A Faithful Farewell | Colossians 4:7-18

Have you ever driven somewhere and when you arrived, it seemed like the journey to get there was a blur? Like sometimes, you don’t even remember each turn that got you where you were?

This happens sometimes when I drive somewhere repeatedly, like from home to work, or vice-versa. Perhaps this has happened to you, and You go to clock in at work and ask yourself, was I even awake for the drive here?

It can be a little eerie, right?

I don’t know how you feel about our time in Colossians, but I can’t believe this is our final week. It seems like I was just prepping for our first Sunday together, and bam, here we are finishing up our study.

And for some of us, we have missed some of the turns as we went through the book, and as we conclude the series this morning, I want to review before we say our goodbyes. So turn with me back to chapter 1 if you will, and we will start there.

On January 2nd of this year, we began with A Grateful Start in 1:1-8. Now, some of you didn’t pay attention to any of what was said, because you were thinking about racing to the atrium for the left over Cinnamon Rolls - but that’s ok, God knows.

As we began Paul’s wonderful letter to the Church at Colossae, we started with some preliminary truths:

1. Paul was writing to a group he had never met in person.

Remember, Paul’s ministry impacted Epaphras in Ephesus, and Epaphras then took the good news to Collosae and started a church.

2. The context is immersed in Greco-Roman Culture

We have to remember that Paul is not sitting in America writing to 21st century Christians. Paul is sitting in Roman Incarceration in mid-first century writing to a group of people in a very different setting than us.

3. Paul is writing to encourage believers with a proper view of Christ.

All throughout Colossians, Paul’s Christology is on display. As we have walked through the book, we have recieved a better view of who Jesus is as central, supreme, and superior in all things.

4. Paul is writing to combat some errors in the church.

Syncretism, legalism, and gnosticism among other things had creeped into the church, and Paul is going to address those issues in light of who Christ is.

Now, as Paul lays out Colossians, he is doing so with two main themes.

In chapters 1-2, he focuses on who Christ is, and what He has done.

In chapters 3-4, he focuses on how those truths impact the daily life of a believer in practical ways.

1-2 Belive

3-4 Behave

In chapters 1-2, in essence, Paul says, See Jesus, then in chapters 3-4 he says, Live Accordingly.

In 1:3-8, Paul gave us God’s prescription for Gospel growth.

All things begin with God, flow through the Gospel message that is delivered by faithful believers, and produces fruit in others for the glory of God.

It all begins with God, flows through the gospel and produces fruit for God’s glory.

So we reflected in week one on this truth:

God is good to change me and grow me through the Gospel!

From there, we looked at the circle of life in vv. 9-14.

And in this cycle that provides meaningful living, we see two parts:

1. God acting, then

2. Us responding dependently

We pictured it this way:

1. We learn from God

2. We live out what we are learning

Friends, this is the circle of life. With Jesus at the center, God acts, we respond. Both are by his grace.

And so we learn and live, and as we live out what we are learning, he fills us up a little more so that we may continue to live pleasing to Him.

Do you get a sense that life isn’t all about you and me after all?

Our hearts are so ego-centric and at times we miss the Christo-centric realities of the text.

Life isn’t about you. Life isn’t all about me.

Our lives are all about Christ - He is above all - He is the centripetal force of a meaningful life.

So we concluded that as we read, study, memorize, and apply God’s Word to our lives, we bear fruit that points people to the Source of it all - Jesus - the giver of life.

Therefore, we reflected each day that week on this truth:

My goal today is to learn and live for the glory of God!

In week three, we looked at the keystone passage of all of Colossians in 1:15-23. This is the central passage of Paul’s argument for Christ’s preeminence. Look there with me:

col 1:15-23

Colossians 1:15–23 ESV

15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. 21 And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, 22 he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, 23 if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.

As we reflected and applied the truths from this text by taking time to sit and simmer a bit in who Jesus is, we concluded three things:

1. Jesus is my Creator and Sustainer

He made me and sustains me.

2. Jesus is the Head of the Church

He leads His church, and makes us right with him. And because he is the reconciler

3. Jesus is my only hope in life and death.

My hope isn’t in me. My hope is in Him.

So we summed up and thought on this truth that week:

My Jesus made me, sustains me, and makes me right with Him. He is my hope today!

Building then on Who Christ is, Paul speaks to our mission as followers of this Creator and Sustainer in vv. 24-2:5.

Paul here outlines for us what it looks like to live our lives on mission.

We exist by, through, and for Christ - we exist for His glory.

Therefore we have lives with a severity of mission.

And as we are trusting the providence of God and His perfect timing we are to proclaim the riches of Christ with the desire of presenting those who listen as mature.

Friend this is the nutshell of each of our missions.

We need to trust God with the details.

