WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:04.820 And annually, we honor our veterans, and especially 00:00:04.820 --> 00:00:07.139 those who have given their lives for the sake 00:00:07.139 --> 00:00:11.000 of our nation. We remember that they were willing 00:00:11.000 --> 00:00:13.419 to pay the ultimate sacrifice in order that we 00:00:13.419 --> 00:00:17.100 might enjoy freedom. A few weeks ago, when a 00:00:17.100 --> 00:00:19.359 couple of us were visiting briefly in Washington, 00:00:19.519 --> 00:00:23.480 D .C., I visited the Vietnam Memorial for the 00:00:23.480 --> 00:00:28.739 first time. It was a very simple memorial, architecturally. 00:00:29.359 --> 00:00:32.719 And I suppose one has to be an appreciator of 00:00:32.719 --> 00:00:35.259 modern art to really understand what the memorial 00:00:35.259 --> 00:00:40.100 is saying. I'm not such an appreciator. But it 00:00:40.100 --> 00:00:42.859 is a moving experience nonetheless to go there 00:00:42.859 --> 00:00:46.520 and see these tens of thousands of names etched 00:00:46.520 --> 00:00:52.179 in marble. Two men, two young men, that I went 00:00:52.179 --> 00:00:57.299 to high school with, are represented there. I 00:00:57.299 --> 00:00:59.979 looked up their names. and I must confess that 00:00:59.979 --> 00:01:06.299 I was moved to tears unexpectedly as I looked 00:01:06.299 --> 00:01:08.980 down the column in the row where their name was 00:01:08.980 --> 00:01:14.599 located and touched it and remembered them in 00:01:14.599 --> 00:01:18.560 their youth and that they were cut off so quickly. 00:01:20.379 --> 00:01:23.439 We need to thank God for the liberty that we 00:01:23.439 --> 00:01:26.239 enjoy and remember that there are those who have 00:01:26.239 --> 00:01:32.810 paid dearly. so that we might enjoy it. And let 00:01:32.810 --> 00:01:35.769 us guard it in our own day in the way that we 00:01:35.769 --> 00:01:38.709 must so that we have a legacy to pass on to our 00:01:38.709 --> 00:01:43.629 own children and grandchildren. As a young boy 00:01:43.629 --> 00:01:48.030 on this weekend, we would visit the graves of 00:01:48.030 --> 00:01:50.390 those in our family who had died and on Memorial 00:01:50.390 --> 00:01:52.989 Day most often would go to our local cemetery 00:01:52.989 --> 00:01:57.469 there in Kansas. My father was buried there. 00:01:58.340 --> 00:02:00.959 and his grave, like a number of others, had a 00:02:00.959 --> 00:02:05.780 flag raised over it. The FW and many cemeteries 00:02:05.780 --> 00:02:08.759 places a marker there, a Memorial Day weekend, 00:02:08.860 --> 00:02:12.080 and a flag is put there for those who served 00:02:12.080 --> 00:02:18.500 our nation. I remember the fun it was to see 00:02:18.500 --> 00:02:22.139 relatives on Decoration Day, as we called it. 00:02:23.120 --> 00:02:25.860 And we would walk around the cemetery and sometimes 00:02:25.860 --> 00:02:28.680 there would be a family get -together afterwards. 00:02:29.319 --> 00:02:31.159 But as we walked around the cemetery, you would 00:02:31.159 --> 00:02:33.800 hear people talk about this one and that one 00:02:33.800 --> 00:02:38.099 who had passed before. And we would read their 00:02:38.099 --> 00:02:41.659 names and hear stories about them and note how 00:02:41.659 --> 00:02:47.500 long they lived or how short they lived. Collecting 00:02:47.500 --> 00:02:50.580 epitaph from cemeteries has been a hobby of mine 00:02:50.580 --> 00:02:52.439 for a number of years, although I haven't done 00:02:52.439 --> 00:02:57.080 it. very much of late. I was walking through 00:02:57.080 --> 00:03:00.319 that same cemetery one time when I was in my 00:03:00.319 --> 00:03:03.080 twenties and noted a grave in the older part 00:03:03.080 --> 00:03:08.979 of the cemetery of a man who died in 1878. And 00:03:08.979 --> 00:03:13.539 there beneath the name and the date was some 00:03:13.539 --> 00:03:16.039 sort of paragraph and so I had to get down and 00:03:16.039 --> 00:03:21.270 read it and wipe away the moss. And it looked 00:03:21.270 --> 00:03:24.789 very hard to see what it said. And here's what 00:03:24.789 --> 00:03:30.830 it said. My friend, as you pass by, as you are 00:03:30.830 --> 00:03:37.870 now, so once was I. As I am now, soon you must 00:03:37.870 --> 00:03:43.530 be. So prepare yourself to follow me. Pretty 00:03:43.530 --> 00:03:47.289 significant statement, isn't it? I read about 00:03:47.289 --> 00:03:52.129 another one from Arizona Highways. Louis Schaeffer 00:03:52.129 --> 00:03:54.710 found this on the tombstone of a horse thief 00:03:54.710 --> 00:03:59.969 in Arizona. It said he found a rope and picked 00:03:59.969 --> 00:04:04.490 it up and with it walked away. It happened that 00:04:04.490 --> 00:04:07.870 to the other end the horse was hit, they say. 00:04:09.229 --> 00:04:12.810 They took the rope and tied it up into a hickory 00:04:12.810 --> 00:04:16.269 limb. It happened that the other end was somehow 00:04:16.269 --> 00:04:24.790 hit to him. You can find all kinds of epitaphs. 00:04:24.790 --> 00:04:27.370 I remember one time being in a cemetery in Blanchester, 00:04:27.529 --> 00:04:29.490 Ohio. You know, you can go to a cemetery and 00:04:29.490 --> 00:04:33.110 be left alone. Did you know that? You want to 00:04:33.110 --> 00:04:35.129 meditate and just get away? Go to a cemetery. 