WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:04.679 We're continuing our series in the book of Colossians. 00:00:06.140 --> 00:00:11.500 Paul is writing this letter to this new young church in the little town of Colossa. 00:00:11.980 --> 00:00:22.320 And he's asserting the absolute supremacy of the resurrected Jesus over all other gods, religions, worldviews, spiritual systems. 00:00:23.679 --> 00:00:27.539 Because of Jesus' resurrection, he gives his followers new life. 00:00:27.539 --> 00:00:29.260 He gives them a new nature. 00:00:29.260 --> 00:00:32.760 He writes in the beginning of chapter 3, you have been raised with Christ. 00:00:35.340 --> 00:00:38.939 And so in chapter 3, he unfolds what this new nature looks like. 00:00:40.120 --> 00:00:45.179 Two weeks ago, we heard how Paul was pressing this truth into our personal lives. 00:00:45.299 --> 00:00:54.020 He wrote, to put to death, therefore, what is earthly in you, and to put on the new self, which is being renewed in the knowledge after the image of its creator. 00:00:54.020 --> 00:00:59.920 Last week, we heard how he expands what this new nature looks like in community with each other. 00:01:01.340 --> 00:01:06.740 Today, in this passage, Paul is pressing that reality into the home network. 00:01:07.460 --> 00:01:13.000 If you're paying attention, that first reading, you might have noticed a couple words. 00:01:13.000 --> 00:01:14.159 It might have grabbed your attention. 00:01:14.599 --> 00:01:17.379 The words submit, obey. 00:01:18.500 --> 00:01:26.799 And for many of us, they bring up negative emotions, defensive postures. 00:01:26.799 --> 00:01:29.399 Why is that? 00:01:30.299 --> 00:01:31.420 Why is that? 00:01:31.420 --> 00:01:36.599 So I knew this was coming, this passage, a couple weeks ago. 00:01:36.700 --> 00:01:39.120 And at first, I thought, this is what I'm going to say. 00:01:39.859 --> 00:01:42.219 We just don't like the word submit. 00:01:42.740 --> 00:01:44.920 Because we don't like to submit. 00:01:45.320 --> 00:01:48.879 We are rebellious people, not liking to submit. 00:01:49.560 --> 00:01:51.840 We need to submit to God. 00:01:51.840 --> 00:02:01.219 And I thought, that's probably not very pastoral, even though it's true, not the great pastoral approach to take. 00:02:01.840 --> 00:02:05.579 So I thought, why don't you try being empathetic? 00:02:07.180 --> 00:02:08.539 So I tried empathy. 00:02:08.800 --> 00:02:09.620 That didn't work. 00:02:11.120 --> 00:02:13.099 So I asked other people what they thought. 00:02:14.379 --> 00:02:15.599 Just got their input. 00:02:15.599 --> 00:02:26.459 And, you know, after talking to them, I realized, you know, I have the experience it takes to understand why these words are difficult. 00:02:28.799 --> 00:02:36.299 I think we have a hard time with the word submit because we associate it with the abuse or misuse of power. 00:02:36.300 --> 00:02:45.439 Many of us have been on the receiving end of an abuse of power by a parent, a boss, a spouse. 00:02:46.320 --> 00:02:49.400 And some of us have been on the giving end of it. 00:02:49.460 --> 00:02:51.040 I know I have. 00:02:51.380 --> 00:02:55.920 I worked at a church ten years ago as a director of music in Florida. 00:02:56.860 --> 00:03:02.120 And I was noticing that it was my friend that was the sound technician week after week. 00:03:02.960 --> 00:03:05.140 And I thought, oh, he really likes working with me. 00:03:05.139 --> 00:03:08.799 So I asked him, so what happened to the other sound technicians? 00:03:08.959 --> 00:03:12.139 And he said, nobody else wants to work with you, Dan. 00:03:14.839 --> 00:03:19.819 I was impatient, impetuous, like a child. 00:03:20.819 --> 00:03:24.239 I was misusing authority and power. 00:03:25.459 --> 00:03:33.659 Okay, so I know that the word submit is difficult because of an abuse of power. 00:03:33.659 --> 00:03:41.699 Another problem we face is that we know this passage and others like it in the Bible themselves have been abused. 00:03:42.300 --> 00:03:44.099 And it's affected us personally. 00:03:44.240 --> 00:03:50.120 And again, the misuse of the scripture affected my family. 00:03:51.419 --> 00:03:54.319 My parents came to faith in their mid-30s. 00:03:54.319 --> 00:04:02.739 And they joined a church that was one of the only gospel-preaching churches in town. 00:04:02.840 --> 00:04:05.159 So we had people of all types in our church. 00:04:05.479 --> 00:04:08.799 And they were very excited to learn about the Christian faith and about Jesus. 00:04:08.919 --> 00:04:11.379 So people would come and bring books of various kinds. 00:04:11.439 --> 00:04:13.799 And one time this guy came and he brought a couple books. 00:04:13.800 --> 00:04:17.340 And he sat in our living room. 00:04:17.920 --> 00:04:19.600 And my parents were full of questions. 00:04:20.879 --> 00:04:22.160 My dad had a couple questions. 00:04:22.300 --> 00:04:25.800 And then my mom asked a question about baptism. 00:04:26.540 --> 00:04:28.379 She said, why are there different kinds of baptism? 00:04:28.680 --> 00:04:29.500 What are they? 00:04:30.660 --> 00:04:32.620 And crickets. 00:04:33.019 --> 00:04:34.040 Complete silence. 00:04:34.040 --> 00:04:35.860 And the guy had his Bible. 00:04:35.980 --> 00:04:38.540 And he opened it up very slowly and deliberately. 00:04:41.640 --> 00:04:42.379 And said, 00:04:43.040 --> 00:04:48.460 As in all the churches of the saints, 00:04:49.040 --> 00:04:53.500 the women should keep silent in the churches. 00:04:53.500 --> 00:04:57.000 For they are not permitted to speak. 00:04:58.020 --> 00:05:02.020 But should be in submission as the law also says. 00:05:02.980 --> 00:05:03.860 He closed his Bible. 00:05:04.040 --> 00:05:08.760 And my mom asked the question, 00:05:08.819 --> 00:05:10.160 because she was new to the faith, 00:05:10.379 --> 00:05:14.500 and she hadn't baptized my brother or myself, 00:05:14.879 --> 00:05:17.960 and was wondering if she had done something wrong by not doing that. 00:05:18.280 --> 00:05:19.520 So on top of the shame, 00:05:19.600 --> 00:05:21.300 she was already feeling about that. 00:05:21.600 --> 00:05:22.439 A new shame. 00:05:22.620 --> 00:05:23.420 Double shame. 00:05:23.740 --> 00:05:26.900 By the misuse and abuse of a passage of scripture. 00:05:28.379 --> 00:05:29.820 And I don't even know the guy, 00:05:29.939 --> 00:05:32.140 but I'm still having to work to forgive him. 00:05:32.139 --> 00:05:32.740 Yeah. 00:05:34.740 --> 00:05:38.240 Not a scene from The Handmaid's Tale. 00:05:38.339 --> 00:05:39.399 That happened in my living room. 00:05:41.860 --> 00:05:45.000 So those inside the church and outside the church 00:05:45.000 --> 00:05:49.459 have used these passages to reinforce cultural patterns of oppression 00:05:49.459 --> 00:05:53.079 that we are born into and live with every day. 00:05:53.079 --> 00:05:55.459 But it doesn't mean that we should jettison them. 00:05:56.599 --> 00:05:57.539 As a matter of fact, 00:05:57.740 --> 00:06:00.740 I think that as we look intently into this passage, 00:06:01.060 --> 00:06:02.479 we're going to love it. 00:06:03.639 --> 00:06:04.319 Embrace it. 00:06:05.459 --> 00:06:07.099 First, we need to ask God for help 00:06:07.099 --> 00:06:09.219 as we tackle this together. 