Biography of a Beloved Brother

Providence Baptist Church iconProvidence Baptist Church

8 views

Ephesians 6:21-22

0 comments

00:07
Hey man, it's quite an ordinary thing that we do in what some senses the confession talks about ordinary means
00:15
It's like we're just singing and preaching and giving and praying It's quite extraordinary things that God does with these things by his
00:25
Word and through the Holy Spirit We are in Ephesians 6. I know that you have
00:32
Been before on a vacation. You've visited friends or families especially think about the
00:39
Extended vacation you might have like a week or two and as it gets closer and closer to the end
00:46
There's there's kind of a dual sense that you have in in in one sense. You are ready
00:51
To move on another sense You're kind of sad to leave and to pack up and to go home and it's it's kind of hard Well, that's how
01:01
I feel like with Ephesians Here we are. We're at the end. We only have a few more
01:08
Verses in fact after this week only two more verses to consider
01:14
This morning. I want to talk about a lesser known brother in our text
01:22
Tychicus now you might pronounce that differently I Think I've heard it tick a kiss tick a kiss.
01:29
I don't know. I'm gonna say Tychicus I'll avoid trying to say the the Hick tachi kiss, but Tychicus.
01:36
That's how we're gonna go Okay, so I want to look at this morning a biography of a beloved brother
01:41
Ephesians 6 We're going to look at verse 21 and 22. Let's stand as we read that so that You also may know how
01:58
I am and what I am doing Tychicus the beloved brother and faithful minister in the
02:05
Lord will tell you everything I've sent him to you for this very purpose that you may know how we are and that he may encourage
02:15
Your hearts. Let's pray father. Would you help us to understand this brother? Help us to understand this morning why you gave this and that why didn't the text just in in in verse 20?
02:28
Yet you've given us more verses here to consider and let us not be
02:34
Given over to the temptation just kind of pass them by. Oh, well the letters over and move on we pray that we would
02:42
Remember that in your divine wisdom You've given us these verses and there is much for us to consider a lot of practical things to consider about how we should love
02:51
The church and we pray that Christ would be exalted from this text this morning We pray that Tychicus would point us to the loveliness of Jesus We pray it all in the name of Christ.
03:03
Amen. You may be seated This is one of those sermons
03:15
That reminds us of Just the greatness of God's Word Here we are at the end of this letter and we think well, you know, is there really much left?
03:26
Could we just maybe move on what's going to be next in our church's preaching?
03:34
schedule But I believe as I've studied this passage that there's a lot here for us to consider
03:41
And so we're going to look at the biography of a beloved brother in the first point. I Have for you.
03:48
Number one is Tychicus loved the local church Tychicus loved the local church now get your
03:56
Bibles ready and we're going to do a little exploring This isn't the only time Tychicus is mentioned, but let's let's read verse 21 again
04:04
So that you may know how I am and what I am doing Tychicus the love brother and faithful minister in the
04:10
Lord will tell you everything so Tychicus has come Tychicus is the one that has carried this letter from Paul and Paul's letting the church know.
04:19
Hey, there's anything else you need to know And so that you will know how we're doing very transparent.
04:25
We'll get to that later You can ask Tychicus Tychicus will will let you know and the text calls him the beloved brother
04:33
Now I want to just talk about for a moment under this point Tychicus loved the local church that there are four other places that this brother is mentioned in the in the
04:43
New Testament So let's look at those. So get your Bibles out get them ready And some of you
04:49
I'm looking on the front row you can scroll but the rest of you can turn to pages now It's okay.
04:54
If you got to look digitally, we're not going to be too hard on that Acts chapter 20.
04:59
Let's go there Acts chapter 20 Whether you scroll or flip a page
05:06
It's the Word of God Acts chapter 20 verse 1 Acts chapter 20 verse 1 after the uproar ceased
05:21
Paul sent for the disciples and After encouraging them. He said farewell and departed for Macedonia When he had gone through those regions and had given them much encouragement.
05:32
He came to Greece there He spent three months when a plot was made against him by the
05:38
Jews as he was about to set sail for Syria He decided to return through Macedonia Sopater the
05:45
Berean son of Pyrrhus accompanied him and of the Thessalonians Aristarchus and secondess and goddess of Derby and Timothy and the
05:54
Asians Tychicus and trophimus So I just want to make a comment here that There are so many names in the
06:05
New Testament They pop up in Acts. They pop up at the end of Letters that that the that the author's right there.
06:13
They're everywhere and one comment I just want to make is that Christianity in the New Testament is not merely
06:23
Theoretical but experiential right and practical it's not just the New Testament is not just a theology book, right?
06:30
I mean it certainly is a theology book, but it's a theology book that talks about a real brotherhood
06:36
Real people these are real people you're gonna meet these people in heaven. There's real friendships here
06:42
The Christian life is is not to be alone and and Tychicus is among this Family, we don't know when he was converted.
