TREASURING CHRIST WHERE IT MATTERS MOST

Colossians 3:18-4:1

Colossians 3:18–4:1 ESV

18 Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. 19 Husbands, love your wives, and do not be harsh with them. 20 Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord. 21 Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged. 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. 1 Masters, treat your bondservants justly and fairly, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven.

INTRODUCTION

To many ears today, this passage will sound dated and even dangerous.

We can cherry pick strong, brief, punchy commands that push against our cultural norms - IF we take them isolated - divorced from their context, we miss the beauty of what God is doing in the lives of those He is redeeming!

If we slip into lazy church mode - we think…”wives submit” - Oh I bet I know where this Mother’s Day message is going!

Let’s NOT do that today!

Let’s look back to how we began in verse 1 of chapter 3

(GRAB BIBLE)

IF WE HAVE BEEN RAISED WITH CHRIST

SEEKING WHAT’S ABOVE

SETTING OUR MINDS ON HIGHER GROUND

OUR OLD MAN IS DEAD

OUR PRESENT LIVES ARE HIDDEN IN CHRIST

AND ONE DAY SOON, WHEN JESUS CHRIST RETURNS IN POWER AND GLORY

WE SHALL BE CLOTHED IN GLORY, TOO…

HALLELUJAH! WHAT A SAVIOR!

Higher Ground Lyrics:

Lord lift me up and let me stand

My faith on Heaven’s table land

A higher plane that I have found

Lord, plant my feet on higher ground

If we were to look back at the last 3 verses from our text last week…we’d see THREE ESSENTIAL INGREDIENTS FOR A HEALTHY LIFE

Colossians 3:15–17 ESV

15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

1. PEACE OF CHRIST (v15).

When we trust the Lord Jesus Christ, as savior and surrender to him as Lord, the peace of Christ umpires the war that rages within. Reconciliation with God leads to reconciliation with man.

2. WORD OF CHRIST (v16).

We cannot set our hearts on things above without the Word of God from above. We get in the Word and it gets SO DEEP INTO US that it affects our conversations, and our singing.

3. GRATEFULNESS TO GOD (v17).

This is a great destroyer of pride. Remember who you were BEFORE Christ. Remember where you were headed BEFORE Christ! When you realize that GOD SAW YOU,

HE KNEW YOU, HE KNEW EVERY DEED YOU’D EVER DONE,

EVERY WORD YOU’VE EVER SPOKEN, EVERY THOUGHT THAT HAVE EVER CROSSED YOUR MIND,

EVERY SIN YOU’D EVER COMMITTED… GOD KNEW IT ALL, HE KNEW YOU INSIDE AND OUT… AND YET HE LOVED YOU SO MUCH!

That ought to spark gratitude. All you knew you need was “saving” but God is making you NEW!

He gets sweeter as the days go by!

His love is deeper, richer, fuller, sweeter.

He gets sweeter as the days go by!

Last week we mentioned that Christians are BETTER in community, around people - NOT in isolation.

We are clothed in garments of Godliness and grace for the BLESSING AND BENEFIT OF THOSE AROUND US.

SHOW TITLE SLIDE HERE

R. E. O. White, the British preacher, observed regarding the fullness which these verses command:

“The surest sign that you are carrying a full bucket is wet feet.”

That is true to our experience, is it not? Whenever we attempt to carry a full bucket to clean the floor or wash the car, we always get wet feet!

And when our lives are full - with the goodness of God, they will overflow.

We should LIVE OUT THE GOSPEL where we LIVE…and where we WORK and play.

Where it matters most, @ HOME & ON THE JOB!

It starts at home. Where better to test and prove that Christ is your treasure than home. It really does impact everything.

LET’S LOOK AT THOSE FIRST 2 VERSES TOGETHER:

Colossians 3:18–19 ESV

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

AS WE LAY DOWN OUR LIVES IN TREASURING CHRIST, IT WILL BRING…

1. HARMONY (BEAUTY) IN OUR MARRIAGES

In cities around the Roman world, women, slaves, and children were being saved.

God was using Each of these groups to further his kingdom.

The Scripture here is about to do something revolutionary: women, children and slaves are about to be elevated in dignity and respect in a culture that gave them neither.

A note to godly wives:

NOTE that Paul doesn’t use the word “obey” here (Gk. hypakouō), as was typical in Roman households, Paul uses a word that translates “submit” (Gk. hypotassō).

WHY? Men have a God-given leadership role in the family.

Even though ROMAN HOUSEHOLD CODES put the man of the home as ABSOLUTE in authority…Paul knows this is NOT what the Holy Spirit is communicating here in the text.

He is writing about a way of living that is FITTING IN THE LORD.

Seven times in this section, we will see a different way of living when we are rooted IN THE LORD.

“Submit” is not a synonym for servile, menial bondage.

Under Jewish & Greek laws a woman was a thing; she was the possession of her husband, just as much as his house or his flocks or his material goods were.

“Submit” is not a call to irrationality.

none are called to follow it into sin or irrationality or harm of any kind. “We must obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29).

This is a charge for Christians who are living as Christians.

Practically speaking, it means that wives should offer themselves to their husbands with heartfelt respect and admiration in ways that honor them, lift them up, and meet their needs…because of HER LOVE FOR CHRIST AND DESIRE TO OBEY HIM!

A wife’s dignity and devotion to her husband are ultimately expressions of her love for Christ. This will not only bring her contentment and satisfaction; it will affirm and encourage her husband and cultivate a healthy and happy home for her family.

In order to better explain the charge to the wife, here…we need to look at the charge to the husband.

HUSBANDS, LOVE YOUR WIVES - DO NOT BE HARSH WITH THEM.

We have seen two radical calls. One call is to wives: submission.

The other is to husbands: to love as Christ loves.

These cannot be read in isolation; they go together.

It is ludicrous for a Christian husband to DEMAND submission of his wife if he is not radically loving her; likewise, it is errant logic for a wife who is not submissive to demand such love.

This kind of language toward husbands DOES NOT APPEAR in any extra-biblical texts or household Codes / Rules of the day!

This is NOT erotic or friendship love, but AGAPE love - an unceasing care and loving service for the wife’s entire well-being.

As a husband TREASURES CHRIST, AND submits to God; He is pointing to Jesus as the ultimate leader in the home.

A husband treasures Christ by sacrificially loving his wife by honoring her, caring for her with compassion and understanding, and esteeming her worth before the Lord.

Remember the marriage is marked by those new garments as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved:

Compassionate Hearts, Kindness, Humility, Meekness, Patience, and a quickness to forgive! All tied together with LOVE!

The wife wears this. As she lovingly submits to honor Christ - whether her husband is batting 1000 or not.

The husband wears this. As He disciplines himself and submits to Christ - whether His wife submits to him or not. He will not be harsh while wearing this.

Ephesians 5 gives much more ink on the page about marriage than Colossians does. But there’s enough here to live out today!

TRANSITION

Not only does treasuring Christ bring beauty to our marriages…it brings about

2. UNITY / STABILITY IN OUR FAMILIES

Colossians 3:20–21 ESV

20 Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord. 21 Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged.

The command is right there:

Children, obey your parents - FOR THIS PLEASES THE LORD

Fathers, do not provoke your children.

Under a section of Roman law entitled Patria Potestes, “The Power of the Father,” the father could do anything he wanted with his children.

He could sell them, turn them into slaves, even take their lives.

But here, as with husbands and wives, both children and parents were presented as under God.

Paul is pointing his readers of that day…Scripture is pointing us in THIS day to the incredible example of OUR FATHER IN HEAVEN! We take our cues from the loving Fatherhood of God.

Children - OBEY. The word used there consists of 2 words “listen” and “under” - literally = “listen under your parents”.

Obedience begins with listening.

Children are treated as responsible for their actions as it relates to their parents.

Exodus 20:12 ESV

12 “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.

Ephesians 6:2 ESV

2 “Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise),

A pastor friend of mine used to say, “only perfect kids can demand perfect parents.”

