (Acts 9:4).
Tertullian: “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.”
Paul rejoices because his suffering is not meaningless.
When you suffer for Christ (when family misunderstands you, when friends distance themselves, when coworkers mock your faith) you are not suffering alone. Our afflictions are instruments of sanctification and testimonies to His worth.
II. We proclaim Christ (vv. 25–27)
Paul continues: “I became a minister according to the stewardship from God… to make the word of God fully known.” Paul understands his ministry as a “stewardship” granted by God, through which he brings the Word to its fullness. His task is to expound the revelation of God in its fullness, unveiling the mystery now disclosed in Christ so that the church grasps the unity, sufficiency, and redemptive scope of God’s saving plan.
At the center of this proclamation is what Paul calls “the mystery” (μυστήριον), a term that refers to God’s redemptive purpose once concealed in the Old Testament but now unveiled in its fullness through the person and work of Christ. This mystery (μυστήριον) is the inclusion of the Gentiles through union with Christ, summed up in the breathtaking reality that “Christ in you” is the believer’s present possession and the hope of future glory. This means three things: (1) The presence of Christ in you; (2) The power of Christ in you; and (3) The prospect of Christ in you (the hope of glory).
Do you stir up this truth daily? Do you remember that Christ is in you? When you face temptation, discouragement, fear, or weakness, do you preach this truth to your soul? Christ in you means you are never alone, never powerless, never hopeless.
III. We present everyone mature (vv. 28–29)
Paul now states his purpose with clarity: “Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ.” This is the goal of ministry: maturity in Christ. Not spiritual infancy. Not shallow Christianity. But Christshaped, Christcentered, Christdependent maturity.
Paul weaves together both warning and teaching; (1) Warning, because sin carries real spiritual danger, and (2) Teaching, because God’s truth brings life and formation. He repeats the word “everyone” (3x) to underscore the breadth of his pastoral concern: the gospel summons people from every background, and God’s aim is that all who belong to Christ grow toward full maturity in Him.
Paul’s aim is eschatological. He is looking ahead to the day when he will stand before Christ and present the believers entrusted to him as mature, complete, and whole. This is why he labors, struggles, and toils not in his own strength, but with “all His energy that He powerfully works within me.” The same Christ who dwells in believers empowers the ministry that forms believers.
Are you growing toward maturity? Are you helping others grow? Christ is not merely your ticket to heaven; He is your life, your strength, your goal. The Christian life is not static. It is a journey toward Christlikeness, fueled by the energy of Christ Himself.
Conclusion: “Theat in everything Christ might be preeminent.”
Paul’s life displayed a pattern of suffering, proclamation, and pursuit of maturity, as the preeminence of Christ shaped every part of his calling. This same pattern belongs to the church today. The gospel brings us into salvation and then carries us forward in grace, forming us into servants who endure hardship with hope, proclaim Christ with conviction, and labor with joy to see one another grow into full maturity in Him.
So, dear church family, as we continue to serve together, let us make it our aim that “in everything Christ might be preeminent.” Christ we proclaim. Christ we treasure. Christ we exalt. SDG!