00:06:09.419 --> 00:06:10.019 So let's pray. 00:06:10.019 --> 00:06:20.159 Lord, would I not misuse or abuse this passage? 00:06:23.259 --> 00:06:25.620 Would you give me wisdom as I speak? 00:06:27.359 --> 00:06:29.259 For we would hear your voice 00:06:29.259 --> 00:06:30.699 and what you would have to say 00:06:30.699 --> 00:06:33.159 to the church in Washington, D.C. 00:06:33.160 --> 00:06:41.160 We pray in Jesus' name. 00:06:41.280 --> 00:06:41.460 Amen. 00:06:43.460 --> 00:06:45.880 The Bible is full of imperatives. 00:06:46.320 --> 00:06:46.940 Do this. 00:06:47.300 --> 00:06:47.840 Do that. 00:06:48.840 --> 00:06:51.280 Sometimes the Bible has instructions or commands 00:06:51.280 --> 00:06:52.879 that don't seem very clear. 00:06:53.040 --> 00:06:53.860 Some are very clear. 00:06:54.100 --> 00:06:55.260 So we hear, do not steal. 00:06:55.360 --> 00:06:56.320 Like, that makes sense. 00:06:56.720 --> 00:06:58.300 We have a good idea why we shouldn't steal. 00:06:58.300 --> 00:07:00.720 Other instructions are less clear 00:07:00.720 --> 00:07:02.980 or they tend to, 00:07:03.060 --> 00:07:03.980 it seems like, 00:07:04.060 --> 00:07:07.420 they contradict other instructions in the Bible. 00:07:08.680 --> 00:07:11.439 The wise person diligently searches the scriptures 00:07:11.439 --> 00:07:13.600 to make sense of these instructions. 00:07:14.639 --> 00:07:16.240 And there's a way to do it. 00:07:17.560 --> 00:07:21.600 One way to do it is to find it in its context, 00:07:21.699 --> 00:07:24.500 to place it in a large narrative. 00:07:24.939 --> 00:07:27.379 In this book, After Virtue, 00:07:27.379 --> 00:07:30.000 the philosopher Alistair MacIntyre 00:07:30.000 --> 00:07:33.480 tells a hypothetical story that's very short. 00:07:34.219 --> 00:07:35.639 You're standing at a bus stop. 00:07:36.680 --> 00:07:38.579 And a young man next to you 00:07:38.579 --> 00:07:40.399 leans over. 00:07:40.680 --> 00:07:41.519 And he's a complete stranger. 00:07:42.259 --> 00:07:43.439 He leans over you and says, 00:07:44.040 --> 00:07:46.339 the name of the common wild duck 00:07:46.339 --> 00:07:47.480 is Histrionicus, 00:07:47.959 --> 00:07:48.759 Histrionicus, 00:07:49.300 --> 00:07:49.920 Histrionicus. 00:07:50.920 --> 00:07:51.860 And that's it. 00:07:52.159 --> 00:07:53.159 That's all he says to you. 00:07:53.860 --> 00:07:55.259 Now, the meaning is very clear 00:07:55.259 --> 00:07:56.120 and it's actually right, 00:07:56.120 --> 00:07:56.959 from what I know. 00:07:57.379 --> 00:08:01.339 But you have no idea why he's saying it. 00:08:01.360 --> 00:08:02.659 Because it's out of the blue. 00:08:03.219 --> 00:08:06.719 It doesn't fall into any narrative or story. 00:08:06.839 --> 00:08:08.379 It's just this random comment. 00:08:08.659 --> 00:08:09.860 Like, perhaps he's mentally ill. 00:08:09.860 --> 00:08:14.920 But perhaps, like, there's a bigger story 00:08:14.920 --> 00:08:18.319 that this account fits into. 00:08:18.500 --> 00:08:21.020 Perhaps it's a case of mistaken identity 00:08:21.020 --> 00:08:24.660 where he thought you were the one 00:08:24.660 --> 00:08:26.340 who asked him a question at the library 00:08:26.340 --> 00:08:27.139 the day before. 00:08:27.639 --> 00:08:28.420 You had asked, 00:08:28.580 --> 00:08:29.600 or he thought you had asked, 00:08:29.939 --> 00:08:31.800 what is the name of the common wild duck? 00:08:32.519 --> 00:08:34.360 And so now he thought he's seen you the next day 00:08:34.360 --> 00:08:35.120 and he tells you. 00:08:35.120 --> 00:08:40.100 Or he is just leaving his psychotherapist's office 00:08:40.100 --> 00:08:42.899 who's encouraging him to come out of his shyness 00:08:42.899 --> 00:08:44.940 by talking to strangers. 00:08:45.500 --> 00:08:46.440 What should I say? 00:08:46.799 --> 00:08:47.980 Oh, say anything at all. 00:08:48.860 --> 00:08:51.200 Well, that would explain why he said that. 00:08:51.399 --> 00:08:51.820 Or, 00:08:52.500 --> 00:08:53.299 or he's a spy. 00:08:53.980 --> 00:08:54.720 Or he's a spy 00:08:54.720 --> 00:08:57.480 and he's waiting at a prearranged rendezvous 00:08:57.480 --> 00:09:00.060 and he's just uttered the code sentence 00:09:00.060 --> 00:09:02.039 which will identify him to you 00:09:02.039 --> 00:09:03.060 as contact. 00:09:04.039 --> 00:09:05.639 Now, in each of these scenarios, 00:09:06.220 --> 00:09:08.159 the thing he says makes sense 00:09:08.159 --> 00:09:10.920 once it's put into a narrative. 00:09:11.800 --> 00:09:13.960 The narrative also determines 00:09:13.960 --> 00:09:16.019 how you respond to it. 00:09:16.700 --> 00:09:18.920 So if we want to make sense of Paul's instructions 00:09:18.920 --> 00:09:20.440 and how to respond, 00:09:20.840 --> 00:09:22.860 it would be good to understand the narrative 00:09:22.860 --> 00:09:24.840 into which they are placed. 00:09:24.840 --> 00:09:26.340 So, 00:09:27.180 --> 00:09:28.080 you can start at the beginning 00:09:28.080 --> 00:09:30.220 or even before the beginning. 00:09:31.259 --> 00:09:32.480 Before the world was created, 00:09:32.800 --> 00:09:34.240 God existed as one God 00:09:34.240 --> 00:09:35.360 and three persons 00:09:35.360 --> 00:09:37.639 enjoying from eternity past 00:09:37.639 --> 00:09:40.440 a dance of mutual love 00:09:40.440 --> 00:09:41.259 and delight. 00:09:42.200 --> 00:09:43.860 He then created the world good 00:09:43.860 --> 00:09:46.040 and he made man in his own image 00:09:46.040 --> 00:09:47.720 male and female. 00:09:49.320 --> 00:09:51.100 And they would also experience 00:09:51.100 --> 00:09:53.280 a life together of mutual love and delight. 00:09:53.279 --> 00:09:55.620 He instructed them to be fruitful 00:09:55.620 --> 00:09:56.919 and multiply 00:09:56.919 --> 00:09:58.319 and to get to work 00:09:58.319 --> 00:09:59.439 caring for the garden 00:09:59.439 --> 00:10:00.539 in which they were placed. 00:10:00.919 --> 00:10:01.959 So at the very beginning, 00:10:02.699 --> 00:10:04.339 we see the institutions of marriage, 00:10:04.600 --> 00:10:06.039 family, and work. 00:10:06.779 --> 00:10:08.519 Interesting that Paul addresses those 00:10:08.519 --> 00:10:09.819 in this passage too. 00:10:10.779 --> 00:10:11.879 And then came the fall. 00:10:12.620 --> 00:10:13.759 Wanting to be like God, 00:10:13.899 --> 00:10:15.459 Adam and Eve disobeyed God 00:10:15.459 --> 00:10:17.259 and everything broke 00:10:17.259 --> 00:10:18.259 and fell apart. 00:10:19.120 --> 00:10:21.179 Instead of mutual love and affection, 00:10:21.179 --> 00:10:23.239 marriage became a power struggle. 00:10:24.639 --> 00:10:26.219 Family life immediately suffered 00:10:26.219 --> 00:10:28.059 as brother turned against brother, 00:10:28.239 --> 00:10:28.519 literally. 00:10:29.719 --> 00:10:31.959 And work became toilsome 00:10:31.959 --> 00:10:33.299 and backbreaking 00:10:33.299 --> 00:10:36.319 as thorns and thistles grew up. 00:10:36.699 --> 00:10:37.779 And very soon thereafter, 00:10:38.279 --> 00:10:39.079 email was invented. 