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You may turn in your Bibles to 
Colossians chapter 4 as we finish our exposition of this book this 
morning. Colossians chapter 4. Colossians 4, I'll pick up reading 
in verse 7. Tychicus, a beloved brother, 
faithful minister, and fellow servant in the Lord, will tell 
you all the news about me. I am sending him to you for this 
very purpose, that he may know your circumstances and comfort 
your hearts. With Onesimus, a faithful and 
beloved brother, who is one of you, they will make known to 
you all things which are happening here. Aristarchus, my fellow 
prisoner, greets you with Mark, the cousin of Barnabas, about 
whom you received instructions. If he comes to you, welcome him. 
And Jesus, who is called Justice. These are my only fellow workers 
for the kingdom of God who are of the circumcision. They have 
proved to be a comfort to me. Epaphras, who is one of you, 
a bondservant of Christ, greets you, always laboring fervently 
for you in prayers. that you may stand perfect and 
complete in all the will of God. For I bear him witness that he 
has a great zeal for you and those who are in Laodicea and 
those in Hierapolis. Luke, the beloved physician, 
and Demas greet you. Greet the brethren who are in 
Laodicea and Memphis and the church that is in his house. 
Now, when this epistle is read among you, see that it is read 
also in the church of the Laodiceans, and that you likewise read the 
epistle from Laodicea. And say to Archippus, take heed 
to the ministry which you have received in the Lord, that you 
may fulfill it. This valutation by my own hand, 
Paul. Remember my chains. Grace be 
with you. Amen. Well, in our prayer meeting 
this morning, we read a letter from Pastor Francisco Guzman. He pastors a church in Santo 
Domingo in the Dominican Republic, and he has been very active in 
terms of relief in Haiti. And it was very encouraging to 
hear from him. I mean, it was very difficult 
as well, because what he did was he gave specific names and 
the specific circumstances of the people to whom they are ministering. 
It's one thing to sort of watch on TV or to read in the newspaper 
that there's relief being given to Haiti. But it's quite another 
thing to receive a letter from a man that is right there in 
the midst of the suffering and is giving us particular names, 
particular ages, particular circumstances, and how these people lost friends 
or family or perhaps were one out of many that survived this 
great tragedy or calamity. And, as we read here in Colossians 
chapter 4, verses 7 to 18, it does sort of the same thing. 
It helps us to see that Paul is not just a theology machine 
sitting in a prison cell writing letters or systematic theology, 
but rather he is a real man suffering for a real Savior, surrounded 
by real men that have been an encouragement to him. So, it 
sort of fills in for us something of the life, the character, the 
nature, the humanity of the Apostle Paul and of those closest to 
him. Remember the historical situation. This was written, this book of 
Colossians, between the years of 60 and 62. The book of Acts 
ends with a first Roman imprisonment where Paul is in prison in Rome. And he is writing these particular 
letters. Colossians, Philippians, Ephesians, 
and Philemon. They are called the prison epistles. 
And Philemon and Colossians really ought to be studying together 
because they go hand in hand with one another. Several of 
the people that are mentioned here come up again in the book 
of Philemon. In fact, we see that the runaway 
slave named Onesimus was an inhabitant of the city of Colossae. So, 
it really fleshes out for us the backdrop of the New Testament, 
and it's very instructive for us to consider a conclusion like 
this. And I want to look at three particulars. 
I believe the passage breaks down well in three particulars. The first are the two messengers 
specified in verses 7 to 9. Secondly, the six companions 
of verses 10 to 14, and then the final instructions in verses 
15 to 18. So, we have two messengers, six 
companions, and some final instructions given by Paul to the church here 
in Colossae. And the first one that he mentions 
in verse 7 is this man called Tychicus. Literally, it is Tychicus. But instead of saying Tukikos 
this morning, I will simply read it in its English rendering and 
pronounce it as Tichicus. I know it sounds a bit of a different 
name than what we are used to, but he is first mentioned in 
the book of Acts in chapter 20, verse 4. He is one of the companions 
of the Apostle Paul, and I think he is one of the representative 
Gentiles that Paul has with him when he goes back to Jerusalem. 
Remember that Paul would launch out in these missionary enterprises, 
and he would return to give reports to his sending church. And in 
chapter 21, he actually returns to Jerusalem, where he meets 
with James. And he is armed, not with guns 
or military might, but with converts from his Gentile mission. And 
these Gentiles would also be bringing material blessing. If 
you remember from the book of Acts, Judea at that time was 
undergoing famine. And so Paul, when he would go 
to the Gentile churches, would collect money for the people 
of God in Jerusalem. And so Paul brings these men 
back with him as the first fruits of God's blessing upon the Gentile 
mission. And as well, it would go a long 
way when these Gentile brothers would produce money that they 
collected from their churches so as to satisfy or help the 
Jerusalem church in their time of suffering. He is mentioned 
in a similar manner in chapter 6 of Ephesians, verses 21 to 
22. And I suspect Paul's mention 
of these men goes like this. Paul is in prison in Rome. Epaphras, 
who will be mentioned later on, has come to Paul in order to 
instruct him about what's going on in Colossae. Paul keeps a 
papyrus with him at this particular time. A papyrus is more than 
likely the main pastor or preaching elder within the church at Karase. So, he takes Tychicus and Onesimus 
and he uses these men as runners. He didn't have e-mail. He didn't 
have a fax machine. He didn't have a telephone. He 
didn't have a satellite hookup. He couldn't blackberry his letters 
to the churches. So, he took Tychicus and Onesimus. He pens the letters to Ephesians, 
to Colossians, and to Philemon, and he gives those to these men 
so that they may take them back to the churches and instruct 
the people of God there. And Paul describes him in most 
glowing terms. He is a beloved brother, according 
to the Apostle. I've always thought, when I've 
seen in certain places in the Scripture, if Paul speaks well 
of you, you're a good guy. Because Paul doesn't play games. 
