So you take your copy of God's Word and turn to Paul's letter to the Colossians.
It's our final Sunday in this book. Lord willing, I don't fall over dead this morning.
Because then next Sunday someone else will have to preach the rest of it to you.
I hope that you've enjoyed it as much as I have enjoyed teaching it and learning from it myself as I've studied it.
So we will look this morning at Colossians chapter 4 verses 7 through 18.
Begin reading in verse 7.
Tychicus will tell you all about my activities.
He is a beloved brother and faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord.
I have sent him to you for this very purpose that you may know how we are and that he may encourage your hearts.
And with him Onesimus, our faithful and beloved brother who is one of you.
They will tell you of everything that has taken place here.
Aristarchus, my fellow prisoner, greets you.
And Mark, the cousin of Barnabas, concerning whom you have received instructions.
If he comes to you, welcome him.
And Jesus, who is called Justice.
These are the only men of the circumcision among my fellow workers for the kingdom of God.
And they have been a comfort to me.
Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ Jesus, greets you, always struggling on your behalf in his prayers,
that you may stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God.
For I bear him witness that he has worked hard for you and for those in Laodicea and Heropolis.
Luke, the beloved physician, greets you, as does Demas.
Give my greetings to the brothers at Laodicea and to Nympha and the church in her house.
And when this letter has been read among you, have it also read in the church of the Laodiceans.
And see that you also read the letter from Laodicea.
And say to Archippus, see that you fulfill the ministry that you have received in the Lord.
I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand.
Remember my chains.
Grace be with you.
This is God's word to us.
It was written for his glory and our good.
And we would all do well to listen to it in order to believe its promises and obey its commands.
So we find ourselves at the closing of Paul's letter.
Let me remind you that all of the Word of God, the book that you have, I hope, in your lap or somehow digitally in front of you,
the 66 canonized books of the Old and New Testament were written by God himself through men.
So men themselves penned the letters, the Spirit of God working in them.
The Word of God was breathed out by him, yet was not divorced from the context, the particular circumstance, and the personality of the writer.
So it's proper, as Paul is writing a letter to a particular church, that he concludes the letter.
He does what you do in a letter.
He wraps it up.
Finishes it out.
And we've moved now from Paul's direct exhortation, his doctrinal stances and statements in the beginning of the letter,
to his correction and now how it is that these things are meant to play out in the life of a Christian,
to things that can seem, maybe at first look, a bit insignificant.
I don't know if you, like me, upon the reading of epistles, again and again, will get to this point and just hurry up to the end.
I finished the letter now.
I just need to go through these names quickly to get to the end.
They have some historical significance, I'm sure, but there's nothing really to be learned from them.
And this is a grave error.
Every word is inspired by God.
It's important that Paul wrote this conclusion the way in which he wrote this conclusion.
And we need to take the time to stop and look at it and see what it is that we can learn from it.
This morning there are a number of things we can learn from this.
We could take a look at each of these men's lives as individuals and look at the phrasing that Paul uses and the titles that he gives them.
And certainly this is a thing that should be done at some point.
But this morning I primarily just want to say two things from this text.
And that is that we are all needy and that we are all needed.
We're all needy and we are all needed.
We're all needy.
Paul himself, arguably the greatest of Christians, needed support.
He needed a fellowship of brothers around him.
He needed both spiritual and practical ministry to him in his life.
And this is such a wonderful example of that.
He's not the only.
We'll look further at that.
But I want to take you to the Old Testament for just a bit.
So turn to the book of Exodus with me.
We've been in the habit, as we preach verse by verse, of doing something New Testament and then doing something Old Testament.
Before Colossians I preached through Mark.
Before that we preached through Nehemiah.
So we've kind of broken the pattern already.
Prayerfully we're considering beginning the book of Acts.
So we're breaking it all up.
So today I'm going to take you to the Old Testament for at least a little while.
To scratch that itch.
To Exodus chapter 4.
And I just want to show you a few examples in the life of Moses.
Again, a leader mightily used by God in the life of God's people.
And the way in which Moses needed.
And the way in which God provided for that need.
So Exodus chapter 4 verses 1 through 17.
This is after the call of Moses, the burning bush experience.
God's still speaking to him from the burning bush.
And Moses answered,
But behold, they will not believe me or listen to my voice.
For they will say, the Lord did not appear to you.
The Lord said to him, what is that in your hand?
He said, a staff.
And he said, throw it on the ground.
So he threw it on the ground and it became a serpent.
And Moses ran from it.
But the Lord said to Moses, put out your hand and catch it by the tail.
So he put out his hand and caught it.
And it became a staff in his hand.
That they may believe that the Lord, the God of their fathers,
the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob has appeared to you.
Again, the Lord said to him, put your hand inside your cloak.
And he put his hand inside his cloak.
