An Update, A Greeting, and an Exhortation

Text: Colossians 4:7–18 ESV

Introduction

Good morning, Table Rock! I’m glad to be here and help wrap up our series on the book of Colossians. And as we’re about to see, in chapter 4:7-18, Paul closes his letter to the Colossians by first updating them in verses 7 through 9. Second, he closes his letter by greeting the Colossians in verses 10 through 14. And lastly, he exhorts the Colossians in verses 15 through 18. With each section we will be answering the question, “What do we learn from this about the Christian life?”

In a way, I think I have a more difficult passage to preach on than the one Ryan had last week. Sure, controversy surrounds the passage from last week, but at least the application of that passage was more straightforward. Not so with the passage we have today. How do you apply a bunch of greetings to people who aren’t alive anymore and who we know little about? Well, by God’s grace I’m going to try to do just that. So let's begin.

Update

First, we see Paul updating the Colossians so that they would be encouraged.

“Tychicus will tell you all about my activities. He is a beloved brother and faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord. I have sent him to you for this very purpose, [Why? What Purpose?] that you may know how we are and that he may encourage your hearts, and with him Onesimus, our faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you. They will tell you of everything that has taken place here.” (Colossians 4:7–9 ESV)

In this section we see the importance of Christian community and Christian identity. 

First, community. Paul was not a lone ranger Christian. He had people like Tychicus and Onesimus with him. Most likely it would be Tychicus who would have taken and then read this letter to the Colossians.

God has not made us to live the Christian life alone. We need each other, we need the church. Christian community is not watching a sermon on the internet by yourself or listening to Christian music while driving. Christian community involves real people involved in real life. Just like a car needs different parts, an engine, transmission, tires, etc, so we need each other to grow as followers of Jesus.

Second, we see the importance of Christian identity. Notice in verse 7 how Paul describes Tychicus. He calls him a “beloved brother,” “faithful minister,” and “fellow servant in the Lord.” Compare that with what he calls Onesimus in verse 9. Paul calls him “faithful” and “beloved.” But he left something out, what was it? Fellow servant or fellow slave. Now why would Paul do that?

I think we find the answer when we remember who Onesimus is and something Paul said earlier in chapter 3. Onesimus is a runaway slave who became a follower of Jesus under Paul’s ministry. And yes, this is the same Onesimus that Paul writes about in his letter to Philemon.

Now why would Paul not call Onesimus a “fellow servant, or slave, in the Lord”? I think we already saw the answer in Colossians 3:11. Through the gospel God gives us a new identity. And because of that, as verse 11 says, 

“there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.” (Colossians 3:11 ESV)

In other words, our new identity in Christ is more fundamental to who we are than anything else.

It’s like mixing Nesquik into milk. The Nesquik touches every part of the milk. Now every part of the milk has a new flavor. In the same way, our identity as followers of Jesus should touch every aspect of who we are so every aspect of who we are now has a Jesus flavor to it.

Greet

After updating the Colossians, Paul then sends them greetings from other believers.

“Aristarchus my fellow prisoner greets you, and Mark the cousin of Barnabas (concerning whom you have received instructions—if he comes to you, welcome him), and Jesus who is called Justus. These are the only men of the circumcision among my fellow workers for the kingdom of God, and they have been a comfort to me. Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ Jesus, greets you, always struggling on your behalf in his prayers, that you may stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God. For I bear him witness that he has worked hard for you and for those in Laodicea and in Hierapolis. Luke the beloved physician greets you, as does Demas.” (Colossians 4:10–14 ESV)

Believe it or not, this part of our passage has much to teach us. First, we see the value of the common Christian life. Notice the people that Paul praises in this passage. You might be wondering, “Hmmm. I don’t really know that much about Aristarchus or this Jesus Justus guy.” You’re not alone. We really don’t know much about a number of the people in this passage. What we do know is that Paul praises them.

I hope that encourages you! These are your normal garden-variety Christians. They’re not Abraham or Moses or Nehemiah. They’re ordinary followers of Jesus. And Paul, that’s the apostle Paul, praises them for their faithfulness to Christ and his gospel! As Christians in America we need to keep our culture’s obsession with being a celebrity out of the church. It’s sad that when someone famous becomes a Christian the church gets excited, not because we have a new brother and sister in Christ, but because now we think being a Christian can be cool.

Second, this passage subtly illustrates the value of conflict resolution. You might ask, “How do we see that?” I’m glad you asked. And like Jesus, I’ll answer your question by first asking one of my own. This passage mentions Barnabas and Mark. What do you know about the relationship of Barnabas, Mark, and Paul?

Let me summarize what happened. First, like our passage says, Barnabas and Mark are relatives. Second, on Paul’s second missionary journey Mark accompanied him. But we then read in Acts 13 that at some point Mark left Paul. And that’s all it tells us. We don’t know what happened exactly, just that Mark left. Third, later when Paul is about to embark on another missionary journey in Acts 15 Barnabas wants Mark to come with. And we read that Paul and Barnabas have a “sharp disagreement” over Mark. In fact, it results in Paul and Barnabas splitting up. Paul takes Silas with him and Barnabas takes Mark.

But notice how Paul, now later in life, talks about Mark in our passage. He urges the Colossians to welcome him if he comes to them. What’s more, even later in Paul’s life we read in 2 Timothy 4:11 that he counts Mark as very useful for him in ministry. What a change! God reconciled Paul and Mark. No doubt it came, at least in part, by Paul applying the truth we find in Colossians 3:13, 

“forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.” (Colossians 3:13 ESV)

Lastly, this passage shows us the value of continuing in the Christian life. For instance, with Mark we see someone who started the race poorly but finished well. Let that encourage you who had a rocky start to following Jesus or who started following Jesus later in life. What counts is finishing well!

