Address—C.H. Brown
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Into the 4th chapter of Colossians masters, give unto your servants that which is just and equal, knowing that he also have a master in heaven.
Continuing prayer and watch him the same with Thanksgiving, with all. Praying also for us, that God would open unto us the door of utterance to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bond.
That I may make it manifest as I ought to speak.
Walk in wisdom toward them that are without redeeming the time.
Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with thought, that you may know how you ought to answer every man.
All my state shall take a gust. Declare unto you as the beloved brother and a faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord.
Whom I have sent unto you for the same purpose, that he might know your estate and comfort your heart.
With an estimates. A faithful and beloved brother who is one of you.
They shall make known unto you all things which are done here.
Aristarchus, my fellow prisoners saluted you and Marcus, sister son to Barnabas, touching whom you receive commandments. If you come unto, you receive him and Jesus, which is called justice.
Circumcision. These only are my fellow workers under the Kingdom of God.
Which have been a comfort unto me.
Effer Fraz, who is one of you, a servant of Christ, deludeth you all was laboring fervently for you in prayers, that you may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God. For I bear him record that he hath a great zeal for you, and them that are in Laodicea, and them in Hieropolis.
Luke, the beloved physician.
And Demos, great, you salute the brethren which are Laodicea in Memphis, and the church which is in his house.
And when this epistle is read, among you caused that it be read also in the Church of the Laodicean.
And that you likewise read the epistle from Laodicea and say to Archaeus, take heed to the ministry which thou hast received in the Lord, that thou fulfill it.
The salutation by the hand of me, Paul. Remember my bonds. Grace be with you. Amen.
As much as this is the last chapter.
Have to be well to go back over the other chapters just in a little review first.
Make the connections and also to.
Bring it to our minds again.
Finding the book of Colossians that.
The believer is seen here on Earth.
He's seen as taken out of his position of sin and.
He's seen as risen with Christ.
Now this, this epistle was written, no doubt, at the same time as this.
As a pistol through the Ephesians believe in two problems.
But in Ephesians the apostle has a different line of things before him, because he speaks of predestination.
Speaks of the ceiling of the Spirit.
And.
More of that which has to do with that side of the truth, the mystery where we're all gathered into one body and the practical effects of it in the 4th chapter.
Now most of these things are not seen in Colossians because the believer in Colossians is not seen as seated in the heavenlies yet. He's just seen risen, but he's still down here visions. He's seen as seated in the heavenly and he's sent down here on a mission, so.
The apostle then speaks of their hope, which is laid up for them in heaven.
They're looking on to the rest. So it's a wilderness epistle, something like Hebrews.
The hope which is laid up for you in heaven.
It begins by commending them in various ways, as he always does when he can command anything.
And he notices the fruit that's seen in their lives.
Having believed through the ministry of Epifras, probably he highly commends Epifras. Now whether Epifras was in prison with him or not, we don't know, but at least he was near the Apostle.
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And the apostle knew a great deal about Epifras. He wasn't in prison with him. He visited him no doubt often.
And Epifras was the one who was used, no doubt, to bring the truth to these Colossians Saints, because the apostle had never seen them.
This time.
And so the apostle is writing to them that he might.
As he says in another epistle, in part from spiritual gifts to them, something that is received by revelation from God that would build them up in their most holy faith, would comfort them because they had just come out of heaven them.
But at the same time.
All through this epistle there is the suggestion that possibly.
There's a line of things creeping in whereby the mind was working. Philosophy, vain deceit.
And so from the very start, he brings in that line of truth that would encourage them and turn them away from the reasonings of men.
So one of the first things he mentions is that in his prayer for them is that they might come to the full understanding of God's will.
The full understanding of God's will.
Wisdom to because we need wisdom as we go through this world.
But also that they might come to the to a fuller.
Measure of the true knowledge of God.
Now in the end of the second chapter we find that there were things introduced that were not the true knowledge of God.
And so his desire for them is that they might come into this.
In a fuller way into the true knowledge of God.
And then he begins to set before them.
What their blessings are.
And that they're to give thanks to the Father because he's made them fit me. We're having.
And that meekness was brought about at Calvary's cross.
Their sins have been forgiven through that precious blood that was shed, forgiveness losing them from all the guilt that attached to them, and heathen their wickedness before they were saved.
