When I was sinking down and sinking down, Christ laid aside His crown for me. And because of that, I'll sing on and I'll sing on through all eternity. I love those words. That's a beautiful hymn, and there's a lot of theology there. There's deep theology in that hymn, and I appreciate that, and trust it was an encouragement to you to sing that this morning. Well, if you would, take your Bibles and turn with me to the book of Colossians as we continue our preaching through this important little epistle. One that is, though short, extremely profound, powerful, convicting, persuasive, and one which points us to Christ. This is, of all the epistles, the one that really sets before us in a very clear way the incomparable Christ, the supremacy of Christ, the majesty of Christ. And I trust that each Sunday you look forward to coming and spending time here in this little epistle and get used to it. You're gonna be here for a while. But that's okay because this is what God wants us to do. This is the beauty of expository preaching. I don't have to really think about what's next because God's got it all laid out for me right here in the book of Colossians. I get these things in the mail frequently where it says, I'll write your sermons for you and we'll prepare your sermons for you. And I said, that's okay, God's already done that for me. He's given me the book and he just says preach through it and that's what I do and we get out of the way, so to speak, right? Well, we're in the book of Colossians and we're considering what Paul is thankful for. He's thankful for this fine, solid church in the city of Colossae. And we've talked about what that was like to live at that point in time and the difficulties that it posed both in terms of the practical, the daily life living, the city devastated by an earthquake, a city that was in repose in terms of its significance, one that was declining, probably an economy that was faltering to some degree as the trade routes had moved away from going through Colossi. But nonetheless, there's a church there, and a church that's been put together and built by God's providence and will through the preaching of Epaphras, who was one of the people who heard Paul preaching in Ephesus, about a hundred miles or so to the west of Colossae. And he heard the gospel proclaimed, and God worked in his heart. And he went back preaching that same gospel message, and through that, God saved people in Colossae, and as a result, a church was formed, of which we now know some 2,000 years later. Before we get started, let's pray. Lord, we love you. Thank you for this glorious day you've given to us. Thank you for setting aside your crown and taking on the burden of our sin, for bearing up under God's wrath and for being the one who takes it away. carries it away outside of the camp and who became our scapegoat. We are so grateful for that and we are in wonder that you would do that for us and what great love, what wondrous love is that, that you would set aside all the glories of heaven. to come and to know something that was so foreign to you and that is sin, to take that sin on, to have that sin put upon you and to bear up under it for my sake and for the sake of the redeemed, your people. We rejoice in these great truths, make us more grateful, forgive us for not being more grateful than we are. Forgive us for not thinking about those great truths more frequently. Forgive us for not telling others about that great truth. Even though in the book of Matthew you've warned us and told us what it's going to be like to be a disciple, we know that you give grace that is greater and that you will sustain us and keep us and even if they kill us, it doesn't matter because that's even better because we'll be with you. You have made a way for us and you've made a plan and there's a purpose to it. Help us to be committed to it. Help us to love you with all of our hearts, our soul, our mind and strength and help us to serve you in a manner worthy of our calling. We serve a risen savior and we rejoice that we are known by you because if we weren't we would be helpless and lost. Thank you for loving us first. We rejoice over these great truths in your name, amen. He is history's most widely read preacher outside of scripture. More written material exists from him than from any other Christian author, living or dead. It's estimated he preached to more than 10 million people during his lifetime. The ripple effect of his life and ministry is immeasurable. and he acquired his theology from an old school cook. Mary King was the stout and sturdy cook at New Market Academy in Cambridge, England when a young teenager named Charles Haddon Spurgeon enrolled in the fall of 1849. Over the next two years, Cook, as the students affectionately called her, would feed the boy far more than food. In his autobiography, Spurgeon recounts this. She was a good old soul and liked something very sweet indeed, good, strong, Calvinistic doctrine. Many