Ephesians 6:21-24; Tychicus, a faithful servant. Benediction.

Class Outline:

Tuesday August 23, 2022

 

Satan would love to convince us all that prayer is frivolous and that God is just going to do what He wants whether we pray or not. While it is true that we cannot answer the questions concerning God’s sovereignty, we can know that prayer is effective. God is going to do all He purposes, while also including our prayers that submit to His will.

 

Imagine the church at Philippi praying for the apostle Paul and his team. They would be praying for his safe travel from town to town and the townspeople’s acceptance of the gospel. They find out that he is robbed and beaten, riots break out in the towns he witnesses to and they want to string Paul up, and he ends up in prison. Satan would somehow push them to imagine that prayer doesn’t work. But if they wait and watch they will find out that all of that actually furthered the gospel and greatly strengthened the church and emboldened those who were afraid to speak the gospel. Prayer worked fantastically. It just didn’t manifest itself in the way we imagined.

 

Php 1:12-14

Now I want you to know, brethren, that my circumstances have turned out for the greater progress of the gospel, 13 so that my imprisonment in the cause of Christ has become well known throughout the whole praetorian guard and to everyone else, 14 and that most of the brethren, trusting in the Lord because of my imprisonment, have far more courage to speak the word of God without fear.

 

Php 1:19-21

For I know that this shall turn out for my deliverance through your prayers and the provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, 20 according to my earnest expectation and hope, that I shall not be put to shame in anything, but that with all boldness, Christ shall even now, as always, be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. 21 For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

 

Through the intercession of the saints all these injuries of Satan (Paul’s imprisonment, his thorn in the flesh) are turning to the strengthening of God’s people and the furtherance of the gospel and the word. As Paul said, Christ will be magnified, whether in life or in death; freedom or imprisonment.

 

EPH 6:10-20

Finally, be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of His might. 11 Put on the full armor of God, that you may be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore, take up the full armor of God, that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. 14 Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming missiles of the evil one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints, 19 and pray on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in proclaiming it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

 

We can sufficiently close this section of Ephesians, although there is more we could say and learn. We could study Paul’s life (essentially the Book of Acts). We could study suffering for the sake of the gospel as Paul was an ambassador in chains. We could study bold speech. But I think what we have done suffices and we will return to all the doctrines in this great book as they permeate through all of the Scripture.

 

The plan, as it now stands, is to complete the final exegesis of the book and then study the doctrine of prayer and then the doctrine of the ministry of the Holy Spirit to believers.

 

EPH 6:21-24, Final greetings and benediction.

 

EPH 6:21-22

But that you also may know about my circumstances, how I am doing, Tychicus [Tuxikós; too-xi-HOS], the beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord, will make everything known to you. 22 And I have sent him to you for this very purpose, so that you may know about us, and that he may comfort your hearts.

 

This is almost identical with the end of its sister epistle, COL 4:7-8.

 

COL 4:2-9

Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving; 3 praying at the same time for us as well, that God may open up to us a door for the word, so that we may speak forth the mystery of Christ, for which I have also been imprisoned; 4 in order that I may make it clear in the way I ought to speak. 5 Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity. 6 Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned, as it were, with salt, so that you may know how you should respond to each person.

 

7 As to all my affairs, Tychicus, our beloved brother and faithful servant and fellow bond-servant in the Lord, will bring you information. 8 For I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know about our circumstances and that he may encourage your hearts; 9 and with him Onesimus, our faithful and beloved brother, who is one of your number. They will inform you about the whole situation here.

 

We should note that COL 4:7-8 share thirty-two words, written in the same order, making it very likely that one was copied from the other. Some suggest that this means that Ephesians was written by someone else than Paul. But why would a pseudonymous author write that Tychicus was going to provide information about Paul’s circumstances if this wasn’t Paul? It is much more likely that Paul’s secretary copied these words about Tychicus and his witness, that were already written, because the same Tychicus is going to deliver both letters to both places, which are very near one another, and he’s going to give the same testimony about Paul in both places also. It enables us to see that Ephesians, Colossians, and Philemon were written at the same time and all were carried by Tychicus on the same journey.

 

After asking for prayer Paul instructs them that more about his circumstances will be told to them by Tychicus whom Paul sent to them and to the Colossians, accompanied by Onesimus.

 

Tychicus was a Greek from Asia who we first see accompanying Paul to Jerusalem in Act 20 and who remained with Paul until the end (2TI 4:12). He was greatly valued by the apostle.

 

Tychicus is a model to us all - beloved brother and faithful servant. He loves God and is trustworthy.

 

Paul uses him to deliver this letter, plus one addressed to Philemon, and to Colossae. In this critical role, not only would Tychicus read the letter to the congregations and describe Paul’s circumstances, but he would also be called on to explain the theology of Paul’s teachings; which theology, Paul taught him. One could say that Tychicus was the first exegete of Paul’s letter. The fact that Tychicus was qualified for this is clear since Paul sent him to Ephesus to relieve Timothy (2TI 4:12) and considered sending him to Crete to relieve Titus (TIT 3:12). Tychicus was a faithful man who was a blessing to the apostle Paul. He could be trusted with the duties of a servant and pastor and he could be entrusted with the truth and Paul’s very letters.

 

Paul calls both Tychicus and Onesimus (Philemon’s converted slave) “beloved brother.”

 

Every believer should be in the eyes of his fellows a beloved brother or beloved sister.

 

It should not matter what their status, position, or influence in either the church or the world. We might deem Tychicus nothing more than a mailman, but how important was his task to deliver these letters from about a thousand miles away. Had he been careless or dishonest, had he lost these precious documents or tampered with them, how great the loss would it have been? He is not known in modern times, but at the time of writing, he would have been very well known to the churches in Macedonia and Asia.

 

Paul knew the great anxiety that the Colossians had on his account. Epaphras, pastor of Colossae, came to Paul in prison and told him of the great love that the church had for him as well as their concern. This would have touched Paul greatly and he sent Tychicus to visit not only them, but as many as the Asian churches that he might in order to relieve their discouragement.

 

Tychicus had the most updated report on Paul to give to them and it was good news about how God had turned Paul’s imprisonment into a force multiplier for the gospel. And to confirm that, Tychicus also held the precious letters that told them things like this:

 

EPH 3:13

Therefore I ask you not to lose heart at my tribulations on your behalf, for they are your glory.

 

Paul’s love for the people of God, and his desire that they be as happy and hopeful as he, is an example to us all.

 

Our individual ministries will not be successful if we don’t love the people we serve.

 

How could our individual ministries, all designed by the Father that we might serve and equip others, be successful if we don’t love the people we are to serve?