And then he speaks of an inheritance, the Kingdom. I suppose the only epistle that gives us any suggestion that we.
That the Lord Jesus is King, but he is.
But in Revelation, he's spoken of as King of nations.
He's never spoken of really as King of the Saints, although he is the king.
And we must own that he is.
But it's hardly right for the.
Queen to speak of her husband as the king exactly, unless it's been a formal way. And so we don't speak of the Lord as our King exactly, although he is that. No, we speak him as our Lord. And so that's the title that's before us in this whole epistle. The Lordship of Christ, he's Lord.
And that's the subject the apostle now takes up in the first chapter. And more in detail, he shows that he's the first born in two ways. He's the first born because he's the Creator.
He created all things as God, but now he's going to take it as man and he's going to have the preeminence and everything.
Also, these are the first born out from among the dead.
So in this he's head of the church and he takes the preeminence in all creation connected with these two.
Parts of his title as first born.
Then we see following this that.
The person of Christ.
The fullness of the Godhead is pleased to dwell in it.
The man Christ Jesus, he's made peace through his blood. So having made peace.
Is going to reconcile everything in heaven and earth.
But he's at this you hath he reconciled.
This is not a future event. He's laid the groundwork for reconciliation.
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For heaven and earth but you hath he reconciled. What a comfort then to these Colossians Saints, as well as to ourselves.
So then we see reconciliation 2 parts, just like we see the first born two parts.
Now the next thing that he brings before us is His ministry. His ministry has two parts. Also, he He's the one who brings the gospel to every creature that is not personally, of course.
But he's the one who was given the revelation of this gospel of the glory.
And it's to every creature through the whole creation.
But also he's been given the revelation of the mystery.
Now the mystery is not spoken of quite the same way in Colossians as it is in the features.
Here it's spoken of as Christ in you.
The hope of glory.
Christ in you the hope of glory.
That's the 27th verse of the first chapter. Now the apostle.
Is in closing this chapter, he's warning.
And teaching.
For the purpose that he might present every man, perfect or mature or full grown in Christ Jesus.
What a foundation for the soul to rest on now as we have in the first chapter.
What security for the believer?
Is connected with Christ in this wake, the one who has the inheritance, the one who restores all things, reconciles all things.
The one who is the head of the church.
And now it's Christ in you, the hope of God. When the 2nd chapter we have more of the subject of assurance in the first chapter is to bring them to the to the full knowledge of His will and to the true knowledge of God.
But in the second chapter it's to have the assurance of it to be rooted and to be built up and to be established. Now to be rooted, of course, is to see ourselves as the separately connected with the Christ in one body.
Christ in you the hope of glory.
To be built up is to see the Lord Jesus, that in Him we have every supply.
Nourished by bands and so on, as it says, but still it's in Christ.
A man, the man Christ Jesus, were built up in him. We have everything in him.
To be established would more be the.
The effect of it?
As seen in the believer as he walks down here in the good of this truth.
Obedience to God's will.
So then it's the assurance in the second chapter. Assurance in our souls.
Now, in the second chapter, there are three warnings.
The first one we noticed in the.
Second verse.
Rather in the fourth verse, but it's just after the expression in in whom I hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. That's the mystery of God. There we find all the treasures of mystery, of knowledge. And now he warns them anywhere, deceives them, beguile them.
But we have another warning now in the 2nd and the 8th verse, the second warning after he speaks of being rooted and built up and established because of the position we're in, Christ in US.
Nicest beware lest any man leads you away.
Deceive you and lead you into something else.
Because.
In him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. In the human body all the fullness of the Godhead dwell.
Christ of perfect man at God's right hand. Now that word fullness could become translated completeness. That is, there's nothing lacking is the thought and then he speaks now of.
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Through his death.
Circumcision not made with hands.
We have put off the body.
Notice in the.
11Th verse. Body of the Flesh.
So we have following it, resurrection, three things brought together now.
In the first chapter we have all guilt removed through his blood, forgiveness of sin. Now we have the body removed, the body of sin, body of sin.
That's taken up in Romans, the 6th chapter.
And to the doctrine of it. But then we are risen.
We have a new life.
Now that new life doesn't depend upon.
Anything that the flesh can perform.
At all.
