"Helpful or Hurtful?"

Helpful people…

-are servants of the Lord
Crescens v10 nothing is known but apparently was dispatched to do the work of the Lord in Galatia
Titus v10 Helpful but we will learn more about him next week.
Tychicus v12 Eph 6:18-21 & Col. 4:2-7 Paul states that “he is a faithful brother and minister” 2x and says he will tell the church at Collosea his affairs…so he was a messenger.
Q=Do you serve the Lord?

Luke v11 The physician wrote Gospel of Luke and Acts. But he is with Paul
-use skills and abilities to serve.
Q=What skills and abilities do you have to serve?

-provide companionship. Luke knew Paul would appreciate company.
Q=Are you available?

-do things for others.
Vrs 13 bring my cloak, books and parchments (OT Scriptures)
Q=Are you willing to do things for others?
Side note: Spurgeon Metropolitan Tabernacle in 1860’s on “The books”
How rebuked are they by the apostle! He is inspired, and yet he wants books! He has been preaching at least for thirty years, and yet he wants books! He had seen the Lord, and yet he wants books! He had had a wider experience than most men, and yet he wants books! He had been caught up into the third heaven, and had heard things which it was unlawful for a men to utter, yet he wants books! He had written the major part of the New Testament, and yet he wants books! The apostle says to Timothy and so he says to every preacher, "Give thyself unto reading."

Christians, what is true of ministers is true of all our people. You need to read. Renounce as much as you will all light literature, but study as much as possible sound theological works, especially the Puritanic writers, and expositions of the Bible. We are quite persuaded that the very best way for you to be spending your leisure, is to be either reading or praying.

Hurtful people…

-let us down
Demas v10 Being in love with the world will leave you Restless. It is amazing to see that when people turn away from the Lord it actually hurts those who are serving Him. (some personal illustrations)
Q=Have your actions and decisions let others down?

-cause us problems
Alexander v14a “Much harm” “guard against/Beware of him” this would carry the idea we have to put up some walls against people who have hurt us. This does not mean we do not forgive, or we should treat them badly. But it does give us the idea that we should enter in with extreme caution.

Do people change?
Sometimes the hurtful become helpful.
Mark v11 Acts 15:36-41 Paul disapproved of Mark because of his departure from them. 46-47AD. God sometimes uses departed situations to further the Kingdom and prove peoples usefulness. Paul did not say “I was wrong about him” he said he is useful almost 20 years later.
So yes people change but they may need time…I would suggest time

You may be saying to yourself…I don’t really have many helpful people in my life…
Vrs 16-18 When we can’t count on anyone…we can count on the Lord.
Jesus is helpful to us even though were hurtful to Him. GOSPEL

How do we treat those who are hurtful?
Vrs 14b (our instinct is to take revenge)
-take comfort that the Lord will repay.

Vrs 16 -pray for mercy for them

- Realize you have hurt others.
Thomas Kempis wrote in the “Imitation of Christ” in the 1400’s
Under the heading “Bearing with faults of others”
“Try to bear patiently with the defects and infirmities of others, whatever they may be, because you also have many a fault” “If you cannot make yourself what you wish to be, how can bend others to your will” “we want them to be perfect and yet we do not correct our own faults”

(Paul would understand that because he did great harm to the faith and then he was saved and people where skeptical and he understood that)

How do we treat those who are helpful?
-encourage them
Vrs 19-21 Greet those co-laborers Paul is being an example of a person that is helpful. His encouraging words to those people. Think about the God of this universe decided to inspire Paul to give “shout outs” to certain people and how encouraging would that be to be one of them.

-Bless them
Vrs 22
The final words Paul penned was a blessing