Calls & Considerations

Introduction

(Previous Messages in the Colossians Series)

‘For the Faithfulness of Epaphras’ - Col. 1:1-8

In that message, we looked at how because Epaphras was Faithful to serve the LORD, the gentiles there at Colosse gained:

Faith in Christ

Fellowship with each other

A Future home in Heaven

Fruit for their Labor

And Friends - that would be there & pray for them

‘Paul’s Prayer for the Colossians’ - Col. 1:9-12

Our next message dealt with v9-12 and it focused on Paul’s Prayer for the Colossians.

Paul Prayed for a Filling - of His Will, Godly Wisdom & Biblical Watchfulness

Paul then Prayed for Faithfulness - in their Manner of Life & the Mark to Strive for

Paul then prayed for Fruitfulness - Testifying of who they were in Christ

Then Paul Prayed for Favor - For God to give them Strength & Satisfaction

Lastly Paul Prayed for Focus - Upon God and His Grace

‘The Incredible Christ’ - Col. 1:12-22

Then as Paul began to get into the meat of the letter, we preached a message titled ‘The Incredible Christ’ focused on v13-22 and in it Paul is just bragging about Jesus!

He spoke of the Performance of Christ

The Pardon of Christ

The Picture of Christ

The Power of Christ

The Preeminence of Christ

The Peace of Christ

The Presentation of Christ

‘A Presentation Without Regret’ - Col. 1:20-29

Paul Spoke of:

The Peace through His Cross (v20-22)

The Presentation Desired (v22; 28; 23)

Paul spoke of the fact that everyone was going to stand before God and give account.

The Person God Utilized

Then Paul made clear that God was using him to communicate truth

Now that Paul has laid this ground work, he speaks of himself for the purpose that they would take heed unto what he had to say.

‘A Call to Stand’ - Col. 2:1-10

Paul spoke of:

A Knowledge Imparted

A Course Implored

A Fulfillment Identified

‘Understanding Our Position in Christ’ - Col. 2:11-15

Paul spoke of:

The Circumcision of the Believer (v11)

The Comparison in Baptism (v12)

The Culmination of the Work of Christ (v13)

The Canceling of Our Debt (v14)

The Conquering of Christ (v15)

Given Complete Victory - and He is a Commander to Follow

‘Beware, Lest Ye Be Spoiled!’ - Col. 2:16-23

Beware the Philosophy of the Jews

Beware the False Doctrines of the Gentiles

Be Mindful of What You Are

‘Live Different!’ - Col. 3:1-11

Seek Out Heavenly Things (v1)

Set Affection on Spiritual Things (v2)

Surrender your Life (v3-4)

Subdue your Flesh (v5-11)

‘Additional Things’ - Col. 3:12-17

Things for Adorning (v12-14)

A Spirit of Humility (Bowels of Mercy; Kindness; Humbleness of Mind; Meekness; Longsuffering)

A Sense of Forgiveness

Being Steadfast in Lovingkindness

Things to Allow (v15-16)

The Peace of God to Dominate

The Word of Christ to Dwell

The Songs of God be Delivered

Things to Do Alway (v17)

Represent God in Word and Deed

Recognize His Grace (v17b)

‘Principles Specified’ - Col. 3:18-25

Principle’s for the Home

For the Wives

For the Husbands

For the Children

For the Fathers

Principles for the Help

Perfect Obedience

Pretense Discouraged

Purported Reasoning

Purpose Observed

Promise Recompense

I. A Continued Principle (v1)

(A Charge to Masters)

God gives Masters instructions just as He did servants because both Masters & Servants came to know the LORD and needed instruction.

The Care to be Shown

In our last message, we examined God’s instructions unto the Servants - the Slaves of the day, and what it was that God instructed them. Here in v1 of Ch.4, we see that God does not give the Masters free reign to do what they want, but give them specific instruction on how to treat their servants.