And when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous like snow.
Then God said, put your hand back inside your cloak.
So he put his hand back inside the cloak.
And when he took it out, behold, it was restored like the rest of his flesh.
If they will not believe you, God said, or listen to the first sign,
they may believe the latter sign.
If they will not believe even these two signs or listen to your voice,
you shall take some water from the Nile and pour it on the ground.
And the water that you shall take from the Nile will become blood on the dry ground.
So there's these three miracles, God says,
both shows them that they will work.
And then a third that he says, if you do this, it will happen.
If they don't believe what you say, do these things and they'll listen to you.
And then his response beginning in verse 10.
But Moses said to the Lord,
Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent either in the past or since you have spoken to your servant,
but I am slow of speech and of tongue.
Then the Lord said to him, who has made man's mouth?
Who makes him mute or deaf or seeing or blind?
Is it not I, the Lord?
Now, therefore, go and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak.
So God's response to him in his faithlessness is he knows I'm naturally gifted.
I'm not a good speaker.
God says, but I made your mouth.
I will speak through you.
Moses responds, verse 13.
But he said, Oh, my Lord, please send someone else.
Then the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses.
And he said, is there not Aaron, your brother, the Levite?
I know that he can speak well.
Behold, he is coming out to meet you.
And when he sees you, he will be glad in his heart.
You shall speak to him and put the words in his mouth.
And I will be with your mouth and with his mouth and will teach you both what to do.
He shall speak for you to the people.
And he shall be your mouth.
And you shall be as God to him.
And take in your hand the staff with which you shall do the signs.
So even as God responds in anger, his anger is kindled against Moses.
And then he says, and I will give you a helper.
I will bring somebody to help you.
I will bring you a partner in the ministry that I have called you to.
We see another example in Exodus 17.
Please turn there.
Beginning in verse 8.
Then Amalek came and fought with Israel at Rephidim.
So Moses said to Joshua, choose for us men and go out and fight with Amalek.
Tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand.
So Joshua did as Moses told him and fought with Amalek while Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill.
Whenever Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed.
And whenever he lowered his hand, Amalek prevailed.
But Moses' hands grew weary.
So they took a stone and put it under him.
And he sat on it while Aaron and Hur held up his hands, one on one side and the other on the other side.
So his hands were steady until the going down of the sun.
And Joshua overwhelmed Amalek and his people with the sword.
So once again, a task given to Moses to see the people of Israel prevail in battle at the leadership of Joshua as long as the staff was raised.
And in his human frailty, he's unable to do this for the duration of the battle.
And so he's supported by Aaron and by Hur.
One more.
Turn a few books.
Numbers chapter 11.
Numbers 11 beginning in verse 11.
This is after the people of Israel once again have grumbled greatly.
They've complained against God.
God's actually set some fires at the borders of the camps that have consumed part of the camp.
He's died down those fires now.
Beginning in verse 11.
Moses said to the Lord,
Why have you dealt ill with your servant?
And why have I not found favor in your sight that you lay the burden of all this people on me?
Did I conceive all this people?
Did I give them birth that you should say to me?
Carry them in your bosom as a nurse carries a nursing child to the land that you swore to give.
To their fathers.
He was like,
Why am I in charge of all these babies?
Where am I to get meat to give to all this people?
For they weep before me and say,
Give us meat that we may eat.
I am not able to carry all this people alone.
The burden is too heavy for me.
If you will treat me like this,
Kill me at once.
If I find favor in your sight,
That I may not see my wretchedness.
Verse 16,
Then the Lord said to Moses,
Gather for me seventy men of the elders of Israel,
Whom you know to be the elders of the people and officers over them,
And bring them to the tent of meeting,
And let them take their stand there with you.
And I will come down and talk with you there,
And I will take some of the spirit that is on you and put it on them.
And they shall bear the burden of the people with you,
So that you may not bear it yourself alone.
So we're seeing again and again this pattern with Moses,
That he's called to do these things by God,
And God equips,
And he equips him,
How?
With people.
With help.
With partners.
In the ministry.
So the greatest of leaders for God still need other Christians.
We see this to be true of Paul.
The more that you mature in your Christian faith,
You're going to realize how much you need the church.
How much you need other people.
That's always true of you.
The more you mature,
The more you realize how very true it is.
So we get this list.
A laundry list of shorts from Paul.
About these different men.
The beginning, verse 7,
Tychicus is sent to him with the letter
To tell about all of his activities.
Paul describes him as a beloved brother
And a faithful minister.
And a fellow servant in the Lord.
At the writing of Colossians,
Tychicus has been with Paul for approximately four years.
We can't pin that time frame down exactly,
But it's been about four years since he's been with Paul.
He's mentioned five times in the New Testament.
All of which are very brief mentions.