If he doesn't like you, or if you have crossed him, he does 
not hold back. Alexander the coppersmith did 
mean much harm, he says in 2 Timothy 4. May the Lord repay him, is 
what Paul says. He mentions two men in 2 Timothy 
that were causing others to make shipwreck of the faith, Hymenaeus 
and Philetus, with their false doctrine. So, he's no stranger 
to pointing out those who are a danger to the church. He's 
no stranger to pointing out the sin of particular individuals. 
So, if Paul takes pen to paper and says that you are a beloved 
brother, you're probably a very good guy in terms of humanity. He goes on to describe him as 
a faithful minister. He is faithful. That's what's 
required in the servants of God. This is what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 
4. Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful, 
not that they be found the best, not that they be found the most 
accomplished, not that they be the best speakers of the most 
sort of charismatic fellows, but that they be faithful. They 
take the word of God. They take it seriously. They 
take it prayerfully and they minister it to the people. That's 
what Paul says or commends in terms of this man, Titicus, and 
he highlights that he is a He's also mentioned later on 
in Titus 3 and 2 Timothy 4. So, after AD 62, Paul gets out 
of the first Roman imprisonment. He goes out and he ministers 
again, but he ends up in prison. One final time, and then he ends 
up being beheaded under Nero. But in Titus and in 2 Timothy, 
as he's moving troops around, he says that Titicus may be the 
one to replace Titus or Timothy for a season. So this is a godly 
servant of Jesus Christ, a godly man who is able to stand in the 
place of a Titus or a Timothy. But then notice, he goes on, 
look at his role specifically here in verse 8. The marginal 
reading in the New King James is preferable here when it says, 
I am sending him to know to you for this very purpose that he 
may know your circumstances and that he may comfort your hearts. 
I believe that it's you may know our circumstances and he may 
comfort your hearts. Paul's not going to write everything 
here. In fact, when Paul bids farewell, the only thing he says 
in verse 18 about himself is remember my chains. So certainly 
the churches of Colossae, Hierapolis, and Laodicea, which three churches 
were in the Lycus Valley, would be wondering about the personal 
things. What about his food? What about his comfort? What 
about his clothing? Is he all right? So, Paul says, 
Tychicus will take what is mine, or take the circumstances concerning 
me, and he will tell you about that, and then he will comfort 
and encourage you on my behalf. So, the first of the messengers 
is Tychicus. The second is a man by the name 
of Onesimus. He is also a faithful brother, 
and he is a beloved brother. Now, this is just an amazing 
ascription of a man who was a runaway slave. You need to appreciate 
in this small section the grace of God. The whole book of Philemon 
is about this man, Onesimus. Onesimus was a slave who left 
his master, Philemon. He ran away. He was probably 
a pretty notorious fellow. He hailed from Colossae. Probably 
Philemon does as well. Philemon probably lives in Colossae. When Paul says he is one of you, 
he doesn't mean a Christian, though he is that, but he means 
one of you. He's a Colossian. They knew this 
man as a runaway slave, perhaps a thief, perhaps just a real 
bad guy. And when he comes into contact 
with Paul, how he does, we don't know, but he does come into contact 
with the imprisoned Paul, and God saves him. God converts this 
man, Onesimus, and Paul speaks in these growing terms of him. 
Now, he is a faithful brother. He is a beloved brother. This 
demonstrates or exemplifies Colossians 3.11, where there is neither 
great nor Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, 
slave nor free. This man that was a slave is 
now a brother in the Lord Jesus Christ. And he is a trusted brother. Scotch that he will go along 
with Tychicus on this grand errand to deliver the very word of God 
to various churches. And he will accompany Tychicus 
back to Philemon, and when Philemon reads this letter, Paul is going 
to say, please, brother, love him, care for him, engage him, 
treat him well. In fact, Philemon 15 and 16, 
Paul says, for perhaps he departed for a while for this purpose 
that you might receive him forever. No longer is a slave, but more 
than a slave, a beloved brother, especially to me, but how much 
more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord. So, while the 
circumstances of his departure from Philemon were less than 
desirable, you don't abandon your master. You're a slave. 
You continue in it in a God-honoring, Christ-exalting way. But Onesimus 
was unconverted. He saw freedom in view, so he 
runs. And so Paul says there was a 
reason in this, that in the escape of a slave from Philemon, this 
man Onesimus would end up in living contact with Paul. Tell 
me God's not sovereign. You're going to make a break 
for it, run for your freedom, and then you're going to meet 
Paul the Apostle, get saved, and have Paul say, you need to 
go back to Philemon, and you need to labor for him for the 
rest of your life as a God honoring Christian. God's ways are amazing, 
brethren. God's grace is certainly powerful. God's grace is splendid. One man, Murray Harris, comments 
that Paul adds this relative clause, the idea that he is one 
of their own, not as a reproach to the Colossians, but to highlight 
the radical nature of the conversion of one of their own. Onesimus, 
known to them as a dishonest, runaway slave, had become a reliable 
and dearly loved Christian brother. God's grace is wonderful. He takes this runaway slave and 
he makes him a servant of the living God in taking the letters 
concerning God to the churches. So those are the two messengers. Notice the six companions. There's two groups here, three 
Jews and three Gentiles. Again, I think Colossians 3.11 
is exemplified here, where there is neither Greek nor Jew. We 
have redemptive solidarity in the Lord Jesus. We have unity 
before the throne of grace because of Christ. But he mentions these 
three Jewish believers, Aristarchus, Mark, and Justus. Aristarchus 
was from Thessalonica, the books 1st and 2nd Thessalonians. That's 
where Aristarchus came from. Again, these were real men. This 
isn't just ink on a page. Aristarchus came from a family. 
He had a life. He was a sinner. He was saved 
by grace. He came into contact with the 
living God through Paul's gospel. And then he came into living 
contact with the Apostle Paul and became a proven companion 
and a proven friend. He was a native of Thessalonica, 
according to Acts 19. He, too, was one of those Gentile, 
or he, too, was one of those men that went back to Jerusalem 
with the Apostle, and he accompanied Paul to Rome. And then he is 
called here in the passage, my fellow prisoner. So, he, too, 
is with Paul in jail at this particular time. So, Aristarchus 
is a faithful man. Then, not expectantly, he mentions 
Mark. This is the same Mark that we 
meet in the book of Acts. In Acts chapter 12, there's a 
prayer meeting held at Mark's mother's house. And then Mark, 
as he's called here, the cousin of Barnabas, went with Paul and 
Barnabas on the first missionary journey. That's pretty prestigious, 
pretty awesome, pretty wonderful. Except Mark didn't fulfill his 
obligations. Mark, when they got to Pamphylia, 
departed from them and went back to Jerusalem. That's not good. I mean, a man of God swears to 
his own hurt and doesn't change. You say you're going on a mission, 
you go on the mission. Later on in Acts 15, this became 
a real source of contention for Paul and for Barnabas. After 
the council in Jerusalem, when they're going to launch out on 
another missionary enterprise, Barnabas wants to take Mark. 
Paul says, we're not taking Mark. The idea being, he abandoned 
us in that first mission. He's not putting him in hell, 
but he is saying that if somebody's going to go on the mission, they 
need to stick with it. They need to do something that's 
very foreign to what we are used to. They need to persevere. They 
need to deny themselves. They need to be diligent. They 
need to do what is necessary. Well, at the end of Acts 15, 
it says that the contention between Paul and Barnabas became very 
sharp. And so at that point, we're led 
to believe that they did not part on the best of terms. But here in Colossians 4, when 
we see this reference to Mark, Things are good between them. 
Paul didn't hold a grudge. Paul didn't write him off. Paul 
didn't put him in hell. Paul forgave him. Paul loved 
him. He will come up again in 2 Timothy 
4. He even tells that Mark be brought 
to him because he's useful to me for ministry. Here in Colossae, 
he calls him Mark, the cousin of Barnabas, no doubt because 
Barnabas was well known in the churches. And then this parenthetical 
remark about whom you received instructions. If he comes to 
you, welcome him on him. Don't hear about the fact that 
he departed from us back to Jerusalem in Pamphylia and hold that against 
him. Paul says, welcome him. I think there's a principle here. 
We need to be very careful about being grudge bearers. Oh, that 
guy wronged me way back in 1980, and I'm still mad at it. That 
guy wronged me the wrong way by something he said or the way 
he looked at me 25 years ago, and he'll never be in my good 
books again. That's garbage. What are we instructed 
by Paul under the inspiration of the Spirit? We are to forgive 
one another even as God in Christ forgave us. It is exemplified 
here in the life of the Apostle Paul. He says, receive him, welcome 
him, bring him back, receive him into the midst of the congregation. Demonstrates that there was reconciliation 
between Paul and John Mark. And then the third man referenced 
here is Jesus named Justice. The name Jesus was pretty common 
up until around the second century. The surname is given us here, 
Justice. We don't know anything else about 
this man. There's two other Justices mentioned in the New Testament, 
but there's no reason to believe that they're this particular 
guy. But the connection is, all three of them were of the circumcision, 
or Jewish Christians. Interesting. Peter probably wasn't 
in Rome in A.D. 60-62. That's just a little historical 
report in terms of Peter being the Bishop of Rome, where at 
least 60 to 62 he wasn't in Rome. Certainly Peter would have been 
friendly to the Apostle Paul and would have garnered a good 
report from this brother in this particular letter. Peter lived 
in Jerusalem and ministered to the circumcision. And here Paul 
says that of the circumcision doesn't mean these were the only 
Jewish Christians in Rome. It just means these are my fellow 
workers for the kingdom of God who are of the circumcision. 
