November 10th, 2019

Good morning. How are we? Excellent. Let's get to it. We're going to be in a Colossians chapter 3. We're going to be starting in verse 18 here in a moment. We're actually going to end in chapter 4 some going to begin in chapter 3, we're going to finish in chapter 4 verse if you brought your Bibles at start getting set up in that location as you're getting there just kind of a very quick review as to what we're doing. We're actually getting on the home stretch just a few times left in the book of Colossians and man. I've been really thankful for this. I know personally I have I've been really blessed by just being able to spend a lot of time in this just really important book that really talks about the supremacy of Christ and everything that that everything that we could ever need everything that we could ever desire as Believers is is found in the person of Jesus Christ, and that's what we're going to kind of continue on this morning. If you remember the first half of Colossians was very theologically and Doctrine Leary. It was very deep. This is very important. This is what Paul does from time to time. And now we have shifted more into application how these things should affect us an impact us another lesson in that in and of itself that Paul did not believe and was not let of the spirit to do enough to give us a bunch of theological education and information. He he knew that all of that would be an absolute waste of time if these were actually not true that were lived out into our lives. So simple question who here likes to clean be honest, no judgement raise your hand if you like to clean. Yeah, I'm with you. I don't be afraid Don't Be Afraid. All right, there's three of us there. There's three of us. That's awesome. I'm at listen to I'm in good company though. I saw who raise their hand. I'm happy with that. I like the clean. I like seeing something finished. I like to see a finished product and I know if you're wondering like, okay, so he likes to clean so there was any ever doubt that Sarah did not like hit the jackpot. I mean this this should just kind of finalize that but I do I enjoy cleaning but let me ask you this question. If you ever been in a situation where maybe you get a text or phone call and somebody's coming over to your house in like 10 minutes and you got to do what we've all had to do before you've got to hurry up and do that like Mad Dash kind of clean. So what are you do you take stuff and you hide it right? Like I mean, you're putting like stuff in the microwave and you're putting like clothes under the county or just your you're hiding things because you don't want people to see them and it is as real as that is is true. That is I believe it sometimes has believe we like to do that with Jesus. We take parts of our lives and we kind of talked them away and we hide them away as if they're off-limits to him. And here's the thing. I think sometimes we do that. We don't realize that we're doing it may be in our minds were thinking what I can handle this myself. Why don't want to bother god with that or maybe you've struggled in areas of your High for so long that deep down you're really questioning whether or not God can help in that listen. Been there will continue to to be there will continue to struggle with that. I'm sure as long as we have this flesh to fight, but I really believe sometimes we try to take things are life areas of our lives and we kind of talked him away. We try to hide them away from Jesus and listen, when we do this not only the foolish to think that we can hide something from God. We're actually missing out on this life and Christ that we talked about so often so this morning when I'm hoping that the word and of the holy spirit will do is reveal to us some things about these areas of life in this truth that not only can we not hide areas of our life from God but that to open him up to these and to hand these things over to him in obedience is actually really good news. The fact that there are no boundaries for Jesus Christ. Listen, that's kind of terrifying Right. I mean not just kind of terrifying that you can't hide anything from God. It's a terrifying thought that listen. It's also really really good news. Hopefully we'll get to that the holy spirit will lead us there were going to talk about three areas of life this morning because Paul talks about three areas of life this morning. We're going to be talking about Christ in our marriage. We're going to talk about Christ in the family room to be talkin about Christ in the workplace are those are three areas of our life that I think at times we might incidentally try to hide from God. We just don't really want to let him in is in our marriages and our families were talking about parenting and then in the workplace, so we're going to pick up or going to start in verse 18, but before we get to this way, I look at Christ in the marriage and here's what you have to understand what Paul's about ready to do here. He is about ready to teach an affirm God's created roles for men and women husbands and wives there are fewer. More controversial than this issue right now, and I'm not just talking about our culture. Be praying for our convention be praying for a Church's because this is continues to be an unbelievably tough and challenging a controversial issue. But all Paul simply does