00:10:40.679 --> 00:10:42.839 Jump ahead to Paul's day 00:10:42.840 --> 00:10:44.759 and humanity 00:10:44.759 --> 00:10:46.759 had experienced millennia 00:10:46.759 --> 00:10:49.180 of humans owning other humans. 00:10:49.639 --> 00:10:51.700 Wives, children, and slaves 00:10:51.700 --> 00:10:53.680 had varying degrees of status, 00:10:53.940 --> 00:10:54.980 but most often 00:10:54.980 --> 00:10:56.639 they had the status of property. 00:10:58.220 --> 00:10:59.340 Now many philosophers 00:10:59.340 --> 00:11:00.860 in the centuries leading up to Paul 00:11:00.860 --> 00:11:01.840 had things to say 00:11:01.840 --> 00:11:02.740 about the relationships 00:11:02.740 --> 00:11:03.860 within the family. 00:11:04.120 --> 00:11:05.160 And when I say family, 00:11:05.519 --> 00:11:06.879 I mean the household, 00:11:07.220 --> 00:11:08.740 parents, children, and servants. 00:11:08.740 --> 00:11:11.659 If you had noticed 00:11:11.659 --> 00:11:12.840 a change in tone 00:11:12.840 --> 00:11:13.639 or in style 00:11:13.639 --> 00:11:15.360 in this passage of Colossians 00:11:15.360 --> 00:11:16.639 from the passages 00:11:16.639 --> 00:11:17.799 that we've read 00:11:17.799 --> 00:11:19.240 in the past few weeks, 00:11:19.860 --> 00:11:21.039 it's because Paul's using 00:11:21.039 --> 00:11:22.320 a specific format 00:11:22.320 --> 00:11:23.539 or a genre. 00:11:24.100 --> 00:11:24.440 It's called 00:11:24.440 --> 00:11:25.740 the household codes. 00:11:27.100 --> 00:11:28.539 And this format 00:11:28.539 --> 00:11:29.340 is also found, 00:11:29.399 --> 00:11:30.159 this structure is found 00:11:30.159 --> 00:11:31.259 in other ancient writing. 00:11:32.019 --> 00:11:32.919 Aristotle wrote, 00:11:33.919 --> 00:11:35.960 the science of household management 00:11:35.960 --> 00:11:37.840 has just three divisions. 00:11:37.840 --> 00:11:39.680 one of the relation 00:11:39.680 --> 00:11:41.160 of master to slave, 00:11:41.519 --> 00:11:43.000 one of paternal relation, 00:11:43.660 --> 00:11:45.480 and one of the conjugal relation. 00:11:46.120 --> 00:11:47.840 For it is part of household science 00:11:47.840 --> 00:11:49.740 to rule over wife and children. 00:11:51.700 --> 00:11:52.620 Philosophers saw 00:11:52.620 --> 00:11:54.460 an orderly universe, 00:11:54.920 --> 00:11:56.259 and so they based their teaching 00:11:56.259 --> 00:11:58.040 on the laws of nature. 00:11:58.800 --> 00:12:00.200 This is the way the world is, 00:12:00.240 --> 00:12:01.720 so this is how you should order your life, 00:12:01.759 --> 00:12:03.320 to be in harmony with nature. 00:12:04.080 --> 00:12:05.139 In reference to the household, 00:12:05.300 --> 00:12:05.920 Plato wrote, 00:12:05.920 --> 00:12:07.759 the stronger should rule 00:12:07.759 --> 00:12:09.419 and the weaker should be ruled. 00:12:10.939 --> 00:12:11.840 Now what Paul does here 00:12:11.840 --> 00:12:12.539 in Colossians 00:12:12.539 --> 00:12:14.240 is he takes this format, 00:12:14.720 --> 00:12:16.200 the household codes, 00:12:16.939 --> 00:12:17.539 a genre, 00:12:17.879 --> 00:12:18.519 if you will, 00:12:18.659 --> 00:12:19.659 that already existed 00:12:19.659 --> 00:12:20.860 outside of Paul's writings, 00:12:21.039 --> 00:12:21.879 but instead of looking 00:12:21.879 --> 00:12:22.740 to nature 00:12:22.740 --> 00:12:24.379 for determining 00:12:24.379 --> 00:12:25.539 how various members 00:12:25.539 --> 00:12:26.019 of a household 00:12:26.019 --> 00:12:27.360 should relate to one another, 00:12:28.519 --> 00:12:29.659 Paul bases these 00:12:29.659 --> 00:12:30.980 household codes 00:12:30.980 --> 00:12:32.600 on the new nature. 00:12:33.759 --> 00:12:35.060 Christ has given you 00:12:35.060 --> 00:12:36.519 a true humanity 00:12:36.519 --> 00:12:38.740 based on a divine pattern, 00:12:39.620 --> 00:12:41.920 lived out not in self-assertion, 00:12:42.019 --> 00:12:43.639 but in self-giving. 00:12:44.759 --> 00:12:46.259 The institutions of family 00:12:46.259 --> 00:12:47.379 and work that were created 00:12:47.379 --> 00:12:49.259 good and wholesome, 00:12:49.759 --> 00:12:51.600 but were broken by the fall, 00:12:51.600 --> 00:12:53.300 are renewed by the power 00:12:53.300 --> 00:12:54.480 of Jesus' resurrection. 00:12:54.480 --> 00:12:57.700 One last thing to say 00:12:57.700 --> 00:12:59.080 about the context 00:12:59.080 --> 00:13:00.879 is that Paul is writing 00:13:00.879 --> 00:13:02.519 to a very specific community 00:13:02.519 --> 00:13:04.039 and a very specific time 00:13:04.039 --> 00:13:06.639 and a very specific empire. 00:13:07.139 --> 00:13:09.259 He's not remaining abstract, 00:13:09.659 --> 00:13:13.080 but he's getting very concrete. 00:13:14.200 --> 00:13:15.840 This is what new life looks like 00:13:15.840 --> 00:13:17.220 in a small town, 00:13:17.420 --> 00:13:19.500 in the exurbs of the Roman Empire. 00:13:20.220 --> 00:13:21.799 And I'll refer more to this later. 00:13:22.480 --> 00:13:23.899 But having looked at the context 00:13:23.899 --> 00:13:24.539 and narrative, 00:13:25.100 --> 00:13:26.379 let's look at these verses. 00:13:27.480 --> 00:13:27.840 After. 00:13:28.799 --> 00:13:29.379 Grab this. 00:13:34.539 --> 00:13:36.500 A general observation first. 00:13:37.240 --> 00:13:39.120 That what makes this setting 00:13:39.120 --> 00:13:40.580 in Colossae 00:13:40.580 --> 00:13:42.440 similar to our own day 00:13:42.440 --> 00:13:44.399 is that Paul is pressing 00:13:44.399 --> 00:13:45.399 the reality of living 00:13:45.399 --> 00:13:47.980 new resurrection life 00:13:47.980 --> 00:13:49.159 into the place 00:13:49.159 --> 00:13:50.899 where we are most ourselves. 00:13:51.080 --> 00:13:51.639 Into the place 00:13:51.639 --> 00:13:54.159 where we are most ourselves. 00:13:55.080 --> 00:13:55.920 In other words, 00:13:56.340 --> 00:13:58.360 it is most likely at home 00:13:58.360 --> 00:14:00.580 that you are to be short-tempered 00:14:00.580 --> 00:14:04.220 and say perhaps mean things 00:14:04.220 --> 00:14:05.159 to your family members, 00:14:05.200 --> 00:14:06.639 the ones you love the most. 00:14:07.060 --> 00:14:08.500 Things that would cause you 00:14:08.500 --> 00:14:09.379 to lose friends 00:14:09.379 --> 00:14:10.840 or maybe not be able 00:14:10.840 --> 00:14:11.659 to keep a job. 00:14:12.060 --> 00:14:12.800 But for some reason, 00:14:12.980 --> 00:14:13.620 and you know this, 00:14:13.740 --> 00:14:16.120 this is where we tend 00:14:16.120 --> 00:14:16.940 to be ourselves. 00:14:17.980 --> 00:14:18.879 In our family. 00:14:19.840 --> 00:14:21.139 Or among our housemates. 00:14:23.539 --> 00:14:25.019 When we look at these verses, 00:14:26.139 --> 00:14:27.379 and if we were to take out 00:14:27.379 --> 00:14:29.120 the subjects and the objects, 00:14:29.740 --> 00:14:30.879 what we're left with 00:14:30.879 --> 00:14:33.240 are statements of submissive love 00:14:33.240 --> 00:14:35.320 and sacrificial love. 00:14:36.080 --> 00:14:38.180 Ultimately, Paul does not require 00:14:38.180 --> 00:14:39.879 of one member 00:14:39.879 --> 00:14:42.340 anything that he doesn't require 00:14:42.340 --> 00:14:43.659 of another. 