Colossians 4

Good morning, church.

We study through books of the Bible here at the Village Chapel, and today is no different as we study through chapter four of Colossians, which I got to tell you, this is just one of my favorite books of the Bible.

It is so dense, it is so rich.

Jim had compared it to a flowerless chocolate cake.

And then Tommy added to that metaphor last week by calling it a uh chocolate ganache cake with vanilla bean ice cream.

And I'm gonna further add to that metaphor and say that this week, chapter four, uh, we're gonna take all of that richness, we're gonna start spreading it out into the world like a chocolate molten lava cake.

You know, the kind where you have to order it before you even order your dinner, and it's baking in the oven while you're eating your steak or chicken, and then the server brings it out after dinner and it's just piping hot right out of the oven.

You cut into it with your fork, and all of that rich gooey chocolate just goes over the cake, over the plate.

That's what we're getting into here today.

So, a reminder of where we are in a historical context.

This epistle, it was most likely written around the year 62 AD, most likely written while Paul was in prison in Rome.

It's called one of the prison epistles, along with Ephesians, Philemon, and Philippians.

And what's cool, once you know that these epistles were all written and dispatched together, you start seeing all of these similar references in them.

And I highly encourage you guys to go read all four of these epistles together.

It'll give you a broader context of what was on Paul's heart while he was in prison, how he was responding to issues of these churches that were brought forth by those friends and co-workers who are listed in the epistles.

And you also catch a glimpse of the tribe who was with him in prison, whether as fellow prisoners or co-laborers.

Curtis Vaughn, who wrote a commentary on Colossians, describes the book this way.

Colossians proclaims the absolute supremacy and soul sufficiency of Christ.

It is Paul's full-length portrait of Christ.

Man, that so perfectly describes this book, doesn't it?

Okay, for all of you Chris Berman ESPN sports fans out there, here we go with the fastest two minutes of sports recap of Colossians.

Chapter one tells us of the preeminence of Christ, the firstborn of all creation, the image of the invisible God.

He is before all things, and he holds the entire universe together.

God was pleased through Christ to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of Jesus Christ.

Chapter two is all about the supremacy of Christ.

It encourages us to walk in Christ, being rooted and built up in him and established in the faith.

God has made us who were dead in our trespasses alive together with Christ, having forgiven us all our trespasses by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demand.

This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.

Chapter 3.

Pastor Tommy taught through this last week.

It's all about our identity in Christ.

Our new identity is found in Christ, who is all and in all.

We're to put off the old self and put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.

We are to let the peace of Christ rule in our hearts.

We are to let the word of Christ dwell in our hearts richly.

Whatever we do, we do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus.

Do you see the progression here?

We see who Christ is, his preeminence.

We see what Christ has done in raising us from the dead.

We see the authority and rule of Christ.

We see our identity in Christ, how our identity is being made new.

Then we see how this new identity in Christ starts changing how we live in our most intimate relationships, spouses, families, coworkers.

And this week in chapter four, we are going to see how this new identity changes how we pray and how we interact with the outside world.

Bam! Let's read together, church, Colossians chapter four.

Colossians four verses one through eighteen.

Masters, treat your bondservants justly and fairly, knowing that you also have a master in heaven.

Frankly, this verse seems to go better with the last seven verses of chapter three.

And since we weren't around when the chapter and verse notations were decided upon, we don't have much say in it.

But since Pastor Tommy added this verse correctly to last week's sermon, here's all I'm going to say about this verse.

Whether we're an employer, a business owner, an employee, we all stand on the same side of the line as created beings serving our master in heaven, who is the only one standing on the other side of the line of creation.

And he takes the matters of justice, equity, and fairness very seriously.

And therefore we should as well.

Verse 2 continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.

At the same time, pray also for us that God may open to us a door for the word to declare the mystery of Christ on account of which I am in prison, that I may make it clear which is how I ought to speak.

Man, I love this approach to prayer.

Be steadfast, be watchful, expectant, waiting with thanksgiving.

Man, being thankful is a theme we hear over and over and over again in this section of Colossians.

And for what is Paul requesting prayer?

That he get out of prison or get a flat screen in his cell, better Wi-Fi coverage?

Nope.

Even though he's in prison, man, he's totally laser focused on the gospel.

All he's asking for in prayer is an open door to preach the word.

Amen.

So verse five: walk in wisdom towards outsiders, making the best use of the time.

Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.

How are we to walk, folks?

In wisdom, not in arrogance, not in apprehension, but in wisdom.

And that word for time here, making good use of the time, that's Kairos.

It's not the same as chronological time.

Kairos time is a specific season, not a duration.

It's not like, okay, make the best use of your time between two and four on Saturday afternoon.

No, it's make the best use of time.

Use every opportunity you have during this season.

So that's how we are to walk.

How are we to talk?

With grace and salt.

Our approach to the watching world is to speak to them in a way that is gracious but full of life and flavor.

Speaking in a way that makes them hungry and thirsty to know more of what makes us tick, what gives us hope.

I love this next section of the letter from verse seven on to the end.

At first blush, it's just a list of names.

But then if you start digging a little and pulling at the loose threads, you start finding the backstory on all of these relationships, and it is fascinating.

So, verse seven, Tichicus will tell you all about my activities.

He is a beloved brother and faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord.

I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are, and that he may encourage your hearts.

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.

So Tychicus is the one who will be carrying all of these letters to Colossae and Laodicea and Hieropolis.

And Onesimus, if you'll remember, is a runaway slave from Philemon, who lives in Colossae, and he became a believer and a dear friend and brother to Paul.

Paul's sending him back to Philemon along with Tychicus.

Okay, verse 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.

And Jesus, who is called justice.

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.

So these three guys were evidently Jewish Christians, the only one in the group with Paul.

Verse 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.

For I bear him witness that he has worked hard for you and for those in Laodicea and in Hieropolis.

So Epaphrus was most likely the founder of the church at Colossae.

He had gone to Ephesus when Paul was there for a couple of years, became a believer with Paul, then he went home to Colosse, started the church there, and he was the overseer of the Colossian church, the church in Laodicea, and the church in Hieropolis.

Verse 14, Luke, the beloved physician, greets you, as does Demas.

Give my greetings to the brothers at Laodicea and to Nympha and the church in her house.

Remember, there was no first Baptist Colossae or First Baptist Laodicea.

All of these churches were house churches back then.

Verse 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.

So evidently there was a Pauline epistle to Laodicea that has gotten lost along the way somehow.

Verse 17, and say to Archipas, see that you fulfill the ministry that you have received in the Lord.

I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand.

Remember my chains, grace be with you.

And don't you love that Paul begins and ends this letter with grace?

It's his greeting and it's his see you later.

So what can we take away from this chapter in Colossians?

Again, so if the Christian life looks like anything, what does it look like?

How should we then live?

I think we're being called to three things in this chapter.

I think we are called to pray, I think we are called to mission, and I think we are called to community.

Two of those things center around verse two, continue steadfastly in prayer, and then verses five and six, walk in wisdom towards outsiders.

The expositor's Bible commentary says this about these two verses and the imperatives which lie therein.

The injunctions given in this paragraph touch the two extremes of life, the first of them having reference to the hidden life of prayer, and the second and third to the outward busy life of the marketplace and the street.

Continual prayer is to blend with unwearied action.

Whew! Church, that is what we are being called to.

So, what's the first thing that we're being called to?

We are called to pray.

Prayer is essential.

Let me say that again.

Prayer along with thanksgiving is essential.

Some translations of verse 2 say continue steadfastly in prayer.

Others say, devote yourselves to prayer, but the meaning is the same.

Prayer is our lifeline that tethers us to God.

And it's so important that Paul tells us in 1 Thessalonians, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

You know, we all want to know the will of God in our lives, right?

