Discipleship in the Context of Community

Introduction

It has been a wonderful remembrance service so far and I would like to thank all those who have taken part so far to give us a chance to remember the sacrifice of those who have gone before us and keep this country safe. I would love to tell you the story of my uncle who gave his life for our country in WW1 and the journey Heather and I took in 2013 to honor his death but that is for another time or when we have a visit.

This morning we are going to continue in our series on the book of Colossians. A series where we have been looking at the message from Paul to Believers. We have learned that a believer or disciple is one who Seeks to know God, while being transformed into the image of Christ, empowered by the Holy Spirit in the context of community.

We have touched on ways to get to know Christ. Ways to get to know God, We have looked at what it means to have Christ in the center of our lives, Today we are going to focus on community. Not the larger community, rather the smaller community. The core of our relationships.

You see Paul set out in this passage to deal with the new found freedom in Christ that the believers had and how it relates to one another and to the people watching our faith.

Our Relationship With Christ

Folks when you are reading the Bible, there can be a danger for some of us to read only one part of the scripture and misunderstand the main point of the message. We often need to take the content of the scripture in the context of the scripture.

This morning’s passage needs to be read in light of our relationship with Christ. When we read the scripture in a few moments, I want for you to look for the words and phrases that speak to our attitude and relationship with Christ.

McDonald writes,

To understand this

In the outside world, as well as within the believing community, every deed and word is to be in accord with the spirit of Christ. There is no greater test of that accomplishment and within the home. It is here, within the family circle in among those closest to us, that we indicate most surely the quality of our Christian commitment.

It is here that the controlling influences of Christ peace, and word, and name on character and conduct ought to be the most obvious manifest. That is where the Apostle urges that it should, in a short section where he sketches the outline of the ideal Christian household. [1]

[1] McDonald, H. Dermont, Commentary on Colossians & Philemon p 123

You see if we are having Christ at the center of our lives, If we are determining to live our lives with Christ ruling our lives, His Word is our guiding light for all aspects of our lives. Failure to put Christ’s Words first is only giving lip service to our beliefs. You see I can know God’s word, but our actions and following God’s Word shows to God and to others that Christ is truly at the center of our lives.

Let’s open God’s Word

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.

Dynamic Relationships

As you can see, this weeks passage is about relationship. Dynamic relationships. Those core relationships with one another that when followed to the prescribed text will be God honoring. Discipleship in the context of community works best in these dynamic relationship.

It is in these relationship that your true relationship with Christ will be exhibited. You see you can fake or be hidden in a large community, but the primary dynamic relationships are where you are working out your faith and knowledge of God and what Christ-likeness will be evident.

Paul address three distinct relationships from the intimate to the broader sense. From Marriage, parenting, and the last boss/worker relationship we all must have Christ as the center of our lives.

Our tongues, our tempers, our natural passions and inclinations,—our conduct as parents and children, masters and servants, husbands and wives, rulers and subjects,—our dress, our employment of time, our behaviour in business, our demeanour in sickness and health, in riches and in poverty,—all, all these are matters which are fully treated by inspired writers.

They are not content with a general statement of what we should believe and feel, and how we are to have the roots of holiness planted in our hearts. They dig down lower. They go into particulars.

J. C. Ryle, Holiness: Its Nature, Hindrances, Difficulties and Roots (London: William Hunt and Company, 1889), xiv–xv.

Let’s take a look at these dynamic relationships.

The Marriage Relationships

The first is the marriage relationship. Now for some of you this may not directly apply to you. You may not be in this stage in your life. I don’t want you to stop listening, because it can also be a description of the relationship with Christ and His bride the Church. The relationship is one of the most intimate relationship that we will experience.

Wife to Husband

Colossians 3:18 ESV

18 Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.

The verse in the Bible that I have read and seen that has brought so much controversy. The verse in the Bible that, sad to say, has bee abused by, well to be honest, men. I have seen the word submitting taken so wrong out of context and it’s meaning and has been used to abuse women. This is the farthest from Scripture and the intent of what God’s plan and design is for marriage.

A couple of months ago we looked at this same word as we worked through Peter

1 Peter 3:1 ESV

1 Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives,

Did you remember what we talked about? Maybe you missed it, let me recap.