00:14:43.659 --> 00:14:46.120 All members of a household 00:14:46.120 --> 00:14:47.839 are to do as Paul earlier 00:14:47.839 --> 00:14:49.039 instructs the church 00:14:49.039 --> 00:14:51.279 to put on compassionate hearts, 00:14:51.860 --> 00:14:52.259 kindness, 00:14:52.939 --> 00:14:53.480 humility, 00:14:54.360 --> 00:14:54.860 meekness, 00:14:54.959 --> 00:14:55.699 and patience, 00:14:56.299 --> 00:14:57.299 bearing with one another, 00:14:57.860 --> 00:14:58.659 forgiving each other 00:14:58.659 --> 00:14:59.659 as they had been forgiven 00:14:59.659 --> 00:15:00.339 by the Lord. 00:15:02.539 --> 00:15:04.899 Let's look at these three pairings. 00:15:05.000 --> 00:15:06.639 The first is wives and husbands. 00:15:06.639 --> 00:15:09.819 There's generally two ways 00:15:09.819 --> 00:15:12.860 of viewing verses like these 00:15:12.860 --> 00:15:13.960 in scripture. 00:15:14.919 --> 00:15:18.000 The first is an egalitarian view. 00:15:18.279 --> 00:15:20.220 And egalitarianism sounds like 00:15:20.220 --> 00:15:21.319 what you think it is. 00:15:22.500 --> 00:15:23.259 That is, 00:15:24.759 --> 00:15:26.259 there is an equality 00:15:26.259 --> 00:15:28.620 between male and female. 00:15:28.799 --> 00:15:30.919 Men and women are fully equal 00:15:30.919 --> 00:15:32.339 in the church 00:15:32.339 --> 00:15:33.979 and in the family. 00:15:34.979 --> 00:15:36.500 And egalitarians would point 00:15:36.500 --> 00:15:37.399 to a verse like 00:15:37.399 --> 00:15:38.579 Galatians 3.28. 00:15:39.159 --> 00:15:40.740 There is neither Jew nor Gentile, 00:15:41.179 --> 00:15:42.579 neither slave nor free. 00:15:43.159 --> 00:15:46.240 There is neither male and female, 00:15:46.459 --> 00:15:47.699 for you are all one 00:15:47.699 --> 00:15:48.839 in Christ Jesus. 00:15:49.240 --> 00:15:49.399 Okay? 00:15:49.979 --> 00:15:50.539 Egalitarianism. 00:15:50.799 --> 00:15:51.479 On the other hand, 00:15:52.120 --> 00:15:53.199 a second view is called 00:15:53.199 --> 00:15:54.379 complementarian. 00:15:55.659 --> 00:15:57.000 Complementarianism says 00:15:57.000 --> 00:15:58.299 much of the same thing 00:15:58.299 --> 00:16:00.000 that male and female 00:16:00.000 --> 00:16:01.460 are equal in terms of value 00:16:01.460 --> 00:16:02.340 and in every way. 00:16:02.600 --> 00:16:03.539 There's just a differentiation 00:16:03.539 --> 00:16:05.019 in roles. 00:16:05.200 --> 00:16:06.100 And they would look to 00:16:06.100 --> 00:16:07.059 the Trinity. 00:16:07.940 --> 00:16:09.480 Equality in the three persons 00:16:09.480 --> 00:16:10.139 of the Trinity. 00:16:11.100 --> 00:16:13.120 But a differentiation in roles. 00:16:13.279 --> 00:16:14.539 Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. 00:16:16.620 --> 00:16:18.059 And they would point to a verse 00:16:18.059 --> 00:16:19.960 like Ephesians 5.23. 00:16:21.039 --> 00:16:21.840 Which says, 00:16:21.840 --> 00:16:23.360 For the husband is the head 00:16:23.360 --> 00:16:24.600 of the wife, 00:16:24.720 --> 00:16:26.419 as Christ is the head 00:16:26.419 --> 00:16:26.980 of the church. 00:16:26.980 --> 00:16:29.700 And one finds both 00:16:29.700 --> 00:16:30.500 of these views 00:16:30.500 --> 00:16:31.779 in Anglicanism, 00:16:31.899 --> 00:16:32.820 in our tradition, 00:16:33.340 --> 00:16:34.120 in our denomination 00:16:34.120 --> 00:16:35.100 called the ACNA. 00:16:36.720 --> 00:16:38.240 But with either view, 00:16:38.899 --> 00:16:40.220 the outcome of these verses, 00:16:40.340 --> 00:16:41.100 I would suggest, 00:16:41.480 --> 00:16:42.159 is the same. 00:16:43.440 --> 00:16:44.560 Because Paul says 00:16:44.560 --> 00:16:46.519 in Ephesians 5.21, 00:16:47.000 --> 00:16:48.700 the beginning of the household codes 00:16:48.700 --> 00:16:49.519 in that letter, 00:16:49.600 --> 00:16:50.320 a sister letter, 00:16:50.620 --> 00:16:51.899 the letter to Colossians, 00:16:52.440 --> 00:16:53.360 he writes there, 00:16:53.360 --> 00:16:55.120 that husbands and wives 00:16:55.120 --> 00:16:56.820 are to submit to one another 00:16:56.820 --> 00:16:58.659 out of reverence for Christ. 00:16:59.080 --> 00:17:00.940 Submit to one another 00:17:00.940 --> 00:17:02.680 out of reverence for Christ. 00:17:04.420 --> 00:17:05.900 And there we find freedom. 00:17:06.660 --> 00:17:08.200 Freedom in submission. 00:17:09.160 --> 00:17:10.319 C.S. Lewis wrote that 00:17:10.319 --> 00:17:11.620 if the home is to be 00:17:11.620 --> 00:17:12.860 a means of grace, 00:17:13.160 --> 00:17:15.220 it must be a place of rules. 00:17:16.140 --> 00:17:17.819 The alternative to rule 00:17:17.819 --> 00:17:18.920 is not freedom, 00:17:19.460 --> 00:17:21.579 but the unconstitutional tyranny 00:17:21.579 --> 00:17:23.079 of the most selfish member. 00:17:23.819 --> 00:17:24.539 The opposite, 00:17:25.460 --> 00:17:26.199 the alternative, 00:17:26.939 --> 00:17:27.699 to rule, 00:17:28.220 --> 00:17:29.039 is not freedom, 00:17:30.139 --> 00:17:32.119 but the unconstitutional tyranny 00:17:32.119 --> 00:17:35.159 of the most selfish member. 00:17:36.339 --> 00:17:38.039 And if we're with ourselves, 00:17:38.359 --> 00:17:39.859 and we really know ourselves, 00:17:40.579 --> 00:17:42.039 and we see the depths of our hearts, 00:17:42.500 --> 00:17:43.939 we realize that we 00:17:43.939 --> 00:17:45.679 are the most selfish member. 00:17:46.019 --> 00:17:47.559 I, I know this, 00:17:47.599 --> 00:17:48.599 I'm the most selfish member 00:17:48.599 --> 00:17:49.259 in my family. 00:17:49.259 --> 00:17:50.960 I'm the most selfish member 00:17:50.960 --> 00:17:52.000 of this church. 00:17:53.500 --> 00:17:54.940 But I find freedom 00:17:54.940 --> 00:17:56.220 in submission. 00:17:57.240 --> 00:17:58.259 We find freedom 00:17:58.259 --> 00:17:59.099 in submission 00:17:59.099 --> 00:17:59.960 to each other 00:17:59.960 --> 00:18:00.940 or in relationships 00:18:00.940 --> 00:18:02.559 and ultimately to Christ. 00:18:03.140 --> 00:18:04.119 That frees us 00:18:04.119 --> 00:18:05.319 from tyranny of self. 00:18:06.099 --> 00:18:07.000 If we could properly 00:18:07.000 --> 00:18:08.220 associate submission 00:18:08.220 --> 00:18:09.099 with freedom, 00:18:09.799 --> 00:18:10.879 we would probably 00:18:10.879 --> 00:18:11.779 love the word. 00:18:13.019 --> 00:18:14.240 If someone is truly 00:18:14.240 --> 00:18:15.259 laying down their life 00:18:15.259 --> 00:18:16.039 for us, 00:18:16.839 --> 00:18:17.980 submitting to them 00:18:17.980 --> 00:18:19.299 doesn't sound like 00:18:19.299 --> 00:18:20.160 such a bad idea. 00:18:22.380 --> 00:18:23.880 Now, single people, 00:18:24.039 --> 00:18:25.559 there's a lot of you here. 00:18:26.720 --> 00:18:28.099 And this, 00:18:28.160 --> 00:18:29.079 this also applies 00:18:29.079 --> 00:18:30.440 generally to life 00:18:30.440 --> 00:18:32.019 with each other 00:18:32.019 --> 00:18:32.880 in community 00:18:32.880 --> 00:18:34.920 and to life 00:18:34.920 --> 00:18:35.700 with your housemates. 00:18:36.180 --> 00:18:37.220 Submit to one another. 