With A Little Help From My Friends
Text: Colossians 4:7-18
Introduction.
Sometimes, I’m sure, we’re all surprised at how things get done. Sometimes, we don’t know how, and sometimes we don’t know who, but somebody did it; and, we know it got done!
I’m sure we all remember the account of the “Last Supper”. It occurred shortly before Jesus’ crucifixion and it was a very important assembly Jesus had with His apostles.
Jesus told Peter and John to go into Jerusalem and gave them these instructions:
“As you enter the city, a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him to the house he enters and say to the owner of the house, ‘The Teacher asks: Where is the guest room where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?’
He will show you a large upper room, which is all furnished. Make preparations there.”
The two apostles left Him and found things just as Jesus had told them—so, they prepared the Passover meal.
Who was that man….the one that was never named…the one that provided a service for the Lord? The room was all furnished by somebody!
We might look at an accomplished work and know that we didn’t do it—so, “someone else” must have. I wonder what we would do if “someone else” wasn’t there.
I’d like to read you an article that appeared in one church bulletin.
“The church was saddened this past week to learn of the death of one of its most prominent members, “Someone Else”.
“Someone’s” passing creates a vacancy that will be difficult to fill. “Else” has been with us for so many years. “Someone” always did more than his share of the work. Whenever there was a job to be done, it was—“Someone Else”—whose name was first on many of our lists to do it.
If we had a financial need, everyone expected that “Someone Else” would step forward and make up the difference.
“Someone Else” was a wonderful person—sometimes appearing superhuman—but one person can only do so much.
If the truth were known, everyone expected too much of “Someone Else”. Now he is gone, and we are wondering what we are going to do. “Someone Else” left a wonderful example to follow—but who is going to do all the things “Someone Else” always did?
The Apostle Paul.
When we look at the accomplishments of Paul’s ministry, we just shake our heads, because they are so numerous. Paul was the giant of the early Christians—a leader of the Jewish sect, educated at the feet of the great Jewish teacher, Gamaliel.
Paul rose quickly to prominence and it was he who persecuted the Lord’s Church. Yet, later, he was chosen by Jesus to represent Him before Kings, Gentiles, and the Sons of Israel, and to carry the Gospel of Christ to the world.
Paul was an apostle chosen out of season; and, Jesus said Paul would suffer greatly for the name of Jesus Christ. And, he did.
We remember the 3 great missionary trips Paul took to convert people to Christ and to establish congregations of the Lord’s people in Europe, Asia, and throughout the world.
How can one man do all that by himself?
The Apostle Paul never depended on “Someone Else” to do his job; but, he did depend on “Someone Else” to help him. Those Paul depended on didn’t expect “Someone Else” to do their jobs but, at times, they depended on “Someone Else” too.
That’s the way it seems to happen in the Lord’s Church—when we do our job in the best way we can, “Someone Else” will help us!
The American poet, Gil Scot Heron, once wrote the following:
“Nobody can do everything,
But everybody can do something,
And, if everybody does something,
Everything will get done.”
If we wonder how Paul accomplished all that he did for Christ…. well, he tells us how in Colossians 4:7-18. “Someone Else” most often is a friend. Paul talks about life “with a little help from his friends”.
Colossians 4:7-18
---7---“As to all my affairs, Tychicus, our beloved brother and faithful servant and fellow bond-servant in the Lord, will bring you information.
---8---For I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know about our circumstances and that he may encourage your hearts;
---9---and with him Onesimus, our faithful and beloved brother, who is one of your number. They will inform you about the whole situation here.
---10---Aristarchus, my fellow prisoner, sends you his greetings; and also Barnabas’s cousin Mark (about whom you received instructions; if he comes to you, welcome him);
---11---and also Jesus, who is called Justus; these are the only fellow workers for the kingdom of God who are from the circumcision, and they have proved to be an encouragement to me.
---12---Epaphras, who is one of your number, a bondslave of Jesus Christ, sends you his greetings, always laboring earnestly for you in his prayers, that you may stand perfect and fully assured in all the will of God.
---13---For I testify for him that he has a deep concern for you and for those who are in Laodicea and Hierapolis.
---14---Luke, the beloved physician, sends you his greetings, and also Demas.
---15---Greet the brethren who are in Laodicea and also Nympha and the church that is in her house.
