GOD GIVE US CHRISTIAN HOMES COLOSSIANS 3:18-4:1

COLOSSIANS 3:18-4:1 3 PRIORITIES WHEN WE ARE FILLED/CONTROLLED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT AND HIS WORD: 1. God (3:15-17) 2. Family (3:18-21) 3. Work (3:22-4:1)

#1. PRIORITY--- GOD (3:16-17) “Let the word of Christ dwell (be at home) in you richly As you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, And as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, Giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

#2. PRIORITY---FAMILY(3:18) WIVES “Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.” Ephesians 5:22-24 “…as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.”

Definitions “Submit” ---”to cooperate voluntarily with someone else out of love and respect for God and for that person.” It is a military term “to arrange under rank.” Ideally submission is mutual—”Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.” Eph. 5:21

RELATED PASSAGES 1 Cor. 11:3---”Now I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God.”

RELATED PASSAGES 1 Timothy 2:11-13 “A woman should learn in quietness and full submission.” I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she must be silent. For Adam was formed first, then Eve.” 1 Tim. 2:11-13

RELATED PASSAGES Titus 2:4-5 “Then they (the older women) can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, To be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God.” Titus 2:4-5

RELATED PASSAGES 1 Peter 3:1 “Wives, in the same way be submissive to your husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior to their wives.” 1 Peter 3:6 “…Like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her master.”

RELATED PASSAGES Jesus was subject to his parents.—Lk.2:51 The church submits to Christ. Eph. 5:24 We are to submit to the governing authorities. Rom. 13:1-5 We should submit to God’s law. Rom. 8:7 Someday all the universe will be subject to Christ and God. 1Cor. 15:27-28

WHAT IT IS NOT 1. Not inferiority. 2. Not absolute. 3. The husband’s authority is not to be exercised in an overbearing way. “The Gospel radically changed the position of women in the Roman world. It gave them a new freedom and stature that some of them were unable to handle, and for this reason Paul admonished them.” (W. Wiersbe)

#2 PRIORITY---FAMILY (3:19) HUSBANDS “Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them.” Col. 3:19 “…as Christ loved the church…” Eph. 5:25 LOVE—Agape (Greek), “Keep on loving”—present tense, imperative.

LOVE “Unselfish loyal and benevolent concern for the good of another.” Websters Dictionary. “Love can only be known from the actions it prompts.” Vines Expository Dictionary.

RELATED PASSAGES 1 Peter 3:7 “Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers.”

#2 PRIORITY---FAMILY (3:20-21) CHILDREN “Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases to Lord. Fathers, do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged.” Col. 3:20-21

RELATED PASSAGES “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother”—which is the first commandment with a promise---“That it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.” Fathers do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord. “ Ephesians 6:1-4

Dr. Warren W. Wiersbe “The fullness of the Spirit and the fullness of the Word are needed in the home. If family members are controlled by the Spirit of God and the Word of God, they will be joyful, thankful, and submissive---and they will have little trouble getting along with each other…. The heart of every problem is the problem of the heart, and only God’s Spirit and God’s Word can change and control the heart.”

#3. WORK (3:22-4:1) Honesty— “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord…” Devotion--- “It is the Lord you are serving.”

COLOSSIANS 3:18-4:1 3 PRIORITIES WHEN WE ARE FILLED/CONTROLLED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT AND HIS WORD: 1. God (3:15-17) 2. Family (3:18-21) 3. Work (3:22-4:1)