a time we have gone over the Covenant of Grace together and talked of the personal election of the saints, their union to Christ, their final perseverance, and what vital godliness meant. And I do believe I learned more from her than I should have ever learned from any six doctors of divinity of the sort we have nowadays. While her handle on scripture was impressive, King didn't live and move and have her being in the realm of ideas alone. She was a woman of vital godliness, one who lived strongly as well as fed strongly. As Spurgeon reflected, there are some Christian people who taste and see and enjoy religion in their own souls, and who get at a deeper knowledge of it than books can ever give them, though they should search all their days. King, he said, was one of those people. The cook's appetite for spiritual nourishment was voracious. Once when young Charles asked why she kept attending a particular church from which he himself gleaned nothing, King replied there was no other options. He then quipped, it'd be better to stay home than to hear such insipid teaching. Perhaps so, she said, but I like to go out to worship even if I get nothing by going. You see a hen sometimes scratching all over a heap of rubbish to try to find some corn. She does not get any, but it shows she is looking for it and using the means to get it, and then too, the exercises warms her. Spurgeon's unlikely mentor had a sense of humor, too. On one occasion, he bemoaned not finding so much as a crumb in the minister's whole sermon. She said, oh, I got on better tonight, for to all the preacher said, I just put in a knot, and that turned his talk into real gospel. The Prince of Preachers never forgot King and the formative role she played in his life. A cook taught me theology, he would often say. In fact, upon learning of her financial straits years later, the world-renowned pastor sent regular checks to support her from a distance. After Spurgeon himself died in 1892, a professor in Belfast who had known him wrote to the Christian world, Charles told me it was Cook who had taught him his theology. I hope I am not violating his confidence in mentioning this fact. It is no discredit to the memory of a great man that he was willing to learn from the humblest sources. Like Epaphras, we don't know much else about Mary King's life or when she died, but both hers and Epaphras' descendants live on among us. We may not notice them, quote them, or follow them on Twitter, but these faithful plotters are seen and honored in the sight of heaven. Indeed, Christians have always served a God who delights to use those whom the world ignores. As the Apostle Paul put it to that ragtag band in Corinth in 1 Corinthians 1, 26-29, for consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble. "'But God has chosen the foolish things of the world "'to shame the wise, "'and God has chosen the weak things of the world "'to shame the things which are strong, "'and the base things of the world, "'and to despise God has chosen the things that are not, "'so that he may nullify the things that are, "'so that no man may boast before God.'" Neither King's nor Epaphras' influence makes little sense in the world's economy, but scripture reveals and experience confirms its value in God's kingdom. So who are the unsung heroes in the story of your life? Whose quiet service has the Lord used to touch and shape you? And are you still eager to learn from the humblest sources? Mary King didn't have a theology degree, but she was indeed a theologian, and are we all not theologians? Indeed we are. In fact, the moment you think or say anything about God, you are doing theology. It may be bad theology, no doubt, but theology it is. King was a fine theologian because she relished studying her savior, and the same can be said of Epaphras. He was not only a theologian, but he was faithful to his calling, and as a result was making disciples of Christ in Colossae. Mary King is proof that theology is intensely practical and absolutely crucial. The joy of those who love and cherish Christ. As the psalmist put it, great are the works of the Lord, studied by all who delight in them, in Psalm 111, two. Countless thousands are spiritually indebted to the Prince of Preachers. He was indebted to a cook. As he noted from her, I got all the theology I ever needed, he wrote in his first published book in 1857. But what if King hadn't known her Bible? What if she felt knowing doctrine was irrelevant, impractical, not part of her job description? Bearing in mind she was a cook. What if she sighed, I'm just an uneducated school cook, not some Bible scholar, what do I have to offer? What if Epaphras had done the same? I'm a nobody, just a regular guy from a dying earthquake devastated town, who will care what I have to say? Who will care? Well, in the gleanings, I have a quote from one of the speakers from this past week's conference, from Rico Theis, and I think it speaks to what we're talking