---16---When this letter is read among you, have it also read in the church of the Laodiceans; and you, for your part, read my letter that is coming from Laodicea.
---17---Say to Archippus, ’Take heed to the ministry which you have received in the Lord, that you may fulfill it.’
---18---I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. Remember my imprisonment. Grace be with you.”
After reading these scriptures, we can make some observations about the Apostle Paul. Earlier, we asked the question, “How did Paul accomplish all the great things he did in his life by himself?”
The answer is that he did not! Paul didn’t operate alone!
He mentions over 100 people by name in his New Testament letters. There are 26 people listed in the 16th chapter of Romans alone, who helped him!
Here in Chapter 4 of Colossians, Paul mentions 10 individuals who helped him. Paul was definitely not a “lone ranger”. But, Paul did function as a member of a team—with Jesus being the true leader. Throughout our ministry on this earth, it might be good for all of us to remember those who helped us.
No man is an island!
I believe if we study the history of the 1st century Church, we will find the members of the Church were successful because they worked through “networks”.
When the Christians that were converted on the day of Pentecost stayed on Jerusalem, the Church grew rapidly. The reason was that they taught “house to house”. Later, Paul would become a part of these “networking” Christians.
How often do we read where these Christians helped Paul—put him up in their homes—protected him from those who would kill him—and, at times, would even travel with him.
And why did they do this? For the same reason Paul did—to further the cause of Christ!
From reading Colossians 4:7-18, we can see friendship is part of our discipleship. Our sanctification should extend to all of our relationships. As we live out the supremacy of Christ in our lives, it will affect our interaction with others. In fact, our friends can help us grow.
Proverbs 27:17
---17---“Iron sharpens iron,
So one man sharpens another.”
The Church was created to be a community of interdependent people.
We can also observe that friendships develop through shared experiences. Those tough times shared with someone will either bring you together or drive you apart.
We can also observe Paul’s friends come for a variety of backgrounds. There’s great diversity in this group of people Paul mentions in chapter 4 of Colossians. Included among Paul’s friends were a doctor —a runaway slave—some people with Jewish backgrounds—and some from other parts of the world with little or no knowledge of Jewish history or culture.
Five Groups of Friends.
When we examine the lives of the people Paul mentions, we could divide them into 5 different groups. Personally, I would call them the Faithful, the Fervent, the Faltering, the Forgiven, and the Fickle. To see why I say that, let’s look closer….
The Faithful.
Paul had 5 faithful friends who lived out the Truth of
Proverbs 18:24.
---24---“A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.”
The first friend Paul mentions is Tychicus (verses 7-8). Paul had evidently given Tychicus 3 responsibilities. The first of those was to deliver letters. He was Paul’s personal FedEx man.
In the letter he wrote, Paul asked for the prayers of the Christians in Colossae as he sat in a Roman prison. However, Paul didn’t say a great deal about his personal situation, because his faithful friend, Tychicus, would do that when he saw them.
Tychicus would encourage their hearts. After all, we all need encouragement, don’t we? Hebrews 3:13 reminds us if we are not encouraging each other, we may, in fact, be contributing to the slippery side of sin in someone’s life.
Hebrews 3:13
---13---“Diligently help Zenas, the lawyer, and Apollos on their way so that nothing is lacking for them.”
You know, if you think about it, there’s a great feeling that comes from a Faithful friend standing up for you during the dark times of your life.
Illustration.
Jackie Robinson was the first black man permitted to play in the “white man’s” world of professional baseball. Here was a great play who had to battle daily for acceptance as a professional baseball player—not because he lacked skill; but because of the color of his skin. Even the Dodgers and the fans of his own team were not sure they were going to accept him—and this was in spite of his greatness as a player!
Robinson told this story about one of those earlier games he played at Eppet Field, the Dodgers home park. He said he listened to the jeers Dodger fans directed toward him—then he committed an error and the fans rose in protest against him.
His teammate, Pee Wee Reese (the future Hall of Famer), came to his side and put his arm around Robinson and, together, they turned around and faced the crowd. The crowd fell silent, because Robinson’s friend stood beside him.
Years later, Jackie Robinson said, “I’ll never forget that day, because it was my friend’s arm around me that saved my career.”
Jackie Robinson went on to be inducted into the Hall of Fame for professional baseball.
