Colossians 3:18-4:1

Introduction

HAS TO BE MORE CONVERSATIONAL THEN I HAVE EVER BEEN

THIS CAN BE TRIGGERING

WHY DOES IT FEEL SO ICK TO WOMEN TO HEAR YOU DON’T GET TO HAVE EQUAL AUTHORITY - OPPRESSIVE ABUSIVE TERRIFYING

WHAT DOES IT MEAN THERE ARE THINGS WITH MORGAN AND I THAT I HAVE POWER TO DECIDE FOR OUR FAMILY ? ESPECIALLY WHEN I AM COMPLETELY UNABLE TO FUNCTION WITHOUT HER

HIGHLANDS IS AN EXAMPLE

BUT THERE IS A PART OF GROWING TOGETHER AND HAVING THE SAME PARENTING SAME DREAM FOR YOUR FAMILY SAME THINGS

DOES IT MEAN YOU HAVE SEX WHENVER HE WANTS IT?

IF EITHER PERSON IS MANIPULATING DEMAND TRY TO MAKE YOU FEEL ITS YOUR JOB TO FULLFILL THIS NEED OR I WILL GO LOOK SOMEWHERE ELSE FOR IT THAT IS ABUSIVE BEHAVIOR

The Hard Part Of New Creation Life (3:18-4:1)

Colossians 3:18–4:1 “Wives, submit yourselves to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives and don’t be bitter toward them. Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord. Fathers, do not exasperate your children, so that they won’t become discouraged. Slaves, obey your human masters in everything. Don’t work only while being watched, as people-pleasers, but work wholeheartedly, fearing the Lord. Whatever you do, do it from the heart, as something done for the Lord and not for people, knowing that you will receive the reward of an inheritance from the Lord. You serve the Lord Christ. For the wrongdoer will be paid back for whatever wrong he has done, and there is no favoritism. Masters, deal with your slaves justly and fairly, since you know that you too have a Master in heaven.”

That Hard Part at home

Wives, submit yourselves to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives and don’t be bitter toward them. Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord. Fathers, do not exasperate your children, so that they won’t become discouraged.

thats a fun one isn’t it?

What does that mean?

Exspecially when coward men have abused it for so long

Does running his bath water, baking him cookies, and rubbing his back equate to submission?

Does not sharing your voice and wisdom not have a place

What we have understood submission to be terrifies women because its been so abused

This ties this all together when this seems so out of place though

What are we submitting to the Lord?

We are submitting our fear to God as wives and husbands and parents Paul says

“Wives, submit yourselves to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives and don’t be bitter toward them.

Fear keeps us from submission to Christ and to each other

Submission to christ and to each other doesn’t look the same for everyone

What it looks like for Morgan to submit to God and me is different then what submission to James Howard looks like for Marybeth

They have different fears to lay down before Christ and let us lead

You have to lay down your fear of your husband making a mistake when leading

You have to lay down your fear of supporting his vision and dreams

But you don’t lay down to abuse especially spiritual abuse when men weaponize this verse

That is a man to call a coward and not be around

You follow Him as he is following Christ because Paul says men are afraid too and have to lay it down

This verse gets twisted because it sounds like wives are the only ones submitting

But don’t miss this men are supposed to be simultaneously submitting their fears to Christ

You don’t pull your wife and kids along for your own pursuit of your own dreams

Philippians 2:3 “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves.”

Men have to submit to that

Now put yourself in this first century context

This was shock and awe

Men would go to work and sleep with prostitutes to have a good day

Women were less then human had not power or rights or money or protection

Now see how scandalous the words of Paul are?

Men you will be made fun of for honoring your wife and giving of yourself to protect her and create an environment for her to become all god has for her to be ….but don’t fear it its worth it

Lay your own desire for your own perfect kingdom down and enter into the redeeming process your spouse and kids are on

Submission means you don’t sit idely by as your spouse or kids self destruct

You love them enough to make them mad as you spur them along to grow and be whole

Bro- god gave you a helper because you need help

Not women are to submit to all men….one man not all

The Hard Part In Society

Slaves, obey your human masters in everything. Don’t work only while being watched, as people-pleasers, but work wholeheartedly, fearing the Lord. Whatever you do, do it from the heart, as something done for the Lord and not for people, knowing that you will receive the reward of an inheritance from the Lord. You serve the Lord Christ. For the wrongdoer will be paid back for whatever wrong he has done, and there is no favoritism. Masters, deal with your slaves justly and fairly, since you know that you too have a Master in heaven.”