Young people - your parents aren’t perfect. They will make mistakes. We are learning as we go.

BUT with our Bibles open and our knees well-worn and our feet in step with the Spirit, we are attempting to show you the goal! A godly, contented life - not consumed with vanity - but one that treasures Christ.

Dads (and moms as you lead together), don’t abuse this submission, this obedience for any reason.

Why such Heavy burden on dad’s here.? Well, just like today many of the dads were outside of the home the most. The moms were blessed with the opportunity to spend the most time with the children and the dads were not. The fact is that too many men rule their homes like dictators, trying to bend everyone else to their will instead of inviting their families to follow them as they follow Christ.

Knowing this…let’s DISCIPLE OUR CHILDREN and shepherd their hearts to ward Jesus.

Ephesians 6:4 ESV

4 Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

Parents, we must also DISCIPLINE OUR CHILDREN…as we take our cue from our Heavenly Father.

We take our cues from the writer of Hebrews who reminds us that the “Lord disciplines those he loves” in order to produce righteousness in Him. Our hope is that discipline will be more CONSTRUCTIVE than CORRECTIVE.

If we keep these as the wings on our plane in parenting…then we won’t intentionally DISCOURAGE them / provoke them / “exasperate” them…we’ll help them see that TREASURING CHRIST IS WORTH IT.

This Bible clearly identifies Christ as the ultimate leader of our families.

Most of us Christians today say YES to this reality; we still struggle with LIVING IT OUT of this for each of our roles! That’s why text like this is so very helpful to us.

As we treasure Christ, we submit to His will and way:

Husbands and Wives get to experience a HARMONY that joins the melody of the Gospel.

Parents and children enjoy a stability / a unity that only a home where the parents are treasuring Christ can bring (it doesn’t ensure problem/worry free living)

(Ephesians 5 coupled with Colossians and several passages from Genesis give us enough to probably have a series on the home…we’ll save that for another day…but you should add that to your homework this week.)

Redeemed households will shine bright as EMBASSIES OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD

TRANSITION

Finally, this little passage that calls us to live out the Gospel as we treasure Christ - our all in all - points us to another arena where we are “seen” for huge chunk of our lives.

Treasuring Christ will manifest as…

3. INTEGRITY IN OUR WORK

Colossians 3:22–25 ESV

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.

There are a couple of words here that make you go “hmmm”.

Bondservants / Slaves

Masters.

Let me start here - we’ve addressed this before in other passages, but in case you missed it there:

It’s hard for us in our context with our history of chattel slavery - which is CONDEMNED by Scripture - no person is the property of another person - it’s hard for us to read what look like instructions to slaves and slave owners.

While women and men would often enter into bondservice willingly in Biblical days - Most cultures of the day quickly devolved into a CLASS SYSTEM where servants were not treated with the dignity they deserved.

Servants also resented some Masters (even if there was no harsh treatment) and treated them without the basic human dignity that all deserve as fellow image-bearers.

Paul’s letter was written to the church at Colossae - in the first century while he was imprisoned in Rome. He is using their language…it still holds well when we understand it.

It still absolutely is applicable for us as EMPLOYEES / EMPLOYERS - our closest context.

EMPLOYEES:

work well for your employer (as unto the LORD)

don’t just do well when someone is looking (eye-service) (because God sees what you do and how you do it and will ultimately reward you in Heaven)

don’t be a people-pleaser only / you are serving the LORD CHRIST!

EMPLOYERS

Colossians 4:1 ESV

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

treat your employees justly

treat your employees fairly

lead them / serve them as though you will give an account for your actions in Heaven to the Lord, Himself!

BE A WOMAN OF INTEGRITY. BE A MAN OF INTEGRITY.

Treasure Christ

Remember WHO you’re wearing AT HOME / AT WORK

Let the Peace of Christ, the Word of God, and Gratitude SPILL OUT EVERYWHERE YOU GO!

What difference does treasuring Christ make? …especially where it matters most?

Matthew 7:24–26 ESV

24 “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. 26 And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.