Colossians 4:7-8 - The Journey of Tychicus, Pt. 2

Morning everyone. I noticed Noah was stranded out there and Winston let him in. Winston. Winston let Noah in.

Yeah.

So I don't know how Winston knew to go to the door or why he was at the door, but I'm sure Matt will go find out. Anyway, how's everybody doing? So if you're ever out here late just call Winston cell number and he'll let you in.

Sean and Christine great to have you with us this morning and you got your mom. Judith is correct. Good to have you with us. That is that is interesting. I was praying for you guys this morning. I walk in and here you are.

So I guess I'll just start praying for you every Sunday morning. But good to have you with us and Bobby so great to see you back. You got back just in time to volunteer for Matt's choir. You would have to be like the choir leader.

Take Matt's job away from him and kick him out or whatever. I don't know if all of you know that Bobby traveled Extensively with gospel. Was it a quartet or a group? Just a group a group and. For how many years did you do that?

Ten years. Wow and you kind of this part of the country. How far out did you go? Yeah, just around Texas mostly Oklahoma and places. Pretty cool. Very cool. Well, so glad to see you all and we have the Huber's back to the senior Huber's back.

I just I say that because there are junior Huber's and I Did where is. Okay, brother Paul's not in here. I keep keep waiting for him to be in here so I can ask him a question. So I'll just wait a minute.

He'll be back. I may have to do it in the middle of the sermon, but I Got it. I got to ask him an important question you can be turning to. The book of Acts chapter 20 verse 15 is where we'll pick it up today.

Paul’s Ministry Model and the Marks of a True Pastor

Of course. We're going verse by verse through Colossians. Some people might not like the fact that I'm in Acts chapter 20 while I'm going verse by verse through Colossians. But people who don't like that aren't here anymore.

So that's okay. We're in Colossians chapter 4 near the end of it and it just talks about a group of Helpers that went or ministers, you know men and women that went with Paul and helped Paul the Apostle Paul and he was In this area that we're looking at now in the book of Acts we're just kind of taking a trip with Paul like perhaps one of these folks would do and.

And so you've got quite a few of them named and you'll see that right towards the end of the chapter and we're not going to Go and cover each one of those names like we're doing. Is it try kick it? What's his name?

Tychicus. Yeah, I started say try kick. This is Tychicus. We just chose him and I did do a little study on who he is and his background and everything we talked about that the first Sunday on this subject, but basically what we're doing is Imagining that we are him and we're traveling with Paul and kind of seeing some of the things he would have seen with Paul on this third missionary journey and Would just it kind of covers all of the names that are at the end because many of them were with him on this journey.

So it kind of lets you get a view of what they saw and what they experienced being with this amazing Apostle Paul. So that's what we're doing. And so we pick it up from last time in Acts chapter 20 verse 15.

And you can kind of see that this looks like a boy a trip and a voyage, but there's some important points about doctrine also about Bible practice of the early church and so that's what we want to focus in on today.

And I don't know how many of these you know, we will get to but there's about four major points that I see in these passages and. So we'll we'll kind of I'll point those out as we come to them so let's start with Acts chapter 20 verse 15 and we sailed fence and came the next day over against kiosk and the next day we arrived at Samas and Traveled at Trogillium.

Are you proud of me for getting that one? Trogillium and the next you know, that would be a good name for a grandson. Case any y 'all are interested or looking for names and the next day we came to Miletus.

For Paul had determined to sail By Ephesus because he would not spend time in Asia for he hasted if it were possible. For him to be at Jerusalem the day of Pentecost now we covered some of this Last time so let me just give you a quick review of what we've covered in Acts 19 1 through 8.

We've the Apostle Paul ran into some of John the Baptist disciples and it was very interesting because they were already saved. They believed in Jesus, but they didn't know about the Holy Spirit. Remember that and so Paul instructed them about the Holy Spirit and laid hands on them and they were indwelt by the Holy Spirit.

They were all Jewish and that was the practice among the early Jewish Christians was to lay for an apart only an apostle could do It and that's why that passed off the scene. Can you imagine by the time you had?

You know 5 ,000 people saved at once. Then if the Apostles had to go lay hands on all of them to have them indwelt wouldn't work. So that that is a temporary thing in the Bible. The book of Acts is transitional.

