Sermon 4-3-11

“THE KIND OF PEOPLE YOU FIND IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD”

Colossians 4:7-18

The people found in the kingdom of God have always existed as a community or family. Rick Warren recently said, “Jesus began his Church as a FAMILY! It became an institution in Rome, a political tool in Europe & a business in America.”

The people inside that family:

-are diverse

-have different jobs (some high profile- some that may seem menial)

-some become well known - some are nothing more than footnotes

-stick together

-work together

-united by one person (Jesus), one event (death, burial, resurrection), and one purpose (be His witness)

Within this family you often find God-appointed leaders and a whole group of people who support their leader. They are valuable because without them the leader could not do it all on his own.

Noah and Abraham - had their sons

Moses - able men

David - mighty men

Jesus- disciples

Paul - travel companions

It is these travel companions we want to look at today. They represent some of the people you will find in the Kingdom of God. It is likely that everyone of us today can relate to at least one of these people. In the 21st century you are living out the life of a 1st century Christian.

I. TYCHICUS - A Fortunate Friend

mentioned 5 times in NT.

- We are first introduced to him in Acts 20 as Paul is nearing the end of his third missionary journey where he was returning to Jerusalem to bring an offering that the Gentile churches had taken up for the Jewish church. Tychicus then is a traveling companion of Paul’s. That says something about his character.

Going along on a journey like Paul was on was no small undertaking. Travel in those days was far more difficult and dangerous than we understand. It most certainly was more time consuming as well. Perhaps the most telling aspect of this travel was that Paul was repeatedly warned that trouble awaited him in Jerusalem and his history of trouble certainly made that warning seem imminent. Tychicus would have heard these warnings and yet he remained with Paul. When Paul writes this letter to the Colossians four years later from a Roman prison Tychicus is still with him.

No wonder Paul refers to him as a “beloved brother” and “faithful minister.” It is a blessing to have someone who will stick with you even with the situation is difficult and in doing so it may cost them.

“The greatest ability is dependability.” - WW.

The church needs people who can be counted on, who will stick with you even when the going is tough, people who don’t care what serving Jesus costs them.

Prov. 17:17 - “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.”

Here is why we need people like that- vs. 7b-8...

We have troubles and it is good to have a close Christian we can count on to be there for us and care for us. That is why it is so important to be in a church family. Trouble will find you but when it does you will also find some people who love Jesus and you and are willing to “travel” that difficult road with you. If hang around this church and get involved you will find some people like that.

May God increase the Tychicus’ in our church.

II. ONESIMUS - An Encouraging Testimony

Onesimus had been a slave owned by Philemon, one of the key leaders at the Colossian church. He robbed Philemon and ran away to Rome. By the sovereignty of God he meets Paul and surrenders his life to Jesus. Hence the phrase “who is one of you.” The fact that he is designated as faithful and beloved means that in a short period of time Onesimus has really changed his life and you can see Jesus working all over him.

When we hear testimonies like that it is an encouragement because it reminds us of what God can do in the life of a person who will turn from their sins and put their faith in Christ. It also reminds us that it is worth it to keep witnessing. Not everyone will receive our message but some will and when you find that one who does it just lifts the church up.

No doubt some of you today have greatly encouraged others because of the change they have seen in your life due to Jesus. That’s what he does and only He can do it.

What I wonder is how many are here today that are like Onesimus prior to his change...you need Jesus...he can turn you from being a “robber on the run” to a faithful and beloved brother. What an encouragement you would be to many on this day if you would just surrender to Him!

III. ARISTARCHUS - The Sympathetic Servant

One of three Jews mentioned here, a native of Thessalonica, and also a travel companion of Paul’s. Like Tychicus he endured riots, storms, and shipwrecks to accompany Paul and his missions.

“fellow prisoner”- It is believed that he was not personally arrested but instead voluntarily chose to live under prison confinement with Paul giving up his freedoms just so that he could minister to Paul’s needs. It’s hard to imagine anyone being more Christ-like than this isn’t it?

Paul is the one who gets all the fame and noteriety. He is the one who is contstantly “on the stage, under the lights.” But he can’t do it without someone being there to take care of him. Any leader would be blessed to have someone like this at their side.

IV. MARK - Second Chance

He had been a companion of Paul and Barnabas on their first missionary journey. He deserted them apparently as the going got tough. His desertion would later become a point of friction between Paul, Barnabas, and the church. Barnabas wanted to take Mark back on the second journey but Paul did not. The two companions would end up splitting over this.

But the story doesn’t end there. By the time Paul writes Colossians he and Mark are reconciled. In 2 Timothy 4:11 Paul refers to Mark as “useful to me for service.” He has changed, learned from his failures and God has granted him another opportunity to fulfill his ministry. In fact he would of course be one of four men who wrote the inspired accounts of Jesus’ life.

What an encouragement this should be for us. You may have messed up big time in your life and I don’t just mean before you became a Christian. You may have messed up as a Christian. You may have greatly damaged your witness or lost your ministry as a result of something. That does not mean that God is finished with you or can’t use you anymore. There is something called forgiveness, restoration, and grace.

If you have done something regretful and it has cost you, repent! Turn from it, turn back to God, accept your discipline, and find someone who will help walk you back from the gates of Hell. If you ever thought that you had to be perfect to attend church and serve God, then someone lied to you. The reason we exist is because you and I aren’t perfect, but in Christ He makes us perfect. Our God is the God of second chances. If you don’t believe just look at the person next to you. You just have to be willing to not quit, but instead turn back to Him.

