Colossians 4:7-9

Colossians chapter 4 and verses 7 to 9, All my state shall Tychicus declare unto you, who is a beloved brother, and a faithful minister and fellow servant in the law, whom I have set unto you for the same purpose that he might know your state and comfort your hearts. With Onesimus, a faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you, they shall make known unto you all things which are done here. May God bless to us His sacred and holy word this morning. During the days of the Roman Empire, there was a common saying which was taken as the truth, and that saying was man is a wolf to a man whom he does not know. However, the behavior of the early Christians surprised the Romans because it was contrary to their thinking. They loved each other without knowing each other. And behold, how these Christians loved one another, they said. An example of this, of course, is found in our text between Paul and the Colossians, because they’ve never met one another, as we saw in chapter 1 in verse 3. But you see, the deep concern each has for the other in this text of Scripture. This is always the way it should be among Christians. Those who belong to the true church are not to be affected by distance or even personal acquaintance. Now we come to the concluding words of Paul’s letter to the believers at Colosset. This last section is full of common. foundations and salutations. Now, some people don’t see the relevance or the importance of these words to their daily life, and so they often conclude that these sections that end Paul’s letters are, you know, we can quickly pass over them with scant attention. However, this passage, I think, provides some very useful instruction or else the Holy Spirit would not have directed Paul to write. this scripture for us. And therefore, it behooves us to pay attention to the things that are said here. There must be something edifying, something beneficial to be found here or wouldn’t be included in the Word of God. So let’s look at the commendation of Tychicus here in verses 7 and 8. The man, Tychicus, the word means fortuitous. His name means fortuitous. Tekechus was a man who had accompanied Paul on several of his missionary journeys for some time. He had been with Paul. Certainly had been with him on his tour throughout the area of Greece. He traveled with him to Troas at the end of his third missionary journey, as Acts 20 in verse 4 indicates. He may even have accompanied. Paul to Jerusalem with the collection of the various churches for the poor people at the poor believers or needy believers there at Jerusalem. He’s mentioned in four of Paul’s epistles. He’s also mentioned Ephesians and 2 Timothy and Titus as well here as the Colossian Epistle. He was clearly a loved and trusted colleague of the Apostle Paul. He was given a number of important task by the apostle. Although he was from Asia Minor, what we would call Turkey today, the general region of Ephesus and Colossae, he apparently was not known to the recipients of this letter. And so Paul writes this introduction to him, gives a commendation of Tychicus to the church. Now let’s look at the commendation of Taiki. He mentions three things. The first thing he says he’s a beloved brother. He was a brother because he was a partaker of the same grace and made a member of the same spiritual family as they were. All Christians commonly refer to one another as brothers or sisters in the Lord. We’re in the God’s spiritual family. And of course, this is what Jesus, said in Matthew 23 and verse 8, one is your master, even Christ, and you are all brethren. He was a man beloved of God, beloved of Christ, and certainly beloved by the apostle, Paul, as well. Where there is brotherhood, of course, there should be love. I mean, we see that naturally. You should love your brothers and family members. and so by classifying him as a brother, it includes sort of the idea of being beloved, doesn’t it? And for this reason, it’s proper and right, and scripture will call one another brethren, where people that should love one another. Let me make this observation. Brotherly love among all Christians ought to be strong, but especially should faithful ministers people loved. Tychicus here is a faithful minister, as well as a brother. Scripture says, These things I command you that you love one another, John 15, 17. And in 1 Thessalonians 5, we read, we beseechech you, brethren, to know them which labor among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you, and esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake. My second observation. is this. Those who bear hatred toward their brothers or godly ministers demonstrate an unregenerate spirit. Scripture in 1 John 4, 20, and 21 says, if a man say I love God and hateeth his brother, he’s a liar. For he that loveth not his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? This