hear it. He doesn't create this new idea. He actually goes back to Creation when God created when God created men and women he created us with uniquely different roles was uniquely different you're unique and how he has created you the roles that he has given you has been uniquely made at the same time. We believe the Bible teaches that those rolls are Cohiba equal. It's not about a superiority. It's not about God putting the man way up here and the woman down here. It's not about doing what we can is a society to try to even that out and even tip the scales a little bit and it's so cool. What God did only God could do this. Here's what he did and this is before the Fall by the way. He he created Order before the fall. The only reason the Paul's even happened to talk about this is because of the Fall because before sin came into thing men that that Union between Adam and Eve was perfect sin comes in and out comes in and destroyed everything but here's what God did when he created man. He created man with a responsibility to lead a role to lead to protect and to lead well, but he also designed him with a need a need to be helped. So what did God do he gave him a perfectly designed to help her which was the woman so we got the woman of the wife that was designed by God with a role to what to help to be that help her man needed at the same time. He designed her with a need to be glad I need to be supported and need to to be protected in that way in. Those roles perfectly complement one another they don't go like this or like this they perfectly complement one another. Let's look at what Paul says here with that in mind. We have to keep that is our our foundation. There is we get into this or or we will become very frustrated also has this wives submit yourself to your husband's as is fitting to the Lord husband love your wives and don't be bitter towards them stop right there. Now if you were to go back and we will not this morning. This is very similar to what Paul writes and round chapter 5 of Ephesians. It all just lines up very well in that so Paul gives us an idea of what this this is Christ driven. Let's call it Jesus and powered marriage is going to look like the first thing he brings out is that it looks like wives submitting to their husbands. Now listen, even that word kind of makes us cringe, doesn't it? I mean that word like submit, but I think that's because We forget what it means. Maybe we allow the culture in the society to kind of dictate what it means to us. Listen to this. This is the definition we're going to use this morning to submit is to willingly willingly put yourself under someone else's leadership. Needs to willingly put yourself under someone else's leadership to willingly follow the leadership of another person. That's what submission is which by the way just depends on the situation. I don't know of anybody that is completely against the mission like you could be the number one person the world. You're like, I don't like that word. I don't like that word. If your parent I'm going to ask you how that work with your kids. Do you like some Mission when it comes to your kids like submission? Well, there you go. Let me start by this out here. Okay. Let me tell you what he's talkin about wise. I'm speaking specifically to you. Okay, and especially to our our our our our young adult females over here that I don't want to think about it, but they're kind of getting in that realm of we pray a Godly husband, but let me tell you this is so important to listen. Here's what this is not me what Paul is not saying is that you submit to abuse If a husband is abusing whether it's verbal or physical any type of abuse, you don't have to submit to him you absolutely do not so don't think well, I'm supposed to submit he can he can do and say anything he wants and I have to submit that's not what he's talking about. He's not talking about worshipping your husband not talking about like we're listening. There's one team and he ain't it. I'm not it. There's one king of King Jesus. That's that's who your worship. He's not talking about having no voice in the home. Why should have voices wives should be the most important voice speaking into their husbands wives and listen to me right now. If you're not experiencing that right now and I'm going to switch and talk to the husband. You're not experiencing that right now may you are missing out greatly wise. You should have a voice in the home should be able to speak in two things. It also does not mean that you are seeing is like a spiritual second-class citizen like, oh I'm supposed to stay down here and all that feel, you know Theology and all those important things that God that's that's for my husband to know and he's got to be the way up here. You know what this relationship of God. I'm way down here. Listen to me. That's ridiculous. Okay. God has called all believers to just seek out the Deep things of God God expects demands and calls you to just as much Is he does men when it comes to knowing God you are not a a spiritual second-class citizen. So that's what he's not talking about. Let's talk about what Paul is talking about. He's talking about following the lead of your husband willingly notice. Paul says your husband. He's not throwing out a blanket statement that you got to submit to just any man you want or that they want you to submit