Reading: chapter 4 verses 2-18.
The chapter nicely divides into 4 sections:
(1). Praying (verse 2-4 & 12-13).
2Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. 3And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. 4Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. 5Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. 6Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.
12Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends greetings. He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured. 13I vouch for him that he is working hard for you and for those at Laodicea and Hierapolis.
Ill:
• One night a father heard his young daughter speaking,
• Although she was alone in her room.
• The door was open just enough;
• That he could see that she was kneeling beside her bed in prayer.
• Interested to find out what subjects a child would bring before God,
• He paused outside her door and listened.
• After tuning in to her speech he was puzzled to hear her reciting the alphabet:
• "A, B, C, D, E, F, G …" She just kept repeating it.
• He didn’t want to interrupt her,
• But soon curiosity got the best of him and he broke into prayer,
• "Honey," he asked, "what are you doing?"
• "I’m praying, Daddy," she replied.
• "Well, why are you praying the alphabet?" he asked.
• She explained,
"I started my prayers, but I wasn’t sure what to pray.
So I decided to just say all the letters of the alphabet and let God put them together however he thinks best."
Unlike that little girls prayer:
• These short verses in Colossians chapter 4;
• Reveals the heart of someone who knows exactly what he wants to say.
4 THINGS TO NOTE:
(1). Be faithful (vs 2a).
ill:
• Senator Mark Hatfield tells of how he toured Calcutta with Mother Teresa;
• And how they visited the so-called “House of Dying,”
• Where sick children are cared for in their last days,
• And the dispensary, where the poor line up by the hundreds to receive medical attention.
• Watching Mother Teresa minister to these people,
• Feeding and nursing those left by others to die,
• Hatfield was overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude of the suffering
• That she and her co-workers face daily.
• He asked her:
• “How can you bear the load without being crushed by it?”
• Mother Teresa replied,
• “My dear Senator, I am not called to be successful, I am called to be faithful.”
(2). Be watchful (vs 2b)
Question: Why do I need to be watchful?
Answer: The New Testament gives us several good reasons.
(1).
• We need to be watchful so that we see the answers to our prayers.
• Answered prayer is a great motivator to encourage us to pray.
(2).
• Jesus teaches us we need to be watchful;
• Because the Lord is coming and wants us to be ready to greet him.
• Matthew chapter 24 verse 42:
• “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come”.
(3).
• We need to be watchful because if we are not;
• We could enter into temptation (Matthew chapter 26 verse 41).
“Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak”.
(3). be thankful (vs 2c):
ILL:
Scottish minister Alexander Whyte was known for his uplifting prayers in the pulpit.
• He always found something for which to be grateful.
• One Sunday morning the weather was so gloomy;
• That one church member thought to himself, “Certainly the preacher;
• Won’t think of anything for which to thank the Lord on a wretched day like this.”
• Much to his surprise, however, Whyte began by praying,
• “We thank Thee, O God, that it is not always like this.”
Ill:
• When Paul wrote this letter he was a prisoner;
• He had lost his freedom and was constantly watched by four soldiers.
• Yet through out the letter he is never bitter, only thankful;
• Just scan through book and see how the word ‘thankfulness’ comes again and again.
• Chapter 1 verses 3:
• “We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you,”
• Chapter 1 verses 12: “Giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the
• inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.”
• Chapter 2 verses 7: “Rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were
• taught, and overflowing with thankfulness”
• Chapter 3 verses 15: “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of
• one body you were called to peace. And be thankful”.
• Chapter 3 verses 17; “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the
• name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him”
• Chapter 4 verses 2:
• “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful”.
(4). be specific (vs 3).
• “And pray for us,”
• "Praying also for us".
Paul was not ashamed to ask his friends to pray for him:
• Even though he was an apostle,
• He needed prayer support for himself and his ministry.
• Now if a great Christian like Paul felt the need for prayer support,
• How much more do you and I need this kind of spiritual help!
Ill:
I am really privileged in this aspect.
• e.g. a letter this week from a couple on the I.O.W. who pray for us daily.
• We fairly frequently encounter those who tell us they pray for us regularly.
ill:
• We are given a great illustration of a man of prayer:
• His name was Epaphras.
(1). He prayed constantly (verse l2 “always”).
• Epaphras did not pray only when he felt like it, as do many Christians today.
• Quote: rescue our prayer life from our feelings (emotions do not altar effectiveness!)
(b). He prayed fervently (verse 12—“wrestling”).
• The word used here means “agonizing.”
• It is the same word used for our Lord’s praying in the Garden (Luke 22:44).
• We get the impression that prayer was serious business with Epaphras!
• This Greek word was used to describe athletes as they gave themselves fully to their sports.
(C). He prayed personally (verse 12 “for you”).
