Sermon Tone Analysis

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

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.