Sermon Tone Analysis

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Scripture
eHeading 1W a
Gospel-Centered Friendships
How many people would you call your friends?
Best friends?
How would you define a healthy relationship?
What should Gospel-centered friendships look like?
In Paul’s letters, it is very clear that he had a lot of friends.
In he mentions thirty–three friends,1 and in this passage we see eight friends who were with him in Rome while he was in prison, and he mentioned and greeted friends at two other churches, Colosse and Laodicea.
The one thing that brought all these relationships together was Christ and the gospel they shared in common.
They had all been saved by the gospel, and it was this gospel that energized them as they sought to reach the world for Christ.
We all need friendships that enable us to be more effective in our callings and that picks us up when we stumble.
King Solomon says this about friendships:
Ecc.
4:
Paul could not have served God alone; he needed others.
He had many friendships, and we can learn a great deal about gospel-centered friendships through his conclusion in the letter of Colossians.
Gospel-Centered Friendships Are Like Family Relationships.
One of the ways that Paul identifies both Tychicus and Onesimus is by the phrase “dear brother” (vv.
7, 9).
Paul saw and related to both of these men as family.
Tychicus and Onesimus were sent to share Paul’s circumstances with the Colossians as he was in prison, and they also went to encourage the hearts of the saints (v.
8).
Tychicus probably carried the letter of Colossians to the congregation and possibly the book of Philemon as well (cf.
4:9).2This
duty was not unfamiliar to him, as he also was the one who Paul sent to the Ephesian church with his epistle.
Tychicus was a trustworthy friend.
We all need friends like this whom we can trust fully with any situation.
Onesimus was the runaway slave talked about in the book of Philemon.
He had left his owner Philemon at Colosse and ran to Rome.
By God’s sovereignty, Onesimus met Paul in Rome and was probably converted there.
Paul is sending him back, not just as a slave but more than a slave, as a brother in Christ.
Here we see that gospel friendships are more than friendships, they are like family relationships.
Christ said the same thing about his disciples:
Mark
Christ saw his relationships with those who were obedient to God as close or closer than regular family ties.
In fact, Paul instructed Timothy to treat people in the church as regular family members:
Those close family ties are considered a reward of following Christ.
It is the reward of discipleship.
Bottom line: those who take up the cost of faithfully building the kingdom will receive intimate relationships as their reward.
New family members will open up their homes to them.
New mothers will clothe them, feed them, and care for them.
It is a tremendous reward for gospel ministry.
When we become serious about Christ and his kingdom, a special relational bond develops between all members.
It is truly hundred times better than anything you give up on this earth.
Do we view this group as simply a community of people or as a family centered around Christ? How can you better demonstrate this familial intimacy in your relationships?
Gospel-Centered Friendships Suffer and Bear One Another’s Burdens.
The next person mentioned is Aristarchus.
He seems to be very special to Paul.
He simply calls him his fellow prisoner.
This does not necessarily mean that Aristarchus was in prison as Paul was.
More than likely, Aristarchus had chosen to partner with Paul and care for his needs while he was in prison.
He was bearing Paul’s burden and caring for him as if he were in prison as well.
This was not the first time Aristarchus had suffered with or for Paul.
He traveled with Paul then taken by a Mob in Ephesus ().
He was also shipwrecked with Paul while traveling to Rome ().
He was the kind of friend who would suffer with you.
Trials reveals our true friends.
It is often said, “You can tell who your real friends are when you go through trials.”
In the beginning of his ministry, he experienced success in terms of churches being planted and people were being saved.
He had many friends… until he began to suffer for the gospel.
He started to see who his true friends were.
While Paul was imprisoned in Rome, some were preaching the gospel out of envy and rivalry.
Preachers mocked him while he was in prison.
While he was in his second imprisonment, many of the Christians deserted him and wanted to have nothing to do with him.
That is what Aristachus did.
He cared for Paul while he was in prison.
Carry Others’ Burdens
This should be no different for us in this group.
We should bear one another’s burdens.
We should reach out when someone is sick, when someone is in a financial difficulty, when someone seems to disappear, and when someone falls into sin.
We should care for God’s people.
Often, we have a tendency to not reach out and to not care for them.
Sometimes we don’t reach out because we feel awkward and we don’t know what to say.
True gospel friendships stretch themselves past the initial awkwardness to care for one another, especially in hard times.
Christ is calling us to love one another as He loved us, which is sacrifically.
The Church is like the body ().
When the Body is sick, the whole body works together to heal itself.
That’s what happens when you have a fever.
The whole body is recruiting itself to bring healing to one infected part.
This is what we should do as well.
Who are we caring for in our family at Gallaudet while they are struggling?
Do we know someone here who is struggling and should have our support and encouragement?
Gospel-Centered Friendships Transcend Ethnic, Social, and Gender Barriers.
,
ETHNIC BARRIERS TRANSCENDED
Onesimus, Tychicus, Luke, Demas and Epaphras are Gentiles.
Aristarchus, Mark, and Justus are Jews.
Jews were persecuting Paul for preaching the gospel.
The big reason why this happened is because Christianity opened the door for the Gentiles to come to God and put them on equal standing with the Jews.
SOCIAL BARRIERS TRANSCENDED
Onesimus - a runaway slave
Luke - a medical doctor and author of the gospel of Luke and the book of Acts
Paul - a Jewish rabbi
The gospel has brought the slave, the rabbi, and the doctor together across the social lines.
GENDER BARRIERS TRANSCENDED
Nympha - a woman whose home was used for a house church meeting place… which was very radical.
Strict rabbis would not even look at women!
The Gospel removes gender differences that throughout history have often separated people.
There is equality in Christ.
Now, this doesn’t change male and female roles in marriage or in the church, for those are ordained by God (, ).
But it does teach the equality of sexes, which historically hasn’t readily been accepted.
It is a shame to see that many people who profess Christ still hold on to many of these distinctions!
Classism - exalting the rich and dishonor the poor ()
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