Usually it's just his name drop in there.
But they give us a very, very rich profile of him.
I'll give you two examples.
Titus 3.12
Tychicus is sent along with Artemis
To temporarily replace Titus,
Who's the pastor on the island of Crete.
While Titus is coming to visit Paul.
So he's one of the men that's sent there
To replace Titus for a time being.
And we see this again in 2 Timothy 4.12
So that Timothy can travel to see Paul.
Paul's now writing these letters,
Afraid that his life is almost over.
Wants to see Timothy, his son in faith,
One more time.
And Tychicus is sent to replace him in Ephesus.
You can see that in 2 Timothy 4.12.
And he's been sent, verse 8,
I have sent him to you for this very purpose.
That you may know how we are
And that he may encourage your hearts.
The reason he's sent
Is that he may encourage their hearts.
And I think rightly to read and understand
By knowing how they are.
By seeing the way in which God
Has been graciously working through the ministry of Paul.
To come and impart to them
How things have been going.
You see again in verse 9
The inclusion of Onesimus.
They will tell you of everything
That has taken place here.
It's a great encouragement
Or it should be at least to us as believers
To see the way in which God is working
In the rest of the world.
And Paul knows this.
And he sends Tychicus for this very end.
On this particular journey
Paul has sent him to carry the letter
To the Colossians.
Also to the Ephesians
In the same region.
And likely, we don't know for sure
But likely the letter of Philemon as well.
Philemon who's a part of the Colossian church
And the church there likely met
In his house.
This is an incredibly difficult journey
So we shouldn't make light of that.
Being sent to carry a letter
Such a distance from a Roman prison
All the way to the town of Colossae
Would have taken quite some time.
He would have had to cross Italy on foot
At its very shortest distance
The closest port from Rome
To the east coast
Would have been a hundred miles.
He had to sail across the Adriatic Sea
Traverse Greece once again
Closest possible thing
Another hundred miles on foot
Sail across the Aegean Sea
And once he got to the coast of Asia Minor
Where Ephesus was located
He would have had to go yet another hundred miles
On foot to there.
It's not an easy thing to do.
You add up those distances in your mind
And you say, well that's no big deal
But in this day it was incredibly dangerous
To travel distances of this kind
And in this way.
So a faithful man
Being sent by Paul
On Paul's behalf to be an encouragement
To the churches at Ephesus
And Colossae.
And Paul sends with him
Onesimus, verse 9
Our faithful and beloved brother
Who is one of you.
Now we know
If we've read Philemon
And if we see this clue
In this text in verse 9
That Onesimus
Was a Colossian.
Somehow
Paul's encountered him
Along his way
And
He knows
He's from there
He's sending him back
To his people
And we learn
From reading in Philemon
That Onesimus
Was the slave
Of Philemon
And he's being sent back to him
As part of his repentance.
Right?
That he was a runaway
Became a Christian
Under the ministry of Paul
And he's now being sent back
To Philemon
And we can see a little bit about this
So turn to the book of Philemon
With me
This is why we suppose
That Tychicus
Was also carrying this letter
With Onesimus
To give this letter to Philemon
That Philemon would
Rightly receive
Onesimus back
No chapters in Philemon
So just verse 8
And I'll read through verse 22
Paul writes
Accordingly though
I am bold enough in Christ
To command you
To do what is required
Yet for love's sake
I prefer to appeal to you
I Paul
An old man
And now a prisoner also
For Christ Jesus
Appeal to you
For my child
Onesimus
Whose father I became
In my imprisonment
We take that to mean
That Onesimus
Somehow encountered him
While he was imprisoned
And Paul shared his faith
With him
And he came to Christ
Verse 11
Formerly
He was useless to you
But now he is indeed
Useful
To you
And me
I am sending him back to you
Sending my very heart
I would have been glad
To keep him with me
In order that he might
Serve me on your behalf
During my imprisonment
For the gospel
But I prefer to do nothing
Without your consent
In order that your goodness
Might not be by compulsion
But out of your own accord
For this perhaps
Is why he was parted
From you for a while
That you might have him
Back forever
No longer as a bondservant
But more than a bondservant
As a beloved brother
Especially to me
But how much more to you
Both in the flesh
And in the Lord
So you see what he's saying
Is I could keep him
I wanted to keep him
And just say to you
Send this letter to you
To say
I've kept him
And this is your good service
To me
That I've kept Onesimus
Because he's been
A faithful brother to me
And he's ministering
To my need here
But I also recognize
That it's possible
That maybe Onesimus
Left you
In order that he might
Become a brother
And come back to you
And be yours forever
And serve you
And so he's making
This appeal to him
To ultimately send him back
But to do what he thinks
Is right
In the boss-employee relationship
Between himself
And Onesimus
Verse 18
If he has wronged you at all
Or owes you anything
Charge that to my account
I, Paul, write this with my own hand
I will repay it
To say nothing of your owing me
Even your own self
Yes, brother
I want some benefit from you
In the Lord
Refresh my heart
In Christ
Confident of your obedience
I write to you
Knowing that you will do
Even more than I say
At the same time
Prepare a guest room for me
For I am hoping
That through your prayers
I will be graciously given
To you
And see this appeal
On the behalf
Of Onesimus
To send him back
And then to receive him again
In return
From Philemon
Very neatly about this
And I think of note
As we consider
The life of Onesimus
A rebellious slave
Who ran away
But now
Had become a Christian
And saw the need
To return to his master
Right?
