Living for Jesus in Up-Close Relationships
Notes
Transcript
Handout
“Living for Jesus in Up-Close Relationships”
Colossians 3:18-4:1
18 Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting for those who belong to the Lord.
19 Husbands, love your wives and never treat them harshly.
20 Children, always obey your parents, for this pleases the Lord.
21 Fathers, do not aggravate your children, or they will become discouraged.
22 Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything you do. Try to please them all the time, not just when they are watching you. Serve them sincerely because of your reverent fear of the Lord.
23 Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.
24 Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and that the Master you are serving is Christ.
25 But if you do what is wrong, you will be paid back for the wrong you have done. For God has no favorites.
1 Masters, be just and fair to your slaves. Remember that you also have a Master—in heaven.
INTRODUCTION:
“Living for Jesus in Up-Close Relationships: Part 1”
I- HUSBAND-WIFE RELATIONSHIPS
I- HUSBAND-WIFE RELATIONSHIPS
(Colossians 3:18-19)
18 Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting for those who belong to the Lord.
19 Husbands, love your wives and never treat them harshly.
A- Wives (Colossians 3:18)
18 Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting for those who belong to the Lord.
Αἱ γυναῖκες, ὑποτάσσεσθε τοῖς ἀνδράσιν, ὡς ἀνῆκεν ἐν κυρίῳ.
(Ephesians 5:22-24)
22 For wives, this means submit to your husbands as to the Lord.
23 For a husband is the head of his wife as Christ is the head of the church. He is the Savior of his body, the church.
24 As the church submits to Christ, so you wives should submit to your husbands in everything.
1- The requirements:
a. Voluntary submission to authority structure established by God.
1.) The husband is accountable to God for his leadership within the home.
2.) This submission is not based upon inferiority, but function.
a) The term translated “submit” ( ὑποτάσσεσθε) is a military term, referring to the role of a soldier to a commanding officer.
b. Accept the husband’s authority. (1 Peter 3:1-2)
1 In the same way, you wives must accept the authority of your husbands. Then, even if some refuse to obey the Good News, your godly lives will speak to them without any words. They will be won over
2 by observing your pure and reverent lives.
c. Love their husbands and children (Titus 2:4)
4 These older women must train the younger women to love their husbands and their children,
d. Live a Godly life
(1 Peter 3:3-4)
3 Don’t be concerned about the outward beauty of fancy hairstyles, expensive jewelry, or beautiful clothes.
4 You should clothe yourselves instead with the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God.
(Titus 2:5)
5 to live wisely and be pure, to work in their homes, to do good, and to be submissive to their husbands. Then they will not bring shame on the word of God.
2- The reason:
a. It is “fitting” (ἀνῆκεν = fits with the character of , reflects moral rightness) for those who belong to the Lord.
b. Your relationship with your husband a should reflect the relationship between the Church and Christ. (Ephesians 5:22-24)
22 For wives, this means submit to your husbands as to the Lord.
23 For a husband is the head of his wife as Christ is the head of the church. He is the Savior of his body, the church.
24 As the church submits to Christ, so you wives should submit to your husbands in everything.
B- Husbands (Colossians 3:19)
19 Husbands, love your wives and never treat them harshly.
(οἱ ἄνδρες, ἀγαπᾶτε τὰς γυναῖκας καὶ μὴ πικραίνεσθε πρὸς αὐτάς.)
1- The requirements:
a. Love your wives
With a Christ-like love (Ephesians 5:25-29)
25 For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her
26 to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God’s word.
27 He did this to present her to himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead, she will be holy and without fault.
28 In the same way, husbands ought to love their wives as they love their own bodies. For a man who loves his wife actually shows love for himself.
29 No one hates his own body but feeds and cares for it, just as Christ cares for the church.
That focusing on giving, rather than receiving.
That focuses on protecting her rather than self.
That promotes her spiritual and intellectual growth.
That focuses on and promotes her deepest beauty.
That seeks to meet her needs ahead of his own desires.
b. Do not treat them harshly.
(μὴ πικραίνεσθε πρὸς αὐτάς = do not behave (act) bitterly (harshly) toward them)
2- The reason:
a. The husband’s treatment is to reflect Christ’s love for His Church.
b. It is irrational and ungodly for a husband to mistreat his wife.
(Ephesians 5:28-33)
28 In the same way, husbands ought to love their wives as they love their own bodies. For a man who loves his wife actually shows love for himself.
29 No one hates his own body but feeds and cares for it, just as Christ cares for the church.
30 And we are members of his body.
31 As the Scriptures say, “A man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.”
32 This is a great mystery, but it is an illustration of the way Christ and the church are one.
33 So again I say, each man must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.
c. Your treatment of your wife affects your prayer-life and service to Christ.
(1 Peter 3:7)
7 In the same way, you husbands must give honor to your wives. Treat your wife with understanding as you live together. She may be weaker than you are, but she is your equal partner in God’s gift of new life. Treat her as you should so your prayers will not be hindered.
d. The way you treat your wife is a witness to the world about Christ and the church.
