We'll take our Bibles and turn together please to Colossians chapter four. Colossians chapter four. And then we'll be back in Ephesians again. Colossians chapter four. And reading from verse 1, Masters, give unto your servants that which is just and equal, knowing that ye also have a master in heaven. Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving, with all praying also for us, that God would open unto us a door of utterance to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds. that I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak. Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time. Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man. All my state shall Tychicus declare unto you, 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. With Onesimus, a faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you, they shall make known unto you all things which are done here. Aristarchus, my fellow prisoner, saluteth you, and Marcus, sister's son to Barnabas, touching whom ye received commandments, if he come unto you, receive him. And Jesus, which is called Justice, who are of the circumcision, these only are my fellow workers unto the kingdom of God, which have been a comfort unto me. Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ, saluteth you, always labouring fervently for you in prayers, that ye may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God. For I bear him record that he hath a great zeal for you and them that are in Laodicea and them in Hierapolis. Luke the beloved physician and Demas greet you. Salute the brethren which are in Laodicea and in Nymphos and the church which is in his house. And when this epistle is read among you, cause that it be read also in the church of the Laodiceans, and that ye likewise read the epistle from Laodicea. And say unto Archippus, take heed to the ministry which thou hast received in the Lord, that thou fulfil it. The salutation by the hand of me, Paul. Remember my bonds. Grace be with you. Amen. And then we're back in Ephesians. Obviously, we had closing words there from Paul's letter to the Colossians. And then back in Ephesians, we'll just read from, well, we'll read from verse 18, just a few verses. The instruction was given at the end of this teaching on the armor of God. Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the spirit and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints, and for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in bonds, that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak. But that ye also may know my affairs, and how I do, Tychicus, a beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord, shall make known to you all things whom I have sent unto you for the same purpose that ye might know our affairs and that he might comfort your hearts. We'll end there at the end of verse 22 we'll be coming back I imagine one more time after today and coming to those last couple of verses but for tonight it's particularly verses 21 and 22 that we're focusing on We'll just read the first words of 21 again. As we finally arrive at this verse 21 of Ephesians 6, you probably recognize that The letter that we've been going through is more or less finished. In fact, you might be tempted to switch off at this point because after all, the only things remaining here are just a few final practical details. Surely this is just a little postscript note. This is just the wee ending put on and it's not really that relevant. You know, the doctrine set out is complete. The practical application has been given to the church. Surely now Paul is just putting some closing words into place and really they're not that significant you might think. It's just a few details about Tychicus who is being sent to the church there and then you have a seemingly standard greeting that closes the thing. Peace be to the brethren and so on into verse 23 and following. In fact you do find that there are numerous commentaries that having spent a lot of time on the other verses in Ephesians they come to these verses and they really Skim over them and just make a few quick comments. Maybe they're quick to get their book out to publisher I don't know and but they just make a few comments on these last words and don't say too much I mean, it's just Paul wrapping it up after all not that significant you think Except that we must bear in mind as we come to these final words That the Spirit of God has seen fit to preserve these words These are inspired words that end the letter. The inspiration of Ephesians did not end with verse 20 and so verses 21 to 24 are just as inspired by the Holy Ghost and therefore just as important for us to consider and I believe that there are some very beneficial truths that the Spirit of God would bring out to us even from these final words. As I say we're looking primarily at verses 21 and 22 and here we're introduced to an individual that we don't know too much about a relatively unknown man, a man named Tychicus. Now I say relatively unknown, he's mentioned in five different places in scripture, which is more than with some other individuals. And yet we have to say we don't know very much about him. His name appears in Acts 20 verse four, where you find him accompanying Paul, and you discover he's from Asia. Maybe, we don't know for sure, but maybe he's from Ephesus itself, but he's certainly from Asia. He seems to have been with Paul back then in Acts 20, and it seems likely that he continued with Paul