2022-2-13, Christ Above All- What's in a Name? Tychicus, Colossians 4:7-18

Introduction

2022-2-13, Christ Above All, What's in a Name? Tychichus, Colossians 4:7-18

Review

Colossians is Paul’s letter to a good church he’s never been to which is struggling with encroaching heresy (pre-gnostic, Jewish legalism & folklore, asceticism). They face the temptation to diminish Christ and His work.

Paul’s counter to heresy by exalting...

1) Christ as God…Col 1:15-18

2) His gospel (specifically that the Colossians were transformed by it)…Col 1:19-23

and therefore

3) reminding them how the Lordship of Christ impacts every part of their lives…Col 3:1-3. This manifests itself in putting off the garments of the old unregenerate heart, and clothing one’s self of the new heart in Christ. He’s applied this to the church, home, and work.

4) Last week we saw that our faith in Christ is not something that we hold private. It eventually works it’s way outwardly in our lives. (Colossians 4:2-6)

Today’s Main Point

Today we arrive at the point where Paul closes his letter.

Often at conclusions we skim to the end.

However, this is one of the richest parts of a rich letter. This affords us the opportunity to learn about the people who worked with Paul- the unsung heroes contributed to the gospel coming to you in the present age.

Paul mentions several people by name. Who were they? What can we know about them? If we will slow down and take in these names and their characteristics, we can learn important lessons about our work as Christian servants in the Lord’s church.

The top point I would like for you to take away from this week and next week is that

There are qualities which make people excellent partners in the cause of Christ and we should imitate these traits.

Passage

Colossians 4:7–18 ESV

7 Tychicus will tell you all about my activities. He is a beloved brother and faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord. 8 I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are and that he may encourage your hearts, 9 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. 10 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), 11 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. 12 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. 13 For I bear him witness that he has worked hard for you and for those in Laodicea and in Hierapolis. 14 Luke the beloved physician greets you, as does Demas. 15 Give my greetings to the brothers at Laodicea, and to Nympha and the church in her house. 16 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. 17 And say to Archippus, “See that you fulfill the ministry that you have received in the Lord.” 18 I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. Remember my chains. Grace be with you.

In Paul’s letters in the NT to the several churches he influenced, Paul concludes two of those letters with long sections of personal greetings and comments.

Interestingly, the longer lists are in letters addressed to churches which Paul had yet to meet in person.

This shows that in churches who did not know him well, Paul gave extra work to firm up his connections with them.

In this section,

Paul lends credibility to the men bringing the letter,

he passes on greetings from companions who are with him who do know the people in the Lycus Valley

He gives specific instruction and encouragements to individuals there whom he has worked with before, or those whom he has heard about.

This closing strengthens his influence with them, considering that there are heretics in and around the church trying to undercut him.

Everyone that Paul mentions is admirable to him at the moment of the writing (sadly, one falls away eventually).

There are many attributes which make these people admirable. These traits we should emulate.

One thing all these people share is a commitment to the cause of Christ.

They have each had a personal encounter with the risen Christ.

They have been redeemed through faith in Jesus.

They all know that Christ commands Christians to spread the gospel of Christ around the world (the Great Commission).

They have all committed to this Jesus movement which is greater than themselves.

They all have joined in on the work (they are all in).

They see Paul as an apostle with the authority of Christ. Paul is their leader.

Illustrate

Olympics

Superbowl

If someone is competing in one of these, then you know that person is committed to his or her sport.

Such athletes are not wishy-washy in their craft. They are all in. What does that mean? They give their time, treasure, and talents to it.

This can be said for Paul and his companions.

Apply

What are you committed to? A sport? an education? a career? These can all be good things. However, something to consider is that while not all of us are called to the same path in sports, education, or career, and we celebrate those who go on to do great things, we are all commanded by our Lord to be wholly committed to the cause of Christ- that is making His name and his gospel known through all the peoples of the earth.

I will not be an Olympian someday. I will also not play in a Superbowl. Genetics and age are to blame.

However, when it comes to the cause of Christ, the only difference between being on the sidelines and being all in in the cause of Christ is our willful choice.

God’s power is the means, but we must be willing.

Saying yes means making the work of the kingdom a priority, something which we willfully give the lions share of our time, treasure, and talents.

This is nice because you can do a quick personal eval of your commitment to the cause of Christ by looking at your time, energy, and money as a sort of instrument panel.

Low application means low commitment. High application means high commitment. It’s as easy as that.

How do you grow in you commitment? Pray for the Lord to put a fire in your belly. Then willfully chose to give yourself to the movement of Christ.

One observation we learn from is they were committed.

A second characteristic about them, which Paul models best, They rarely work alone. The only time I can think of that Paul worked alone was in Athens (Acts 17).

This passage is proof-positive that Paul and all these people did not see the cause of Christ as a solo act.

The Great Commission is greater than one man, one local church, one denomination, or the churches in one country or even in one time period.

The Great Commission is the church’s work in God’s redemption plan which belongs to all of Christ’s body, in every place and in any era in the present age.

Illustrate

I replaced my water heater in my home a couple years ago. I was so glad to have my FIL help me. He had experience doing it and we worked together to move the old heavy tank out and the other one in. We talked about what each of us needed to do. We got the job done.

What if I had tried to do it alone? I would probably have hired a plumber. I might’ve should have hired a plumber.

Paul and his companions rarely worked alone, because they know that God designed them to work together.

Complementary strengths, experiences, gifts, resources.

Apply

The cause of Christ is a movement shared by all of us who call on Christ. We all are to commit to it.

The Bible perfectly models that New Testament work is done shoulder-to-shoulder. Generally, most of the work we do will be in the local church.

