Sermon Tone Analysis

“When this letter has been read among you, have it also read in the church of the Laodiceans; and see that you also read the letter from Laodicea.”

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Sometimes we forget that the letters Paul wrote are not mere theological treatises, meant to provide sermon fodder for preachers desperate for something to preach.

They are personal letters to churches composed of men and women known and loved by him.

This is apparent in the final statements of his letter to the Colossians.

“Aristarchus my fellow prisoner greets you, and Mark the cousin of Barnabas (concerning whom you have received instructions—if he comes to you, welcome him), and Jesus who is called Justus.

These are the only men of the circumcision among my fellow workers for the kingdom of God, and they have been a comfort to me.

Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ Jesus, greets you, always struggling on your behalf in his prayers, that you may stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God.

For I bear him witness that he has worked hard for you and for those in Laodicea and in Hierapolis.

Luke the beloved physician greets you, as does Demas.

Give my greetings to the brothers at Laodicea, and to Nympha and the church in her house.

And when this letter has been read among you, have it also read in the church of the Laodiceans; and see that you also read the letter from Laodicea.

And say to Archippus, ‘See that you fulfill the ministry that you have received in the Lord’” [COLOSSIANS 4:10-17].

The Apostle is writing to friends—greeting them by name, encouraging them, forwarding greetings from people known to members of the congregation.

This is an excellent example of the forgotten art of correspondence.

I do not mean, however, that there is nothing of theological value in what the Apostle has written.

Rather, his letters to the churches are designed to provide instruction in godliness and encouragement to be righteous while addressing specific problems.

There are at least three treasures suggested through these closing words of Paul’s letter to the saints of Colossae.

These theological gems are the focus of our study today.

“When this letter has been read among you, have it also read in the church of the Laodiceans; and see that you also read the letter from Laodicea.”

The gems I urge you to consider provide an account of the transmission of the New Testament, remind us of the relationship of the churches and reveal the blessings that lie hidden within difficulties.

Open your Bible to COLOSSIANS 4:16 and together, let us mine the riches of God’s Word.

DEVELOPMENT OF THE NEW TESTAMENT — Consider just a few informative facts about the New Testament.

This portion of the Scriptures is comprised of twenty-seven books.

There are four Gospels—MATTHEW, MARK, LUKE and JOHN, one historical account of the early church—ACTS, thirteen books written by the Apostle to the Gentiles, eight letters we refer to as the General Letters, and one prophetic book—REVELATION.

All these were written within a relatively brief period.

Before the First Century ended, the New Testament was complete and was widely circulated among the churches.

The Bible is both a divine book and a human book.

It is divine in that it was given under the guidance of the Spirit of God.

Peter says that the Book is the result of men speaking “from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit” [see 2 PETER 1:24].

We make no fantastic claim such as the words of the Bible were inscribed on palm leaves with a golden pen.

We do, however, accept God’s declaration that His Spirit superintended chosen men to ensure that what was written revealed the mind and the character of God.

Everything that is necessary for spiritual wholeness and to ensure the joy of those who believe has been revealed through this written Word.

Have you ever noticed how frequently Scripture claims divine origin?

Consider but a few of the instances when those writing Scripture claimed that God directed them.

In his first letter, Peter writes that the Spirit of God was speaking through the Prophets [see 1 PETER 1:11].

On the day of Pentecost immediately preceding the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, Peter made the same assertion to the assembled church [see ACTS 3:18].

When the nascent congregation was choosing an apostle to replace Judas, Peter asserted the same truth that the Spirit of God spoke by David [see ACTS 1:16].

In saying this, Peter was but echoing David himself, who wrote,

“The Spirit of the LORD speaks by me;

His word is on my tongue.”

[2 SAMUEL 23:2]

This truth is iterated in Scripture: “All Scripture is breathed out by God” [2 TIMOTHY 3:16].

I have often pointed out the distinguishing assertion of the Prophets as they delivered their stinging rebukes to Israel.

The Major Prophets alone speak in the Name of the Lord with the characteristic refrain, “Thus says the Lord,” over 345 times.

The Minor Prophets use that same formula 80 times to emphasise the origin of their message.

We do not worship this Book; but we do recognise that God has given us a perfect treasure in this Book.

The Word reveals the mind of God; and if we obey its precepts, it will keep us from sin and guide us into all righteousness.

God Himself has given us the Book, and therefore we receive His Word with gratitude and with joy.

There yet remains a human element to be explored in the creation of the Word.

God did speak by men; and the Word is given for the benefit of man.