00:18:37.220 --> 00:18:39.779 And it should also 00:18:39.779 --> 00:18:40.779 clue you in 00:18:40.779 --> 00:18:41.460 as to the kind 00:18:41.460 --> 00:18:42.200 of person 00:18:42.200 --> 00:18:43.839 you are to marry 00:18:43.839 --> 00:18:45.220 if you foresee 00:18:45.220 --> 00:18:46.120 that in your future. 00:18:47.400 --> 00:18:47.860 Now, too often 00:18:47.860 --> 00:18:48.720 it's attractiveness 00:18:48.720 --> 00:18:49.819 that determines 00:18:49.819 --> 00:18:51.039 the kind of person 00:18:51.039 --> 00:18:51.799 we want to marry. 00:18:52.860 --> 00:18:53.500 Wouldn't it be great 00:18:53.500 --> 00:18:54.680 if I could be seen 00:18:54.680 --> 00:18:55.680 on that person's arm? 00:18:57.880 --> 00:18:58.680 When we read 00:18:58.680 --> 00:18:59.759 Paul's instructions, 00:19:01.160 --> 00:19:02.059 it should make us 00:19:02.059 --> 00:19:02.819 ask about 00:19:02.819 --> 00:19:03.960 a potential mate. 00:19:03.960 --> 00:19:05.840 Will this person 00:19:05.840 --> 00:19:06.720 prefer me 00:19:06.720 --> 00:19:07.480 over themselves? 00:19:08.680 --> 00:19:09.440 Could I submit 00:19:09.440 --> 00:19:11.079 to this person's 00:19:11.079 --> 00:19:12.160 preferences 00:19:12.160 --> 00:19:13.960 and character? 00:19:15.819 --> 00:19:16.920 In doing so, 00:19:17.019 --> 00:19:17.720 could we be 00:19:17.720 --> 00:19:18.680 of one will 00:19:18.680 --> 00:19:19.400 with each other, 00:19:19.539 --> 00:19:20.180 experiencing 00:19:20.180 --> 00:19:22.420 a life of mutual love, 00:19:22.960 --> 00:19:23.400 delight, 00:19:23.799 --> 00:19:24.220 forgiveness? 00:19:26.360 --> 00:19:27.039 And for those of you 00:19:27.039 --> 00:19:27.680 who are married, 00:19:28.360 --> 00:19:29.340 submitting to each other 00:19:29.340 --> 00:19:30.140 means dying 00:19:30.140 --> 00:19:31.680 to one another. 00:19:31.680 --> 00:19:34.400 Let's look at 00:19:34.400 --> 00:19:35.259 the next pairing 00:19:35.259 --> 00:19:37.320 of children 00:19:37.320 --> 00:19:38.600 and parents. 00:19:41.200 --> 00:19:42.000 It's notable 00:19:42.000 --> 00:19:42.620 that children 00:19:42.620 --> 00:19:44.779 are dressed at all 00:19:44.779 --> 00:19:45.580 in verse 20. 00:19:47.160 --> 00:19:48.220 This is a letter 00:19:48.220 --> 00:19:49.039 written by 00:19:49.039 --> 00:19:50.460 a spiritual giant 00:19:50.460 --> 00:19:51.299 intended to be 00:19:51.299 --> 00:19:51.940 read aloud 00:19:51.940 --> 00:19:52.539 to the whole 00:19:52.539 --> 00:19:53.240 gathered church 00:19:53.240 --> 00:19:54.060 in Colossae 00:19:54.060 --> 00:19:55.400 and then the children 00:19:55.400 --> 00:19:55.820 hear, 00:19:56.060 --> 00:19:56.640 hey kids, 00:19:57.320 --> 00:19:57.720 here's something 00:19:57.720 --> 00:19:58.220 for you. 00:19:59.920 --> 00:20:00.680 Paul says 00:20:00.680 --> 00:20:01.660 children should obey. 00:20:01.680 --> 00:20:01.960 You know, 00:20:02.019 --> 00:20:03.340 the kids probably 00:20:03.340 --> 00:20:03.840 knew that, 00:20:04.380 --> 00:20:04.660 right? 00:20:04.740 --> 00:20:05.600 That they should obey. 00:20:07.120 --> 00:20:07.600 And yes, 00:20:07.640 --> 00:20:08.180 that's important. 00:20:08.400 --> 00:20:08.560 Yes, 00:20:08.620 --> 00:20:09.039 Paul wants them 00:20:09.039 --> 00:20:09.500 to obey. 00:20:10.340 --> 00:20:12.039 But I think 00:20:12.039 --> 00:20:12.519 this command 00:20:12.519 --> 00:20:12.900 is for the 00:20:12.900 --> 00:20:13.820 adults' benefit. 00:20:15.580 --> 00:20:16.360 And by placing 00:20:16.360 --> 00:20:17.720 children first, 00:20:19.039 --> 00:20:20.720 when children 00:20:20.720 --> 00:20:21.440 hear their name 00:20:21.440 --> 00:20:21.940 first, 00:20:22.140 --> 00:20:22.660 Paul is telling 00:20:22.660 --> 00:20:23.259 the adults 00:20:23.259 --> 00:20:24.100 that children 00:20:24.100 --> 00:20:25.060 are equally 00:20:25.060 --> 00:20:25.740 members 00:20:25.740 --> 00:20:27.220 of this congregation 00:20:27.220 --> 00:20:28.060 as the adults. 00:20:28.460 --> 00:20:29.660 Not an afterthought, 00:20:29.900 --> 00:20:30.779 not a nuisance, 00:20:30.779 --> 00:20:31.519 but brothers 00:20:31.519 --> 00:20:32.240 and sisters, 00:20:32.240 --> 00:20:33.200 what a beautiful 00:20:33.200 --> 00:20:34.180 picture Paul is 00:20:34.180 --> 00:20:35.119 painting of a new 00:20:35.119 --> 00:20:35.700 humanity 00:20:35.700 --> 00:20:36.819 where children 00:20:36.819 --> 00:20:38.119 are held 00:20:38.119 --> 00:20:38.940 as equals 00:20:38.940 --> 00:20:40.399 of adults. 00:20:41.960 --> 00:20:42.759 And then there's 00:20:42.759 --> 00:20:43.519 parents. 00:20:44.639 --> 00:20:45.299 Now the text 00:20:45.299 --> 00:20:45.960 says fathers, 00:20:46.319 --> 00:20:47.059 but we can read 00:20:47.059 --> 00:20:48.019 parents here. 00:20:48.019 --> 00:20:53.079 And the kids, 00:20:53.160 --> 00:20:53.559 by the way, 00:20:53.759 --> 00:20:54.379 as this letter 00:20:54.379 --> 00:20:55.220 is being read 00:20:55.220 --> 00:20:55.619 aloud, 00:20:56.160 --> 00:20:58.639 their attention 00:20:58.639 --> 00:20:59.119 has been gotten 00:20:59.119 --> 00:20:59.619 and so they're 00:20:59.619 --> 00:21:00.200 paying attention 00:21:00.200 --> 00:21:01.680 and they hear 00:21:01.680 --> 00:21:03.559 that parents 00:21:03.559 --> 00:21:04.619 are not to 00:21:04.619 --> 00:21:05.039 provoke their 00:21:05.039 --> 00:21:05.819 children lest 00:21:05.819 --> 00:21:06.319 they become 00:21:06.319 --> 00:21:06.940 discouraged. 00:21:08.859 --> 00:21:09.639 Now parents 00:21:09.639 --> 00:21:10.920 had the right 00:21:10.920 --> 00:21:11.839 in this culture 00:21:11.839 --> 00:21:13.220 to exasperate 00:21:13.220 --> 00:21:14.259 their children 00:21:14.259 --> 00:21:15.119 whenever and 00:21:15.119 --> 00:21:15.680 however they 00:21:15.680 --> 00:21:16.319 wanted to, 00:21:16.319 --> 00:21:17.960 and Paul 00:21:17.960 --> 00:21:18.480 says, 00:21:18.919 --> 00:21:19.339 stop it. 00:21:19.839 --> 00:21:20.279 Quit it. 00:21:21.339 --> 00:21:21.819 And the children 00:21:21.819 --> 00:21:22.379 hear that and 00:21:22.379 --> 00:21:22.599 think, 00:21:22.740 --> 00:21:22.899 well, 00:21:23.099 --> 00:21:24.000 I could obey 00:21:24.000 --> 00:21:24.579 a parent like 00:21:24.579 --> 00:21:24.980 that. 00:21:25.859 --> 00:21:26.359 A parent who's 00:21:26.359 --> 00:21:26.980 not going to 00:21:26.980 --> 00:21:27.740 exasperate me 00:21:27.740 --> 00:21:28.159 and embitter 00:21:28.159 --> 00:21:28.460 me. 00:21:30.619 --> 00:21:31.059 And let's 00:21:31.059 --> 00:21:31.919 quickly apply 00:21:31.919 --> 00:21:32.200 this, 00:21:32.359 --> 00:21:32.700 parents, 00:21:32.839 --> 00:21:33.359 and for many 00:21:33.359 --> 00:21:34.059 of you who 00:21:34.059 --> 00:21:34.960 foresee yourselves 00:21:34.960 --> 00:21:35.639 being parents 00:21:35.639 --> 00:21:36.039 someday, 00:21:36.639 --> 00:21:37.399 as parents, 00:21:37.759 --> 00:21:38.259 your children 00:21:38.259 --> 00:21:39.240 do wrong 00:21:39.240 --> 00:21:39.659 things. 00:21:40.039 --> 00:21:40.659 And they will 00:21:40.659 --> 00:21:41.059 do wrong 00:21:41.059 --> 00:21:41.399 things. 00:21:41.539 --> 00:21:41.919 That's what 00:21:41.919 --> 00:21:42.859 kids do. 00:21:43.139 --> 00:21:43.700 The temptation 00:21:43.700 --> 00:21:44.259 at that 00:21:44.259 --> 00:21:46.460 point is 00:21:46.460 --> 00:21:46.860 to, 00:21:48.539 --> 00:21:48.740 well, 00:21:48.799 --> 00:21:48.980 actually, 00:21:49.059 --> 00:21:49.380 after they 00:21:49.380 --> 00:21:49.620 do the 00:21:49.620 --> 00:21:49.960 wrong thing, 00:21:50.019 --> 00:21:50.580 often we 00:21:50.580 --> 00:21:50.860 as parents 00:21:50.860 --> 00:21:51.279 get angry. 00:21:51.539 --> 00:21:51.880 That's what 00:21:51.880 --> 00:21:52.319 parents do 00:21:52.319 --> 00:21:52.500 too, 00:21:52.559 --> 00:21:52.720 right? 00:21:53.620 --> 00:21:54.400 And then 00:21:54.400 --> 00:21:55.200 we have to 00:21:55.200 --> 00:21:55.680 apologize. 00:21:55.880 --> 00:21:56.080 And the 00:21:56.080 --> 00:21:56.700 temptation is 00:21:56.700 --> 00:21:57.299 to qualify 00:21:57.299 --> 00:21:57.980 the apology, 00:21:58.340 --> 00:21:58.920 to say, 00:21:59.180 --> 00:22:00.720 son or 00:22:00.720 --> 00:22:01.000 daughter, 00:22:02.440 --> 00:22:03.259 what you 00:22:03.259 --> 00:22:03.940 did was 00:22:03.940 --> 00:22:04.240 wrong. 00:22:04.960 --> 00:22:05.500 I was 00:22:05.500 --> 00:22:06.200 right to 00:22:06.200 --> 00:22:06.720 correct you, 00:22:06.900 --> 00:22:07.759 but wrong 00:22:07.759 --> 00:22:08.900 in the way 00:22:08.900 --> 00:22:09.380 I corrected 00:22:09.380 --> 00:22:09.640 you. 00:22:10.080 --> 00:22:10.440 I was 00:22:10.440 --> 00:22:10.860 right to 00:22:10.860 --> 00:22:11.420 correct you, 00:22:11.559 --> 00:22:11.960 but I 00:22:11.960 --> 00:22:12.319 shouldn't have 00:22:12.319 --> 00:22:12.700 raised my 00:22:12.700 --> 00:22:13.100 voice. 00:22:13.620 --> 00:22:13.920 And I 00:22:13.920 --> 00:22:14.080 would 00:22:14.080 --> 00:22:14.660 suggest, 00:22:15.019 --> 00:22:15.279 and this 00:22:15.279 --> 00:22:15.580 is good 00:22:15.580 --> 00:22:16.340 with each 00:22:16.340 --> 00:22:16.980 other too, 00:22:17.240 --> 00:22:17.559 that we 00:22:17.559 --> 00:22:18.940 never qualify 00:22:18.940 --> 00:22:19.759 our apologies. 00:22:20.519 --> 00:22:20.920 That's just 00:22:20.920 --> 00:22:21.700 always we 00:22:21.700 --> 00:22:22.080 say, 00:22:22.840 --> 00:22:23.160 son, 00:22:23.420 --> 00:22:24.940 I was 00:22:24.940 --> 00:22:25.259 wrong. 00:22:25.720 --> 00:22:25.980 I should 00:22:25.980 --> 00:22:26.319 not have 00:22:26.319 --> 00:22:26.660 raised my 00:22:26.660 --> 00:22:27.019 voice. 00:22:27.440 --> 00:22:27.700 It was 00:22:27.700 --> 00:22:28.080 ugly, 00:22:28.600 --> 00:22:28.920 and I'm 00:22:28.920 --> 00:22:29.180 sorry. 00:22:32.539 --> 00:22:33.140 I think 00:22:33.140 --> 00:22:33.600 children 00:22:33.600 --> 00:22:37.220 know when 00:22:37.220 --> 00:22:37.400 you're 00:22:37.400 --> 00:22:38.100 qualifying your 00:22:38.100 --> 00:22:38.640 apologies. 00:22:39.940 --> 00:22:40.539 They can 00:22:40.539 --> 00:22:41.019 see through 00:22:41.019 --> 00:22:41.340 that. 00:22:41.339 --> 00:22:42.379 And I 00:22:42.379 --> 00:22:42.759 think that's 00:22:42.759 --> 00:22:43.039 a little 00:22:43.039 --> 00:22:43.639 embittering. 00:22:46.519 --> 00:22:47.099 Let's look 00:22:47.099 --> 00:22:47.720 finally at 00:22:47.720 --> 00:22:48.539 bond servants 00:22:48.539 --> 00:22:49.199 and masters. 00:22:50.679 --> 00:22:50.919 Now, 00:22:51.079 --> 00:22:51.359 the words 00:22:51.359 --> 00:22:52.000 bond servants, 00:22:52.299 --> 00:22:52.659 servants, 00:22:52.799 --> 00:22:53.500 and slaves 00:22:53.500 --> 00:22:54.539 are all 00:22:54.539 --> 00:22:55.299 translations of 00:22:55.299 --> 00:22:55.759 the same 00:22:55.759 --> 00:22:56.059 word, 00:22:56.220 --> 00:22:56.579 doulos. 00:22:57.199 --> 00:22:57.959 Some slaves 00:22:57.959 --> 00:22:58.339 served 00:22:58.339 --> 00:22:59.039 voluntarily. 00:22:59.799 --> 00:23:00.199 Most were 00:23:00.199 --> 00:23:00.619 considered 00:23:00.619 --> 00:23:01.220 property. 00:23:02.939 --> 00:23:03.699 On one 00:23:03.699 --> 00:23:03.939 hand, 00:23:04.000 --> 00:23:04.319 one might 00:23:04.319 --> 00:23:05.000 expect Paul 00:23:05.000 --> 00:23:05.519 to say the 00:23:05.519 --> 00:23:06.319 whole system 00:23:06.319 --> 00:23:07.959 is unjust 00:23:07.960 --> 00:23:09.160 and should 00:23:09.160 --> 00:23:09.319 be 00:23:09.319 --> 00:23:09.960 dismantled. 00:23:11.500 --> 00:23:11.920 Slavery 00:23:11.920 --> 00:23:12.579 is condemned 00:23:12.579 --> 00:23:12.860 in the 00:23:12.860 --> 00:23:13.120 Bible. 00:23:13.559 --> 00:23:13.819 Man 00:23:13.819 --> 00:23:14.120 stealing 00:23:14.120 --> 00:23:14.340 is 00:23:14.340 --> 00:23:14.759 harshly 00:23:14.759 --> 00:23:15.220 condemned. 00:23:18.620 --> 00:23:19.259 Kidnapping 00:23:19.259 --> 00:23:20.000 is harshly 00:23:20.000 --> 00:23:20.420 condemned in 00:23:20.420 --> 00:23:20.720 the Old 00:23:20.720 --> 00:23:21.180 Testament. 00:23:23.539 --> 00:23:24.180 American 00:23:24.180 --> 00:23:24.819 slavery would 00:23:24.819 --> 00:23:25.140 have been a 00:23:25.140 --> 00:23:26.180 capital crime 00:23:26.180 --> 00:23:27.140 in the Old 00:23:27.140 --> 00:23:27.519 Testament. 00:23:28.799 --> 00:23:29.740 On the other 00:23:29.740 --> 00:23:30.100 hand, 00:23:30.460 --> 00:23:30.980 we need to 00:23:30.980 --> 00:23:31.779 consider again 00:23:31.779 --> 00:23:32.700 the context 00:23:32.700 --> 00:23:33.299 and narrative. 00:23:33.299 --> 00:23:36.639 as much 00:23:36.639 --> 00:23:37.099 as one 00:23:37.099 --> 00:23:37.539 third of 00:23:37.539 --> 00:23:38.200 the population 00:23:38.200 --> 00:23:38.539 of the 00:23:38.539 --> 00:23:39.259 Roman Empire 00:23:39.259 --> 00:23:39.940 were slaves. 00:23:41.379 --> 00:23:41.859 Christianity 00:23:41.859 --> 00:23:42.639 was already 00:23:42.639 --> 00:23:43.379 an extremely 00:23:43.379 --> 00:23:44.180 insignificant 00:23:44.180 --> 00:23:44.839 minority. 00:23:45.919 --> 00:23:46.419 For Paul 00:23:46.419 --> 00:23:46.859 to call 00:23:46.859 --> 00:23:48.079 for equality 00:23:48.079 --> 00:23:49.500 or justice, 00:23:49.919 --> 00:23:50.740 to call 00:23:50.740 --> 00:23:51.159 for the 00:23:51.159 --> 00:23:52.099 dismantling 00:23:52.099 --> 00:23:53.059 of the 00:23:53.059 --> 00:23:53.819 current system 00:23:53.819 --> 00:23:54.419 which included 00:23:54.419 --> 00:23:55.099 masters and 00:23:55.099 --> 00:23:55.940 bond servants 00:23:55.940 --> 00:23:56.639 would have 00:23:56.639 --> 00:23:57.259 led nowhere. 00:23:59.099 --> 00:24:00.000 As a matter 00:24:00.000 --> 00:24:00.419 of fact, 00:24:01.039 --> 00:24:01.379 it would 00:24:01.379 --> 00:24:01.799 have been 00:24:01.799 --> 00:24:02.639 seditious 00:24:02.640 --> 00:24:03.440 fanaticism 00:24:03.440 --> 00:24:03.840 to try 00:24:03.840 --> 00:24:04.420 and destroy 00:24:04.420 --> 00:24:05.040 the fabric 00:24:05.040 --> 00:24:05.320 of the 00:24:05.320 --> 00:24:06.020 empire's 00:24:06.020 --> 00:24:06.500 economy. 00:24:07.440 --> 00:24:08.200 Had word 00:24:08.200 --> 00:24:08.720 gotten out 00:24:08.720 --> 00:24:09.160 that a 00:24:09.160 --> 00:24:09.600 letter had 00:24:09.600 --> 00:24:10.140 been written 00:24:10.140 --> 00:24:10.740 which said, 00:24:11.160 --> 00:24:11.500 masters, 00:24:12.000 --> 00:24:12.720 free your 00:24:12.720 --> 00:24:13.460 slaves. 