- Remember Paul is in Prison - and he was rejoicing.

As we trust Him with the details, we intentionally proclaim with openness the riches we have in Christ.

We are to take the resources and relationships we are given and use them to proclaim Jesus.

Which brought us to the reminder for the week.

Where I’m at and who I’m with is not an accident. God help me live my life on mission today!

And as we live out our mission with intention, we were reminded then in vv. 6-15 of chapter 2 to Keep Walking.

Because Christ is exactly who He claimed to be, and He accomplished everything He said He would, Paul challenges these believers to remain faithful to Him.

And do you know why Paul challenges them to be faithful?

Because they were going to come to a point in their journey with Jesus when they didn’t want to remain faithful.

There are times for all of us, when our eyes of faith are dimmed by the muck of our circumstances.

And Paul reminded us in those verses to have a proper perspective. So we concluded with:

In this moment, I’ll be faithful, because Christ is always enough!

Paul ends His first section in chapter 2 by developing our understanding of Christian Liberty with three conclusions about rituals and regulations:

They are incomplete, insignificant, and insufficient

He is providing clarity on what is true, to assist the church in identifying what is false.

Beware, Paul says, of the empty and deceptive love of knowledge, traditions, teachings, denominational factions, and even religion that is according to anything other than Christ.

There was at this time, and ever more present now, people who would strive to gain a following through emphasizing things that are extra-biblical. The message given is either grounded in human tradition or the temporary promises of the world.

If you have a desire for something flashy, or new, or intriguing, or extra-spiritual that takes us to a new level of spiritual understanding - you may point out that which is traditional as legalistic or burdensome.

And on the opposite side of that same coin of this false teaching, there is comfort in the knowns of tradition - always doing what has always been done, because that is just how we do it. And you may look at new things as spiritual liberalism.

And so there is warning here about both, the desire for something contemporary and the desire for the traditional - if either are not grounded in Christ.

And Paul says, be careful of all that.

You don’t need the traditions of men or the temporary promises of this world. Christ is sufficient.

Which brought us to the helpful math equation reflection of:

Right now, and forever, Jesus+Nothing=Everything.

Christ is sufficient for everything in your life, and based on our rightly placed beliefs on Him, Paul then calls us to behave accordingly with our new life.

We broke the first 17 verses into two parts as we considered our new life in Christ and those two parts contained three intentional actions:

1. Refocus your heart and mind (vv. 1-4)

Paul challenges believers to fill our lives with people and things that point our attention to, and stir our affections for, Christ.

2. Remove the natural (vv. 5-11)

We are to intentionally kill off the parts of our old nature that are still roaming around. We aren’t to train our bad habits with some type of moralistic reform.

It has been rightly said before, “Christ didn’t come to make bad people good, he came to make dead people alive.”

And this new life in Christ requires mortification of the flesh. And as we kill off the natural we are to:

3. Renew the supernatural (vv. 12-17)

Believers are called to intentionally put on (apply) the characteristics of Christ.

As a follower of Jesus, changing to be more like Him is the natural reaction to being with Him.

We walked away those two weeks with these two reminders:

What I do flows from where I dwell.

This is my daily plea: More like Him and less like me.

And this new life then has been the focus of our last several weeks as this new life is seen at home, at work, and in the community.

We were reminded in 3:18-4-1 that

Everyone I’m with needs to see Jesus through me.

Husband or wife, your spouse needs to see Jesus through you.

Parents, your kids need to see Jesus through you.

Kids, your parents need to see Jesus through you.

Employees, your bosses and coworkers need to see Jesus through you.

Employers, the teams you lead need to see Jesus through you.

And as we finished up last week, we were reminded how our new life in Christ should impact our community.

We thought about it this past week with this statement:

My public witness of Jesus overflows from my personal walk with Jesus.

Paul has given us a lot to think about. And as we have reflected on the journey to this point, I hope it has brought back to the forefront of your mind some of the turns of our journey together in Colossians.

Now, as we turn to the final verses of this book, Paul is going to conclude with a very typical Pauline closing.

In a nutshell, he is going to recognize some people who this church will recognize, give some final instructions, and then will sign off with his own signature.

Notice first the Co-Laborers Paul Mentions (vv. 7-14)

Colossians 4:7–14 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.

There is a special sense that God’s ongoing plan of ministry is not bound up in one person - Paul’s ministry is dependent on faithful ministry partners.

We also see Paul’s concluding instructions:

Colossians 4:15–17 ESV

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.”

So we see Paul’s co-laborers, Paul’s final instructions, and he ends with his final farewell:

Colossians 4:18 ESV

18 I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. Remember my chains. Grace be with you.

In all that we have learned, there are many things we can walk away with. However, I hope that each of them point you to this truth:

Christ is my all, and my all belongs to Him!