I've entitled this message, Tychicus.
Let's read these two verses again. All my state shall Tychicus declare
unto you. And then he gives this description
of Tychicus, who is a beloved brother and a faithful minister
and fellow servant in the Lord. whom I have sent unto you for
the same purpose that he might know your estate and comfort
your hearts." Tychicus was a traveling companion with the Apostle Paul. He's mentioned five times in
the New Testament, first in Acts 20, then in Paul's letters to
the Ephesians and Colossians. He's mentioned in second Timothy
and Titus, and he was a close and trusted friend of Paul. That's something to think about,
isn't it? He was a close and trusted friend of the Apostle
Paul. And Paul would send this man
to other churches and other individuals to represent him and something
he wanted him to tell these churches and these people. And I remember
one time Brother Mahan saying to me, there are people you can
send to other places and feel really good about the way they
would represent Christ in the gospel. And you just feel good
about it. And there are other people you
might not feel that good about. I'm not saying they're not believers,
but you wouldn't feel comfortable with them representing the gospel. There's something you'd see in
them. Well, Tychicus was one of these people who Paul felt
comfortable sending him as a representative of the gospel. And God, the Holy
Spirit has his name recorded five times in scripture. Now I was taken up with this
description of Tychicus. And I would to God that this
would describe me and you, this description of Tychicus. None of Tychicus's faults are
recorded, but we don't have to wonder if he had any. He did.
He did. You can just write that down.
He was a man. He was a sinful man. He was a sinner saved by
grace, and he had the same problems that you and I have. You can
just write that down. He had the same problems that
you and I have. But the grace of God made him
a very special man. And I know some special men and
women. He was a special man. Now, notice
in this description of him, first of all, verse 7, And all my state
shall Tychicus declare unto you, who is a beloved brother and
a faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord. He doesn't say he's a fellow
servant of the Lord, although he was. But he said he was a
fellow servant in the Lord. Now there is no understanding
of the gospel without some understanding of this preposition in. In the Lord. Not simply of the
Lord, but in the Lord. Now the example I thought of
was until just last week, John, Cammie had a person inside of
her. This person already had her DNA,
she already had her name, and I'm sure in many respects she
already had much of what her personality is going to be. I
think you're born with much of your personality. There was a
person in her, but all you could see was Cammie. Now when Cammie
ate, Grace ate. Eleanor Grace. When Cammie drank,
Eleanor Grace drank. When Cammie went from one room
to another, Eleanor Grace went from one room to another. She
had a living union with her mother. But when you saw her, all you
saw was Cammie. Now, what kind of desire do you
have for when God, to see you, all He sees is Christ? And you live by being united
to Him. You live in Him. Being in Christ depicts union
with Himself. The preposition in gives us some
understanding of the Gospel. Now I want you to turn back a
few pages to the book of Ephesians. Verse three, blessed be the God
and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us,
not who will bless us, but he already has. Every blessing you'll
ever have, you've already got. He hath blessed us with all spiritual
blessings in heavenly places in Christ. Verse four, according
as he hath chosen us in him, before the foundation of the
world. Verse six, to the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein
he hath made us accepted in the beloved. Verse seven, in whom
we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins.
Look in verse 10, that in the dispensation of the fullness
of times, he might gather together in one all things in Christ,
both which are in heaven and which are on earth, even in him. in whom we have obtained inheritance. being predestinated according
to the purpose of Him who worketh all things after the counsel
of His own will. Look in chapter 2 verse 6. He's raised us up
together and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ
Jesus. I'm already in heaven in Christ
Jesus because I'm in Him. I'm united to Him. Look in verse
10. For we are His workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto
good works. Look in verse 15 of the same
chapter. Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the
law of commandments contained in ordinances, for to make in
himself of two one new man, so making peace. Verse 21, in whom
all the building fitly framed together groweth unto a holy
temple unto the Lord. Verse 22, in whom you also were
built together for an habitation of God through the Spirit. verse
6 of chapter 3, that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs and of
the same body and partakers of His promise in Christ by the
gospel. Look in verse 12, in whom we
have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of Him. Now, do you see the emphasis
on in Christ? The gospel is not understood. No doctrine of Scripture is understood
apart from this phrase, in Christ. I love the way Paul said a fellow
servant in the Lord Jesus Christ. Now I don't know how frequently
I quote the scripture in Philippians chapter 3 verses 8 and 9. Oh,
that I may win Christ and be found in Him. When God comes looking for me,
there's only one place I want to be found. in, in the Lord
Jesus Christ. Now, I would like you to turn
for a moment to 1 Samuel chapter 20, and I think this will give
us some idea of what it means to be in Christ and what every
blessing that we have, how it comes from being in Christ. 1
Samuel chapter 20, verse 11. And Jonathan said unto David,
Come and let us go out into the field. And they went out, both
of them, into the field. And Jonathan said unto David,
O Lord God of Israel. Y'all don't know what to say
about that. David, the son of David, the
Lord Jesus Christ. Well, I know the Lord Jesus Christ,
the son of David, is the Lord God of Israel. But here Jonathan
calls David this, O Lord God of Israel, when I've sounded
my father about tomorrow and time or the third day, and behold,
if there be good toward David, and I then sin not unto thee
and show it thee, the Lord do so much and more to Jonathan.
But if it please my father to do thee evil, then I'll show
it thee and send thee away that thou mayest go in peace and the
Lord be with thee as he has been with my father. And thou shalt
not only, while I yet live, show me the kindness of the Lord,
that I die not, but also thou shalt not cut off thy kindness
from my house forever. No, not when the Lord hath cut
off the enemies of David, everyone from the face of the earth. So
Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, Let
the Lord even require it at the hand of David's enemies. And
Jonathan caused David to swear again, because he loved him.
for he loved him as he loved his own soul." Now, here a covenant
is made. After the Lord makes you the
ruler of the world, and he did, the scripture actually says that
the fear of David came upon every nation. He became the most powerful
man in the world. Now, the Lord, Jonathan says
to David, after the Lord has cut off all your enemies, and
after I'm dead and gone, I want you to promise that you'll be
merciful to those people in me, my descendants
who have not yet been born. I want you to make that promise
and he asked him to repeat it. I want to hear it again. Promise
me that you're going to show mercy to every single one of
my descendants. Years pass and David has his foot on the
neck of all of his enemies. He's the most powerful man in
the world. Now turn to 2 Samuel 9. And David said, verse 1, is there
yet any that's left of the house of Saul that I may show him kindness? For Jonathan's sake, he remembered
that covenant. And there was at the house of
Saul a servant whose name was Ziba. And when they had called
him unto David, the king said to him, mark out Ziba. And he
said, thy servant is he. And the king said, is there not
yet any of the house of Saul that I may show the kindness
of God unto him? What I think of is God the Father
saying, is there any of the house of Adam that I can show kindness
to for Christ's sake? Verse three, and Ziba said unto
the king, Jonathan hath yet a son, but he's not worth anything.
He's lame on his feet. He can't get to you. He can't
work for you. All he can be is carried. Nothing more. That's how weak
and useless this man is. Interestingly, somebody says,
how did he become lame? If you read the history, he became
lame through a fall. Isn't the scripture amazing?
His nurse dropped him, running from their enemies, and he became
lame through a fall. That's me and you, isn't it?
His name was Mephibosheth. The word Mephibosheth means a
worthless thing. Why would his daddy name him
something like that? I don't know, but he did. Worthless thing. Verse four. And the king said
unto him, where is he? And Ziba said unto the king,
behold, he's in the house of Maker, the son of Emeliel in
Lodabar, the place of no bread. Then King David sent and fetched
him out of the house of Maker, the son of Emeliel up from Lodabar.
I like that word fetch. You know, I remember when my
grandfather used to say, go fetch me this or go fetch me that.
He didn't say go that, that was the language used. What if David
would have said, If he can get back here, I'm going to set him
at my table. What good would it have done
him? What if he would have said, if he can just get here somehow,
I'm going to give him everything back. Wouldn't have done him
any good at all. But he said, go fetch him. Aren't
you glad the Lord fetched you? Aren't you thankful for fetching
grace? Go fetch him. And they went after him. Now, when Mephibosheth the son
of Jonathan, the son of Saul, was coming to David, he fell
on his face and did reverence. All he knew was that he was in
the house of the king's enemies. He didn't know he was going to
have mercy at this time. He was scared to death. He didn't
know what was going to happen to him. He went and fell on his
face and did reverence. And David looked at him. Now, who do you reckon David
saw? You know who he saw. He saw Jonathan. He looked at
that poor, lame man, and he saw Jonathan. And he knew he was
doing this for Jonathan's sake. And David said unto him, Well,
now when Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan, verse six, the son
of Saul was coming to David, he fell on his face and David
said, Mephibosheth. And he answered, behold, thy
servant. And David said unto him, fear not, for I will surely
show thee kindness for Jonathan, thy father's sake, and will restore
thee all the land of Saul, thy father. and thou shalt eat bread
at my table continually. And he bowed himself and said,
what is thy servant that thou shouldst look upon such a dead
dog as I am? Look at the last verse of this
chapter. So Mephibosheth dwelt in Jerusalem,
for he did eat continually at the king's table, and was lame
on both his feet. That didn't change, did it? But
his feet were covered at the king's table. Now, there was
one reason for this great mercy. And it was because of who he
was in when this promise was made. That's the reason for this
great mercy. That's the only reason. because
of who he was in when this great promise was made. I was thinking
of Hebrews chapter 7 where it says that Levi, when Abraham
paid tithes to Melchizedek, he was Levi's great-grandfather,
but it says when he did it, Levi paid those tithes. Doesn't say
it was charged to Levi. It said Levi himself paid those
tithes when Abraham paid tithes. Now, here is how a believer is
saved. Being in the Lord Jesus Christ. That's the whole story. That's
the whole story. That's how Tychicus became the
person he was because he was in the Lord Jesus Christ, in
Christ. Is it any wonder John exhorts
us to abide in him? Would you want to be anywhere
else but in the Lord Jesus Christ? I think this is exciting. We're
going to have six baptisms this Sunday night. And what every
one of these people are confessing is here's my standing in Christ. Here's my only hope in Christ. Here's my only desire in Christ. The only place to be. Now, Paul called this man a beloved
brother. The word beloved is a beautiful
word. applies most especially to Christ himself. I love to
think of the Lord coming up out of the waters of baptism and
the scripture says that heavens were open to him and everybody
in him. And a voice came from heaven.
This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased. And notice
the way he said it. He didn't say with whom I'm well
pleased, although he was. He said in whom. I am well pleased. Beloved, if you're in the Lord
Jesus Christ, God the Father himself is well pleased with
you. He finds pleasure in looking
upon your beauty because you have the beauty of the Lord Jesus
Christ. That's why you're accepted. I
said this not that long ago, this idea of unconditional love
is ridiculous. There's no such thing. No one
has unconditional love. God loves you because you're
lovely. He loves you because you're as
lovely as His Son. He loves you because you're united
to His Son. Glory. Glory. Tychicus is called a beloved
brother. And this word is an adjective
to describe someone. Christ is beloved. He's altogether
lovely. And all who are in him are beloved
of God. I love that scripture, scripture,
Jacob have I loved. I don't, you know what? I don't
have any Problem at all with Esau have I hated? I don't have
any problem at all with that. And let me tell you why I don't
have any problem at all with it. Because in my heart, I can see why God
would hate me. God's just, God's holy, and I
can, being the sinful person I am, I can understand why God
would hate me. What I'm amazed by is his love
for Jacob. Jacob, that deceitful, conniving,
manipulative individual. You read about him and not much
you can say about him by way of commendation, but God said,
Jacob have I loved. And the title God takes to himself
more than any other title in the Bible is the God of Jacob. Tychicus' beloved of God. Paul loved him, too. Oh, what
a blessing to have this special man. Now, by the grace of God,
Tychicus had a beloved character. He was the trusted friend and
traveling companion of the Apostle Paul, and he was called a beloved
brother. Now, this term brother is so
very important. I remember one time, you know,
I noticed if you're around Scott Richards and he'd call everybody
brother, no matter who they were or what they believed, he'd say
brother so and so and somebody said, Why do you call those people
brother when they don't believe what you believe? You know, they
don't believe the same gospel. Why do you call them brothers? You say, if I didn't get them
in Christ, I'll get them in Adam. And that's true. That's true.
There is a brethren in that sense. Everybody's brothers. We're all
members of the family of Adam. There are brothers with the same
mom and dad or same parent. That's not what he's talking
about when he's talking about this beloved brethren. There are brothers
of, you know, people of the same nation call themselves brothers,
but that's not what he's talking about. There are people who have
the same common interests and there's kind of a brotherhood.
That's not what he's talking about. He's talking about something
altogether spiritual. He's a beloved brother. Turn
with me to Hebrews chapter two. Hebrews chapter two. Verse 11, For both he that sanctifyeth
and they who are sanctified are all of one. That is, that's so amazing. I'm one with the Lord Jesus Christ.
Cut out the same cloth. That's what that means. All of
one. Every one of God's people are all of one with Him. for the witch cause, he's not
ashamed to call them brethren, brothers of Christ, having the
same father, having the same DNA, the same nature, partakers
of the divine nature, having the same savior, having the same
salvation. Now, blood may be thicker than
water, but grace is thicker than blood. And what a blessed thing
it is to be a part of the brethren. Holy brethren, the scripture
says, partakers of the heavenly calling. Oh, a beloved brethren. And you know, that describes
every single believer. A beloved brethren. And then he says in our text
in Colossians chapter 4 verse 7, a faithful minister, a faithful
minister. Tychicus was a faithful minister.
Now a minister is where we get the word deacon from. A minister
is a servant. Turn with me to Matthew chapter
20. Here's the great passage of scripture with regard to a
servant. Verse 20 of Matthew chapter 20,
then came to him the mother of Zebedee's children with their
sons, worshiping him and desiring a certain thing of him. Verse
21, and he said unto her, what wilt thou? And she said unto
him, grant that these my two sons may sit the one on thy right
hand and the other on thy left in thy kingdom. But Jesus answered
and said, you know not what you ask. Are you able to drink of
the cup that I shall drink of and to be baptized with the baptism
that I'm baptized with? And they said in complete ignorance,
we're up to the task. We're able. How could they say
something like that? But they did. They did. But look
at the way the Lord answers them. And he saith unto them, You shall
drink indeed of my cup. When the Father is pouring out
his wrath on me, you're going to be with me, in me. And you're
going to be drinking of this cup. And you'll be baptized with
the baptism that I'm baptized with when I'm completely immersed
under the wrath of God. You're going to be right there
with me. And you are going to drink of that cup. And you are
going to be baptized with that baptism. But to sit on my right
hand and on my left is not mine to give, but it should be given
to them for whom it's prepared of my father. And when the ten
heard it, they were moved with indignation against the true
brethren." Can you believe they wanted to be exalted over us?
Can you believe they wanted to take that position and have us
down and them up? What presumption on their...
Same thing we'd be thinking. Same thing. Everyone knows it'd
be right there with them. We'd like that top spot. Verse
25, but Jesus called them unto him and said, you know that the
princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they
that are great exercise authority upon them, but it shall not be
so among you. But whosoever will be great among
you, let him be your minister. your servant, your deacon. And whosoever will be chief among
you, let him be your servant, even as the son of man came not
to be ministered unto, but to minister and to give his life
a ransom for many. Now, do you want to be great?
You want to be great? Anybody can be great. Doesn't
take great intelligence. Doesn't take great riches. Doesn't
take a great education. All it takes is to be a servant. The Lord tells us that. Would to God that you and I would
be ambitious of being a servant. A faithful minister. Now this word faithful would
be a description of every believer. We read of the faithful in Christ
Jesus and the faithful brethren. When we read of those who are
with the Lamb, where it says in Revelation chapter 17 verse
14, He's Lord of lords and King of kings, and they that are with
Him are called, chosen, and faithful. Now I want us to consider this
word real carefully. Faithful, the faithful minister. Now, the word simply means you
believe. And you can be believed. That's
all the word means. You trust. And you can be trusted. You rely, you lean, you rely,
and you can be relied on. That's all that faithful means. That's our doctrine. That is
our practice. You believe. When God said to Abraham, Abraham,
look at the stars. Can you count them? No. So shall
your seed be. Now, Abraham at that time, had
a wife who had already gone through menopause. And he had no child. But you know what the Scripture
says? He believed God. He believed what God said. That's what faith is. It's believing
what God has said. What God has said in His Word.
I believe. When those two blind men came
to the Lord and He said, what do you want? They said, we want
to receive our sight. He said, do you believe that
I am able to do this? Do you believe that Christ is
able to make you perfect before God? with no help and with no
contribution from you. Do you believe? You know how
they answered? I love this. Yay, Lord! That's what faith is. It's believing
what God has said. 2 Timothy 1.12, Paul said, I
know whom I have believed. And I'm persuaded, I'm convinced
that He is able. That's where faith is. It's faith
in His ability. It's not faith in yourself. It's
faith in Him. I'm persuaded that He is able
to keep that which I've committed to Him. Tell you what. I've never done it before. I'm
doing it right now. I'm committing the entire salvation
of my soul. to Him. My hands are off. I'm
not looking to my works. Nothing to do with me. If He
didn't do it all, there's no hope for me. I'm committing the
salvation of my soul to Him. He said, I know whom I have believed
and I'm persuaded, I'm convinced, I really do believe that He is
able to keep that which I've committed to Him against that
day. You believe and you can be believed. That means you're You can be
relied upon. You can be trusted. This was
his trusted friend. This was his friend who had his
back. God has made you faithful. You can be trusted. You can be
relied upon. And I want you to think about
this. The Lord has, if you're a believer, the Lord has entrusted
you with that which is most precious to himself. the gospel. He's entrusted His precious gospel
to you. Don't you want to be faithful
to that trust? Oh, I want to be faithful. The
best thing you can say about somebody is that they're faithful.
That's the highest commendation you can give of anybody. Faithfulness. He was a faithful minister. It's required in a steward that
a man be found faithful. And the last description he gives
of him is that of a fellow servant, a co-slave, a fellow servant. Now, what's that all about? Well,
it means you've got the same master and one's not over the
other. You know, there's no hierarchy
in the kingdom of heaven. There's no clergy lady. There's no full-time
Christian service and part-time. If you're a Christian, you're
in full-time Christian service. That's what you are. There's no hierarchy in the kingdom
of heaven. Everybody is fellow servants. Turn with me for a moment to
1 Corinthians chapter 12. beginning in verse 12. For as the body is one, and hath
many members, and all the members of that one body being many are
one body, so also is Christ. His finger is my body, part of
my body. Many members. His eye is part
of my body. For by one spirit we are all
baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether
we be bond or free. We've been all made to drink
into one spirit. For the body is not one member,
but many. If the foot shall say, because
I'm not the hand, I'm not of the body, is it therefore not
of the body? And if the ear shall say, because I'm not the eye,
I'm not of the body, is it therefore not of the body? If the whole
body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were
hearing, where were the smelling? But now God hath set the members,
every one of them, in the body, as it hath pleased Him. And if
they were all of one member, where were the body? But now
are there many members, yet but one body, and the eye cannot
say into the hand, I have no need of thee, nor again the head
to the feet, I have no need of you. Nay, much more, those members
of the body which seem to be more feeble are necessary, And
those members of the body which we think to be less honorable,
upon these we bestow more abundant honor. You know, we put honor
on our livers, don't we? They don't look as good as a
lot of other body parts, but mighty important, we honor them. And those members of the body
which we think to be less honorable upon these we bestow more abundant
honor, and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness.
For our comely parts have no need, but God hath tempered the
body together, having given more abundant honor to that part which
lacked, that there should be no schism in the body. but that
the members should have the same care one of another. And whether one member suffer,
all the members suffer with it. Or when one member be honored,
all the members rejoice with it. Now you are the body of Christ
and members in particular. Co-co-servants, co-laborers. not one above the other. Now, there's nobody that's more
important, there's nobody that's less important in the kingdom
of heaven. Are the preachers not more important?
That kind of attitude is, stay away from it. We're co-laborers
together with him. Now Tychicus was a man that Paul
trusted to accurately let the Colossians know about what was
going on with him, and he knew he would accurately bring back
the information that Paul wanted to know about the Colossians.
And Paul says, he'll comfort your hearts. There in verse 7,
he'll comfort your hearts. What comforts your heart? I know
what comforts my heart. Comfort ye, comfort ye my people,
saith your God. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem,
and cry unto her that her warfare is accomplished. I've got a warfare,
but it's already been won. And her iniquity is pardoned. Does that comfort your hearts
for the Lord to say that to you? For she hath received of the Lord's
hands double for all her sins. May the Lord give us grace to
be like this man, Tychicus, a beloved brother. a faithful minister
and a fellow servant in the Lord. Let's pray together.