Ill: Shotgun & sniper.
• Some folks prayers have been described as;
• “Praying for everybody in general and nobody in particular”.
• Epaphras was focused;
• He centred his prayers on the saints in Colossae Laodicea, and Hierapolis.
• No doubt he mentioned some of them by name.
• He carried these people in his heart and prayed for them personally.
(4). He prayed purposefully (verse 12 “may stand firm”).
• If you had asked Epaphras. “What are you praying for?”
• He could have told you.
• His great desire was that the Christian believers in those these fellowships
• Might become mature in their Christian faith.
(e). He prayed sacrificially (verse 13 “Working hard” or “deeply concerned”
or “much distress”).
• At times prayer is difficult.
• When Jesus prayed in the Garden, He sweat great drops of blood.
• Paul (chapter 2 verse 1) had “great struggles” as he prayed for the Colossians.
• And Epaphras also experienced “deeply concerned.”
• Quote:
• “Praying that costs nothing, accomplishes nothing.”
(2). Witnessing (verses 5-6):
(1). By life (verse 5).
“Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity”
ill:
• A young salesman was disappointed about losing a big sale,
• And as he talked with his sales manager he lamented,
• “I guess it just proves you can lead a horse to water but you can’t make him drink.”
• The manager replied,
• “Son, take my advice: your job is not to make him drink.
• Your job is to make him thirsty.”
• So it is with evangelism.
• Our lives should be so filled with Christ that they create a thirst for the Gospel.
(2). By lips (verse 6):
• In fact you can add verse 4 as well:
• “Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should.”
“Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.”
Notice: the little phrase ‘Making the most of every opportunity’.
• This phrase is a commercial term and means to "buy up."
• It's the picture of finding something on sale that is so cheap;
• That you buy as much as you can, because you know it will not be this cheap again!
• Likewise, we're to buy up every opportunity to speak for Christ when we see one
ill:
• Old Farmer & city Gent; “I ain’t lost”
• John 9: “I once was blind but now I see”.
(3). Serving (vs 7-18):
• The apostle Paul was a great friend-maker,
• There are more than 100 different Christians (named and un-named);
• Associated with Paul in the Book of Acts and in his letters.
• Ill Romans chapter 16 he names 26 different friends alone!
Paul enjoyed Team Ministry (working with others):
• Obviously you can achieve far more as a team,
• Than you can as an individual.
ill:
• School Acrostic:
• Together Everyone Achieves More.
EIGHT MEN MENTIONED IN THIS FINAL SECTION OF THE LETTER:
• The first two together:
• Tychicus & Onesimus (Verses 7-9):
“Tychicus will tell you all the news about me. He is a dear brother, a faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord. 8I am sending him to you for the express purpose that you may know about our circumstances and that he may encourage your hearts. 9He is coming with Onesimus, our faithful and dear brother, who is one of you. They will tell you everything that is happening here”.
(1). Tychicus (Verses 9):
• In Acts chapter 20 verse 4:
• When Paul left Ephesus, he was accompanied a team of helpers, among them Tychicus.
Tychicus was a man you could trust:
• He and Onesimus would be postmen,
• Paul chose them to deliver two important letters,
• The letter to the Ephesian (Eph. 6:21)
• And also the Colossian letter (Col. 4:7-9).
• And they also took Paul’s personal letter to Philemon.
• Later on, Paul was able to send Tychicus to Crete (Titus 3:12),
• As well as delivering Paul’s letters;
• He also helped Paul deliver a collection of money from the Gentile churches;
• To give to the poor believers in Judea;
• (1 Corinthians chapter 16 verse 1; 2 Corinthians chapters 8-9.
Verse 8: Tychicus was Paul’s envoy (representative):
• He was trusted to share with the Colossian Christians;
• The details of Paul’s difficult situation there in Rome.
• Paul wanted his friends in Colossae;
• To know the facts and to support him in prayer.
• Tychicus had also experienced those hardships first hand,
• And had stuck them out, notice he is called a “Faithful minister”.
• Instead of choosing the easy option and leaving,
• He stayed with Paul and ministered to him.
• Quote:
• “Someone has said that the greatest ability in the world is dependability”.
• Paul could always depend on Tychicus.
• He was a man who got the job done.
(2). Onesimus (Verses 9):
• Verse 9 introduces us to Onesimusus;
• He came from Colossae and is referred to as “one of you”.
He is one of the main characters in the Letter of Philemon:
• He was a slave who belonged to a man called Philemon;
• Onesimus decided to steal some money from Philemon and runaway.
• He eventually ended up in Rome, and while he was in Rome;
• He met the apostle Paul and was converted.
• Paul sent Onesimus back to his Philemon his master,
• With a letter asking Philemon to receive him and forgive him.