V. JESUS JUSTUS - The Unkown Soldier

We know nothing about him except that he comforted Paul. He represents those faithful believers who serve Godbut whose deeds are not announced for the world to know. However we do know that God keeps an accurate record of our deeds done for Him and He will reward us accordingly.

Just like with the tomb of the unknown soldier, we may not know who is buried there but we choose to honor that person by perpetually guarding it and recognizing their service. So too there are people in the kingdom and even in this church who do things that are unkown to many, they may never get their name on a building, may never stand on stage in front of the crowd, and may never receive a dime for their work, but God knows what you did, and He will honor you for it.

Matt. 6:3-4 - “But when you do a charitable dded do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly.”

VI. EPAPHRAS - The Prayer Warrior

as noted in chapter 1 he was the founding pastor of this church. He had traveled to Rome to update Paul on the challenges this church was facing.

Even though he was seperated from the church at the moment he did not cease to pray for them.

“always” - not just when he felt like it or had time

“laboring fervently” - agonizing - speaks to a grueling athletic competition. His people were in a war and Epaphras was determined to fight it from his knees.

“for you” -here is more of that specific prayer we recently talked about. His heart is for this local church body.

“stand perfect and complete in all the will of God” - He wants them to be mature and satisfied in the will of God. This isn’t just ‘get well soon’ praying or ‘grant me traveling mercies.’ This is for the people to stand firm in their faith in Christ, get in the trenches, and fight for His Kingdom.

Epaphras is the only one in this list commended for his prayer life. I’m sure the others prayed too, but this man stood out. We may not all pray with the same intensity but in our midst, there are some who stand out as genuine prayer warriors. To you I say thank you.

VII. LUKE - The Professional

“beloved physician” - He was an educated and cultured man. In his day the profession of medicine had been perfected by the Greeks, and physicians were held in the highest regard. Yet he surrendered his talent to God and walked away from what might have been a lucrative private practice to be another of Paul’s close travel companions who would go on to write two books that made up a sizeable portion of NT.

He is the classic example of a professional man who uses his skills in the service of the Lord and gives himself up to go wherever God calls him to go.

Just because you got a high level of education and worked your way into a good paying job or business doesn’t mean you are above God’s call on your life. It may be that God allowed you to obtain all that not so that you could make a good living doing what you want but so that you could use those skills and experiences to serve in His kingdom.

VIII. DEMAS - The Drop Out

Seeing Demas’ name in this list is like looking at a photograph of your family taken years ago. At the time of the picture things seemed okay but years later you look at it and point to one person at the edge who is no longer in the family because of a divorce or death, or they ran away.

Demas at the time of this writing was one of Paul’s fellow laborers. But when you read Paul’s final letter which was written to Timothy before Paul died he said this about Demas:

2 Tim. 4:10 - “Demas has forsaken me having loved this present world, and departed for Thessalonica...”

“world” - refers to the whole system of things that runs this world without regard for God.

I’m sure it hurt Paul to have Demas abandon him, it would have hurt the local church, and the work of the Lord, but the one it hurt the most - was Demas himself. He wasted his life and walked away from the one person who could satisfy him - not Paul, but Jesus.

Just like Jesus had his Judas, Paul had a Demas. Tragically there will always be dropouts no matter what we do...Drop outs are no reflection on your ministry!

IX - NYMPHAS - The Giver

Not sure if this was masculine or feminine name. What you need to know is this person had a house and allowed the church to use it to meet in. This was a common practice in the early church. Whatever you had, if it could be of use to the church and serve Kingdom purposes you offered it.

Acts 2:44-45 - “Now all who believed were together and had all things in comon and sold their possessions and goods and divided them among all as anyone had need.”

Some didn’t but said they did (Acts 5) and that didn’t turn out so good for them...

Whatever you have, consider that just maybe God allowed you to have so that it could be used for his kingdom purposes.

X. ARCHIPPUS - Called To Ministry

“take heed to the ministry you have received from the Lord, that you may fulfill it” - it is believed he was the son of Philemon and had some sort of leadership role in one of these churches, most likely pastor or elder. God had called him out from his family and the people to take on this ministry. He still does that. How do you think I got here? This church has a history of sending out people into what we call “full-time professional ministry.” It’s been years since that has happened. I wonder who is next? I wonder if that person is sitting here today? A child, teenager, adult?

*****

Some of the people we have seen in the kingdom were friends, encouraging testimonies of God’s grace, humble servants some of whom got the spotlight while others were behind the scenes, some made the most of their second chances, some were prayer warriors, professionals who used thier skills for God’s glory, some gave what they had, unfortunately some dropped out, and of course some are called out.

This church is full of people just like this list. I had to restrain myself today because I desperately wanted to call out some of you and acknowledge you as modern day examples of some of these great men and women. To do so though I would surely have left out far too many. But if you fit these descriptions you know who you are, I know who you are, and most importantly God knows who you are. I praise Him for people like you.

Here’s the best part. Do you know what the list represents? Each name represents a person who made the decision to trust Jesus with their life, grow in their relationship with Him and then set off on a mission He called them to.

Is that your life today? If not, Jesus is calling you to add your name to this list.