Living in this era when multiplied translations of the Word are available, we sometimes forget that there was a time when the Bible as we know it did not exist.

On the shelves of my library, I have over 30 different translations of the entire Bible, the New Testament or portions of the New Testament, and the Old Testament.

I have five Greek New Testaments and two copies of the Hebrew Scriptures.

On my computer, I can access forty five English translations of the Bible, one hundred twenty-nine different Greek New Testaments, Old Testament or papyri copies, seventy-five copies of the Hebrew and Aramaic Scriptures or portions, three Syriac New Testaments and five copies of the Scriptures in Latin.

The Greek Testaments and papyri, to which I frequently refer in developing messages preached from this pulpit, represent the labour of scholars that have available over five thousand copies of the Greek Scriptures from ancient times.

Many of these Greek Scripture portions date to the earliest period of the development of the Christian Faith, some even being dated to the First Century A.D. This says nothing of other ancient manuscripts in Syriac and Latin and Amharic that are available to preachers and scholars.

What happened, from a human perspective, to assure such rapid and wide dissemination of the written Word of God?

The Lord Christ was born at just the right time.

Would we expect anything other than this when speaking of the birth of God’s Son?

The Apostle Paul provides insight into this matter.

“When the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons” [GALATIANS 4:4, 5].

The Roman rule of the European, North African and Mediterranean world assured peace that permitted relative ease in spreading the message of a Saviour that conquered death.

An absence of wars and conflicts ensured unhindered spread of the Faith.

The system of Roman roads assured rapid travel between distant points.

Whilst we cannot compare the spread of news in this day to that ancient day, the time for travel between major cities had been reduced from months and even years to days.

This permitted relatively rapid communication between the peoples of that ancient day.

Greek had become the lingua franca of that day, much as English is the language of commerce throughout the world in this day.

This meant that almost any resident of the most far-flung outpost of the Empire would be able to understand what was being said or written by a resident on the opposite side of the Empire.

The Bible was written in that trade language that ensured it would be readily understandable.

Thus, the Word of God spread rapidly, enjoying a period of peace, being carried quickly between distant points, and being understood by both the cultured and the uncultured peoples of the nations.

There were no computers, no word processors and no printing presses available for printing the Bible.

There were no colporteurs to distribute the Scriptures among the populace.

I suppose we might consider this a handicap in spreading the Good News of Christ, but within one generation, the entire Roman world was evangelised.

Paul could exult to the Colossians that the Gospel had become known in the whole world [COLOSSIANS 1:6, 23].

Think about that!

The first Christians had proven so faithful to the commission of our Lord that the entire world knew of the Faith within one short generation.

In Thessalonica, Paul and his missionary band were haled before the courts with this charge, “These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also” [ACTS 17:6].

At the time this charge was levelled against the missionaries, not three decades had passed since the death and resurrection of Jesus.

What a challenge for us!

We have radio and television, satellite telephones and computers—and we still have not evangelised our world, much less our own community!

The problem is not that we do not have opportunity or equipment to spread the Good News of Christ; rather, the problem is that we do not spread the Gospel of Christ the Lord.

Perhaps it is a matter of priorities, or perhaps it is that we no longer are excited by the freshness of life itself, but we still have a great task before us.

Moreover, we have a great example in the first saints of what can be accomplished if we are willing to work.

Paul wrote a letter to the Colossians.

He did not produce hundreds of copies for each of the churches to read.

Instead, he included instructions for the Colossian church to read the letter—publicly.

Then, when the letter had been read, it would be carried to the nearby city of Laodicea where it would be read before the Christians in that city as well.

Moreover, a letter that had been sent from Laodicea was to be read in the church at Colossae.

In other words, Paul’s letters were to be copied and read among the churches.

Two truths stand out in the scenario.

First, the reading of Scripture was an integral part of worship in the early church.

Today, we think it boring to hear the Scriptures read.

However, consider this charge to the Thessalonians.

“I put you under oath before the Lord to have this letter read to all the brothers” [1 THESSALONIANS 5:27].

In one memorable service, my pastor, Dr. Jim Higgs read the Book of First Thessalonians.

The people expressed their discomfort as he read such an extended portion in a public service.

It was only when he had reached the end of the book that they realised he was actually fulfilling a neglected scriptural mandate.

Public reading of the Scriptures was expected because worship was integral to who the believers were.

They did not go to church—they were the church; worship was neither occasional nor optional in the New Testament church—worship was constant.

Consequently, we read some phenomenal statements in the accounts of the early church.