Introduction:
A. The America’s Cup is a sailing competition and is the oldest international competition still operating in any sport and has the oldest trophy dating back to 1851.
1. Dennis Conner is one of America’s most successful yachtsman and has won in many different kinds of sailing competitions, including the large sailing vessels used in the America’s Cup.
2. In the most recent years, each yacht has had 7 sailors working together with the skipper to keep the boat on course.
3. Interestingly enough, one of the most important crew members never sees what takes place on the ship’s deck.
4. This crew member works down in what is called the “sewer of the boat” and is continually drenched by the ocean water as it comes onto the deck and down through the hatch onto him.
5. According to Dennis Conner, the skipper who gets all the accolades, the job that that crew member does down in the sewer of the boat is what makes the race possible for the boat and victory wouldn’t be possible without his contribution.
6. How’s that for teamwork!!
B. Charles Swindoll wrote and interesting piece about team work:
How important are you? More than you think.
A rooster minus a hen equals no baby chicks.
Kellogg minus a farmer equals no corn flakes.
If the nail factory closes, what good is the hammer factory?
Paderewski’s genius wouldn’t have amounted to much if the piano turner hadn’t shown up.
A cracker maker will do better if there’s a cheesemaker.
The most skillful surgeon needs the ambulance driver who delivers the patient.
Just as Rogers needed Hammerstein you need someone and someone needs you.
C. As we close out Paul’s letter to the Colossians and examine the final verses, what we will notice about Paul is that he was a man who knew how dependent he was on other people.
1. What we will notice is that Paul wasn’t reluctantly or resentfully dependent, but was gladly and thankfully dependent.
2. Paul was glad to be in fellowship with brothers and sisters in Christ, knowing full well that his co-laborers in the Gospel were indispensable, both to his own life, but also to the advance of the Gospel.
3. Eleven people are mentioned by name in the last 12 verses of Colossians.
4. No matter how good and effective we might be on our own, we are so much better when we partner with others.
D. Before we explore Paul’s relationship with these people and their contributions, let’s do a quick review of what we have learned during our study of Colossians.
1. Paul wrote this letter of Colossians to a church that he’d never visited before, a church he did not plant, but a church he was greatly concerned about.
2. Colossae was a city in Asia Minor, currently Turkey, with nearby Laodicea and Hierapolis which were part of a triad of cities in the Lycus Valley, about 100 miles east of Ephesus.
3. The population of Colossae was predominantly Gentile, but there was a sizeable Jewish population there as well.
4. Therefore, the church at Colossae had to face challenges from both ends, both from the pagan culture from which many of them had come and also from the Jewish culture that had not, for the most part, accepted Christ or the Gospel at that point.
5. The church at Colossae was planted by Epaphras.
6. By the time of Paul’s letter, the church was already in a battle for its theological soul.
a. The heresy facing the Colossians was a deceptive combination of many things; including: Jewish legalism, pagan astrology, mysticism, and asceticism.
b. The heresy was a mixture of things that had something for everyone – like a cafeteria line you could pick and choose your combo plate.
c. And in the middle of these other things was Christianity.
d. The false teachers claimed that they weren’t denying the Christian faith, but were just lifting it to a better and higher level.
e. We face similar challenges today because people what to add things to Christianity that don’t belong and aren’t biblical.
7. Paul addressed these heresies in the letter by communicating many important truths.
a. He pointed to the supremacy of Christ and the mystery of the Gospel of Christ.
b. He contrasted the fullness we have in Christ with the inadequacy of man-made religion.
c. Paul encouraged them to set their minds on things above, to put off the attitudes and practices of their old life, and be clothed with the characteristics of Christ.
d. Paul encouraged them to allow the peace of Christ to rule in their heart and to allow the word of Christ to dwell in them.
e. Then, Paul gave them relational instructions for the home and workplace.
f. Finally, Paul encouraged them to be devoted to prayer and to pray for him.
E. So now we come to Paul’s final greetings as he wraps up the letter to the Colossians.
1. And as Paul mentions all these names, I am reminded of the importance of team ministry.
2. We cannot live the Christian life nor do Christian ministry alone.
a. I have been so blessed in my 42 years of ministry to partner with so many devoted elders, deacons, co-ministers, ministry leaders and members.