That new life is Christ in you, The hope of glory, that's the new life.
Not in the flesh. We're not any longer in the flesh. It's Christ in you.
The other practical consequence, of course, is the excitation to walk and the good of this, as we have earlier in this chapter. Now he speaks of having forgiven you all. It's really offensive because he's speaking to gentiles.
Gentiles offended the Jews trespassed the law.
So he's forgiven all this, but the next verse would suggest that.
As we were noticing blotting out the.
Handwriting of ordinances that was against us.
The illustration we had in the Old Testament of the daughter or the wife who made a vow.
And she was not able to perform this vow. If her husband heard it, he could make that vow void, but if he did so, he would have to bear the full responsibility for it.
She would go free from the vow, but he would have to take the responsibility.
I believe that's what we have here, the signature that Israel had put saying all the Lord has spoken, we will do.
It's now nailed to his cross.
She was not able to perform it, nor could you or I perform it.
The law or all the ordinances of it, you couldn't perform it. And so it says, blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to to us and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross.
Well, what a place of liberty we're in then.
What assurances brings us?
Here on earth, going through a wilderness.
Christ in you the hope of glory. That's the end of the road that's in view.
And now he speaks of the position he's taken above all principalities and powers.
All authorities, because he spoiled them. He made a show of them openly at the cross, triumphing over them.
In it the 16 first, it's the Jewish line of things.
Whereas in the 18 first we have more of the reasoning.
Of the Gentiles and the philosophers and so on.
Which is particularly applicable to the Saints of colossi.
They're both out of order, whether it's the outward ordinances, keeping of days.
The ordinances of the law, whatever they are, it's a man who is in the flesh.
That this was given to not a man who's risen, but a man who's in the flesh.
So they they do not apply to us any longer. They never did to the Gentiles.
Now the reasoning, the philosophies of men, the intruding into.
The things they haven't seen, the worshipping of angels.
All these reasonings in connection with spiritual things have no place because.
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Were complete in Christ. We don't need anything else.
I believe that's what we have here and that's what gives the assurance to the soul.
That we are complete.
Year complete in him.
Now in Ephesians we find that the church completes what's spoken of there as the man.
Christ is the head and the Church is his body.
But here a year complete in him Christ forms the completeness here because of the subject.
He brings in the completeness of everything in his person. We don't need anything more.
We should never allow our minds to reason and spiritual things because.
There's never intended to be used for that purpose.
Where there is a known revelation from God.
Where would reasoning come in if God has revealed himself in His Word? He's made known his mind.
The new man loves to obey.
The flesh rebelled.
So there's no place for reasoning here.
If we find everything in Christ as to approach to God.
What will ordinances do?
They have no place, do they? They're set aside.
So whether it's philosophy? And now he warns again.
18 First, let no man beguile you of your reward.
Because there's a danger of their turning away from these things.
That they had in Christ, and substituting that which the flesh, the religious flesh, loves because it exalts the flesh.
Or the mind loves because it exalts the mind, the intelligence, as men say.
What is real intelligence if it isn't doing the will of God?
And that's what's encouraged here. That's real intelligence to do the will of God.
To seek from His word that which He's given us as our instructions.
The believer loves to do that.
So it sums up then in the 19, first holding the hat, the head.
Christ the head. It isn't so much here the subject of the body, although it's mentioned in the mysteries connected with the body.
As we notice in the next chapter, it's more than the subject of the individual life of the believer. We're risen.
The individual life.
Now we notice that as we go into the review the third chapter for a moment.
Now, being risen with Christ, we are to set our mind on things above. Why? Well.
You're dead and your life is hid with Christ in God. So it's a question of our life, you see, risen with Christ. It's the individual life of the believer that's brought forward for the moment here in stress.
Now that life that we have is hid with Christ. In God, Christ is hid.
He's not seen by man or angels today. He's passed through the heavens where no created being in.
He's passed through it all. He's beyond it all. Just think of it, brethren. Christ has passed through the heavens, way beyond principalities, authorities, powers. He's above it all, dwelling in unapproachable light and sits beside the Father in His throne.
He's here now. Our life is hid there. That's where our life is hid. Says so. What a consolation for our hearts then. Now, isn't it only right we set our affections where our life is. You know, when Elijah went up, Elijah asked him for a double portion of his spirit.
