Colossians 4:14-16

Colossians chapter 4 verses 14 to 16 for our text and study this morning. Luke the beloved physician and Demus greet you. Sluke the brethren that are in Laodicea and Nymphis and the church which is in his house. And when this epistle is read among you, cause that it be read also in the Church of the Laodicean. and that you likewise read the epistle from Laudicea. May God bless to us His sacred and holy word this morning. Finding a true church of Christ is sort of like discovering an oasis in the desert. Because this world in which we live is a lifeless desert. Everywhere you look there’s death. As you look around you, there’s endless sand seemingly in all directions because this world lies under the curse of God. But here and there, if you search, you will discover an oasis of a church. For where there is a church of Christ in the world’s desert, there’s an abundance of spiritual life and sweet fellowship with God, and there you can obtain the water of life. that will refresh your soul. Paul in our text rejoices in the fact that the Lord has established churches in Clossay, Laudicea, and Hieropolis. Paul didn’t start these churches, but God using other men did establish these churches and brought them into existence. And Paul was concerned about their spiritual well. all being and so he takes an interest in them. We’re still looking at the salutations here at the close of this letter. As we’ve been saying, there are valuable lessons to be gleaned from them. Let me begin by looking at verse 14. We have salutations here from Luke and Demis. Luke, the beloved physician, and Demas greet you. Let’s take a look at verse 14. of the beloved physician Luke. Now, Luke is certainly well known to us, for he wrote the third gospel, and he is certainly the author of the book of Acts as well. He’s called Lucas in the book of Philemon. He himself relates in the book of Acts, how he embarked with Paul when he was carried prisoner to Rome on the ship. ship. And so we see he’s been a constant companion of Paul. The last two chapters of Acts described the voyage and the shipwreck and all that took place and how he finally gets to Rome and how Paul is there at Rome preaching the word of the Lord. He calls Luke here the beloved physician. And this indicates to us, of course, his former profession was that of being a doctor. and now he’s a physician of souls. But he previously was a doctor, similar to Matthew, where he’s called Matthew the Publican and Matthew 10-3. But of course, he is also an apostle, you know, called to serve the Lord. That’s what he was before his conversion. It was the tax collector. Paul calls him beloved, for the apostles and many others certainly found Luke to be a precious child of God. Not only just a brother in Christ, but a minister of the gospel, fellow worker with Paul, and so forth. And so we find Luke here is certainly well thought of by the people of God. Let me make this observation here, and that is that God is pleased to call to salvation, people from all walks of life. When you think about the diverse people that are called to salvation in Scripture, the heavenly calling changed Luke from a physician of the body to a physician of souls. And you look at Matthew, as we mentioned, he was a tax collector, Peter and John are fisherman by trade. Rahab was a harlot. You remember in her past. David was a shawl. David was a shrew. shepherd. Amos was a farmer. Bartimaeus was a beggar. The man at Philippi was a jailer. Lydia was a seller of purple. And on and on we could go how God calls people from all different walks of life. Luke is one of the more educated people that are called here. And being a physician, he certainly was well skilled in many areas. And you can tell by even the reading his gospel. If you read it in the Greek, it’s a more difficult Greek than what the Apostle John, who was a fisherman, wrote. All wrote, of course, each word by the inspiration of the spirit. But we see that God used the various gifts and talents that each one had in the writing of the gospels that they wrote. I read a story about a poor, but pious. a woman who called upon two elegant young ladies who, despite her poverty, invited her to come in and sit with them in the living room and talk. And they entered a conversation about religious subjects. And while they were thus engaged, we find that their brother, a dashing young man, entered into the room. And he appeared astonished to see his sisters sitting with this one sort of raggedy woman and discussing the things of the Lord. And one of his sisters exclaimed, Brother, don’t be surprised. This is a king’s daughter, though she has not put on her fine clothes yet. And so, yes, from the wealthy, God calls some, and from the poor, God calls some, but they’re all to be considered brothers and sisters in Christ. He’s the wealthy. the beloved physician, Luke. And then we have this man named Demas. In the book of Philemon, Demas is listed among Paul’s fellow laborers. It appears that for some time, Demas was a minister of the Word of God and was presently at this time with Paul at Rome. home. And so he, you know, he was, you know, seemed to be closely associated with Paul. He appeared to be faithful. But that’s not the end of the story. There’s a sad end of the story because we find that that Letch later Paul must regrettably write that Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world in the book of 2 Timothy, chapter 4, and verse 10. But here, Deemis is treated according to his profession of faith. He’s treated according to his service in the ministry. And at this point, he seems to be faithful. But like Judas, though he appears to be dedicated to serving Christ, there is something wrong with him. Eventually, the truth is revealed he’s a religious hypocrite. I’ll make this observation. There are many professing believers in the visible church who may afterwards turn apostate. We have to be aware of that. It happened to, you know, in Christ with Judas. It happened here in Paul’s Day with Demas. And