Colossians 4

Colossians 4:1

Heaven is the great reversal. Because man looks on the outward appearance (1Sa_16:7), those who know how to package and promote themselves are the most successful on this earth. But because God looks on the heart, everything will ultimately be judged not on external appearance, but on internal experience. Consequently, a lot of folks we might have brushed aside as weird or ugly on earth are going to be incredibly honored in heaven. And a lot of “beautiful people” on earth will take a backseat to those who were unnoticed here on earth. In light of this, Paul opens chapter 4 with an injunction to those in positions of authority… “Bosses, make sure you’re acting justly, lovingly, equitably. Sure, you might be in a place of power and prominence now, but never forget you will one day stand before your Master and give account of what went on through your life and in your heart.” Having said that, let me say this to those who are not masters, but employees. When things are done justly and equitably, sometimes it causes a problem in the hearts of the rank and file. “What’s the big idea of him making as much as I do? He doesn’t have nearly the education, experience, or work ethic that I have.” Jesus spoke to just such an issue… A master goes to the marketplace at nine o’clock in the morning and says, “I need some guys to help me bring in my crops. I’ll pay one denarius to anyone who works for me.” A denarius being the wage of a soldier, it was a good day’s pay. “We’ll do it!” said some unemployed men looking for work. “We were wondering how we were going to feed our families todayand now we have the opportunity to make a good wage. We’re so blessed!” The master then goes back to the same marketplace at noon and finds more unemployed men whom he takes to his vineyard to join those he had hired previously. At three o’clock in the afternoon and again at five o’clock, one hour before quitting time, the master returns to the marketplace yet again and brings back more workers. At the end of the day, he pays the laborers he had hired at five o’clock a denariusa full day’s wage. The first men hired immediately whisper among themselves, “If he’s paying those guys a full day’s wage for only an hour’s work, can you imagine what he’s going to pay us?!” But their dreams are abruptly cut short as the master pays them a single denarius. “Unfair!” the nine o’clock group cries. “Why?” the master asks. “I paid you the exact wage for which you welcomed the opportunity to work. Now, why is it a problem for you that I choose to be kind and treat everyone equally?” (see Matthew 20). In this account, Jesus points out our tendency to be happy only until we see what someone else gets. The vineyard workers began the day excited and ended the day murmuring because they looked at the other guys. It’s a problem with which we all struggle. So what’s the key? Don’t look around. You see, once I start looking around, I inevitably get discouraged. I begin to say, “Hey, why is that guy getting the breaks?” or, “Why does that blessing go to him when I’ve been working harder and longer?” Gang, if you’re going to be blue every time someone else is blessed, you really shouldn’t be in the field of ministry or blessing.

Colossians 4:2

Want to be a good master in the home or job? The only way I know to do it is to pray. “Father, Your Son taught us to ask You to give us our daily bread. And now, Lord, help me to properly distribute the bread You send.” Be a thankful person. This applies to everyonemasters and servants, mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters. One morning during an eclipse in the Middle Ages, people woke, expecting day to dawn. When it didn’t, they cried. “Oh no! The sun didn’t rise today.” What was at first sort of a curiosity became a real concernand they began screaming, wailing, and howling. When the sun did at last appear, the people cheered, clapped, and blessed God for the very sunshine they had previously taken for granted. How good it would be for us to wake up and say, “Thank You for a new day, Father. I’m alive. The sun is out. There’s air to breathe. I’m not a slug.” Personally, I don’t think there’s anything more abhorrent than grumpy believers. Don’t they realize how good God has been to them? They’re going to heaven. They have the Word. The Spirit indwells them. Thus, I don’t think there’s a single excuse for a rational person to be grumpy. Thanksgiving should be flowing from our lips constantly.

Colossians 4:3

This intrigues me. Paul says, “Pray for usnot that we’ll get out of here, but that the Word will go forth from here.” I think if I were writing this, I would say, “Please pray for me that I’ll get out of here. I’m tired of being in prison.” Not so Paul. He says, “My desire is that God’s Word will go forth from here, that those around me will really see that Christ lives in me.” Truly, this is the way to pray. A few months ago, I saw a billboard that said: Pray. It works. And I thought, Truebut what if it doesn’t work? Most of the time we pray small prayers like, “Get me out of here.” And when they don’t work, we stop praying instead of learning what prayer really is. Prayer is not to get God to see things our way, but rather to get us to see things His way. I read the story of an Arkansas woman who was confronted by a burglar who, after ripping the phone out of the wall, ordered her into the closet. After dropping to her knees, she asked the burglar if she could pray for him. “I want you to know that God loves you and I forgive you,” she said. The burglar looked at her and apologized for what he had done. Then he yelled out the door to his partner in a pickup truck, “We gotta unload all this. She’s a Christian lady. We can’t do this to her!” The woman remained on her knees, and the burglar returned the furniture he had already taken from her home. Then he took the bullets out of his gun, handed her the gun, and walked out the door. This lady could have prayed, “Get me out of here,” but instead she prayed like Paul. “Could I pray for you?” she asked the burglar. That’s in harmony with the heart of God. How do I know? Because of what Jesus said on the Cross. He didn’t say, “Get me out of here,” He said, “Father, forgive them. They don’t understand what’s going on” (see Luk_23:34). How I want to be more like Paul. I’ve got so much to learn in this arenabut I see the principle and the rightness of what Paul is modeling here as he prays not to get out of prison, but that he’ll have boldness and wisdom in any situation.

Colossians 4:5

Walk wisely because people are watching you. Time is moving rapidly, so redeem it. Somehow we think we’re going to live a long time, but James was right when he said life is a vapor, a puff of steam (Col_4:14). It’s going so fast. Make it count. How? Redeem it. According to those who study such things, the average American will spend six months of his life waiting at red lights. People say, “I just don’t have time to pray"but what if they decided that at every red light they would pray for people in their fellowships, for people in their communities who don’t know Jesus, for people in the world who have never heard His Name? What if they decided to keep an open Bible on the seat next to them in order to read a verse or two during every red light? People say they don’t have time to read, to pray, to memorize, to study. Yes they do. And I’m not even talking about getting up at three in the morning. I’m talking about just using the time they’re at stoplights. Redeem the time!

Colossians 4:6

Salty speech? Years ago, salty speech connoted swearing. That’s not the salty speech Paul is talking about. No, the idea here is of salty French fries. I love salty French fries, but I’ve got to have a Coke to go with them, because they make me thirsty. So, too, the speech we use should create in people a thirst for the wine of the Spirit in our hearts.

Colossians 4:7

Beloved brother, faithful minister, fellowservantwhat wonderful qualities Tychicus possessed.

Colossians 4:8

Tychicus was sent to Colosse both to report to the believers there how Paul was doing and to bring word back to Paul how they were doing. This should not be surprising, for Paul was not only a soul-winner, but a friend-maker. As you read his letters, you’ll find over one hundred people to whom he sends greetings.

Colossians 4:9

If you’re a student of the Word, you know Onesimus plays a key role in the Book of Philemon. A runaway slave who ended up in prison as a cellmate of Paul, he got saved, was released, and now turns out to be a faithful friend and minister.

Colossians 4:10

Remember the story in Acts 13? Setting off on their first missionary journey, Paul and Barnabas took John Mark, Barnabas’ nephew, with them. Then somewhere in the early part of the journey, John Mark went home. At the outset of their second missionary trip, Barnabas said, “I’ll get John Mark and we’ll be on our way.” “Hold on,” Paul said. “John Mark flipped out and failed us last time. He’s not coming again.” “Yes he is,” said Barnabas, Son of Comfort. “No way,” said Paul. “There’s work to do. We can’t have this guy tag along with us. He just doesn’t have what it takes.” “I’m taking John Mark,” said Barnabas. “Fine,” said Paul. “Go your way. I’ll take Silas, and we’ll go in a different direction.” (see Act_15:36-41) And they parted company. Years later, we see that Barnabas’ work was successful with John Mark, for here in Colossians, Paul salutes him. So, too, you who feel like you “missed the mark,” that God opened a door for you to do something, but you failedtake heart. I don’t care how badly you messed up, He’s not through with you. Talk about failure! He had less than three years of formal education and failed in business in ‘31. He was defeated for State Legislature in ‘32 and failed again in business in ‘34. Finally elected to the State Legislature in ‘35, he ran for Speaker and lost in a landslide. He was defeated again for Elector in ‘40, and for Congress in ‘43. Elected in ‘46, he was tossed out of office two years later, defeated in a re-election attempt in ‘48. Failing in business once again, he ran for Senate, but was defeated in ‘55. He ran for Vice President in ‘56, was crushed, and was defeated for Senate another time in ‘58. And then in ‘60, 1860, Abraham Lincoln wonand went on to become perhaps the greatest political leader in American history. Could it be that the wit, wisdom, and understanding of human nature he exhibited so powerfully came as a result of the setbacks, failure, and defeat Lincoln had experienced previously? Don’t despair, precious people. John Mark blew it badly but came through ultimately. So can you.

Colossians 4:11

Justus, Marcus, Aristarchus, Onesimus were all tremendous blessings to Paul.

Colossians 4:12

Epaphras labored fervently in prayer. The idea here is one of giving birth, going through pain to bring forth prayer. Sometimes that’s what it takes. Do you ever feel like not praying? Am I the only one who begins to pray, but then gets distracted and succumbs to the list of other things to tend to first? Such wasn’t the case with Epaphras. He labored in prayer until there was a breakthrough, a birth of renewal and revival in the hearts and lives of those for whom he prayed.

Colossians 4:14

Why did Paul call Luke the beloved physician if Luke didn’t even have enough faith to be a faith healer? Because Paul, the one who saw such powerful healing miracles happen that even the sweat bands and aprons he wore were used as instruments of healing (Act_19:11-12), knew the necessity of a physician given intellectual gifts and training to help people physically. And he welcomed Luke’s presence on his missionary journey. “If you have faith, you won’t need a doctor. “Doesn’t Psalms 90 declare that it is appointed for man to live threescore and ten years?” asks the televangelist. “If you die before seventy, it’s because there’s some sin in your life.” If that be so, how does he explain Jesus’ death at thirty-three? In the Book of Philemon, which preceded the Book of Colossians by a couple of years, Demas is called a fellow-laborer (verse Phm_1:24). Approximately six years after this, there’s a third mention of Demas, where right before Paul dies, he says, “Demas has forsaken us, having loved this present world (2Ti_4:10). So Demas went from being a fellow-laborer to one who turned his back on the Lord because he loved the world. How did this happen? The Christian life is like a steam locomotive. When you’re first saved and on fire, you stoke the boiler with the Word. You come to church; you’re involved in ministry; and you’re moving along in your faith. But there can come a time when you start to think, Hey, I’m cruising along fine. I don’t need to feed the fire so fervently. I don’t need to study Scripture so consistently.

I don’t need to have devotions daily. I don’t need to go to church regularly because, look, I’m really moving! But once the fire stops being fed, the engine starts slowing down imperceptibly. Yes, the train keeps moving down the tracks for a time, and everything appears to be going fine, but little by little the engine goes slower and slower until finally it stops dead in its tracks. You might be able to go weeks, months, even years on the momentum you gained in the early daysbut if you don’t continue to feed the fire, eventually you’ll stop altogether. And, like Demas, you’ll say, “What happened?

How did I end up here?”

Colossians 4:15

“The church which is in his house"that’s a great little phrase. If you have a family, you have a church.

Colossians 4:16

In other words, “Pass this letter on to the church at Laodicea, and they’ll pass theirs on to you.” We don’t have the letter, but it was evidently written by Paul at this time to the Laodiceans.

Colossians 4:17

“Do what God has told you, Archippus.” It is a good word for us as well to do whatever it is God has told us, to keep on with whatever it is He has laid upon our hearts individually and corporately in order to bring it to completion.

Colossians 4:18

This one who, at the beginning of the chapter instructed the Colossians to be thankful and who asked them to pray that he would be able to minister even in prison, tells them to remember his bonds not as a play for sympathy, but as a basis for his authority. Paul opened his epistle with the salutation of grace and now closes it with the benediction of grace. As it began, so it ends because grace is the whole deal.