Col 3:18-4:6

MPS: The purpose of your position is to demonstrate the power of Christ

Intro:

Hi. I’m Pastor Taylor.

Everyone Finding Everything in Jesus.

finding purpose in your position.

Becoming a christian changes so much. We are radically transformed when we come to Christ. Not all at once- no, but even the initial changes are mighty ones. Desires change. What satisfies us and is rewarding changes. Our values in life change. Our dreams, hopes, priorities, our loves -these things all change and continue to change as we walk with christ.

But so much doesn’t change.

your job. Most likely your job doesn’t change when you come to christ.

Likely if you were an engineer and then you become a Christian, you are still an engineer.

If you are a maid and clean the hotel rooms at the Nugget, you become a christian and you still wash towels and make beds.

your spouse. You might already be married when you become a christian. Coming to Jesus changes you, but it doesn’t change the fact of who you are married to.

your kids don’t change and you don’t get new ones that are little angels.

your parents don’t change and get swapped out for someone else.

your bank account doesn’t change, your social position isn’t advanced. You don’t become a celebrity or an influencer now because you’re a christian.

Christ radically changes us. He radically changes our position with him in heaven. But Christ does not radically change our earthly position.

Why not?

The purpose of your position is to demonstrate the power of Christ

pt 1: The purpose of your position

[READ vv18-4:6]

a problem today: Life is about us.

But the truth is life is about God. We exist for his glory. He saves us for his glory. He hears our prayers and is faithful to help us because of his glory.

God is sooooooo good, so faithful, so generous and gracious that we can easily think life is about us.

there are many false teachers that preach a prosperity Gospel. It encourages this lie, that God’s sole purpose and his biggest focus is to prosper you. Essentially, God exists for you, rather than the truth that you exist for God.

These lying preachers say that when you come to Jesus now you will get blessed with new vehicles, obedient children, a blissful marriage and of course, fame and favor and anything else your heart desires.

Gospel Solution: God has saved us, blesses us and cares for us for his glory because he is good. Jesus died for us so that we would be forgiven, but the end goal was to demonstrate his love, his glory. There is no glory or room for boasting for those who are debtors. Only for the one who forgives the debt. The whole of the bible is about God, not about us. The Gospel of Jesus- what Jesus did for us is primarily about God and not about us. Creation- the beauty of the universe and life on earth, it’s about God. Earth does not boast the glory of man, but the glory of God.

We have been created for God’s glory

We have been reconciled to God through Jesus for his glory

And we life and exist today for his glory.

The day was made for you. You were made for the day.

positions mentioned:

wives

husbands

children

bondservants (slaves)

masters

the afflicted

Paul was not a husband, he was not a father, he was not a business owner nor a slave to any man. Yet, he says of his chains, I, Paul, an old man and now a prisoner also for Christ Jesus

Paul is in chains, not because of him, but for Jesus.

Now look what his reasoning is for each of his instructions is:

It’s not about you.

-v18. He tells wives to submit and husbands to love because it is fitting in the Lord.

-v19. he tells children to obey because it pleases the Lord

-v22. He tells servants to obey because of Fear of the Lord

-v23 as a way of working for the Lord

-v24 and as a way of serving the Lord

-V4:3 He tells Paul in his chains to declare Christ

It’s not about you. your job. Your marriage, your family, your social position, your circumstance. Life is not about you.

Welcome to church. haha.

Counter-cultural? yeah! we live in a day and age that preaches the prosperity Gospel. Christians and non christians, we all tend to think that life is about us. individually or just as people.

Life is not about you or us. Life is about the Lord God. Why is this good news?

The purpose of your position is to demonstrate the power of Christ

pt 2: Demonstrate the power of God in your position

at home

18 Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. 19 Husbands, love your wives, and do not be harsh with them.

Wives

[read v18]

-submit, subjected

we feel offended by this. This feels controversial to us.

-consider that many of these women had unbelieving husbands. They have a new man in their life, Jesus. They belong to him now, so why would they submit to an unbeliever?

Paul says, because you belong to Jesus, submit to your husband.

But Jesus submits to the Father and for it is bestowed great honor.

Philippians 2:6–9 (ESV)

who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name,

and Jesus will return the kingdom to the Father for his glory, not his own.

-Fitting in the Lord. this behavior goes with the outfit. This is appropriate for the occassion.

-Why?

The purpose of your position is to demonstrate the power of Christ

Husbands

-love

We think this obvious in today’s day and age. Love is a part of every marriage yes? 2000 years ago, absolutely not. Marriage was re-shaped and redefined for the whole world by Christ.

-husbands are to love their wives as christ loved the church.

This doesn’t mean you need to be infatuated with your partner, be super romantic and write poetry.

-harsh (greek- bitter, harsh. Think of a drink) today the kids say, don’t be salty.

-salty people are scarce in grace.

-If the woman is to love her man as the church loves Christ, then the man is to love the woman as Christ loves the church:

-(v12,14)

The purpose of your position is to demonstrate the power of Christ

Singles

Children 20 Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.

Everything?

Why?

Gospel fluency

obedience of Christ on your behalf

The purpose of your position is to demonstrate the power of Christ

Parents

21 Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged.

The purpose of your position is to demonstrate the power of Christ

Employees, low on the food-chain 22 Bondservants, obey in everything those who are your earthly masters, not by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. 23 Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, 24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ. 25 For the wrongdoer will be paid back for the wrong he has done, and there is no partiality.

The purpose of your position is to demonstrate the power of Christ

Employers and people higher on the food-chain

4 Masters, treat your bondservants justly and fairly, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven.

The purpose of your position is to demonstrate the power of Christ

what’s really encouraging abut this section is that Christianity is a wholistic faith. it is not simply theoretical, but practical. Christianity has something to say about the nuts and bolts of life.

How can we do this? prayer. (4:2)

it’s not enough to go to marriage conferences, read parenting books. we must pray.

Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.

pt 3:Pray for the power of christ and proclaim the power of Christ.

3 At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison— 4 that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak.

5 Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. 6 Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.

Remember where you come from- our heritage is forged by the humble. Paul in chains, Jesus on the cross.

“As for true Christians, they expect to have their reward in the next life, and to endure hardness in this. The promise of the old covenant was prosperity, the promise of the new covenant is adversity.” -C.H. Spurgeon

The purpose of your position is to demonstrate the power of Christ