Typically, it's focused on some individual decision.

You know, should I marry this person?

Should I buy that car?

Should I take that job?

And those are all good questions to ask.

But here it is pretty plainly spelled out.

The will of God for us in Christ is to pray without ceasing and to give thanks in all circumstances.

If we're not living our lives from day to day being steadfast in prayer, we are missing out on a biblical instruction for our lives and our connection with God.

Oswald Chambers puts it this way: in my utmost for his highest.

Prayer is not a normal part of the life of a natural man.

We hear it said that a person's life will suffer if he doesn't pray, but I question that.

What will suffer is the life of the Son of God in him, which is nourished not by food, but by prayer.

Prayer is the way that the life of God in us is nourished.

To friends, it's a natural thing to save our prayers for when things are going south or when we are in crisis mode.

We all do that.

We typically feel like we save the tough things for God, but the day-to-day stuff we can handle on our own.

And I gotta tell you, that's not true.

I mean, if we're only devoting ourselves to prayer when we're in difficult circumstances, man, we are missing out on so much of our relationship to the Father.

God does hear our cries for help, but he wants to hear our belly laughs and our shouts of joy just as well.

He wants us to come to him at all times.

Parents, you know what I mean.

You know, you love to be there for your kids when they come to you with their fears, or when their hearts are broken, or when they need help with a math problem.

But man, you rejoice every bit as much when your kids come to you bounding and laughing for joy over an A in math or a new friend, or just being excited over a new song, or even something silly.

We are encouraged to come to the Lord in prayer just like that.

It is his delight.

In Matthew chapter 11, he bids us to come and lay our burdens at his feet, and he will give us rest.

Matthew 11 · chapter mention

Part of the benefit or the result of prayer is getting God's heart towards someone.

As we pray for people, we gain God's heart for them.

Prayer might change things.

You know, you see these little slogans that you put up on your wall, cute little coffee cup slogan that says prayer changes things.

Well, it might change things, but I guarantee you it will change you.

And are we wanting God's answer or are we just wanting God to grant our answer?

To quote Pastor Jim Thomas: are we praying like communers or consumers?

Half of any good conversation is listening.

You get to know someone by listening.

Church, are you listening as much as you are talking in your prayer time?

Are we truly wanting him or are we just wanting his yes?

So here's a uh probing question that I have been asking myself lately.

Am I thanking God for for saying no to a prayer request?

I can tell you, no matter how uncomfortable it might make me, I would far rather know how God thinks about someone or something than just know how I think about it.

For I can tell you, I know how I think about it, and it's totally captive to my whims, my emotions, how I feel at any given moment.

I know how fickle I am, and I I don't want to know that answer to prayer.

I want to know God's heart.

I want to hear God, I want to hear the steadfast one.

So I'd seek to persuade us that we can trust God in our asking, so that if the answer is no or not yet, we know that he sees so much more than we're able and trust that he has our ultimate and eternal best in mind.

A history of walking with God has taught me over and over and over how his plans are always so much better and more beautiful than mine.

It gives me confidence now that when his answer to me about something is no or not yet, that his next thing is truly going to be better.

We typically see God's faithfulness better in the rear view mirror than we do in the windshield, right?

But I want to say that because we have that rear-view mirror view of God's faithfulness, it can give us confidence in the one to whom we pray.

Paul says it this way in Philippians 4, 6 and 7.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God, and the peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Church, we are called to pray, to pray without ceasing, to pray with rejoicing and thanksgiving.

Amen, amen, amen.

Well, our second thing we're called to, we are called to mission.

I'm borrowing a phrase from Dick Lucas, who wrote the BST commentary on Colossians, and he says, Speak to God about men, speak to men about God.

In regards to prayer and to walking in wisdom towards outsiders, he calls the one speaking to God about men, and then the other speaking to men about God, which I just think is brilliant.

So here's a question for you and for me.

How many hours in a week?

Okay, it's three questions.

How many hours in a week do you spend at church?