He said if you see me when I go up, it will be granted you what is meant for this.
Yet man, it means if there was the energy in type of course.
To have the eyes fixed on an exalted, glorified Christ, then he would have that double portion of the Spirit. Well, you notice that he said it's a hard thing.
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That if you see me when I go up, it will be granted to you. It's a hard thing. Why is it such a hard thing?
Because of all the powers that are raid against us, that's why.
All the enemy's power.
Against us and the flesh that's still with us.
That resist the spirit, fear it against the flesh. It's a hard thing.
And what is it then that delivers enables 1 to enjoy that portion of the Spirit?
And we've gone up.
That your affections and things above.
Now, are we going to occupy our time with the things of this world? And then the last moment, perhaps a few minutes, we can slip over and read our Bibles, a verse or two or a calendar verse. Is this the is this the way to set our affections on things above?
Most of the printed matter you know that's available today is trash.
Now I know there's some things that are necessary for business.
Renewed.
But surely most of its trash and all how many hours sometimes we may spend in things that are absolutely worthless.
We may leave any moment.
To a better land now are we? Are we really in the enjoyment of these things? Have we set our affections on things above where Christ sitteth? Our life is up there now. What's the next thing? When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall we also appear with Him in glory?
Go to Prospect.
And although we are seen now as on the earth, we are not seen as seated up there.
Still in Colossians, our life is up there.
So it's equivalent to the same thing.
Life is there, and when he comes forth from there, we'll come forth too, because in the meantime, we're going to be caught away.
Before he appeared and then when he does appear, we'll be with to appear with him. Now the expectation mortify your members which are upon the earth. You can't put yourself to death, you know.
Now that was done at the cross. As far as in God's sight, we're dead already.
Man's will cannot set his own will aside.
And so he has to take the position of being dead.
Ye are dead in God's sight.
Your life is hid with Christ and God, but ye are dead now. Mortify.
Your members, which are upon the earth.
And then he names all of these things.
Now down later in the chapter we noticed that.
He addresses the Saints as.
In the 12Th verse put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, vows of mercy, and so on.
The basis of his exhortation is the position they're in.
He doesn't say, you disobedient children, I'm going to exhort you. He doesn't say that.
He exhorts them on the basis of where they are in God's sight.
But an encouragement for us Well, in the 15th verse of the third chapter, then we have the peace of Christ presiding in the hearts. In the 16th, the word of Christ dwelling richly in all wisdom. Let it, let it.
Now this 16th verse then, is the key to the exhortation, because there will there'll be no power to carry out these expectations practically in our lives unless the Word of Christ is dwelling richly in our hearts.
We may mean ever so well, but the flesh will take over.
Because the only power that we have now is the power.
In connection with a risen, exalted Christ.
We get all our nourishment from our head and it's through the Word of God by the Spirit.
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So unless the word of Christ dwells richly.
As it says here in all wisdom.
And also.
In psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord, you notice all this comes before these expectations. We have the word of Christ dwelling richly in the heart, the peace of Christ presiding.
And now?
The grace.
Singing with grace in your heart. What a way to start off the Christian life. What a way to start the day.
This is the way of power.
For the believer.
Not just to start the day, but have you ever come home tired and discouraged because of the problems you've had and dropped your knees just for a moment? Presence of the Lord. Get up singing.
Try at the sea.
Oh, how the Newman loves to resort to his dwelling place.
The many things that hinder it, but the Newman loves to resort to this.
He loved it.
And it's our constant privilege.
Go back and back again.
And then it says.
Wives submit. Husbands love your wives. Children obey.
Fathers provoke, not your children. Servants obey.
And the chapter closes with knowing that of the Lord you shall receive the reward of the inheritance, for you serve the Lord Christ. Now this brings us back to the Lord again as the object.
He's the one that's going to reward in that day.
So it's the Lord then?
In the following chapter.
Yeah, I sent you the state of the Masters as well.
You've spoken to the servants to obey that. The masters aren't going to fill their part too.
Give unto your servants that which is just and equal, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven now. The Lord Jesus, when He's here, didn't try to change anything except man's heart.
The apostle didn't either.
He didn't say to those who had slaves. Now you get rid of your slaves.