(Ephesians 5:31-33)
31 As the Scriptures say, “A man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.”
32 This is a great mystery, but it is an illustration of the way Christ and the church are one.
33 So again I say, each man must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.
“Living for Jesus in Up-Close Relationships: Part 2”
II- PARENT-CHILD RELATIONSHIPS
II- PARENT-CHILD RELATIONSHIPS
(Colossians 3:20-21)
A- Children (Colossians 3:20)
20 Children, always obey your parents, for this pleases the Lord.
(Τὰ τέκνα, ὑπακούετε τοῖς γονεῦσιν κατὰ πάντα, τοῦτο γὰρ εὐάρεστόν ἐστιν ἐν κυρίῳ. )
1- The requirements:
a. Always obey parents. (ὑπακούετε τοῖς γονεῦσιν κατὰ πάντα)
(Ephesians 6:1-3)
1 Children, obey your parents because you belong to the Lord, for this is the right thing to do.
2 “Honor your father and mother.” This is the first commandment with a promise:
3 If you honor your father and mother, “things will go well for you, and you will have a long life on the earth.”
* 6:1 Τὰ τέκνα, ὑπακούετε τοῖς γονεῦσιν ὑμῶν ἐν κυρίῳ, τοῦτο γάρ ἐστιν δίκαιον· 2 τίμα τὸν πατέρα σου καὶ τὴν μητέρα, ἥτις ἐστὶν ἐντολὴ πρώτη ἐν ἐπαγγελίᾳ, 3 ἵνα εὖ σοι γένηται καὶ ἔσῃ μακροχρόνιος ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς.
b. Honor parents
(V. 2 - τιμάω: to attribute high status to someone by honoring—‘to honor, to respect.’
2- The reason:
a. This “pleases” the Lord.
b. This is rewarded by God.
B- Parents (Colossians 3:21)
21 Fathers, do not aggravate your children, or they will become discouraged.
(οἱ πατέρες, μὴ ἐρεθίζετε τὰ τέκνα ὑμῶν, ἵνα μὴ ἀθυμῶσιν. )
(ἐρεθίζωa: to cause someone to feel resentment—‘to make resentful, to make someone bitter.’ μὴ ἐρεθίζετε τὰ τέκνα ὑμῶν ‘do not cause your children to become resentful’ Col 3:21.)
(ἀθυμέω: to be or to become disheartened and hence lack motivation—‘to become discouraged, to be disheartened.’ οἱ πατέρες, μὴ ἐρεθίζετε τὰ τέκνα ὑμῶν, ἵνα μὴ ἀθυμῶσιν ‘parents, do not irritate your children, or they will become disheartened’ Col 3:21.)
(Ephesians 6:4)
4 Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger by the way you treat them. Rather, bring them up with the discipline and instruction that comes from the Lord.
Καὶ οἱ πατέρες, μὴ παροργίζετε τὰ τέκνα ὑμῶν, ἀλλὰ ἐκτρέφετε αὐτὰ ἐν παιδείᾳ καὶ νουθεσίᾳ κυρίου.
παροργίζω: (derivative of παροργισμός ‘anger,’ 88.176) to cause someone to become provoked or quite angry—‘to cause to be provoked, to make angry.’
ἐκτρέφω: to raise a child to maturity by providing for physical and psychological needs—‘to raise, to rear, to bring up.’
παιδεία: to train someone in accordance with proper rules of conduct and behavior—‘to discipline, to train, discipline, training.’
νουθεσία: to provide instruction as to correct behavior and belief—‘to instruct, to teach, instruction, teaching.’
1- The requirements:
a. Don’t “aggravate” children
b. Don’t provoke children
c. Do raise children in a godly way:
By seeking to meet the emotional, physical, psychological, and spiritual needs of the child / children.
By seeking to teach them a solid biblical worldview.
By providing them with the discipline to re-enforce the instruction you provide.
By providing them with the role-model that demonstrates what you are teaching them.
2- The reasons:
a. To keep them from becoming discouraged.
b. To keep them from developing resentment due to excessive and unrealistic demands, inconsistent role modeling, or lack of discipline and instruction.
c. To promote the traits and worldview that will prepare children for life and eternity.
d. To instill in them the training to follow a godly lifestyle and personal walk with God.
III- EMPLOYER-EMPLOYEE RELATIONSHIPS
III- EMPLOYER-EMPLOYEE RELATIONSHIPS
*Slavery in the Ancient World •
To recognize the significance of this letter, it is essential to understand slavery as it existed in the first century. At that time the slave-master relationship was as common as the employee-employer relationship is today. Onesimus was a runaway Roman slave. But Paul, although he was a Roman citizen himself, brought to the nature of slavery a unique Christian understanding that was grounded in Hebraic ethics.
