May grace and peace be multiplied to each of you this afternoon in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. Again, what a blessing, privilege, and joy it is for us to be together for this Shepherd's Conference. Let me publicly thank Dr. MacArthur for the invitation to open up God's Word with you.

Let's begin with a word of prayer. God, thank you for the blessings of this day, for all that we have already experienced and encountered under the teaching of your Word and in the fellowship of the saints. We pray again that you would renew our strength, focus our attention, and ready our hearts to receive with gentleness the implanted Word that is able to save our souls.

I pray that you would open our eyes that we may behold wonderful things from your Word. Give us understanding and we will keep your Word and observe it with our whole hearts. Grant me physical strength and spiritual energy to speak your Word with faithfulness and clarity and liberty, guide my thoughts, guard my heart, govern my words so that everything I say would be consistent with sound doctrine, and as the seed of the Word is planted and watered, we know that only you can give the increase.

So we reserve for you the highest praise and full credit for the fruit that shall come from this time, in Jesus' name, amen. Would you take your copy of God's Word and be turning with me to Colossians chapter 4? My assignment this hour is to address the subject that truth triumphs through believing prayer.

And I want to press that case by meditating with you on two verses in Colossians chapter 4. I want to spend our entire time there. Colossians 4 verses 12 and 13, "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 Herapolis." Amen. Before electricity, there were pump organs, where literally air would be pumped into the organ to bring forth the sound of music. One occasion, a famous musician performed a sold-out concert on one of these pump organs.

Backstage after the concert, he bumped into the young man who had been pumping the organ from behind as he played, and the young man said, "We had a great show tonight, didn't we? We did not have anything," barked the offended maestro. "I had a great show tonight." The next night, the maestro strolled on stage, sat at the organ, and began to play.

Nothing happened. He kept tickling the keys, expecting that at any moment the sound of music would spew forth to no avail. Angrily, he got up from the organ and walked around to the back and screamed, "What's going on back here?" The young man said, "It looks like you are not having a good show tonight." That musician's arrogant disposition was not the attitude of the Apostle Paul.

It should not be the attitude of any man of God. The Apostle Paul was the apostle to the Gentiles, the gospel globetrotter, the writer of half of the New Testament, but Paul did not have a one-man show philosophy of ministry. Paul had many friends in the faith who partnered with him to proclaim the gospel, defend the truth, and build up the church.

I've got to work hard not to get stuck there. Let me pause to double-click that for you as I move on. Brothers, you need friends in the faith. There are many pastors who are falling away, yes, unfortunately, because of moral failure and financial impropriety and doctrinal compromise, but there are a lot of pastors who are on the verge of giving up because they feel like they are all by themselves.

One of the blessings of our times together this week, friends, is not just the great preaching and the wonderful singing and the free books, but it's to be gathered with kindred spirits who are pressing on in the truth. Friend, go home knowing you are not in this battle by yourself.

You need to cultivate friends in the faith. Ecclesiastes says it well, verses 9 through 12, and I'll move on, "Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up.

Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him. A threefold cord is not quickly broken." Paul had friends in the faith, and on many occasions he ends his letters by giving a shout-out to these ministerial colleagues.

This is what you find in these final greetings of Paul's letter to the Colossians. In verses 7 through 18, there are some 11 people that Paul mentions by name. This extended list falls into two categories. Verses 7 through 11 mention his Jewish partners, verses 12 through 17 mention his Gentile partners.

And the list itself affirms for us Colossians chapter 3, verse 11, "Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, scythian, slave, or free, but Christ is all and in all." This list of diverse ministerial colleagues teaches us that Paul was not caught up in cliques and tribes and sects in the church.

Jew or Gentile was all the same to Paul as long as Christ was exalted. And so we find here a reminder that what we have in Jesus is infinitely greater, brothers, than those secondary differences that would pull us apart. Paul here gives his list of ministerial colleagues a shout-out, and of all of the names he mentions, the one that stands out in this list is Epaphras.