That things might be made right
Between them
The name Onesimus
Was a common Greek slave name
And it means useful
In Greek
And so in verse 11
When Paul
This parenthetical
You'll see
It's a word play
He's saying
Formerly
Useless
Was useless
Or useful
Was useless
To you
Formerly useful
Was useless
To you
In that he had no
Real
Eternal
Bearing and weight
In your life
Right?
But now
He is indeed
Useful
To you
And to me
So in Christ
Onesimus
Had eternal
Value
And worth
And purpose
In the service
Of both
Paul
And Philemon
Back home
In the Colossian
Church
Faithful
And beloved
Brother
They've been sent back
To tell them
Everything that's happened
Alright
Verse 10
We see
Aristarchus
Listed
Fellow prisoner
Greets you
And mark
The cousin
Of Barnabas
Concerning whom
You have received
Instruction
If he comes
To you
Welcome him
We don't know
About the instruction
But probably
There had been
Some other instruction
That came from
The church
In Jerusalem
About him
Likely
This is the case
So he's just saying
That instruction
I've heard about
Make sure you obey
That instruction
And Jesus
Who is called
Justice
Now Aristarchus
We know from
Biblical text
Was a native
Of Thessalonica
He first appears
In the biblical narrative
During Paul's ministry
In Ephesus
He was part of
That group
That was seized
That was associated
With Paul
The mob came
And seized them
In Ephesus
He was one of
Paul's companions
Agreed about that
In Acts 19
29
He traveled with
Paul to Jerusalem
Acts 24
And to Rome
Acts 27
4
And now we find
Him still
Alongside Paul
As a prisoner
Also a prisoner
Kept in chains
Because of the
Gospel of Jesus Christ
We see Mark
The cousin of
Barnabas
This is
This is the Mark
That authored
The Gospel of Mark
We talked about him
Quite a bit
At the very beginning
Of our study
Of that book
That Mark
Is kind of an obscure
Character
But he pops up
In some places
And is a wonderful
Picture of redemption
Mark is the one
That deserted
Paul and Barnabas
You see this
In Acts 13
Because of fear
He was just afraid
To go on
In the ministry
Of the gospel
And he abandoned them
And he was later
The point of contention
Between Paul and Barnabas
Acts chapter 15
And the reason
That Paul and Barnabas
Actually is part ways
Is that Barnabas
His cousin
Wanted to give him
A second chance
And Paul said
I only want brave men
With me
I'm going on
Without him
And so we see
This great redemptive
Story carried out
In Mark's life
As he is now
One of
Paul's fellow workers
Paul now esteems
Him well
And God uses him
To author
The Gospel of Mark
Which is so incredibly
Precious
To all of us
And then we see
Jesus
Who was called
Justice
Now Jesus
Was the Greek form
Of the Hebrew name
Joshua
It was actually
Incredibly common
It's important
That we know
That so often
Jesus was called
The Christ
Because of this
It was a distinguishing
Factor about who he was
Not just another Joshua
He was Joshua
The Christ
Joshua means
In Hebrew
Savior
So this is another
Man named Josh
But not just Josh
But one who's called
Justice
Justice would have been
His surname
His last name
Of sorts
Which means
Righteous
He was
Righteous
Because
He has
A Savior
And Paul writes
These are the only men
Of the circumcision
Among my fellow workers
For the kingdom of God
And they have been
A comfort
To me
And remember
That Paul's
Primary ministry
Was to the Gentile population
That there were
Other apostles
Most of the apostles
Ministering to
Jewish populations
Peter was the major
Leader of that
Back in Jerusalem
Ministering to the Jews
Paul's been turned out
To the Gentiles
But all the same
Right
He's got this desire
This hunger
That people of his
Ethnicity
Would come to Christ
Romans 9
3
He says
For I could wish
That I myself
Were accursed
And cut off
From Christ
For the sake of my brothers
My kinsmen
According to the flesh
Right
Those that had
The patriarchs
Those that had
The prophets
Those that should have
Known what true worship
Of God would look like
And yet had turned
From Christ
Paul longed for them
To come to Christ
And not only were they
Rejecting the gospel
But they reject Paul
Altogether
Much of the danger
Paul faced
On his missionary journeys
Came at the hands
Of Jews
I'll give you an example
2 Corinthians 11
26
As Paul records
The challenges
That have faced
His Christian ministry
On frequent journeys
In danger from rivers
Dangers from robbers
Dangers from my own people
Dangers from Gentiles
Danger in the city
Danger in the wilderness
Danger at sea
Danger from false brothers
And you see him list
In that danger
From his own people
So they were Jews
Who did not seek
To kill him
Right
But also they were
A reminder
These Jews
That were fellowshipping
With him
They weren't
Seeking his life
As others were
Right
So what a comfort
That would have been
But they also
Were a reminder to him
Of the eternal purposes
Of God
A reminder to him
That God was still
In fact
Working amongst
His brethren
Working amongst
The Jewish people
He knows about the church
In Jerusalem
He's visited the church
In Jerusalem
But these are men
Who are with him
Who are a wonderful
Reminder of that
I'm going to
Encourage you to read
At some point
Romans chapter 11
And wrestle with it
And try to understand
What Paul is having to say
About God's eternal purposes
To the Jewish people
The bloodline
Jewish people
But he turns
From all of that
And all of his
Understanding
Of how it is
That God is still
Working with the people
In Romans 11
Verse 33
To 36
He says
Oh the depths
Of the riches
And wisdom
And knowledge of God!