to Jerusalem. And then after Paul has been arrested at Jerusalem and transported to Rome, well, from the fact that he's being sent now to Ephesus, that would imply to you that he's gone to Rome and he's come and he's supported Paul there. You find him mentioned here then, as well as Acts in Ephesians, And we'll be looking at this particular portion. You find it mentioned again in Colossians 4. We read from that chapter. In verses 7 and 8, he was sent to Colossae as well. Paul said there in Colossians 4, verse 7, all my state shall Tychicus declare unto you, who is a beloved brother and a faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord. whom I have sent on to you for the same purpose, that he might know your estate and comfort your hearts. It's very similar language. In fact, it's very likely that Tychicus carried both the letter to the Ephesians and the letter to the Colossians at the same time, bringing them both with him on his way from Rome to these different churches. That certainly would explain why these letters are very similar. When you go through them, there are differences because Paul is addressing two different churches. A lot of the flow in the letters is very similar and a lot of the themes come up in both. So it would make sense that these were written around the same time by the Apostle Paul, addressed to the two different churches and given to Tychicus to bring with him to these places. Another detail about that journey is revealed in Colossians 4.9 where you read that Paul is also sent Onesimus. Now, you might find that name familiar. Those of you who are familiar with the letter to Philemon in the New Testament, Onesimus was a runaway slave. He had previously served Philemon, but he'd run away. And Paul, he'd come into contact with Paul and had been converted. And now Paul was sending him back to Philemon with a letter, which we also have in the New Testament. So you likely have Tychicus and Onesimus, and they're heading off together. from Rome, they're coming as far as Colossae, where Onesimus would be reunited with Philemon. And then after a little time there, Tychicus would be carrying on on his journey, and he would eventually come to Ephesus. It's quite a journey. It's something like 2,000 kilometers, so it's a long journey. The other two places where you read about Tychicus then, I'll not mention much from them at this stage, but 2 Timothy 4 verse 12, if you're taking notes, and that's 2 Timothy 4 verse 12 and then Titus 3 verse 12. That's the other two places you'll come across his name. So we don't have an awful lot to go on, but we do have some important information concerning this individual. And I think that from what we have, we can see this man, Tychicus, as a wonderful example for the people of God, as you see the grace of Christ in his life. So let's think about this man for a few moments tonight, this individual Tychicus, this man sent out by the Apostle Paul from Rome. We'll start by thinking about the commission that was given to Tychicus. Why did Paul send Tychicus to Ephesus? If you remember the setting, Paul's in Rome, He's under house arrest, he's waiting for his case to be heard by Caesar and he sends this letter to the Ephesians. But why does he send Tychicus? Certainly part of it is that he wants these letters to arrive safely with Ephesus and Colossae as well. And yet you could ask, well, could he not send someone else? Could he not have committed the letters to someone else? Could he not have employed someone to carry these things? I mean, after all, it certainly seems that Tychicus was a great source of support to Paul, and we'll find more of that later. He seems to have been a support for Paul in Rome. Why send Tychicus? Could he not send the letters with someone else and keep Tychicus with himself and let Tychicus continue to support him there in the midst of his captivity in Rome? Maybe he could, but Paul has certain things in mind specifically, as well as giving the letters, some things in mind that he wants this Saint Tychicus to accomplish. You have two main tasks mentioned in these verses. First of all, you find Tychicus commissioned to be the bearer of news. Paul says in verse 21, but that ye also may know my affairs and how I do. For that reason, he's sending Tychicus. And then verse 22, whom I have sent on to you for the same purpose, that ye might know our affairs. Paul wants the Ephesians to know the things concerning him, the things about him, his circumstances, his ongoing work. In fact, when it says, how I do in verse 21, that you may know my affairs and how I do. That word how, it's one of those question words, but it stands for all sorts of questions. So you could read it, you know, that you might know what I'm doing, that you might know what there is to know about me, that sort of idea. The point is, Tychicus is bringing the news. And it was good that someone like Tychicus was bringing the news because what's implied here is that there was news other than what Paul has put in this letter. There were extra things that he wanted the Ephesians to know. He had written a certain amount down, or had it dictated at the least, and yet there's more that he wants the Ephesians to be made aware of. He wants them to be told all of his affairs. He wants Tychicus to explain to them the different circumstances and so on in more detail. And therefore it's fitting that he sends this man in particular, a man who has had intimate knowledge of his dealings, a man who's