3. Rugged individualism is not the way of the kingdom of God.
a. Moses couldn’t do it alone - God gave him Aaron and 70 elders to help him in the leadership of Israel.
b. Jesus chose 12 apostles as part of His strategic way of advancing the gospel and together they built the church.
c. Even the great apostle Paul couldn’t plant churches and care for them alone.
4. And so, frequently, at the end of Paul’s letters, we see that he gave words of encouragement to his co-laborers, both men and women.
F. And basically, the bottom line lesson here is that none of us can do any of it alone.
1. It starts with our continued connection with Jesus, who said: “I am the vine, and you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit, for apart from me, you can do nothing.” (Jn. 15:5)
2. And it continues with our connection with our brothers and sisters in the church.
3. 1 Corinthians 12, Paul used the analogy of the human body as he talked about the church being the body of Christ and how each part of the body needs the other parts of the body.
4. Paul wrote: The eye cannot say to the hand I don’t need you. And the head cannot say to the feet, I don’t need you. On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable. (1 Cor. 12:21-22)
5. Every part of the body is indispensable. We need each other. We really do.
G. Let’s spend a minute or two looking at each person Paul mentioned and try to learn some lessons from Paul’s co-laborers.
1. Let’s start with the first person Paul mentioned – Tychicus – the faithful servant.
2. Paul wrote: Tychicus, our dearly loved brother, faithful minister, and fellow servant in the Lord, will tell you all the news about me. I have sent him to you for this very purpose, so that you may know how we are and so that he may encourage your hearts. (Col. 4:7-8)
3. Notice what Paul said about Tychicus – He was a dearly loved brother, he was a faithful minister, and he was a fellow servant.
a. Tychicus was the kind of person who faithfully carried out his responsibilities.
b. He persevered, he overcame and he brought forth a harvest.
4. Paul also mentioned that Tychicus was acting as Paul’s messenger and that he would bring the Colossians up to date with information about Paul and his situation.
5. Let’s consider ourselves in comparison to Tychicus.
a. Are we faithful to what’s been entrusted to us?
b. Are we faithful ministers and servants of the Lord? I hope so!
H. The next person Paul mentioned is Onesimus – the forgiven sinner.
1. Paul’s letters to the Ephesians, Colossians, and to Philemon were all written around the same time and were likely sent together.
2. Onesimus was Philemon’s run away slave who happened to end up meeting the apostle Paul and being converted to Christ by Paul.
3. Now Paul was sending Onesimus back to Colossae with Tychicus.
4. Paul wrote: He (Tychicus) is coming with Onesimus, a faithful and dearly loved brother, who is one of you. They will tell you about everything here. (Col. 4:9)
5. Tychicus and Onesimus were carrying the letter to the Colossians and also the letter to Philemon.
6. In the letter to Philemon, Paul was urging Philemon to welcome his runaway slave back not only as a slave but as a brother, and to forgive him.
7. The letter to Philemon is a beautiful letter, artfully and wisely written.
8. In that letter, Paul says: If he (Onesimus) owes you anything, then write it down to my account, not to mention you owe me your very life.”
a. So, we see that Paul twisted his arm a bit, but was basically saying, “Please forgive him, and accept him back.”
9. Forgiveness and restoration were going to be a challenge not only for Philemon, but for the Colossian church as a whole.
10. But here’s the thing…all of us are forgiven sinners, just like Onesimus.
a. Aren’t we all runaway slaves who ran away from our true master, God?
b. Didn’t we want to go our own way and do our own thing – like the prodigal son, who left his father.
c. But like the prodigal, we came to our senses and humbly returned to our Father seeking His forgiveness.
11. Once we have repented and become forgiven sinners, by getting into Christ, or being restored in Christ, then we need to be accepted into the family of God and be put to work in God’s kingdom mission and purpose.
12. Onesimus went from being a rebellious, runaway slave to becoming a faithful and dearly loved brother and I hope that we have also.