about here, where he reminded us of something that's very important, and we see that here in the book of Colossians in regards to the ministry of Epaphras. Rico Theis reminded all of us there this past week that evangelism is about Jesus. Who is he? Why he came and what it means to follow him. So we preach Christ and God opens blind eyes. This makes me the most important person my neighbor knows. And why is that? Because I know Jesus. I know Jesus. And so Epaphras came into Colossae after hearing the Apostle Paul preach, which I think is quite remarkable. We don't know much about him in terms of his education or background. If he was like most people, he had little education and background in training. That was not commonplace. You typically were taught a particular skill or trade and you were expected to do that the rest of your life. But nonetheless, he heard a message and that message moved him and stirred him and he took it back and God used it in his life and clearly saved him and called him into the ministry and in so doing, Epaphras would go back to this small town and then proclaim this gospel message to his friends and to his neighbors and to his relatives and to his home. And by and through it, God saved people. God saved people. And that's what God does when his word is preached. That's what he does. So don't begrudge obscurity. Don't avoid opportunity. Don't underrate faithfulness. And don't overlook figures like Epaphras and Mary King, those inconspicuous heroes of whom this world isn't worthy. And who knows, God might just call you to be one of those folks too. As we see from our text, Epaphras did what countless faithful ministers and servants of Christ have done since that day. The wonder that occurred in Colossae continues to happen as people in every place understand the grace of God in truth through the faithful preaching of his word. Who did for you what Epaphras did for the Colossians? For whom have you been in Epaphras? Can you therefore share in Paul's real thankfulness to God over what Epaphras is doing and has done? Well, let's look at chapter one of Colossians as we work through these first eight verses and let's read them. and be reminded of what it is that Paul is so grateful for and what Epaphras was doing. Verse one, Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the will of God and Timothy, our brother, to the saints and faithful brethren in Christ who are at Colossae, grace to you and peace from God, our Father. We give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you. Since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and the love which you have for all the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven of which you previously heard in the word of truth, the gospel, which has come to you just as in all the world also it is constantly bearing fruit and increasing even as it has been doing in you also since the day you heard of it and understood the grace of God in truth. "'just as you learned it from Epaphras, "'our beloved fellow bondservant, "'who is a faithful servant of Christ on our behalf. "'And he also informed us of your love in the Spirit.'" Well, Epaphras was indeed a faithful minister of the gospel. We're considering in this particular passage the marks of a faithful minister, and we considered Last week, Epaphras' faithfulness to the word and his explanation of it and considering what it is that he did in regards to communicating the wonderful truths of the gospel and his precision in it. And we see here that the gospel seed, which bears fruit in individual believers and it grows all over the world, must be planted. And that's what Epaphras did. God's plan is that those who have received the seed are to plant the seed. I appreciated what we were told this past week at the basics conference is that we're not Christians who become disciples, we are disciples who are Christians. And that's important in terms of the fact that this is not a process by which you reach some elevated level at some point in time in your Christianity where all of a sudden you become a disciple. We are all disciples. We are all followers. We are all proclaimers. We are all teachers in some context. Like Mary King, the cook, like Epaphras, we are called to be faithful proponents and explainers of God's word, to proclaim the gospel. And this is what happened for the folks in Colossae. The gospel came to them when they learned it from Epaphras. The most significant day in the history of Colossae was not the day that Xerxes rested in the city on his march against Greece, nor was it the day that Cyrus marched his Greek army through the city. No, the most significant day in the history of Colossae was the day when sincere, simple Epaphras came to town and planted the seed of the gospel. No banners unfurled in the wind, nor did trumpets blare in the breeze, but lives were changed and destinies were eternally altered when the gospel was planted through the preaching of the word