Sermon Tone Analysis

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

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

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

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.

love

agapaō

Agapao love.