I. The next person Paul mentioned is Aristarchus – the fellow sufferer.
1. Paul wrote: Aristarchus, my fellow prisoner, sends you greetings. (Col. 4:10a)
2. This is probably the Aristarchus who traveled with Paul during much of his 3rd missionary journey.
3. The fact that he is listed first among those sending greetings may reflect Paul’s respect for him.
4. The fact that Paul calls him a “fellow prisoner” implies that Aristarchus was in prison with Paul, and likely for the same reason – for preaching the Gospel of Jesus.
5. The question that I want us to consider is: would we be willing to suffer as a prisoner of Christ?
6. If we knew that ministering and evangelizing for Christ might mean that we would face prison time, would we continue to minister and evangelize? I hope so.
J. The next person Paul named is Mark, the cousin of Barnabas – the former deserter.
1. Paul wrote: Aristarchus, my fellow prisoner, sends you greetings as does Mark, Barnabas’s cousin (concerning whom you have received instructions: if he comes to you, welcome him). (Col. 4:10)
2. Perhaps you remember that Mark (John Mark), the cousin of Barnabas had accompanied Paul and Barnabas on their first missionary journey, but then abandoned them and went home.
3. Then when Paul and Barnabas were planning their second missionary journey, Barnabas wanted to take Mark with them, but Paul refused, since Mark had previously deserted them.
4. They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company and went separate ways.
5. Paul took Silas and went one way, and Barnabas took Mark and went the other way.
6. The good news is that they both did good ministry and that Mark proved himself when given another chance.
7. Paul recognized Mark’s turn around and threw his support behind Mark.
8. Here in Colossians, we see that Mark must be with Paul and that Paul wants the Colossians to welcome Mark when he comes.
9. Perhaps we have been let down by someone in ministry or maybe we have been the one who let others down.
10 The question is: Have we allowed our failure or another person’s failure to be the last word?
11. The important thing is that we do not allow failure to keep us from trying again.
12. And when others have made a turnaround, we need to acknowledge it and be ready to work with them again.
K. The next person Paul mentioned is Justus – the faithful comforter.
1. Paul wrote: and so does Jesus who is called Justus. These alone of the circumcised are my coworkers for the kingdom of God, and they have been a comfort to me. (Col. 4:11)
2. We notice that Justus, Mark and Aristarchus were all Jewish co-workers of Paul, whereas other co-workers of Paul were Gentiles.
3. We notice that Justus was also called Jesus – Jesus is the Greek form of the Hebrew name “Joshua” which means “God saves” and was a popular name in Jewish communities.
4. Interestingly enough, after Jesus, the Son of God came, we see that practically no one was given the name Jesus in the second century.
5. The name Justus was a common Latin name among the Jews and it means “righteous one” or “just one.”
6. All we know about Justus is that he was a Jewish Christian co-worker of Paul who had been a comfort to him.
7. Is that something that can be said of you? How often are you a comfort to others?
8. How wonderful and helpful it can be to be a comfort to others.
L. Another person Paul mentioned is Epaphras – the hard-working pray-er.
1. Paul wrote: Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ Jesus, sends you greetings. He is always wrestling for you in his prayers, so that you can stand mature and fully assured in everything God wills. For I testify about him that he works hard for you, for those in Laodicea, and for those in Hierapolis. (Col. 4:12-13)
2. Epaphras is a great example for us – he planted the church in Colossae and maybe also in Laodicea and Hierapolis.
a. But after planting those churches, he kept working hard for them and kept wrestling in prayer for them.
3. I hope that all of us are hard-working prayers in the church here at Wetzel Road.
4. Let’s be sure to work hard and pray hard on behalf of God’s work here in this church family so that our church family will stand mature and be fully assured in faith.
M. In verse 14, Paul mentioned two people who were with him and who sent their greetings.
1. Paul wrote: Luke, the dearly loved physician, and Demas send you greetings. (Col. 4:14)
2. Luke was a Gentile and a doctor, who at some point became a Christian and became a traveling companion of Paul.
a. Perhaps Luke was the first of many missionary doctors who used their trade and influence for the glory of God on the mission field.
b. Luke would later author two important New Testament books: the Gospel of Luke and the book of Acts – aren’t we all thankful for Luke?