commandment have we from him that he will love us. God, loveth his brother also. You know, terrible battles have sometimes raged within various churches. The Corinthians, you remember, had all kinds of contentions within their church where things were to the point where they were taking one another to law courts and suing them. Often these battles are fueled by jealousy, over gifts, maybe over prominence in the church. You have your deatrophies. love to have the preeminence causes trouble. There’s a bitter deviring of one another, an open hostility, even hatred. Ask yourself, is there a brother and the Lord, a righteous person who provokes within you, the spirit of cane? That’s a dangerous symptom. Don’t ignore it. For whosoever hate if his brother is a murderer, verse John 315. I have to say that the most vicious attacks I have ever endured in my life did not God come from the world? They came from those who professed to be Christians. What a sad comment that is, is it not. He’s a beloved brother. He’s also here a faithful minister. Now, the word minister, the meaning of the word actually means servant. First of Christ, of course, is Lord, but secondly, also to preach, also as a servant of the church, where he preaches Christ and Him Crucify. He is the means by which the people of God are to be fed and nourished with the Word of God. Christ classifies ministers as either faithful and wise servants or else evil servants. In Matthew chapter 24, Taikas here was a faithful minister. Pleasing to Christ is master and beneficial to the Church of Jesus Christ. Now let me make this observation. It’s essential that a minister sees himself as a servant so that he does not lord it over God’s people. I want you to look with me at Matthew chapter 20. in verses 25 to 28. let him be your servant. Even as the Son of Man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister and to give his life a ransom for many. It’s hard to root out of people religious ambition, the idea that they, to dominate others. We talked about deatrophies and Third John. He loved to have the preeminence. But you know, see, that Jesus says this is a worldly ambition. He tells us this is how the world acts. But that’s not the attitude Jesus Christ would have in his church. Eldership is about service. It’s not about gaining power over others or being great. Yes, elders are given authority. But is it not for the purpose of helping the people of God? Is it not for the purpose of serving the people of God. So if someone is going to enter into the ministry, the key factor here is, remember this, you’re a servant. That’s what it’s all about. Service. Notice a second observation. To be a faithful minister requires you to labor in the study of the Word of God in order you might feed the people of God spiritually. study to show thyself approved under God a workman that needeth not to be ashamed rightly dividing the word of truth. if a person wants to be a faithful minister, then he has to declare God’s word properly. he has to be able to open the scriptures and teach what God actually said. it’s not his ideas that count. It’s what God has said in his word. Faithful ministers do that. The third observation is this. No one should enter the ministry who does not have a track record of being faithful to Christ first. Look at 2 Timothy just a couple pages over here. Chapter 2 and verse 2 if you would. 2nd Timothy 2. Notice what Paul writes to Timothy here, he says. He says, in the things which thou hast heard of me among many witnesses. The same commit thou unto faith faithful men who shall be able to teach others also. Notice he says here they have to be faithful men. Let them prove themselves to be faithful men that they might be teachers in the church of Christ. So he’s a faithful minister. The third thing he says about him is he’s a fellow servant in the Lord. Pachicus had a commission to preach the same Lord, the same gospel, and engaged in the same good work as the Apostle Paul. He sought the same ends as the Apostle Paul, the glory of Christ and the good of God’s people. He’s considered here a fellow servant. For the kingdom of God, we find that not everybody who God calls into the kingdom and gifts to be a minister are given the same types of gifts in the kingdom. They’re not given the same high office. Paul had a higher office than Tychicus. No doubt he was more knowledgeable than Tychicus. But one is judged by the use of the talents that one is given. Not by comparison to someone else. If God gives five, talents to one and only three to another, well, he expects more out of the guide got to five talents. So we don’t judge one another unnecessarily here in this regard. People have different gifts, different capabilities. I’ll make this observation. Those ministers who hold eminent positions in Christ’s church should not despise those in more common ministries. ministries