Ill:
Philemon verse 11 is one of the great verses of the Bible:
• “Formerly he was useless, but now he is useful both to you and to me”
• That is the effect of the gospel in the life of an individual!
Note:
• Paul does not call Onesimus the runaway slave,
• Instead he calls him “Faithful and dear”.
• Onesimus had been a Christian only a short time,
• And yet he had already proved himself to Paul.
Let’s look at the next group of men (verses 10-14):
10My fellow prisoner Aristarchus sends you his greetings, as does Mark, the cousin of Barnabas. (You have received instructions about him; if he comes to you, welcome him.) 11Jesus, who is called Justus, also sends greetings. These are the only Jews among my fellow workers for the kingdom of God, and they have proved a comfort to me…………..
14Our dear friend Luke, the doctor, and Demas send greetings”.
(A). Aristarchus (verse 10a):
• Is identified as Paul’s “Fellow prisoner” (verse 10),
• And also in verse 11 as Paul’s “Fellow worker”.
The book of Acts gives us various bits of info on him:
(a).
• Aristarehus was from Macedonia & travelled with Paul (Acts 19:29).
• He was originally from Thessalonica (Acts 20:4)
(b). Acts chapter 19 verses 28-41 tell us:
• He was willingly to risk his life when a riot broke out in Ephesus.
• And like Paul he was captured by the mob.
(c).
• And he sailed with Paul to Rome (Acts 27:2):
• Which meant he also experienced the storm and shipwreck;
• That Luke so graphically described in Acts 27.
(d). A voluntary prisoner (verse 10).
• The term “Fellow prisoner” probably means;
• Aristarchus voluntary shared Paul’s imprisonment with him,
• So that he could be a help and comfort to the apostle.
• He was a voluntary prisoner for the sake of Jesus Christ and the Gospel.
Aristarchus stayed with Paul no matter what the circumstances were:
• A riot in Ephesus, a voyage, a storm and even a prison!
• Aristarchus did not look for the easy option.
• He did not run when the going got tough.
• He suffered with Paul and laboured with Paul.
(b). Mark (verse 10b):
Once again a scan through the New Testament gives us more info on Mark:
(a).
• Mark is often called John Mark in the New Testament (Acts 12:12).
• He too was a Jew who lived in Jerusalem;
(b).
• Acts chapter 12 verse 12 also tells us that:
• His mother, Mary, kept “open house” for the believers.
(c).
• John Mark was a cousin of Barnabas,
• The man who partnered Paul on his first missionary journey (Acts 13:1-3).
(d). He became the first missionary casualty!
• When Paul and Barnabas set out on that first missionary journey;
• Acts chapter 13 verses 5-13.
• They took John Mark with them as their assistant.
• He probably took care of the travel arrangements, supplies, etc.
• But when the going got tough,
• John Mark abandoned the preachers and returned home to Jerusalem.
Later, when Paul and Barnabas wanted to go on a second journey (Acts 15:36-41):
• Paul refused to take John Mark along with them.
• The argument between Paul and Barnabas was so strong;
• That it caused a division between Paul and Barnabas.
• And they decided to go there separate ways.
Note: The apostle Paul did forgive John Mark and later on, even commend him:
• (2 Timothy chapter 4 verse 11).
• “Take Mark and bring him with you: for he is profitable to me for the ministry”
• John Mark is a great encouragement;
• To everyone who has failed in his first attempts to serve God.
• He did not sit around and sulk.
• He got back into the ministry & proved himself faithful to the Lord & to Paul.
(e).
• 1 Peter chapter 5 verse 13 suggests:
• Either John Mark was led to faith in Christ through the apostle Peter.
• Or their relationship was so close it was like father & son.
• He was the writer of the second Gospel,
(C). Jesus Justus (Verse 11):
We know nothing about him but his name:
• The name Jesus was a popular Jewish name (i.e. Joshua),
• And it was not unusual for Jewish people to have a Roman name as well (Justus).
Jesus Justus is a good example:
• Of those faithful believers who serve God,
• But whose deeds are not announced for the whole world to know.
Ill:
• Padre on a camp.
• Someone is maintenance office, camp buyer etc.
• Jesus Justus was a fellow worker with Paul and a comfort to Paul,
• And that is all we know about him.
• But the Lord has kept a faithful record of this man’s life and ministry,
• And will reward him accordingly.
Ill:
Body - hidden organs that are most important.
(d). Luke (14a):
(a).
• Was a Gentile,
• The only Gentile to write New Testament books of the Bible (Luke’s Gospel & Acts).
(b).
• He was also a physician, a doctor,
• And was dearly loved by Paul.