3. The other person mentioned in verse 14 is Demas.
a. Sadly, this may be the Demas who later fell way from Christ – unfortunately, a good beginning doesn’t guarantee a good ending.
b. In 2 Timothy 4:9-10, Paul wrote: Make every effort to come to me soon, because Demas has deserted me, since he loved this present world.
c. Can you feel the pain in those words?
d. I have been in ministry for 4 decades and I have had similar heartbreaks when brothers or sisters have forsaken their commitment to Christ and have returned to the world.
e. Many a spiritual family and many a biological family have had prodigal sons and daughters leave home and immerse themselves in the world.
f. We must never give up hope that the prodigals will return.
g. We must keep them in prayer and keep communicating our love and concern for them.
N. In the next two verses, Paul sent his greetings and encouraged the exchanging of letters.
1. Paul wrote: Give my greetings to the brothers and sisters in Laodicea, and to Nympha and the church in her home. After this letter has been read at your gathering, have it read also in the church of the Laodiceans; and see that you also read the letter from Laodicea. (Col. 4:15-16)
2. The early church often met in the homes of church members and here Paul specifically mentions Nymhpa and the church that meets in her home.
a. It is a wonderful thing for a church to get started in someone’s home!
3. Ordinarily, it’s not a good thing to read somebody else’s mail, but here Paul encourages the exchanging of letters to the different churches.
4. Our New Testament contains many of Paul’s letters to churches and individuals, and God wants us to read and study them all, because they are Scripture.
5. What about the letter to the Laodiceans?
a. We don’t need to be overly concerned with what happened to that letter.
b. Jesus promised that His Word would never pass away (Mt. 24:35).
c. We can trust that God has preserved everything we need in the Bible that we have.
6. Sadly, like Demas, the church at Laodicea didn’t remain as faithful as they should have.
a. In Revelation 3, Jesus said that the church at Laodicea was lukewarm - neither hot nor cold, and that made Him sick and want to vomit.
b. Jesus encouraged them to zealously repent and that He was standing at their door knocking and was hoping that they would let Him in.
7. When we find ourselves being lukewarm in our relationship with Jesus and His church, then it is time to repent and to become on fire again with zeal for the Lord.
O. Paul ended the letter to the Colossians with these words: And tell Archippus, “Pay attention to the ministry you have received in the Lord, so that you can accomplish it.” I, Paul, am writing this greeting with my own hand. Remember my chains. Grace be with you. (Col. 4:17-18)
1. Like Archippus, all of us must be sure to complete the work that God has given us.
2. Paul’s attitude was one where he wanted to finish well and in Acts 20:24 he said: “But I consider my life of no value to myself; my purpose is to finish my course and the ministry I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of God’s grace.”
3. I pray that each of us feels the call of discipleship and ministry and that we have a desire to finish the task and ministry God has laid before us.
4. Then if we remain faithful to the Lord and our calling, we can feel and express the words of Paul: I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. There is reserved for me the crown of righteousness. (2 Tim. 4:7-8)
5. But none of us will be able to get to that point without God’s grace and power, and with the help of our brothers and sisters in Christ.
6. Christian life and ministry is a team effort – we cannot do it alone and we need each other.
7. Paul knew that for sure and the sooner we embrace that truth, the better off we will be. Amen!
P. If you aren’t yet a Christian, then I would implore you to become a follower of Jesus and receive the salvation He offers.
1. If you are a Christian, then stay connected to and stay dependent on Christ and on the church of Christ.
2. And be faithful to the word God has entrusted to you, continuing to be an instrument of God’s peace.
3. And continue to do your part on the team, even if it is in the “sewer of the boat.”
Resources:
Colossians, by Warren Wiersbe, in The Bible Exposition Commentary, Victory Books, 1989
Colossians, by David E. Garland, in the NIV Application Commentary, Zondervan, 1998
Colossians, by Owen D. Olbricht, in the Truth for Today Commentary, Resource Publications, 2005
Sermon: Fellow Workers for the Kingdom, by Andy Davis