06:50
We do know he was an Asian according to the text and probably from Ephesus born and raised in Ephesus is our assumption and The text our text in Ephesians calls him a beloved brother.
07:03
So he's part of the family of God. He's born again He's in Christ. And so this
07:08
New Testament the New Testament is the Word of God, but it's also a real collection of Historical documents that that show us the real lives of real people
07:18
Real people by the way who like Tychicus love the local church more than that in a minute
07:23
So he pops up in Acts 20 now go to Colossians chapter 4 Colossians chapter 4
07:30
Tychicus You understand the Ephesians and the Colossians we call those sister letters they were most likely written and delivered at the same time
07:39
Colossians chapter 4 says this Colossians chapter 4 in verse 7
07:46
Tychicus will tell you all about my activities He is a beloved brother and faithful minister and fellow servant in the
07:54
Lord I've sent him to you for this very purpose that you may know how we are and that he may encourage your heart and with him
08:03
Onesimus our faithful and beloved brother who is one of you they will tell you of everything that has taken place here so Consider that this is pretty similar to the ending of Ephesians that we read except we learn here that with Tychicus was
08:20
Onesimus. Now. Do you remember Onesimus? Onesimus is the slave of Philemon who had ran away and then he becomes a
08:28
Christian and now Paul sends Onesimus back to Philemon under whose care
08:34
Under the care of Tychicus. So this speaks of the reliability and the
08:39
Responsibility and the godly character of a man like Tychicus. Let's keep going to our right 2nd
08:46
Timothy chapter 4 2nd Timothy chapter 4 so we are just seeing Tychicus in the
08:52
Bible 2nd Timothy chapter 4 He is here 2nd Timothy chapter 4 verse 12 short verse
09:02
Tychicus 2nd Timothy 4 12 Tychicus I have sent to Ephesus So what I want to mention here is that Tychicus shows up in Acts chapter 20 and then maybe not quite but close to 10 years
09:14
Later, he shows up in 2nd Timothy 4. So there's about maybe a 10 -year gap Maybe not quite a 10 -year gap between Acts 20 and 2nd
09:22
Timothy 4 and what you notice is he's still helping Paul He's still a servant of the church.
09:28
He's still faithful and he's a servant of the gospel and then lastly he's in Titus now
09:33
Titus is Chronologically before 2nd Timothy but in the canon it's after so Titus chapter 3 he pops up and it's
09:46
Paul says when I send Artemis or Tychicus to you do your best to come to me at Nicopolis for I have decided to spend the winter there
09:55
So I'm just trying to point out here that Tychicus is a servant of God.
10:01
He's a servant of the church He's willing to spend and be spent in the service of the Lord to be used by Paul as a humble servant he sought to minister to and encourage and help and build up and Strengthen local churches.
10:14
I'll just say this as a as a Side note and we'll get to this more later. Like that's what we're about What is the mission of the church the mission of the church is churches, right?
10:24
The mission of the church is to make disciples to strengthen the help to encourage to build to plant churches and There's something to be said to about godly partnerships and godly friendships
10:36
Now back to our text in Ephesians verse 21 Paul calls
10:41
Tychicus a faithful minister now The word there is the same word for deacon and Tychicus loved the local church
10:51
Because he was a faithful servant now. He's not a deacon In that sense, he's not in the office of deacon
10:58
But he was a servant the thing about this all believers whether you're an elder or a deacon or you're a member
11:04
You ought to be a servant of the local church Now now
11:10
Paul could trust here that Tychicus had the church's good On his heart, so he's able to send
11:17
Tychicus. How weighty How weighty of a task is it to hand the only copy of the scriptures to a person
11:28
You think about that the only copy of Ephesians the only copy of Colossians the only copy of Philemon He hands these to Tychicus now most likely
11:38
Tychicus on his journey would have memorized these letters By the way, let me say this it's not like driving to Little Rock right a big deal travel
11:48
I don't like to travel you understand that travel always carries a bit of risk, but in the first century
11:54
Especially carries a bit of risk, but Tychicus was willing to do this in service to Paul in service to the
12:00
Lord in service to the church Furthermore, it's likely that when
12:06
Tychicus shows up to Ephesus He would have preached as it were this letter
12:12
He would have he would have he would have expounded it now He wouldn't have taken a hundred and forty sermons to do that But one sermon right but wouldn't it have been great to sit under that preaching like you got a quick hey
12:25
Hey, whoa Tychicus What did Paul mean when he said this and Paul entrusted
12:33
Tychus to say Tychicus to say well, this is what he meant These are faithful and trustworthy brother and I might make a comment here that the
12:41
New Testament was written Are you listening to this the New Testament was written in order to be preached?
12:47
Okay, so it is meant to be read. You're meant to have your personal Bible time You're meant to study it to memorize it to talk about it to do all these things
12:57
But don't forget that unequivocally and unapologetically the Bible is meant to be preached
13:04
So God encourages and equips and builds up his church through the preaching of his word
13:11
Don't minimize. I'm just a little bit of a tangent. Don't minimize the preaching of the
13:16
Word of God We can we cannot come up with something better to replace
13:23
Preaching and this is true in all times in all places. And by the way with all ages Children teenagers adults we need the preaching we need faithful preaching of the
13:34
Word of God one more thing to note here We know Tychicus loved the church because he was an encourager
13:41
Look at verse 24 now, I'm gonna read this and I want you to I want you to think sorry verse 22
13:47
We're not finishing yet. I have sent him to you for this purpose that you may know how we are and That he may encourage
13:56
Your hearts now, listen to me. I want you to ask yourself I want you to be real with yourself for a second
14:02
If the Apostle Paul is standing in our church this morning and if he's looking for someone
14:08
There's another church in another place and he needs to send someone from our church to go to that church
14:16
To be an encourager. Is he going to choose you?
14:23
I'm afraid that there's too many people even people among us even people who claim to be reformed in their theology
14:31
They think they have the gift of discouragement or the gift of criticism Is there a time to correct error?
14:38
Of course Actually what time what what it's always time to correct error, right?
14:44
but there is patience and prudence that we need to exercise as believers and Sometimes listen in a situation in a marriage in discipleship situation in a church situation
14:55
There's time to sit back and say okay, there is so much wrong here, right? But could
15:00
I start with maybe some things that are right? Could I start with some of the evidences of God's grace some of the work that God has made so obvious Can I start there and encourage hearts there even as I do not neglect
15:17
To address the error you see what I'm saying I'm just saying that we need listen. You need to be real careful how you talk about a person's a man's wife and The bride in the church is the bride of Christ, right?
15:31
So let's be careful. Let's think through that Tychicus loved the local church. All right. Secondly, let me say this
15:37
Tychicus was willing to learn Now, let me read the text again and just make an obvious point so that you may know how
15:44
I am and what I am Doing Tychicus the beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord will tell you everything
15:49
I've seen him to you that for this very purpose that you may know how we are and that he may encourage your heart now
15:55
What you're getting from this text is Tychicus at a mature level in his life
16:01
But you need to understand he didn't wake up as an encourager He didn't wake up being trusted by Paul to expound the letter to Ephesians He didn't wake up knowing everything that he needed to know he had to be discipled
16:16
Now we don't know his testimony in one sense But in another sense we do Your testimony your salvation testimony has three primary components who you were apart from Christ What happened to you and who you are now?
16:34
So in one sense, I know Tychicus's Testimony first who was he apart from Christ Ephesians tells us go back to Ephesians 2 and Ephesians 2 it says this and You were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked
16:50
Following the course of this world following the prince of the power of the air the spirit that is now at work in the sons
16:55
Of disobedience not all that was just a church It was I don't know listen to verse 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh
17:04
Carrying out the desires of the body in the mind and were by nature children of wrath Like the rest of mankind, you know who
17:12
Tychicus was apart from Christ lost No one is born a believer.
17:17
You understand. No one is born Reconciled and right with God we are born dead in our trespasses and sins and Tychicus was no different He was dead in his sins hating
17:32
God Probably worshiping the false gods and idols in Ephesus of his day as a young boy
17:39
Probably enjoyed the the festivities and the idolatry that happened or that were going on But something happened in his life and we don't know the specific details that happened
17:50
But we do know this at some point in his life He moved from death to life at some point in his life
17:57
He came underneath the saving influence of the gospel of Jesus Christ And he repented and he believed this gospel that glorious blood -soaked
18:09
Gospel of the Apostle Paul perhaps he was sitting under the very preaching of Paul himself
18:16
Perhaps as Paul was preaching in the public square on the street There's a young Tychicus walks by and he hears of his need for Christ this glorious gospel that Jesus Is the son of David and the son of God that he came into the world to save sinners that he was obedient before God Willing willing to suffer for his people fulfilling all righteousness that in his death upon a
18:43
Roman cross Suspended between heaven and earth God made him who knew no sin to be sin
18:51
To be imputed with our sins to be our propitiation Paul uses that word our wrath satisfying sacrifice
19:00
So that we might become 2nd Corinthians 521 the righteousness of God Jesus died the death of unworthy sinners as our substitute and he rose again in victory and is now reigning on highest
19:15
King and Paul did not tell Tychicus to ask Jesus into his heart
19:20
Did not tell Tychicus to try out Jesus and see if it makes your life a little better He told
19:27
Tychicus what he told everyone God commands all men everywhere to repent
19:32
To turn away from your sins to turn away from yourself and to put your faith to holy rest upon the finished work of Christ I Remind you this morning even in this gathering.
19:46
You don't have to live your life on the broad Road Salvation is accomplished in Christ and Just like Tychicus The opportunity set before you even today to repent of your sins and believe the gospel
20:03
So at some point in Tychicus his life the Holy Spirit opened his heart
20:09
Convicted him of sin broke his heart as it were drew him to Christ Tychicus repented of his sins
20:15
Repented of his idolatry and he came to Christ and he pledged himself to King Jesus.
20:21
And who is he now? Well now he is an adopted child of God He is a churchman and he's one concerned with the kingdom of Christ And what's interesting is you read the
20:31
New Testament. He keeps popping up in these letters Presumably this man spent a lot of time with Paul Almost it's as if whatever was going on like how did he spend so much time
20:45
Paul? How's he traveling Paul? How's he doing these things because whatever else it was before going on in his life that got put on hold and he gave himself holy to Christ and so his desire now is to learn from Paul and To serve the people of God He became a disciple of Paul now
21:06
Yes, first and foremost, we're all Christians are disciples of Christ But there are people that God providentially places in our life to disciple us.
21:16
You shouldn't you shouldn't Ignore the providence of God in that there's two questions.
21:21
I would have about that one Who are you discipling who are you investing in? Who are you pouring the scriptures into who are you meeting with?
21:29
It's hard, right? It's hard But now it's a priority for you because you have a new king Yeah, the God of this world and the
21:35
God of whatever Is not your God anymore that your God is the King of Kings in the
21:40
Lord of Lords So you you do the hard work of making disciples because disciples make disciples The other question is who are you being discipled by?
21:48
So this is a critical aspect of the Christian life Tychicus needed to learn we all need to learn
21:54
We need to learn about God more. We need to learn about the gospel more We need to learn these great words of the
21:59
Christian faith We need to learn more about the church and where did Tychicus learn this stuff from from Paul?
22:06
Which brings me to a very important point in this sermon a very important point.
22:17
Where did Tychicus learn To give himself to the churches
22:27
Where did Tychicus learn the priority and primacy of the local church?
22:37
Where did Tychicus? learn That Christianity and the church to go together you can't separate him.
22:45
Where did he learn these things? He learned them friends from Paul Now this is something that you might be tempted to look over or forget if we weren't taking a moment
22:58
To remind ourselves of it now There is a profound change in Paul's life
23:06
Go to Acts chapter 8. Let's look at this for just a moment Acts chapter 8 Now I want to I want to show you something that needs to grip your heart
23:17
Acts chapter 8 and Let's just read Verses 1 through 3 so stay in Acts because we'll go to chapter 9 to Acts chapter 8 and Saul approved of his execution
23:29
That is the execution Stephen and there arose on that day a great persecution
23:36
Against the church in Jerusalem and there were scattered throughout the region of Judea and Samaria except the
23:43
Apostles Devout men buried Stephen and made great lamentation over him now listen to verse 3
23:49
But Saul you understand that's Paul Saul was ravaging the church in Entering house after house.
24:00
He dragged off men and women and committed them to prison Here is Paul Hating the church if he could he would have eradicated the church
24:11
You get one chapter later Acts chapter 9 flip there and we learn of what happened but Saul verse 1 still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the
24:20
Lord went to the high priest and Asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus So that if he found any belonging to the way men or women he might bring them bound to Jerusalem now as he went on His way he approached
24:32
Damascus and suddenly a light from heaven Flashed around him and falling on the ground.
24:38
He heard a voice saying to him Saul Saul. Why are you persecuting me? by the way, Jesus does not
24:45
Jesus does not separate himself from the church. That is he sees
24:51
Paul Ravaging local churches and Jesus says you ain't just ravaging local churches
24:58
You are persecuting me and he said who are you Lord? He said I am
25:03
Jesus whom you are Persecuting so I just want to make a note here that is rather obvious But we're gonna run with it for just a moment.
25:13
Paul went from hating the church to loving it he went from he went from Persecuting the church
25:22
Ravaging the church to saying things like this in our text in Ephesians chapter 6 verse 21
25:28
So that you may also know how I am and what I am doing Tachikos the beloved brother and faithful minister in the
25:34
Lord will tell you everything I've sent him to you for this very purpose that you may know how we are and that he may encourage your hearts
25:43
Listen for just a moment Paul went from hating the church Wanting to kill the church wanting to drag men and women away from the church and to throw them in change and if he could
25:52
Execute him to now he has this great burden on his heart He cares about the believers in Ephesus He cares about what they think about him and the ministry and the furtherance of the gospel and Christ and all this great
26:08
Theology and all these wonderful truths he care that we've read in Ephesians. He cares about their marriages
26:13
He cares about their children. He cares about slaves and masters. He cares about the unity of the church
26:20
He cares about all of these things. Why because God changed him He went from hating the church to loving it all the great affection
26:33
Paul has now for the church and Tachikos learned this from Paul And let me just man
26:40
I don't want to go in too much of a tangent, but I need to speak to something a quick point here that missionaries should love the church a
26:51
So -called missionary or evangelist or whatever ministry there there may be Who are not in love?
26:59
With local churches should quit Any kind of ministry you talk about a ministry and we've had people before Hey, I'd like to come and talk to your church about this or that ministry
27:09
Okay, what church are you part of? Oh, we don't know. We're so busy with the ministry. We're not part of a church Well, well, then you're not welcome to speak here
27:17
Because we love the church here And let me add this Gonna metal just I'm gonna prepare you.
27:25
So let's just just know the preacher's gonna metal for it's just gonna be a quick second Churches should know their missionaries
27:33
So That you also may know how I am and what I'm doing Tachikos the beloved brother and faithful minister in the
27:39
Lord will tell you everything I've sent him to you for this very purpose that you may know how we are and that He may encourage your hearts
27:52
Paul was transparent with the churches as to his condition
27:58
It wasn't hiding behind trying to hide behind league out he wasn't saying well, you know You don't know how things are in the corporate world.
28:06
So why should you know how I am just keep sending your money, right? Is there any kind of analogy we could have today?
28:13
Yes, sir. Absolutely. Yes The Southern Baptist Convention, I believe as a whole I hate to say but it's not every when
28:20
I say that I'm not saying every single person within the Southern Baptist Convention Not every single missionary not every single church planner.
28:26
I'm not saying it all I'm saying as a whole you show up and you say hey, can we know what's going on in this institution?
28:34
No, you cannot Can you imagine Apostle Paul saying that He's transparent
28:42
He wants the church to understand how he is doing.
28:47
So that was just my quick meddling That's why we can't in good conscience give to the cooperative program because if the whole
28:53
Institution is as a whole is gonna say no, you can't know how things are and that's a problem for me
28:58
It should be a problem for all churches In fact, I would I said in one second two seconds if more churches would stand up and say no, this is not okay things may change churches should know their missionaries and Missionaries should know their churches and there should be reciprocal love between them
29:17
Now what we're reminded here from Paul and what he had passed on here to Tychicus is this grand truth
29:27
Churchless Christianity is Really Christless Christianity Do you understand?
29:37
Churchless Christianity, you know, this is very very very hard Because we see so many friends so many neighbors so many loved ones and we're just like yeah
29:47
But they say all the right things and they yeah, they seem to be doing all the right things except well
29:53
Except they abandon the church, but other than that everything's okay But I'm trying to argue from the text that churchless
29:59
Christianity is a whole different religion We may call it churchless
30:05
Sianity. It's hard to say but that's probably why no one's coined it before But it's not
30:10
Christianity If you say that you have love in your heart for Jesus But no love in your heart for the local church.
30:20
You are either Willfully lying you're lying or you're just greatly deceived.
30:26
Neither one of those scenarios is good You just can't get around it
30:31
It's everywhere in the New Testament These people were risking their lives their fortunes their futures
30:40
Everything all in service to the church And what some of you want to do today is you want to have your church life over here and your normal life over here?
30:51
But I'm just telling you in the New Testament. They were one in the same in the New Testament Christianity and the church they go hand in hand
31:02
Now some of the things that people say about the church today would have made the unconverted
31:07
Saul blush the way that the church is Mocked or ridiculed or disparaged or neglected and and these are people who sometimes want to say they mock the church and ridicule the church they
31:25
Belittle the church they neglect the church and in the other side of the mouth. They want to say oh, but I love Jesus Well, let me be uh, what's the guy's name
31:34
Mari? Is that his name? Let me be Mari if he was a Christian I don't know. I don't have no idea I just want to use this one line from Mario and that is the
31:41
New Testament has determined that is a lie right if you say that you love
31:50
Christ but you disparage the church the New Testament has determined that is a lie
31:59
Now when Paul encountered the gospel he went from raging against the church according to 2nd
32:06
Corinthians 11 28 to Carrying around the daily pressure of the anxiety of all the churches
32:14
They were on his heart that they would be healthy that they would practice right membership that they would practice church
32:20
Discipline that they would understand Unity in Christ that they would understand sovereign grace that they would understand the gospel
32:29
I'm traveling around. I'm being beaten. I'm being beaten. I'm being imprisoned and at the whole time
32:35
I'm thinking about the church at Philippi. Yodia and Syntyche and their disagreement man
32:41
I just wish those ladies would agree in a church They just need to agree and I'm thinking about the church at Ephesus and they need to be reminded to to love
32:49
Christ and see Beauty and glory of who they were apart from Christ and what God has done
32:54
I'm thinking about the crazy people at Corinth, but that church doesn't need to disband. They need to reform
32:59
They need to practice church discipline and I'm thinking about the all the all the other churches I'm writing to I'm thinking about Timothy and and what he's doing in Ephesus and I'm thinking about Titus and this is the life of The Apostle Paul he could not break himself from caring about the church
33:19
This is New Testament Christianity No, I can't make you believe that I can't reach into your heart and say this is what you
33:32
I can't just flip a switch for you, but I can just present to you the truth. This is the truth
33:39
Tychicus loved the church because God had changed his heart because he was discipled by Paul He saw firsthand this man's love for the church in such a way that encouraged him to risk his own life and limb
33:55
For the good of the church to see her built up to see her healthy to help her to encourage her
34:01
Let's move to our third point. Tychicus loved the church Tychicus was willing to learn this is a short point, but important Tychicus refused to leave
34:12
Just there's so much I could say here but go back to 2nd Timothy and I just make a mention I'm not don't misunderstand me and saying that There's never a time to leave or to move
34:26
Okay, but you understand The bigger picture here is what you need to understand 2nd
34:33
Timothy chapter 4. I'm actually already already read verse 12 Where Tychicus is still in service to Paul and so Paul sends him 2nd
34:43
Timothy 4 12 for some reason my Bible sticking together Tychicus. He sent to Ephesus But look at verse 9
34:52
He says to Timothy do your best to come to me soon and look what he said in verse 10 for Demas in love with this
34:58
Present world has deserted me Demas is a sad case and in Colossians Demas is mentioned as sending him as sending his greeting to the church but by 2nd
35:16
Timothy Paul says he's abandoned. He's in love with the world He's deserted
35:22
Paul So let me speak Plainly soberingly very real practically to you for just a moment
35:31
And that is something that we we probably don't talk about enough It was mentioned in our confession on the perseverance of the
35:38
Saints this morning But here's the reality some people
35:45
Leave it happened in the New Testament and it happens today they don't
35:53
Lose their salvation. That's not what we're saying. They don't become they weren't regenerate and they become unregenerate
36:00
Rather they show that their faith was never true People give all sorts of excuses for leaving your church is mean
36:08
I Just disagree. I don't need the church. You handled that wrong. You're a hypocrite
36:13
I've been called a lot of names and you'd be a Christian long enough You will be called a lot of names
36:20
But what you need to know this morning is at the root of apostasy is love for the world love for sin love for self listen to all these people today that talk about Deconstruction right?
36:33
You know what deconstruction is. It really is. You know what? I love my sin too much to leave it and That's the reality
36:42
Some people I don't say this to like Be a Debbie Downer No offense to any
36:49
Debbie's in the room. I Say this as a reality Some people will leave
36:57
Demas left But listen to this Some people stay
37:06
Tajik has stayed So some people see the beauty of what Christ is doing in building healthy churches
37:14
Some people get the gospel. It has really gripped them. They get the church. They understand it.
37:19
They get the Lord Jesus Christ They love him. They're like Peter when Jesus says are you leaving too?
37:24
This is from John 6 and Peter looks at him. I imagine just bewildered. He's like Lord to whom shall we go?
37:32
Where else could we possibly go than to be right in the middle of what God is doing in the world today in building?
37:39
Healthy churches Demas left Tajik has stayed I need to encourage you with something since you're hearing this you don't have to leave
37:49
You don't have to be a demons. God has given us means to prevent
37:57
Demas's if you will But you must make good use of them. You must Commit to sitting under the preaching of the word and the ordinary means of grace as it were
38:08
Don't leave Tajik has stayed this brings to our last point Tajik has loved the local church
38:14
Tajik Tajik is was willing to learn Tajik has refused to leave and finally Tajik is is one we should aspire to be like so Let's give this faithful brother his due and Let's consider again the text it says so that you may know how
38:34
I am and what I'm doing Tajik is the beloved brother and Faithful minister in the
38:39
Lord will tell you everything I've sent him to you for this very very purpose that you may know how we are
38:46
And that he may encourage your hearts Okay Let's put some application on the sermon from the life of Tajik is first Do you trust
39:02
Jesus like Tajik is here Tajik is is referred to in the text as a beloved brother and faithful minister, and this is only because of God's sovereign grace
39:14
This is not me in the sermon telling you go out and be a better person Go out and do five steps to be a better you go out and do
39:21
All those programs that are that are in churches today go out and just just do your best try your best
39:27
That's not me. This is me. Simply asking you. Do you trust Jesus? Do you won't get to this in verse 24 grace be with all who love our
39:35
Lord Jesus Christ. Do you love our Lord Jesus Christ Tychicus did
39:42
Tychicus loved the Lord Jesus Christ trusted the Lord Jesus Christ in such a way that he left off his former ways of life and he gave himself to Christ and The church and the furtherance of the gospel.
39:54
I'm asking you this morning. Is this the kind of Christianity you have? You know, it keeps me up at night literally keeps me up at night
40:03
I'm not just saying oh man. Yeah, no, I'm talking about I lay in my bed and I cannot go to sleep Because I think about The multiple versions of Christianity in Perryville, I'm not just talking about the world
40:16
I'm talking about Perryville. I'm talking about Central, Arkansas I'm talking about the Bible Belt this person's person practices person practice that whatever the case may be
40:27
I'm just saying do you have the type of Christianity that is revealed to us in the book?
40:33
That's the only saving Christianity there is So many have this is mental ascent to the facts of the gospel.
40:42
Yeah. Yeah, we knock on the door Yeah, I know I can tell you Jesus died for my sins and rose again, but their heart is not given to Christ Do you know when a good day to give your life to Christ is actually it was yesterday but yesterday's over So it's today
41:00
God has given you another day of life on his planet
41:06
Breathing his air sitting under the preaching of the gospel Do you trust Jesus like Tychicus did you should you can even this day?
41:16
The Bible says look to the Son and live Don't neglect today repent today
41:24
Trust Jesus today Flee God's wrath today and go to Christ is your only refuge today
41:32
Secondly, do you love the church like Tychicus did now? Psalm 84 4 says this
41:40
Psalm 84 verse 4 blessed are those who dwell in your house ever singing your praise say
41:48
Allah What is God's house First Sympathy 315 says the local church is the household of God people think that a blessed life is a life of fame and fortune a life of big houses a life of a lavish lifestyle a life where I get to go to Cancun or whatever other beaches there are that people go to a life of prestige and award and Accomplishment if I can get this kind of education if I can get this kind of career if I can get if I can play sports in the
42:27
NFL or the NBA or MLB or if I can be part of the Masters if I can Accomplish it if I can just be a world -renowned hunter
42:34
Whatever the case may be if I can just get these things then that is a blessed life
42:42
But what is the Bible the Bible says? those who dwell in God's house are
42:50
Are blessed a life given to the local church is blessed
42:58
Again, I can't make you believe that but I can just tell you this is what the Bible says
43:03
You can have all the riches of the world. The Bible says what does it profit a man if he gained the whole world?
43:11
And yet forfeit his soul Those who dwell in God's house are blessed
43:17
So where will you make your home friends? Where will you make your priorities? Where will you give your time your talent your treasure?
43:25
It's really hard. I understand Listen, it's hard not to believe the lies of the world
43:31
Listen to the evil we talked about spiritual warfare. This is the kind of junky puts out in front of us You know what?
43:37
I'll just love the church more later But right now I've got my kids and my children and in sports and activities, you know right now my grandkids are young Got all these things right now.
43:49
I just I got a lot of stuff. I got remodeling. I'm fixing things up right now You know work as hard as a lot of stuff going on right now.
43:56
It's just not a good time I'll give myself to the church later. I mean I got
44:01
Jesus. I don't got to give myself to the church Or you believe that you can serve the kingdom of the world in the kingdom of Christ simultaneously
44:10
Hey, look, I understand but I know I know I know I know that I'm a father of Jesus I'm gonna follow him.
44:18
I'm gonna follow the world at the same time, but that's a lie Your heart can't have two masters
44:24
So which path? Will you travel? Only one least eternal.
44:30
I like let me remind you of something. I hope this encourages some of you in here and that is just the
44:39
Eschatological reality of the church's think about it for just a minute. The church is going to one day inherit the earth
44:46
The church the Bible says is going to judge angels. The church is going to judge angels
44:56
What the church is is going to participate and feast at the marriage supper of the
45:02
Lamb to feast in the house Of Zion the church will eat from the tree of life the the church will be presented before the
45:10
Father as holy and blameless and Splendor before the God of heaven the church will glory and the grandeur of our
45:18
King for all Eternity in a holy and wonderful place beyond our current comprehension, this is the
45:27
Eschatological reality of the church that is in layman's terms where the church is headed.
45:32
This is what we're going for So how in the world would you be willing to trade anything in this life for that how?
45:42
I don't want to be specific because I want to be real careful with my children. I love them so much, but I just this illustration
45:50
Will be helpful Because you won't know which one it is so five children of our five of our six children five are in homeschool, so Margie she goes public school, but So one of our children
46:07
Not long ago again, this isn't funny. It's really it's wicked we've dealt with it, but one of our children not long ago lied about watching a video
46:20
Because this particular child They could get out of work if they didn't watch this video and so they lied
46:29
And we talked about that and all that well it turns out cuz I was like How long is this video like what would possess him?
46:34
I mean this video. I must be like four hours or something You know how long the video was 12 minutes 12 minutes so They traded their integrity
46:50
Broke their parents heart all these things over 12 minutes friends
46:58
That's what some of you are doing when it comes to the church Imagine if I said to you, I'll trade you this sack of potatoes for your
47:05
Chevy or for Connell's Ford for your house For your children,
47:11
I give you this sack of potatoes for your life You'd laugh at me. Maybe you'd call the cops
47:17
Okay, if you're not gonna trade your stuff for a sack of potatoes Why are you trading the temporary for the eternal?
47:26
Why are you trading life inside and for and with and about the church for life?
47:32
Outside the church and the cares and the lust of this world Do you love the church like Tychicus loved it thirdly
47:40
Thirdly, how are you serving the church? so again the text says We are gonna wrap up soon so that you may know how
47:50
I am and what I'm doing Tychicus the beloved brother and faithful minister a faithful servant the Lord will
47:56
Tell you everything he served the church. Let me just tell you this
48:03
Christianity produces Paul's Christianity produces Charles Spurgeon's Christianity produces
48:11
John MacArthur's but Christianity also produces
48:19
Tychicus's How many kids you know, I'll put this bug in the Maidwell's ear Maybe you could name your next child
48:25
Tychicus. I mean kids, you know named Tychicus. Well, you don't know very many because it's weird but secondly
48:35
He you don't know this guy Some of you came in today and you hadn't you didn't like I just he's gonna preach on time to get is that in the
48:42
Bible the vast majority of Christianity though, I would argue is built up by Tychicus's faithful trustworthy lesser -known people who just love and serve and encourage the church as Far as we know
49:00
Tychicus never became a pastor never became a deacon He was never famous in the eyes of the world.
49:06
You can't go Just Scour the the annals of history and find the writings or the works of Tychicus you can't you won't but here he is in the
49:14
Bible serving the church Loving the church the beloved brother. He's content in his obscurity
49:23
How are you today? Serving the church just this little church here in obscurity and in out of the way
49:32
Arkansas like I like to say on the outskirts of toad -suck, Arkansas Just south of the Arkansas River here.
49:38
We are in Perryville. And how are you serving God's house? Sweeping the floor on Wednesday nights after a meal taking out the dirty diapers on Sunday because of all these babies around here
49:54
Two ladies meeting over coffee and Encouraging one another in Christ as they read the
50:00
Bible Two brothers fishing and sharpening one another in the faith going floating on the
50:08
Buffalo River Gathering over lunch talking about Christ Getting to know one another getting involved in each other's lives asking real questions
50:19
Memorizing Deuteronomy 6 4 through 9 together holding one another accountable in Christ going around this town
50:27
Knocking on people's door. How do you got I could ask this like how do you guys avenge like like what's your strategy?
50:32
Like what's your question? No lie. This is what we do when we knock on a door. Hi We're here from Providence Baptist Church, and we feel a conviction that we should make sure every person in our town should hear the gospel
50:45
Can we share it with you today? Whoa Whoa, they don't take years of research.
50:51
No, we just kind of actually probably came up on it on the fly Because we just we just want to be faithful Every day ordinary mundane unknown acts serving the church giving praying
51:08
Discipling encouraging and I'm gonna tell you it really can be hard work. It can be tiring work.
51:14
It can be Time -consuming work it can it can be like what if I do this, I might have to give up some of this
51:19
I might have to rearrange priorities. These are things I might have to do, but it's hard. It's hard. It's difficult
51:25
It is I'm not denying that but I'm saying is there a more greater Endeavor in your life.
51:33
Listen for some of you You need to listen to this. How are you serving the church some of you?
51:39
It means you need to commit to the church and formal membership Some of you you need to be converted all together to Christ.
51:46
You need to be saved You can't serve the church if you're not a Christian Some of you need to be baptized you've been saved
51:53
But you need to follow the Lord and believers baptism or some of you are already members of Providence Baptist Church But you need to actually be serious about serving and loving the local church
52:06
What about you today? Am I saying that your grand goal in life is to be like Tychicus?
52:13
Well, no, I'm not saying that the grand goal of our life is God conforming us ever more into the image of Christ but what we've seen in this message in in our text is a tangible example of What that looks like in the life of a believer named
52:31
Tychicus? Like you want to know
52:37
What Christianity looks like stop reading Beth Moore books. You shouldn't read Beth Moore books at all.
52:43
Well stop reading Books by people's like this. No read the Bible You want to know what
52:50
Christianity is like read the end of these letters read this exhortation that we have here from Tychicus and Then ask yourselves will we take
53:04
Christianity seriously here? Well, we will we seek to shape all that we're doing here by the pages of This book as for me and my house the answer is yes
53:21
I can't answer that for you You need to be able to answer that let's pray father.
53:28
I thank you for your word. I Pray that you would help us to Take seriously this text this letter this life of Tychicus Lord help us to be your people
53:47
We need your grace. We're so dependent upon your grace. I Pray our decision is yes.
53:54
Yes Yes, we want to love Christ and love the church and make disciples
54:00
Just like your Bible teaches us to We pray in Jesus name.