by Epaphras. I think it's significant that even today, some 2,000 years later, we're talking about him. that we're considering his ministry, his faithfulness, his commitment to the whole counsel of God. It's significant as well that the Apostle Paul would commend him, call him a fellow brother and bondservant in Christ, and that he would be commended in that way. That's no small matter. And what we see in Epaphras is the impact that the pulpit has in making disciples. It is the strategic place in the church for making disciples, and as we were reminded this past week by Alistair Begg, the health of the church depends on the health of the pulpit. The health of the church depends upon the health of the pulpit. The pastor is to follow apostolic principles in ministering, to be an advocate for Christ, not for himself or some other agenda. What we find in Epaphras is a man of consistency, clarity, and conviction. Consistency, clarity, and conviction. And we see this in the way he preached and taught. As we go back, look at verse six. The latter part of verse six says this, well let's just read verse six, which has come to you, that is the gospel which is referred to in verse five, just as in all the world also it is constantly bearing fruit and increasing, even as it has been doing in you also since the day you heard of it and understood the grace of God and truth. Epaphras was a gospel minister who was laboring as Paul would say a minister should do in verse 28 and verse 29 of this chapter, and he was laboring in such a way that he was teaching the people systematically the truth contained in God's word, which had been primarily found in the Old Testament at that point in time. And he was doing it in such a way that the Colossian believers were growing. and that they were understanding the deeper things of God, that they were comprehending the work and person of Jesus Christ, that they were growing and developing in terms of their knowledge of God and of Jesus Christ, as Peter would say in 2 Peter chapter 1 verse 2. And because of the faithful ministry of Epaphras, and because of his commitment to the whole counsel of God, and because of his commitment to Christ and not himself, God was using him in a mighty and powerful way in the city of Colossae. Last week we considered the idea that when this word understood is used in verse six, it means that the people comprehended, they knew. The Greek word here is a word that is a compound of two words in the Greek that means to have knowledge of something or someone, to know intimately. To know exactly, completely, through and through. And that's what the people in Colossae were experiencing through the teaching of Epaphras. We see in Colossians 1, 28 and 29 that Paul would then commend this in regards to what a pastor is supposed to be doing. If you want to turn there with me, we can look at that. Paul here stating in this letter to the Colossian believers what the role of a minister is, bearing in mind, too, that the apostolic Guidelines apply. We are to be a herald of Christ. We are to be an advocate for Christ in his absence here. We're not to be up here engaging in some other type of speculation or conjecture or teaching something that is not in scripture, which happens so frequently today, but we are to do exactly what it is that Paul would say in verse 28. We proclaim who? Christ. Who's the hymn referred to? Christ, right? We proclaim him admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom so that we may present every man complete in who? Christ. For this purpose also I labor, striving according to his power which mightily works within me. We'll ultimately see when we get to verse eight, the impact of this type of ministry upon the people in Colossians, because they not only had a knowledge of the deeper things of God, but that knowledge moved them and directed them and caused them to be people of great love for each other, and they're commended for that. We've already seen that in the earlier verses. They were known for their faith, their hope, and their love, and we'll see later again in verse eight that this issue of love comes up again. It's significant to me that that's repeated. And Paul often does that. This issue of love is significant for him. In John, the epistle of 1 John, we'll also find that John is concerned about that because it is our love for each other that demonstrates that we are truly born again, that we truly belong to Jesus Christ. The early church was known for their love for each other. Oh, how they loved each other. Oh, how they gave themselves for each other. Oh, how they were committed to each other, in love, bound to each other, by and through what? The work and person of Jesus Christ. People often say, well, we don't wanna hear about doctrine. Don't talk to me about doctrine, just give me Jesus. Well, I'm gonna tell you what, that's a deep pool too. Because if I just give you Jesus, there's all sorts of doctrine attached to that. You