so you can see these things happening. The example of Demas should make you realize that not all who say they know the Lord or profess to be Christians are truly children of God. A person may appear to be engaged in the advancing of the kingdom of God for time, but then eventually fall away from the faith. Not that this person ever was truly converted. Examine yourself. See if you really are in the faith. See if indeed you have been born of the Spirit of God. See, it’s Spurgeon related that there was a boy who used to sell mince pies in the street. They said he would cry out hot mince pies and customers would come and they’d purchase his wares. However, a person bought one of his pies and found it to be ice cold, not hot. And when he complained about it, he said, boy, why did you call these pies hot? And the boy said, well, that’s just the name they go by, sir. So there are plenty of people who were called Christians. They’re not really Christians. That’s just the name they go. by. Their life doesn’t match up to their profession. What is needed, of course, is always to make our calling and election sure that we’re truly among the people of God, lest you end up as a deemus here. So we have salutations from Luke and demons. The second part of this section has to do with greetings to the Laodicean church and Nymphis. It’s Luke the brethren, he says, in verse 15. salute the brethren which are in Laodice and Nymphus and the church which is in his house. Let’s talk about the church at Laeoticaea. Now Laudicea, by all accounts, was a very prosperous city. It was a banking center. And it had a very famous medical school. Laudacea was a producer of black wool clothing and carpet. and so forth. We know something about the church because of the letter to the La Eadicea in the book of Revelation, which gives us some indication, Chapter 3 of Revelation. It appears that the state of the church was one of self-satisfaction and complacency. Apparently the Christians, like the city itself, enjoyed a good measure of prosperity, and because of that, they thought they were rich and increased with goods and had need of nothing, and therefore everything was great. Sounds much like many professing Christians in our own country today, the abundance of material wealth and material things often leave people in a state of complacency. We in America are quite wealthy compared to those Christians in China, or the Middle East or some other place where there’s a lot of poverty. Of course, it can lead to a diminished zeal for the cause of God. If we’re too, you know, if we’re prosperous, it can lead to stunted spiritual growth. You’ll notice Christ does not commend the Church of Laida C in the Book of Revelation. Not one, not a positive note stated about them there. This is what happens when you fail to implement. the principles of the Word of God in your daily walk of life, such as found in this epistle. Now let me make these observations. Conrad of the thinking of some. Paul does classify the Church of Laoticaa as brethren and not as unbelievers. We’re not aware of the time lapse between this epistle in the book of Revelation. I don’t believe it was much more than a few years, actually. But, Christ describes this church as being lukewarm. Now, if it was cold, they wouldn’t have any interest in the things of the Lord. And if it was hot, then they’d be zealous for the things of the Lord. But lukewarm gives us sort of a mixed view of things here. And Jesus says, be zealous and repent in the book of Revelation, chapter 3, verse 19. It seems that they didn’t realize how poor their spiritual status. state actually was. Still, Jesus declares in that book of Revelation chapter 3 verse 19, as many as I love, I rebuke and I chase it. Hebrews tells us that the Lord does not chasten those who aren’t sons. If you’re a bastard and not a son, you don’t get chastened. The fact that the Lord chasens them indicates that there were people among them that were truly converted. I’m not saying that everyone in the church at latest sea was converted, but there had to be some that were. that the Lord would chase him. And so the Lord, we recall, stands at the door and knocks as a vivid portrayal of the truth that you find in Song of Solomon, chapter 5, where the church, the bride there, is asleep. And Christ knocks at the door to awaken her and asks that she would open the door for him. But the bride is reluctant and slow to do so. And when she finally does, Christ has has withdrawn. on. Fellowship is lost. The Laotica church is in danger of losing fellowship with Christ. And that would be a horrible state to be in. You know, there is a image of Lincoln on the lowly penny, but there’s also an image of Lincoln on the $5 bill. Both are currency, but one’s certainly more valuable than the other. There is an image. of Christ that stamped on all his people from the smallest to the greatest, from the spiritually weak to the strong. Some, like the Laidaeceans, are rather poor Christians. But Paul still counts them as brethren. So contrary to the thinking of some, Paul classifies those of Laeoticaean church here as brethren. Now, notice brotherly love and affection ought to flourish among all Christians. Paul’s never met the Laeceans. He’s never visited them, but he extends a hearty greeting to them, and he certainly wants them to know that he’s concerned about them. What you find in Scripture is a true unity in the faith. A desire for God’s blessing to rest upon all places where the Word of God is held and Christ is worship. Sadly, there are often rivalries and animosities between churches which spoils the spiritual oneness that we should have in Christ. Are there differences between churches? Sure. Are they brothers in Christ, though? That’s the question. A test of the seriousness with which you practice Christian unity is your desire for those other local churches that thrive and be spiritually blessed. And Paul certainly wants this for the church at Laeotica, which he has no real contact with and never visited