PT-3 "Intro to Colossians 3:18-4:1"

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 5/17/2017 10:03 PM

My Worship Time                                                          Focus:  PT-3 Intro to Colossians 3:18-4:1

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  Colossians 3:18-4:1

            Message of the verses:  “18 Wives, be subject to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. 19 Husbands, love your wives and do not be embittered against them. 20 Children, be obedient to your parents in all things, for this is well-pleasing to the Lord. 21 Fathers, do not exasperate your children, so that they will not lose heart. 22 Slaves, in all things obey those who are your masters on earth, not with external service, as those who merely please men, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. 23 Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, 24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve. 25 For he who does wrong will receive the consequences of the wrong which he has done, and that without partiality. 1 Masters, grant to your slaves justice and fairness, knowing that you too have a Master in heaven.”

            We have been talking about how Christianity has had a wonderful effect on the whole world because of what happens to people once they become true born-again believers.  Now as we will see as we move along with this section of Scripture that Christianity works from individuals to families and then to communities, cities, and in our case states and then into nations and hopefully around the world.  I promised to take a look at some people from the more recent times that have brought about change because of their belief in Jesus Christ.  John Wesley and his brother along with other great preachers in England had a tremendous effect on that nation and not that nation alone as it spread even into Europe and United States, and also into India and China.  Earlier the Great Awakening of the 18^th century America stated by Jonathan Edwards and George Whitefield resulted in the founding of several universities.  William Wilberforce worked tirelessly in Britain to abolish slave trade and he did it in a very unusual way as he caused people who would be voting on this issue to leave the city and then he brought the vote to the part of their government which voted on it and it passed.  Slavery ended in the United States in the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863.  The YMCA and Salvation Army began around this time.  The point is how great Christianity has affected many things since it began in the second chapter of the book of Acts. 

            We will end this last introduction of these verses with a quote from John MacArthur as in this quote will spell out our outline for this section of Scripture.

“The two basic principles Paul mentions, authority and submission, are unique to Christianity.  It has always been God’s plan for homes to operate on that basis.  Christianity did, however, introduce several new elements to the home.  First, Christianity introduced a new presence into the home, the Lord Jesus Christ (cf. 3:18, 20, 23, 24; 4:1).  That new presence brings a new power.  Christ is there, and His Spirit provides the power to make the family what it ought to be.  Second, there is a new purpose:  ‘Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus’ (3:17).  Finally, Christianity introduced a new pattern for the home:  ‘Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church’ (Eph. 5:25).  The new pattern is Christ.  He is the model for us to follow.

“In this passage Paul provides brief, direct instructions on Christian living in the home.  He discusses the three relationships in ancient homes:  Husbands and wives (3:18-19), parents and children (3:20-21), and masters and servants 3:22-4:1).  He gives a word to wives, a word to husbands, and a word to children, a word to parents, a word to servants, and a word to masters.”

5/17/2017 10:31 PM