can't talk about doctrine without talking about Jesus. If you talk about Jesus Christ, you can't help but talk about doctrine. And so Paul's exhortation in verse 28 for an effective minister is found in the life of Epaphras. Last week I noted four faithful marks of the minister of Christ. He's faithful to his word and his calling, a humble servant, one who guards the flock, and one who labors for Christ. And we find all of those traits in Epaphras as recorded in verse seven. As we look at verse seven, we'll see that Paul does this, just as you learned it from Epaphras, our beloved fellow bondservant, who is a faithful servant of Christ on our behalf. High words for Epaphras from the dean of apostles, Paul. Paul refers to him as beloved. Beloved. Epaphras is dear not only to the Colossians but also to Paul himself. Paul has great affinity for Epaphras and it's interesting because to what extent that they would have known each other much from their interactions in Ephesus is not known. We do know that Epaphras would walk some 1300 miles to get to Rome to tell Paul about the problems in Colossae. and that he was likely then imprisoned with Paul when he got there and was kept there because he doesn't go back. It's Onesimus and Tacitus who go back with the epistle and deliver it to the Christians in Colossae. So he is beloved by his people and he's loved by his mentor, his teacher, his brother in Christ, his fellow minister Paul. And as well Timothy. Paul refers to him as a fellow servant. And this is important because within that phraseology is contained a lot of information about Epaphras. Paul would say of him, he is a fellow bondservant. Paul acknowledges Epaphras as a humble colleague and as a mark of humility refers to Epaphras as a bondservant or a fellow slave. The root of this word is from that familiar word that we know, doulos, which is that lowest of lowest, that galley slave, that one who is dwelling in the very lowest bowels of the slave ships and the warships that were used at this time to row those boats, chained to their oar. If you've ever seen the movie Ben-Hur, there's that amazing scene where they're pounding out the beat And Charlton Heston is chained to that oar, and he's looking around, and these men are all warring, and they're worthless, and they're considered worthless. In fact, the general comes in, and he walks down amongst the ranks, and he looks at the men, and they're being beaten, and they're hungry, and they're starving, and the beat continues, and they keep rowing, and they keep rowing. That's what a minister of the gospel is to do. We're galley slaves. We serve Christ, we do not serve ourselves. Today the church is full of men and unfortunately even women now who are acting in direct contradiction to God's word, who are there for nothing more than themselves. Charlatans, frauds, false teachers. The same type of people who are creeping into the church in Colossae and of whom Epaphras is very, very concerned. Ultimately, when Paul says that Epaphras is a fellow servant, a bond slave, a fellow doulos, that galley slave, he is saying that what they're doing isn't about either Paul or Epaphras, it's about their master, their owner, Jesus. And one of the first steps of Christian maturity is to realize that the Christian faith isn't about us. about our salvation and relief from some of our problems. I'm getting so tired of seeing these type of things. Know Jesus Christ and have a better marriage. Know Jesus Christ and have a better work environment. That's not what Jesus Christ is for. That's not why I tell other people about Jesus Christ. If you're going to people with that type of message, that's neither evangelism nor is it the gospel. And why is that? Well, because I know Christians who don't have good marriages. I know Christians who have difficult employers. I know Christians whose lives are difficult. Becoming a Christian doesn't guarantee an easy path. We just read Matthew 10, did we not? The gospel is not about Jesus Christ fixing everything for you in the context of what you experience in day-to-day life. It's about a commitment that you make to Jesus Christ to serve him no matter the cost. no matter the cost. Now granted, living the principles that Christ teach in the context of our daily lives does help to some degree. But even Peter would ultimately say to those who were married to unregenerate people, being a believer doesn't fix that, ultimately. You just live out Jesus Christ in front of your unsaved spouse, and you let God do the work. We've turned Jesus Christ into a genie in the bottle. Rub it and poof, he pops out like the green smoke on the cartoon and you get anything you want. You get three wishes. Actually, you get all the wishes you want. Just keep asking. If you have enough faith and you plant a seed of faith and if you send me money, you're gonna get what you want. Ah, that's a bunch of garbage. Ultimately we find in Epaphras and in Paul as well that they are indeed those who are committed to Christ alone and are proclaiming Christ alone in regards to this important message. It is about God and his son Jesus. We are not the sinner, we are the servants of the central one, making and shaping disciples. And that's what's significant. As we look at verse six and we consider verse seven, we understand from verse seven that the people in Colossae, in the church in Colossae, were actually learning something from Epaphras that was of eternal consequence. They were learning about grace. Now when it says grace in verse six, it refers to the fact that he is teaching a gospel that is not about works, it's about Christ alone. He isn't telling them to work harder, do more, gain more merit. He's simply preaching to them the simple gospel of resting in Jesus Christ. Proclaiming that truth to them consistently. In fact, Paul would say to him that he is faithful. Look at verse seven again. who is a faithful servant or minister, as it's used in some translations. This word faithful refers to Epaphras' reliability. He proved himself trustworthy to carry out his responsibilities. He's faithful in preaching and teaching, pointing them to satisfaction in Christ alone. We'll also see in chapter four that he is praying for them. Epaphras' creed, like that of Spurgeon, was Jesus Christ alone. Jesus Christ alone. We also see in verse seven that he is a faithful servant. Paul here transitions back into that word again, a little bit, a slightly different word. This is the word diakonia, which means a servant, an agent, an intermediary, a courier. In America, our high officials are called Secretary of State or President, but in Europe and much of the rest of the world, they are titled as Foreign Minister or Prime Minister. We represent Jesus in our little corner of the world. We are his personal emissaries to those we meet and live around. And as we will see, Epaphras was also a hardworking minister. He was one, as Paul notes in verse 28 of chapter one, one who labors. If you want to turn to chapter four, we'll get a little more insight into who Epaphras really is, because there's more about him in this epistle. I know that you've read ahead several times, and that many of you have already memorized the epistle, so these words are not foreign to you. Verse 12 tells us this, Epaphras, who is one of your number, a bond slave of Jesus Christ, there's that word again. There's that reference, there's that tie-in, there's that connection back into Jesus Christ. Paul says, sends you his greetings. Always laboring earnestly for you in his prayers that you may stand perfect and fully assured in all the will of God. For I testify for him that he has a deep concern for you and for those who are in Laodicea and Heropolis. More insight. Epaphras is now becoming a little more dimensional to us. There's more depth to his person and to his character. Verse seven gives us a glimpse into who Epaphras is, but here in verse 12, Paul begins to color in the lines of Epaphras and he becomes more vivid and more bright to us. He makes a reference again to Epaphras as a bond slave of Jesus Christ. And we know that Epaphras was converted during Paul's ministry in Ephesus. He brings the gospel of Christ not only to Colossae, but now we find out the nearby towns of Laodicea and Heropolis already have his handprint on them in terms of his communication of the gospel. This was a man who was sold out for Jesus Christ. Now I want you to think about something for a minute too. Back then, To do this would have most likely meant you would have lost your job, your position, separated from your family, things of that nature. Becoming a believer was a big, big deal back then. There was consequence to it. Epaphras is in Ephesus. For whatever reason, we don't know. Perhaps he was there for work, perhaps he was in a trade route, trade caravan, we don't know. But God, by good providence, had him in Ephesus. He hears the gospel. God opens his heart to receive it. And in understanding it, God saves him, and he transfers him into his kingdom, and Epaphras then goes back to Colossae, but he also goes to Laodicea and Heropolis. This man is on fire for Jesus. He wants people to know about Jesus Christ. That takes a lot of work, you know that? First of all, when was the last time you walked 100 miles? Or even rode in a car at 100 miles? That's a long ways, that's a long time, that's hard work. just doing that. Even if he was on a horse, that's a long ride. But he comes back and apparently in abandoning everything else, because Paul does refer to him as one who is faithful, one who is a slave, he begins to preach the gospel. And in so doing, God begins to save people and churches are being built. It's interesting to me that these churches begin to spring up as the gospel is being proclaimed. That's how God builds his church. the preaching of the gospel. Epaphras didn't engage in any kind of shenanigans or nonsense. He didn't put on apparently some type of