Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society
Colossians 3:1-17
Contiuatiion from 1/18/09
4.
Let the word of
Christ dwell in you richly.
Question:
How do
we let the word of Christ dwell in us?
a. Compare the results
of letting the word of Christ dwell in us to being filled with the
Spirit in
Ephesians
5:18-20.
Question:
What does it mean to be filled with the
Spirit, and how does this happen?
5.
Whatever we do, we do
it all in the name of the Lord Jesus.
B. Application
1. Through Christ we have died to sin, so we should live like it.
II.
Application.
a. This text is an application for living.
1. We are to love and respect our spouses.
2.
We are to be an encouragement to our children.
3.
Our love for Christ and submissiveness to Him ought to be reflected in
the work
place, both as an employee and employer.
2.
Through Christ we
have been raised to life, so our lives ought to be a reflection of
Christ.
3.
Since Christ is in
all of us, He provides the power and the knowledge, but we have to have
the
want to.
a. This is accomplished by:
· Letting the word of
Christ dwell in us richly, which implies two things:
i. We are reading and
studying God’s word by immersing ourselves in God’s
word.
ii. We are applying God’s
word to our lives.
· Surrendering control
of our lives to the Holy Spirit
· As we do this we give handles to the Holy Spirit to steer our lives.
COLOSSIANS
Colossians
3:18 – 4:6
I.
Rules for Relationships.
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 embitter your children, or they will become discouraged.
22
Slaves,
obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their
eye is
on you and to win their favor, but with sincerity of heart and
reverence for
the Lord. 23 Whatever you do, work at it with all
your heart, as working
for the Lord, not for men, 24 since you know that
you will receive an
inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are
serving. 25
Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for his wrong, and there
is no
favoritism.
Colossians
4:1-6
1
Masters,
provide your slaves with what is right and fair, because you know that
you also
have a Master in heaven.
2
Devote
yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. 3 And
pray for us,
too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim
the
mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. 4 Pray
that I may proclaim
it clearly, as I should. 5 Be wise in the way you
act toward outsiders;
make the most of every opportunity. 6 Let your
conversation be always
full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer
everyone.
A.
The key to healthy
relationships is mutual submission. (Ephesians 5:21)
1. Submission in Marriage follows the example of Christ
and the Church.
Question:
How do we, the Church, submit to Christ?
Question:
In what way does Christ
submit to the Church?
a. Wives are to submit to their husbands.
(Eph. 5:22-24)
Question:
According
to the Bible,
why should wives submit to their husbands?
Question:
What should that look
like?
b.
Husbands are to love their wives. (Eph.
5:25-33)
Question:
According
to the Bible,
why should husbands love their wives?
Question:
What should this look like?
i.
This is not an issue of importance or significance, but is for two
important
reasons.
· Function
of the family.
- As
the head of the
family, the husband is responsible for the family and accountable to
God.
· Meeting
inherent needs.
- While
both men and women
need love and respect. A woman’s greater need is to be loved
and a man’s
greater need to be respected.
2.
Submission in the Family.
a. Children are to obey their parents and to
honor their father and mother.
(Eph.
5:33b-6:3)
Question:
At what age
are we old enough as to no longer have to honor our fathers and mothers?
b.
Fathers are not to embitter or exasperate their children. (Eph. 6:4)
Question:
How can we as parents
embitter or exasperate our children?
1.
As parents we are instead instructed in Ephesians 6:4 to bring them up
in the
training and instruction of the Lord.
Question:
How do we do this?
3.
Submission in the work place.
a. Slaves (employees) are to obey
their masters (employers). (Eph.
6:5-8)
1. Not only when they
are looking but also when they are not.
Question:
As employees what
should our attitude be? (Colossians 3:23-24)
b. Masters (employers) are to
provide what is right and fair. (Eph. 6:9)
Question:
As employers what
should be our attitude toward our employees?
3.
Submission towards one another.
a. We are to pray for one another.
1.
Particularly pray for each others effectiveness as we witness for
Christ.
b.
We are to be wise in the way we act toward those outside
the faith.
Question:
How should we behave
towards those who have not yet come to faith in Christ?
II.
Application.
a. This text is an application for living.
1. We are to love and respect our spouses.
2.
We are to be an encouragement to our children.
3.
Our love for Christ and submissiveness to Him ought to be reflected in
the work
place, both as an employee and employer.
4.
We are to pray for one another and have a loving concern for both those
inside
the Family of God and outside.
itness
for Christ.
b.
We are to be wise in the way we act toward those outside
the faith.
Question:
How should we behave
towards those who have not yet come to faith in Christ?