to your husband you submit you follow the lead of that hasn't and you do it willingly and listen to me why it takes strength to do that. But this is not about weakness. Okay, it takes strength to do that. You show me a wife who is Faithfully following the leadership of her husband. I'll show you a strong woman. I'll show you somebody who's willing to to Humble herself and to follow the leadership. Here's what else it is in. This is so important. Submitting to husbands is about respect. But just as deep respect of his leadership, even when you don't agree and I would even say especially when you don't agree like I've seen wives like this is like absolutely my husband leaves off all his leadership what when I when I grieve when I let him he leaves when I let him do you not hear what you're saying? They're okay. And by the way, this is a universal truth in a sentence with any organization. I don't care if it's a business or even a church. It's like we have a lot of people that they they say that they craved leadership and I want to be let as long as what you're leading and I want to do and here's something I think it's really interesting when we agree with it. We call it leadership when we don't we caught dictatorship. So we got a butt. So listen up here this morning and you claim that you just want leadership. You want to follow up but at the end of the day, it has to fit your condition. But you're lying to yourself and you're probably lying to other people too. So why is this is important? It's not just about following the lead when you agree with it. Now again, I'm not talking about abuse. I'm not talk about anything that's going to pull you away. From what the Bible says to do the minute if your family is kind of walking through a season and maybe a decision needs to get made or or something has to happen. You don't fully like get it. You don't fully disagree. You've got to you got to trust that the husband's going to do the right thing. You got to trust that he's going to listen to what you had to say that allow you let you speak into those things but man respecting leadership submitting to that means that you're doing those thing even when you don't quite disagree, so, You totally unfair to just skip to the next when we we got talk husbands guy. We got wives submitting respectfully following husbands and husbands. It's your turn to listen husband. Love your wife. Don't be bitter towards them. Zippos insinuating that there would be an opportunity for husbands to be better with wives.

So queasy husband's loving their wives I was talked about this love. It's a Selfless Love. We look in a fission to be talked about husbands. Love your love your wives as Christ loved the church. What did Christ do for the church? He died. It's a sacrificial Selfless Love. And here's what that mean. You love your wife. It's not a feeling. Sometimes it is. That's awesome. But it's a commitment. It's an action. It's not this like fairy tale as you can please A Love In Action because you're committed to her. You're absolutely committed to her. And here's the secret you expect nothing in return. You expect nothing in return. In fact, let me just tell you something specially this is going to be a new thing for you and your marriage. Get ready to not see return probably going to happen. Which is why I believe Paul talks about bitterness. Is it working try to love our wives to do things for her expecting things in return and we don't get them. Game over how dare you how dare you not respond the way that I wanted you to know what we do we try to justify the bitterness. So what does that love look like it can look like so many different things y'all not going to talk love languages and things like that that certainly plays into this. You need to know how your wife received love. Okay, and then you need to try to speak that language Soffer for many of it might mean just doing something for them something I've learned personally. That's a huge. Sometimes the greatest act of love that you can do for your wife is spending intentional time with her. Letting her know this is important up your important up to me that I'm going to take time and make plans. We're not just going to sit here and watch TV. Like we're going to go out or we're going to stay and do something intentional but you do these things. Maybe it's service. Maybe you do the dishes or maybe you do all this stuff. But the the motivation for this in your life husband cannot be will if I do this she's going to be better why? I do that she's going to be a better wife. It's I'm going to do this because I'm going to love her like Christ has loved us and you know what? She she may come home and even worse in the mood. She may treat me even worse today. I'm still going to be faithful. I'm going to be obedient to what God has called me to do it. I'm going to trust him with the results and this is what I love them when I go back to the design of God because listen to me why