00:04:35.329 --> 00:04:37.430 Nobody will bother you there. They think only 00:04:37.430 --> 00:04:40.009 crazies hang out in cemeteries. They'll leave 00:04:40.009 --> 00:04:43.089 you, they'll give you plenty of distance. And 00:04:43.089 --> 00:04:45.370 I was preaching in Blanchester in a church, and 00:04:45.370 --> 00:04:47.410 I wanted to go and just think a while before 00:04:47.410 --> 00:04:53.000 I preach, which is often a good idea. And so 00:04:53.000 --> 00:04:55.019 I went to the cemetery and walked around reading 00:04:55.019 --> 00:04:57.180 some epithets, and there was one that was on 00:04:57.180 --> 00:04:59.319 a gravestone that was brand new. And this is 00:04:59.319 --> 00:05:01.879 unusual, because most people don't go to that 00:05:01.879 --> 00:05:05.120 expense these days. And what it said on this 00:05:05.120 --> 00:05:08.519 beautiful marble tombstone was this. It must 00:05:08.519 --> 00:05:12.759 have been a Christian, because it said, and in, 00:05:12.980 --> 00:05:18.920 I -N -N, and in for a weary traveler on his way 00:05:18.920 --> 00:05:23.199 to the New Jerusalem. I thought, wow, that says 00:05:23.199 --> 00:05:27.199 a lot, doesn't it? In fact, the word inn is what 00:05:27.199 --> 00:05:29.939 the word cemetery really means in the Greek language. 00:05:30.759 --> 00:05:33.000 The Greek word for inn is where we get our word 00:05:33.000 --> 00:05:36.959 for cemetery. That person had grasped the meaning 00:05:36.959 --> 00:05:40.199 of what cemetery, what a grave is, an inn for 00:05:40.199 --> 00:05:42.600 a weary traveler on his way to the New Jerusalem. 00:05:45.259 --> 00:05:47.040 Well, this morning, as we read through a list 00:05:47.040 --> 00:05:50.170 of names, I would like for us to think of these 00:05:50.170 --> 00:05:53.290 people as ones who actually lived on the earth. 00:05:54.910 --> 00:05:57.310 People who had a mother and father just like 00:05:57.310 --> 00:06:00.389 you and me and some of them had wives and children 00:06:00.389 --> 00:06:06.050 and they're dead. We're going to turn to Colossians 00:06:06.050 --> 00:06:10.850 chapter 4 and as we read these names I want you 00:06:10.850 --> 00:06:13.170 to see what is said about them because as we 00:06:13.170 --> 00:06:15.870 work our way through the list in the message 00:06:15.870 --> 00:06:21.050 we're going to create an epitaph for each one 00:06:21.050 --> 00:06:26.810 of these individuals. Beginning in verse 7 of 00:06:26.810 --> 00:06:41.839 Colossians 4, For I have sent him to you for 00:06:41.839 --> 00:06:44.420 this very purpose, that you may know about our 00:06:44.420 --> 00:06:46.759 circumstances, and that he may encourage your 00:06:46.759 --> 00:06:51.259 hearts. And with him, Onesimus, our faithful 00:06:51.259 --> 00:06:53.740 and beloved brother, who is one of your number, 00:06:54.339 --> 00:06:57.120 they will inform you about the whole situation 00:06:57.120 --> 00:07:00.540 here, that is, in Rome, where Paul was under 00:07:00.540 --> 00:07:04.839 house arrest. Aristarchus, my fellow prisoner, 00:07:05.540 --> 00:07:08.339 sends you his greetings, and also Barnabas' cousin, 00:07:08.740 --> 00:07:12.240 Mark. about whom you received instructions, if 00:07:12.240 --> 00:07:16.720 he comes to you, welcome him. And also Jesus, 00:07:16.899 --> 00:07:20.379 who is called justice. These are the only fellow 00:07:20.379 --> 00:07:22.939 workers for the kingdom of God who are from the 00:07:22.939 --> 00:07:26.560 circumcision, and they have proved to be an encouragement 00:07:26.560 --> 00:07:30.459 to me. Epiphas, who is one of your number, a 00:07:30.459 --> 00:07:33.459 bond slave of Jesus Christ, sends you his greetings. 00:07:34.230 --> 00:07:37.189 Always laboring earnestly for you in his prayers 00:07:37.189 --> 00:07:40.050 that you may stand perfect and fully assured 00:07:40.050 --> 00:07:44.569 in all the will of God. For I bear him witness 00:07:44.569 --> 00:07:47.430 that he has deep concern for you and for those 00:07:47.430 --> 00:07:51.389 who are in Laodicea and Hierapolis. Luke, the 00:07:51.389 --> 00:07:54.370 beloved physician, sends you his greetings and 00:07:54.370 --> 00:07:58.769 also demons. Greet the brethren who are in Laodicea 00:07:58.769 --> 00:08:01.310 and also Nympha and the church that is in her 00:08:01.310 --> 00:08:05.769 house. And when this letter is read among you, 00:08:06.149 --> 00:08:09.410 have it also read in the church of the Laodiceans. 00:08:10.149 --> 00:08:12.910 For you and you for your part, read my letter 00:08:12.910 --> 00:08:16.910 that is coming from Laodicea. And say to Archippus, 00:08:16.970 --> 00:08:20.230 take heed to the ministry which you have received 00:08:20.230 --> 00:08:24.029 in the Lord, that you may fulfill it. I, Paul, 00:08:24.329 --> 00:08:27.529 write this greeting with my own hand. Remember 00:08:27.529 --> 00:08:32.399 my imprisonment. Grace be with you. And so we 00:08:32.399 --> 00:08:34.960 have the names of a number of individuals including 00:08:34.960 --> 00:08:39.059 that of the Apostle Paul. What I observe here 00:08:39.059 --> 00:08:42.200 is that those who faithfully serve God's will 00:08:42.200 --> 00:08:48.879 and advance Christ's cause will be forever remembered. 