They have proved to be a comfort to me. You see, Paul, again, 
is not just a machine sitting there writing out letters or 
writing books, but he needed comfort. He needed encouragement. He needed contact with other 
human beings who had like thoughts and like desires. He needed fellowship. He needed interaction. We see 
here in these few verses, by way of a conclusion to a letter, 
the real life of a real godly man. He needs everything we need. Not just a machine. Those are 
three Jews, Aristarchus, Mark, and Justus, and then three Gentiles, 
Epaphras, Luke, and Demas. Now, Epaphras, as I mentioned 
before, was probably their pastor. Look at Colossians 1.7. Verse 6 says, Which has come 
to you, as it is also in all the world, and is bringing forth 
fruit, as it is also among you since the day you heard and knew 
the grace of God in truth. As you also learn from Epaphras, 
our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ 
on your behalf, who also declared to us your love in the Spirit. 
The book of Acts says that Paul spent three years in Ephesus. 
And while he was in Ephesus, he rented a lecture hall. He 
took money and he put it down and rented or leased a pagan 
lecture hall. And from that pagan lecture hall, 
he preached the gospel. And he did this for quite a long 
time. And it says, all who are in Asia 
heard him. Probably Epaphras was one of 
those who heard him and who believed the gospel. And then Epaphras 
went back to his native region called the Lycus Valley, and 
he evangelized sinners there, and he founded the churches of 
Colossae, Laodicea, and Herapolis. It's probably the connection. 
It's not magic, not mystery. God didn't open heaven and just 
drop a church there. God uses means. For whatever 
reason, Epaphras went to Ephesus. He thought, hey, I'm going to 
go listen to this man Paul. He's rented the lecture hall 
of Tyrannus. I want to go hear what he has to say. Oh, he heard 
what he had to say, all right, because God saved him. And then 
he found the pearl of great price. So he goes back to the Laika 
Valley and he starts telling sinners about it. He starts saying 
that I heard the gospel. I heard the good news. I heard 
about Jesus who lived in obedience to the law, who died as a sacrifice. And all those who look to him 
will have everlasting life. Apophrus was a faithful brother. 
He was a faithful minister. He preached the gospel and he 
labored on their behalf. Notice that he was engaged in 
the same struggle for the gospel as was Paul. Look at verse 12. Apaphras, who is one of you, 
a bondservant of Christ, greets you, always laboring fervently 
for you in prayers that you may stand perfect and complete in 
all the will of God. For I bear witness that he has 
a great zeal for you and those who are in Laodicea and those 
in Herapolis. Epaphras probably left Archippus, 
that guy mentioned at the very end, in charge or in the leadership 
position, goes to minister to Paul, takes the report concerning 
Colossae, tells him that they got the threat of false doctrine. 
So Paul takes pen to paper. But for whatever reason, he wants 
to keep Epaphras with him. So he sends Tychicus and Onesimus 
on this errand to take the letter back. But Paul knows Epaphras' 
heart toward the church. It's always laboring for you. 
Out of sight does not mean out of mind. Right? Because he's not right there 
before your eyes, doesn't mean he's not concerned for you. Doesn't 
mean he's not praying for you. Does not mean that he's not agonizing 
over you. This is what he says. In fact, 
a papyrus exemplifies the kind of prayer that Paul wants the 
Colossians to pray. He continues earnestly in prayer. He is vigilant with thanksgiving. He prays for others. That's how 
a papyrus deals with things. The prayer life of Epaphras exemplifies 
what Paul has taught concerning prayer, and he prays specifically 
that they will stand perfect and complete in all the will 
of God. He doesn't want them to depart. 
He doesn't want them to get drawn into the heresy. He doesn't want 
them to abandon the cross. He doesn't want them to go back 
to the types and shadows. He wants them to stand firm in 
the will of God, and he wants them to live consistently. And 
he does this or exemplifies this in prayer and in labor. The word 
that Paul uses here, translated as zeal, is probably the word 
translated elsewhere as pain. Kind of an interesting word. 
It's only used here and then three other times in the book 
of Revelation, and it means pain. He's agonizing on their behalf. He has great trouble on their 
behalf. And you might wonder, why is 
that? Because heretics are plaguing them. Epaphras really wants the 
people that he ministers to, to believe the truth and go to 
heaven. He doesn't want them to die and 
go to hell. He doesn't want them to get gypped or shorted of their 
joy in Christ. He doesn't want them chasing 
shadows when they have the substance. He is a faithful man who genuinely 
desires to see the people to whom he ministers safely folded 
eternally in the arms of Christ. Doug Muller, Douglas Moo, comments, 
Paul is therefore chosen a word that highlights the difficulty 
and degree of exertion involved in the work that a papyrus is 
doing for the Colossians. We can only speculate about why 
a papyrus was having so hard a time, but it is surely natural 
to think that the onset of false teaching was the cause. So we 
just I really don't believe that we take seriously the nature 
of truth. I'm convinced of this. I'm convinced 
in what I witnessed in the Internet. I'm convinced in what I witnessed 
in personal interaction. I'm convinced that we really 
don't take seriously Bible truth. Do you know that you'll go to 
heaven based not on your performance, but based on the grace of God 
through believing the truth? Truth is the most important thing. 