How many hours a week do you spend at work?

And how many hours in a week do you spend at home?

Okay, no smart alec response here.

I know you might be saying, uh, bro, COVID means my work time is the same as my home time.

And I don't mean it that way.

I just mean in general, how much time do you spend at church, at work, and at home?

And I want to point out that actually most of our time is spent at work.

And what if you substitute the phrase mission field for the word work?

Here's another thought for you that I've been thinking about this a bunch over the last couple of weeks.

There's roughly 1,500 people or thereabouts who consider the village chapel to be their church home.

There's about 16 of us on staff full-time, plus some who are part-time, and then 11 on the servant leadership council.

If we could define the job, job of the church, it would be to know those who are entrusted in our care, to come together to worship, to pray, to teach and be taught, to help minister to your needs.

And here's how Ephesians 4 11 and 12 defines the job of the church staff.

And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds, And teachers to equip the saints for the work of ministry for building up the body of Christ.

So that you could say that our task as church staff is to encourage you as the body, but also to equip you to go out and live your life missionally during the week.

Spoiler alert, I'm going to make a rather pointed statement here, but I want to make it as gently as possible.

So hear me out.

We don't want you as the part of the body of Christ that is the village chapel to just be satisfied consumers of the gospel and the worship service, but rather be energized, encouraged, and equipped missionaries ready to go out and serve outside of the church walls in between Sundays.

Let me say that again.

We don't want you as part of the body of Christ, that part of the body of Christ that is the village chapel, to just be satisfied consumers of the gospel and the worship service, but rather to be energized, encouraged, and equipped missionaries ready to go out and serve outside of the church walls in between Sundays.

Now, to clarify, we all have a desire to love you and serve you well.

I can guarantee you that.

And in terms of our worship services and other programs, man, we want to bless your socks off.

We want our services to glorify God and encourage the saints through excellent worship, teaching, and prayer.

But man, the deeper desire is to encourage and equip you so that as you leave church, in a virtual sense these days, right?

But as you leave church, you're ready to be the body of Christ wherever you find yourself during the week, whether that be a doctor, a teacher, an accountant, or a barista.

Pastor J.T.

English says it this way.

Paul is insistent that one of the main purposes of the church is to invite all people into the work of ministry, not reserve it for a select few.

In the church, there isn't a group of people who do ministry, and a separate group of people who receive ministry.

All members of the family are called to do the work of ministry, and all members of the family are called to receive the ministry of others.

We are one body with many members.

Amen to that.

So in Colossians, Paul is encouraging us to walk in wisdom towards the outsiders that we come in in contact with.

How do we do that?

How do we walk in wisdom?

Well, bam, the basic, the Bible teaches us that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, right?

Not the idea of being afraid.

That's not what that word fear means, but that prover, reverential awe, do the king of the universe, the creator of all that exists.

And we walk in wisdom by being devoted to prayer.

Remember that first point by being devoted to prayer, being watchful and expectant for the Holy Spirit to lead us in opportunities to answer the question the world will have for us.

The weight rests with the leading of the Holy Spirit here, not with us giving a perfect answer.

God is not calling us to be perfect orators, He is calling us to be humble and available servants, prayed up and waiting for His leading.

We walk in wisdom, we speak with grace, seasoned with salt.

Right now, more than ever, we need to be prepared to give an answer out in the world.

The river of rancor that has been flowing freely during our past year, it shows no signs of abating.

And as the apostle Peter said in his first epistle, we need to be, as he says, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you, yet do it with gentleness and respect.

So not only are we called to prayer, not only are we called to with mission, we are called to community.

Friends, we are called to community.

Our younger son Sam is a freshman this year at Lipscomb University in Nashville.

And somehow, that first week of school before classes had even started, he and about 10 other incoming freshmen formed this inseparable tribe.

It's amazing.

They go to classes together, they study together, they have coffee together, they go, they do Bible studies together, they go to church together, they've got each other's back.