Hypotasso

Its direct translation is Be Subject. It’s a willingness to put yourself under someone else. It’s a verb, it is an action ongoing. The Be subject can be found in three aspects of our relationships.

I want you to notice as Peter highlights these relationships keep in mind the following:

First the level of connection or awareness of the relationship. How close you are to each other

Second. The impact of the relationship when the Hypotasso is being applied or not applied. Is it noticed and what impact does it make.

Finally, remember that we are called to do this in our relationship in order to show to others the Gospel. The following words from Peter to the admonishment to the believers applies to our lives today. Living out Hypotasso in our relationship will show others the love of Christ. You see he came and was Hypotasso to the rulers and through his obedience we have come to be recipients of eternal life.

Notice it is the action of the wife to be willing to place themselves in this relationship because of what Christ has done.

So why did Paul have to address this situation? You see the culture of the day was in conflict. The culture of the day was one of dominance and control and now the wives were learning that in Christ they were equal.

In God’s economy both man and women are equal. One is not greater than the other. In the marriage relationship the same rules apply. There is an equal relationship between the two.

The point Paul is making is one of a willingness to offer the direction. It picture it more of like a sport team. Each player is of equal importance, but there always seems to be a captain. The captain is a position in most sports granted. It’s purpose is to speak for the team at a coin toss, conflict, or speaking on behalf.

When I was coaching the boys soccer it was my role to chose the captain for the game. I took it to a higher level. I chose the person who would assist me in deciding lines, positions, and who started off. It became a position of calling.

To wives who follow this verse and allow themselves to place themselves under the husband as fitting to the Lord are women of great faith. They place themselves in a position as following Christ and his example of submission to the Father’s will.

Husband to Wife

Paul moves quickly to the Husband and let’s look at those words. If your a husband in the crowd and were thinking wow, my wife needs to do that, buckle up men. Get your pens ready to write this down. I also say you need to write this down on your heart.

Colossians 3:19 ESV

19 Husbands, love your wives, and do not be harsh with them.

love

agapaō

Agapao love.

Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains: Greek (New Testament) 26 ἀγαπάω

show love, demonstrate love (1Jn 3:17); 3. LN 25.104 take pleasure in, to love based on its regarded value

This verse is not the passion love, but the higher love. The love that requires all that is within us. To love above all else. To care above all else.

Its the same love that Christ had for us when he went to the cross. When he gave up the place and position of heaven to humble himself even to death on a cross.

Did you catch the definition? Demonstrated Love.

Men we need to demonstrate our love for our wives. It’s not enough to say, I love you, although its a good practice, we need to show it.

Do you know what makes your wife feel loved? What action can you do today that your wife really knows you love her?

Making the bed? Making sure your laundry is in the bin not beside the bin

I asked Heather and she once again reminded me, I love to receive flowers.

Men love is an action. IT is also more important to have an action that is what your wife desires.

Wives, have you told your husband what action really makes you see his Love for you. IS it a hidden expectation. Really, let me you in on a secret among the code of men.

We can be clueless.

Sometimes you need to spell it out.

Stop keeping us guessing. We desire above all else to love our wives, we need to know how. We want to know how

Men, when you find out, you must do it.

One author writes,

Loves makes, “It makes tyranny or unkindness, selfishness and cruelty, absolutely impossible. It removes from the submission of expected of a wife all that is distasteful or difficult. Indeed, it places a husband in the position of actual subjection, for he is compelled by love to obey every claim the wife makes for support, for sympathy, for protection, for happiness. Love is unselfish, patient, self-sacrificing, unfailing. Love makes it impossible for one to be bitter, that is, harsh, unfeeling. A wife never needs to fear to obey husband of whose love she is sure. “[2]

[2] Erdman, Charles R., The epistles of Paul to the Colossians. P. 104-105

The second part of the definition of this verb love is to cherish. Beloved. Christ calls us his beloved. We too should cherish our wives.

Have you ever packed something valuable and breakable. We have moved several times. Our shortest move was 2 blocks from one house to another and our farthest was two provinces. We packed the valuable wedding plate the same way in each trip. It’s valuable. It isn’t thrown in a box hoping it won’t break, it is packed. My wife is the best packer around. In all the moves we have made, only one piece has broken, and it wasn’t packed by her.