And husbands husband you want your wives to respect your leadership. Love them really well. Love him really well wives you want your husband to love you really well. respect their leadership those roles perfectly complement one another when husbands and wives trust in God's design their relationship not only mirrors the relationship of Jesus and the church their marriage grows stronger. Let me tell you something when it comes out everything we talked about this morning. We talked about God fix my marriage God fix. My my family got fix my workplace. This is not a a magical Prairie snaps his fingers. That was a terrible snap. He snaps it begins to work in those days. It's through our obedience that he begins to change their husbands Faithfully walking these rolls what happens to the marriage gets stronger. Talk about Christ in the family continue on verse 20 children. Obey your parents and everything for this pleases the Lord fathers. Do not exasperate your children so that they won't become discouraged. Okay, so we're going to talk to the Children First. And I don't want to offend our students. I know you don't wanna be called children, but he's talking about you so children student. We see when Christ is working in the family that we have children. Obeying their parents. I really want Paul does here and I like this the way that my mind works. I love how he does. Is he covers the watch he comes the wind and he covers the why so the first thing he says is obey now. This will be kind of a fun activity for you students. This is for students only. Are you ready? I'm going to start saying this sentence and I want you to when I get to that point when I get to the part I point I want you to say the children. Obey your parents in. A+ excellent the what is obey your parents the win is in everything listen thinking we talked about a while ago even when you don't agree. Even when you don't agree, but listen to me. I'm going to I'm going to give you an out trying to scan. I'm going to make everybody feel good. I'm going to scan the entire crowd for the students. Let me give you an out if you're wondering like it's there every time when I can disobey my parents absolutely if your parents are trying to get you to do something that is contrary or against the word of God as a believer. You follow God. You say Well, when in the world is that going to happen? You might be surprised. Let me give you an example. Let's say you're getting into it with someone at school or just someone in your life and they're spreading rumors about you. And there's a lot of Gossip going on and it's hurt you and it's frustrated, you know, sometimes as parents believe it or not. When we see our children hurt, we hurt the pain that you can't be prepared for. So in those moments we might give less than Godly advice. So you come home and then she did it again or he's going to get any say in this he's saying that you think you know what I'm sick of this crap is what you're going to do. I want to go back to school and I want you to start a rumor about her or him and I want you to do that or maybe you could do I know that sounds silly. But if you don't think people are being told that listen to me in that case with your parents would be telling you to do is completely contrary to the word of God. Completely contrary and I'm not saying that the heezy saying that case. You you don't you don't biblically have to obey them but in everything else in this is why it's so important the why? Okay soon as you listen scanning.

This is why it's so important especially listen to me student Believers. Cuz we got we got several students aged kids that have made professions of face with faith would mean you would claim that Jesus to save your soul that he's the Lord of your life and you're going to follow him. This is why obedience your parents is so important because Paul just simply and powerfully said it pleases the Lord. Let me tell you something. You cannot be an obedient follower of Jesus Christ and not be seeking to do things that pleased him. If you don't care if what you're doing pleases god. Listen to I'm just telling you biblically speaking and you're not a believer that that work is not Nana saying you may not enter Seasons or days were you may not care as much as what you want to do, but if you can look at your life and be like I have no desire to make God happy. I have no desire to make God smile in my life that you just simply not a believer. It pleases God to listen to if you truly want to please God as a Believer. I've got one really simple way to do that. Listen to Mom and Dad by the way you since father's here or that's that's coming up. Never mind because I hear second. That's that's that's listen to Mom and Dad. Do what you're told you say will you don't know my parents? I probably do actually. And Paul speaks into that fathers in this is interesting. This word fathers could also kind of go both ways on this so it is accurate that we could say parents a mother's you're in this as well. So this is her father's old parents. Do not exasperate your children so that they will not become discouraged some of your Bibles use the word provoke your what that means to irritate through unreasonable demands. To irritate through unreasonable demand that word unreasonable is really really important. There. Here's what that means. There's some ways that you can exasperate or provoke your children through harshness that talk about being tough. That's how my being for. I'm just talking about harshness. You're just harsh like there's there's almost hatred, and almost like a wickedness. That's that's kind of underline the words that are coming out of your mouth. Just mean this you just mean And some of the things you say you say will there true that they might be but you're being mean that's true. Here's another thing that was inconsistency. Inconsistency I see this a lot in Father's and here's why I think it is and what I mean by that I've seen a lot of fathers with inconsistent parenting. Let's just call it what it looks like a lot of times. It's interesting how when certain people are watching them their dad of the year and they're all about discipline and then other times they're not and there's no consistency and I believe the reason for that isn't mother's listen to this as well is because I think sometimes we find our value in our identity and us being parents and when we do that and will will will care greatly about what people think about our parenting. So let me just give me some contacts if you're the guy or if you're even the mother that lets your kids do things. And then like sporadically or inconsistently will like lose your mind over them, especially in public. They don't look at it like message that sends your kid because they're not dumb they get that why is it, okay. 3 weeks ago and now all of a sudden and liselotte times are going to see what you're doing. You just did that cuz someone's always watching so inconsistency and how we pair a kids. I believe can really provoked them at times and the result of this is like it's like damning. Okay, it is crushing for people because you'll have the result is a child who feels discouraged. Completely discouraged a child that feels defeated. Like I've already lost they can't win. In this is the saddest Melissa know it'll be careful. It could also produce a child who is more hardened towards God. Really angry at God. Why? Why are you letting this happen to me? If if my father if if if I humanely father is this bad how how good could this heavenly father be?

Here's what we have to do instead as parents challenge your children. Don't hear me saying that we've got to be like soft and let me do whatever they want. Absolutely. Not the Bible's full of principles on how we parent Challenger children. Push your children challenge them. Don't crush. Challenge your children don't crush your children and how you do that you balance the toughness that you have you you balance that with Grace and love you balance it with razor understanding that they're going to fall. They're going to mess up checking yourself to make sure you're not being unreasonable with some of the things that your ass and I know you're the best parent ever and I'm the best parent ever and we would never be unreasonable and we're asking the bare minimum and sometimes we are we have to check our cells make sure we're not just kind of being unreasonable with our children and not asking for things from them that we would never dare allow somebody ask from us cuz here's the thing when children are obeying their parents when students are obeying their parents and parents are leading them with strength and Grace. The result is a family that's going to grow together a family that's going to grow stronger. Move on. We have to do some work on this one get ready for 22 slaves. Obey your human Masters and 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 price for the wrongdoer will be paid back for whatever wrong. He is done and there is no favoritism Masters deal with your slaves justly and fairly since you know that you two have a master in heaven. Every text in the Bible every word requires effort. It requires some work. There are certain parts of scripture that require a little bit extra work and that's a good we need to wrestle with somebody saying this is one of those texts don't get on my focus. This morning is is not going to be on the issue of slavery, but I also don't want to ignore this. I want us to be prepared to have this conversation. So the first thing we need to do we need to talk about slavery in context. We've got to get our contacts, correct because when we think of slavery like typical American version we we we will think of things like Africans being kidnapped and sold into slavery. What will think of things like racial superiority? Okay, and and those are true, that's the context that we know it as the slavery that we see most typically in the Bible. Especially Roman culture New Testament is different at the same time hear me clearly. I'm not saying that one is really bad. In one is really good. Listen to me always be so clear on this any form of slavery of the superiority based on race or anything else where you believe that you own another human being any form of slavery is an offense to God. I don't care what your culture is. I don't care you talk about the Bible. It's an offense to God. It's an offense to the gospel. We have to see that so let's talk about what a new testament slave what the context is here and some of your texts some of your Bibles will say bondservant little bit different understand many entered willingly. This was like one of the first bankruptcy programs that there was they would enter willingly to pay off debt. So maybe I would come into debt I would go to the first I had money to and we would set up an arrangement. Typically it would last about six years. The other way that many people entered into this type of slavery was as a result of war is they were taking in they were conquered and in some cases in fact and in more cases than what you would think they were fairly well taken care of this is so interesting to me in many cases. They were educated which is the exact opposite. By the way, the slaver we know of that was part of the strategy behind slavery was to keep them on educated. But in this case, you know, and you can go back into Old Testament times like Joseph to be like they were very educated people. They were considered a part of the household. They do not have full rights, but they were considered a part of the household and almost always they were free after 6 years of service. I just want us to have the context of this now a little more work to be done. Does the Bible is like a million-dollar question does the bible condone or support slavery? That's the question. I wanted to get an idea of here in a second because Skeptics will say that the Bible condone slavery. They will look at this text right here and they will say see so this is your god of love. This is your this is your savior hear that believes in that's why you can't just cherry-pick one. You have to look at it and then in its entirety, let me say this. This week off for some there is no explicit scripture. Or text that universally condemned slavery. There's not one. There's not one explicit. There's not one taxes as I am. God slavery's awful. Don't do it. Not there. So what do we do do we just throw our hands up in the air and give up and say no that's why we have to do work. That's why we have to look at the entire work of the Bible. Is 2116 will come close to what we know is slavery. She said if you kidnap another human being you're going to be put to death. Guy so that that that that can certainly play in and factored into that. So then how can you say the Bible is is how can you say the Bible is not against slavery because you have to understand the Bible. As a lot of messiness in it. Okay, it's not this fairy-tale. Okay. Now it's going to have a really good ending. Okay, we know that the gods already secured the victory. We just got to get their case of it's a lot of messy stuff and in slavery is a messy part of that. And here's what you do see in scripture. You see in the Bible a messy reality of a broken World slavery is a result of Brokenness. But here's what you see you see a God who is chipping away at the very Foundation of slavery by targeting the heart. He doesn't come out with the Commandment Thou shalt not partaking slavery. He instead from the Old Testament on he begins to chip away at its very Foundation because God knew that if he could get to the person's heart, but they would want to partake in slavery that they would see But this is really a gospel issue. Paul plays a huge role in this he doesn't right here. Philemon, however, you want to say it the book that's coming up here pretty soon that whole letter is basically Paul riding and saying he's going to he's going to send Philemon back to this guy and I want you to receive him as a brother. He's a Christian. He's a Believer. I know that you're a Believer receive him not as a slave receive him as a brother. You see throughout history in the Bible. God is just chipping away chipping away at the foundation of slavery's what the world does this have to do with what we're talkin about. What here's the deal? Proposed talking about here. There is a modern-day parallel, which means there's principles that we need to put into our lives and that modern-day parallel is the workplace God in our workplace out for some of those that's like a probably kind of a crazy idea like you don't know where I work. I mean he he couldn't get through the door. Well, yes he can. This is talk about that. So when Paul says slaves are Bond servants the parallel for that is employees Lisa's Masters the parallel for that modern day is employee. So what do we see here? Willie Begins by thanks laser employee. Obey your human Masters in everything. I like what he goes on to say there. He doesn't not just when the boss is watching you ever worked or somebody like that me real like you you know, who they are like that they do very very little until the boss is watching and then and there like, they're all star. I mean, they're doing everything they possibly can pulses don't do that. Don't wait till the boss is watching you and here's why because guess what that reveals that reveals who your focus is really on that reveals who you really care about that that that reveals who you're really trying to please that's why Paul goes on to say work from the heart. What you what you want your work to be a reflection of what's going on inside your heart. Now again, this is not mean like warm fuzzy feelings about your job. I'm willing to bet or guess that the majority people in this room don't spend the majority of their time at work having warm fuzzy feelings now just a guess. I'll maybe you do and we're all jealous. Thanks for that. But maybe probably you don't probably don't have a lot of warm fuzzy feelings, but I thought what Paul's talking about he's talking about Faithfully working hard. He's talking about Faithfully working honest and just doing Dependable work just showing up doing your job. If we flip to Ephesians it we talked about having a good attitude at your job. So having a good attitude working hard-working honest being just a good all-around worker whether your boss is watching or not. That's kind of like with the the students in the children obeying their Their