been involved with him for quite some time there and in the work before he even went to Rome. He sends this man specifically so that good news can be given, up-to-date relevant news, helpful news can be given to the church at Ephesus. As we've mentioned as well, Tychicus was to go to Colossae, and in that portion, in Colossians 4, you'll find that not only was Tychicus bringing news of Paul, but in Colossians 4, Tychicus was, let me see, in verse 8, he was sent on to you for the same purpose, that he might know your estate and comfort your hearts. So Paul has sent him to these churches to to tell them the news about him. But there you see it in Colossians 4 verse 8. He's also sent them to these churches so that he might learn the news that's there, that he might hear more about Colossae. And it's assumed he's wanting to learn more about Ephesus as well. And certainly it implies that Tychicus, once he's completed this task and gone to these churches, he's probably going to be heading back to Rome to pass on the information again. He's the bearer of this news. So that's one of his major tasks. And I think one of the key things that this emphasizes in a very practical manner is the unity that there is between the saints and even between the saints of God over quite a large distance. You know, we stressed last week that believers are to be praying, but not just for ourselves, we're to be praying one for the other. We're not just to be praying for ourselves individually or even just for the local fellowship here. We're to lift our eyes and we are to see the needs of others elsewhere in the world. We're to see the needs of other brothers and sisters in Christ elsewhere. We are united with them in in the faith and therefore we're to pray for others. Now Paul has asked the Ephesians to pray for him. You know he was saying you know praying with all prayer. He said in verse 19 and for me. Don't forget me. when you're praying. And how are they going to pray for him? Well they certainly could pray generally and well we can do that. We can trust the matters to the Lord and even say for a missionary when we don't know the specifics of what they're going through you can pray generally for them as to the best of your knowledge and you can trust the Lord. who does know the specifics, that he'll meet the specific needs. But it is so much more helpful, and you would know it from experience, so much more helpful when you can get the report and you can hear precisely what the needs are. And so this is going to be a great help to the praying of the Ephesians. Paul has just said, you know, I want you to pray for me. Don't forget me as you pray. And then he says, but that you may also know my affairs. How are you going to know what to pray for? Well, I'm sending Eutychicus and he's going to tell you all my affairs. He's going to explain to you the things that we're involved in here. He's going to give you the specifics. I think a large part of that is to help them at prayer. I would suggest too that when he comes back to Rome and brings news of the churches, that's again going to help Paul in his praying. It's not just that he can satisfy curiosity. I mean, let's face it, this is a huge journey. To send Tychicus with the letters, but then the expectation that he's gonna come back again as well. This is a huge journey, 2,000 kilometers there, 2,000 kilometers back. And it's not just to satisfy idle curiosity. No, this is, at least in a large part, I think to help the praying. There is a reminder then to us here that we're to take interest in one another and pray for one another and labour together in the cause of Christ. You know as you think of Tychicus here going to what would be tremendous efforts in doing his duty and faithfully serving and a major part of that doing something as simple as bearing the news to facilitate prayer. What a challenge to us then to engage in prayer. The journey he engages in is no easy one. It's nearly 2,000 kilometers to get from Rome to Ephesus. He's willing to walk 2,000 kilometers there. He's willing to walk 2,000 kilometers back, all so that the saints of God can pray better with knowledge. Now, if he's willing to go to those lengths to help the church at prayer, how willing are you, how willing am I, to actually do the praying? Here's a man willing to do this huge journey, 4,000 kilometers, not with easy transport. large part of it so that the Saints can pray. Are we willing to do the praying? He was the bearer of news but also he was commissioned to be the bringer of comfort. Paul writes in verse 22 that Tychicus has been sent not only that they might know his affairs but also so that Tychicus, in the end of verse 22, that Tychicus might comfort your hearts. Now here's another reason that I believe Tychicus particularly was sent as opposed to just some other messenger that Paul could employ. When Paul speaks of Tychicus as a beloved brother, a faithful servant, we're going to get more to those terms in a minute, but it certainly seems that Tychicus was involved in gospel ministry. Now he doesn't seem to have been a regular minister in a pulpit because he spent much of his time with Paul. But he does seem to have laboured with Paul in the gospel, and he seems to have the ability to preach the gospel. In fact, to take you to one of those references that I gave you earlier, Titus chapter 3. In Titus chapter 3 and verse 12, Paul writes to Titus and says, And when I shall send Artemis unto thee, Ortichicus, be diligent