Cherished. Does your wife feel cherished?

Paul uses a negative to emphasis the positive.

Do not be harsh with her.

What have you done recently to cherish your wife.

Here is a suggestion

Do you open the doors for her. Do you go around the car and open the door for her? I have good friends who hold this practice, not only does he open the door to let her in, he opens the door to let her out.

Ladies, it takes patience. You have to wait till we get there. Our friend has shared with us how she was stuck in the car as he got out of the car in a church parking lot and began talking, forgetting to open the door for her. She was stuck in the car.

Ladies, as my wife reminded me, it isn’t that we, as men, don’t feel you can open the door for yourselves, we just treasure and cherish you so much that we feel you don’t need to, we want to do it for you!

That’s one way of cherishing our wives, there are so many different ways. Find them out. Maybe as you leave today, the parking lot may look different. (chuckle)

Wives, Husbands, both have to give up equally to bring Glory to God

Family Relationship

Now we move onto family relationship. The relationship we all have, and for some of us continue to work with

Child to Parent

The first is the child to the parent

Colossians 3:20 ESV

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

Parents, we love this one, Children, not so much

If you are a child in here, obedience to your parents is pleasing to God. If you are wanting to know what it means to be a follower of God,of Christ, start with obedience to your parents. God has blessed them with you and give the blessing back to God by obeying them.

Father to Child

The second of the relationships is the father to child

Colossians 3:21 ESV

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

Provoke: to make resentful.

Fathers how is your love for your children.

One author writes

Opening Up Colossians and Philemon Fathers

How? By developing a loving and trusting relationship with his sons and daughters. If they respect him they will follow his lead and learn from his godly example. If a father is unjust or too severe he will provoke his children to bitterness, which will produce discouragement that could lead to permanent enmity

permanent enmity not only between the father but in some cases their relationship with God.

Again, let me remind you this is a dynamic relationship. Much prayer and guidance from one another is needed in order for our children to not feel provoked.

Children Obey, fathers do not provoke, because God has called us to live in harmony.

Responsibility Relationships

The last dynamic relationship that Paul addresses are relationships outside of the home, but for some of the people he was addressing, the slaves, they were a part of the family.

On a side note, Paul was not condoning Slavery, but was helping bring in the change that was needed in the understanding of how brothers/sisters in Christ should respond to one another.

Slaves to Master

Colossians 3:22 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.

Let me focus on a few words:

Bondservants.

Obedience in everything.

Workers

Paul was instructing the workers, those who had bosses here in this world to follow what there lead and obey them in everything.

How are you known in your workplace? Are you living your life that Christ asks us to live.

I love How Paul puts this next section.

Eye service or People-Pleasers.

Are you giving your best, are you acting in your job in a way that would bring honour to Christ. Paul was reminding the people that no matter what you do, you do it all as if you were serving your master Jesus.

Master to Slave

the final section is for those who are bosses or business owners

Colossians 4:1 ESV

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

As this book draws to a close and this section draws to a close, Paul reminds that as followers of Christ, a master in Heaven, we are to treat those who are servants, workers, or direct reports justly and fairly.

This text is setting up for a letter called Philemon addressing the new relationship of slave to master and how Christ’s work on the cross changed the way in which both slave and master were to act in this new faith paradym

In all of these dynamic relationships relationships, Marriage, Family, or responsibility, Christ’s giving up of himself, dying on the cross, for the forgiveness of our sins, should motivate our relationships to be God honoring and pleasings. as Paul put it. Unto the lord.

This week, It is my prayer that as you interact with these dynamic relationship that you act so that all that you do or say would bring honor and glory to God.

Conclusion

If I could now ask the honor gaurd to assemble and remove the colors

As the worship team comes to lead us in a song of response. Let me remind you that we have a prayer quilt up here for you to come and pray. Maybe God’s Spirit was tugging on your heart today and you are seeking prayer for something. We have people here that would love to pray with and for you. During this song of response, may I encourage you to come. Come to the altar at God’s calling and seek others in the context of community for support and prayer.

Team