00:08:51.899 --> 00:08:54.279 I hope that you and I will determine this morning 00:08:54.279 --> 00:08:58.360 that we in our hearts will be men and women worthy 00:08:58.360 --> 00:09:02.019 of distinction. such as most of the people on 00:09:02.019 --> 00:09:07.240 this list. As we walk along this morning through 00:09:07.240 --> 00:09:10.840 this cemetery of names, the first one that we 00:09:10.840 --> 00:09:15.500 come to is this man Tichicus. This man joined 00:09:15.500 --> 00:09:18.600 Paul's party as he headed back toward Jerusalem 00:09:18.600 --> 00:09:24.139 at the end of his third journey. Acts 20 verse 00:09:24.139 --> 00:09:29.690 4. About four years had passed since that time. 00:09:30.309 --> 00:09:34.190 Titicus was a loyal and trustworthy assistant 00:09:34.190 --> 00:09:37.750 of the Apostle Paul. There are three terms that 00:09:37.750 --> 00:09:41.110 are used of this brother. He is called a beloved 00:09:41.110 --> 00:09:45.250 brother. In other words, Paul looks upon him 00:09:45.250 --> 00:09:48.730 as one who is in God's family with him and one 00:09:48.730 --> 00:09:52.350 who is deeply appreciated. He is not only a brother 00:09:52.350 --> 00:09:59.559 in Christ, he is a beloved. brother. And he calls 00:09:59.559 --> 00:10:03.779 him a faithful servant. The word servant here 00:10:03.779 --> 00:10:07.860 means deacon. It's one who is willing to serve 00:10:07.860 --> 00:10:14.320 in ordinary ways. Pichicus was probably not an 00:10:14.320 --> 00:10:17.879 official deacon of the church, but in his mindset, 00:10:17.879 --> 00:10:23.200 in his heart, he was one who served. He was not 00:10:23.200 --> 00:10:28.799 prominent. But he was faithful. And so Paul calls 00:10:28.799 --> 00:10:32.480 him faithful servant and then fellow bond servant. 00:10:33.320 --> 00:10:35.820 Here another word, the word servant here means 00:10:35.820 --> 00:10:40.080 slave. And so Paul sees this man as joined with 00:10:40.080 --> 00:10:43.759 him in the change of slavery to Jesus Christ. 00:10:44.960 --> 00:10:50.700 The name Pichicus means fortunate. He was a man 00:10:50.700 --> 00:10:54.779 fortunate in that he came to know Christ. and 00:10:54.779 --> 00:10:58.419 was fortunate in that he was able to serve with 00:10:58.419 --> 00:11:02.860 the greatest apostle of this age, Paul. But Paul 00:11:02.860 --> 00:11:06.360 also looked upon himself as fortunate for having 00:11:06.360 --> 00:11:10.740 an associate like Titicus. Titicus was going 00:11:10.740 --> 00:11:13.059 to deliver this letter that Paul was writing 00:11:13.059 --> 00:11:17.159 to the church in Colossae. I believe that the 00:11:17.159 --> 00:11:19.960 epitaph that we might write upon his tombstone 00:11:19.960 --> 00:11:25.490 is this. Here lies a man you could count on. 00:11:28.909 --> 00:11:31.789 And I don't know of an epitaph, my friends, that 00:11:31.789 --> 00:11:34.450 would be any more meaningful than that, especially 00:11:34.450 --> 00:11:40.730 in the day in which you and I live. If you can 00:11:40.730 --> 00:11:45.309 come to the end of your life and look back upon 00:11:45.309 --> 00:11:51.309 it and find two hands full of people that you 00:11:51.309 --> 00:11:55.179 could count on in life. You indeed are a fortunate 00:11:55.179 --> 00:12:04.659 person. Tychicus was that kind of man. Here lies 00:12:04.659 --> 00:12:13.240 a man you could count on. The second man whose 00:12:13.240 --> 00:12:21.309 name is Onesimus. Onesimus also delivered this 00:12:21.309 --> 00:12:25.909 letter along with Tychicus. But under different 00:12:25.909 --> 00:12:28.710 circumstances, because Onesimus was going back 00:12:28.710 --> 00:12:32.330 home. You see, one of the leaders in the church 00:12:32.330 --> 00:12:37.610 in Colossae was a man named Philemon. Paul had 00:12:37.610 --> 00:12:41.289 led Philemon to Christ. He was a wealthy man, 00:12:42.190 --> 00:12:47.330 and he owned slaves. Onesimus had been one of 00:12:47.330 --> 00:12:52.179 them. but apparently he had stolen from his master 00:12:52.179 --> 00:12:57.159 and had run. He knew that the punishment could 00:12:57.159 --> 00:13:02.220 well be execution, but nonetheless he bolted. 00:13:03.940 --> 00:13:08.700 And somehow in the providence of God, Onesimus 00:13:08.700 --> 00:13:13.299 met Paul in Rome. We don't know how this happened. 00:13:14.620 --> 00:13:21.610 But as Onesimus found Paul, Christ, found Onesimus. 00:13:22.570 --> 00:13:26.970 And this thieving runaway slave became a believer. 