That's why you don't use it for doctrine and Methodology for the early church. You could give me a little juice on that Tyler if you would turn this one up just a hair. It's different every Sunday. It's always the atmosphere affects it.

But anyway.

So.

It's a transitional book and you're going from Old Testament to New Testament. You're going from Jewish to Gentile predominantly all in the scope of the book of Acts. You're going from law to grace so.

Huge changes. This is one reason God gave the Apostles and the New Testament prophets sign gifts. Because the Jews would never have believed their new message without it and that was the purpose of it.

And that's why Paul said after all that's authenticated. These signs will cease which they did they were gone by within 8100. History shows us that and the Bible said it would happen and that did happen.

So anytime you see people claiming to have Apostles or have these sign gifts today. They are mistaken and I'm not saying that the things they think they see aren't happening. But I'm saying the source of the power is not the Holy Spirit.

That's all I'm saying. It's a different source of power and you can use your mind to figure out where you think that source may be coming from. But it's not God and so they're deceived and it's sad and they spend an awful lot of time off on the wrong track doing Something that's not even part of what they're supposed to be doing.

So what are we supposed to be doing. The major job of the church is what? Evangelism and discipleship, right? That's it. That's where the focus needs to be. Not on self edification. Anyway that we've talked about a lot of that.

The next thing we saw is Paul disputing and Persuading People convincing people with good arguments in Acts chapter 19 Verse 8 and he stayed in this particular place for a couple of years teaching in the school of Tyrannus.

That's in Acts 19 and then Paul's Special miracles we see in chapter 19 verse 11 where if people could touch the hem of his garment, they'd be healed. Well, there are modern faith healers that will for a fee probably 250 bucks would get you one.

You could get a prayer cloth that they blessed and it's supposed to heal you. The problem is when you read the Bible about this gift. It was called a special gift for Paul and in the Greek that means a gift that only Paul had.

The Holy Spirit only gave this to Paul and they're trying to copy it and they don't know the Greeks. So they don't get it, you know, they're ignorant of Scripture. So they fake it and copy it and make money off of it.

And that is the Bible says they're in it for their bellies sake which means for money they do these faith healers do these things for for money so they can own a couple of jets and some of them own more than two jets and That's okay.

If you did the work to earn the jet, but if you got that from widow ladies giving love offerings. That is not okay. It wasn't okay in Paul's day or Jesus day and it's not okay now and so we covered that a little bit and then Paul Was persecuted because he let the people know that the goddess Diana was not really God.

They didn't like that because they made money off of that religion. So he was persecuted in chapter 19 verses 24 for 337 and then In Acts that brings us to Acts chapter 20 see Verse 21, so let's let's pick.

I'm sorry. But Acts chapter 20 verse 15, that's where we were just reading and so that's kind of where we are now. So we went through quite a trip just just to get here. But the last thing we read about in Acts chapter 20 starting with about verse 1 was where Paul preached a long sermon.

I.

Don't know how many hours he preached and this young man was sit young boy actually was sitting in the third story window and he fell asleep because the sermon was long and The candles had used up most the oxygen in the room and he fell asleep and he fell and it killed him and so Paul went down as an apostle laid on his body and Healed him and the life came back into him.

Now you see when you read things like this in a transitional book and you want to copy that. Then if it's real you should be doing all these things like you should be handling Serpents and they bite you and it doesn't kill you.

Which Paul had that happen. But it was see the point is it was only for Paul. It was only for Apostles and and then. Drink poison and it doesn't hurt you. That's not for everybody. But if it were you should still be doing that and Of course there are snake handlers in Kentucky and Tennessee still to this day.

But guess what about once a year you're reading the newspaper when I'm dies from the poison, so they're not an apostle. They don't have the gift. They're faking it in the snake knows the difference and.

Then.

What else. Oh. How many of these guys have laid on top of a corpse and brought him back to life now? I'm sure they could fake that but how many have actually done it? You know, but Paul did it because he was an apostle by the way.

What is an apostle one of the qualifications is you have to walk with Jesus on the earth and then also seen him on the earth? After the resurrection and you'd have to be 2 ,000 years old to fulfill that so you cannot be an apostle.