With it, he gives two adjectives for which they were to give:

That which was Just

God called the masters to treat their servants justly. They were not to take advantage of them just because the situation afforded them opportunity to do so. They were to give unto their servants that which was right to do so.

(Ill.) When I think of Justice in the workplace, I think of the current push for $15 minimum wage. There are some who think that Justice is making employers pay all their employee’s $15 / hr. However, the question is, is that Just? Is that right? Someone said that $15 / hr. is the “living wage”. Well, it’s only a living wage now in some parts of the country. If everyone is paid $15 / hr., once inflation hits, it won’t be a living wage any longer. What is Just is that each man gets what they deserve. Every servant receive that in which they labor. So if a servant labors abundantly, they should be given abundantly, if sparingly, then sparingly.

That which was Equal

(Ill.) $15 / hr. is equal only to those who make that. If someone makes more, then it’s not equal anymore. Paul is not saying equality one for all, but he’s advocating equality between servant and master.

In other words, the master was to treat their servants not as subordinates, but as equals. This almost sounds unbelievable - that a master who owned a servant should treat this servant / slave as good as he’d treat himself. But isn’t this what God has commanded?

Mat. 22:37-40 “Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”

Jesus said: Mat. 23:9-12 “And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven. Neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, even Christ. But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant. And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.”

As I read in many commentaries that was written years ago, many spoke of treating servants kindly - but they danced around that word ‘equal’.

We see the Care to be Shown, and he gives a Comparison to Remember

The Comparison to Remember

He says ‘Remember - you have a master too’.

Two things:

Jesus gives illustration of a Master who forgives and one who doesn’t in Mat. 18:21-35;

Secondly, remember Jesus’ great illustration in the upper room - after He washed the apostles feet He said: Joh. 13:12-17

In these examples, we see that masters should treat their servants with Compassion and Humility - this is exactly why the instruction is to give them that which is Just & Equal.

So we see a Continued Principle. Secondly, we see a Call to Pray

II. A Call to Pray

Consistently Pray (v2a)

‘Continue in prayer’

Our prayer life should not be hit and miss.

Our prayer life shouldn’t be just at mealtime and bedtime.

Our prayer should be a constant in our lives! We should be in constant communion with our LORD.

Unfortunately, I can’t read my Bible at all times. (I should read it more than I do), but regardless I can’t all the time. However, I can be in constant communion with God in prayer.

I need no special place

I need no special reason

I need no special occasion

Unlike cell phones, I’m never out of service range

I can be in a crowded room & still pray as God hears my thoughts

I can praise Him, I can ask of Him, I can intervene on another’s behalf, I can Thank Him.

Luk. 18:1 “And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;”

We should Consistently Pray

Expectantly Pray (v2b)

‘and Watch in the same’

We have a God that is in the prayer-answering business!

Church we should be praying expectantly. When I pray, I pray with the expectation of God answering my prayer.

People will say ‘Well, that’s foolish’, but is it? Jam. 4:2b “…ye have not, because ye ask not”

Jesus said: Mat. 21:21-22 “Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done. And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.”

Peter prayed to walk on water - and he did, till he doubted

Elijah prayed to stop the rain - and did so for 3-1/2 years

Then he prayed for rain - and it did

Moses prayed for providence - and God rained manna from Heaven and water from a rock

The blind were prayed for - and were healed

The woman with blood disease prayed for healing - and Jesus healed her.

The dead were prayed for - and brought back to life

Is there anything to hard for God? Then why not pray with expectation? That is a demonstration of Faith!

‘But what if God doesn’t answer’ - oh He’ll answer, it just might be no. However, that’s when we display our Trust in Him. We have Faith that He’ll answer our prayer, but if He doesn’t, we Trust that He had reason.

Paul said to Pray Expectantly

Appreciatively Pray (v2c)

Because God is in the prayer-answering & soul-saving business, we need to be in the ‘Praise and Thanksgiving’ business.

