The Book of Colossians: The Incomparable Christ.

Our Father, we thank You for this word. We thank You for the truth of Your word. And we thank You for the power of Your word and the applicability of Your word. And now, we ask that You would open our eyes that we might behold wonderful things from Your word. And we’ll give You all the praise and all the glory. For we ask it in Jesus’ name, Amen.

This concluding word, this afterword, this epilogue, is among the richest in all the Apostle Paul’s letters. The Apostle Paul reveals something of his own heart, his concern for the church there at Colossae. The personal references tell you that this church is more to Paul than simply someone, or some body of people that he is interested in, in terms of advancing the numbers of his cause. He’s concerned about them individually. He speaks of individual people. He gives individual words of encouragement and instruction and admonition.

Paul is concerned about the people in this congregation, and there are many themes in this passage which we’re not going to be able to explore. You may think that this is one of those passages, when you first look at it, kind of like the genealogies in the Book of Chronicles. How in the world can you learn anything from a passage like this? But the fact of the matter is, that this passage is so rich, there are many themes that we’re not going to be able to look at today.

I’d like to point to what this passage teaches us about the character of the Apostle Paul. Because the characteristics worked in the Apostle Paul, and evident in these passages, are transferable characteristics which God expects of all fulfilled Christians. These are principles and aspects of our character which each of us ought to possess, and which each of us need to cultivate, and we see them very readily in this passage.

We see in this passage that Paul has a great capacity for people. We see in this passage that Paul has a great capacity for shared ministry. We see in this passage that Paul has a great capacity for supporting his co-workers, and we see in this passage that Paul has a great capacity for single-mindedness. Each of those things are things that ought to characterize our lives living in the grace of Christ.

I. The fulfilled Christian has a genuine concern for people.

The fulfilled Christian has a genuine concern for people. Note that Paul not only remembers the names of these folks, he is genuinely concerned with them. He is genuinely concerned about their wellbeing.

Now Paul is not telling this church about his situation because he wants them to have sympathy for him. He’s not desiring to engage in a pity party and have some company in his misery of imprisonment. Paul wants to tell them something about what is going on with him because he knows that they are concerned about him. It was not for a selfish reason that Paul was going to convey to them his situation. It was because he was concerned for them, and he knew that they were concerned about him, and that is why he sends word back giving specific details about himself.

That was not the spirit of the Apostle Paul. Paul knew how to talk both about the great truths of scripture and those things that concern us as human beings created in the image of God. He had a balance in his conversation, and Paul here shows his interest in people, by conveying to them these life situations in his imprisonment.

Notice also in verse eight that he sends them this servant Tychicus because he wants to comfort and strengthen them. He says, “that he may encourage your hearts.” Paul is not only concerned to tell them about his condition, but also to encourage them in their own place. They may have been downcast, thinking that ‘if Paul is in prison, surely our imprisonment is coming soon.’ And yet, Paul wants to encourage them. Think of this. Paul in his bondage, desiring to encourage those who were free. Paul had a concern for people. It’s very evident in this passage before us. Do we have that same kind of concern for people?

II. The fulfilled Christian shares his ministry
Notice, secondly, in this passage, we learn that the fulfilled Christian shares his ministry.
Paul willingly shares his ministry, and he acknowledges those who work with him, notice fellow servants in verse seven, fellow prisoners, verse ten, and fellow workers, verse eleven. The apostle Paul is no lone ranger. Yes, he is gifted by God, above the ordinary, in an extraordinary way, supernaturally by the Holy Spirit, so that he can prophesy and he can speak in tongues, and he brings the very revelation of God. But notice that his ministry, he sees, to be a corporate ministry. He is not off on his own. He is willing to share that ministry, and he is willing to acknowledge that other people play integral roles in the work that he does.

Isn’t that unlike some people that we know? Do you ever have a tendency to sort of protect your turf in your area of ministry? You’ve got something that you do well for the Lord and you don’t want anybody else in on it. You’re going to do it yourself. Not Paul. Paul is always sharing the ministry that he does, and acknowledging those who are involved in the ministry, acknowledging them with the glorious titles of fellow servants and fellow prisoners and fellow workers.

III. The fulfilled Christian appreciates and supports his co-workers
Notice also, that in this passage we learn that the fulfilled Christian appreciates and supports his co-workers. Notice in the passage how Paul is sincere in his compliments to those who are working with him in the gospel. Notice how appropriate he is in those compliments. Look at some of the compliments that he gives. First in verse seven he speaks of Tychicus as his beloved brother, his faithful servant, his fellow slave. What a beautiful ascription to this man, what a beautiful word of appreciation of his character and his service. He’s a beloved brother. He’s a faithful servant. He’s a fellow slave of Christ.