outside of mentioning here. Then we have this man named Nymphis that’s mentioned. We know very little about this man. He seems to be inhabited of Laeotica, and because he is particularly singled out from the others, he may have been the pastor of the Laudocenean church. We just can’t be certain. One thing we do know is that the Laodicean church seems to have met at his house. To worship God, to pray to the Lord, to sing praises, to hear the word to observe the ordinances of the church and so forth. Size doesn’t really matter. It has to be a rather small church that’s meaning in someone’s house. The Laeodice in church here is mentioned. The people of God do not have to have to have. have an ornate, an elaborate building with religious decor and symbols. The latest scene church is still a church, even though it’s meeting in a house. It used, this house is an ordinary house, used for other common activities. In the two testament, the word church is never used to define the building. Like we often used the word church, like we often use the word church. We’re talking about the building. Well, the Bible never uses the word church for the building. The word church, ecclesia, is a called out assembly. It’s the people that are meeting that make up the church, not the building. Some Christians think that they’re not in church unless they have a church building. Well, scripture teaches a church is a called out assembly, which meets for the purpose of worshiping the Lord. It doesn’t matter if the people of God meet in a cage. an office building, a hotel, or someone’s home. It’s irrelevant. Remember what Jesus told the woman at the well? Should we meet here, worship on this mountain, or should we worship at Jerusalem? What did he say? It’s not the place of worship that’s important. The Lord seeks those who will worship him in spirit and truth. An elaborate temple isn’t necessary or essential, because there will be a day when they’ll no longer be worshipping there at the temple itself. Greetings to the Laodicean church and Nymphis are mentioned. And then we see some important commands for the church in verse 16. He says here, when this epistle is read among you, cause it to be read also in the church of the Laotoceneans and that you likewise read the epistle from Laoticaean. Let’s see it. reading of this epistle, when this epistle is read among you. Now you should realize that just the reading of scripture, even without exposition, is beneficial to the church. Even without someone giving, let’s say, the meaning or sense of the text, just the reading of the Word of God is important. It’s an understanding or sense of the text. It’s a meaning or sense of the text. Just the reading of the word of the text. Just the reading, just the reading. It’s error to deny that the simple reading of scripture cannot edify or benefit the people of God. I read in the book of Revelation chapter 1 and verse 3, blessed is he that readeth and that they that hear the words of this prophecy. Notice the Psalms being sung by the people of God, normally without exposition, are said to teach and admonish the other believers in the assembly. In Colossians 316, we studied that. Just the singing of the songs teaches and edifies. Even if I don’t explain or even give maybe a moment of, you know, we’re talking about Christ here or we’re talking about the church or whatever the case may be in this particular psalm, if I don’t give any explanation of the Psalm itself. The law of the Lord is perfect converting the soul. The testimony of the Lord is the Lord. The testimony of the Lord is, the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. So always keep in mind that when the scripture is read, when it is spoken, it is the word of God himself, it is God’s God’s voice coming through to us in the scriptures. Thus saith the Lord. Laudger’s congregation that C.H. Spurgeon ever spoke to in a building was on October 1857, at the Crystal Palace. 23,654 people would be present for that speaking engagement. It was a fast day service, the occasion being a day of national fasting and prayer to God. On the day before, Spurgeon decided that he would visit the Crystal Palace, the sea where they’re going to build the pulpit, you know, pulpit erected. for which he was going to preach. And so he went the day before. He wanted to test the acoustics of the building. Spurgeon said that he stood up and he quoted a verse of scripture, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. John 129. That’s all he said. In the galleries, there was a workman who knew nothing of what was being done. He heard the words. as they came sort of like a heavenly message to him out of nowhere. And he was smitten with conviction because of the way he had lived such a sinful life. Putting down his tools, he went home and had a spiritual struggle. It ended with God graciously saving his soul and he found peace and life by believing in the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ. It was many years later before Spurgeon was actually informed about this man’s conversion. But it was just the quoting of the scripture. But it was powerfully used by God. So the word of God, because it is a living work, by the Spirit’s work, can be very powerful. Just the reading of this epistle is useful and edifying to the church. Notice something else. Giving this epistle to the Laeasians to be read is the second thing he mentions. Caused that it be read also in the church of the La Eadecians. Now you should realize that all scripture is of universal use to all Christians. This epistle is not only beneficial to the church at Colossi as if it’s sort of tailored just for them and there’s nothing else to be a gain by any other church. That’s not so. It wasn’t so in Paul’s day. The Laudicians also needed to hear the teaching of this epistle. The fact that this epistle was to be publicly read places it on a level with the Old Testament scriptures which were publicly read in the worship services of the church. Look with me at 2 Peter chapter 3. There’s an