Psa. 92:1 “It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, And to sing praises unto thy name, O most High:”

We have plenty of reason to give thanks unto the LORD. In both answered and unrealized prayers.

We should Appreciatively Pray

Personally Pray (v3a)

Now Paul asks something in particular. He asks that they pray for them. I think that it’s eye opening that we see what they asked prayer for:

For Opportunities (v3b)

They asked that God would grant them ‘Open Doors of Utterance’. So what he’s asking for is that they have ‘Opportunity to speak about Christ’

Here’s the truth. I can speak to every soul that I come across about Christ - but not all of those doors will be open to me. Some will shut me down, others will shut me off. But some will be open ‘doors of utterance to speak the mystery of Christ’.

What’s amazing is not what Paul asked for, but what he didn’t. That verse ends with the words ‘for which I am also in bonds’. In other words, Paul is at this time in Rome locked up in a prison cell precisely FOR preaching the Gospel of Christ! That’s what he’s literally there for - and instead of asking them for prayers to get out of prison, he asks them to pray that he will have opportunity to do what it was that he was locked up for!

Paul wanted prayers for Opportunities.

Let me ask you this: How often do you ask prayer for that? How many times have you heard someone say during prayer requests ‘Yes please pray for me - that I have an open door to speak about Christ this week!’. Oh how we need more Paul’s!

But that’s not the only thing that he asked. He also asked for Obedience

For Obedience (v4)

Paul wanted that when he was presented with the at opportunity, that he would say what it is that needs said. Nothing more, nothing less.

This is one of my constant prayers when I preach. I want to give unto you what God wants you to have. Nothing more, nothing less. Some might say ‘Well preacher, you failed miserably’. Maybe. However, just because it’s not something you wanted to hear, doesn’t mean that you didn’t need to hear it. Maybe what’s preached is not appealing to you, but necessary FOR you.

Some people will reject it out of hand, but it doesn’t mean that it was wrong. We need to have that mindset of perfect obedience.

We see he asked them to Personally Pray for them.

So we see a Continued Principle. Then a Call to Pray. Lastly, to Be Considerate in Our Walk

III. Be Considerate in Our Walk

Now he addresses how we should speak to those who are lost among us. And we’re going to examine v5 in two different lights / applications

In Manner of Conduct to the Lost (v5)

The first is the generally accepted view of this verse - and that is in a nutshell that we should in our Christian Walk, do so Wisely in our Conduct as it comes into contact with ‘those without’ speaking of the lost.

This view of this verse would speak of being careful concerning your testimony - that it remain spotless before lost souls.

This is important, but I don’t think it’s the best way to view this verse for a few different reasons.

You could view that in Manner of Conduct to the Lost, but I think it better to examine it in Manner of Conversion of the Lost

In Manner of Conversion of the Lost (v5)

Let’s break down the Scripture:

Walk in Wisdom - this is a general statement to which the word ‘wisdom’ could be applied differently.

Toward - this gives us direction. Now we are ‘Walking Toward’ something - in this case lost people.

If we are walking toward lost people, then the wise thing to do would be to share the Gospel with them - what Paul just asked them to pray for for them, and what Jesus has commanded us to do.

I believe the kicker - the thing that puts it over the edge as far as application would be the final part of the statement ‘redeeming the time’ - in other words, make good use of the time.

If the verse is speaking solely of our conduct toward sinners, then there’s no real purpose to redeem the time. BUT if it’s giving instruction to GO to them, then ‘redeeming the time’ makes sense, because it stresses the limited opportunity that we have to do so.

In Manner of Consideration for the Lost (v6)

Finally, he gives a bit more insight on how to conduct these conversations:

With Grace - not rendering ‘eye for an eye’, but with Grace

Seasoned with Salt - Salt - something that cleans & preserves

Our speech should be something that is clean & that preserves (others)

Conclusion