There are a lot of questions about membership and church programs, etc. People ask why do we do these? The answer is that they are the expression of Christians binding together and working to fulfill the work that Christ has called us to do.

So, not only will obedience to Christ call for your commitment. It will call for your teamwork. This means being willing to find your place of ministry in the church.

Come to training meetings

Come to the work

Flex your spiritual gifts, experiences, partnership

Tychicus

Today, we are just going to look at verses 7-8 and talk about Tychicus.

Paul says

Colossians 4:7–8 ESV

7 Tychicus will tell you all about my activities. He is a beloved brother and faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord. 8 I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are and that he may encourage your hearts,

The first person Paul mentions is Tychicus.

Paul tells them that Tychicus is:

A beloved brother

faithful minister

fellow slave of Christ

Embedded in these descriptions are several traits which make Tychicus a person we should imitate.

Let me first tell you more about Tychicus:

Tychicus was from Asia minor (Acts 20:4, Eph 6:21), joined Paul in Ephesus (Paul spent 3 years there on his third missionary journey).

He travelled with Paul through the remainder of the third journey.

Upon Paul’s return to Jerusalem, Tychicus was one of the trustworthy believers with Paul who brought the large monetary gift from the churches in Greece and Macedonia to the Christians in Judea who were suffering from famine.

Even with repeated statements that Paul faced danger in Jerusalem, Tychicus stayed by his side.

When Paul was arrested, appealed to Caesar and was shipped off to Rome, Tychicus went with him.

He stayed with and supported Paul in house arrest for two years until the writing of Colossians and the other prison epistles, then Paul entrusted him to deliver letters to the Ephesians, Colossians, and to Philemon. These were inspired scripture. This was an adventure filled with danger.

Tychicus returned to Paul in Rome, was with him upon his release

When Paul needed a temporary replacement for Titus as pastor of the church on Crete, Tychicus was a candidate (Titus 3:12). Tychicus, who had begun as a messenger, was now a candidate to fill in for as great a man as Titus. John F. MacArthur Jr., Colossians, MacArthur New Testament Commentary (Chicago: Moody Press, 1992), 192.

Colossians: The MacArthur New Testament Commentary The Man with a Servant’s Heart

At the very end of Paul’s life, during his second Roman imprisonment, Tychicus was still with him. Facing imminent execution, Paul desired to see Timothy one last time. Because Timothy could not leave his congregation at Ephesus without a replacement, Paul sent Tychicus (2 Tim. 4:12). Once again, Tychicus’s name comes up as a replacement for one of Paul’s prominent associates. That speaks highly of his character.

That’s the background.

In our passage, Tychicus was the one who would deliver news about Paul’s situation and the story of his suffering for the gospel to Ephesus, Colossae, and Laodicea.

Tychicus was qualified to give the official update.

However, he also carried a shepherd’s heart. Paul wanted him to deliver encouragement to these churches who were worried about him, and to those who were struggling to be faithful to the true gospel.

Paul’s message through the messenger, the chains were worth the cause of Christ. They symbolized his wholehearted devotion to Christ.

It’s with this backdrop that we understand what Paul meant when he described Tychicus as

A beloved brother

faithful minister

fellow slave of Christ

3. Tychicus was committed to the cause of Christ. He had surrendered his life to His redemption plan. The term here is bond-slave. Paul and Tychicus viewed themselves as persons purchased by Christ and their purpose in life was to faithfully serve their master.

2. Tychicus was faithful in the work. He was trustworthy and reliable. Paul entrusted him with his most important tasks. Tychicus grew in this. He went from being a Christian, to a missionary companion, to an important messenger, to interim pastor for the greatest of pulpits in the early church.

It’s amazing where faithfulness to the work will take you.

Illustrate

Apply

Are you trustworthy and reliable. Are you faithful in the work.

What would you ministry teammates say? Do you show up? Do you take responsibility? Do you follow through on what you say?

We all can stand to grow in this right?

Tychicus was faithful to Paul, his leader. Paul calls him a beloved brother because he loves him like a brother. Tychicus doggedly stayed with Paul and served Paul. He submitted to Paul. He never left his side.

Illustrate

Apply

I’ve always been told that we are supposed to have a Paul in our lives, a Peter, and a Timothy.

This means that we should have a mentor, a peer, and someone we are pouring into.

We are good at having peers. Many of us have people whom we disciple. But how many of us have someone we submit to and learn from?

Who is your Paul?

Tychicus sets the model for this. He was a disciple of Paul as the disciples were of Christ. In doing so, Tychicus was a disciple of Christ.

He was loyal and faithful.

Do you have a leader you believe in and trust, whom you can serve as you serve Christ? Someone you can love? Someone who can direct you and you tell that person “yes?” It takes a lot of trust. No one is perfect, but there are still people that we can faithful to.

We see this characteristic to follow leadership in this list.

But this is a hard concept, it is the point of submitting to leaders.

Americans don’t like to do this too much. But in the cause of Christ, things go well when people are willing to put themselves under the oversight of others for the sake of the cause.

Things work better when people let leaders lead the team.

Imagine a team where the wide receivers refused to submit to the QB. Would they do well. No

In the same way, if you are on a ministry team, it is appropriate to go with the leader and help the leader rather than to be oppositional.

Yet, this is the theme that continues and it’s a characteristic of faithful servants.

It really grates against our flesh. But it is something true in God’s kingdom.

S

ubmit, obey. Let leaders lead you. Align your wills, be one in Spirit

Hebrews 13:17 ESV

17 Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.

Conclusion

Be committed to the cause of Christ.

Don’t work alone.

Be faithful in the work.

Be faithful to your Paul.