to come unto me. to Nicopolis, for I have determined there to winter." Paul is asking Titus to come to leave the work that Titus is engaged in, the pastoral work there. He's asking him to come to Nicopolis and spend some time with Paul. But that poses a problem for Titus. He's involved in laboring in the local congregation. If he steps away from that, who's going to do the work? But Paul says, you come once he's either sent Artemis or Tychicus. Now, we don't know whether it was Tychicus that was sent. Maybe it was Artemis. But it certainly implies that Tychicus would have been a good candidate to come to the work that Titus had been engaged in and to look after it for a season as Titus came away to meet with Paul. So it seems to me that Tychicus was an able preacher of the gospel. He was a faithful brother in the work of the Lord. here Paul says to the Ephesians he sent Tychicus specifically so that he might comfort your hearts. Here's a man sent to comfort the hearts of the people. Now again you see care in the heart of Paul for this church that's geographically quite far removed from him and also for Colossae the church that's there he said the same to the Colossians. Paul isn't just sending any old messenger He's sending faithful Tychicus, a man who can be trusted, a man with gifts from God, so that, more than just handing in a letter and going on, so that he can actually be a source of great blessing to those churches, a source of comfort. Paul is currently under house arrest, remember? He's waiting for his trial before Caesar. But his thoughts aren't on himself. His thoughts aren't only on his own circumstances. He cares for these other churches and he's even willing to lose the support of Tychicus for a season if it means the blessing of these different works. He's willing to send away this faithful servant for what would be quite a lengthy journey so that the churches in Ephesus and in Colossae would benefit from it. And that was costly to Paul. In fact, in the reference in 2 Timothy, where, now I believe this was a different occasion, but he's going through a list, in 2 Timothy 4, he's going through a list writing to Timothy of all these different people who aren't with him. And he's saying, Tychicus have I sent to Ephesus? He's asking Timothy to come to him shortly because, well, he seems to be left to himself to some extent. And what's implied there is it's been costly to him to lose the support of all these different individuals as they've gone to this place and that place and other places to involve themselves in the work of God. It would have been very helpful to Paul if he'd had them, but he doesn't have them on that occasion. And so it is here, he's giving up Tychicus and the support that Tychicus would give him for the good of these churches. He's not worried about himself so much. He's concerned about those churches and Those remarks then emphasize to us that Paul was not writing this letter to the Ephesians saying one thing and practicing another. This letter throughout has been at least largely about unity in the church of Christ. Unity that's forged at the cross, unity that's based in the grace of God shown to all the people of Christ. forged in the cross, but then unity that's worked out in the life of the church. We're striving together for Christ and for the good of the saints. That's the, if you like, the theology, the theory that Paul has set out in the letter. And here in just a couple of closing remarks, you see it being practically worked out in one of these little ways. He's willing to give up Tychicus support for the good of the saints. That's the unity that is demonstrated practically here. He's allowing himself to go without so that there might be comfort for the church in Ephesus. Is there a desire in our hearts for the comfort and for the encouragement of one another in the work of the Lord? Are we practically showing forth in our lives the theology of this letter? That's the challenge to us. Are we working to that end? praying to that end? Are we practically labouring? That others might be encouraged and comforted in Christ. Let's face it, we can so quickly get fixated on ourselves. Paul could have very easily done that. There he is under house arrest in Rome. We very easily get fixated on ourselves, that the world centres around us so quickly and yet The theology of this letter and the example set before us here, it emphasizes that we're to have that view for the saints, for the others that are around us in Christ, that they might be comforted, that we might labor for their good. Of course, we can also say of this comfort that one of the great comforts Tychicus could give was that he was telling the news of what the Lord had been doing in Rome through the ministry of Paul. It is always encouraging to lift our eyes away from our own little corner, especially if we're going through a time of difficulty and when we see our own plate a little bit bare and we are looking to see more from the Lord and we just haven't seen it yet. Well, it's encouraging to lift our eyes and to realize that the Lord is doing things elsewhere. And what an encouragement it would have been to the church at Ephesus to hear afresh about the good things God was doing elsewhere. In Rome, it would have been an encouragement to them. Let us ever seek to do the same, to lift our eyes and to get encouragement from what the Lord is doing as he builds his church. So we have these basic commissions given to Tychicus. He's the bearer of news, he's the bringer of comfort. But then, moving on from that, notice the commendation given to Tychicus. The commendation. He has a wonderful description that's given him, that Paul uses to speak of this man in verse 21, and more than that, He has a wonderful description that the spirit of God has seen fit to preserve in his word. Think of it, verse 21, Tychicus, a beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord, or you could read that a faithful servant in the Lord, that's the sense of the word. A beloved brother. and a faithful minister in the Lord. What a description you have there. What an honor that words such as these would be recorded evermore in the unfailing, established Word of God. Beloved brother, faithful minister, faithful servant. And by the way, you can connect the final words in the Lord To both parts of that, he's a beloved brother in the Lord and he's a faithful minister in the Lord. What a description. Think first of all about that first part. The beloved brother. He's a beloved brother. Obviously, Tychicus was not a natural brother of Paul's. I mean, he was from Asia. Although I suppose it's possible that he had family in Ephesus and was literally a brother to some there. It's possible, we don't know that. But certainly the point here, as you would be well aware, it's not of a blood link. The point is that, well first and foremost, they are brethren in Christ. Paul is joined very intimately with Tychicus. There is this family bond between them. And it's a family bond marked with love and with care. They are of the same family. Not by blood, but they are of the same family because they are both of the household of God. They're in the Lord's family. And before we think too little of that, I would stress to you that that bond is closer than blood. That bond is closer than blood. The bond that you share with your literal family members, and we do have a bond with our literal family members, and at least in the normal scheme of things, we have a natural affection for our blood family, our relations. But that bond will only last for a short season. At least it will if that's the only bond that we have with our family members. It'll only last for a short season. It is the bond formed in Christ that lasts for eternity. See, there's the family that we will have for eternity. Now obviously our desire for our literal family members, those who are belonging to us by blood, by DNA, our desire for them is that they might be blood washed and brought into the family of God through Christ and then that our bond with them might be enduring right through eternity. But that's in Christ. The bond's simply through blood relations. Well that really ends. It's the bond in Christ that endures. Your closest family then really are your church family. Now I'm not saying that to put away the earthly, blood family, we've got obligations within our earthly families. Certainly you have one of the Ten Commandments, obligations to parents. I'm not diminishing that, but I'm emphasizing how high we ought to think of the unity, the bond between the saints. There's a bond that will last for eternity. Well, Tychicus here, he's beloved as a fellow saint. He's a brother in the Lord Jesus Christ. Additionally, when Paul calls him a beloved brother, there's the possibility there, the sense that over a long period of time, the two have been, if you like, brothers in arms in the service of Christ. I suppose there's that sense to it as well. They've been brothers engaged in the same labor. for the master. I already indicated to you that it seems that Titchicus could well have been an able preacher of the gospel, involved in gospel ministry. And so it seems that he certainly does seem that he's been laboring with Paul, serving Paul in some capacity over a long period of time. They've been serving together. And over that time, their love has been shown mutually one to the other. They've helped and they've supported one another. They're beloved brothers. Now again, that's how we're to see one another, and particularly those Christians who are actively endeavouring to serve Christ in every sphere of life. We're brothers together in Christ, brothers together, we'd say sisters together in arms. We're striving for the same objectives, for the advancing of Christ's kingdom, for the lifting up of the saviour that men might be drawn unto him, brothers in arms, brothers in the battle, and certainly brothers bound together in the Lord Jesus Christ. of the same family, involved in the same fight. And naturally then, there ought to be this love between the saints. A beloved brother. And again, just as unity and love for the saints has been stressed so much throughout this letter, so you see it here very practically, in this man Tychicus, clearly he's loved by Paul. beloved brother and on top of that I mean given his willingness to travel all the way to Ephesus with this letter and with greetings from Paul it's clear that he loves Paul too as a brother in Christ he's willing to serve Paul he's willing to support Paul. Beloved brethren in the Savior and in the work. Now we have a challenge in those words because well as we look around us and we see the Saints of God and call them our brothers and sisters in Christ The challenge is, is there at that same time a mutual love, one for the other? It's one thing to label those around us who are of the faith and say, yes, they're my brother in Christ, they're my sister in Christ. But is there really