In fact If you can remove if you can show That these Pentecostals and Charismatics do not have genuine apostles their entire house falls. You understand what I'm saying their entire Religion falls on that one fact and so I just finished my first book.

Hopefully it goes live Monday or Tuesday because after that I'm gone for a week on a trip. Surely it'll happen. I got word that it might happen Monday. So if it goes live. There's a lot of information and facts in that book about this very subject that we're talking about here.

So you can't cover it in 10 minutes, obviously, but we've covered a little bit of it here. So The Apostle Paul brought the life back into this young man, and you know, what's interesting about it now try to picture being there.

With Tychicus, okay, and you watch this happen. So he'd already preached maybe four hours the kid falls out the window and dies. By then it's probably Eight at night 8 p .m. He goes and lays on him. I don't know how long he laid on him and the life came back in and Paul says he is he is he's not dead.

He's alive and he brings him. Do you know that they fellowship? How long do you think he would fellowship if you were the parents and grandparents of the kid and the church member friends of this? Kid and he's alive again.

How long would you fellowship? Guess how long they stayed. Till midnight and he had to get up and get on a ship the next morning early now. Imagine the kind of ship Paul had to get on. He'd already been shipped.

I had he been shipwrecked by this point a little confused on the Sequence time sequence, so he'd already been shipwrecked so he's got to get up early and get on a ship that may or may not make it to Ephesus and.

And yet he stays up till midnight. Fellowship and with these people now, let me ask you this. Do you think if you could picture the Apostle Paul do you picture him as a dude with rings on every finger?

Alligator shoes and two jets and he's just there to make money off these people. Listen, I've seen these guys and you know what they do. Like if they're up here doing all the dancing around doing all this stuff as soon as that service is over.

They're out that side door and they're in some limousine and gone. They don't don't sit around and shake your hand. And if they did they're looking for the next person to see who's coming next has got more money.

They'll find the one that's dressed with the most nice clothes and they'll you know be looking at him. Not you. I've seen him and been there and done that not that I did it, but I would had it done to me.

I've had it done to me and so do you picture Paul being that way or did he stay because he wanted to be with these people and. Then then when he left and they hugged his neck and they all cried together.

Is that real or not? You see you can tell the difference you can like been talked about in adult Sunday school judge them by their fruit. It's not that hard to see but if you're blind you won't see it or if you just want to be blind.

You just won't see it. But listen, the facts are clear on these things now. Acts chapter 20 Verse 17 and from Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called the elders of the church so now Paul is coming to this church at Ephesus that the book of Ephesians was written to the letter to the church at Ephesus and he calls together their leaders and wants to talk to him and When they were come to him he said to them, you know from the first day that I came into Asia.

After what manner I have been with you in all seasons. He said you examine my life. Do I look like a guy that came here to take money from you? Do I look like a person who came here to profit off of you?

Or did I come here so that you might profit and he asked them this question. He asked the leaders that question. Why do you think he asked him that? Could it be because he wants them to examine that before he?

Wants to teach them some other things that he wants them to listen to and. And realize that he is an apostle and has that authority and he's anointed but his heart is for them. Not to not to make money off of them, but to profit them.

And so he asked them to consider that question. And he says what manner I've been with you at all seasons. In other words when things are going well when things are not when things are tough when there's persecution when there's not all this in verse 19 serving the Lord with all humility of mind and with many tears and temptations which befell me by the lying in wait of the Jews who were trying to kill him and How I kept back nothing that was profitable to you.

But have showed you and have taught you publicly and house to house now. Can you imagine when these bigwigs flying in on one of their jets? Who they didn't earn through working hard like brother Myron earned his jet, right?

Because he's a businessman pastor. He he works for a living makes money and bought the jet that is different than sending prayer cloths out saying if you buy this for 250 bucks. You'll be healed from all your diseases and never die and then buying two jets with that kind of monies.

That is ill-begotten gain and Jesus hates it. He says so in the Gospels. He said he hates it you making money off of widows and he looked at those very men and he said to them. You know what? You're a whited sepulchers.

But on the inside you're full of dead men's bones and where I go you cannot go. For you, you're of your father the devil who was a liar from the beginning. Stuff like that. So the same is true of these very people and you know them by their fruits.

But now look at look at these things that you can see here if you want to call this the proper attitude. For an apostle, but now we don't have them. So let's just say for a pastor or a TV preacher. Or whatever you want to say the proper attitude that this person should have number one.

He says in verse 19 I'm in Acts chapter 20 still verse 19. He is serving the Lord. He is not serving money. He's not serving politicians. He's not serving himself. He's serving the Lord number two with all humility of mind.

He doesn't act like he knows everything he can learn new things still and He doesn't put himself above the people. He puts himself equal with the people. There's no separation of clergy and laity. He's just one of the church people.

He recognizes his calling. Yes, but he doesn't believe that places him higher than anyone else. He has humility and number three. He serves with tears. He serves when he sees a brother or sister that's hurting.

That's that's going through tribulation and trouble or maybe even persecution he cries too and Is he that type of person or not and He goes through temptations just like everyone else. He doesn't try to act like well, I'm a pastor, you know, like I don't have temptations.

You just need to follow me and I'll show you how to live a pristine life. I'm sanctified. You need to be like me. He doesn't act like that false prophets will act like that though. And so there's a there's a great difference and his particular temptations.

He had people sitting around trying to kill him when he walked out of the building like Charlie Kirk did imagine that and they got Charlie Kirk didn't they and the Lord brings that to pass sometimes because it fits his Purposes and more people will be saved because of it because of the death of that martyr than if the person had lived sometime.

We don't know God's view of everything. Don't do we we can't see the whole big plan, but I'll promise you the best thing happens To all of us. God is perfect. Love. He's perfect knowledge. He's perfectly good.

And so the best thing happens that should happen for all of us and when we get out there with him someday look back. We'll all see that but Paul knew it and Paul wasn't afraid of these people, but he did dodge him when he could.

Know if they're waiting over here, you know, you know why he went by foot remember last Sunday. We talked about his friends went on ship. Because he got word from somebody that they're waiting on the Jews are waiting on you at the shipyard don't go that way.

So he traveled by foot. It was much more difficult. But at least they didn't get to kill grab him and kill him so that he is tempted by these things. What would the temptation be there to quit right or to hide?

He had those temptations. He's a real man. And then the fourth the fourth thing is temptations. And then he says I Kept back nothing that was profitable to you. Do you know what a sign of a real preacher is?

He will preach the whole Word of God even the stuff. He knows you don't want to hear. Or even the stuff. He knows the world doesn't want to hear. My the book I just wrote will be the least read book that's ever been written.

It's got a lot of stuff in it. People don't want to hear and I even invite them in the book. I say look I'm not trying to convince you which I really am. But I there's one I had to confess that one to the Lord.

But I said I'm not trying to convince you. What I'm trying to get you to do is is study just study and prove me wrong or right either one I don't care. I'm happy and really that is true and You can know that if you ever been to a trade way meeting when we used to have them before Kovac because I would say stuff and put it up on the screen that pastor had never taught those people and They'd stand up want to debate it and I said well I'll take you to lunch because I wouldn't want to do it in front of everybody.

And waste their time, you know and take them to lunch and I would have people that would tell me. You know I went home mad at you and I've been studying for about a month and I see that what you taught is in the Bible.

Even some of them started coming to church here because of that. So you can't a true preacher doesn't stop and think What can I preach today that will be popular? That everyone will like so when they go home, they're gonna talk about how good I am.

They don't think like that. They just say what's next? Okay, we're on chapter. We finished chapter 3 now. We're on chapter 4. What's in there? Well last time we had to talk about slavery. That's not popular.

Right. We've had to talk about child rearing. I'll promise that's not popular. We got to I looked out there. It was two sermons and you put child rearing on or you should have put Colossians something because now that you put child rearing.

They won't listen to them. I'm teasing. I'm glad you put that because it makes easy to find but I mean It's because it was verse by verse it was in Colossians Chapter 4 two verses and we talked about him and none of what I said is popular on those two Sundays.

But I not only use the Bible to prove it's true, but I also use secular psychology to prove what I was saying. They don't even agree with stuff that they taught ten years ago anymore. Well that if it's of the world and humanism it will change every decade for sure quicker even science does right it's because it's not perfect.

But.

Anyway, so you notice here. He says I kept back nothing. I taught everything that's profitable to you. And then he says but I have showed you and have taught you publicly and from house to house. So two more things a preacher doesn't only just preach from here.

When he visits you. Yeah, he might talk about golf every once in a while or something like that, but sometimes it's gonna get back to the word. I Think you could ask. Five of my kids and five of their spouses and 15 grandkids and just ask them.

Hey when Papa's around like does he ever talk about the Bible and you'd find out we do that a lot. Probably more than it. We don't talk about the Cowboys much now if they'd start winning that'd be different.

But not much to say about them. I Do like the Chiefs though in College football. I hate to say it, but this year I'm even gonna watch an A &M game because they're ranked in the top ten and Baylor's not.

Neither is the University of Texas to see. I mean a true pastor is a real person. But he talks about the Lord a lot, and he does it not only from the pulpit. He does it when he's out in the world and does it when he's in people's houses.

You you might find it surprising because I tried when I was young I tried hanging out with pastors. I would go to Dallas to pastors fellowships, and there'd be like 60 or 80 of them there, and they're all Baptist.

You know supposedly sound and you know I did that about three times and all I was learning was a lot of off-color jokes. So I quit going. I'm serious. They weren't talking about the Bible. Now I'm not saying they were all that way though, but just the ones that maybe that says something about me the ones I was around or telling off-color jokes and Whatever, but seriously.

I mean it just was not a it was not a godly situation. So you see these things that Paul is showing what he's like and this is a great model. For a pastor or any kind you know an evangelist or a missionary and so there are seven things there.

Now.

In verses 22 I'm gonna drop down a little bit, and then we'll come back up, but in verses 22 through 24 It kind of talks a little bit about this heart of a pastor. It says and now behold I go bound in spirit to Jerusalem not knowing the things that will befall me.

Save that. The Holy Ghost Witnesses in every city saying that bonds and afflictions will happen if you go there. And that sort of fits under this area where he says I don't hold back anything I'll do whatever is profitable to you.

Even when people were telling him if you go to the next place you're gonna be persecuted you might even be killed he would go anyway. All right, so.

Paul.

Paul is definitely a marvelous model for many different kinds of ministries. Now look at verse 21. And that brings me to my second major point. The first major point was you know the what's a good model of a pastor a?

Genuine pastor. A second point is this what is the proper aspect? What are the proper aspects of the gospel message. Now we touched on that last Sunday a little bit? When you when you talk when you want to talk about how we as a church should be presenting the gospel.

How is that done? What are the components of that and we can learn a lot from watching? How Paul did it because we know that Paul defined the gospel in a nutshell. He said it's the it's the fact that Jesus died.

Was buried and rose again for the sins of his people if you want to put it in a nutshell. But that's not all we preach you you don't just listen. You don't just walk up to people and say Where would you go if you died today, and they say I'm not sure and you say well Jesus died.

He was buried and he rose again for the sins of his people. Good to meet you sir, and you walk away. This is not how the gospel was preached. Now it helps if you think about this. I Want you especially the ladies in the room who have children?

Let's think about childbirth for a minute. Ashes is please don't talk about childbirth. It's coming in the future. And some of the ladies are back there smiling saying no it's in my past. But think about the the moment the child is born.

Okay, how many things happen in that moment? Not just to the mom I'm kind of talking about the baby's viewpoint. Because from the baby's viewpoint, it's all good. Right because the baby comes in the world and thinks he is the center of the entire.

Universe.

Everyone has to pay attention to me. Forever that's what they think right and. Think about all the things that happened to that baby the moment. He's born in a moment of time. He was the first thing he does.

Takes his first breath. What's the very next thing he does he cries? What else does he do he poops. Glue black glue, but anyway, that's too much information, but what what else does he do? Yes, I'm in the heart valve yeah, but what else is one of the first things he does after he cries.

What's he crying for? Milk right his mom. So like a very intimate relationship, right? Which which he didn't know he had before birth did he I? Mean he doesn't have perspective yet think about that. He has no perspective of what his life's gonna be like.

It's almost opposite. He's floating in liquid can't breathe. Can't eat. I know that the blood of the mom or the blood feeds the baby from the mom's nutrition. We know that but the baby like he can't eat.

He can't burp. He can't look any poop. I don't think so he. He you know all of the things in life. He's the opposite and then all of a sudden in one nanosecond everything happens in nanoseconds in my life.

In my preaching anyway one nanosecond all that changes and he's in the world and it's all it's all normal. He's a human. He was already a human, but I mean he's doing the things humans do is my point.

But how many things are there probably countless things if you want to look at the biology of this baby's body and and everything else. You probably couldn't count it all so let me ask you how many things happen at the moment you're born again.

Because Jesus said Spiritual birth is like physical birth. So how many things happen at the moment you're born again and Would you say that they're a series of things or did they just kind of all happen is one thing called birth.

You see my point. What is going on out there? Was the baby just born. Someone's playing a video. They were checking me out. See if my preaching is true. It's a show me childbirth and it's YouTube. Anyway, you see you see my point now I want you to think about that when we when we talk about these things that are part of how we present the gospel because I don't want you to think of them so much as a series of things you do.

I Grew up in a church where they used to talk about what do you do to get saved? Well, obviously the answer is nothing or else it's salvation by works, but we didn't know that. So I did something to get saved and it didn't keep me from being saved.

How about that? You know what I did I prayed in the car and Said Lord, I want you to be my boss rather than me being my own boss. And I put it in businessman terms because I was a businessman, but I I knew what I meant by that I wanted him to be my lord and Then it my whole life was changed.

So did I save myself that day or did the Holy Spirit call me and awaken me and quicken me? Which means once he quickened me I'm already alive. By the time I prayed that prayer. I was already alive. So did me praying the prayer saved me or did the Holy Spirit save me and then I prayed the prayer you see now churches Today don't know this but 150 years ago 95 of all Baptists knew this now only less than 5 know it or believe it.

In fact, they think what I just said is heresy. But it's the truth. But this this helps if you understand if you watch Paul here as he gives the gospel it shows how he gave the gospel. He doesn't just say Well get called.

Get called by the Holy Ghost. That's all you need to know. He didn't say that did he? He was much wiser than to say that. He didn't say well if God wants to save you he'll save you just don't worry about it.

No, he didn't say that he pled with people to get saved even Jews who tried to kill him. So you've got to look at the methodology of giving the gospel. It's just as important as the doctrines that we love so much in a church like this where we'd love to dig down into those doctrines and what we're doing when we look at it doctrinally is we're looking at it in sequence as If it takes, you know a year or something to get saved look at all this stuff that can happen.

There's over 33 things happening in our mind. That means that would take a lot of time for all that to happen. And all of it if you are a human looking at a person who just gets saved you would say all of that stuff Just happened to them and you're not sitting there saying well first he got called.

Well first he got chosen, right? For that he got known. For that he was known and he got Predestinated or chosen and then he got called in time and then after that he got justified. But how long you think it was after the from the calling to the justification.

If you can't measure it in time, even though it was in time. It was faster than the blink of an eye and Not only were you justified you were glorified in the father's mind in the blink of an eye. So the whole span of your entire salvation from God's viewpoint was like this.

That's why it's in the aorist. It just happened. But from man's viewpoint this this this this this happened all around here and all this stuff back here was already happening and the Holy Spirit was working on them and their parents and their grandparents and Bible preachers they heard and all this stuff was happening and humans love to give all of that the credit.

For the salvation. The truth is you've got to give the Holy Spirit to credit and you have to give the father the first credit. Because he's the one that knew you and told the Holy Spirit to go get you and you and then you have Jesus who before anything agreed to die to bring you in to the family and the Godhead knew you as.

A.

Child of God's. Before anything was made. So there obviously is where the credit has to go. But let's watch how it's presented because how it's it presented is important, too. This is this is the right way to be as as we talk about witnessing.

So.

The proper. Where was I 21, okay, so the proper aspects of the gospel testifying both to the Jews and also the Greeks. So what was Paul a Jew or a Gentile. Greek means Gentile? What was Paul? He's a Jew.