The Christian life is more like a marathon than a sprint. It’s like my first year in college when I ran a mile with some of my floormates. We wanted to race each other for fun. One guy did a lot of trash talking leading up to the race. When race day came, he sprinted the first lap. He started well! But after the first lap the rest of us passed him. He finished last! He started well but finished poorly.

Likewise, this passage shows us that just because someone starts well, doesn’t mean they will end well. The race God has set before us is hard and long. Sadly, we see this truth with the man named Demas. Paul mentions him opaquely in verse 14. However, in 2 Timothy 4:10 we read about what came of Demas. It reads, 

“For Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica.” (2 Timothy 4:10 ESV)

As far as we can tell, Demas did not end well.

Table Rock, we need to hear this. I think we can say that God has been gracious to us and that we’ve started well. Praise God! But, Table Rock, take heed lest we fall. Starting the race well is no guarantee we will finish well. So take heed lest we fall.

One way we can continue in the Christian life is by following the example of Epaphras in verse 12. There Paul tells the Colossians how Epaphras has been praying for them. And what is Epaphras’s goal when he prays for the Colossians? That they would stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God. A vibrant prayer life is one way to persevere or continue in the Christian life.

Exhort

Finally we come to Paul's exhortations to the Colossians in verses 15 to 18. Starting in verse 15 we read, 

“Give my greetings to the brothers at Laodicea, and to Nympha and the church in her house. And when this letter has been read among you, have it also read in the church of the Laodiceans; and see that you also read the letter from Laodicea. And say to Archippus, ‘See that you fulfill the ministry that you have received in the Lord.’ I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. Remember my chains. Grace be with you.” (Colossians 4:15–18 ESV)

So, Paul exhorts the Colossians to 

1. pass along his greetings to the other believers in Laodicea,

2. read the letter of Colossians to the Laodicean Christians and vice versa, 

3. remind Archippus about his ministry, and finally, 

4. to remember Paul’s imprisonment. 

So, what do you learn from these exhortations about the Christian life?

First, we should have a concern for “every member ministry” in the church. What does that mean? It means that everybody, regardless of age, ethnicity, gender, socio-economic status, or whatever, has a significant role to play in the church. For instance, this passage shows us that women played a significant role in the early church. In verse 15 we read about Nympha and the church in her house. The fact that Nympha has a house suggests she is wealthy. So Nympha is very different from Onesimus, but both had a significant role in the church.

Paul makes this same point in 1 Corinthians 12. In that chapter he uses the metaphor of a body to show that every member of the church matters. Just like all the parts of our body matter—our hands, feet, eyes, ears, nose, etc.—so too does every member of the church. You matter! You don’t need to be one of the leaders to make a difference. You don’t need to be a gifted public speaker to make a difference. Your ordinary faithfulness to Christ matters, no matter who you are.

Finally, Paul closes the letter by ending on the same note he started with: grace. In verse 18 he writes, “Grace be with you.” And in chapter 1 verse 2 he wrote, “Grace to you.” One pastor suggests that Paul views the letter itself as a channel of God’s grace to the Colossians. That’s why he starts by writing grace to you. Moreover, that’s also why he ends by saying grace with you. In other words, the grace they just received from God through the letter is meant to stay with them as they go out.

And we need that reminder Table Rock. The passage we looked at gave us a lot of examples to emulate (and some to avoid). But there’s no way we will ever be able to finish well like Mark did or forgive like Paul forgave unless we have experienced God’s grace firsthand. 

Remember where this passage fits into the whole letter of the Colossians. This letter hinges in chapter two verse six. 

“Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him…” (Colossians 2:6 ESV)

Before that verse Paul lays a foundation of gospel truth. In short, he reminds us that Jesus is supreme or sufficient. Jesus’s death on the cross was enough. As Don Straka put it, “Jesus plus nothing equals everything.” Jesus alone can rescue us.

It’s only after laying the foundation that Paul then starts exhorting the Colossians to do certain things. Likewise, we won’t be able to forgive each other, persevere in the Christian life, or value every member of the church unless we have first experienced that Jesus is sufficient. He’s enough.

In fact, we see Paul doing that very thing in Colossians 3:13. We read that we are to 

“forgive each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.” (Colossians 3:13 ESV)

In other words, because of the forgiveness we have experienced in the gospel, how can you not forgive others? When you see what it cost God to forgive you, that will empower you to forgive others. Because you will see that what it cost God to forgive you was infinitely more than it costs you to forgive others.

Communion

Wouldn’t it be great if there was a tangible way for us to remember all of that? It’s your lucky day because that’s communion! Communion illustrates this. What is communion? Well, communion is a means of God’s grace to us that visibly reminds us of what Jesus did for us on the cross. The bread reminds us that Jesus’s body was broken for our sin. My sin and your sin! The cup reminds us that Jesus’s blood was spilt for our sin. My sin and your sin! So what did it cost God to forgive us? It cost him his son. In communion, we experience God’s grace and that grace empowers us to obey God.

Earlier, in Colossians 1:19—22, Paul expounded these truths. In chapter one verse 22 Paul tells us how God reconciled us to himself through the body of flesh of Christ, that’s the bread. Moreover, in verse 20 Paul similarly tells us how we can have peace with God through the blood of the cross of Christ, that’s the juice.

Application Questions

1. How can you contribute to the “every member ministry” of Table Rock? For instance, what are some of the gifts God has given you to use to build up the body? (If you are meeting as a group, I encourage you to go around the circle and have a few people affirm the gifts they see in another person.)

2. How can we seek to finish the race well that God has laid before us? What might trip us up if we're not careful?