This story makes me stop and think, “What kind of friend am I? Am I faithful?” Paul felt confident in giving Tychicus responsibilities, because Tychicus was faithful.
I can’t think of a higher commendation to receive from someone than to hear them say, “He is faithful.” Paul also called Tychicus “dear brother”, because Paul loved his friend and wasn’t afraid to say so!
Paul said of Tachicus that he was “a faithful minister”; and, when he is mentioned in other scripture, there is never anything negative said about him. Faithfulness is a chief virtue of all believers.
1st Corinthians 4:2
---2---“In this case, moreover, it is required of stewards that one be found trustworthy.”
Paul said of Tachicus that he was a “fellow servant”. Paul never pulled rank on his friends just because he was an apostle of Christ, even though in the Christian world, Apostle was the highest of honors.
Paul mentions another man as a fellow servant—Onesimus. Onesimus was a fugitive….a runaway slave. He made his way to Rome and was converted to Christ by Paul. Paul said Onesimus was “a faithful servant”. Later Paul would send him back to serve his master, Philemon.
Philemon was also a Christian and a friend of Paul. I won’t take the time to relate the story of Philemon this morning, because it’s another sermon. Go home and read Paul’s letter to Philemon in the New Testament and you’ll learn more about true friendship.
The next faithful friend is Aristarchus (verse 10). He stayed with Paul no matter what the circumstances. Aristarchus risked his life during a riot in Ephesus—sailed with Paul to Rome and suffered through a shipwreck with him, and—now—is a “POW” with Paul.
Then there was Paul’s friend, Justus (verse 11)—“…Jesus, who is called Justus, also sends greetings.” Now, the name “Jesus” was a very popular name in Jewish families, and he might have used his Roman name, “Justus”, for influence in the Roman world.
A faithful friend could also be found in Luke, the great physician. Dr. Luke played a very important role in the life of the Apostle Paul. He traveled quite often with Paul and is known for writing the New Testament books—the Gospel of Luke and the Book of Acts.
With the beatings and imprisonments Paul suffered, he sure needed a good doctor. Luke was well educated and trained as a physician as well as being an exact historian. However, Luke’s highest priority was being faithful to the cause of the Kingdom of Christ. We know that because of what Paul wrote about him in 2nd Timothy 4:11.
2nd Timothy 4:11
---11---“Only Luke is with me. Pick up Mark and bring him with you, for he is useful to for service.”
Only a faithful friend will stay with you until the very end.
Then there was Nympha—She opened her home up for the purposes of the Lord’s Church. All these people served Paul faithfully. They lived his suffering and bore Paul’s sorrows.
When the Europeans came to this new world they called “America”, they found the North American Indians had a different word for “friend”. Their word for friend meant, simply, “one who bears my sorrows on his shoulders”.
There’s nothing like a faithful friend. They make you think there’s nothing you can’t conquer. There’s a story of two friends who came from different backgrounds; however, they became true friends.
These two friends were named “Jumbo” the elephant and “Flick” the flea. You know how friends are—they went everywhere together, talking constantly and experiencing life together.
One day they were together on the back roads when they came upon an old free-hanging wooden bridge and they started across. The old bridge swayed and creaked to high heaven, and everybody else on the bridge scrambled to get off as they came over.
Once the friends were safe on the other side, Flick the flea said to Jumbo the elephant, “Boy, we made that bridge rumble, didn’t we!”
There’s nothing like a faithful Christian friend!
Ecclesiastes 4:9-12
---9---“Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor.
---10---For if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion. But woe to the one who falls when there is not another to lift him up.
---11---Furthermore, if two lie down together, they keep warm; but, how can one be warm alone?
---12---And if one can overpower him who is alone, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart.”
The Fervent.
Paul talked about his friend who was fervent. He is best described as a “prayer warrior”. His name was Epaphras. We have already met Epaphras in Colossians 1:7.
Epaphras was a servant who had previously served the Church and was always “wrestling” in prayer for them. I guess he is the great illustration of what Paul told the Colossian Christians to do in Chapter 4, verse 2. ---2---“Devote yourselves to prayer.”
The verb “wrestling” or “laboring” can be translated as “agonized”. It is the same word used for the prayers of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane before His crucifixion.
Notice Epaphras is praying for the believers in Colossae that they would stand firm against the false teaching. He also prayed they would become mature in their faith, having the full assurance of eternal life by God’s Grace. Wouldn’t all of us love a friend who is praying so fervently for us?
