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Our sign in front of the church says, “Exalting Christ and His Word.” That’s exactly what Colossians does. We come to the conclusion of our expositions of Colossians this morning, but the truths about Christ given in this book should stick with us forever. Christ is supreme, sufficient, and sovereign Lord of all. Paul rejoiced when Epaphras brought him the news of people coming to Christ in the towns of Colossae and several other villages in the vicinity.
But Epaphras also brought the bad news that false teaching was worming its way into the churches in the area. The Gnostic teachers were spreading the poison that matter is evil and spirit is good, and only special people have this gnosis or knowledge. Christ is not enough. Paul knew this teaching was a direct attack on creation and the incarnation of Christ and was undermining the gospel. If matter is evil, then God didn’t create all things. If matter is evil, then God didn’t come in the flesh and the cross is of no value. Plus, they were adding to the gospel. Christ was not enough.
So we saw in Colossians that Paul launched a powerful barrage of truth about who Christ really is. He is the very image of God. He created and sustains all things. He is Himself the fullness of deity in bodily form and He is the mystery of God’s wisdom. He purchased and reconciled sinners to God with His blood. As the God-man He destroyed sin through the cross and triumphed over all demonic powers through the resurrection. Today He is seated in universal authority at the right hand of God, representing all of His elect people.
As a believer, your Christian life is Christ in you. You are a sinner saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. You were dead in your sins, but God forgave you your sins and joined you forever to Jesus Christ. You were made alive by the power of God in Christ, not by legalism, mysticism, or asceticism. You’ve been raised up with Christ. You have died to your old existence and now Christ is your life. Now you set your affections on pleasing Him, on becoming like Him. So you need to put to death the old ungodly habits and practices and begin to put on Christ-like attitudes and practices. He is your Lord and your Savior. Let His attitudes, His peace, His Word, and His name fill and motivate your life. Live for His glory in your marriage, your family, your friendships, and your work. Devote yourself to prayer. Be a gracious, winsome witness to the lost people around you. Redeem the time. Be ready with a gospel answer.
All of these wonderful truths are in the book of Colossians! Such a great book! I heartily commend it to you. Read it often. Now Paul is signing off this letter by sending greetings from some of his friends there in Rome, where he is a prisoner. Last time we looked at the first five kingdom workers; today are the final five. Each person mentioned packs a powerful message for us as kingdom workers in our day. Let’s see their life message and apply it to our own life and ministries.
EPAPHRAS – Kingdom workers grow to the maturity of being concerned for the spiritual growth of others.
Colossians 4:12-13, 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.
Paul tells us four things about this leader Epaphras.
1) He’s one of them. He’s the one who brought the gospel to them, the best news they ever heard, and they loved him for it. I don’t know how he heard it, perhaps from Paul in Ephesus. But they knew him and knew him to be a truly godly, concerned fellow believer and leader in the church.
2) He’s a slave of Christ. This is the second time Paul describes Epaphras as a slave (1:7). He was captured by the grace and love and glory of Christ. He was a slave of sin; now he’s a slave of Christ. I don’t think you would ever hear Epaphras boast or complain about the big sacrifice he made in following Christ. He knows this world is an empty bubble compared to the riches of knowing Christ.
3) He’s a prayer warrior – “laboring earnestly for you in his prayers.” His heart is full of love and concern for these believers. Paul has seen and heard his strong prayers for their spiritual growth and well-being. He prays they will stand firm, stand strong and not seduced or derailed by false teaching or sucked away by the love of money or the lust of the flesh, the eyes, and the pride of life. He prays they’ll be totally satisfied in doing the will of God. He knew that the church needs the Word and prayer to grow. The Word is light; prayer is the moisture for the growth of a healthy church.
4) He’s got a heart for others – “his deep concern for you” (vs. 13). This is the mark of a maturing kingdom worker. His heart aches for their spiritual good. He isn’t all taken up with himself. He himself is standing strong and you know it by his concern for others. When a person grows up through that self-centered, what’s-in-it-for-me mindset and begins to go to Bible studies thinking about others, goes to church seeking to bless others, prays for the growth of others, you’re looking at a healthy kingdom worker. Does your heart ache for other believers? Let’s pray for our four high school graduates we’re going to recognize today, that they’ll stand strong in Christ, not get tangled up in the world, and that they’ll all stay in the Word.
LUKE – Kingdom workers place a supreme value on serving Christ.
Colossians 4:14a, Luke, the beloved physician, sends you his greetings.
Here is a Gentile professional who had a comfortable, probably wealthy lifestyle going, and then along came Paul. Dr. Luke listened and was captured by the glories of Jesus Christ and his whole life changed! This is tremendous. We know Luke joined Paul on his second missionary journey when God called Paul to come over to Macedonia. At that point in Acts 16:10 the narrative changes from “he” and “they” to “we” and “us”. Luke closed his local practice and devoted the rest of his life to assisting Paul in the ministry of the gospel. He was with him all the way to Rome. Acts 28:16 says, “When we entered Rome.” Paul writes in last letter during his second imprisonment just before his execution under Nero, “Only Luke is with me!” (2 Timothy 4:11). One author notes, “His devotion to Paul in this time of peril is beautiful.”
Luke was an educated, highly cultured Greek with a fine Greek pen. He wrote Luke and Acts, about one-fourth of the New Testament. He is the only Gentile author of Scripture.
Dr. Luke reminds me of another beloved physician, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981). He started out his early career as an assistant to the royal physician in London. But God had other plans for this brilliant young man. God gave him a strong love for God’s Word. He became aware that people were dead in their sins and needed the gospel. He struggled about whether to leave medicine for preaching. He writes, “It was a very great struggle, I literally lost over 20 pounds in weight.” One night he attended a theater with a newlywed couple. When they left the theater in all the blare and glare of the city, a Salvation Army band came along playing hymns and witnessing for Christ. He said, “These are my people, these are the people I belong to, and I am going to belong to them” (Steve Lawson, The Passionate Preaching of Martyn Lloyd-Jones).