that love in our heart for the saints? Is there that active love that desires the good of the saints, that's laboring one for the other? Are we dealing with one another as beloved brethren in Christ, beloved sisters in Christ? Those belonging to the same family and those involved in the same fight. Certainly such are loved by the Saviour and if they're loved by your Saviour they ought to be loved by you as well. There's one of the great reasons to put away bitterness between the saints. That fellow saint, even though you might struggle to get on with them at times, They're loved by Christ. They're loved by Christ. And they ought to be then loved by you. Doesn't mean you naturally gravitate toward them. Doesn't mean you always get on perfectly well and your personalities always blend easily. But you're called to love them and that's an active thing. You're setting your love upon them. They're beloved brethren, beloved sisters in Christ. Tychicus is a beloved brother, but then he's also called a faithful minister, a faithful servant. And while it does look like Tychicus did have the ability to preach and teach, yet he doesn't seem to have been involved in the role of a minister as we think of it. So that's why I say the main sense in which you see that word minister is servant. That's really the word. In fact, the word can be translated deacon as well. So you could read it that way. But the emphasis is on the fact that he's a faithful servant. He's faithful in his labor for Christ. He's faithful in his service to the Lord. He's faithful doing what he can for his master. And when you think of his faithfulness, he stands as a great challenge to us. I mean, first of all, think of the extent of his faithfulness, the extent of it. Paul has finished dictating this letter to the Ephesians. Probably it was dictated to Tychicus and he wrote it down. He did the pen work. That's how some of these different letters were put. It's from Paul but someone else did the writing for him as he dictated. Well, quite possibly that's been the case but it's now finished and Paul then puts it into Tychicus' care and says, Tychicus, I want you to take this letter and the one to the Colossians and I want you to bring them and to take them over to those cities. I'm tasking you with this. Will you do it for me, Titchicus? And he's willing. Now, as I've been saying, we've got to appreciate this is no small task that is being given to him. He's tasked to travel 2,000 kilometers, which is no easy journey in those days. It's probably going to take him a number of months to complete, especially if he has to do it on foot without the use of horses. It's likely going to be a hard journey. There might be bandits on the road. There could well be persecutors of the church that he comes into contact with. Certainly if anything goes wrong while Tychicus is traveling the open road, it's not as if he can easily call an ambulance in those days to get himself to a hospital. This is a dangerous journey and a long journey. There are going to be numerous nights when Tychicus has to brave the elements. Maybe there's going to be days when he's facing scarceness of resources, very little to eat perhaps. But the point is it's a difficult journey. It's a long journey. And I've already indicated he's probably coming back again as well. The same in reverse. But Tychicus is willing to do it. He's willing to do it. He's willing to go there with the letters and with the news. He's willing to get the news and he's willing to bring news back again. It's a great task. And it's one that might not seem very prominent. I mean, let's face it. He's doing the work of a messenger. He's traveling. He's handing over some letters. Yes, he's giving news and I imagine part of that comforting is he can exhort with the gospel. But much of the task is as a messenger. It's not very glamorous. He's delivering letters and at great risk. But he's willing to do it. And Paul trusts him to do it. He's faithful. That is, he's trustworthy for this task. He's not like John Mark was on Paul's first missionary trip, who started off and looked very encouraging and helpful and was serving them, Paul and Barnabas, but then he all of a sudden left them, abandoned them, and headed back to Jerusalem. No, Tychicus wasn't like that. Tychicus could be trusted. This massive task is given, but Paul has no doubts about it. Tychicus is willing to do it. He's not going to shrink back. He's going to do the full thing, even though it's hard. And certainly in that, he shows as much of Christ-likeness in his life. I mean, who is the faithful servant, the faithful minister but the Lord Jesus Christ himself? If you think Tychicus' faithfulness is great, think about the greater faithfulness of your saviour, the one who was willing to take on the humbling task of going to the cross, the one who was faithful unto death, never shrinking back from the dreadfulness of it all, willing to take the cup and drink of the wrath of God for your sake and mine, willing to go all the way in service to his father and out of a love for his people. Titicus echoes much of Christ's faithfulness, even as he serves Paul and as he serves the church in this relatively unglamorous fashion. Now with that example set before us, The example of Tychicus, or we could even take it even further and say the example of Christ. Are these marks in you? God has saved you through the work of the Savior. He's brought you into the body of his people. If you're trusting Christ by faith tonight, you're into the family of God. Now, are you a faithful servant within that body? Is it the case with you that when the Lord has his tasks given out, Are you shrinking back? And saying, you know, I don't really want to do that. Surely there's something else I could do. That's too much. I can't do that for you, Lord. Or are you like Tychicus? Essentially saying, here I am. Send me. As you stand before the Lord, do you have the attitude of Tychicus? Lord, I'm willing. What will you have me to do? Do you want me to go and preach the gospel? Lord, I'm willing. Do you want me to simply deliver letters? Lord, I'm willing. Do you want me to get involved in some particular work in the church? Lord, I'm willing. Here I am. Send me. That's the faithful attitude of Tychicus. Huge task given, but he's willing to do it. And Paul trusts him and was right to trust him. We know he was faithful in it because we have the letters of Ephesians and Colossians in our Bible. We know he was faithful. He was faithful. What do you have for me? I want to serve. Well, here's the task. Okay, I'll do it. What a great extent you see in Tychicus' faithful service. But then as well as that, just as a last thought, you can think about the endurance of his faithful service. Not just the extent of it, but the endurance of it. I've already mentioned the places in scripture where you come across this man. And it is worth noticing that he's mentioned in Acts 20. There he's traveling with Paul. That's before Paul's arrest, before Paul is transferred to Rome. Tychicus then has obviously come to Paul in Rome. He's been serving with him there. He's been supporting Paul during the time of house arrest. And now you read here, he's being sent out to go back to Asia, to Ephesus, to Colossae. It's implied that he's going to be coming back again with news. And then he's mentioned in 2 Timothy. Chapter 4 and verse 12, Paul writes, Tychicus have I sent to Ephesus. Now most believe that 2nd Timothy was the last letter that Paul wrote, very near the end of his life. If that's the case, then certainly it seems that Tychicus stood fast by Paul and served him for quite a number of years. And even when asked to go on yet another journey to Ephesus, he was willing to do it. He was willing to go again much later on. And the point I'm making is that he was not just willing to do anything in service for Christ as a one-off. It wasn't as if Tychicus fulfilled his task in going to Colossae and Ephesus the first time and then he sat back, put his feet up and said, my deed is done. I've contributed. After all, I've brought these important letters to the churches. I've done my part. I can put my feet up. No, he finishes that task. And then there's more to be done. And Tychicus has a desire to do all that he can. His service was not a one-off. It was the manner of his life. When one task is over, he's still in the thick of it. He's still looking for more opportunities to serve the master. And in this case, it seems he was sticking fast by Paul and supporting Paul in the years that followed. Again, what a challenge to you and to me as those in the family of God, as those called to be servants of Christ. Are you willing to go, first of all, where the Lord sends you? Wherever that might be. Are you willing tonight to do whatever the Lord would have for you to do? Whatever that might be. That's what you see in Tychicus. But also, are you willing to endure? in the service of Christ, never satisfied that you've done enough for the master, but rather with your body laid down for good on God's altar, surrendering your life onto Christ, crucified with Christ, yet living, yet not you, but Christ living in you, within. Is that you? Is your tomorrow committed to the Lord? And the day after that, and the day after that, for whatever length of time the Lord gives you in this scene of time, is at the Lord's to do with as he pleases. Because that's what seems to be shown us here of Tychicus. Willing to do anything and enduring in it. What a commendation this is. And as you think about this little detail, Tychicus, a beloved brother, and a faithful minister, a faithful servant in the Lord. What a commendation. If you think about the little details that are put into the newspaper upon someone's death. Someone dies and the friends or family maybe write in and put a little, a few words, a short quote in the newspaper, a little obituary notice, and they'll say something about the person perhaps. What a wonderful testimony it would be to your life or to mine. If the Lord's people were to write of you after your death, a beloved brother, a beloved sister, and a faithful servant, a faithful minister in the Lord. As you think of your service for Christ then, are you serving the way Tychicus did? By serving your brothers and sisters in Christ? And then that challenge as we close is, what will be the testimony that you leave. Tychicus testimony was a good one. A beloved brother, a fellow saint, a brother in Christ, a brother in arms, standing shoulder to shoulder with the Lord's people. Not only a beloved brother, but a faithful servant. Willing to serve wherever his master would send. Willing to do whatever task his master would give. What about you? And what about me? What testimony do we leave? Are we serving? Are we serving in love for the brethren? As a beloved sister, a beloved brother? with a faithful love for Christ. May God bless his word to us tonight as we've considered it together. Amen.