Many of us are familiar with the famous painting of “The Praying Hands”; but, most are probably not familiar with the history behind it.
The young Albrecht Durer was a poor artist who hooked up with an older artist; and, they lived together in order to survive. When times were desperate because they were not selling any paintings, the older artist decided he would go out and get “regular” work and allow the younger artist to continue to paint.
Finally, Durer began selling some of his paintings and the older artist was able to quit the “regular” work and go back to his painting. However, the hard, manual labor had affected his hands and he could no longer paint as he once could. Durer was remorseful about this sacrifice made by his friend on his behalf.
One day Durer came home to find his old friend, hands together, praying. This sight inspired him to paint his friend’s “Praying Hands”. It was a masterpiece and was a memorial to his faithful friend.
The Faltering.
In verse 17, Paul tells Archippus, ---17---“See to it you complete the work you have received in the Lord.” This phrase indicates Archippus is to fulfill the work completely!
So, the question here is—why had he not completed it? The answer is, “I don’t know!” Maybe he was “sliding spiritually”, feeling tired or, perhaps, he had lost his focus. Paul encourages a feeling that is faltering. We need to pray that our friends finish their ministries—and they need to pray that we finish ours and remain steadfast.
The Forgiven.
Mark is the friend who is forgiven. In verse 10, we read that Mark sends his greetings. Now, Mark was a cousin of Barnabas and is the same person who wrote the Gospel of Mark found in the New Testament.
Mark’s track record with the Apostle Paul—when Mark was young—was not so good. He set out with Paul and Barnabas on their first missionary journey; but, when things got rough he went home. Over time, Mark had matured as a Christian and Paul had forgiven him and brought him back into service.
This is a good example for us—don’t let one negative incident destroy a friendship forever. God teaches forgiveness, so let’s be forgiving.
The Fickle.
There’s nothing worse than a fickle friend—when you think a person is for you, is your friend, but when the times get rough, he runs out on you.
There were two men who had been friends for several years and hunted and fished together. They had always enjoyed good times together with no problems.
One day they were hunting in the backwoods and a Grizzly bear was heading right toward them. One of the guys started scrambling to put his tennis shoes on, while the other asked, “What are you doing? We can’t outrun a Grizzly bear! We’re going to have to deal with him together!”
The “friend” who was putting on his shoes replied, “I know we can’t outrun that bear; but all I have to do is outrun you!”
With friends like that, who needs enemies? That kind of friend will outrun you and leave you for the bear!
· In Philemon, Paul had referred to Demas, in verse 24, as “a fellow laborer”.
· In verse 14, Paul said, ---14---“Demas sends greetings.”
Perhaps Paul saw the seeds of a fickle friend. Perhaps, in Demas, Paul saw the disease of “spiritual drift”. A few years later—when writing 2nd Timothy—Paul said the following about Demas:
2nd Timothy 4:10
---10---“For Demas, having loved this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica….”
There is nothing worse than a fickle friend who deserts you during tough times. Of all of Paul’s friends, Demas seems to have been the only fickle one.
We Need Each Other.
Yes, one of the great gifts God gave us was each other. He brought us together as friends in Christian fellowship. Paul and his friends worked together—under adverse conditions—to promote the Savior all around the world.
Just like Paul, we have our Christian friends and our successes depend on each other. Each of us should strive to be a faithful Christian friend. Paul was successful, with a little help from his friends. We, also, can do the same. When we do this, we don’t have to depend on “Someone Else” to do all the work.
Conclusion.
We need to remember there is one friend we all need to make. This friend is faithful and true and He will never forsake us. We depend on this friend to provide our salvation and bring us eternal life. This friend is Jesus and we all need Jesus as our friend!
Jesus has met the test of true friendship when he went to the cross for us—to be the only sacrifice that would be acceptable to God for the forgiveness of our sins.
In John 15:13, Jesus said, ---13---“Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.”
Jesus was very specific in the requirement for His friendship—John 15:14
---14---“…you are my friends if you do what I command you.”
Paul’s friend, Mark, the forgiven, recorded this command of Jesus in his gospel—Mark 16:15-16.
Mark 16:15-16
---15---“And He said to them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to all creation.
---16---He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved’…”
Invitation.