who are laboring for Christ. We should appreciate anyone who labors for Christ as a fellow minister in the Lord. The second observation is this. Ministers should not see themselves in competition with fellow ministers. But rather, we should see ourselves laboring together to benefit and advance the kingdom of God on this earth. Here’s the thing. Yes, there are going to be other people who are gifted differently than you are. Not everybody’s gifted the same. You listen to several different ministers. They have different approaches. Their style is different. The most important thing is are they preaching and teaching the Word of God? Some have great gifts in particular areas, maybe counseling or something of this nature. Some are more gifted, perhaps, in expounding scripture than others. but the bottom line is, aren’t we all working for the same goal? Isn’t that really what it’s supposed to be? So here’s the commendation of Tychicus. He is a beloved brother, he’s a faithful minister, he’s a fellow servant in the Lord. And I think we can draw some of those conclusions that I mentioned regarding that. Now, the purpose of his coming. And it was to make known the affairs of Paul to the Colossians. Verse 7 says, All my stage shall Tychicus declare unto you. Paul is separated from the Colossians. The Colossians are in Turkey. Paul’s in Rome in prison, which so he’s we’re talking about Italy. And if you can picture on a map, the distance between Rome and Italy, you see we’re stretched across here of the Roman Empire practically, from one end to the other. Knowing their concern for him, Paul here is sending Tychus to convey to them both his temporal and his spiritual state. How things are happening, what’s happening in Rome, and how is he doing? How he fared in his bonds. How he preached, even though he was under Roman guard. The success of the gospel there in Rome. How the Roman Christians ministered to his needs. What the state of the church was there. in Rome spiritually. What sufferings Paul was enduring. What danger he faced. What hope he had of deliverance. What testimony he had before the Roman guards and perhaps the influence he had with Caesar’s servants. So they were to make known the affairs, he was making known the affairs of Paul to the Colossians. And he was to inform Paul of the Colossians, the state of the Colossians. Notice here in verse, verses 8 and 9, whom I have sent unto you for the same purpose that he might know your estate and comfort your hearts. And in verse second part of verse 9, they shall make known unto you all things which are done here. They, including Onesimus, as another witness. So the apostle was primarily concerned about their spiritual state. How’s this church doing? I’ve never met you. All I have is reports, so he wants more reports. He wants to hear what’s going on. Whether they continue steadfast in the gospel. Whether the church was conducting itself in an orderly fashion. Whether there was success of the gospel there. Whether there’s growth in grace taking place among the membership. How they dealt with false teachers. Things of this nature, he wants to know, what love, what unity, what harmony there was in the church. You know, what afflictions they were suffering. Maybe who was ill? Who was sick? Among them. How they did with the enemies of the gospel in that particular area. Where problem areas needed by needed to be addressed by Paul. Maybe he also wanted to answer any questions they might have or might have up. And so he’s looking all these different things. He wants to know about the church. So Taichikus was to inform Paul of the state of the Colossians. But also, we see here the last part of verse 8, he was the comfort the hearts of the people of God. That he might know your estate and comfort your hearts. Now you could imagine the Colossians were pretty grieved about Paul being in prison and the difficulty that presented for Paul. The well-known cruelty of Nero Caesar did not probably give them much hope regarding Paul’s release. And so we see a hostility toward the Christian faith and no doubt all of these things were troubling to the Colossians. Paul also realizes these are young Christians. They’re going to face all sorts of of dangers and troubles and Satan’s going to attack them and try to destroy the church. So he’s concerned about them. And because of indwelling sin, believers can get discouraged under persecutions and afflictions and conflict. He doesn’t want them wavering in the faith. And so he sends Tychus that perhaps he can comfort them. There’s consolation in Christ. No matter what the circumstances are, Christ can help you. And this is our comfort. as the people of God. And so you can imagine him conveying Paul’s love to them. Christ’s concern for them as a church and how they can go to the Lord and seek help in their time of need and so forth. There’s