During this period, the Jews practiced slavery according to the provisions of the Law of Moses. A Jewish slave belonged to the family of the owner and had certain religious and social rights. If the slave was a Hebrew, the term of slavery was limited to six years. Jeremiah had warned that permanent slavery would bring about divine disfavor (Jer. 34:8–22). But even if the slave was a Gentile, the owner’s power was limited by Jewish law. If a master punished and injured a slave in his possession, the slave was to be set free. If the punishment resulted in the slave’s death, then the master was to be punished. The slave was viewed as a person and was to be treated fairly, which differed from the Roman system of slavery.
Among the Jews, slaves were only a small part of the total population. But in Rome, slaves outnumbered Roman citizens. Some of the wealthy Roman landowners may have had ten to twenty thousand slaves working on their estates. To the Romans, a slave was not a person and was basically thought of as property. Many slaves were treated humanely and sometimes were better off economically than many free persons, there was still the fact that they were considered a possession. They were vulnerable to cruel treatment and could even be killed with impunity. With slaves far outnumbering citizens, controlling the slave population was an imperative to the Romans. To lose control of the slaves was to forfeit the social and economic basis of the Roman Empire.
In his letters the apostle Paul did not approve of slavery, but he also did not condemn it. He exhorted slaves to demonstrate Christian obedience and humility even to their masters (Eph. 6:5–8; Col. 3:22–25). In turn, Christian masters were to treat their slaves fairly (Eph. 5:9; Col. 4:1). Yet at the same time, Paul declared the equality of both slaves and free persons before Christ, a principle that would eventually undermine the institution of slavery (see 1 Cor. 7:22; Gal. 3:28; Eph. 6:8; Col. 3:11).
A- Employee (Colossians 3:22-25)
22 Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything you do. Try to please them all the time, not just when they are watching you. Serve them sincerely because of your reverent fear of the Lord.
23 Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.
24 Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and that the Master you are serving is Christ.
25 But if you do what is wrong, you will be paid back for the wrong you have done. For God has no favorites.
22 οἱ δοῦλοι, ὑπακούετε κατὰ πάντα τοῖς κατὰ σάρκα κυρίοις, μὴ ἐν ὀφθαλμοδουλίαις, ὡς ἀνθρωπάρεσκοι, ἀλλʼ ἐν ἁπλότητι καρδίας, φοβούμενοι τὸν κύριον.
23 ὃ ἐὰν ποιῆτε, ἐκ ψυχῆς ἐργάζεσθε, ὡς τῷ κυρίῳ καὶ οὐκ ἀνθρώποις,
24 εἰδότες ὅτι ἀπὸ κυρίου ἀπολήμψεσθε τὴν ἀνταπόδοσιν τῆς κληρονομίας· τῷ κυρίῳ Χριστῷ δουλεύετε·
25 ὁ γὰρ ἀδικῶν κομίσεται ὃ ἠδίκησεν, καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν προσωπολημψία.
1- The requirements: See also Ephesians 6:5-8
5 Slaves, obey your earthly masters with deep respect and fear. Serve them sincerely as you would serve Christ.
6 Try to please them all the time, not just when they are watching you. As slaves of Christ, do the will of God with all your heart.
7 Work with enthusiasm, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.
8 Remember that the Lord will reward each one of us for the good we do, whether we are slaves or free.
a. Obey and respect them
b. Try to please them, even when they aren’t watching
c. Work out of a sincere, willing heart.
d. Work well, regardless of how you are treated. (1 Peter 2:18-25)
18 You who are slaves must submit to your masters with all respect. Do what they tell you—not only if they are kind and reasonable, but even if they are cruel.
19 For God is pleased when, conscious of his will, you patiently endure unjust treatment.
20 Of course, you get no credit for being patient if you are beaten for doing wrong. But if you suffer for doing good and endure it patiently, God is pleased with you.
21 For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. He is your example, and you must follow in his steps.
22 He never sinned, nor ever deceived anyone.
23 He did not retaliate when he was insulted, nor threaten revenge when he suffered. He left his case in the hands of God, who always judges fairly.
24 He personally carried our sins in his body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. By his wounds you are healed.
25 Once you were like sheep who wandered away. But now you have turned to your Shepherd, the Guardian of your souls.
2- The reason:
a. Because you are actually serving Christ.
b. Christ will reward your faithfulness
c. You are accountable to God for good and evil done.
d. You are to follow Christ’s example.
B- Employer (Colossians 4:1)
1 Masters, be just and fair to your slaves. Remember that you also have a Master—in heaven.
4:1 οἱ κύριοι, τὸ δίκαιον καὶ τὴν ἰσότητα τοῖς δούλοις παρέχεσθε, εἰδότες ὅτι καὶ ὑμεῖς ἔχετε κύριον ἐν οὐρανῷ.
(Ephesians 6:9)
9 Masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Don’t threaten them; remember, you both have the same Master in heaven, and he has no favorites.
1- The requirements:
a. Be just and fair to your workers.
b. Treat them with respect
c. Don’t use threats of mistreatment.
2- The reason:
a. You are accountable to God for how you treat your employees.
b. God will exact justice to all.
c. As Christians, you are witnesses to a lost world
CONCLUSION: