Message Notes Colossians Part Nine

Transcription

1 Message Notes Colossians Part Nine Life Church Smyrna Wednesday, November 1, 2017 Pastor Christian Salzillo Part 9: Colossians 3:18-4:1 NIV Let s keep front and center tonight the theme of the entire letter the idea of the supremacy of Christ and the power of Christ in us. When Jesus enters a relationship, a person, or a situation, he brings change. There is a marked difference between simply being and being in Christ. Paul is speaking to three different relationship structures: Husbands & Wives Parents & Children Masters & Slaves Ingrained in the Greco-Roman world and culture was a set of philosophical beliefs household codes regarding the family. The man had absolute, sovereign rule over his family There was no convention that governed how he was to treat those under his rule So Paul takes the household codes of Rome that everyone would be familiar with, he then runs it through the new reality of this family of believers now being in Christ, and he provides a teaching that s rooted in the old but is marked by the new. Husbands & Wives The burden of action in this text of Scripture is not on the wives; it s on the men. We men will have the credibility to lead our families spiritually when we love our wives the way Paul and Christ commanded us to. In the body of Christ, there was equality. In the family, Paul envisioned a unit where husbands gently loved their wives, and wives deferred to the spiritual leadership of their husbands. Parents & Children Paul affords a group certain considerations that didn t receive them before. In the new code, under Christ, there is still an expectation of obedience, but now the parent has a responsibility to encourage and treat their children fairly. Masters & Slaves Paul is saying, You that have authority over other human beings in a master/servant relationship you aren t the absolute authority anymore, like culture says. God is. And God is going to keep an account of how you treat the people under your authority and care. Telling a class of people with absolute sovereign authority that you are no longer the absolute sovereign was remarkable and unheard of. Two thousand years later, what is the Spirit speaking to us? 1. Christ is the head of the Christian family Paul removed the man the husband, father, and master and he replaced his absolute authority and power with that of Jesus. 2. The structure of the family is less about authority, and more about the fulfillment of needs Paul recognized that these admonitions weren t solely about power and hierarchy. They were about meeting the deep, inner needs of human kind. 3. God will ultimately reward or repay each person for how we treat others in these relationships Loving God! Loving People! Loving Life!

2 A VERSE BY VERSE STUDY SEPTEMBER 6, 2017 LIFE CHURCH SMYRNA part nine Ingrained in the Greco-Roman world and culture was a set of philosophical beliefs household codes regarding the family. 1

3 Ingrained in the Greco-Roman world and culture was a set of philosophical beliefs household codes regarding the family. The man had absolute, sovereign rule over his family Ingrained in the Greco-Roman world and culture was a set of philosophical beliefs household codes regarding the family. The man had absolute, sovereign rule over his family There was no convention that governed how he was to treat those under his rule 2

4 COLOSSIANS 3:18-19 NIV 18 Wives, submit yourselves to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. 19 Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them. HUSBANDS & WIVES The burden of action in this text of Scripture is not on the wives; it s on the men. 3

5 HUSBANDS & WIVES The burden of action in this text of Scripture is not on the wives; it s on the men. We men will have the credibility to lead our families spiritually when we love our wives the way Paul and Christ commanded us to. COLOSSIANS 3:20-21 NIV 20 Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord. 21 Fathers, do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged. 4

6 COLOSSIANS 3:18-4:1 NIV 22 Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to curry their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. 23 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, 24 since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. 25 Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for their wrongs, and there is no favoritism. 1 Masters, provide your slaves with what is right and fair, because you know that you also have a Master in heaven. 1. Christ is the head of the Christian family 5

7 1. Christ is the head of the Christian family 2. The structure of the family is less about authority, and more about the fulfillment of needs 1. Christ is the head of the Christian family 2. The structure of the family is less about authority, and more about the fulfillment of needs 3. God will ultimately reward or repay each person for how we treat others in these relationships 6