grace, there’s mercy, there’s forgiveness in Christ. He wants to comfort them. Even the consolation what Paul was enjoying. He could comfort them with the consolation that he himself has enjoyed from the Lord. So he wants to comfort the hearts of the people of God. Let me make a couple observations here. You ought to desire to know the prosperity or adversity of your pastor. That you may sympathize with him in his sufferings or rejoice with him in his blessings. so they wanted to know about Paul and how he was doing. They may know how to pray for him. and what he needs. That you may be encouraged by his steadfastness in the faith in prosperity as well as inversity. The second observation is this. your pastor should inquire into your life in Christian walk as to know how best to minister to you. Paul is asking about them. He wants to know how they’re doing. How can he minister to them if he doesn’t know how they’re doing? You shouldn’t resent the fact that sometimes the pastor asked your questions and wants to know about your work life or your home life or things of this nature. He wants to know how to pray for you. He wants to know what kind of needs you have. He wants to watch over your soul. And he’s concerned about your spiritual welfare. The third thought is this. Your pastor should always seek to comfort your heart. The bottom line is this. The job of the pastor is to comfort the people of God. First, regarding your present suffering. as Paul told the Corinthians at one point, for this our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding an eternal weight of glory. Whatever we go through in this life is nothing compared to what is coming for us. Reminding you of the wonderful consolations found in Christ under any circumstances that come up in your life. Whatever comes up, Christ is always the answer. He always has the solution for our problems. And then thirdly here, by enduring sufferings himself as a pastor with a joyful heart encourages others who are undergoing suffering that they may see that indeed it can be done. And Paul certainly is a great man in this regard and quite a testimony in this area. So the commendation of Tychicus. The second thing we see here is commendation of Onesimus in verse 9. Let’s look at that. With Onesimus, a faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you, they shall make known unto you all things which are done here. The man onesimus. Tychicus arrived in Colossi, and he arrived with another man. And he was a man that was well known to the people at Colossi, Onesimus. Here is one of the truly remarkable stories, really. we find in the New Testament, and it’s recorded in the book of Philemon in more detail. But you’ll recall that Onesimus was a slave of Philemon. I believe it was in his house that the Church of Colossi met at Philemon’s house. Onesimus stole things from Philemon and ran to far off Rome where he could easily become lost in the masses of the the Roman Empire there. However, by God’s providence, and it’s always God that’s at work here, he catches this runaway slave in some manner and draws him to Paul. We don’t know how he got thrown in the prison or what, but somehow he’s brought into contact with Paul, and lo and behold, God saves the man. And as a result, Anesimus is sent back to seek Philemon’s forgiveness to make things right, and Philemon is to accept him as a beloved brother in the Lord. And now he says, the church here, basically, receive this man as a beloved brother in the Lord. We believe that Philemon did, and we believe the church did also. Onesimus becomes a useful member, I believe, of the Church of Colossi. It’s interesting. Onesimus’ name means profitable. He was unprofitable until he was converted. And then he became profitable. So the man Onesimus here, we see that. Now, what do we find about him? He’s a faithful and beloved brother. Very similar statements here, only with regard to just the brotherhood and not the ministry. When Anesimus was converted, he served Paul at the prison house, where Paul was kept, for a period of time. So Paul got to know Onesimus quite intimately. It’s not that. He didn’t know him. He was like a daily servant. They’re helping him out with his daily needs and so forth. And so he had this day-by-day contact with Onesimus. There are many who profess to be Christians, who Paul declares are a false brother. But he tells us here that this is a true, faithful brother. I know the man. I’ve been with him. I know he’s a true brother in Christ. He’s part of the… Family of the Lord. And therefore they should receive him as such. Embrace him as part of the family of God. Anesimus has proven himself to be faithful as a servant of the Lord. So treat him as such. Extend your love to him. This is a very high commendation here by the Apostle Paul. He’s a faithful and beloved brother. He says he’s one of you. Now he seems to