Sam's changed a flat tire for one of the girls.

And you know what?

They're also doing the hard work of forgiving each other when they they mess up.

In short, they are being the body of Christ together.

Friends, we are called to community as the body of Christ.

We were created from the very beginning for relationship, and all through the history of the Bible, we see God calling us back to relationship, and God in Christ Jesus is seeking to reconcile all things back to Himself.

Look at the tribe here in chapter four described by Paul.

It's just amazing.

Jim pointed this out to Tommy and I a couple of weeks ago as we were talking through the book.

Two of the four gospel writers are in prison with Paul.

Luke, the beloved physician, and Mark, the cousin of Barnabas, who wrote the Gospel of Mark.

So between them, these three men are responsible for writing 16 of the 27 books of the New Testament.

And man, someday I look forward to sitting down with them and hearing stories about how all of this stuff transpired.

And is it any wonder that the three Gospels that we call the synoptic gospels, Matthew, Mark, and Luke, are all so similar and share so many of the same details.

I mean, look at Mark and Luke having all of this time doing live together and talking about Jesus, their experience with Jesus and what was going on on the ground.

I just love this.

Um one of the joys for me uh studying and researching this chapter was to make all of these connections between Paul and this tribe that he lists here at the end of the chapter, this invisible map connecting these men's to various points in Paul's life.

And they are mentioned all over the New Testament, and these men are serious about community.

So especially Aristarchus.

Now, here's a guy, this is a guy you want around when the chips are down.

He's mentioned three or four times in the New Testament.

He was beaten up with Paul in in the riot at Ephesus, and then he was shipwrecked with Paul on their way to Rome, and now he's a prisoner with Paul.

And uh, I've got this story that I want to tell.

15 years or so ago, a buddy of mine named Steve was running the Music City Marathon, and he was sick and he was a little apprehensive about it.

Well, this other buddy of ours, Hunter, just showed up at the race that day to cheer Steve on.

And he ended up being, I don't know, around mile 20 when Steve runs past.

And Steve's having a little bit of a hard time.

And so Hunter, just dressed in street clothes and dress shoes, he just gets out in the race and starts running with Steve to keep him company and to give him strength and courage and encourage him.

And of course, it only lasted a couple of blocks before the race officials yanked Hunter off the street.

But it gave Steve the win in his sails to finish the race.

And that's what's going on here, especially with Aristarchus, man, being being with Paul through thick and thin.

And you guys, I've got to say, many of our small groups ministry, our home groups, our men's groups, our women's groups, man, they function that way.

Really deeply caring for each other and walking with each other through thick and thin.

And I'd say this is not a pitch to join one of our small groups, but actually it is a pitch to join one of our small groups, but not for our benefit, for your benefit.

We need each other.

And one of the things, one of the things that I love so very much about the village chapel, our little part of the body of Christ is our diversity.

Do we vote the same way?

Probably not.

And does it matter?

Nope.

And do we all have the same opinion on the form that our worship is taking right now during this pandemic season?

Definitely not.

Does it matter that we differ in our opinion?

Nope.

And you know why?

Because we love each other, we love each other in Christ Jesus.

And that, my friends, is what the world is desperate to see right now.

The world uh needs to see us loving each other with all of our differences because of our unity in Christ.

In John chapter 13, Jesus gives this charge to his disciples.

John 13 · chapter mention

A new commandment I give to you that you love one another just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.

By this, all people will know that you are my disciples if you have love for one another.

Why do we love each other, friends?

Because we have the same Holy Spirit abiding in us, because we have Jesus Christ who is all and in all.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer says it this way in his book, Life Together.

The more genuine and the deeper our community becomes, the more will everything else between us recede, the more clearly and purely will Jesus Christ and his work become the one and only thing, the one and only thing that is vital between us.

We love one another only through Christ, but through Christ we do have one another, holy and for all eternity.

Amen and amen to that.

So Christ is all in all.