Martyn Lloyd-Jones became satisfied with nothing other than preaching the gospel. He married a surgeon, Bethan, and together they went to a rescue mission on the coast of Wales. Later he became the pastor of Westminster Chapel and preached with incredible passion the saving gospel of Jesus Christ.
Think about these two kingdom workers. If Luke had stayed in his hometown with his medical career, we’d probably never have heard of him. If Martyn Lloyd-Jones had remained on the royal medical staff, we would never have heard of him, at least as a great preacher. Millions have read Luke’s two books (Gospel of Luke and Acts), and Martyn Lloyd-Jones books of sermons have circled the globe. John MacArthur wrote, “Martyn Lloyd-Jones was without question the finest biblical expositor of the twentieth century…. I believe the Doctor will stand as one of the greatest preachers of all time.” If you haven’t read his book, Spiritual Depression, order it today. Then work your way through his sermons on the Sermon on the Mount.
DEMAS – Kingdom workers keep a careful watch over their own hearts.
Colossians 4:14b and also Demas.
All Paul says is, “and also Demas.” Did Paul have his doubts about Demas even here? In case you aren’t aware, Demas is one of those Christian tragedies. The last word we hear about him is in 2 Timothy 4:10, “Demas has forsaken me, having loved this present world.” Imagine having this as your epitaph – “He loved this present world.” Did he ever repent? We don’t know. Warren Wiersbe wrote, “Demas thought he could serve two masters, but eventually he had to make a decision; unfortunately he made the wrong decision.” We all know people who deserted Christ for this world. He is a huge warning to every one of us: “Love not the world.”
NYMPHA – Kingdom workers use whatever resources they have for the sake of God’s people.
Colossians 4:15-16 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.
Here is a beautiful Christian soul who used her earthly wealth for God’s kingdom. At some point God reached into her heart and shone the light of Christ and now here she is a kingdom worker, a laborer for Christ, a worker for God’s kingdom. She is using what she her lovely, spacious home for the gathering of God’s people. She is practicing the gift of hospitality, which means not just opening your home, but opening your heart to strangers. Folks, you can be a kingdom worker in this very way. When you take the time to introduce yourself to visitors, when you invite people to your home or out to eat, when you open your home for Bible studies and fellowship times, you are displaying God’s beauty and grace. You are like Nympha.
Paul wants this letter read to the Colossians and the Laodiceans and then his letter from Laodicea read to the Colossians. First, notice the importance of reading the Word. Paul knew the power of the Word. How excited these believers would be to get these letters from Paul. And we have the privilege of reading these letters today.
Second, that letter from Laodicea may well have been the epistle of Ephesus. These letters were called circular epistles, to be passed from church to church.
Third, does Laodicea remind you of Revelation 2-3? By the time John wrote Revelation around AD 90, the Ephesians had lost their first love and the Laodiceans are in deep spiritual trouble. They are lukewarm and Christ is ready to spit them out of His mouth. He is standing outside the church, knocking on the door, looking for them to repent and honor Him as supreme and their sufficiency again. No person or church is immune from spiritual drift and coldness. We need to keep the pulpit hot and personally maintain a close walk with Christ every day.
ARCHIPPUS – Kingdom workers need God’s strength to fulfill their ministry.
Colossians 4:17, Say to Archippus, “Take heed to the ministry which you have received in the Lord, that you may fulfill it.”
Archippus was probably Philemon’s son. Paul refers to him in Philemon 2. “Take heed” means pay close attention, don’t waver, don’t be double-minded. Every kingdom worker needs to take heed to him or herself. There is no way you are going to feed and bless others if you let your own spiritual life starve. Take time to meditate in the Word, prayerfully working your way through a portion of Scripture every day. Strength for ministry doesn’t come from activity. It comes from daily fellowship with Christ.
“Archippus, God entrusted this ministry to you. Be sure to remain faithful to it.” If you aren’t finding Christ to be your all in all, the joy and delight of your heart, then your Christian life will become drudgery and dry and hard. If you find yourself becoming spiritually dull, make an appointment to see God. Get with David in the Psalms and start seeking God early (Psalm 63:1). Ministry must flow out of full hearts who love Christ or you’ll have trouble. Satan would love to drain your spiritual vitality and life like a spiritual leech. He would love to get you doing your ministry in your own power and energy and in the flesh. That will lead to pride, hypersensitivity, resenting the time your ministry is requiring of you. Take heed, look at what you are doing, and be sure your heart is full of the joy of the Lord.
FINAL WORDS
Colossians 4:18, I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. Remember my imprisonment. Grace be with you.
Paul closes with such a human touch. First, he probably reviewed the letter and then signed it with his signature to avoid forged letters sent in his name. Then, “Remember my imprisonment.” He’s not looking for sympathy. He just wants them to pray that he will remain faithful, regardless of his imprisonment. And then, “Grace be with you.” Strengthening grace, assuring grace, forgiving grace, encouraging grace. We all need God’s grace.
If you are a Christian, you are a Kingdom Worker for God’s kingdom.
Kingdom workers grow to the maturity of being concerned for the spiritual growth of others.
They place a supreme value on serving Christ.
They keep a watch over their own hearts.
They use whatever resources they have for the sake of God’s people.
They depend on God’s strength to fulfill their ministry – vs. 17.
Let’s end with these two verses.
Colossians 2:6-7. Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, 7 having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude.