May 25th Sermon

In our world today, people like to take group pictures at important events. We take family pictures and display them so that others can see. I have heard some say that if we do not have a picture, then the event didn’t happen. As we come to the close of our study of Paul’s epistle to the Colossians, we find he did much the same thing. Rather than a portrait as we would know it, he gave a verbal group photograph of those who had helped him in his ministry. In his picture, he included some who helped him during his Roman imprisonment as well as some who were familiar to the people of the church in Colossae. In this he gave a very human, personal touch to what is a largely doctrinal epistle. It shows us that while doctrine and strong biblical teaching are certainly important, that godly people who have chosen to serve the Lord are vitally important as well.

To the Apostle Paul, each of these people were indispensable to the Lord’s ministry. The Lord used their personalities, talents, and skills to reach lost people with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Without them, many people would never have heard about the saving grace of the Lord Jesus and would have remained eternally lost. Paul well knew that he could not have done God’s ministry by himself. Actually, nobody can do God’s work alone. God’s leaders have always depended on others to help and support them in their work.

In the days of Israel’s exodus from Egypt, Moses discovered that he needed the help of others. In Numbers eleven, some of the people loudly complained about Moses’ leadership. They were tired of eating manna and said, “Who will give us meat to eat? We remember the fish which we used to eat free in Egypt, the cucumbers and the melons and the leeks and the onions and the garlic.” What do you do when people whine about what they have to eat? It turns out that people were actually weeping about having to eat manna all the time. It turned out to be something of a tipping point for Moses, then complained to the Lord about the complainers. In fact, he said it had become “Too burdensome for me. So if You are going to deal thus with me, please kill me at once…” (Numbers 11:4-15).

God answered Moses’ prayer by assigning seventy men from among Israel’s elders to join him in leading the people. These elders came alongside Moses to help him carry this heavy burden. The Lord told Moses, “I will take of the Spirit who is upon you, and will put Him upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with you, so that you will not bear it all alone” (Numbers 11:16-17).

Throughout his ministry in the New Testament, Paul seldom ministered alone. He was among five pastors in the church at Antioch in Syria. Barnabas and Silas were with him as was Timothy and Luke. Even while imprisoned at the Empire’s capital at Rome, Paul had a ministry team to assist him. Here, at the end of the book of Colossians, he lists several of those who helped him. Some of whom you have heard about, while others are not so well-known. All of them put themselves at risk by associating with a prisoner. We begin by meeting a man named Tychicus, a man with a servant’s heart.

THOSE WHO DELIVERED THE EPISTLE. Colossians 4:7-9

Tychicus: A Man with a Servant’s Heart. Leaders are made more effective and the ministry of the gospel is enhanced by those who come alongside to help. Tychicus was one of those. His name means “fortunate.” He was fortunate to be one of Paul’s assistants for many years. We first meet Tychicus in Acts 20:4, and Paul was nearing the end of his third missionary journey. His goal was to bring a collection of money that would help the persecuted Christians in Jerusalem. This money was collected from churches that were mostly Gentile in composition. Paul’s hope was to increase the bond between Gentile Christians outside of Palestine with the Jewish Christians at Jerusalem. For that reason, Paul took Gentile Christians back to Jerusalem and one of those was Tychicus. He joined Paul on the difficult and dangerous journey, leaving his family, friends, and church while he helped the apostle on his mission.

Subsequently, after delivering the benevolence money, Paul was arrested and sent to Rome. Apparently, Tychicus was with him through that entire experience. When Paul needed a temporary replacement for Titus, the pastor of the church on Crete, Tychicus was one of those Paul considered sending. At the end of Paul’s life, when he was in prison at Rome for the second time, Tychicus was still with him. As his date of execution neared, Paul had reason to call Timothy away from his pastorate in Ephesus and once more, Tychicus was sent to that church as a replacement.

When Paul wrote the book of Colossians, Tychicus was with him in Rome. He had been traveling with Paul for about four years. Paul gave him a difficult assignment. He was to take this very letter from Rome to Colossae. Tychicus had to cross Italy on foot, sail across the Adriatic Sea, traverse Greece on foot, sail across the Aegean Sea and finish with the hundred-mile journey from the western coast of Asia Minor to Colossae. He likely also delivered the epistle to the Ephesians and probably had Onesimus as a traveling companion. The vital necessity of the books of Ephesians and Colossians that traveled in Tychicus’s hands shows the importance of his work. Paul assigned Tychicus to encourage the hearts of the Colossian Christians. Tychicus had three credentials, he was a beloved brother, a faithful servant, and a fellow bond-servant. As a faithful servant, Tychicus never achieved prominence, but he served the Lord in an important capacity as Paul’s liaison to the churches.

Onesimus: A Man with a Sinful Past. Verse nine informs us about a man who traveled with Tychicus back to Colossae. His name was Onesimus and he had a sinful past. He was a runaway slave, who, under Paul’s counsel, was returning to his master, Philemon, which is the occasion for the book of Philemon, who was one of the leaders of the Colossian church and used his home as the church’s meeting place. Onesimus had been a slave in Philemon’s house until he ran away and made his way to Rome, where divine providence brought him to Paul, who led him to Christ. Now Paul urged this new Christian convert to return to Philemon’s home. Paul wrote a letter to Philemon urging him to forgive Onesimus for running away and to welcome him as a brother in Christ. As evidence of new life in Christ Onesimus enjoyed, Paul calls him a faithful and beloved brother. Remember, if anyone comes to Christ, “he is a new creature, old things passed away; behold, new things have come” (2 Corinthians 5:17). When he returned, Onesimus was to be regarded as “one of their number;” a member of the church because in Christ there was neither slave nor free.

GREETINGS FROM PAUL’S CO-WORKERS. Colossians 4:10-14

Aristarchus: A Man with a Sympathetic Heart. In addition to the two who were couriers for at least two and maybe three Pauline epistles, Paul mentioned six who had worked with him. First was Aristarchus, a Jewish man who had received Jesus Christ as his Lord. Although he was a native of Thessalonica, Aristarchus first appears in Ephesus, during Paul’s three-year ministry (Acts 19). He was seized by the rioting mob who recognized him as one of Paul’s companions. He accompanied Paul when he returned to Jerusalem and on his journey to Rome. It is likely that he stayed with Paul during his imprisonment because he was with Paul as he wrote Colossians. Paul called him “my fellow prisoner.” The apostle referred to him this way because he shared in Paul’s prison existence. That he chose to make Paul’s way of life his own speaks of his sympathetic, caring heart. He gave up his own freedom to serve Paul and help him in ministry. He humbly bore Paul’s hardships with little recognition.

Mark: A Man with a Surprising Future. Next, Paul mentioned Mark, whom we know as John Mark. His career in the ministry was quite different from Aristarchus. He joined Paul and Barnabas on their first missionary journey, but deserted them when things became difficult. Mark’s desertion later became the source of friction between Paul and Barnabas. Barnabas insisted on taking his cousin Mark along on the second missionary journey, but Paul adamantly refused because of Mark’s previous disloyalty. So sharp was the ensuing disagreement that Paul and Barnabas separated from each other. Joyfully, John Mark’s story does not end there. By the time Paul wrote Colossians, Mark had become a changed man. He had been restored to usefulness. This man, whom Paul once rejected became one of his greatest helpers. Paul told the Colossians that if Mark came to them, they were to welcome him. We might also conclude that Mark’s life shows God’s willingness to extend second chances to believers who fail. Not only was he restored to the gospel ministry, but he later received a privilege only three others shared: he wrote one of the four gospels.

Justus: A Man with a Strong Commitment. Of this man we know very little. He was called Jesus, which was a common name in the first century. Jesus is the Greek form of the Hebrew Joshua and means “savior.” Since, in the church, that would have been a difficult name to live up to, he was also known by his Latin surname, Justus, which means “righteous.” Justus, along with Aristarchus and Mark, was a Jewish believer, since he is noted by Paul as being “from the circumcision.” Justus was one of three who “proved to be an encouragement” to the Apostle Paul. Justus, along with Aristarchus and Mark, was a source of comfort and encouragement to Paul. That Justus was willing to leave his people to identify with Paul demonstrates his strong commitment. He was willing to take a stand alongside Paul for Jesus Christ no matter what the cost.

Epaphras: A Man with a Single Passion. While the first three in Paul’s list of six are Jewish believers, the next three were all Gentile believers. Epaphras was the founder of the Colossian church and quite likely he was its current pastor. He had journeyed to Rome to inform Paul as to the rising troubles in the church which occasioned this Christologically-centered epistle. That he remained in Rome is seen because he sent along his greetings. Although a distance away from his church, he still ministered to his congregation. He did this by “always laboring earnestly for them in his prayers.” The goal of Epaphras’ prayers was that the people of the Colossian church would stand perfect and fully assured in all the will of God. He wanted them to be complete or mature in Christ. “Fully assured” means satisfied fully in all the will of God. This bears the idea of contentment with their present circumstances, recognizing God’s will in them. The concern of Pastor Epaphras included two other churches located close by Colossae, those at Laodicea and Hierapolis. His fervent, heart-felt prayers and his single-minded passion for his people’s spiritual maturity must have greatly encouraged Paul and the others who joined him in ministry.