How unsearchable
Are his judgments!
And how inscrutable
His ways!
For who has known
The mind of the Lord?
Or who has been
His counselor?
Or who has given
A gift to him
That he might be repaid?
For from him
And through him
And to him
Are all things
To him be glory forever
Amen
And I just imagine
That hymn Paul sings to himself
As he's troubled about his brethren
He's troubled about Israel
And yet he looks at the lives
Of these three men
Who have faithfully
Given up all things
In order to pursue Christ
And he praises God
For God's eternal purposes
To the Jewish people
Verse 12
Epaphras is listed
Not the first time
We've heard about Epaphras
Epaphras was
The founder of the Colossian church
Became a believer in Ephesus
Brought the gospel back
To this rather insignificant town
Kind of a blip on the map
In history
He says
Epaphras
Who is one of you
A servant of Christ Jesus
Greets you
Always struggling
On your behalf
In his prayers
That you may stand
Mature
And fully assured
In all the will
Of God
For I bear him witness
That he has worked hard for you
And for those
In Laodicea
And in Heropolis
It seems that he
Expanded his gospel ministry
Out beyond just
Colossae
And out to Laodicea
And out to Heropolis
As well
And he has labored
Even while he's been gone
Even while he's been with
Paul in Rome
He's been struggling
On their behalf
So that they may stand
Mature
And fully assured
In all of the will
Of God
Remember that
At the very beginning
Of the letter
Colossians 1
Verse 3
When Paul hears
About the Colossian church
He says
We always thank God
The Father
Of our Lord Jesus Christ
When we pray for you
Since we heard of your faith
In Christ Jesus
From Epaphras
And of the love
That you have for all the saints
Because of the hope
Lied up for you in heaven
Of this you have heard
Before in the word of truth
The gospel
Which has come to you
As indeed in the whole world
It is bearing fruit
And increasing
As it also does among you
Since the day you heard it
And understood
The grace of God
In truth
Just as you learned it
From Epaphras
Our beloved fellow servant
He is a faithful minister of Christ
On your behalf
And has made known to us
Your love
In the Spirit
There's this
This
Work on Epaphras' part
Which Paul sees
As an extension of his
As Epaphras became
A believer in the Ephesian church
Under the ministry
Of Paul
And he's now
Taking it back home
He's rejoicing in
And he's sharing in this work
That Epaphras is doing
And sees this point
Of Epaphras' ministry
And his prayers
That he may stand
Mature
And fully assured
In all the will of God
And it goes on then
In Colossians chapter 1
And so from the day we heard
We have not ceased
To pray for you
Asking that you may be filled
With the knowledge
Of his will
In all spiritual wisdom
And understanding
That you may know rightly
Who God is
And then
Verse 10
How you should walk
So as to walk in a manner
Worthy of the Lord
Fully pleasing to him
Bearing fruit
In every good work
And increasing
In the knowledge of God
Are you seeing it?