00:24:13.880 --> 00:24:14.460 If they 00:24:14.460 --> 00:24:14.900 don't free 00:24:14.900 --> 00:24:15.120 you, 00:24:15.420 --> 00:24:15.880 rise up 00:24:15.880 --> 00:24:16.420 and resist 00:24:16.420 --> 00:24:16.660 your 00:24:16.660 --> 00:24:17.240 masters. 00:24:18.880 --> 00:24:19.560 If a 00:24:19.560 --> 00:24:20.160 letter had 00:24:20.160 --> 00:24:20.560 been written 00:24:20.560 --> 00:24:21.000 like that 00:24:21.000 --> 00:24:21.380 and read 00:24:21.380 --> 00:24:22.240 aloud in 00:24:22.240 --> 00:24:22.520 a little 00:24:22.520 --> 00:24:23.100 congregation, 00:24:23.600 --> 00:24:23.720 that 00:24:23.720 --> 00:24:24.100 congregation 00:24:24.100 --> 00:24:24.600 would have 00:24:24.600 --> 00:24:25.440 been wiped 00:24:25.440 --> 00:24:25.759 out. 00:24:26.000 --> 00:24:26.320 Christianity 00:24:26.320 --> 00:24:26.800 was like 00:24:26.800 --> 00:24:27.340 a really 00:24:27.340 --> 00:24:28.000 small, 00:24:28.360 --> 00:24:28.940 minority, 00:24:29.700 --> 00:24:30.259 insignificant 00:24:30.259 --> 00:24:32.620 population. 00:24:32.640 --> 00:24:34.480 So what 00:24:34.480 --> 00:24:35.160 Paul does 00:24:35.160 --> 00:24:36.300 here is 00:24:36.300 --> 00:24:37.340 more subtle 00:24:37.340 --> 00:24:38.480 and it's 00:24:38.480 --> 00:24:38.900 radical. 00:24:40.220 --> 00:24:40.759 Again, 00:24:40.840 --> 00:24:41.280 he addresses 00:24:41.280 --> 00:24:42.960 slaves first. 00:24:45.920 --> 00:24:46.700 In this 00:24:46.700 --> 00:24:46.820 day, 00:24:46.920 --> 00:24:47.220 one would 00:24:47.220 --> 00:24:47.560 not have 00:24:47.560 --> 00:24:47.960 expected 00:24:47.960 --> 00:24:48.420 slaves to 00:24:48.420 --> 00:24:48.940 be addressed 00:24:48.940 --> 00:24:49.660 at all. 00:24:52.860 --> 00:24:53.740 But Paul 00:24:53.740 --> 00:24:54.280 gives them 00:24:54.280 --> 00:24:55.340 first order 00:24:55.340 --> 00:24:55.920 of preference. 00:24:57.280 --> 00:24:57.780 Paul here 00:24:57.780 --> 00:24:58.500 is proclaiming 00:24:58.500 --> 00:24:59.080 equality. 00:24:59.700 --> 00:25:00.380 It's not an 00:25:00.380 --> 00:25:01.480 abolitionist text, 00:25:01.480 --> 00:25:02.039 but it 00:25:02.039 --> 00:25:02.660 plants the 00:25:02.660 --> 00:25:03.140 seeds for 00:25:03.140 --> 00:25:03.380 what would 00:25:03.380 --> 00:25:03.700 eventually 00:25:03.700 --> 00:25:04.779 grow into 00:25:04.779 --> 00:25:05.539 what men 00:25:05.539 --> 00:25:06.000 would believe 00:25:06.000 --> 00:25:06.920 one day, 00:25:07.039 --> 00:25:07.559 that all 00:25:07.559 --> 00:25:07.880 men are 00:25:07.880 --> 00:25:08.559 created equal. 00:25:09.900 --> 00:25:10.240 Each one 00:25:10.240 --> 00:25:10.759 has equal 00:25:10.759 --> 00:25:11.220 dignity, 00:25:11.339 --> 00:25:11.559 for they 00:25:11.559 --> 00:25:12.000 are each 00:25:12.000 --> 00:25:12.400 made in 00:25:12.400 --> 00:25:12.799 the image 00:25:12.799 --> 00:25:13.059 of their 00:25:13.059 --> 00:25:13.539 creator. 00:25:14.720 --> 00:25:15.299 What Paul's 00:25:15.299 --> 00:25:16.220 listeners are 00:25:16.220 --> 00:25:17.099 hearing is 00:25:17.099 --> 00:25:17.839 that master 00:25:17.839 --> 00:25:19.299 and slave 00:25:19.299 --> 00:25:20.440 are brothers. 00:25:21.000 --> 00:25:21.240 Can you 00:25:21.240 --> 00:25:21.759 just imagine 00:25:21.759 --> 00:25:22.220 after these 00:25:22.220 --> 00:25:22.740 were read, 00:25:23.120 --> 00:25:23.819 children have 00:25:23.819 --> 00:25:24.480 been addressed, 00:25:24.819 --> 00:25:25.279 the bond 00:25:25.279 --> 00:25:25.819 servants have 00:25:25.819 --> 00:25:26.440 been addressed. 00:25:26.779 --> 00:25:27.259 I can just 00:25:27.259 --> 00:25:27.779 imagine the 00:25:27.779 --> 00:25:28.099 reader, he 00:25:28.099 --> 00:25:28.500 gets to the 00:25:28.500 --> 00:25:28.920 end of this 00:25:28.920 --> 00:25:29.220 part, 00:25:29.480 --> 00:25:29.839 and before 00:25:29.839 --> 00:25:59.819 we're 00:25:59.819 --> 00:26:00.099 late to 00:26:00.099 --> 00:26:00.240 our 00:26:00.240 --> 00:26:00.599 bosses. 00:26:01.599 --> 00:26:01.839 In our 00:26:01.839 --> 00:26:02.500 work, we 00:26:02.500 --> 00:26:02.839 are not to 00:26:02.839 --> 00:26:03.319 be people 00:26:03.319 --> 00:26:04.759 pleasers, for 00:26:04.759 --> 00:26:05.119 we are not 00:26:05.119 --> 00:26:05.619 working for 00:26:05.619 --> 00:26:05.960 men at 00:26:05.960 --> 00:26:06.259 all. 00:26:07.220 --> 00:26:07.700 When a 00:26:07.700 --> 00:26:08.299 Christian does 00:26:08.299 --> 00:26:08.879 his work, we 00:26:08.879 --> 00:26:09.559 are free from 00:26:09.559 --> 00:26:10.039 what Paul 00:26:10.039 --> 00:26:10.679 calls eye 00:26:10.679 --> 00:26:11.000 service. 00:26:11.659 --> 00:26:12.179 We don't 00:26:12.179 --> 00:26:12.700 present a 00:26:12.700 --> 00:26:13.259 slick version 00:26:13.259 --> 00:26:13.960 of ourselves 00:26:13.960 --> 00:26:14.500 or our 00:26:14.500 --> 00:26:14.899 work that 00:26:14.899 --> 00:26:15.859 is inauthentic, 00:26:16.659 --> 00:26:17.619 but work as 00:26:17.619 --> 00:26:18.339 if Jesus is 00:26:18.339 --> 00:26:19.099 their boss, 00:26:19.399 --> 00:26:19.859 aiming to 00:26:19.859 --> 00:26:20.500 please him, 00:26:21.059 --> 00:26:21.539 offering our 00:26:21.539 --> 00:26:21.879 best. 00:26:21.880 --> 00:26:22.000 work. 00:26:25.200 --> 00:26:26.420 I think a 00:26:26.420 --> 00:26:27.280 good contrast 00:26:27.280 --> 00:26:28.940 between a 00:26:28.940 --> 00:26:29.840 cursed view 00:26:29.840 --> 00:26:30.700 of work and 00:26:30.700 --> 00:26:31.120 a Christian 00:26:31.120 --> 00:26:31.620 view of 00:26:31.620 --> 00:26:32.380 work is 00:26:32.380 --> 00:26:32.680 found in 00:26:32.680 --> 00:26:33.040 the movie 00:26:33.040 --> 00:26:33.840 Chariots of 00:26:33.840 --> 00:26:34.100 Fire. 00:26:36.080 --> 00:26:36.440 Harold 00:26:36.440 --> 00:26:37.260 Abraham is 00:26:37.260 --> 00:26:38.340 one of the 00:26:38.340 --> 00:26:38.980 sprinters that 00:26:38.980 --> 00:26:39.300 the movie 00:26:39.300 --> 00:26:39.720 covers. 00:26:40.940 --> 00:26:41.360 This is one 00:26:41.360 --> 00:26:41.740 of the things 00:26:41.740 --> 00:26:42.240 he says, 00:26:42.640 --> 00:26:43.260 I'm forever 00:26:43.260 --> 00:26:44.140 in pursuit, 00:26:44.680 --> 00:26:45.320 and I don't 00:26:45.320 --> 00:26:46.000 even know what 00:26:46.000 --> 00:26:46.500 I'm chasing. 00:26:46.720 --> 00:26:47.000 Does that 00:26:47.000 --> 00:26:47.320 sound like 00:26:47.319 --> 00:26:47.720 your job? 00:26:52.179 --> 00:26:52.759 Later he 00:26:52.759 --> 00:26:53.200 says, 00:26:54.200 --> 00:26:54.559 in one 00:26:54.559 --> 00:26:55.200 hour's time 00:26:55.200 --> 00:26:55.639 I will be 00:26:55.639 --> 00:26:56.059 out there 00:26:56.059 --> 00:26:56.480 again. 00:26:56.859 --> 00:26:57.119 I will 00:26:57.119 --> 00:26:57.740 raise my 00:26:57.740 --> 00:26:58.220 eyes and 00:26:58.220 --> 00:26:58.639 look down 00:26:58.639 --> 00:26:59.339 that corridor 00:26:59.339 --> 00:27:00.399 four feet 00:27:00.399 --> 00:27:01.399 wide with 00:27:01.399 --> 00:27:02.599 ten lonely 00:27:02.599 --> 00:27:03.859 seconds to 00:27:03.859 --> 00:27:04.879 justify my 00:27:04.879 --> 00:27:05.339 existence. 00:27:06.099 --> 00:27:06.439 Does that 00:27:06.439 --> 00:27:06.919 feel like 00:27:06.919 --> 00:27:07.679 your life 00:27:07.679 --> 00:27:08.619 at work? 00:27:09.359 --> 00:27:09.819 Work 00:27:09.819 --> 00:27:11.319 justifying 00:27:11.319 --> 00:27:12.240 your existence. 00:27:13.779 --> 00:27:14.159 Work 00:27:14.159 --> 00:27:14.859 being this 00:27:14.859 --> 00:27:15.740 toilsome, 00:27:16.399 --> 00:27:16.799 frustrating 00:27:16.799 --> 00:27:17.319 pursuit. 00:27:19.379 --> 00:27:19.960 On the 00:27:19.960 --> 00:27:20.500 other hand, 00:27:21.019 --> 00:27:21.299 there's 00:27:21.299 --> 00:27:21.960 Eric Little. 00:27:23.779 --> 00:27:24.359 There's a 00:27:24.359 --> 00:27:24.680 point in the 00:27:24.680 --> 00:27:24.960 movie where 00:27:24.960 --> 00:27:25.259 he's having 00:27:25.259 --> 00:27:25.960 a conversation 00:27:25.960 --> 00:27:26.440 with his 00:27:26.440 --> 00:27:26.779 sister, 00:27:28.059 --> 00:27:28.399 and he 00:27:28.399 --> 00:27:28.680 and his 00:27:28.680 --> 00:27:29.180 sister have 00:27:29.180 --> 00:27:29.799 felt for a 00:27:29.799 --> 00:27:30.220 long time 00:27:30.220 --> 00:27:30.460 they would 00:27:30.460 --> 00:27:31.240 be missionaries 00:27:31.240 --> 00:27:31.759 to China. 00:27:33.099 --> 00:27:33.440 She's 00:27:33.440 --> 00:27:33.919 struggling with 00:27:33.919 --> 00:27:34.379 the decision 00:27:34.379 --> 00:27:34.799 to be a 00:27:34.799 --> 00:27:35.159 sprinter, 00:27:36.539 --> 00:27:37.519 and he 00:27:37.519 --> 00:27:37.740 says, 00:27:37.819 --> 00:27:38.220 I believe 00:27:38.220 --> 00:27:38.740 God made 00:27:38.740 --> 00:27:39.200 me for a 00:27:39.200 --> 00:27:39.579 purpose, 00:27:40.480 --> 00:27:41.059 but he 00:27:41.059 --> 00:27:41.700 also made 00:27:41.700 --> 00:27:42.399 me fast, 00:27:43.240 --> 00:27:44.000 and when I 00:27:44.000 --> 00:27:44.480 run, 00:27:44.819 --> 00:27:45.359 I feel his 00:27:45.359 --> 00:27:45.720 pleasure. 00:27:46.799 --> 00:27:47.879 When I 00:27:47.879 --> 00:27:48.379 run, I 00:27:48.379 --> 00:27:48.740 feel his 00:27:48.740 --> 00:27:49.079 pleasure. 00:27:50.159 --> 00:27:50.859 When I 00:27:50.859 --> 00:27:52.359 fill out 00:27:52.359 --> 00:27:53.180 spreadsheets, I 00:27:53.180 --> 00:27:53.559 feel his 00:27:53.559 --> 00:27:53.839 pleasure. 00:27:54.879 --> 00:27:55.659 When I do 00:27:55.659 --> 00:27:56.299 taxes, I 00:27:56.299 --> 00:27:56.659 feel his 00:27:56.659 --> 00:27:56.960 pleasure. 00:27:57.379 --> 00:27:57.779 When I 00:27:57.779 --> 00:27:58.859 paint, when 00:27:58.859 --> 00:27:59.519 I compose, 00:28:00.200 --> 00:28:00.599 when I 00:28:00.599 --> 00:28:01.099 trim the 00:28:01.099 --> 00:28:02.339 vineyard, I 00:28:02.339 --> 00:28:03.119 feel his 00:28:03.119 --> 00:28:03.480 pleasure. 00:28:05.899 --> 00:28:06.680 That's what it 00:28:06.680 --> 00:28:07.359 means to work 00:28:07.359 --> 00:28:08.019 for the Lord 00:28:08.019 --> 00:28:08.919 in sincerity 00:28:08.919 --> 00:28:09.519 of heart, 00:28:10.259 --> 00:28:10.919 confident in 00:28:10.919 --> 00:28:11.480 the inheritance 00:28:11.480 --> 00:28:12.139 that Christ 00:28:12.139 --> 00:28:12.700 had already 00:28:12.700 --> 00:28:13.319 secured for 00:28:13.319 --> 00:28:13.519 him. 00:28:16.399 --> 00:28:16.879 We're 00:28:16.879 --> 00:28:17.159 about to 00:28:17.159 --> 00:28:17.480 close. 00:28:18.019 --> 00:28:18.419 What Paul 00:28:18.419 --> 00:28:19.000 is pressing 00:28:19.000 --> 00:28:19.439 into the 00:28:19.439 --> 00:28:19.859 community, 00:28:20.059 --> 00:28:20.740 into family, 00:28:20.859 --> 00:28:21.200 and into 00:28:21.200 --> 00:28:22.240 work, are 00:28:22.240 --> 00:28:23.019 the implications 00:28:23.019 --> 00:28:24.339 of sacrificial, 00:28:24.919 --> 00:28:25.419 submissive 00:28:25.419 --> 00:28:25.720 love. 00:28:26.399 --> 00:28:26.919 We must, 00:28:27.039 --> 00:28:27.700 however, first 00:28:27.700 --> 00:28:28.179 admit that 00:28:28.179 --> 00:28:28.819 submission of 00:28:28.819 --> 00:28:30.319 any kind is 00:28:30.319 --> 00:28:30.819 an act of 00:28:30.819 --> 00:28:31.159 the Holy 00:28:31.159 --> 00:28:31.579 Spirit. 00:28:32.460 --> 00:28:32.960 It's 00:28:32.960 --> 00:28:33.899 antithetical to 00:28:33.899 --> 00:28:34.480 our fallen 00:28:34.480 --> 00:28:35.639 nature, and 00:28:35.639 --> 00:28:36.439 perhaps insane, 00:28:36.799 --> 00:28:37.599 and even 00:28:37.599 --> 00:28:38.099 dangerous, 00:28:39.099 --> 00:28:40.179 in relationships, 00:28:40.180 --> 00:28:41.560 unless you 00:28:41.560 --> 00:28:42.160 are ultimately 00:28:42.160 --> 00:28:43.000 submitting to 00:28:43.000 --> 00:28:43.860 Christ and 00:28:43.860 --> 00:28:44.640 trusting him 00:28:44.640 --> 00:28:45.580 for your 00:28:45.580 --> 00:28:46.580 personal safety 00:28:46.580 --> 00:28:47.160 and benefit. 00:28:48.480 --> 00:28:48.900 Submission 00:28:48.900 --> 00:28:49.440 doesn't make 00:28:49.440 --> 00:28:50.360 any sense in 00:28:50.360 --> 00:28:50.860 our culture, 00:28:51.440 --> 00:28:52.640 but it makes 00:28:52.640 --> 00:28:53.259 a lot of 00:28:53.259 --> 00:28:53.900 sense if your 00:28:53.900 --> 00:28:54.799 ultimate aim is 00:28:54.799 --> 00:28:55.539 to be like 00:28:55.539 --> 00:28:56.880 Christ, and 00:28:56.880 --> 00:28:57.400 you're trusting 00:28:57.400 --> 00:28:57.940 that God is 00:28:57.940 --> 00:28:58.620 using everything 00:28:58.620 --> 00:28:59.500 in this life 00:28:59.500 --> 00:29:00.160 to that end. 00:29:01.440 --> 00:29:02.039 When I just 00:29:02.039 --> 00:29:02.740 said be like 00:29:02.740 --> 00:29:03.759 Christ, what I 00:29:03.759 --> 00:29:04.340 mean is we 00:29:04.340 --> 00:29:05.240 imitate the 00:29:05.240 --> 00:29:06.660 one who, in 00:29:06.660 --> 00:29:07.660 eternity past, 00:29:07.980 --> 00:29:08.240 said, 00:29:08.360 --> 00:29:08.880 Father, I'll 00:29:08.880 --> 00:29:09.100 go. 00:29:10.180 --> 00:29:11.120 Father, I'll 00:29:11.120 --> 00:29:11.460 obey. 00:29:12.480 --> 00:29:13.340 I'll give my 00:29:13.340 --> 00:29:14.080 life for those 00:29:14.080 --> 00:29:14.740 whom I love, 00:29:15.140 --> 00:29:15.620 fully, 00:29:16.400 --> 00:29:17.100 sacrificially, 00:29:17.200 --> 00:29:17.820 unto death, 00:29:18.360 --> 00:29:19.320 so that they 00:29:19.320 --> 00:29:20.080 can have life, 00:29:20.420 --> 00:29:21.560 to be sons and 00:29:21.560 --> 00:29:22.400 daughters in our 00:29:22.400 --> 00:29:24.000 household, and 00:29:24.000 --> 00:29:25.160 live in love to 00:29:25.160 --> 00:29:25.680 one another. 00:29:26.560 --> 00:29:27.420 It's him, 00:29:28.060 --> 00:29:29.360 Christ, that we 00:29:29.360 --> 00:29:29.960 submit to. 00:29:30.460 --> 00:29:31.340 It's him we 00:29:31.340 --> 00:29:31.640 obey. 00:29:32.039 --> 00:29:32.680 In the name of 00:29:32.680 --> 00:29:33.320 the Father, and 00:29:33.320 --> 00:29:34.140 of the Son, and 00:29:34.140 --> 00:29:34.519 of the Holy 00:29:34.519 --> 00:29:34.840 Spirit. 00:29:35.400 --> 00:29:35.660 Amen.