parents and their mom and dad. Like how can we do this? It's hard to do that. So let's ask the question. How can we possibly accomplish this? Paul just absolutely hits on this. Whatever you do do it for the heart as something done for the Lord not for people knowing that you will receive the reward of an inheritance from the Lord. You serve the Lord Frey answered by saying don't forget the real boss. I don't don't don't don't forget the master in this. So here's how you accomplish is that your workplace just constantly reminding yourself and remembering that you are working for the Lord that your life is supposed to be a reflection of what he's done in you and I can have an unbelievable impact on people. You you should be living a life at work and you should be working in such a way. Where where the Lost are looking at you like. What is up with that, dude? Why is that person like that? But I mean, you're like skipping around all the time happy but like why is that person? Why why they work so hard? Why are they say all why why that's a lot of time. He uses the lies of obedient followers Disciples of Jesus and he starts stirring people and just asking a simple question like why Why God can use that God can use that one. We're so remember that you're working for the Lord think of it this way. If you're the person a man, I've been there. I think it's a it's a tempting thing for all of us 2 not work as hard as we should then the Boss shows up and we start working at 7. I want you to remember this your boss might acknowledge your dishonest work case of the work that you do what only he is watching but God's not going to acknowledge it meaning you might make your boss Happy by working only when he's there but you know, you're not making happy know. You're not pleasing you not pleasing God now, let's flip that you may do a lot of good honest Christ driven work and guess who's not going to see it your boss that he might be seeing her. She might be seeing that the other person that's that's just trying to please them. But guess who does see it. That's why he says man remember who your ultimately working for and listen if that means that means that your workplace can be a place to glorify God. Ask this question. Are you glorifying God at your workplace? Are you just blending? And are you just another worker there or is there something different about the way in which you work? Are you honoring God at your workplace? So that covers the employees we go on to the Masters or employers. It's important understand that Paul is speaking to believing employees believing employer. Before want to get into the Masters deal with your slaves justly and fairly since you know that you two have a master in heaven. Now we talked about God throughout time has a way like the infrastructure of slavery. This is a great example. Just the idea that Paul is telling the Masters to deal slave justly and fairly. Can you imagine going back to the height of slavery in this nation and going to the masters of plantations and say Hey, listen something I want you to think about all these slaves slaves that you got. I want you to treat them justly and fairly. You're really the same that's not going to be a very good sales pitch unless God put that truth in their heart and it would completely change the way that they saw everything. So here's what he means. Our Christian employers are to treat their employees justly and fairly here. I think that means just with honor and respect just simple respect. Never using your authority to like abused. Verbally or goodness gracious physically like you listen if you're physically abusing your like if you're punching your employees are terrible boss. Terrible but not abusing it not like lording over them. And you said what you don't understand? I'm the boss. I'm the employee and some people they just have that they had that mentality about them. The I'm the I'm the title is very important to them and really what Paul is saying here is yeah, that's great. Yeah. I know. You're the boss. You're the you're the employer. Do you want them to remember that God the master shows? No favoritism. So like when God looks at the workplace. He doesn't spend like a couple seconds. Look at the employee and then God doesn't like start acting like, you know, like an excited teenage girl when he sees the employer employer see if he doesn't see it. That way. He sees both equal. There's not going to be an employer line and an employee line getting into heaven. Going to happen at all Suites in remember that God shows no favoritism. Let me tell you a line here at text. I absolutely love when he says for the wrongdoer will be paid back for whatever wrong. He has done. There's no favoritism. that text should frighten us at the same time. You should give us a lot of comfort because he thought that text me one. Let's pick up the mirror. Let's check ourselves. God shows no favoritism He's not going to let you get away with something that he's not going to let someone else get away with he's not looking at you like you there's nothing you could do. That would make him love you more. Okay, if you're doing wrong doing God sees it the let that beat be a cause of examination let that be a cause of concern for us. But listen, if you ever find yourself in a workplace where you're working with people, maybe you're working alongside people.

The man they're not working in a way that honors God and maybe nobody else sees it and his frustration builds up in you and you just want to cry out for justice. Like if people just knew if people knew some of the things that was going on. Here's where you can rest. God sees them back will not the creator of all the Earth do right. He absolutely will God sees us things. So don't be don't be wishing for harm against them. Here's what we need. We need to pray for those people ultimately pray for repentance pray for Pray For Change pray for our own hearts with the same time. Just trust God you see it, you know what's going on and I trust you to take care of it and I rest in the fact that you don't have any favoritism. Back to the master real quick understand that the power that's been given to you as an employer has been given to you. So that you may use a lot of Grace and that you should glorify God. So if your boss if you're an employer that Authority has not been given to you because you're awesome. And I don't care how many degrees you got I don't care. I don't care how long you been doing? I don't care how big you are don't care men or women been given to you by God's Sovereign Providence. And with that Authority with that power comes a great amount of responsibility. Here's what God is saying. I've given you this position. I've given you this Authority so that you can lead with gray. And so that you can glorify my name in the way that you lead when employees and employers remember that there is a greater Master. Here's what that does Powers them to glorify God in the workplace. Is that not a crazy thought sometimes like that that God would be glorified in our workplace what a mission field that he gives us. in many cases each and everyday lot of times we try to hide areas of our life from God. I believe these are three areas here that we tend to do that whether we realize it or not. Our marriages are family. In our workplace. I don't want you to miss as we begin to kind of work our way to the end. I don't want you to miss the big picture here though. This is not just a list of areas of our lives and and a list of things we need to do to to make things better. I believe there's a greater truth in this remember we're talking about the sufficiency of Christ and all things God is sufficient for all things. Jesus is sufficient for our Salvation. He's not just sufficient for those spiritual things not for things of Salvation be sufficient for every aspect of your life. And Jesus has the power to impact every aspect of your life. Don't put up no trespassing signs. And every time that you got to get this whole I can do this. I got this at exactly what you do.

We put up a dresser don't put up a no trespassing sign to God. So we got this truth that God has no boundaries. Jesus has no boundaries will talk about something that should bring about a healthy amount of fear. But at the same time Comfort Inn, here's why the fact that Jesus has no boundaries. really good news Here's why? That means that no matter what is going on in your life. No matter what area of your life. Maybe it's something we didn't cover this morning. There's not one area of your life that Jesus Christ cannot impact. There's not one area of your life that Jesus Christ cannot strengthen not one area. There's not one shred of your life that he cannot touch. Here's what ski, though when we hand it over to him through obedience. We cannot just pray God fix my marriage. We cannot just pray God help me be a better parent. We cannot just pray God help me be a better worker help my boss be a better boss. There's nothing sinfully wrong with those prayers, but do you know how we see God move in those things? We see him move through our obedience. So we walk through this just real quick. Why are you following the leadership of your husband? Are you are you following the leadership of your husband and respect? Are you in a place? Where at the same time you're able to speak into things your co-equal with him husbands. Are you a are you a husband worth leading? Are you leading in a way? It's making it may be a little bit easier a little more encouraging for your watches. Are you loving your wife? Are you loving your wife well? Children students. Are you obeying your parents? Are you obeying your parents? Are you just doing it when you want to are you arguing about it beforehand? Like it is like the debate. Thank you know what I'm talking about where you ask for something to be done and 30 minutes later. You had like a presidential debate over the issue.