There is nothing out there more important than truth. What did 
the psalmist say with reference to the Word of God? More to be 
desired than much gold. Face it, brethren, what would 
you rather have? A pile of gold or a Bible? There was a Puritan preacher 
many years ago who was preaching to his congregation And he began 
to imitate or personify God to the people, not an arrogant sort 
of weird way. But he said, because you write 
my word, because you don't care about my truth, because you don't 
attend to my ordinances, because you don't frequent the house 
of God, because you don't take up the Bible and read, I'm going 
to take my word from you. She had biblical warrant to preach 
this because this was a promise of God to the minor prophet Amos, 
that there would be a famine in the land, not for bread and 
water, but for hearing the word of God. There would be a time 
in Israel's history, instead of having men expound the truth, 
they would hear the language of Babylon. They would hear the 
language of Assyria. They would hear the language 
of abomination. And then John Rogers, as he's 
preaching, sees the people begin to start to get affected. So 
then he personifies the people unto God. And he says, Lord, 
do not take your word. Take our houses, take our jobs, 
take our children, take our lives, but take not thine holy word. 
I don't think we're there. I really don't. I think we'd 
prefer a big stack of gold before we take the Bible any day of 
the week. What books sell the best in Christian 
bookstores? Usually books on how to make 
money, how to get from God. There's a glaring absence of 
any systematic theology whatsoever in your local Christian bookstore. There is a prevalence of feminism, 
of humanism, of every sort of ism in the world that the Bible 
condemns. But to find a book, a Burkoff on systematic theology, 
I'm not even asking for Raymond Burkoff. Not that Burkoff is 
bad. Burkoff is great. Have that in a bookstore. We 
don't want to read dry, dusty tomes on theology. We want to 
read the prayer of Jadus and have our territory enlarged. That's where we're at. I don't 
think we value the nature of biblical truth. We really don't. Back when Paul 
wrote, men had disciples that followed them and hung on every 
word that they said, the philosophers. Christians need to hang on every 
word that God says we need to take seriously the word of truth. Epaphras realized that if the 
Colossians listened to heresy, they would make shipwreck of 
their faith and go to hell. See, if you imbibe a doctrine 
that is not consistent with the truth, you will die and go to 
hell. You may make poor judgments in 
your business dealings. You may lose everything in terms 
of temporal blessing. You may not make the best choices 
dietetically and eat garbage and promote some sort of a health 
problem. But if you entertain heresy, 
it's not just a temporal curse, it is an eternal curse. You must 
believe the truth. You must be guarded by the truth. Moose says, Paul has therefore 
chosen a word that highlights the difficulty and degree of 
exertion involved in the work that a path is doing for the 
Colossians. He says, but our ministers who 
are faced with threats to the spiritual well-being of their 
charges have to devote great energy to the defense of the 
gospel, and such work brings great stress. out of concern 
for the spiritual health of the community and because of the 
attacks from opponents. A path was surely needed support 
from Paul in the midst of such a difficult and taxing ministry." 
I'm not going to stand up here and say, Cam and I have the worst 
time in the world. There is a spiritual element 
to this battle that is very difficult. I mean, face it, as I mentioned, 
those categories, if you make poor business decisions, you 
get temporarily messed up. But generally speaking, Satan's 
not involved in trying to make you make bad choices. He may 
be. I'm not saying he doesn't, you 
know, sort of go there. But if you choose to eat, you 
know, saturated fat and lots of greasy food and promote, you 
know, blood problems and all those issues, it's probably not 
because Satan's right there saying, do this. But when it comes to 
justification by faith alone, Satan doesn't want you to believe 
it. There is a real opposer. Remember that parable that Jesus 
told about the soils. He mentions the one spot of ground 
where the seed is thrown down and then the birds of the air 
come and gobble it up. Now, I've mentioned this before, 
for those who've been here a while, you get to hear it again. Sometimes 
wondering if I'm wearing out my welcome using all these old 
illustrations. When I lived on Armstrong, I 
used to look out my window at the dairy farm across the street. 
And I would see the man not throw his seed out, but use his machines 
to get the seed out. And I'd watch all the birds come 
and eat up the seed. That's what they do. But the 
birds weren't out to get the farmer. I didn't see them sort 
of caressing their brows and wringing their wings and looking 
to upset the farmer. I'm going to get that man. I'm 
going to ruin him. I want him to be a beggar. I 
want him to have to beg for free cheese in the government line. 
That's what the birds did. They just wanted seed to feed 
their little bird bellies. You see the illustration, though, 
the analogy does break down. Because Satan picks up those 
seeds, lest you hear and believe and are saved. He really is an 
enemy of your soul. He really is a murderer and the 
father of lies. He doesn't want to just pick 
up the seed because he wants nourishment. He wants to pick 
up the seed to deprive you of the truth, lest you believe it 
and go to heaven. That's a danger. That is a danger. Epaphras was 
a faithful minister of the gospel. He mentions Luke, beloved physician. This is the Luke who wrote Luke 
and Acts and accompanied Paul throughout much of his missionary 
enterprise. According to the Book of Acts, 
there's several sections in the Book of Acts that are the we 
sections where Luke is with Paul and he writes we. This is the 
self-same Luke, the beloved physician. And then he mentions Demas, who 
is mentioned here favorably. And he will also be mentioned 
again favorably in the book of Philemon, verse 24. But if you 
read 2 Timothy 4, just a couple of years later, Demas forsook 
Paul. Why did Demas forsook Paul or 
forsake Paul? Because he loved this present 
world. Peculiar language if it was an 
apostasy. I mean, if Demas just had something 
he had to attend to, Paul is a very gracious and kind man. 
He wouldn't have spelled it out like that. But the fact is that 
within the space of maybe two years, Demas goes from a favorable 
mention in Colossians and Philemon to that kind of a send-off from 
the Apostle Paul. He loved this present world. The mention of these three Jews 
and three Gentiles demonstrates the truth of 3.11. There is neither 
Greek nor Jew. Let's look quickly at the final 
instructions and then we'll make some concluding lessons. Additional 
greetings, verse 15. Greet the brethren who are in 
Laodicea and Memphis in the church that is in his house. Greet the 
brethren who are in Laodicea. Who does he mean? Don't be isolationists. Don't be a cult. There's a bigger 
kingdom out there. It includes Laodicea. Get together 
with them. Love them. Encourage them. Greet 
them. You're a few miles away. Certainly 
you can walk so that you can get together for some Christian 
camaraderie and some fellowship and encouragement. We don't want 
to be an island unto ourselves. We don't want to get this idea 
that this is it and there is no other. So greet them in Laodicea. And greet Memphis and the church 
that is in his house. Some translations read it as 
a female noun. The idea, simply, is that whoever 
Nymphus or Nympha was, they had a big enough house to house the 
people of God for church meetings. They didn't have a big building, 
they didn't have all of the good things that we enjoy, so there 
was a house church that met there. He says, greet them. Notice, 
secondly, by way of final instruction, he says, exchange letters. Isn't 
that beautiful? Already, at this time, Paul knew 
that his words were authoritative for the churches. This is pretty 
amazing testimony of the authority of the New Testament documents. 
Now, when this epistle is read among you, see that it is read 
also in the church of the Laodiceans and that you likewise read the 
epistle from Laodicea. What was read in synagogue or 
in temple worship but the word of God, the law, the prophets, 
the wisdom writings? So, the New Testament apostles 
elevate themselves or put themselves on that level. You don't bring 
whatever book and just read it in the meeting place. This isn't 
share your heart at the poetry reading at the local coffeehouse. 
This is the authoritative word of God. Paul says that when you 
read this epistle among you, make sure that it gets over to 
Laodicea so that they can read it too. Because they need to 
understand that they've got to beware of false teachers. They 
need to value the supremacy of Jesus Christ. They need to see 
the glory of the gospel as their only hope. Make sure that this 
letter gets to Laodicea, and the letter from them, make sure 
it gets here too. Now, people speculate. Does this 
mean a letter from the Laodiceans? The Laodiceans wrote a letter 
to the Colossians uttering so. Some speculate that Ephesians 
is in view. Ephesians and some manuscripts 
last in Ephesus. So, the idea is that it was a 
circular letter, that the Laodiceans already possessed that. So, Paul 
says, get that letter and read it. I don't believe that either. 
I believe that Tychicus had the letter to Ephesians, brought 
it to them and to Colossians and to Philemon. It was probably 
a letter Paul wrote to Laodicea that we don't have. But what's 
the point? Get that letter, because it's 
instructive for you, and read it. You need doctrine. You need 
truth. You need instruction. You need 
exhortation. You need reproof. Paul knew his 
letters were authoritative. Paul commanded that they be read 
in the churches. And Paul placed his writings 
on par with those of the Old Testament prophets. You cannot 
come away from the New Testament and think for a moment that the 
apostles were unaware of their position as the author of God's 
Word. They knew it. They commanded 
obedience. Not because Paul thought he was 
some great thing, but because he knew the Spirit of God taught 
him what he was saying. This is a description of the 
authority of God's Word. Charged to Archippus, again, 
we cannot nail down specifically what his role was, probably a 
fill in for Epaphras while he is away. But verse 17, say to 
Archippus, take heed to the ministry which you have received in the 
Lord, that you may fulfill it. Some commentators suggest that 
this would have been an embarrassing thing to Archippus. I don't think 
so. I hope anybody would ever be able to exhort their pastor 
to take heed of the ministry they receive from the Lord and 
be faithful in it. I hope no minister would say, 
how could you ever tell me that? How could you ever suggest that? 
Thank you, brother, pray for me to that end. There are manifold 
temptations. There are manifold distractions. There's a whole bunch of things 
that vie for the attention. We need to be encouraged. We 
need to be exhorted to take heed to the ministry which you have 
received in the Lord that you may fulfill it. The commendation 
of perseverance doesn't detract from a man's ministry, but encourages 
him in it. You feel free to write an e-mail 
and say this is a brother. Fulfill it. Be faithful. Persevere 
in it. Some of that needs to be going 
on. Definitely at the throne of grace, but it's not wrong 
to verbalize that to a brother in the Lord as well. You're blessed 
by a ministry on the radio. You're blessed by something on 
sermon audio dot com. Email the guy. Tell him. Praise 
God. Fulfill your ministry. Be faithful in it. It would be 
great if ministers lived on love and fresh air, but you know, 
sometimes encouragement is a good thing too. And then notice the 
closing, Paul's verse 18, this salutation by my own hand, Paul. 
Why does he say that? Because more than likely Paul 
used what's called, big word, amanuensis, or a secretary, somebody 
that actually wrote. But it was common in these days 
that if you used a secretary, you'd only sign off with your 
own handwriting. So, in Galatians, at the very 
end, he says, see with what large letters I am writing this. The 
suggestion there is that he had a problem with his eyes. Paul 
was a sick man. There was something that afflicted 
him physically. He definitely had his spiritual 
afflictions, to be sure. But in Galatians, he says, when 
I came to you, you received me as an angel. You would have given 
me your own eyes. Why would they have given him 
their own eyes? Probably because he had an issue with his eyes. 
So when he writes, see with what large letters I write this. That's 
very personal. That's Pauline. That's his signature. That's what he's doing here. 
This valutation by my own hand, Paul, the one petition he signs 
off with. Remember my chains. Not agonize 
and cry and, you know, bemoan everything that's ever happened 
to poor Paul. Remember my chains. Perhaps when he took up pen to 
write this salutation with his own hand, he saw the arm of the 
Roman soldier he was chained to. That's what was common. They chain you to a soldier. 
He takes up the pen, he goes to write, he hears the clank 
of the chain, he sees the arm of the Roman, and he says, oh 
yeah, remember my chains. Don't forget that I am in the 
prison. Please keep me in your prayers. Please petition on my 
behalf. Please call upon the Lord. It'll 
sustain me. It'll keep me faithful. It'll 
keep me useful in his hand to the very end. And then he ends 
the letter where he began the letter. Notice in Colossians 
1, 1, Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the will of God and 
Timothy, our brother to the saints and faithful brethren in Christ 
who are in Colossae. Grace to you and peace from God, 
our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Where he began, there 
he ends. Grace be with you. Amen. The emphasis upon grace 
as the essential element for Christian well-being. You don't stand because you're 
good. You stand because God is gracious. Well, that's the conclusion 
of the book of Colossians. A couple of lessons and then 
we close. Specific lessons of this section. 
If we take each of these men, I think there's a one word description 
that comes to mind. Again, I don't want to get into 
moralizing, but I do want to make sure we see some good examples 
here. Faithfulness. Very well represented by Tychicus, 
Aristarchus and Epaphras. The faithful brothers. You can 
count on them. They're going to be where they're 
supposed to be, and they're going to be fearing God and serving 
Jesus all the while. So we need in the church. This 
is what we need in men and women is faithfulness, the conduct 
of a titucus, an aristarchus and an apathras. Would you love 
people you can count on? Do you love people that you know 
are going to take care of the task? Business owner or employer. Don't you love having the guy 
that you have to tell him once and he gets it done? I think 
the idea is there with the Apostle Paul. He's met a lot of Christians 
in his life. He's probably been a Christian 
at this point for about 30 years. He's met faithful ones. He's 
met not as faithful ones. And here he is commending and 
prizing and praising these three brothers. Tychicus, Aristarchus, 
and Epaphras were the real deal. These are the heroes in the Christian 
faith. These probably didn't have satellite 
feeds and conferences and all the stuff that goes on today, 
but they were backbone men that served Jesus and served the churches 
without a lot of glitz, without a lot of glamour, without a lot 
of applause. But by Christ and by his chief 
servant, Paul, they were commended. Faithfulness. We see in Mark 
restoration. He's a faithful brother, too. 
I don't want to downcast him or downplay him on that respect. 
But restoration. I mean, if you read Acts 15 and 
you see Paul say, I don't want John Mark with us, and then later 
on you get to Colossians and you say you see him saying, receive 
him or welcome him. What's that? What's your conclusion? He and Paul made up. They restored 
with one another, they were reconciled. There was no problem too big 
that Christian brothers couldn't sit down and eyeball to eyeball 
deal with it. There's no problem, brethren, 
that two spirit-filled people shouldn't be able to overcome. We get the party spirit, we get 
this divisive attitude, that person wronged me, I will never, 
ever have dealings with them again. Praise God he doesn't 
deal with us that way. Praise God that he forgives, 
that he restores, that he's merciful, that he is truly a God of second 
chances. I mean, think about Simon Peter, 
he denies the Lord three times. Who's the one that stands up 
on the day of Pentecost under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit 
and says, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel? Peter. You 
don't see Jesus say, you crossed me, you double crosser, you ruthless 
rat, you're done. No, at the very end of John 21, 
he says, Simon Peter, do you love me? Do you love me? Do you 
love me? confirming him in that love commitment 
and then raising him up and using him as basically the hero of 
the first half of the book of Acts. Brethren, restoration needs 
to be in place with each and every one of us. I think our 
attitudes at times betray a Christian disposition. I mean, we get so 
offended by people, it's like, dude, relax. You're a wretch. You don't deserve good things. 
We actually believe that everybody should just esteem us and treat 
us so wonderfully and marvelously that if anybody ever crosses 
us, we're like Haman with Mordecai. No. My brethren, you're not. I'm not the center of the universe. 
We're just not. Jesus is. And we need to seek 
restoration with those we've offended or who have offended 
us. A specific lesson of Onesimus is saving grace. Saving grace. Runaway slave comes into contact 
with Paul and gets converted. Paul sends him back and says, 
receive him. Receive him. He's a good brother. Faithful brother. A beloved brother. Look at the transformation. He 
runs from Colossae as a felon. He goes to Rome and he comes 
back as a beloved brother in Jesus Christ. I hate to do this, 
but apostasy is seen in Demas. Second Timothy, chapter four. 
I mean, I wish it was the case that we didn't even have to look 
at this particular character. But in Second Timothy four, we 
read in verse ten, verse nine says, Be diligent to come quickly. 
Come to me quickly. For Demas has forsaken me, having 
loved this present world, and has departed for Thessalonica." 
That is just bad. Contact with the Apostle Paul 
does not even ensure saving grace. Usefulness to the Apostle Paul 
does not ensure saving grace. Somewhere along the line, Demas 
never believed the gospel. We need to guard against that. 
And then with Paul in this small section, we see strategy for 
the kingdom. He prays, he instructs, he exhorts, 
he encourages, he comforts, he reproves, he condemns. Paul is in a prison cell for 
two years, probably accomplishing 20 times more than all of us 
in this room will ever accomplish. I'm not saying that to downplay 
us. Keep doing what you're doing. Be faithful, be godly, be holy. But the Lord chose Paul for a 
very unique purpose to advance the kingdom of Jesus. I mean, 
can you imagine? They threw this man into prison 
thinking they would silence him, thinking they would stop him. 
Paul's just writing letters, putting them in the hands of 
Tychicus, saying, go, Tychicus, go. Take an SMS with you. Go 
to Ephesus. Go to Colossians. Go back to 
Philemon. When he gets to 2 Timothy 4, I mean, he's moving people 
around. Why? To advance the kingdom. That's 
his strategy. That's what he does. He directs 
the troops, all from a prison cell in Rome, so that he may 
indeed see the kingdom of God go forward in this lower world. Specific lessons of the book 
as a whole. The major themes concern Christ 
and his supremacy. When all the false teachers come 
and all the heresies beset the church, the church is directed 
to look unto Jesus. Never forget that. Never take 
your eyes off of Christ. Never stop for a moment believing 
the gospel of Jesus Christ. That is your best remedy, best 
antidote, best preventative from falling prey to false teaching. And there is an abundance of 
it out there. There is a lot of departure from 
the Christian faith out there in the Christian church. So you 
need to take heed. You need to go to Colossians. 
You need to make much of Colossians 1, 15 to 20. He sets forth Jesus 
as supreme in creation, supreme in the government of the universe, 
and supreme in the new creation, which is redemption. You need 
to think often of Christ. When it comes to Christian living, 
in order to actually put off and to put on and to be subject 
to and to watch and pray, you need to first set your mind on 
things above. You need to go where Christ is, 
sitting at the right hand of God. You need to focus your energies, 
your mental energies, upon the person and work of our Lord Jesus. And Paul's specific strategy 
in this book is that the best defense is a good offense. You're 
going to be most protected and most guarded against heresy by 
most knowing the gospel of Jesus Christ. And if you don't know 
that gospel today, it is very simple. Gospel just means good 
news. The word that should always be 
on the lips of God's people. And the good news is this, that 
Jesus came into this world. He obeyed his father perfectly 
and fulfilled the law of God. And then Jesus died on the cross 
as a sacrifice and a substitute, and that he rose again and went 
into heaven. And the Bible says that everyone, every sinner who 
looks to him in faith will be saved. That's it. How can I get to heaven? How 
can a man stand before God? Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ 
and you shall be saved. That is the promise of our God. 
Let us pray. Father, we thank you for your 
holy scriptures and we thank you for the good examples that 
we have of godly men in the scripture. And we thank you as well for 
the negative example. We pray that you would keep us 
from loving this present world or defecting from the truth of 
Christianity. Cause us to love your truth. 
Cause us to abide in it. And we pray that you would just 
give us your Holy Spirit in order to do this. For we have no strength, 
we have no power or ability in our own resources. So we look 
to you, our sovereign God. And I ask now that you would 
go with us and watch over us and bless our Lord's day. And 
we pray through Jesus Christ. Amen.