Luke: A Man with a Specialized Talent. We know who Luke is. He is the second gospel writer mentioned in these verses. We know only from this verse that Luke was a physician. He was a frequent traveler with Paul and may have helped with Paul’s chronic illnesses. Like the Apostle Paul, he was an educated, cultured man, which is in evidence in the literary quality of his Greek in the gospel of Luke and the book of Acts, both of which he authored. Only Paul mentioned Luke’s name in the New Testament and he did so a total of three times. After joining Paul during his second missionary journey, Luke remained with him for most of the remainder of his life. Luke shows us that not everyone in the Lord’s ministry has to have a degree from a seminary or Bible university. God’s work needs specialists too. Luke surrendered his special talent to the Lord, giving up what might have been a rewarding private practice. In return, the Lord used Luke to write a sizeable portion of the New Testament and by being the beloved companion of the Apostle Paul.

Demas: A Man with a Sad Future. The last man in Paul’s group picture is Demas, who turns out to be an exception to the group of godly servants. Demas made a substantial commitment to the Lord’s work, and was willingly with Paul during both of the apostle’s imprisonments. Yet for some reason, Demas turned his back on the ministry, on Paul, and the Lord Jesus. Second Timothy four tells us that Demas “having loved this present world, has deserted me” (2 Timothy 4:10). The Lord Jesus warned us of such people who hear “the word, but the worry of the world and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word and it becomes unfruitful” (Matthew 13:22). Anyone who has been in the ministry for very long knows the heartbreaking experience of people who desert the Lord. This is not necessarily a reflection of a person’s ministry that someone deserts it. It is comforting to some degree that both the Lord Jesus and the Apostle Paul had those who failed them.

FINAL INSTRUCTIONS. Colossians 4:15-18

Greet the Brethren. Although Paul had not personally visited the church at Colossae, he considered them part of his Christian family, calling them brethren. Paul recognized all believers as his brothers and sisters in Christ. He called upon Tychicus and Onesimus to convey his greetings to all the believers who gathered in this church. All of them were vitally important.

The Church in Nympha’s House. The early manuscripts of the New Testament vary between Nympha (feminine) and Nymphas (masculine). Most modern scholars believe it is properly Nympha, who was likely a widow who owned a house large enough so that the church could meet in it for worship. Nympha’s home was probably in Laodicea. Other wealthy women had an impact on the ministry of the gospel. Lydia, for example, (Acts 16:14), who was from nearby Thyatira, was also a wealthy woman who supported the church in Philippi.

Directions for Archippus. The letter from Laodicea was most likely what we know as the Epistle to the Ephesians. Tychicus probably brought both Colossians and Ephesians with him to deliver to these churches. The oldest manuscripts of Ephesians do not contain the words “in Ephesus” in Ephesians 1:1, indicating that it was a circular letter intended to be read in several churches.

Archippus is mentioned only here and in Philemon 2. It is likely that Archippus was the son of Philemon and his wife Apphia and that he was part of the leadership team of the Colossian church that met in his parent’s house. He was directed to fulfill his ministry.

With the final sentence complete, Paul picked up the quill and signed his own name and the final greeting personally. He asked the church once more to remember him in his imprisonment. He closed with a reminder of God’s wonderful grace. The church then and now is completely dependent on God’s grace.

Thus ends this amazing Christ-centered epistle in which the Apostle Paul exalts the greatness and supremacy of the Lord Jesus Christ. The death, burial, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ was the message of the Apostle Paul, and the only message that brings eternal salvation for anyone who believes in the Lord Jesus. Jesus has been the only message of salvation for all of these centuries and He still is today. Only by trusting in Him can anyone be saved.

In these final verses, Paul showed that every Christian is vital and important. It isn’t just big names from big churches that are important. Unknown servants of the Lord, committed to obeying God’s will for their lives, are every bit as important and necessary. The work of the Lord in reaching the lost for Christ goes on in big cities, towns, and rural parts of this world and all who serve in the local church are important. The writer of Hebrews put it this way, “For God is not unjust so as to forget your work and the love which you have shown toward His name, in having ministered and in still ministering to the saints.” Our Lord will remember all you do for His glory.