00:13:28.330 --> 00:13:33.129 Now the Apostle Paul is sending Onesimus back 00:13:33.129 --> 00:13:38.490 home to his master. Now in his back pocket, if 00:13:38.490 --> 00:13:42.009 robes in those days had back pockets, there was 00:13:42.009 --> 00:13:47.330 also a letter to Philemon, which is included 00:13:47.330 --> 00:13:50.820 in the New Testament. in which he is told to 00:13:50.820 --> 00:13:54.639 receive Onesimus as a brother in Christ. And 00:13:54.639 --> 00:13:57.139 Paul says, and by the way, if he still owes you 00:13:57.139 --> 00:14:02.299 anything, put that on my account. I'll repay 00:14:02.299 --> 00:14:07.200 it to you on his behalf. The apostle calls this 00:14:07.200 --> 00:14:12.899 new convert a faithful and beloved brother. Here 00:14:12.899 --> 00:14:16.019 is a man who has transformed the power of the 00:14:16.019 --> 00:14:19.730 Gospel. John MacArthur makes this statement, 00:14:20.230 --> 00:14:22.809 Christ makes sure that a man with a past has 00:14:22.809 --> 00:14:28.629 a past that is past. I like that. Onesimus had 00:14:28.629 --> 00:14:34.529 a past that was past. Jesus Christ is in the 00:14:34.529 --> 00:14:38.129 business of transforming lives. And he can take 00:14:38.129 --> 00:14:40.450 a man even like Onesimus and turn him around 00:14:40.450 --> 00:14:43.110 to make him a new creature in Christ. And when 00:14:43.110 --> 00:14:47.879 he does, when he does, you and I who are in the 00:14:47.879 --> 00:14:51.299 family of God need to receive those people, just 00:14:51.299 --> 00:14:54.940 as Philemon was told to receive this runaway 00:14:54.940 --> 00:14:58.340 slave. By the way, there's some indication in 00:14:58.340 --> 00:15:00.399 church history, not in the scriptures, but in 00:15:00.399 --> 00:15:04.019 church history, that Onesimus became the bishop 00:15:04.019 --> 00:15:11.320 of the church in Ephesus later in his life. Quite 00:15:11.320 --> 00:15:15.120 a significant comeback, wouldn't you say? I would 00:15:15.120 --> 00:15:21.200 put on his grave this epitaph, Onesimus, a slave 00:15:21.200 --> 00:15:31.899 of two masters. And then we come to Aristarchus. 00:15:32.639 --> 00:15:35.259 Aristarchus was a native of Thessalonica, according 00:15:35.259 --> 00:15:38.940 to Acts 20 verse 4. He had been with Paul in 00:15:38.940 --> 00:15:43.759 Ephesus, Acts 19 verse 29. where he had been 00:15:43.759 --> 00:15:47.580 seized by the mob that was looking for Paul. 00:15:48.919 --> 00:15:52.720 He was released and then later went with Paul 00:15:52.720 --> 00:15:56.120 to Jerusalem and eventually accompanied Paul 00:15:56.120 --> 00:16:01.539 in his chains on his voyage to Rome, according 00:16:01.539 --> 00:16:05.899 to Acts 27 verse 2. Now notice what the apostle 00:16:05.899 --> 00:16:11.720 calls him, my fellow prisoner. I don't believe 00:16:11.720 --> 00:16:14.820 that that means that Aristarchus had been placed 00:16:14.820 --> 00:16:18.759 under arrest. It could be, but I don't think 00:16:18.759 --> 00:16:21.740 it does. I believe what Paul is saying about 00:16:21.740 --> 00:16:25.279 this man is that he had cared so deeply for Paul 00:16:25.279 --> 00:16:28.779 that he spent all of his time with him and gave 00:16:28.779 --> 00:16:32.440 him his loyal service and so Paul sees him as 00:16:32.440 --> 00:16:38.600 though he were also a prisoner. Here is a man 00:16:38.600 --> 00:16:41.279 who is so loyal to the one that he followed that 00:16:41.279 --> 00:16:44.720 he voluntarily relinquished his right to liberty 00:16:44.720 --> 00:16:52.460 for the sake of serving. I wonder if we, like 00:16:52.460 --> 00:16:54.899 Aristarchus, are willing to voluntarily give 00:16:54.899 --> 00:17:00.000 up our rights in order that we might serve others. 00:17:01.779 --> 00:17:07.539 As we observe the tombstone of Aristarchus, Let's 00:17:07.539 --> 00:17:13.319 put this epitaph on it. He was a prisoner of 00:17:13.319 --> 00:17:19.720 love. Because it was his love for the Apostle 00:17:19.720 --> 00:17:23.000 Paul and for the Lord Jesus Christ that caused 00:17:23.000 --> 00:17:25.960 him to be willing to give up his liberty to serve 00:17:25.960 --> 00:17:31.599 others. He was a prisoner of love. Next we come 00:17:31.599 --> 00:17:39.450 to a man named Mark. We know this man. He was 00:17:39.450 --> 00:17:43.750 the cousin of Barnabas and the son of a wealthy 00:17:43.750 --> 00:17:48.490 and renowned woman in Jerusalem who deserted 00:17:48.490 --> 00:17:51.930 Paul and his cousin Barnabas during their first 00:17:51.930 --> 00:17:59.769 missionary journey, Acts 13 .13. He had gone 00:17:59.769 --> 00:18:02.950 part way with them and then it says that in Pamphylia 00:18:02.950 --> 00:18:05.289 he turned around and went back to Jerusalem and 00:18:05.289 --> 00:18:10.970 did not go to the work of the journey. Paul was 00:18:10.970 --> 00:18:15.490 devastated by this and to some degree held it 00:18:15.490 --> 00:18:20.789 against Mark for a period of time. It is thought 00:18:20.789 --> 00:18:24.910 that probably Mark was a good friend later, at 00:18:24.910 --> 00:18:31.529 least, of the Apostle Peter. and may have gotten 00:18:31.529 --> 00:18:34.150 some of his information for the gospel he wrote, 00:18:34.230 --> 00:18:41.609 named Mark, from Peter. Peter may have had the 00:18:41.609 --> 00:18:44.569 influence in Mark's life that turned him around. 00:18:45.509 --> 00:18:50.849 By the way, the contention between Paul and Barnabas 00:18:50.849 --> 00:18:54.450 over Mark was so great that the two of them split. 