Lesson 4: All In Him

4:1 – this verse really belongs with the subject matter of chapter 3 (the relationship between masters/employers and servants/employees)

4:2 – “watch and pray” had its beginning with Nehemiah

Nehemiah 4:9 Nevertheless we made our prayer unto our God, and set a watch against them day and night, because of them.

Real praying demands focus and energy – if there is no fire on the altar the incense will not rise!

Psalms 141:2 Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense; and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.

4:3 – Paul did not ask for prison doors to be opened, but for doors of ministry to be opened! (His prayer was for God to help him do the very thing that got him put in prison in the first place!)

Acts 14:27 And when they were come, and had gathered the church together, they rehearsed all that God had done with them, and how he had opened the door of faith unto the Gentiles.

1 Corinthians 16:9 For a great door and effectual is opened unto me, and there are many adversaries.

4:5 – “walk in wisdom” – be careful not to say or do anything that would make it difficult to share the gospel

1 Thessalonians 4:12 That ye may walk honestly toward them that are without, and that ye may have lack of nothing.

1 Timothy 3:7 Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.

4:5 – “redeeming the TIME” (“kairos”) – “season of opportunity” 4:6 – SALT is a symbol of PURITY (our words are like sacrifices to God)

Leviticus 2:13 And every oblation of thy meat offering shalt thou season with salt; neither shalt thou suffer the salt of the covenant of thy God to be lacking from thy meat offering: with all thine offerings thou shalt offer salt.

Ephesians 4:29 Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.

Paul sends this letter to Colossae with Tychicus and Onesimus (4:-7-9).

Paul typically closes his epistles with personal greetings and notations, and in Colossians he mentions …

FOUR MEN WHO STAYED (4:10-11, 14)

Aristarchus stayed in spite of TROUBLE (“my fellowprisoner” – 4:10)

– he had been through riots, shipwrecks, perils and prison with Paul

– he was a “voluntary prisoner” with Paul for the sake of the Gospel John Mark stayed in spite of OFFENSE (Paul left him behind for awhile) –

Acts 15:37-39 And Barnabas determined to take with them John, whose surname was Mark. But Paul thought not good to take him with them, who departed from them from Pamphylia, and went not with them to the work. And the contention was so sharp between them, that they departed asunder one from the other: and so Barnabas took Mark, and sailed unto Cyprus;

2 Timothy 4:11 Only Luke is with me. Take Mark, and bring him with thee: for he is profitable to me for the ministry.

Jesus Justus stayed in spite of OBSCURITY

– we know nothing about him, only that he was faithful to Paul

Luke stayed in spite of WEARINESS – he was an educated physician but used his talents for God – he was the historian of the New Testament (Luke and Acts) – he travelled with Paul through most of his journeys

– Acts 16:10 And after he had seen the vision, immediately we endeavoured to go into Macedonia, assuredly gathering that the Lord had called us for to preach the gospel unto them.

ONE MAN WHO PRAYED (4:12-13) – Epaphras founded the church in Colossae and prayed for these believers fervently and consistently

– He was Paul’s “fellow prisoner” but prison couldn’t keep him from prayer!

– Philemon 1:23 There salute thee Epaphras, my fellowprisoner in Christ Jesus;

ONE MAN WHO STRAYED (4:14)

– Demas is mentioned only three times in Paul’s epistles

– He is “my fellow laborer” in the epistle to Philemon

– Philemon 1:24 Marcus, Aristarchus, Demas, Lucas, my fellowlabourers.

– By the time Colossians is written, he is listed with no commendation – simply “Demas”

– Colossians 4:14 Luke, the beloved physician, and Demas, greet you.

– But by the time 2 Timothy is written he has totally backslidden – what a sad progression!

– 2 Timothy 4:10 For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica; Crescens to Galatia, Titus unto Dalmatia.

– His decision hurt Paul and hurt the work of God, but it ultimately hurt Demas most of all 4:16 – “church of the Laodiceans” / “the epistle from Laodicea” – the church at Laodicea had an even greater chance than Colossae to make an impact (a bigger city, mentioned in Revelation) but they failed to do it The sin of Laodicea was simply LUKEWARMNESS. They thought they had “need of nothing” but their biggest need was PASSION FOR GOD.

Revelation 3:14-17 And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:

4:18 – “remember my bonds” – if I can do this, you can do it!

Ephesians 6:20 For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

2 Timothy 2:9 Wherein I suffer trouble, as an evil doer, even unto bonds; but the word of God is not bound.

Will we continue to work for God even when we are “bound”?!