No, he told them to be just and equal in connection with their dealings with their slaves.
He did speak rather firmly to Philemon about it, and I suppose the result was that an estimates was set free.
Because we have an estimate delivering this epistle.
There's another They must have been set free.
However, the apostle wasn't trying to bring in a reform in the next with slavery.
But he he wanted them to know how they should act.
Under these conditions in which man found himself.
And the believers place is not to try to reform this world as to change things here.
If he individually can get out of a situation that isn't according to God's mind, that's one thing. But this isn't our business to reform this world.
But still there is a certain conduct expected of the Christian, whether he is a servant or whether he is a master.
And that's righteousness.
And also to give a testimony of the character of God by his manner of life.
Not only are we to set forth what the truth is in words, but we're to set it forth in practice.
And so he exhorts to prayer in the second verse.
But then in the third verse, he exhorts them to pray for him.
In connection with that which he has on his heart is a burden the telling forth of the mystery Christ in the Church. The apostle was in prison. Every door was closed, it seemed.
That the apostle wasn't discouraged.
He wanted the Saints to pray for him that there might be opportunities still.
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The telling for this mystery.
How easily we become discouraged because everything doesn't go just as we expected.
Because the door doesn't open wide ahead of us here, the apostle was closed in in every hand.
Could have been in an inner present even.
Probably what the dungeon.
Yet he wasn't discouraged. No, discouragement is not faith.
It's simply the flesh, that's all.
In the light of all the truth that we have had in Colossians, have we any right to be discouraged?
No, he tells him to walk in wisdom toward them that are without redeeming the time, and that their speech should always be with grace.
Seasoned with salt.
Needing wisdom As we go through this world, we're to walk in wisdom.
Supposing that they were filled richly with the word as in the previous chapter.
There wouldn't be any wisdom outside him there would there be any wisdom unless we were on our knees.
If any man lack wisdom, let him ask of God, who giveth to all men liberally.
Without prayer, we wouldn't have wisdom no matter how much we read the Word.
Because it's the Spirit of God that makes it good to us.
And so the speech with grace, seasoned with salt.
Now this is rather a delicate thing, isn't it?
You know, Salt would suggest that which would reach the conscience of the one who you were speaking to.
But here to speak to him in grace.
At the same time seeking to reach the conscience.
Now this couldn't come about unless the Spirit of God was behind it.
And so the believer is supposed to be in such a state where this could be.
He's filled richly with the word itself.
Then walking in the good of it wisdom.
His words would be with grace.
And why does it say this?
Well, you remember in Luke the 4th chapter when the Lord was ministering in the synagogue, they wondered at the gracious words that came from his lips.
So the apostle here is taking up this line of things that the believer has the same life and expresses itself in the same way.
Great.
But at the same time the Lord could say, Except you repent, you shall all likewise perish. That's the song.
Gracious and yet soft.
The apostle is beginning to commend different ones here, and you'll notice the difference in the way he commends them.
He speaks of Technicus, the one who delivered this epistle with the Methodist.
He's going to tell you all about my affairs. The apostle doesn't write any details about his own personal affairs here. He lets the ones who delivered the message tell them personally.
But he speaks of him there as a beloved brother.
And a faithful minister.
And fellow servants, but in the Lord.
Now there is a difference between the expression in Christ and in the Lord.
Every believer is seen as in Christ.
But when you speak of one as being a a fellow servant in the Lord supposes that he's subject to the will of God in his way. Now that is not true of every believer.
Sad to say, it isn't always true.
We are always free to speak of what is in Christ.
But when you speak of service.
As here, the apostle carefully notes that it was in the Lord.
Now not only was he to tell them about the affairs of the apostle, but he was to bring back a report of their state.
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That was searching, wasn't it?
And also he was to comfort their hearts.
Well, the only way that one could comfort the hearts of the Saints would be in the enjoyment of that comfort themselves. The apostle could speak in Second Corinthians of comforting with the comfort that he had received of God.
Otherwise it's human comfort and it doesn't amount to very much unless it has this.
Touch of the Spirit in it. The Newman.
Now he speaks of an estimate. The runaway slave. Here he is.
With he's a beloved brother, but he's a faithful and beloved brother, but a change has come into the life of an estimated the power of the gospel of Christ who is one of you. He must have been connected with that assembly. Now he may not have been directly at philosophy. He may have been at Hieropolis or Laodicea because you'll notice that.