wish by this commendation to render Anesimus more acceptable. to the church. Why he came from Colossi. You know this man well. Onesimus wasn’t an outsider, but one of their people, a fellow countryman, a citizen of Colossi. This is another reason why the Colossians should show love to him, because he’s like the prodigal son. He’s coming back home a different man than he left. Receive him back. You know him. Receive him back. He’s changed now, though. It ought to be a reason to rejoice. Look at the power of God’s grace in changing this man’s life. So the commendation of Nesimus. The purpose of anesimus is coming is found in verse 9, where they implies that Anesimus is going to also tell about the affairs of Paul along with Tychicus. Now, why does he add this here? Well, it could be because the law said by the testimony of two witnesses, everything should be a established. Well, here are the two witnesses. Taiki Guss and Enesimus are going to tell you exactly what’s going on over here, and it’ll be a faithful witness to you. There’s no room to doubt when you have two men witnessing to the same thing. So this is the purpose of his comment. Let me make a couple of observations. The first of this. She should not despise a person for his former misdeeds prior to conversion. Anesimus was once a contemptible, rebellious, useless, thieving, runaway slave. Right? Indeed, you know, he stole from his master. But since he’s been brought to salvation by God’s grace, Onesimus is to be considered now a faithful brother, right? And beloved brother. When a person comes to Christ, he or she gets a clean slate. And the church must recognize him as someone who’s been washed in the blood of Christ. Now, if he shows himself to be faithful to Christ, then obviously he must be considered as such, a brother, beloved of the Lord. He’s a new creature in Christ. I realize that there are many who make professions who are, you know, fake. But when you see someone who is sincere, who comes with a change spirit about him, and you see that he’s following Christ, you give him the benefit of the doubt, and, you know, give him the clean slate that you should have, look at Paul. You know, Paul of all people was one that the apostles didn’t want to meet. Barnabas has to take him and say, hey, wait a minute, he’s changed. They weren’t so sure about him. We think about Rahab, the harlot, the change that took place in her life. Zakius, the taxis, the taxis, collector. The change took… Mary Magdalene, had the seven demons. The change that took place and people’s lives are changed by God’s grace. So you shouldn’t despise a person for his former misdeeds prior to conversion and say, well, that person was a terrible person. Yeah, that person may have been a terrible person. But when they come to Christ, we have to give them a clean slate and let them start. Fresh. Notice this. Those brought to Christ. Christ by a pastor, especially dear to him. Paul telling Philemon, tells Philemon this, he says, I beseech thee for my son, Onesimus, whom I begotten in my bonds. I want him to Christ. He has a deep love for this person as a spiritual son. He says the same thing about Timothy, by the way. If you read 1. Timothy 1.2. As Paul reminded the Corinthians, though he has 10th, thousands instructors in Christ, yet you have not many fathers. For in Christ Jesus, I have begotten you through the gospel. Your own converts to Christ are precious, and they are a source of joy to you because God used you to bring them to salvation in Christ. So those brought to Christ Christ by a pastor, especially dear to him. Notice something else here. Particular affection should be shown to those who are one of you. it’s proper to show special love to those who are near to you. Maybe a family member, maybe a relative, a member of your city or something of that nature. Jesus complained about the world’s attitude, which shouldn’t be in the church. A prophet is not without honor, save in his own country, in his own house. But when a church sends out a missionary from its midst, isn’t that person special to the people of God? When a man is raised up to be a pastor, from a particular church that God raises this person up and gifts him to preach, isn’t that special? If one of the children of the family of the church comes to Christ, isn’t that special? So a particular affection should be shown to those who are one of you. Let me close. The love for one another demonstrated by the early church surprised the ungodly around them. It was a great witness to them. see this love in the commendations of Tychicus and Onesimus here in our text. And from this study, I hope you realize that there is more to these little salutations and commendations than you might think if we ponder them and ask the Lord for guidance. There are things to be learned from these passages. Let us close with a word of prayer this morning.