00:18:56.529 --> 00:19:00.009 Here they had been fast companions. a part of 00:19:00.009 --> 00:19:03.309 the same missionary team. But over the issue 00:19:03.309 --> 00:19:07.450 of Mark, they split because Barnabas said, I 00:19:07.450 --> 00:19:10.210 want to take Mark again, and Paul said never. 00:19:11.630 --> 00:19:15.410 And so they went separate directions. But 12 00:19:15.410 --> 00:19:19.730 years have passed. And now Mark has been reclaimed. 00:19:19.769 --> 00:19:24.670 He's a different man than he was before. Mark 00:19:24.670 --> 00:19:27.849 is a man who might have given up in embarrassment. 00:19:29.680 --> 00:19:33.599 After all, when the top guy in the church of 00:19:33.599 --> 00:19:39.200 the Lord is ashamed of you, where do you go? 00:19:42.259 --> 00:19:44.700 When the Apostle Paul is not willing to trust 00:19:44.700 --> 00:19:53.779 you again, you feel disgraced. But he was not 00:19:53.779 --> 00:19:56.440 a man who was held down by his own failures. 00:19:57.960 --> 00:20:02.380 He proved himself in that by God's grace he made 00:20:02.380 --> 00:20:06.180 a comeback. And near the end of Paul's life, 00:20:06.240 --> 00:20:10.400 Paul says regarding him as he writes to Timothy, 00:20:10.700 --> 00:20:15.799 Pick up Mark and bring him with you, for he is 00:20:15.799 --> 00:20:24.059 useful to me and for the service. God had met 00:20:24.059 --> 00:20:28.450 Mark at the point of his need in some way that 00:20:28.450 --> 00:20:30.630 we don't know about. It's not written about. 00:20:31.990 --> 00:20:35.109 But God had met Mark there. Mark had responded 00:20:35.109 --> 00:20:42.349 and had been reclaimed. I think if we pass the 00:20:42.349 --> 00:20:47.250 gravestone of Mark, and by the way, notice what 00:20:47.250 --> 00:20:50.470 it says here, about whom you received instructions, 00:20:50.769 --> 00:20:53.930 colon, these were the instructions to the Colossians 00:20:53.930 --> 00:20:57.900 regarding Mark. If he comes to you, welcome him. 00:20:58.660 --> 00:21:03.680 What does that suggest to you? Why were those 00:21:03.680 --> 00:21:11.980 instructions needed 12 years later? There were 00:21:11.980 --> 00:21:15.059 some believers not willing to allow this man's 00:21:15.059 --> 00:21:20.019 past to be passed. They held it against him, 00:21:20.019 --> 00:21:24.799 and apparently, when he went from place to place, 00:21:25.099 --> 00:21:29.259 there were those who would not welcome him because 00:21:29.259 --> 00:21:33.240 of his reputation. But Paul makes it clear he 00:21:33.240 --> 00:21:37.980 is a man to be embraced. What I would like to 00:21:37.980 --> 00:21:42.920 see in his epitaph is this, a man with courage 00:21:42.920 --> 00:21:49.930 to turn failure into success. There are some 00:21:49.930 --> 00:21:52.349 people who don't have that kind of courage. They 00:21:52.349 --> 00:21:55.029 mope and they wallow in their failure for the 00:21:55.029 --> 00:22:02.690 rest of their lives. They do not take the grace 00:22:02.690 --> 00:22:05.029 that God gives to them at the point of their 00:22:05.029 --> 00:22:08.289 need and the result is they waste the years to 00:22:08.289 --> 00:22:13.609 come because of past failure. If somehow today 00:22:13.609 --> 00:22:15.990 you're one of those people who like Mark, somewhere 00:22:15.990 --> 00:22:21.680 along the way has blown it. Then acknowledge 00:22:21.680 --> 00:22:26.019 the failure. Confess it to God. Get right with 00:22:26.019 --> 00:22:29.500 God. Get as right with others as you can. Mark 00:22:29.500 --> 00:22:33.299 testifies that apparently some you can't get 00:22:33.299 --> 00:22:37.900 right with. They won't let you. But go on. For 00:22:37.900 --> 00:22:43.079 God's sake and for your sake, go on and have 00:22:43.079 --> 00:22:48.140 the courage to make success out of that failure 00:22:48.140 --> 00:22:54.779 in your past. And then there is Jesus. Jesus 00:22:54.779 --> 00:22:59.700 justice. There really is nothing beyond this 00:22:59.700 --> 00:23:02.680 text that is known about him, as is true also 00:23:02.680 --> 00:23:06.759 of this lady whose name is Nimphah in verse 15. 00:23:07.440 --> 00:23:09.839 So we can say a lot about either one of them, 00:23:09.859 --> 00:23:14.279 but we can say a little bit about Jesus. How 00:23:14.279 --> 00:23:19.440 would you like to bear that name? Now, understand 00:23:19.440 --> 00:23:22.339 that Jesus was not an uncommon name. Jesus is 00:23:22.339 --> 00:23:26.259 the Greek spelling of the Hebrew name Yeshua, 00:23:28.579 --> 00:23:33.039 or Joshua. And there were lots of Jews by that 00:23:33.039 --> 00:23:36.200 name. That was a common name. When the angel 00:23:36.200 --> 00:23:39.640 said, you shall call his name Yeshua, Joshua, 00:23:40.019 --> 00:23:43.000 that was not a brand new name, an unusual name. 00:23:43.059 --> 00:23:47.809 It was a particular name. And it's applied particularly 00:23:47.809 --> 00:23:51.470 wonderfully in the Lord Jesus Christ. But it 00:23:51.470 --> 00:23:54.250 was a common name. And so here is a man whose 00:23:54.250 --> 00:23:59.069 name was Joshua, or Greek Jesus. But among the 00:23:59.069 --> 00:24:01.910 followers of the Lord Jesus, you can imagine 00:24:01.910 --> 00:24:05.970 bearing this name. How would you like to live 00:24:05.970 --> 00:24:11.950 up to that name? How well did he do? Was he a 00:24:11.950 --> 00:24:16.269 man of integrity? Well apparently so because 00:24:16.269 --> 00:24:21.630 his name justice means righteous Which indicates 00:24:21.630 --> 00:24:26.049 to us that he lived so as to honor the name he 00:24:26.049 --> 00:24:37.109 bore safe You bear the name Christian Which means 00:24:37.109 --> 00:24:42.950 little Christ or follower of Christ Are you living? 