Are you catching
All of the spiritual
Both investment
Into Paul
As he is needy
As well as the way
In which he's extending
His ministry
Through the lives
Of these men
Paul needed
These men
Paul was needy
Not just physically
But verse 14
We see him mention Luke
The beloved physician
Luke is only mentioned
Three times
In the New Testament
And all of these times
Are in Paul's letters
Here
Philemon verse 24
And 2 Timothy 4
11
Luke is the one
Who authored
The gospel of Luke
As well as
The book of Acts
Pretty significant
As far as his contribution
To the scripture
But mentioned very little
In the scripture
It's been understood
That Luke was Paul's
Personal physician
And that he joined him
On his second missionary journey
And mostly remained with him
For the remainder
Of his life
That Luke
Certainly a man
Gifted by the Spirit
At least at record taking
And giving us
The gospels
Certainly could
Teach well
The doctrines
Of Christ
But primarily
Tied himself
To the side of Paul
In order to be
His physician
There's much postulation
About what the thorn
In Paul's flesh was
But most agree
That it was some kind
Of physical ailment
That caused him
A great deal of trouble
As he traveled
And after his
First missionary journey
It's believed that Luke
Picks up with him
In order to help him
And to aid him
And to meet his
Physical needs
As he's going
Luke recognizing
That he was given
A gifted mind by God
Has been able to study
And to know
How it was
That he could help Paul
Along the way
And he does so
He's with him here
In this house imprisonment
That he's at
Able to minister
To his needs
And the rest of verse 14
He mentions Demas
Demas is with him
In Rome
As does Demas
Now sadly
We find out later
That Demas doesn't
Remain with him
2 Timothy 4
9 and 10
Paul writes to Timothy
Do your best
To come to me soon
For Demas
In love with this
Present world
Has deserted me
And gone to Thessalonica
Crescens
Has gone to Galatia
Titus
To Dalmatia
And so Demas
Deserts him
Because he loves the world
More than the ministry
Of God
That Paul
Was doing
And this should be
An encouragement
To all of us
Especially those
Who are in
Places of Christian leadership
Jesus had his Judas
Paul had his
Demas
And it's a comfort
To know that the two
Greatest leaders
In the world
Have had men
Who have failed them
Along the way
And then he concludes
Give my greetings
To the brothers
At Laodicea
And to Nympha
And the church
In her house
Which was understood
To be the church
In Laodicea
And when this letter
Has been read among you
Have it also read
In the church
Of the Laodiceans
And see also
That you read the letter
From Laodicea
There's a lot of postulation
About what the letter
Of Laodicea is
Some people suggest
That it actually was
A particular letter
Written to the Laodiceans
Many agree
That it actually was
The letter of Ephesians
That was actually taken
And dropped back off
On the journey
Back to Rome
And that they all
Benefited from these letters
We don't know for sure
But all the same
There's an instruction
To read Paul's other letter
To be sure that they're
Very clear
On the understanding
Of the gospel
Of Jesus Christ
And then in verse 17
He writes
And say to Archippus
See that you fulfill
The ministry
That you have received
In the Lord
So I've been talking
And I know in
Spattering of history
About these men
About Paul's life
And the way that
Paul himself
Was needy
Paul needed men
Right?
The grace of God
To him
Through men
To minister to him
And to help him
Minister
To others
We see also
Verse 17
That we are
Needed
So we are needy
But we are also
Needed
Say to Archippus
Now Archippus
Is only noted
Here in Philemon 2
We don't know
A lot about this man
Fairly insignificant
In the scope
Of history
Again Philemon
Believer in the
Colossian church
Colossae itself
The Rome
Rome had built
The road around
Colossae
Was really insignificant
Reminds me a lot
Of Dahlonega
In a lot of ways
Nothing major
Happening
In the town
Your educations
Are major
But
Not real significant
As far as
Commerce
Or military
Might
Was concerned
Right?
In Philemon 2
Though
Archippus
Is called
Paul's
Fellow
Soldier
And I don't
Believe that his
Ministry was
Of any
Particular note
Simply because
It's not noted
He doesn't say
See that you
Fulfill the ministry
And then give us
The specifics
Of what that
Ministry
Is
But just
Fulfill the ministry
That you've received
In the Lord
This
Task that God
Has granted
To you
I don't think
It's particularly
Noteworthy
I think Paul
Just recognizes
That this man
Needs to be
Encouraged
To continue
In his ministry
As a disciple
Of Jesus Christ
What is the ministry
That all disciples
Of Jesus Christ
Are given?