Archivists in the 17th verse.
As mentioned, but he is probably not in the assembly's. Colossi must be in an assembly nearby.
Mentioned in the book of Philemon as being in that assembly, I believe.
Unless he had moved.
Now together, these two would make known all the things that are done there in the prison.
But here's a fellow prisoner, Aristotle, a man that's in the prison with Paul for the gospel.
We don't hear too much about Aristarchus and why he's in prison, but he's there.
Marcus is mentioned. Marcus the one who went home.
It didn't continue in the work.
The one who caused difficulty between Paul and Barnabas.
Now the apostle is telling them to receive him. He commands him.
Later on, in Second Timothy, we learned that the apostle has a special commendation for his work.
And then we find that he's the one that wrote the Gospel of Mark.
Though there's a restoration here. Encouragement.
In the reading of this part of Colossus.
He named these first group, this first group as being a comfort to him. I suppose that they had visited him in the prison, seen to his needs. They'd been a comfort.
Now he brings in Epifras. Epifras was the one who had brought the gospel to the Colossians Saints.
We don't hear much of Epifras, we don't hear about him as being a mighty speaker anything of that time.
He was just one of you, it says. Just one of you. Perhaps he belonged to the assembly at philosophy. I suppose that's the case. He's one of you.
But he was staying with the apostle while these other messengers brought this letter to the church.
And the apostle is telling what he's doing.
A servant of Christ saluted you all was laboring fervently for you in prayers.
That you might stand perfect and complete in all the will of God.
Well, have you seen someone converted and then you forgot all about them?
Epifras had seen the Saints converted under his ministry in philosophy.
And now he laborers continually, fervently in prayer for them, that they might stand in all the will of God.
He is praying that they might do the very things that the apostle has been opening up in this letter.
The will of God.
That stand perfect in it and complete in it, or filled as this audience in all the will of God.
And that's what we need, isn't it? Not just part of the truth, but we need all of it.
All of them, not any part of it.
Don't set aside any part of the truth, Old and New Testament. We need it all.
He speaks of Luke.
As the beloved physician.
Not just a physician, he's the beloved physician. Paul has reason to say this.
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Because all the way through the loop you'll see marks.
Of Luke.
As a companion of the Apostle and his wandering in and out among the various places of his ministry.
In the book of Acts, I should say.
Luke is there. He's not mentioned by name, but you can trace it. And he says we are us because he's the writer of that epistle.
Damon Damon St.
Nothing beloved about it is there?
Why? Because in the next epistle, the next time demons is mentioned, demons have forsaken me. There's a decline now.
Zamus was mentioned as a fellow servant at one time.
But now it's just demonstration.
There's a distance here, and soon it's going to widen. And demons hath loved this present age.
Just what his trouble was, we don't know.
That he left the testimony the apostle was setting for.
He didn't want to go on with it. Perhaps the persecution, the reproach.
Connected with it, turned him aside, whatever it was. Dimas greets you. Is all he says.
We find that.
******* here adds a church in his house, common custom in those days.
We don't know just how many of the churches were otherwise, but we know that many of them were in a House of one family.
The apostle desires this epistle be read to the other assemblies.
Nearby.
Because the truth of God is for all the Saints.
It's true, there was a special time for the writing.
Under the special circumstances and state of soul of each assembly, like Galatia for instance.
But we all need all the truth of the New Testament, and so the apostle.
Watch this epistle to be read in the Church of the Laodicean.
And that they were to read the epistle from Laodicea. Now we don't know what that epistle was. It might have been the epistle.
To Ephesus.
And then the expectation for this one man to remember and take heed to the ministry.
Which he had received in the Lord, In the Lord.
Now, it doesn't necessarily mean that it wasn't.
He wasn't serving, but the apostle emphasizes here the fact of the Lordship of Christ, which is characteristic of this epistle.
And it might be possible to be serving, but not in the sense of complete obedience to the Word of God.
We might introduce our own thoughts into our service.
That archibus was to take heed to the ministry which he has received in the Lord, in the Lord, and that he would fulfill it.
The apostle signed this letter, although it was written no doubt by another, because he seals it with the authority of an apostle.