a show and drop Easter eggs out of helicopters or offer them sticky buns. He simply preached the word, the word. And again, it was the Old Testament, which is amazing to me. When you think about that, imagine that, and God using that. Well, as we consider this, again, we know that Epaphras was indeed sold out, traveling 1,300 miles to see Paul to warn him, to tell him, guide me through what I'm supposed to do for these folks who are being attacked by false teachers. He also says of Epaphras that he is one who is struggling. Look what he says in verse 12. He's a bond slave. He sends his greetings. I'm sure that Epaphras' heart was breaking. Can you imagine being separated from these people? He knew full well that going to Rome most likely would have resulted in his separation from these people and his own family, perhaps. Again, the idea of what's going on here with Epaphras is amazing to me. I'm not trying to take liberty with scripture, but imagine with me for a moment getting ready to leave on a 1,300 mile journey for the sole purpose of communicating with somebody who is in prison about false teachers coming into a church and what you're going to walk away from in order to do that. And we won't talk to people sitting next to us on an airplane or across the street about Jesus. Because we're afraid of them. A paphrist is walking, most likely walking, maybe riding a horse. It was expensive to have a horse back then, because you had to feed it and take care of it. To have a horse in a cart was a big deal. That was a luxury. So people walked. They walked all over the place, in this hilly. And they have weather like we have weather. So it's rainy, it's kind of cold one day. Misty and foggy. Robbers hiding around every corner. And he goes. Maybe leaving behind a wife and children, who knows? But he does it. And he leaves and perhaps never comes back. He's in prison. Most people didn't leave those prisons. and it says that his mind is consumed with them. He says, Epaphras, even in the context of being there with Paul, is always laboring earnestly for you. That harkens back to what Paul would commend for preachers in verse 28, to labor, to toil hard. We're reminded by Alistair Begg this past week as he preached that passage, and how blessed I was to be able to hear that and come here to share that with you. This word labor means to toil hard, to work fervently, to be engaged in it to the point of exhaustion. Even in prison, Epaphras was doing exactly that, always laboring earnestly for you in his prayers. Now, it's interesting that his prayer is directed to something that's very specific. And as we move into verse nine in Colossians chapter one, we are going to learn how to pray as Christians and for what we ought to be praying. This is an area that I feel is often neglected amongst Christians as we become consumed with the external and temporal rather than the spiritual and eternal. He says he's praying for them that they might do what? What does it say? That you may do what? Stand. Stand perfect and fully assured in all the will of God. In all the will of God. The purpose of Epaphras praying was the same as the purpose of Paul's gospel labors. Paul would say in verse 28, warning everyone and teaching everyone in all wisdom that we may present everyone mature, that is perfect in Christ. Epaphras prayed to the same end, that you may stand mature or perfect. And this maturity involves being fully assured in all the will of God. This is the firm confidence that comes when God's will, his purpose in Jesus Christ for the totality of all things is clearly and certainly known in mind, heart, and life. Epaphras prayed, as Paul himself constantly prayed, that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will, as we know from verse nine of chapter one. So if I'm to kind of blow up this passage in the context of digging into its literal meaning, it would read like this. Epaphras, who is one of yourselves, a servant of Christ Jesus, sends you greetings. He is always striving for you earnestly in his prayers, pleading that you may, as persons of right character and clear conviction, stand firm and mature in spiritual growth, convinced and fully assured in everything willed by God. For I bear him testimony that he has labored hard in your behalf and for the believers in Laodicea and those in Heropolis. What a wonderful servant of Christ Epaphras had turned out to be. The apostle wanted the Colossians to appreciate that fact, as did he. Paul would say, for I bear him witness that he has worked, that he has labored hard for you and for those in Laodicea and in Heropolis. This is what happens when someone is sold out for Jesus Christ. This is what happens when someone is given over. This is what happens when God saves somebody. We do not become ourselves. We do not become our own. We become God's possession. We are God's people. And our charge is to tell others of Christ. It has been a concern of this letter and we see this in chapter one and we'll see it again in chapter two to draw careful attention to God's way of working through servants of the gospel who suffer and work very hard in prayer to the Lord for people and in speaking to the people about the Lord. And we will do well too to remember this and appreciate what God provides in servants to the body and who he is using for his kingdom. The challenge to us here is to think about the impact that we have on other people's lives. Mary King, perhaps considered a lowly cook, I mean, think about it for a minute, a cook in a boy's school. And she sits down and she talks with Charles Haddon Spurgeon and teaches him the deeper things of God. Amazing, it's amazing. Now when you love Jesus Christ, that's what you do. We looked at Ephesians chapter four and it talked about the spiritual gifts and it talked about how we use our gifts that is driven by a love for each other that reaches into other people's lives. We set everything else aside. I would submit to you that we were altogether too consumed with all the other things that are going on, so much so that we cannot be effective ministers and proclaimers of the gospel in other people's lives. We're too consumed. We're too consumed. Now there's always room for improvement, and God gives grace, and he gives the increase. And we rejoice in that. And we can always do better, there's always room for improvement. But think about the next time you meet somebody, how God has providentially brought that person into your life. The next person you stand to in a line. The next person you sit down to next to in a bus or on an airplane. the people that are just in your life on a daily basis, your own family. Talk to them about Jesus. Now, you may say, well, they're not gonna talk to me again if I ever do. You know what? They didn't talk to Jesus after he talked to them. Who do you think you are? Right? Matthew chapter 10's abundantly clear. Go back and read it again today. And find out, I mean, he says, I came to divide. And there's a price. Now are you gonna do it or not? We have to walk past that pain point, that pressure point, the fear. And that's not always easy, I know that. But souls are at stake. I think that's what Epaphras understood too. He knew there are souls at stake. I have to tell these people about Jesus. I have to tell them. They gotta know. They're gonna die and go into eternity forever without him. They've got to know. And now there are false teachers coming in. I've gotta go to Paul. I don't care if it's 1,300 miles. I'd walk halfway around the world. They have to be protected. I don't want them to take their eyes off of Christ. Do we love Jesus Christ that much? Do we really love him that much? What does he mean to you? Honestly, think about it. What does he mean to you? Do you love him? He set aside the glories of heaven to come here to save you, to save you. I appreciate Epaphras. I really do. I look forward to meeting him. I look forward to sitting down and talking to him and saying, hey, what was that 1300 mile walk like? What was that journey like? What did you see? What did you experience? What was it like to be with Paul in prison? Did you ever get out of prison? What did you do? Who did you leave behind? What a great conversation. But in the meantime, he serves as an example for me and for you in terms of what it means to be sold out for Christ and to communicate the gospel and to let people know about Jesus. As Rico Teiss said, the most important person that your neighbor knows is you because you know Jesus, right? Now, why do you think you live where you live? Why do you live where you live? Do you think you live there by chance? Who put you there? Who put you that address? God did. Why? Because there's somebody next door to you who doesn't know Jesus Christ. And what does he expect you to do? Tell them about him. That's what we're supposed to do, right? That's what we do. We pray that God gives us the grace to do that. Let's pray. Lord, we love you. Thank you for your word. Thank you for the challenges that it contains. We look at it and we say, man, I can't do this. And you know what? We're right. We can't. But you can. And you give us the grace and the power that we need to do these things. The great joy and the great privilege of being someone who knows Jesus Christ. As we often say, how good is that? How good have you been to us? How good have you been to us to open our eyes and to let us see Christ and to understand our need for a savior and to draw us to yourself? Making us joint heirs with Christ, kingdom dwellers. clothed in the righteousness of Jesus Christ. Help us to be bolder, help us to be people of conviction. Help us to love you more, forgive us for not loving you as we should. Help us to take advantage of the opportunities that you have providentially given to us each and every day to become and to be Jesus proclaimers. We pray all these things in Christ's name. Amen. We will close with the doxology on 815.