00:24:43.359 --> 00:24:54.619 Who has to honor that name? Epiphas. Epiphas 00:24:54.619 --> 00:24:57.640 was probably the founding pastor of the Church 00:24:57.640 --> 00:25:02.200 in Colossus. Remember, Paul had never been there. 00:25:03.980 --> 00:25:07.200 Epiphas had gone there, had led people to Christ, 00:25:07.279 --> 00:25:11.079 and founded the Church, most likely. It was he 00:25:11.079 --> 00:25:14.420 who probably brought the word to Paul about the 00:25:14.420 --> 00:25:17.119 problems of the heresy that was afflicting the 00:25:17.119 --> 00:25:21.140 church in Colossae. He is described here as one 00:25:21.140 --> 00:25:24.839 who knew deep concern or literally great pain 00:25:24.839 --> 00:25:30.940 in his life. Many people do not understand the 00:25:30.940 --> 00:25:37.140 great pain that pastoral ministry brings. The 00:25:37.140 --> 00:25:42.539 Apostle Paul In one place in the New Testament 00:25:42.539 --> 00:25:45.019 lists all of the sufferings that he had endured. 00:25:45.200 --> 00:25:48.619 The shipwrecks, the beatings, etc., etc., etc. 00:25:48.799 --> 00:25:53.880 And then he said, and besides all of this, the 00:25:53.880 --> 00:25:58.759 care of the churches. Paul was a pastor's pastor 00:25:58.759 --> 00:26:04.640 as an apostle. Epiphas knew the load that is 00:26:04.640 --> 00:26:07.640 borne by those who are shepherds of God's people. 00:26:08.079 --> 00:26:11.039 And Paul says he is a man who has known great 00:26:11.039 --> 00:26:15.500 pain. And as a pastor he was one who had labored 00:26:15.500 --> 00:26:18.279 in prayer, he agonized with the souls of his 00:26:18.279 --> 00:26:21.279 people. He prayed, says the apostle, that they, 00:26:21.380 --> 00:26:24.880 the Colossians, might be mature and wise in their 00:26:24.880 --> 00:26:32.539 spiritual insight. I remember as a young pastor 00:26:32.539 --> 00:26:39.950 in my late twenties going to a cemetery. I had 00:26:39.950 --> 00:26:46.210 succeeded a great man who had succeeded, likewise, 00:26:46.289 --> 00:26:52.210 a great man. The man who was pastored second 00:26:52.210 --> 00:26:56.990 generation before me, which was only, I suppose, 00:26:57.190 --> 00:27:01.869 at that point 10 years before me, was a man named 00:27:01.869 --> 00:27:07.609 Dr. D .B. Estep. Dr. Eastep had pastored Calvary 00:27:07.609 --> 00:27:12.849 Baptist Church for 35 years. It had grown from 00:27:12.849 --> 00:27:16.609 a handful of people to a church of 800 or 900, 00:27:16.769 --> 00:27:19.869 which in the late 1950s was a huge church in 00:27:19.869 --> 00:27:25.450 America, a huge evangelical church. Now he had 00:27:25.450 --> 00:27:29.769 his strengths and he had his weaknesses, but 00:27:29.769 --> 00:27:32.329 he was a man who bore great pain for the people 00:27:32.329 --> 00:27:39.130 he loved. and at 62 or 63 years of age died suddenly 00:27:39.130 --> 00:27:42.930 of a coronary, undoubtedly related in part to 00:27:42.930 --> 00:27:46.849 the stress of the ministry of the Calvary Baptist 00:27:46.849 --> 00:27:49.890 Church. And having become the pastor of that 00:27:49.890 --> 00:27:54.150 church, I decided to go find his grave. I know 00:27:54.150 --> 00:27:57.450 it's a little weird, but that's all right. And 00:27:57.450 --> 00:28:00.250 so I knew what cemetery it was. I had buried 00:28:00.250 --> 00:28:04.940 people there, and so I asked... one of his sister 00:28:04.940 --> 00:28:07.960 -in -law's sisters -in -law, who was still in 00:28:07.960 --> 00:28:10.440 our church, what area it was in, and went out 00:28:10.440 --> 00:28:13.859 there and walked around until I found it. It's 00:28:13.859 --> 00:28:17.279 a very simple little gravestone. There would 00:28:17.279 --> 00:28:21.740 be East Steps with the years of his life on it, 00:28:22.119 --> 00:28:26.660 and below that all it said was, Pastor of Calvary 00:28:26.660 --> 00:28:36.309 Baptist Church. And I stood there because that 00:28:36.309 --> 00:28:41.970 was my title. And I stood there a long time. 00:28:43.750 --> 00:28:47.130 And on subsequent occasions I also stood there. 00:28:48.930 --> 00:28:51.670 And I thought about this faithful man who had 00:28:51.670 --> 00:28:54.730 borne the burden of the ministry of that church. 00:28:56.490 --> 00:29:00.349 And I never left there without recommitting myself 00:29:00.349 --> 00:29:09.539 to the ministry that God has called me to. Dr. 00:29:09.680 --> 00:29:15.460 East Steps and I, and every pastor, we follow 00:29:15.460 --> 00:29:20.059 in the steps of a man like Epiphan. And I would 00:29:20.059 --> 00:29:24.299 put over his grave on his epitaph, these words, 00:29:24.859 --> 00:29:33.039 he was a praying shepherd. And then we come to 00:29:33.039 --> 00:29:36.089 Luke. And Paul himself gives us what I think 00:29:36.089 --> 00:29:38.869 is the fitting epitaph, the beloved physician. 