To make disciples
This is the work
That we are to be about
As believers
In Jesus Christ
And so I think
That we could read
Rightly read
And say to Archippus
See that you continue
To make disciples
Of Jesus Christ
This is the ministry
That God has given you
In Christ
As a follower
Of Him
And we find ourselves
In the church
In a great deal
Of trouble
And I'm speaking
In broad
And general terms
There are certainly
Exceptions to this
And I think in many ways
Our church
Is an exception
To this
But so many
Churches
Function
As businesses
Where the pastor
Serves as the CEO
And much of this
Comes out of the
Church growth movement
Of the 60's
And the 70's
The glitzing up
Of the church
The putting on
Of program
In so many churches
We don't need prayer
Because we have websites
We don't need evangelism
Because we have
Road frontage
So much of this
Was given away
And so many
For generations
Have sat in churches
And they've seen
Their part
To be sure
That they give
Direction to
The CEO
Of the company
They pay his salary
And they make sure
That he does
The things
That he's supposed
To do
And as long
As they can look
Around and they
See some growth
Of some measurable
Kind in the life
Of the church
Then everything
Is good
And everything
Is going well
And we could talk
For the next few
Hours about all
The detriments
That this has been
To the life
Of the body
But we see
A much different
Picture in the
Scripture
Of what the church
Is supposed to
Look like
Christianity
Is a team sport
We're all meant
To get in the mix
And play together
1 Corinthians 12
20 and 21
Says as it is
There are many parts
Yet one body
The eye cannot say
To the hand
I have no need of you
Nor again the head
To the feet
I have no need of you
And I think we get this
I think we all
Understand that
I can't say to anybody
Else in this church
You're not necessary
But here's the problem
I think often
What happens
And at least not
In word
But functionally
People say
You have no need
Of me
You turn it around
And you say
I'm not a necessary
Part of the body
Of Christ
And this is not
The church
Pictured in Scripture
The way many of us
Function in church
Is entirely foreign
To the pages
Of the New Testament
New Testament believers
Would look at our scene
Today and go
What has happened
That you believe
That your part
In the church
Is to show up
And occupy a chair
Is not the case
There's a time
And a place
For such a thing
But it's not the only time
And the only place
You are needed
If you are found
In Christ
He has set you
On a mission
You have a part
To play
I don't know
What it is
In every single case
I think one of the things
I ought to be doing
As a pastor
Is helping you understand
Who you are
And how you can serve
What body part
You are
What's happened
Is this has placed
A huge labor
A difficulty
On pastors
And some of the statistics
Are just absolutely
Staggering about
What's happening
In the lives
Of churches
And what's happening
To pastors
I want to just
Show you a few
This is a study
Conducted by Lifeway Research
1500 Southern Baptist
Pastors
Let me say to you
That I'm an exception
To most
If not all
Of this
I don't mean this
To be whining
In any way whatsoever
Please don't hear that
From me at all
I feel very loved
By our church
I'm very thankful
To be a pastor
Of this church
But I just
Want to point out
To you the danger
Of thinking in this way
Not believing
That you're needed
Not believing
That you have a place
And a part to play
In the life of a church
So here's some stats
I'm going to rattle
Them off to you
25% of pastors' wives
See their husband's
Work schedule
As a source of conflict
45% of pastors
Say they've
They've experienced
Depression or burnout
To the extent
That they needed
To take a leave
Of absence
For ministry
So give it up
For a while
52% of pastors
Say that they
And their spouses
Believe that being
In pastoral ministry
Is hazardous
To their family's
Well-being and health
56% of pastors' wives
Say they have
No close friends
70% of pastors
Don't have any
Close friends
75% report
Severe stress
Causing anguish
Worry
Bewilderment
Anger
Depression
Fear
And alienation
80% of pastors
Say they have
Insufficient time
With their spouse
80% believe
That pastoral ministry
Affects their families
Negatively
90% work
More than 50 hours
A week
Which I don't think
That's that big a deal
That sounds whiny
94%
Feel under pressure
To have a perfect family
You get that
94% of pastors
Feel
Of these 1500
Feel under pressure
To have a perfect family
Everything's always
Put together
84%
Say they're on call
24 hours a day
80%
Expect conflict
In their church
80%
Expect
That the church
Is going to be
A disaster
54%
Find their role
Of pastor
Frequently overwhelming
!
And the last one
53%
Are often
Concerned
About their family's
Financial security
That shouldn't be so
In the church
Just should not be
The case
And so much of this
Is the result
Of
A pyramid
Scheme of sorts
We put the pastor
At the top of
So much of this
Is about pedestalling
A pastor
Making them
The perfect one
In which we should follow
So many churches
Are cults
Of personality
And hear me carefully
About this
People attend a church
They're in fellowship
With a group of believers
Because of who the pastor is
Not because of Christ
And this is so dangerous
And from the very outset
Of Christ family church
Existing
We have always said
It's been the great desire
Of my heart
That I could cease
To exist
That this afternoon
I get in a horrible accident
And I'm gone
And this church
Does not fall apart
If anything
This church is bound
Together further
You have my permission
To take a Sunday off
And mourn
And you better get back
In the mix
And we have men
In this church
Who are gifted preachers
And should be up here
And should be talking
Instead of me
Just get back in it
And pull together
And soldier on
Because you don't follow me
You follow Jesus Christ
The very greatest thing
That I can do for you
Is show you
My great need of grace
And constantly push you
Towards the cross
You don't need me
You need Jesus
I'm a man
And I have
Just natural failing
I have natural limits
To what I'm able to do
Take my introversion
As an example
I'm a horrible small talker
And probably all of you
Have experienced
Some moment of weird
With me
Where I just didn't know
What to say
And I'm working on it
And I think that
This is a thing
That can be redeemed in me
That the spirit
Can in fact
Change my personality
And so
I pray for that
And I work for that
But I know that
Sometimes I'm just
Awkward
I'm not the guy
That gets in the middle
Of a new people
Social setting
And pulls it all together
And makes it feel great
It's just not me
I'd really rather
Stand against the wall
In the corner
And watch a room
Than be the center
Of attention
In a room
So I have limitation
To who I am
But I'm just
A part of the body
Who's the head
Of the body?