Notice his words about Mark and Jesus Justus, two Jewish Christians who were serving with Paul. Of them, he says, “these were the only fellow workers from the circumcision.” In other words, he says, everywhere I’ve gone, I have upset the Jews. They have gotten upset with the message that I’m preaching, but these Jewish Christians encouraged me and they worked along side me and I’m thankful to God for them.

Notice in verse twelve his words about Epaphras. He says that Epaphras is a bond slave of Christ. On the tombs of the prophets were the words, ‘Servant of the Lord.’ What better title could one have than to be called a servant of the Lord? And Paul says that Epaphras, you are a servant of the Lord Jesus Christ. And he furthermore says, that this man Epaphras is always faithfully laboring in prayers. He is a man of prayer. Think of being called a faithful servant of the Lord and a man of prayer by Paul. What a compliment. How encouraging, how supportive, how appreciative was Paul as he labored.

Think again in verse fourteen, where Paul’s even going to mention his doctor. In his greetings he speaks of his beloved physician. We perhaps don’t always think of our physicians in that way, do we? But Paul speaks of his beloved friend and physician, Luke.

And notice his exhortations in verse ten and in verse thirteen. He tells the congregation, ‘welcome Mark,’ and he tells the congregation, I want you to know about how deeply concerned Epaphras is for you. Do we encourage one another in well doing that way? Are words of appreciation and encouragement frequently on our lips? Do we build up the saints by those types of words of encouragement? Paul did. And so ought we.

IV. The fulfilled Christian is single-minded in his spiritual focus
Finally, we see in this passage that the fulfilled Christian is single-minded in his spiritual focus, and Paul is the great example of this. Note how Paul never lets up on a theme. Paul began this epistle in chapter one, verse two, initiating the theme of loyalty to Christ, faithfulness to Christ, and even in his epilogue, even in his acknowledgments, he’s still on the theme of loyalty and faithfulness and Christ. It’s the theme of his letter and it continues to be mentioned in his epilogue. For instance, when you see what Paul says he appreciates about these various people in the epilogue, what comes immediately to mind? Faithfulness, commitment, and loyalty. Those are the things that are high on his list.

And when he compliments these workers, he precisely compliments them for their loyalty to Christ. There are so many applications of the truths found in this passage that we couldn’t possibly survey them all, but let me just mention a few, as we conclude today. First of all, after looking at this final word of Paul, in the Book of Colossians, we’re reminded again of the truth that all Scripture is given by inspiration. Only God could have written an acknowledgments section so filled with gospel truth and practical, day-to-day guidance.

Finally, we should close with Paul’s own closing words, found in verse eighteen. I direct your attention to them. He says, “remember my imprisonment.” Remember, literally, my chains. Remember my bonds. Why would Paul tell these people to remember his chains? Not to gain sympathy.

Paul wanted these people to remember why he was in prison: for preaching the message that we are complete in Christ and in Him only. And furthermore, he wanted them to remember who he was imprisoned for, the Master, the Lord and Savior. He was not at last the prisoner of Caesar. He was not the prisoner of Rome. He was the prisoner of Christ. He wanted them to remember the message and the Master who had put him in that prison, because he wanted them to cling to the truth of that message and always to be loyal to the Master who had given them that message.

There is a famous painting of the Apostle Paul in his prison. In that painting, light is falling through the window and falling upon Paul in prayer. There are bars in the window, but the painter does not draw shadows of the bars in the light which is reflecting on Paul, symbolizing that though Paul was imprisoned in his flesh, yet he had been freed by the grace of Christ. And though he was the prisoner of Rome, he was at last the prisoner of no one save Jesus Christ. And Jesus Christ had set him free. Remember my bonds. Sweet bonds of Christ, the Puritans used to say. Paul was a man set free, and he desired the Colossians to be free as God desires us to be set free, only in Christ. Let’s look to him in prayer.

Our heavenly father, we glory in the teaching of this book. We pray that it would not only be something that our minds and hearts relish to contemplate, but that it would become a practical reality of our living. We desperately need our priorities to be reordered in light of your word. This is Your word. By Your Spirit reorder those priorities and bring a revival born of the Spirit which renovates this congregation and this world. And we’ll give You the praise and the glory. For we ask it in Jesus’ name, Amen.

May the Lord’s grace and truth be found here. Have a blessed day in the Lord.

Soli deo Gloria!