00:29:40.049 --> 00:29:42.410 Paul was a man who experienced a lot of bodily 00:29:42.410 --> 00:29:47.769 weakness. He was not a robust individual. In 00:29:47.769 --> 00:29:50.849 fact, he had a lot of illness in his first missionary 00:29:50.849 --> 00:29:54.410 journey. As he started his second journey, God 00:29:54.410 --> 00:29:59.690 provided a doctor to join his team. He picked 00:29:59.690 --> 00:30:03.400 him up in Troas, apparently, because Luke who 00:30:03.400 --> 00:30:05.700 wrote the book of Acts as well as the gospel 00:30:05.700 --> 00:30:10.059 bearing his name, in Acts 16 10 begins to use 00:30:10.059 --> 00:30:14.839 we when he describes Paul's party. Up to that 00:30:14.839 --> 00:30:17.519 point it's they and he. And then he says we, 00:30:17.940 --> 00:30:20.619 which is his signal as the writer, historian, 00:30:20.720 --> 00:30:25.599 that now I'm with them. And from then on he largely 00:30:25.599 --> 00:30:28.539 traveled with Paul. They became fast friends. 00:30:30.000 --> 00:30:36.059 Not all who serve Jesus Christ are ministry professionals. 00:30:37.779 --> 00:30:40.299 Here is another kind of professional, a doctor 00:30:40.299 --> 00:30:43.859 who dedicated his life to God's work and used 00:30:43.859 --> 00:30:47.019 his skills in a particular way. And of course, 00:30:47.059 --> 00:30:51.900 he was also a capable historian. And I tell you, 00:30:51.900 --> 00:30:55.500 I have met other beloved physicians in my life, 00:30:55.559 --> 00:30:59.400 and so have you. Men and women who love God. 00:30:59.759 --> 00:31:03.819 and who are using their professional skills to 00:31:03.819 --> 00:31:08.859 serve Jesus Christ in special ways. And then 00:31:08.859 --> 00:31:15.940 there is this next grave. It is Demas. He's called 00:31:15.940 --> 00:31:22.119 a fellow worker by Paul in Philemon 24, but ultimately 00:31:22.119 --> 00:31:26.980 he was a man who deserted Paul, 2 Timothy 4 .10. 00:31:27.160 --> 00:31:33.220 Having loved this present world, sad beyond words 00:31:33.220 --> 00:31:37.880 is the situation when a man or a woman deserts 00:31:37.880 --> 00:31:41.380 the will of God and follows the enticement of 00:31:41.380 --> 00:31:48.160 the world. What a tragic trade for life Demas 00:31:48.160 --> 00:31:52.940 made. And so we stand before this man's grave 00:31:52.940 --> 00:31:58.619 and shed a tear as we read his epitaph. A man 00:31:58.619 --> 00:32:07.279 who failed his potential. Don't be that kind 00:32:07.279 --> 00:32:12.960 of person. There's Archipas. Archipas was not 00:32:12.960 --> 00:32:17.240 with Paul. He was in Colossi, apparently, as 00:32:17.240 --> 00:32:20.980 was Nimphah. As I think of these two individuals, 00:32:22.119 --> 00:32:26.279 I think of... The fact that they both needed 00:32:26.279 --> 00:32:29.099 some greeting from Paul and some exhortation, 00:32:29.099 --> 00:32:33.319 they had a ministry from God. And I think of 00:32:33.319 --> 00:32:36.220 an epitaph here that speaks directly to the reader, 00:32:36.599 --> 00:32:39.380 like the one I quoted from the tombstone in Kansas. 00:32:39.920 --> 00:32:43.660 My friend as you pass by, as you are now so once 00:32:43.660 --> 00:32:46.519 was I, as I am now soon you must be, prepare 00:32:46.519 --> 00:32:50.680 yourself to follow me. Some person wrote another 00:32:50.680 --> 00:32:52.920 little statement to go with that and it says, 00:32:53.180 --> 00:32:56.380 To follow you I'll not consent until I know which 00:32:56.380 --> 00:33:02.619 way you went. Which is a wise response. Sometimes 00:33:02.619 --> 00:33:05.759 epitaphs speak directly to the reader, and I 00:33:05.759 --> 00:33:09.000 think this is one of them. I see on the epitaph 00:33:09.000 --> 00:33:14.859 of Archephas these words. He was like you, the 00:33:14.859 --> 00:33:18.920 reader. He was a man who had a ministry, and 00:33:18.920 --> 00:33:22.910 to him and to us, the apostle Paul says, Take 00:33:22.910 --> 00:33:26.309 heed to fulfill the ministry that God has given 00:33:26.309 --> 00:33:32.309 you. See your life as an opportunity while you 00:33:32.309 --> 00:33:39.329 have it. And use it to the full. What a privilege 00:33:39.329 --> 00:33:42.930 to be thought of as was this man as a trusted 00:33:42.930 --> 00:33:48.619 and valued partner in battle. a fellow soldier. 00:33:48.680 --> 00:33:51.279 By the way, Archiphas may well have been the 00:33:51.279 --> 00:33:54.680 son of Philemon, or yes, the son of Philemon, 00:33:56.019 --> 00:33:58.240 and therefore was very close to the Apostle Paul. 00:33:58.539 --> 00:34:03.299 And Paul's name is the last name. I would not 00:34:03.299 --> 00:34:05.619 pretend to be able to give an epitaph for Paul, 00:34:05.700 --> 00:34:08.780 except that he gave one to himself, which I will 00:34:08.780 --> 00:34:11.760 simply put on the gravestone as we look at it. 00:34:12.079 --> 00:34:16.969 And it says, he fought the good fight. He finished 00:34:16.969 --> 00:34:22.210 his course. He kept his faith. And so we have 00:34:22.210 --> 00:34:26.110 the names of ten or eleven individuals, most 00:34:26.110 --> 