I am tempted to call Epaphras a major player in a minor role, but to describe him that way would be to dishonor his life and labor and legacy. Sure he may be a minor player in the sense that Epaphras is only mentioned three times in five verses in the New Testament.

But what we find in those limited references is of great impact and import, and without trying to hold the suspense, what is featured here about Epaphras is simply that he was a man of prayer. The Edmund Hebert comments, "Epaphras holds the unique distinction among all the friends and co-workers of Paul of being the only one whom Paul explicitly commends for his intensive prayer ministry." This does not suggest that all Epaphras did was pray, and it did not suggest that Paul's other colleagues did not pray, but Epaphras stood out in his devotion to believing prayer.

He was a warrior at prayer, a champion of prayer. Go up to Colossians chapter 4 verse 2, "And all of the saints are exhorted to continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it in all thanksgiving." Now in verses 12 and 13, we see that Epaphras exemplified and embodied this call to prayer.

From what we can gather from the background, Epaphras traveled some 1,000 miles from Colossae to Rome to visit the Apostle Paul, who was under house arrest in Rome. And we do not know if Epaphras and the Colossians were ever reunited, but as Paul wrote this letter to the Colossians, he wanted the saints to know that Epaphras continued to minister on their behalf even in his absence.

It was an exemplary ministry of intercessory prayer. And so, brothers, I want us to just consider this example of prayer. Yes, we have been hearing, and we will continue to hear over the course of this conference. Pastors who believe truth triumphs are fateful preachers. But I want to add to that conversation that pastors who believe truth triumphs are also to be prayer warriors.

Refraining prayer, we cease to fight. Prayer keeps the Christian's armor bright, and Satan trembles when he sees the weakest saint upon his knees. Christian soldiers fight on their knees. And we see that here in the example of Epaphras. Herbert Lockyer asked, "Can we say that we are the true successors of this devoted servant of Christ?" That's the question I want to weigh on us as we consider what Epaphras teaches us about the triumph of truth through believing prayer.

Let me walk you through these two verses under three headings. What does Epaphras teach us about intercessory prayer? I want to begin with the servanthood of Epaphras. Epaphras is a shortened form of the name Epaphroditus, but we are not to confuse this messenger from Colossae with that messenger from Philippi.

Epaphras was, as Paul will say in a moment, one of you. He was a part of the Colossian congregation. He, as I mentioned, traveled to Rome to get Paul's counsel about doctrinal trouble that has arisen in the church at Colossae. And he is with Paul when Paul is writing this letter back to the church.

And at some point, he says to Paul, "Please send the church my greetings," and that's basically what you have here in verse 12. Paul is extending greetings to the saints from Epaphras, but what we have here is much more than that. Beyond what Paul says to the church from Epaphras is what he says to the church here about Epaphras.

He affirms Epaphras' devotion to the church and his devotion to Christ. Note both of them in this verse. On one hand, he says of Epaphras, "He is devoted to the church." Epaphras, he describes as "one of you." What a phrase. He also describes Onesimus that way in verse 9.

He is "one of you." That is, he is either a native or a resident of Colossae, but he is saying more than that. He is saying more than the fact that Colossae was his hometown. This letter is not written, we must remember, to the city of Colossae. It is written, chapter 1, verse 2, "To the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae." And by saying that he is "one of you," that is what he means.

He is saying that Epaphras is a saint in Christ Jesus, and he is a faithful brother in Christ Jesus. What Paul says of the Colossians in chapter 1, verse 4, was also true of Epaphras, that his conversion was demonstrated by his faith in Christ Jesus and his love for all the saints.

He is "one of you," says Paul. He is a part of you. And even though he is not present with you, his heart is with you. He's not there, but what you are facing, what you are enduring, what you are suffering, he is so joined in heart with you that what you are going through, he is going through, which makes it natural and necessary for him to pray for you.