Christ
I'm not the head
I'm needy
I need you
And you're needed
For this very reason
And you're needed
Ultimately
Because you're needy
So get that
Because we need Christ
That's what makes us needed
If we do it well
We are constantly
Showing people
The gospel of Jesus Christ
We're constantly
Showing them
The way it works out
In our lives
But it doesn't have
To work out perfectly
Because we're people
So stop thinking
That you're not good enough
Many of you think
You're not good enough
To serve others
And to serve the church
And ultimately
You're not insulting yourself
You're insulting our God
Who's changed
Who you are
He's changed your heart
He lives inside of you
And you're saying
He can do nothing
With me
You are needed
Because you're needy
Minister in the church
Point people
To the cross of Christ
So often I hear people say
That they don't have time
To do this
Now listen
You may not have time
To be in the cleaning rotation
To come up to the building
And clean
That's okay
You may not have time
To come up here
And cut grass with us
That is okay
Right
You may not have time
To come to our picnics
We had one yesterday
Some of you weren't there
That's okay
These are extra things
The grass could be
Three feet tall
I don't care
If this church is
Functioning spiritually
Together
It's okay to not have time
For those things
But
If you don't think
That you have time
To make disciples
This is what God
Has called you to
Then you either
Don't understand
The importance of it
That's possible
You just haven't seen
That being a follower
Of Jesus Christ
Means
That I make disciples
That I'm about
Sharing my faith
With other people
Or
You don't have
Your priorities
Set right
They're all askew
Right
You serve yourself
Much more
Than the living God
Set your face
Towards God
Ask what he would
Have you do
With your days
And I can promise you
It'll have very little
To do with you
And it'll have much
To do with serving him
By serving the church
And when I say that
I mean those who are
Yet to be part of it
As well
God is calling together
Christ died
For the church
And he is calling
Its number together
And when it's completed
He'll come back
Praise God
Come thou fount
Of every blessing
And then verse 18
So we are needy
And we are needed
And he closes it out
I Paul
Write this greeting
With my own hand
He often was speaking
To somebody
Who was transcribing
For him
He takes the time
I'd love to see
That original manuscript
I wish we could
That original handwriting
Remember my chains
Don't forget that
I am in prison
For the gospel
Of Jesus Christ
Back at the beginning
Of chapter 4
We talked about
Praying for opportunity
To share the gospel
To be opened up
And then he says
Grace be with you
And this is a common
Closing salutation
You see it at the end
Of Romans
Into 1st and 2nd Corinthians
The end of 1st and 2nd Thessalonians
1st and 2nd Timothy
Titus
Very common closing
Salutation
Grace be with you
And really that little phrase
Is kind of the summary
Of Paul's letter
To the Colossians
Salvation comes
By grace alone
Through faith alone
And the all sufficient
Supreme work of Christ
Alone
And the Christian life
Is sustained
By the same
And so as we talk
About being
Needy and needed
It is the grace of God
To us in Christ
Like put into play
By the work of his spirit
By the word of God
Right
That sustains us in this
And encourages us
In the right way
That we should go
And so
As you're considering
These things
I want you to recall that
I want you to remember
That it is God
Who is at work
In you
To accomplish
These things
And I want you to
Do so by
Reflecting with me
On 1st Corinthians
Chapter 15
Verses 8 through 11
I'll read it carefully
To you
Paul has been talking
About the resurrection
Of Jesus Christ
And his appearing
To varying groups
Of people
And in verse 8
He says
Last of all
As to one
Untimely born
He appeared also
To me
For I am the least
Of the apostles
Unworthy to be called
An apostle
Because I persecuted
The church of God
But by the grace of God
I am
What I am
And his grace
Toward me
Was not in vain
Right
So he was converted
From one who was
Persecuting the church
Of Jesus Christ
Into one who served
The church
Of Jesus Christ
And he says
By grace
This happened
This grace for me
Was not in vain
On the contrary
I worked harder
Than any of them
Though it was not I
But the grace of God
That is with me
Whether then it was I
Or they
So we preach
And so you
Believed
Let's pray together