00:34:29.349 of whom are highly honored and forever remembered 00:34:29.349 --> 00:34:33.369 as those who served God's cause and advanced 00:34:33.369 --> 00:34:37.650 Christ's will in their generation. By the way, 00:34:37.829 --> 00:34:39.909 more than half of the New Testament was authored 00:34:39.909 --> 00:34:44.849 by three of the people on this list. The Church 00:34:44.849 --> 00:34:47.730 grew and was established because of the commitment 00:34:47.730 --> 00:34:52.289 of men and women like this. And dear people, 00:34:52.449 --> 00:34:55.389 the Church of Jesus Christ today will only grow 00:34:55.389 --> 00:34:59.449 and be established as we who are alive in our 00:34:59.449 --> 00:35:04.190 generation commit ourselves as did they to faithful 00:35:04.190 --> 00:35:09.489 service. The kind of people that we need to be 00:35:09.489 --> 00:35:13.980 in our generation. And I want to close with part 00:35:13.980 --> 00:35:18.639 of a poem written by Robertson McQuilkin, who 00:35:18.639 --> 00:35:24.139 I think bears the title Chancellor now at the 00:35:24.139 --> 00:35:26.780 Columbia Bible College, although it has a new 00:35:26.780 --> 00:35:29.320 name that I can't give to you at the moment. 00:35:30.619 --> 00:35:33.579 He wrote this poem in 1981 as he was growing 00:35:33.579 --> 00:35:39.119 older, and his prayer in the midst of a lot of 00:35:39.119 --> 00:35:45.420 friends who failed God. was this. Let me get 00:35:45.420 --> 00:35:52.699 home before dark. Listen to his thoughts as we 00:35:52.699 --> 00:35:58.719 close. An older man writing this now. It's sundown, 00:35:58.940 --> 00:36:04.780 Lord. The shadows of my life stretch back into 00:36:04.780 --> 00:36:10.659 the dimness of the years long spent. I fear not 00:36:10.659 --> 00:36:15.679 death. For that grim foe betrays himself at last, 00:36:15.900 --> 00:36:20.500 thrusting me forever into life, life with you, 00:36:20.860 --> 00:36:31.420 unsoiled and free. But I do fear. I fear the 00:36:31.420 --> 00:36:35.940 dark specter may come too soon. Or do I mean 00:36:35.940 --> 00:36:42.460 too late? That I should end before I finish, 00:36:44.139 --> 00:36:49.280 or finish, but not well. That I should stain 00:36:49.280 --> 00:36:54.820 your honor, shame your name, grieve your loving 00:36:54.820 --> 00:37:02.460 heart. Few, they tell me, finish well. Lord, 00:37:03.920 --> 00:37:10.900 let me get home before dark. spirit grown mean 00:37:10.900 --> 00:37:15.940 and small. Fruit shriveled on the vine, bitter 00:37:15.940 --> 00:37:19.699 to the taste of my companion, burdened to be 00:37:19.699 --> 00:37:24.559 borne by those brave few who love me still. No, 00:37:24.559 --> 00:37:29.480 Lord, let the fruit grow lush and sweet, a joy 00:37:29.480 --> 00:37:34.860 to all who taste. Spirit sign of God at work, 00:37:35.539 --> 00:37:39.909 stronger, fuller, brighter to the end. Lord, 00:37:39.929 --> 00:37:47.510 let me get home before dark. The darkness of 00:37:47.510 --> 00:37:51.550 tattered gifts, rust -locked, half -spent or 00:37:51.550 --> 00:37:55.929 ill -spent, a life that was once used of God, 00:37:57.389 --> 00:38:02.909 now set aside. Grief for glories gone, or fretting 00:38:02.909 --> 00:38:08.119 for a task God never gave. mourning in the hollow 00:38:08.119 --> 00:38:12.800 chambers of memory, gazing on the faded banners 00:38:12.800 --> 00:38:21.920 of victories long gone. Can I not run well unto 00:38:21.920 --> 00:38:32.599 the end? Lord, get me home before dark. Let's 00:38:32.599 --> 00:38:38.300 pray. You know it would be a good exercise for 00:38:38.300 --> 00:38:43.119 all of us to sit down this afternoon and write 00:38:43.119 --> 00:38:48.820 the epitaph that we would like to have put on 00:38:48.820 --> 00:38:52.159 our own gravestones if one were to be put there. 00:38:54.039 --> 00:39:04.500 It would give us pause that we need. And I pray 00:39:04.500 --> 00:39:08.000 today that as we look at the lives of men and 00:39:08.000 --> 00:39:10.940 women who actually lived at one time on the earth, 00:39:10.940 --> 00:39:15.980 but now have been long gone. And we see how they 00:39:15.980 --> 00:39:18.360 lived, and what their character was like, and 00:39:18.360 --> 00:39:23.239 what a difference they made, that we in our generation 00:39:23.239 --> 00:39:27.539 may so determine to live out God's will for us, 00:39:29.179 --> 00:39:35.260 that we will follow their example. And like them, 00:39:39.719 --> 00:39:50.960 Lord, may our lives be well lived unto the end. 00:39:53.119 --> 00:40:02.559 Let none of us come short. And wherein the Spirit 00:40:02.559 --> 00:40:06.940 of God has found us in this list, of people we've 00:40:06.940 --> 00:40:10.480 looked at this morning, may our hearts respond 00:40:10.480 --> 00:40:18.320 with renewed surrender and commitment to you 00:40:18.320 --> 00:40:24.579 to be all that you've called us to be. May we, 00:40:24.579 --> 00:40:30.360 like David, serve the will of God in our generation 00:40:30.360 --> 00:40:41.400 before we fall asleep in Christ. And Lord, I 00:40:41.400 --> 00:40:46.579 pray that you will get all of us home before 00:40:46.579 --> 00:40:53.420 dark. In Jesus' name, Amen.