• Worth noting, that even though Paul had the power to heal people,
• He travelled with a doctor!
• While God can and does bring strength and healing in miraculous ways,
• He also uses the means provided in nature, such as medication.
Luke joined Paul and his party at Troas (note the pronoun “We” in Acts 16:10).
• Luke travelled with Paul to Jerusalem (Acts chapter 20 verse 5)
• And was with him on the voyage to Rome (Acts chapter 27 verse l).
• Luke remained with Paul to the very end (2 Tim. chapter 4 verse 11).
Luke is a glowing example of the professional man:
• Who uses his skills in the service of the Lord,
• And gives himself to go wherever God sends.
• He was a skilful doctor, a devoted friend and a careful historian,
• All wrapped up in one!
(e). Epaphras (verses 12-13):
2Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends greetings. He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured. 13I vouch for him that he is working hard for you and for those at Laodicea and Hierapolis.
(1).
• We first meet Epaphras at the beginning of this book Colossians:
• He was the man who founded the church in Colossae (Chapter 1 verses 7-8).
• It seems likely that Epaphras also founded the churches in Laodicea & Hierapolis (vs13).
• Epaphras was probably an pastor and church planter.
(b).
• He had been led to Christ through Paul’s ministry in Ephesus,
• And had returned home to Colossae to share this good news with friends and family etc.
(3). He was a great prayer.
• One of the secrets of the ministry of Epaphras was his prayer life.
• Paul knew about this because Epaphras and Paul shared the same room (Philemon vs 23)
All of these men with Paul were named and commended in one way or another,
• But Epaphras was the only one commended for his prayer ministry.
• This does not mean that the other men did not pray;
• But it does suggest that prayer was his major interest and ministry.
• Encouraging thing is this.
• We cannot all do some of the things these men did;
• But we can all pray, and it was the prayer who was highly commended!
(f). Archippus (Verse 17):
17Tell Archippus: “See to it that you complete the work you have received in the Lord.”
If you compare Colossians chapter 4 verse 17 with Philemon verse 2,
• You very much get the impression that Archippus belonged to the family of Philemon.
• Possibly, he was Philemon’s son,
• We know that the Church met in Philemon’s house,
• Archippus may well have been the pastor or a full time worker in this Church.
Paul’s last words before he signs off this letter:
• Are directed at Archippus;
• He is encouraging him to continue faithfully in his ministry.
• Again if you read between the lines,
• Archippus seems to be discouraged? Why? We are not told why!
• Often pastors & Church leaders face many problems and carry many burdens,
• And they often need a word of encouragement.
Verse 17b: Paul reminded Archippus that his ministry was a gift from God,
• Since the Lord gave him his ministry (“Received from the Lord”).
• Then surely the Lord could also help him complete it.
• It is always good to remember that ministry is not something we do for God;
• It is something God does in and through us.
Archippus needed reminding of the message of Colossians:
• That we are complete in Jesus Christ.
• All of God’s fullness is in Him,
• And He has perfectly equipped us for the life that God wants us to live.
• What an encouragement this must have been to Archippus!
(D). Warning (verse 14b).
“Demas sends his greetings.”
Demas:
• Demas worked alongside Paul, he was one of his assistants,
• But one day soon this man will be a great disappointment to the apostle.
Demas is mentioned three times in Paul’s letters,
First: he is called
• “Demas . . . my fellow worker”
• And is linked with three good men: Mark, Aristarchus, and Luke (Philemon verse 24).
• Demas started out well in the ministry,
• He was actively serving God working alongside Paul and the other three good men.
Second: Colossians chapter 4 verse 14:
• He is simply called “Demas,”
• In our list he is the only one with no comment of praise of commendation.
• Whether that is significant or not,
• You can decide for yourself.
The third reference tells what became of Demas:
• 2 Timothy chapter 4 verse 10.
• “Demas, because he loved this world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica”
• And with that tragic statement,
• Demas will disappear from sacred history.
Note:
• As I mentioned earlier, at one point in his life, John Mark had forsaken Paul;
• But he was reclaimed and restored.
• Demas forsook Paul and apparently was never reclaimed.
• His sin was that he loved this present world.
Warning: Each Christians today could also give in to the world just as Demas did.
• How easy it is to maintain a religious veneer,
• While all the time we are living for the things of this world.
• Demas thought that he could serve two masters,
• But eventually he had to make a decision; unfortunately, he made the wrong decision.
Ill:
Rope.
It must have hurt Paul greatly when Demas forsook him.
• It also hurt the work of the Lord:
• “Nobody sins in a vacuum”.
• But this decision hurt Demas most of all,
• For he wasted his life in that which could never last.
• Quote Old Hymn:
• “Only one life, will soon be past, only what’s done for Christ will last!”