interesting verse here. In 2nd Peter chapter 3 verses 15 and 16. Notice what Peter says here. He says, account that the long suffering of our Lord is salvation, even as our beloved brother, Paul, also according to the wisdom given unto him, hath written unto you. As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable rest as they do also the other scriptures under their own destruction. Notice how Peter recognizes that Paul’s letters are scripture on a par with the other scriptures. And so we see the focus here is on this being useful then to the people of God. It’s clear that God’s purpose in giving the scriptures this epistle is that they are for all the people of God. Small and great, not merely for a single particular church. The doctor of truth that’s taught, the principles about godly living, communion with the Lord. These things never change. From one generation to the other, they’re going to remain the same. And therefore it is useful for us as a church. We’re spiritually benefited by the epistle to the Colossians just as well as the Latusian church. back in Paulston. You should realize scripture is of universal use to all Christians. Also, you should realize how evil it is to speak of the scriptures as dangerous for the people of God to read or hear. You know, the Roman Catholic Church for years would not read the scripture in the common language of the people where they would do it in Latin. Is it that dangerous that they can’t hear the word of God? People would be put to death if they translated the Word of God into the language of the common people. How contrary that is. To what Paul says here, he wants the Word of God spread. He wants other people to be reading the scriptures that he’s written here to the Colossians. Why be so fearful that the Word of God be read or heard by the common people? Isn’t this epistle the bread of life to people? It’s not poison that it’s going to harm you. Perhaps the Roman Catholic Church realizes if people read the scriptures, you’re going to realize it says absolutely nothing about the sacrifice of the Mass. The Pope is the head of the church, the worship of angels and saints, purgatory Mary as intercessor, and co-redeemer or Holy Days. High Holy Days, if you would, such as Christmas and Easter. So this epistle is to be read by other churches. We shouldn’t think that it should be held back. It should be spread abroad. Thirdly, the reading of the epistle sent from Laeotasia is mentioned. That you likewise read the epistle from Laoticaeia. Now, there’s been a lot of debate about this phrase. I could preach a whole sermon on this phrase alone, and not cover probably all the views about this particular passage. message. Was the Epistle to the Laeoedicians lost? Are the Scriptures incomplete? Notice Paul doesn’t say here the epistle to the Laeotseans. It talks about an epistle from the Laeadiceans. This, in the context of churches, passing around Paul’s epistles to one another to be read. keep that in mind. I suggest to you, if you look at a map of Asia Minor, you’ll see that Ephesus, La Eocene, and Colossi are not very distant from one another. They’re pretty close. Just like the epistle of Colossi, it’s possible and likely, and I think this text indicates it, that the epistle to the Ephesians was read by other churches besides just the Ephesian Church. It was passed around too. if the Ephesian epistle was passed to the churches, it would come to Laodicea before it got to Colossi. I mentioned this because Colossians and Ephesians have parallel passages in them. In our study of Colossian, we have referred back to Ephesians many times. And sometimes he’ll expand on some of the things that he doesn’t expand on in Colossians. Sometimes he says, a little bit more in Colossians than he says in Ephesians. But the point here is if you have you ever made a comparison, and Hendrickson in his commentary, he has this big, several pages worth a comparison of the passages in these two books, you’ll see how similar they are. An extraordinary amount of passages are dovetail with one another. It only makes sense, then, to compare the two letters. We’ve done so ourselves in our study. So what I’m telling you this morning is this. All scripture, having been inspired by God, is by his special care preserved and kept in all ages so that nothing is lost. You need not worry that any scripture is lost and therefore the word of God is incomplete. You have the complete revelation of God’s will in your possession because God preserved it. whatever is not found in the canon of scripture was not inspired or was not meant to be in the canon of scripture. You know, people peddle such things as the lost books of the Bible. Supposedly, these books that we should have had information on, we didn’t have them for all these years, and now we found these old books, and they should be, they’re the lost books of the Bible. That is a complete lie. There is nothing that has been lost so that the church is ignorant of part of divine truth. We have the whole council of God before us. So you don’t have to interpret this passage of scripture. Oh, we lost this lay-to-see and think. I think he’s just talking about the epistle of the Ephesians being passed about and read that also. And that’s the simple answer to it all without dragging this into a lengthy debate on all these different issues. It’s that simple. I think it’s the simple. I think it’s the the simplest explanation, the one that makes the most sense. In a passage he’s talking about passing around epistles. It only makes sense to me. Well, let me close by saying this. Churches are like oases in the desert of the world. You can find a true church is a great place where the water of life can be found. Life is there. Faithful churches should seek the spiritual good of each other. As we can see from this text of scripture, there are lessons to be learned, even from the salutations, at the end of these epistles, if we but take a few moments to look at it carefully and study it. Let’s close with a word of