So let me just stop here and ask, brothers, what's your attitude toward the church God has called you to serve? Is there a bond of love and fellowship and faith? And you're not just over them in the Lord, you're one of them. Remember in Philippians chapter 1, we know Philippians chapter 1, verse 6, where Paul says, "I am sure of this, that he who has begun a good work in you will complete it at the day of Jesus Christ." But that highly doctrinal theological truth affected Paul's pastoral attitude toward the church.

In Philippians chapter 1, verses 7 and 8, he goes on to say, "It is only right for me to think or feel this way about you, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers of grace with me, both in my imprisonment and my confirmation and defense of the gospel, for God is my witness, how I long for you with the affection of Christ Jesus." One of my favorite hymns was written by John Fawcett, who is considered one of the great preachers of his time, but pastor to a very small church, his entire ministry.

He had an opportunity to go somewhere else, he endeavored to go somewhere else. He noted in his journal the reason why, he said, "Because my family is growing quicker than my salary." And he was invited to a major pulpit, but on his final Sunday, he walked down the aisle into a waiting carriage, the congregation followed him, and as they said their goodbyes, his wife tearfully said, "I can't leave them." And he said, "Neither can I." And instead of pulling off, they commanded that the wagons be unloaded, and he stayed there the rest of his ministry.

Historians speculate about what he was thinking, but I think the big clue is that right after, I believe the next Sunday, he preached from Luke 12, 15, "Be on guard against all covetousness, for a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions." And in that sermon, he read a poem that he had just written for the church, which was later set to music, "Blessed be the ties that bind our hearts in Christian love.

The fellowship of kindred minds is likened to that above." Epaphras is described here as one of you, expressing his devotion to Christ, but not only is there here, Mark, devotion to the church that is, but also devotion to Christ. Most likely, Epaphras is the founding pastor of the church at Colossae.

Chapter 1, verse 7 tells us that they heard the word of truth through Epaphras. But at some point, false teachers had infiltrated this young congregation, and their heretical claims rejected the sovereignty, supremacy, and sufficiency of the Lord Jesus Christ, whatever exactly this so-called Colossian heresy was. The danger of it was not that it was being presented to the saints in replacement of Christ, but that it was being presented alongside of Christ as if Christ was not enough.

Colossians 2, 1, Paul says, "We've never met each other face to face, but this report from Epaphras so burdened his heart that he wrote this letter back to them." And it would be Tychicus who would deliver this letter to the Colossians, not Epaphras. Epaphras remained with Paul in Rome.

Why did he remain with Paul in Rome? I don't know if he had a choice. Philemon 23 says he is a fellow prisoner of Christ. Very likely, he took this risk to come to Rome to get Paul's counsel. His association with Paul got him in trouble as well. And yet it apparently to him was a risk worth taking, because Paul says, "This Epaphras, who is one of you, is also a servant of Christ Jesus." He is a slave of the Lord Jesus Christ.

He is a bond servant who belongs to his master and is compelled to obey his master. And here the term is used to describe Epaphras' willing submission, total commitment and joyful obedience to the Lord Jesus Christ. And so what Paul will say about Epaphras' incessant prayer was not a commitment to prayer, it was a commitment to Christ that expressed itself in a commitment to his church, which demonstrated itself to a commitment to prayer.

Remember, brothers, you cannot have a high view of Christ and a low view of the church at the same time, and a high view of the church will be reflected not merely in our preaching, but also in our prayers. We should not just preach as faithful servants of Christ, we should pray as faithful servants of Christ.

And after these notes about the servanthood of Epaphras, I think the meat of the matter is secondly the struggle of Epaphras. Epaphras says, verse 12, "Who is one of you, a servant of Christ Jesus? He greets you." Again, this is basically what you have in the text, but don't minimize what's going on here.

It's more than, you know, "Yeah, before I close, I want y'all to know Epaphras said 'What's up?'" The word is a strong word, it means "to welcome, to receive, to embrace." But how could Epaphras embrace the church when he was not present? Verse 12 answers, "He's always struggling on your behalf in his prayers that you may stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God." What a statement.

I want to lean into this statement. I want you to, on one hand, see the manner of pastoral intercession, and on the other hand, the motive of pastoral intercession. Note the manner of pastoral intercession being exemplified here. Paul first tells us how Epaphras prayed. He prayed continually, fervently, and selflessly.

First, he prayed continually. He is always struggling on your behalf in his prayers. Always doesn't mean that his life was just one unbroken statement of formal prayers. It is a reference to the regular and repeated prayer life of Epaphras. It's very likely these two men, Paul and Epaphras, are imprisoned together.

And from their time together, Paul says, "I can tell you. He's always praying for you." Brothers, are there people who are part of your regular day-to-day life who never hear you pray? I'm not talking about those assigned times in public worship where it is ours to offer pastoral prayer.

I mean as a mark of your life as a man of God. Do the people in your life hear you in prayer? And do they hear you pray enough so that those who live with you could say, as Paul apparently was able to say here, "I can tell you, I live, I'm with this guy." And he is regularly, continuously, ceaselessly praying.

He's struggling in his prayers. The language there reminds us that he was praying all kinds of prayers. Kinds of adoration, confession, thanksgiving, supplication, and intercession. There are many reasons, brothers, for us to be concerned about what's going on in the church today and what's going on in the world around us today, but we must not be anxious about those things.

And Philippians chapter 4 verses 6 and 7 applies to us just as much as it applies to the saints to which we preach those verses to. The way to be anxious about nothing is to be prayerful about everything. He prayed continually, and then he prayed fervently. What a term here.

He is always struggling on your behalf in his prayers, wrestling, conflicting, fighting for you in his prayers. It's the word from which we get our word "agony." It speaks of military combat or athletic competition. It's the word, a variation of it is used in Luke chapter 22 verse 44 to describe the agony of Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane.

Paul uses it in Colossians chapter 1 verse 29. We know verse 28, "Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone in all wisdom that we may present everyone mature in Christ." But then he says in verse 29, "For this reason, I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works in me." The language is used in chapter 2 verse 1 as well.

It's used in Colossians 1 29 for his preaching. I believe it is used in chapter 2 verse 1 for his prayers, for I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you and for those that lay out to see you and for all who have not seen me face to face.

And basically now he's affirming that he and Epaphras are kindred spirits. He says in verse 12, "He is always struggling on your behalf in his prayers." These men were struggling. It's a picture of stress and strain and struggle in prayer. This passage has been living with me these opening months of the year.

There are those of us in this room who struggle at prayer. So who of us can be said, "They're always struggling in prayer for the saints." Laboring, wrestling, struggling in prayer on the behalf of the people of God to which we have been called. Mark it down, brothers. This is the proper spirit of prayer.

Your prayers will mean nothing to God until they mean everything to you. James 5:16 says it this way, "The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much." Prayer shouldn't be this take it or leave it thing. Prayer should not be approached as some burdensome duty, it should be approached as a wonderful privilege.

We should labor in it, wrestle in it, for the sake of the truth. This prayer advertises our dependence upon God. He prayed continually, fervently. He also prayed selflessly. It's one thing to struggle for yourself in your prayers, but he is struggling for others in his prayers. He's struggling for the church in his prayers.

Most likely he is in a difficult situation himself along with the Apostle Paul, but there is some holy sense of self-forgetfulness that allows him to concentrate his labors in prayer for the sake of the saints. There was a time when the farmers and their families would regularly pray, "Lord, hear not the prayers of a traveling man." Do you get it?

Hear not the prayers of a traveling man. The farmers would pray that because a traveling man walking through the village, walking through the town, would pray for sunshine because he doesn't walk in the rain. And he would pray for sunshine with no concern that without the rain, the harvest wouldn't come that was needed for that community to survive.

Local pastors are to pray like a family man, not a traveling man. Yes, James 4, 2, you have not because you do not ask, James 4, 3, but when you ask, you don't get it because you ask wrongly to spend it on your own passions. And so we see the manner of intercessory prayer, but the heart of this I want you to see is the motive of intercessory prayer.

After telling us how he prays, he tells us what he prays. And by what he prays, this is not a prayer report like you find in chapter 1. This is not a statement of the content of his prayers as much as it is a statement of the concern of his prayers.

And what you will see here is, again, what is modeled in chapter 1, that the consuming concern of Epaphras' prayer for the saints is not material or financial or circumstantial. He prays with spiritual priorities. Paul says as it were, "I'm listening to him pray," and I can tell you, he's always struggling on your behalf in his prayers, and the obvious concern of his prayers is that you may stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God.

So he was praying for their stability, their maturity, and their certainty. First he was praying for their stability, that you stand, that you literally stand firm with all of the error and confusion and untruth of the false teachers that would lead them astray in their belief and in their behavior.

He says that Epaphras is praying for you, that you stand firm, that you stand your ground, that you are unmoved from the foundation of the truth upon which you stand. Indeed, truth indeed triumphs through proclamation, saints, but here again we're reminded how truth triumphs through prayer, because we can't do the Lord's work in our own strength.

Ephesians 6, "Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil, for we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

Therefore take up the whole armor of God that you may be able to withstand in the evil day and having done all to stand firm." So he prays for their stability, and then he prays for their maturity, that you stand perfect, that you stand complete, that you stand mature.

Of course, this is not a reference to sinless perfection. It is a reference to spiritual maturity. Second Peter 3:18 commands, "But grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ." Authentic Christians are growing Christians, and we should constantly be praying that our people would mature in the faith, mature in godliness, mature in Christlikeness.

Colossians chapter 1 verse 28, as I already mentioned, Paul says, "Him we proclaim," warning everyone and teaching everyone that everyone is significant, unlike those false teachers. He does not believe that the truth is for a select few. But the goal is not just to get lost people saved, it is to get lost people saved, absolutely.

But Paul did not want the church to be a nursery that caters to immature, carnal-minded babies who refuse to grow up. He doesn't say we want to present saved people. We want to present, he says, everyone mature in Christ, growing in Christ. My son H.B. III, that's his name, my daddy did it to me, I did it to him.

I was gone on a trip, I was gone on a trip, I wasn't to be gone from Los Angeles to Atlanta for 24 hours. And he showed up two months premature. I found out when I sat down in the pulpit in Atlanta, I caught the first flight home, rushed to check on my wife and to see my baby boy.

And my son, premature son, I was so happy he was mine, he was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen. It was cords and all kinds of stuff, but he was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. And we took that baby home, pale white. And he stayed that way for a while.

And I said, Miss Charles, I said, Miss Charles, Miss Charles, this cat better get some color on him real soon or we got something to talk about. I love him all the more now, not just because he's mine, but because he looks like me. He acts like me. He wants to be with me.

He got his own job and money. He calls me now not to ask for anything, just to tell me he loves his old man. Saints, this is what God wants for the church. Yes, God loves those who are born again because they're his. But we must preach in such a way and we must pray in such a way that the church is growing, Ephesians 4, into the fullness of the measure of the stature of Christ.

So he prays for their stability, their maturity, and their certainty. He prays that they would be fully assured, fully persuaded, fully convinced. Is this not what's desperately needed in these days for our local churches? Our people need to know what they believe and they need to know why they believe what they believe.

Yes, we should preach to that end, but we should pray to that end, that they would be fully assured in all the will of God. I believe this phrase "all the will of God" is a synonym here for the gospel. All the will of God is a statement about the sufficiency of the Lord Jesus Christ.

He is affirming that Colossians 2 verse 3, that in Christ are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. You don't have to go looking around for the will of God. All you need to know about God's will is found in Jesus. We should pray like that. That's how Paul prays in chapter 1 verse 9, "And so from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you may walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God." Quickly let me note thoroughly for you verse 13.

We've seen the servanthood of Epaphras, we've seen the struggle of Epaphras, may I show you the sacrifice of Epaphras. Verse 12 is a greeting from Epaphras to the Colossians. Verse 13 is a commendation of Epaphras from Paul. I bear him witness. This is a solemn declaration that Paul uses to introduce important things he says, but here he uses it to introduce the commendation of his brother pastor.

Just in case you question what I said in verse 12, you could call me to the witness stand, and I can witness that he has worked hard for you and for those in Laodicea and in Herapolis. This is still a statement about his prayer. He sacrificed for the local church and for the global church.

Let me show you that quickly. I can bear him witness, he says, how much he sacrificed for the local church that he is a part of and serves. He has worked hard for you. It's a reference to great toil and strenuous labor that results in severe pain. He may have been with Paul under house arrest in Rome, so this may not refer, however, to any physical pain, but no doubt I believe it refers to mental and emotional and spiritual toil in prayer for the sake of the saints.

You've heard it said, "Give till it hurts." Have you ever heard it said, "Pray till it hurts." There are many people abandoning the church, claiming "church hurt." Paul here redefines "church hurt." He intentionally suffered severe pain and intercessory prayer on your behalf. He knelt long so that you may stand firm.

I need to rush on. There's a lot to criticize in our churches, there's a lot to criticize in the culture around our church, but I just want to ask you, brothers, are you praying as much as you are criticizing? It's cheap work to criticize. It's hard work to pray.

A dry city finally allowed liquor. A man quickly built a bar there, and the church couldn't do anything legally about it, but they decided to have an all-night prayer meeting, asking God to intervene about this bar that had opened up in their town. And after that all-night prayer meeting, a few days later, a storm occurred and lightning struck that bar and it burned down.

The bar owner, hearing about the prayer meeting, sued the church. The church got a lawyer who diligently argued that there's no direct correlation between that prayer meeting and that fire. The judge said, "I'll give my verdict under advisement." After hearing both sides, he says, "But before I give the verdict, what is obvious is that apparently this bar owner believes in prayer more than this local church." Do you really believe, brothers, that God still hears and answers prayer?

Then labor hard in believing prayer for your local church, and not just—I'm wrapping up now—He not only sacrificed for the local church, He also sacrificed—I love this—for the global church, if I may say it this way. He's worked hard not just for you, but for the other churches in the Licus Valley, for the church at Laodicea, and for the church at Hierapolis.

Paul wrote this letter to the church at Colossae. Verse 16 tells us that he wrote a letter to the church at Laodicea that he wanted read in Colossae. Here is the only reference to the church at Hierapolis in the New Testament. We don't know what was in that letter of Paul to the Laodiceans, but we do know about another email they got in Revelation chapter 3, where they are rebuked and warned to repent of their lukewarmness.

It is possible that Epaphras started all three of these churches. We can't say that for sure, but we can say with certainty that he labored in prayer for all of these churches. He was a part of the church at Colossae. He's one of you. Hear me, brothers. And he did not view his church to be in competition with other local churches.

Like Paul, 2 Corinthians 11, 28, he had anxiety, concern for all the churches. I just want to close reminding us of that, brothers. We're not in competition with each other. We're on the same team. And as corrupt as our society is, we need every church to be as healthy as it can be.

The world at its worst needs the church at its best. And so with confidence that truth triumphs, may we preach courageously and pray continually. May we preach mightily and pray militantly. May we preach steadfastly and pray strategically. What a friend we have in Jesus. All our sins and griefs to bear.

What a privilege it is to carry everything to God in prayer. Oh, what peace we often forfeit. Oh, what needless pains we bear. All because we do not carry everything to God in prayer. Thank you for your Word, Lord. I pray that as a result of our time together here this week, you will help us to go home and preach the Word.

Being ready in season and out of season, rebuking, reproving, and exhorting with complete patience and teaching. But Lord, may we also go home to always be struggling on the behalf of the saints in our prayers that they may stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God.

To the praise of your glory, amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.