THE FELLOWSHIP OF HIS SUFFERINGS

"But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.  Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for Whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, and be found in Him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: that I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death" (Philippians 3:7-10).

 

The cry of the Apostle Paul's heart was to know Christ in all His fullness.  Like the other apostles and disciples of the Lord who came before him, Paul was willing to forsake everything and spend the rest of his life following Jesus and learning Who He really is.  All the things that he once counted as treasures and great accomplishments in his life - his position in the religious community, his intellect, his wealth, and his supposed knowledge of the scriptures - he now saw as waste and loss.  He had come to realize after his encounter with the Lord on the road to Damascus that he had spent his whole life trying to establish HIS righteousness.  He had missed out completely on the righteousness that comes from God by faith in Jesus Christ.  For all Paul's familiarity with the Old Testament, He had missed altogether the many pictures, types, and shadows that revealed the true nature of the Son of God as well as the sufferings that He would endure in order to secure mankind's salvation.  Like most of the Jews of his time, Paul expected Christ to appear as the conquering hero Who would deliver them from the oppression of their enemies.  Messiah was a romantic figure to the Jews, and they looked for Him to return in great strength and power.  The revelation of Christ that Paul had on the road to Damascus shattered all of those notions.  

 

The prophet Isaiah gave a description of Christ that should have raised some questions about just what kind of man the Messiah would be.  In fact, God spoke through Isaiah and asked how many would even believe the things that would be spoken of the Son of God.  "Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed?  For He [Christ] shall grow up before Him [God] as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: He hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him.  He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from Him; He was despised, and we esteemed Him not." (Isaiah 53:1-3).  Rather than coming in strength and might, Isaiah prophesied that Christ would appear as a tender, fragile shoot trying to survive in a dry patch of ground.  He would be born lowly and without "advantages" of any kind.  There would be no natural beauty or majesty in His bearing that would attract people to Him.  Instead, He would be despised and rejected by men.  They would turn their faces from Him, and He would suffer at their hands.  It was not a life of popularity and prosperity that Christ exemplified, but a life of poverty and self-denial.  This is not the example that most of us would care to follow.  This does not fit with the beautiful pictures of Christ that artists have portrayed.  We want a Savior Who stops by at a convenient time, forgives our sins, and then leaves us alone.  Oh, He can leave His number, though, in case there's anything else we may require!

 

The image of Jesus Christ that we have is very important because it determines what kind of life we will lead, and the effectiveness of our labors for Him.  Jesus said, "If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me." (Luke 9:23).  Our knowledge of the Lord comes by degrees.  One day we may see that He is love and that we must love our friends and family in a more sacrificial way.  The next day, however, we may see that He loves His enemies, and we must go a very large step further in our understanding of His love.  Step by step we learn that, in order to embrace Christ and Who He is, we must lose a portion of our own natural tendencies.  If we want our innermost, spiritual man to live, then our outward man must die.  Jesus went on to say, "For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for My sake, the same shall save it" (Luke 9:24).

 

Just as Christ was like a lamb led to the slaughter, so also are we.  "As it is written, For Thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter" (Romans 8:36).  We Christians are called to die daily.  Yet, we find that as our outward man perishes along with all his worldly attitudes, traditions, and pride, our inward man is daily being renewed and strengthened (2 Corinthians 4:16).  We find that we are no longer content to conform ourselves to the way that the rest of the world thinks and feels.  Instead, we find we are gradually being transformed and renewed into the image of Jesus as we seek to see Him as He really is.  This walk is not for sissies.  It involves bearing crosses, forgiving injustices, enduring persecution, and giving yourself away.  Dying involves some suffering.  "For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow His steps: Who did no sin, neither was guile found in His mouth" (1 Peter 2:21). 

 

The trade-off in all of this (besides eternal life and bliss) is the inner joy and peace that we experience as a result of yielding ourselves to the Lord.  He shows us that the battles and struggles that we encounter in life are no longer our battles, but His.  He gives us light in every dark place, and tranquility in every violent storm.  And, of course, He has promised us a place in His everlasting kingdom.  The Israelite king, David, invited all men to, "Taste and see that the Lord is good:” because “blessed is the man that trusteth in him." (Psalm 34:8).

 

The apostle Paul realized that to know Christ meant to know death.  His words were, "That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death."  These other things were connected in Paul's understanding to the knowledge of Christ.  The power of the Lord's resurrection is a mighty force that He invites us to experience, but He is not just referring to the day when our physical bodies will be raised up from the dead on the last day.  He is also referring to the quickening that we feel as we die to self.  "And you hath He quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins" (Ephesians 2:1).  "This is my comfort in my affliction: for Thy word hath quickened me" (Psalm 119:50).  We cannot know the resurrection life of Jesus Christ without knowing death to self.  This is what Paul means by entering into the fellowship of His sufferings.  As we lay down our lives for God and for others, we enter into a special type of communion with our Lord.  We become conformed to Jesus' death.  As we allow this to take place, we find that we become instruments through which the Lord can save others.  As Paul so aptly puts it, "And whether we be afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effectual in the enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer: or whether we be comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation" (1 Corinthians 1:6).  John the Baptist perhaps said it the simplest, “He must increase, but I must decrease.” (John 3:30).

 

It is a serious matter to get to know the Lord.  He expects that we follow Him, and not that He follow us into whatever we choose to do with our lives.  We are, after all, called to be servants and not lords.  What happened to "not my will, but Thine be done" anyway?  It is a very strait gate and narrow way that leads to eternal life.  Jesus said that few would find it.  The wide gate and the broad way is much more appealing to folks.  "I want to claim Christ as my King, but I don't want any demands made on my personal life" seems to be the way too many of us think.  It is time to really get to know the Lord for Who He is.  Isaiah asked, "Who has believed our message?"  I want to be one who responds, "I do!”  “When You said, ‘Seek My face,’ my heart said to You, ‘Your face, LORD, I will seek.’” (Psalm 27:8).

 

I love good photography.  Some of the best pictures I have seen are the ones where the subject is in sharp focus in the foreground, but the background is blurred so that it just appears like a splash of colors.  This effect works great in photographs, but it isn't a good technique to apply to real life.  We humans have a tendency to do just that, though.  We focus very sharply on what's in front of us, or what we are experiencing at the moment, and lose sight altogether of the big picture.  The apostle Paul said, "All things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose" (Romans 8:28).  By this verse we know:  1) God has a purpose for our lives, and therefore has called us to Himself to fulfill that purpose, and, 2) all of the pieces and circumstances of our life when added together, will equal something very good because God will use them to fulfill His purpose in us.  It's much like assembling a jigsaw puzzle.  You can't tell what the finished work will be by just looking at a single piece or two.  You have to fit them together one by one until the puzzle is complete, and then you can clearly see what the artist or photographer had in mind.  It's keeping the overall goal in mind that gives us patience and hope to continue working on the puzzle one small piece at a time.  It isn't even necessary, or always possible, to know the details of God's purpose for our lives.  It is enough to know that HE knows what He's doing, and that He means everything for our ultimate good.  One day, when we know even as we are known, God’s plan will be quite clear.  Until then, we must trust in Him and walk by faith.

 

Each trial of life that we go through may not be good in and of itself, but when we add up the sum of our life experiences, they will all have worked together to create something good which only God could have engineered.  The key to achieving that purpose is hidden in the phrase "to them that love God, to them who are the called."  Those who only pay lip service to God but do not love and cherish Him more than their life are like ships without rudders.  Their trials won't add up to anything that will endure because they are not looking to Him to guide and direct their lives, or to correct and chasten them when they get off course.  They are lost without a compass, and are therefore unable to navigate the storms and difficulties that they encounter in life.  It will be impossible for them to stay headed toward their desired destination. 

 

The apostle Paul desired to know Christ as He really is and not just what his imagination would like Him to be.  Jesus' words and ministry broke with so much of the conventional and traditional wisdom of His day - He simply wasn't what the religious leaders were looking for or wanted.  They could not see the broader picture that God had in mind for His Son.  Paul came to understand that to know Christ was to embrace "the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings" and to be "made conformable to His death" (Philippians 3:10).  He realized that we are being refined, and that we are being transformed.  Like a refiner applying intense heat to the crucible, God allows our trials to melt us, and release the impurities that are trapped inside our carnal natures.  He can bring them to the surface, and then remove them.  Like a potter, God is kneading and prodding us in order to transform us from a formless lump of clay into a vessel of honor for His glory and His use.  Like a blacksmith, God places us in the intense fire; and then, when we are pliable, He hammers us until we are bent to His perfect will.  As Christ endured much suffering in order to set aside His own will, so must we follow in His footsteps and set aside our own wills.   

 

The apostle Peter understood this principle.  He said, "Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: but rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when His glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy" (1 Peter 4:12,13).  Why is it that we are so easily ready to fall apart when things don't go our way, or when real tragedy touches us in some way?  We think it is some mistake!  After all, God loves us, and He surely wouldn't let anything bad touch our lives!  Oh, how spoiled we have become in Western societies.  There are Christians suffering, and even dying, every day for their faith in Muslim, Communist, and many third world countries; and yet we think it strange that we should ever be allowed to suffer anything.  Jesus said that it is our spirit that is quickened (brought to life) by the gospel message, but that our flesh profits nothing by it (John 6:63).  We modern Christians want our ears to be tickled, and our flesh to be coddled.  How can we say that we abide in Christ if we are so ready to deny His teachings?  Jesus taught, "If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.  For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for My sake, the same shall save it.  For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away?" (Luke 9:23-25).  "He that saith he abideth in Him ought himself also so to walk, even as He walked" (1 John 2:6).    

 

Please understand that God does not cause our difficulties in life, He allows them and He uses them to perfect us.  God will not tempt any man.  Our circumstances are brought on by a variety of things.  It may be by some person who wishes us evil.  It may be a natural disaster.  It may be (and often is) the product of our own bad choices, or the lusts of our sinful flesh.  Regardless, God is able to take all of these things and weave them together into something good if we will learn to yield our lives to Him in true obedience.

 

The story of Joseph in the book of Genesis is one of the best examples of the fellowship of Christ's sufferings.  Joseph, in fact, is a type and shadow of Christ.  In his story we find so many parallels to the life of our Lord.  For instance:

 

·         They were both dearly loved by their father;

·         Their father gave special gifts to them which set them apart from their brethren;

·         They both were destined for greatness, but were humbled by circumstance for a time;

·         They were both sent by their heavenly Father to minister to their brethren;

·         Those whom they were sent to hated them and conspired against them;

·         They were both betrayed for money;

·         They both took on themselves the form of a servant;

·         They were both highly exalted and placed at the right hand of power;

·         All the wealth of the kingdom was placed under their hands;

·         By their sacrifice, not only were their brethren saved, but so also was the whole world (Genesis 41:54-57).

 

During all his years of suffering as a slave, and then in prison, Joseph was being molded into one of the most important figures in the history of the world.  Consider how many souls would have starved to death during the great seven year famine if Joseph had not been in the right place at the right time in order to warn Pharaoh of the impending disaster.  There were many bad things that befell Joseph; but in the end, they worked together, not just for good, but for the salvation of the whole world.  This is the fellowship of Christ's sufferings - this is the pattern that God wishes our lives to follow.  Though we may not have the opportunity to save the world as Joseph and Jesus did, our lives - with all of our struggles and blessings - can be the very witness that those around us need to see in order to be saved.  Our lives are not without purpose!  God has plans for you and me.  "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.  Then shall ye call upon Me, and ye shall go and pray unto Me, and I will hearken unto you.  And ye shall seek Me, and find Me, when ye shall search for Me with all your heart.  And I will be found of you, saith the LORD." (Jeremiah 29:11-14).  Joseph's name means "may Jehovah add or give increase."  This is just what the Lord is willing to do in our lives: to add to, or enhance and enrich our lives, and give us increase - increase of joy, increase of peace, increase of security, and life that is much more abundant. 

 

The most wondrous picture that we see of Joseph is in the end, after he has made himself known and his brothers are standing before him.  It is at that moment when all God's plan was revealed to him.  Because he was transformed by all of the things that he went through, he was able to say from a pure heart of faith and love, "But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive" (Genesis 50:20).  This is always the proof that we have been refined and purified by God: when we have let go of all bitterness, resentment, anger, and blame.  It isn't that Joseph excused what his brothers did to him, nor was he saying that God initiated their actions to set the stage for him to save the world from hunger.  He was saying that God had freed him to forgive them and not let their actions destroy him.  He was declaring that God had turned his life into something good and meaningful.  Joseph had overcome the things that were meant to destroy him, and he was able to turn them into victory. 

 

When Corrie Ten Boom would visit people who were in the hospital or going through some trial, she would pull an embroidered picture of a crown out of her purse and show it to them.  She would say that our lives often appear like the underside of the embroidery, with what seems like random threads going this way and that with very little order.  It can look very ugly when viewing it from that perspective, but that is the only view that we have of our lives most of the time.  God, however, sees the work on top that He is making.  There He is creating beauty, symmetry, and order.  Some day we will see the finished work, but for now we must trust what God is doing and submit ourselves to Him in love and devotion.   

 

"Though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered.  And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him." (Hebrews 5:8, 9).

 

"For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings." (Hebrews 2:10).