Friends, as we wrap up this amazing short letter that is so full of Jesus, this full-length portrait of Christ.

Here's my my challenge and encouragement for you guys.

I encourage you to go back and reread this book over the next couple of weeks.

Ponder the mystery which has been hidden for ages, but is now revealed to the saints.

This mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

I encourage us all to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.

I want to remind us, you and me, that our lives are hidden in Christ with God.

And encourage us to put on love which binds everything together in perfect harmony.

And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Amen.

Amen.

Whew.

Okay, so friends, you know what today is?

Today is stir up Sunday.

The last Sunday before the Advent season starts is called Christ the King Sunday or Stir Up Sunday, which gets its name from the Anglican Book of Common Prayer.

The reading for this Sunday in the book of prayer says, Stir up, we beseech thee, O Lord, the wills of thy faithful people.

Typically, stirrup Sunday is the Sunday after Thanksgiving, but it's 2020.

So what the heck?

Stirrup Sunday turns out to be today before Thanksgiving.

And we have a little tradition here at the village chapel for Stir Up Sunday.

And some of you that have joined us online from other states, never countries, have not been with us yet on a stirrup Sunday.

And you guys are in for a treat.

S.

M.

Lockridge, Shadrach Meshach Lockridge, that's his name, was a renowned pastor of Calvary Baptist Church out in San Diego from 1953 to 1993.

40 years.

I told Pastor Jim that he needs to eat his Wheaties because he still has 20 years to go.

Dr.

Lockridge has a part of, I don't even think it was a sermon.

I think he was introducing a prayer breakfast, and he just launched into this recitation called That's My King.

And we love to play this.

It's a little little TVC tradition.

We love to play on Stirrup Sunday to get us onto the on-ramp of the Advent season in style.

And this is the perfect benediction, if you will, to the book of Colossians.

Christ is all in all.

And all I gotta say is if you can listen to this without standing up and shouting amen, you might want to check your pulse.

So let's listen, church.

The Bible says, My king is the king of the Jews, he's the king of Israel, he's the king of righteousness, he's the king of the ages, he's the king of heaven, he's the king of glory, he's the king of kings, and he's the lord of lords.

That's my king.

I wonder if you know it.

My king is a sovereign king.

No means of measure can define his limitless love.

He's enduringly strong, he's entirely sincere, he's eternally steadfast, he's immortally graceful, he's empirically powerful, he's impartially merciful.

Do you know him?

He's the greatest phenomenon that has ever crossed the horizon of this world.

He's God's son, he's the center's savior, he's the centerpiece of civilization, he's unparalleled, he's unprecedented, he is the loftiest idea in literature, he's the highest personality in philosophy, he's the fundamental doctrine of true theology, he's the only one qualified to be an all-sufficient savior.

I wonder if you know him today.

He supplies strength for the weak, he's available for the tempted and the tried.

He sympathizes and he saves.

He strengthens and sustains, he guards and he guides, he heals the sick, he cleans the lepers, he forgives sinners, he discharges debtors, he delivers the captive, he defends the feeble, he blesses the young, he serves the unfortunate, he regards the age, he rewards the diligent, and he beautifies the meek.

I wonder if you know him.

He's the key to knowledge, he's the wellspring of wisdom, he's the doorway of deliverance, he's the pathway of peace, he's the roadway of righteousness, he's the highway of holiness, he's the gateway of glory.

Do you know him?

Well, his life is matchless, his goodness is limitless, his mercy is everlasting, his love never changes, his word is enough, his grace is sufficient, his reign is righteous, and his yoke is easy, and his burden is light.

I wish I could describe him to you.

Yes, he's indescribable, he's incomprehensible, he's invincible, he's irresistible.

You can't get him out of your mind.

You can't you can't get him off of your hand, you cannot live him, and you can't live without him.

Well, the Pharisees couldn't stand him, but they found out they couldn't stop him.

They fought in him, Helen couldn't kill him, death couldn't handle him, and the grave couldn't hold him.